DUSTER

Or a small dog wide eyed and.............

Yea.......   Somethin' Like dis?

Karl. I have been in limbo land and just discovered this gem. You have once again succeeded in establishing a new story out of the “everyday” components of a model build.

All the kudos  are rightfully placed at your feet.  (thanks for wearing your shoes-I’m just sayin’)

The too clean-negative space problem is not an easy one to adjust without clouding your vision.  The addition of any other large element could also break the visual flow you have worked out so successfully.

As a thought though, would a drain grate help to break the paver expanse? Or a small dog wide eyed and hightailing (pun-I know, I know) it from the encounter?

SMJ has a good point as well;   the reduction to one lamp and the “forced” shadow/highlight could help create the night feeling. Though ghosts likely don’t have shadows but a soft “glow “could be used instead of their shadow which would call attention to the tagger and his shadow

  Regardless what your decide, you have a cracker-jack diorama.

This Steve is off to the sack to dream of what I could do if I had the talent; But I am taking notes.   

doog:  As I expected, you had a reason for everything you did in the dio'.  

You're right, there is a "something" missing...I still think it's related to the large negative space.  I  seem to want to "scrunch" the scene together: Limit the park area, bench, grass, etc... maybe just have one "scary" light (is that what you called it")  If you had one light source you could darken the backs of the skeleton figures and focus the attention to the more lit-up vandal. Or how about casting shadows in a direction you want the viewer's eye to go (again, one light source) Make sense?

If you're trying to relay to the viewer that parks in Germany are perfectly clean you're going to have a real tough time unless there's a storyline plaque attached.  

Hope that gets the creative juices going...and thanks for your additional explaination, I sure do enjoy thinking through stuff like this.

SMJmodeler

doog:  It's good you channeled your frustrations out this way, and I totally understand how you feel.  It has become in vogue to add graffiti to freight cars in the model railroading world and I was asked many times if that was something I did as part of my weathering...I always replied with a definitive no.  I find the graffiti to be a debasing of the property of the hardworking railroad companies and freight car manufacturers and I simply refused to add it...even if it was prototypical.  I can't even imagine the frustration I'd feel if I saw some of the great old buildings in Europe, with detailing probably never seen again, ruined by senseless graffiti.  

OK, stepping down from the soapbox...

That is one fine build Karl!  The weathering effects sure do have your consistently high caliber of attention to detail and flawless execution...but what I most like is the story!  It's like the armor dio's that depict a tragic war scene...with a different take-on-it.  Never would have thought that the dead Germans still guarded their armor so intensely, great imagination...all-be-it a bit disturbing  You haven't been spending too much time on the road lately, have you?!...

Couple things:  The park feels a bit clean...I see all the dirt on the paving but I almost want this to feel like an "off-the-beaten' path memorial with the feel of a graveyard...you know, brown grass, dilapidated bench, etc.  Also, the negative space is a bit too big IMO.  The ghosts could be right on top of the kid and really add some eeriness...or maybe the dio' goes somewhat vertical and the ghosts are coming from below.  

I love the comment that was made about the lighting, if this goes to a show you should display it as night scene!

Anyway, that's my doog, always a pleasure to view your work my friend.

 

 

Thanks for looking in on this and adding your valued opinion! To be honest, you're right about a couple of things that still bother me about the dio. I agree that the openm space and park needs "something else". The problem is that I have thought and thought and wracked my brain to think of what I could add that wouldn't obstruct the line-of-sight and focal point of the scene---the vandal and his impending fate--without feeling cluttered and redundant or unnecessary. I am a stcikler for Composition, and I hate when I see a dio just thoughtlessly filled up with copious, disparate elements as if that makes a "story".

I also think that, in this case, I may be a victim of my own travels and experience in Europe and especially Germany. If you've ever been there, you know that European parks and espeically "hallowed places" like memorials are pretty much spotless. I was very consicous of that fact while composing this scene---but now, I think that while it may have been technically "accurate" modeling, it may not have been the smartest modeling. Ironically, I'm the guy who's always ready to sacrifice technical "accuracy" for "artistry"---but I have a nagging feeling that I should have minimized that former aspect in favor of the latter. The whole "backwater graveyard" idea would have been compelling, but in the end, I don't know if I could have "sold" that as "German", they being so fastidious in their society?

The other diffficult element was the lack of any elevation. Usually that helps a scene, to have variations in terrain, but this was difficult to work into the scene in any meaningful way.

I felt that it was almost pointless to fill up the green area behind the tank, as the bulk of the vehicle blocks it anyway, and most parks are just grass in Europe as I recall.

One thing that would have helped would have been a tree of some sort behind/above the tank, but I thought that would make the removal of the top very difficult. Maybe I overreached in insisting on including that option?

Anyway, something tells me that I'm not quite done with this dio. I've been waiting for something inspirational to hit me out of the blue, and maybe your suggestions will inspire something dark and fetid and disturbing to rise from my inner consciousness...? Oh one could only hope! lol ...

Thanks again for the valuable and honest critique; you know I eat that ship up!

Oh, and it was great to read your opinion on graffiti as well!

doog:  It's good you channeled your frustrations out this way, and I totally understand how you feel.  It has become in vogue to add graffiti to freight cars in the model railroading world and I was asked many times if that was something I did as part of my weathering...I always replied with a definitive no.  I find the graffiti to be a debasing of the property of the hardworking railroad companies and freight car manufacturers and I simply refused to add it...even if it was prototypical.  I can't even imagine the frustration I'd feel if I saw some of the great old buildings in Europe, with detailing probably never seen again, ruined by senseless graffiti.  

OK, stepping down from the soapbox...

That is one fine build Karl!  The weathering effects sure do have your consistently high caliber of attention to detail and flawless execution...but what I most like is the story!  It's like the armor dio's that depict a tragic war scene...with a different take-on-it.  Never would have thought that the dead Germans still guarded their armor so intensely, great imagination...all-be-it a bit disturbing  You haven't been spending too much time on the road lately, have you?!...

Couple things:  The park feels a bit clean...I see all the dirt on the paving but I almost want this to feel like an "off-the-beaten' path memorial with the feel of a graveyard...you know, brown grass, dilapidated bench, etc.  Also, the negative space is a bit too big IMO.  The ghosts could be right on top of the kid and really add some eeriness...or maybe the dio' goes somewhat vertical and the ghosts are coming from below.  

I love the comment that was made about the lighting, if this goes to a show you should display it as night scene!

Anyway, that's my doog, always a pleasure to view your work my friend.

  I am late to the party and not sure I'm even qualified to comment, but this is an outstanding piece of work.  I find myself hoping that if the guns jam then the shovel will do the trick.  It is going to take a number of viewings to appreciate all the detail that is present.  Thank you for sharing your work.

                                                                       knox

Sorry I just was able to admire your work, Karl.  Your dio is simply kick Azz.  I love the story and the you brought it to life.

Congrats on the spooktacular work.

Kim

Man I hate crappy hotel wifi.

A while back during a photo shoot of a SW Darth Fighter, I used a flashlight as an effect because I thought some night light may look cool. I think it gave it some nice color.

Just a thought Karl. 

Terry

Bish--thank you, man! I think I will take some pics with a black background to see how that looks, I dunno if I could capture any detail in dim light. I'm afraid it would just look washed out. I may have to wait until I get home from traveling....big plans comin up...!

Mike, thank you so much. Those are generous words. :)

BarretDuke, glad that you concur with me about the demise of Western Civilization lol. Thanks for your comments!

Bones, my hat's off to you for the great suggestion. Even my fiance' said that it was a great idea!

Tankerbuilder, thank you so much! A plane would be a real challenge! I don't normally do them as it is; I'd have to research a whole new field! In any case, I"m already onto the next model--a tribute to Buddy Baker, my favorite Nascar driver as a kid, who just passed away. Watch the Auto forum in about two weeks for the build log!

Thanks once again, guys!!

Okay ;

    Now , do you want to do the same to a 1/48 B-25 ? If so I've got the plane and obviously you got the talent .Doog ; All I can say is Incredibly , Totally , Awesome ! ! !       T.B.

Looks awesome Doog !! I'm happy you liked the light idea . I like the arm on the ghost coming out of the tank the bones are cool 

Karl, really amazing work. Thanks for sharing it with us. And thanks for sharing your reason as well. We are certainly  moving into a difficult period in western civilization.

Karl, I admire this build far more than I can express. This is what I strive to accomplish in my own work and have not yet succeeded. My hat is off to you my friend.

Wow, guys--to be honest, I'm a little bit humbled by all the generous comments and superlatives being throw out here, lol. I really mean that. I didn't expect such a great reaction. Thanks again to all of you who have followed along, commented, and who now took the time to give me a !

Cliff, thanks buddy! Those skeletal hands were a PITA to engineer! I had to cut between the fingers with a microsaw, then thin the fingers and then mount the hands on brass wire "bones" which were drilled into the hollowed-out sleeves. Thanks for calling those out--now I feel like it was worth the effort! :)

Dave, thanks so much for such kind words. I really am humbled by the comparison, and I'm not really in agreement, but it's so generous of you to say so.

Cat Daddy, Tony Lee, thanks guys, much appreciated!! Good to see you still around, Tony!

Mike B, yeah, that would be cool wouldn't it? If only I had the smarts and skills to pull that off! I thought about it, but then realized I would probably break something in frustration, lol. Thanks for the nice comment!

Steve, thanks so much, and for the cool graphic too, lol. You're always a reliably consistent guy to make us smile and I thak you for your consistency in following along and offering advice and encouragement!

Eric, lol, oh, you noticed that tattoos, huh? Great! I was wondering if anyone would see them? Yeah, not my thing, but I figured they fit the profile, lol...thanks man!!

Mike--you get off that Facebook!! Hey, thanks for looking in here and promise us you won't disappear! You're an old salt here, and it wouldn't be the same without you. Thanks as always for your kind words! And Gerhardt says "woof!"!

Terry, thank you as well for your generous compliments. I wish I could just get those stupid stores closed somehow; it's unbelievable to me that anyone would encourage such destruction for such foolish reasons!

Tojo, thanks too, and for following along here! I shall be writing this one up in the future!

Thanks too, Silent Bob! I am pleased to hear that you took something modeling-related from my methods here. That's a side-benefit to doing these blogs here in the armor forum; you reach people who are in the mainstream forums, not just members of any given Group Build. Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for your words!

Thanks again, guys! I genuinely appreciate everyone who has looked in!!

This takes what we do to a whole other level and what you do to genius. I've always thought that what makes a great piece of art is that any one thing, by itself, can stand alone. Karl you've skillfully combined every aspect of your work, all the techniques, the imagery and the vision to make what I think is a perfect piece of art. 

Maybe you should print some up stickable posters, and next time over cover their filth with them. Better yet, paper the front of that vile store who makes money out of destruction. 

Karl congratulations I think this one will be around a while.

Terry  

Karl

I have been off the grid here  at FSM for a bit....I return to see this work of art. Outstanding. Love the concept of this work of art. You never cease to amaze. Proof as always you are still king of the finish! Give Gerheart a good belly rub for me!

Rounds Complete!!

Beautiful work Karl. Love the scene and detail. I even like the tat on the guys leg. Ha-ha.

Karl... This is awesome!!!  :D:D:D

The only thing that would improve it would be glow paint and UV LED's in the lights. Tell me there's a glass case for this display!

Karl you are

Well you are

My friend amazing you are

Tony lee

Mere words cannot express how much I love this diorama. Wonderful and inspiring work.

Karl- this is absolute brilliance, in vision and execution. We all know the names of Shep Paine, Francois Verlinden, etc. who are legends of model building and storytelling, and I daresay that your efforts are on par with theirs.

Dave

Thanks Karl, you're going to give me friggin' nightmares!!!

Absolutly spectacular work, I only now noticed how you'd given the ghost troopers skelital hands to go with their skull heads, I love all the little details like that!

Bones1977

I don't post much but I got to say this is pretty awesome !!! It's would be cool to paint the lens on the the street lights a bright neon green to make it look more spooky !

 

 

Here are the last steps and finished photos!

I painted the Plus Models street lamps with a craft store acrylic mix--details in the article to be written soon--and then added a dash of white to the mix to paint the squiggle texture on the lamps. It kinda looks like marble to me. The white of the lanterns was again craft store acrylic, with a trimming of yellow and bright green to impart that eerie glow as suggested by Bones. Testor's enamel Brass was used for the trim. Here, I'm making a base for the lamps to slide into and which will be then placed in the grass.

I'm using a Dremel tool to scrape away a place for the lamp base.

The base in place. I drilled holed for the lights and epoxied them in, and then used superglue to fill in around the edges with some more grass powder.

After installing the park bench (Mini Art), I use the Dremel again to rough up the ground for realism.

The base awaiting the elements.

The finished diorama: "Death to the Defiler!"

The tank was attached to the base with epoxy cement.

The top DOES still come off to show off the interior.

I added some litter--water bottles and coke cans, etc--to the scene at various places. I aso added two rifles stored inside which were locked securely with a dead bolt and chain.

The memorial boquet, public viewing stair and "Kein Eingang" (no entrance) sign and chain.

The boquet was painted with craft store acrylics. The banners come with the kit--Plus Models again--and are simply soaked in water and draped over the piece with a light coat of white glue.

The soldier coming through the tank and the vandal...the graffitti is decals by Uschi.

I think that this scumbag came out pretty good, face-wise? Again, painted with 90% craft acrylics.

One more of the soldiers. Note how I painted the reflection of the "spooky light" on highlights of the "bones". I think this draws a more cohesive link to the overall story line and feel.

The park bench...yup, craft store acrylics. Painted by simple blending of colors on the brush. There were no oil washes used here.

The back of the tank and dio..Joefix leaves added an aire of cold October..

And one last angle..

This diorama was inspired by the genuine horror that I've felt in my many travels around Europe. There, the willingness to deface and destroy what are gorgeous old monuments and incredible buildings of beautiful marble and granite by people who have a need to be recognized by the illegible scrawls that they leave rather than the good that they do apparently knows no bounds. I remember being outraged in the town of Nurnberg when I found a small store which apparently catered to this sickness, and sold the wares of the trade--small, easily-concealable paint cans, masks, and gloves, etc. The whole store was actually dedicated to "tagging". And of course, in the beautiful old city, the ease of access showed..Ugh!

So anyway, this is my fantasy, my "release", to get it off my chest in an artistic way. I hope you find both humor and empathy in it. As always, thanks for following along, and for all the nice comments which everyone has been so kind in offering!

I don't post much but I got to say this is pretty awesome !!! It's would be cool to paint the lens on the the street lights a bright neon green to make it look more spooky !

Reaper420

 

 

I love how the ghost soldiers are about to blast that vandal for defiling their tank. And Hell, why can't they actually hurt him? It's very possible based off most ghost movies! 

 

GMorrison

Very nice. But somethings bothering me that I can't put my finger on. It's starting to get a little busy. I'd suggest that maybe the wreath is too big. It sort of represents a whole other parallel path of activity.

Do you think these guys can actually hurt the vandal?

 

Thanks for an honest opinion. I can see where you could get that impression; however, I think that once I get color on all the elements, it will look more ...what's the word..."composed"?

I need that wreath for a "memorial" insinuation. It plays an important element in telling the story in my opinion. It sets that stage for the "sacrilege" of defacing this historical vehicle. I've seen too much of this all over Europe, and that fact is what has inspired this diorama.

RBaer

Gonna do it again: Cool! The guardians are a story unto themselves, most excellent.

 

Tojo72

Great,story really coming together now.

 

Gonna do it again: Cool! The guardians are a story unto themselves, most excellent.

GMorrison

Verty nice. Bu somethings bothering me that I can't put my finger on. It's starting to get a little busy. I'd suggest that maybe the wreath is too big. It sort of represents a whole other parallel path of activity.

Do you think these guys can actually hurt the vandal?

 

I love how the ghost soldiers are about to blast that vandal for defiling their tank. And Hell, why can't they actually hurt him? It's very possible based off most ghost movies! 

Very nice. But somethings bothering me that I can't put my finger on. It's starting to get a little busy. I'd suggest that maybe the wreath is too big. It sort of represents a whole other parallel path of activity.

Do you think these guys can actually hurt the vandal?

Great,story really coming together now.

Ok, a little more work here...

I have painted the base work; I figured that an ornate color pattern in a park might be cool. I used a bunch of different craft store paints and mixed them on the brush to get different colors. I then drybrushed them with some tan and light gray.

Here I've sprayed a light coat of light gray mized with Buff to tone down the colors.

Next, I cut a piece of .080 styrene card into a strip to make sidewalks.

I was going to cut these into tiles and lay them down like such, but then I realized that I could just cut and etch them into what I needed. I cut grooves with a razor saw and then opened them up with a needle file.

A strip of 2mm x 4.8mm prepared in he same way served as a curb.

The elements of the dio thus far...

I was hemming and hawing about this guy but he came out looking so cool that I thnk I'll keep him.

This nice little boquet will set the solemn scene...

The sidewalks got a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 for texture...

And that's it for tonight. I've finally primed the individual pieces and will be going about painting them in the next few days. Stay tuned for more updates! Thanks again for following along, guys!

Thanks for looking in, Carlos! Glad to have you along for the ride into the Twilight Zone! :)

I'm loving the concept and execution here! A bit of dark humor 

Guys, thanks again for all the generous and flattering comments. I say that, sincerely, it never gets old hearing them.

I don't think I"ll be selling this one any time soon, but it hopefully WILL be spooky! At least I hope so!

And yes, the top DOES come off--thanks, Steve, for clarifying that.

Well I've been trying to think what you were going to do, but splitting a body coming through the wall is genius. Sure didn't expect that one....Terry

This looks SUPER and I bet it will be spoooky. Can I buy it for halloween? If you would consider selling it, I asked you first...

 The top is removable....

 check earlier in the post and he explains how he went about it.

As stated before, simply amazing! Love the ghost idea too! 

Well, this just gets better, and more weird. Stunning work as always Karl.

But i have to ask. How's your eye's after painting those stones.

Your vision is astounding Karl! I absolutely love this entire concept. This is the kind of thing I would expect to take a lot of awards.

I demand more. lol

Lol, I'm a modeler but you're an artist Karl, I'd never have thought about having the ghost coming though the hull of the tank like that. 

My hat's off to you sir! 

jibber

Simply amazing Karl. Your style and vision is second to none. 
Terry

 

I have an update to share..

I used a base product from MiniArt to make the setting for the park/square. This is a simple 2-piece laid-stone kit that you glue together on the seam. It's actually like a 3-D base--I had to cut off the edges to make it flat, and then I epoxied it onto the wood base after sanding and painting the wood plaque.

Now I'm in the process of painting the individual stones. I will overspray it with a light sand-gray when done to minimize the differences.

I want to show what I've been doing with the rest of the dio. I've constructed a viewing stair for the public out of another MiniArt Staircase kit. Lots of hacking and trial-and-error fitting here...

I also affixed a tiny chain to the entrance: "Kein Eingang!"

The figures are taking a lot of time. I have made alll the hands into "skeletal" hands, and mounted them on brass rods to simulate "bones'. I found those great skullls online on eBay.

I wanted to put this figure "coming out of" the tank.

I cut him down the middle with a razor saw..

I then hollowed out a channel for the exhaust using my Dremel tool

Here he is coming "through" the tank! I have since-fixed that little gap with Milliuputt putty.

Here's another guy. I removed his jaw, as this was a common WWI injury..

He may be coming up out of the "ground"? Here's the general layout so far. I also have some additional details to include that are not in the photo yet...lights, a memorial boquet on a stand,...

That's it so far; as I said, a lot of little details and small experimenting and planning are slowing me down, but I'm having fun--and that's what it's all about!

Suggestions, comments and critiques welcomed!! Thanks for looking in guys!

Simply amazing Karl. Your style and vision is second to none. 
Terry

Thanks for the info on the guns Karl, i will try and remember about those ball mounts.

This is stunning Karl. Just jaw dropping amazing. ...and you're not even done yet...

moose421

Nice work Karl.  I love the rusted look on the interior.  I have one question and maybe I didn't see the explaination.  What is the thicker green stuff on the drivers seats?  Moss?

 

The outside weathering is top notch.

 

Keep up the great work.

Kim

 

Yes, the green is like mos, mold--a totally artistic call. This model is depicting a tank which has sat out in a public park like in a memorial setting, and so the interior would be rusted and rather neglected. I fugure that those seats would'nt fare too well in the outdoors, so...

Thanks again for the compliments!

Bish

like the sWhats not to dig. I like the scheme, i take it you have gone for a faded look on that as well, so the colours are a lot lighter than they would have been in 1918.

Why were the guns so awkward to fit, given that the roof is off, its actually looks like it would be simple. But i can see why you did it like that.

 

GMorrison

Really cool. The exterior camo looks wonderful.

That looks like a big old radiator down there in front of the driver.

 

Nice work Karl.  I love the rusted look on the interior.  I have one question and maybe I didn't see the explaination.  What is the thicker green stuff on the drivers seats?  Moss?

The outside weathering is top notch.

Keep up the great work.

Kim

Hate to sound like a broken record but again... very cool, I love it!!! 

like the sWhats not to dig. I like the scheme, i take it you have gone for a faded look on that as well, so the colours are a lot lighter than they would have been in 1918.

Why were the guns so awkward to fit, given that the roof is off, its actually looks like it would be simple. But i can see why you did it like that.

Really cool. The exterior camo looks wonderful.

That looks like a big old radiator down there in front of the driver.

Well, I've ben weathering this beast after getting the decals on. NOTE: The kit decals are on, but I've not chosen to put the indentifying "Schnuk" or other particulars on it. I want a generic A7V to go in the diorama. Also, though there will be grafitti vandalism on it, I want to put that on AFTER the weathering, so it look new. The decals were "aged" by airbrushing some gray-white over them to simulate fading.

I used some craft paints, oil paints and a sponge to weather the exterior. Also, I used some of Wilder's Rust colors to add streaks and tone to the Raw Umber oil.

Using the sponge. This give a nice, random distribution of chips.

Note also that I've finally put all the guns in. UGH, what a PAIN that was. This model is not designed tobe built the way I built it---it's designed to be glued all together at once, so I had to really labor to get these parts in.

Here's some pics:

Don't know what happened to my white balance here, but I think it's when I turned a light on overhead to get shots inside...

You can see the wooden seats that I made on the door there (above)

The base is an old placque that I had...

This street pattern is from MiniArt. It's in two pieces, so I'll have to do some fancy joint work..I've cut it into the pattern you see.

I cut the stones to match in this herringbone pattern...

After gluing, I sealed up the joints with melted putty..

Well that's it for today's update! Hope you're digging it, and thanks for following along! Comments always appreciated!

lol, thanks, Bish. It's giong to be a sinister scene, that's for sure!

Nice to see where your going with this. Not sure if i like how your mind is working or if it scares me

Liking the paint job though.

Thanks too, Cliff, for looking in and for the nice comment!

GMorrison

I'd go all the way back up the thread to what Stage Left said. I really CAN smell something dead in there.

The 100 year old weathering project is a real work of art. At every single stage you've shown, Mr. Bill has said "nooooooooo!". But then it just gets better.

There used to be a member here named Vespa Boy. I'm drawing no comparisons in terms of execution, and he didn't model armor. Stuff like sidewalks and streets. This model is in my opinion the same thing. It is so real and so filled with truly accurate details that are found in real life, that it's really something special.

 

 

I remember Vespa Boy! A temendous artist--is he not with us anymore? He was honestly amazing in his commitment to detail on the most mundane and pedestrian of subjects! I loved his work!

Thanks again, and I hope you'll stay tuned for more!

Exterior looks just as good as the interior Karl, looking forward to more! 

I'd go all the way back up the thread to what Stage Left said. I really CAN smell something dead in there.

The 100 year old weathering project is a real work of art. At every single stage you've shown, Mr. Bill has said "nooooooooo!". But then it just gets better.

There used to be a member here named Vespa Boy. I'm drawing no comparisons in terms of execution, and he didn't model armor. Stuff like sidewalks and streets. This model is in my opinion the same thing. It is so real and so filled with truly accurate details that are found in real life, that it's really something special.

Ahh,a little reminiscent of "Spooked" gonna be good.

Hi Guys,

Ok, so I got the exterior painted.

I'm going with a 3-color scheme, in what would have been an early color scheme. I'm not too worried about accuracy per se, as this tank is going to represent something like a museum piece on a public plinth, and when have bureaucrats ever done an accurate tank paint job? lol

I started with a quick coat of decanted grey primer from Duplicolor, and then shot a coat of Tamiya XF66 Light Grey. When this was covering the model, I took some Flat White and mixed it into the cup and sprayed fading lines down the side and over the roof. This to simulate sun-fading.

After that, I mixed a shade from Tamiya Buff plus Yellow an White. Once again, after spraying the patches, I "faded" it with another infusion of Flat White.

I then used Model Master Raw Umber, and repeated the fading trick.

Other side...

It looks pretty neat with the top off...

This should make a pretty cool canvas for weathering now. I will be adding the doors and guns now, and the decals as well, which will have to be suitably "aged".

And here's a peek at the vandal and the avenging soldier! There will be one more beside this one, and I have something REALLY cool planned for him!

That's it for now, guys! Thanks for looking in, and comments are of course, always appreciated!

Bish, Terry, Steve---thanks, guys. I appreciate you taking the time to comment! It's kinda quiet in here since the "Big Change"! Update next!

hogfanfs

Karl, the interior looks amazing! 

Funny, I had the pictures open of your interior, and my wife walked by and had to stop to take a look. That is the best compliment you can get! lol

 

Masterful work Karl, so cool...Terry

You got a great looking rusted hulk coming on there karl.

  Poor ol' Gerhardt looks so bored and left out.....

           As for the tank.

Um, Um-Um, Ummm, Ummm, Um!

                         Yeah.

Well, here we go. She'za ready for paint. Finally! It's been a long, arduous build full of planning stops and delays, but I'm finally ready for a bas coat and camo. Luckily, it's a soft-edge, so it will go on rather quickly.

I had to figger out how to do the tracks--this diorama is going to depict a tank that is in a park as a commemorative monument setting, so I have to figure that the tracks would have been painted alonmg with the suspension at some point and then neglected for many years after being rolled into place. I painted appropriate rust tones on the suspension and the tracks in the same manner as the interior, and then salted them up.

Next, I hit them with a dark gray mix of Tamiya German Grey and Light Grey.

Top that with a lighter shade of the same...

I knocked the salt off--well, "scrubbed it" off, more like it; this stuff sticks pretty good under paint--and then gave it an overnight wash of acrylics; Burnt Umber and Raw Sienna, for some more "deep" rust shadows.

Because of the corrosive nature of the salt, a few of the track links had been affected, and rather than go through the rigamarole of repairing what wouldn't be seen anyway, I removed the damaged links put the tracks on thusly, and glued them in place. The tracks are almost unseen beyond the first few upward-curving links, as you'll see..

Now I was finally able to put the sides on.

The guns will be put in after painting, lest they present a difficult projection outside the hull that would be a pain to mask. This way, I can easily fill the hull with tissue and spray the exterior.

Modeling doog Gerhardt watches in between his nap...HEY DOOG!

The top will be removable. Here you can see that it will sit reasonably well on the walls..

So I'm off to paint the exterior. Stay tuned; the actual diorama should be starting to take place soon once I get all the elements constructed, which shouldn't take too long!

Comments welcomed!

Bish

But there is one thing I have noticed. Where are the ceiling braces?  

That looks just brilliant Karl, I really like all the crud on the seats.

But there is one thing I have noticed. Where are the ceiling braces?  

Man that interior looks awful......you know what I mean.

That's some great work Karl! Detail and weathering are top notch here. All I have to say is it must have been one hot mamma jamma on the inside of that beast!! Radiator and powerplant in the crew compartment......the temperatures must have soared in there!

Well I've got the driver's platform assembled. What a genuine PITA this was. Sadly, I think I'm in line for some more frustrating Magyverism coming up here with the fit...

I found that the way that this interior is engineered, the tolerances are VERY tight, and apparently the top and upper hull is designed to be glued tightly against each other---nothing bad there, really--but it has caused problems for the way I want to display it. The top "ceiling" piece wouldn't fit without hitting the high parts on the driver's platform. I have had to do some creative re-arranging of some parts--mostly just dropping a piece or two by a few mm here or there to give clearance.

I want to leave the model with a removable top so you will be able to see all of this weathering in there. In order to make this possible without needing the tight "glue and clamp" method of assembly, I've had to remove these projections on top of the radiator pieces that act as buttresses to the ceiling. Otherwise, the top "floats".

I really don't think this is a big deal, as let's be honest--there aren't going to be any A7V engineers or experts in my viewing audience to say "Uh, where are the ceiling braces?" (OK, now I'm CERTAIN that someone will pull that line on me at an AMPS show somewhere. ) It looks perfectly plausible like it is now, in my opinion, and in any case, the interior is only going to be a secondary aspect of the diorama.

In any case, here's some angles on the interior work so far.

You can see that the ceiling platform really doesn't look compromised much by the omission of those braces...

The suspension has been pre-rusted and will receive the salt treatment, etc...

Got a busy weekend so I won't get much done before Monday. Hope to have another update midweek..

Thanks for looking in and commenting, guys! It's good to have you all on board!

Karl, the interior looks amazing! 

Funny, I had the pictures open of your interior, and my wife walked by and had to stop to take a look. That is the best compliment you can get! lol

Tojo72

Very cool looking,are you leaving the roof loose,or will the only view of that fantastic interior be from the open hatches.

You'll see in my next update that I've decided to build this so that the top is removable. It's going to take some finesse, but it should be easy to just pop the top and look inside when I'm finished.

Thank you, Mustang, Cliff, Hugo, and Phaisal! Thanks for coming along on this ride!

Hugo, don't work too hard. Life ain't worth living if you forget to actually "Live"!. Take a break! :)

Very impressive WIP photos, Karl! This gonna be a very nice WWI diorama!

Hey Karl,

Im trying to catch up on things, since work has been a nightmare.

This looks freaking awesome.

An exceptional building model we are looking at.

Congrats my friend.

Looking awesome so far! Love the seats.

Very cool looking,are you leaving the roof loose,or will the only view of that fantastic interior be from the open hatches.

Now THIS..........is cool!!!! Watching.........

Thanks, Steve, Dave, and Eric! I'm so happy to have you guys looking in and giving me some support!

Ernest, it's good to see you back too! Yeah, I was surprised to see this model come out, and it's a beauty to be sure. I still have the old Tauro kit; man, there's no comparison especially with the interior.

MY builds this year have been a few---here's some links to what I've been up to...

1/72 ESCI M1 Abrams

1/72 E100

1.35 Vorpanzer

Two 1/35 Leopards, 1A1 and 2A4

TAKOM Object 279

I think that's it. Hope you enjoy them! :)

Stunning work Karl. Can't wait ti see the final product.

Man, I'm gone for a few months and look what I get to come back to!  Karl building the newest A7V kit!!  Wunderbar!!  I'm so envious that you have this kit, been wishing for a new kit of the A7v for years!  I was a bit taken aback when I read and saw what you're doing to this fine kit, but after seeing the initial results all I can say is AUSGEZEICHNET!!!   Looks to be another outstanding doog build!

BTW, did I miss any other builds of yours this year?  I seem to remember you working on a Panzer earlier this year (or was it last year)?

Karl- thanks for the explanation! Very helpful. I agree, sometimes just 'going for it' can lead to some welcome results.

Dave

Smells like my old basement.......

Today's work:

The importance of pinwashes. The panels on the bottom have them, the one on top dos not. Note the difference in definition.

I used some embossing powder on the seats to make it look like shredded fabric and moss,

Here's the seats painted up to look like rotted, smelly, old moss-covered fabric seats...

That's work for today! Hope to show more tomorrow!

Thanks for looking in!!

RBaer

Verrrr-ee eeeenteresting!

I still wanna know where the graffiti decals came from, I'm thinking a T-34 rotting away somewhere.....

Verrrr-ee eeeenteresting!

I still wanna know where the graffiti decals came from, I'm thinking a T-34 rotting away somewhere.....

Stage_Left

Hey Karl- looks fantastic, as usual. Your photos are very good as always, but I want to make sure I understand your thought process: did you use the hairspray and salt techniques together to give the chipped/worn paint effect more fidelity than either technique might produce individually?

Dave

What I did as to brush hairspray down the sides of the braces on the wall--I wanted to allow for big rust streaks in the creases of the braces-- and then I also attached salt to it while wet. I THEN wet down the rest of the walls with water, cut with a dab of liquid soap to help dispersion, and then salted that while wet. No plan or formula to speak of beyond that, just really kinda experimenting and rolling with it.

The hairspray came off a little more than I wanted, so I re-did the areas where it was too much. I just wet it and salted it.

If I were more patient, I would have done that in separate steps, and sealed between coats, but I wanted to get something happening with the paint already. Also, I'm confident enough at his stage to know that anything that got screwed up---like the too-big patches of rust--I could fix with little effort. And besides, some of my best finishes have been preceded by minor mistakes,

Thanks, too, Terry. Very kind words from you, and I appreciate the nice compliment!

Thanks, Steve, Reaper, and Bruce!! :)

Thanks for following along!!

Karl your work is second to none and very inspiring. We're so lucky to have all different types of builders here but your techniques stand apart. Its not only the techniques but the vision to see through a piece of plastic on a sprue and what your looking for. So cool..

Terry

Hey Karl- looks fantastic, as usual. Your photos are very good as always, but I want to make sure I understand your thought process: did you use the hairspray and salt techniques together to give the chipped/worn paint effect more fidelity than either technique might produce individually?

Dave

Looks fantastic, Karl!

Wunderbar!

                    Excellent results............

OK< got some more details to show...

I touched up the white a bit inside the walls, I didn't care for those large rust patches. I just laid down some more salt and sprayed the patches...I think it looks more like what I had envisioned....

I decided to do some sponge chipping next. I tore a little piece off of gray packing sponge and dabbed it into a rust color....this is some ancient bottle of "AccuFlex something-Brown"--the label is worn away...

For anyone looking to try this the first time, make sure you do a little test before each pass to make sure that your paint is of the proper liquidity to transfer that way you want it too. If the paint is to thick it will be tougher to get a good pattern---test it on a piece of paper, As the paint dries in your bottle top or wherever you put it, add a LITTLE bit of water to it to thin it a bit and it will be easier to use.

And apply it to the parts you want to chip...doing the seat backs..

The driver's floor and area..still need to do spot-washes...notice that I've used a Dremel tool to "age" the seats...

I have found that you can not only dab the sponge, but drag it along to make various effects. I've dragged it here down from some of the apertures to simulate rust streaks. Note the weird variety of colors and paints that I'm using. Basically whatever catches my eye. Mix it on the brush to get different tones and go to town!

The top panels have been done, the bottom, not...

Close up...

And some of the other parts..

Radiators..

The gun...

The driver deck so far...the seats have yet to be painted....still thinking on these...I have to add some kind of stuffing..

Still LOTS to do on the interior. Lot of little detail parts to do and then I have to assemble it and make sure it all fits...

Stay tuned, and thanks to all for looking in! Comments and questions always welcomed!

TigerEP1, thank you kindly, ANd don't worry--you can learn to be a superb modeler here. Heck, this is where I learned a lot of my skill!

Cliff, thanks for the king words, I'm sure your mufflers turned out fine. You put out some cool wrk yourself!

Thanks too, Bish. I appreciate you following along!

disastermaster

He heh.....Hey, I found an old page here on finescale that has some credible info on the exterior colors.

That does look really nice Karl, love that rusty finish.

Yeah, looks great Karl. I just rusted out two mufflers and wish they'd come out half as well as what you've got here.

wow... just wow man. Looks amazing. I only wish i could be half as talented as you :/ (i need to learn how to airbrush) Keep up the great work!

He heh.......

"Parts and recreation".

                     Looking good.

Hey, I found an old page here on finescale that has some credible info on the exterior colors.

Hi guys,

Been busily working away on this,and it's been a real task to plan the construction vs painting necessities. I have decided that I need to paint the interior first now at this point and then worry about finishing up the exterior. I'm going to go for an unrestored, rusted-out interior and a fresher exterior paint scheme, like you would expect of a monument in a park somewhere.

Finishing up the detailing, these door-seats look like wood to me, so I'm going to replace them wth real wood from a few detail sheets that I got from a friend. I removed the plastic "wood" with a Dremel and sandpaper. Ugh, that was tedious duty!

These little PE pieces that support the driver's portals can be tricky to bend, but if you use a small bending tool with a razor blade, it's not hard at all. Did I mention that I hate PE?

I'm starting off with a rusty base. First, a spray of dark brown over the gray primer, shot wit an airbrush.

Parts forest..

I used Adam Wlder's Nitro line "Rust Effects" to spatter some rust against the brown. This is so that when I salt and hair spray the parts, what will show through is not just bland brown rust.

The results

And now, I have used a coat of hair spray and attached regular iodized slat by sprinkling it on the wet hair spray.

Let it dry before painting...

Next, I sprayed a light and varied coat of Model MAster flat White.

Some of the parts required different colors; I mixed up a grayish-green mix for some of these parts. There is no definite consensus on the actual colors used in the interiors of these tanks, so there's a lot of leeway to play with.

The hull interior: the lower wall has had the salt brushed off.

After scraping the salt off, here's what I have so far. This is without any extra detailing or weathering.

I will now go back and add some more white patches with a sponge and brush. Washes and filters, pigments and streaking to come. Then I can finally put the walls on and get finishing the exterior, which should be a lot easier than the inside!

Thanks for looking in, guys! Lemme hear from ya if you have any suggestions or criticisms!

GMorrison

I think I just figured the story out. This'll be good! Don't the Germans get little spikey things on their helmets? Just kidding.

RBaer

Graffiti decals? Elaborate please! Oh the possibilities!

I think I just figured the story out. This'll be good! Don't the Germans get little spikey things on their helmets? Just kidding.

Those look nicer than the old Woodland Sceneics rub-ons in HO scale.

Graffiti decals? Elaborate please! Oh the possibilities!

Thanks Karl, they do look nice and real simple to work with. I am seriously considering this and the Tamiya Mk IV.

Thanks, guys!

Bish, yep--they snap right together nicely. ANd thy're pretty durable when moving them around. A real nice engineering job here by Meng!

Thank you, Cliff and Tojo!

KnightsTemplar, yeah, the tracks are especially a HUGE improvement over the Tauro model, which I have as well in the stash, and which are, from all accounts, a real nightmare. I have yet to decide whether to keep and build up the Tauro eventually as a "closed" model--the interior is now too rudimentary to display what with this one on the market--or sell it for cheap. But there are so many cool WWI figures being released, I may do another small dio with some cool figures at some point. :)

Looking good,and thanks for all of the heads ups.

Nice interior detail!

Some nice work there Karl. Am I right in thinking those track links just click together.

Well, I"m working away....got some more to show, but not as much as I hoped. I'm having to strategize this build so as to be able to pull it off with the finish I want. Basically this is going to be a hypothetical preserved tank in an outdoor environment so there is bound to be a lot of rust and degradation of the metal.

Also, the painting requirements make the build sequence a challenge because of the variations in color of some of the parts. I have therefore decided to skip adding some of them and will paint them on stulls.

Here's some pics:

The hull pieces, walls, and floors have dozens of these annoying little stubs to cut off..

I had to dig this piece out and re-glue it because I had it on upside-down.

The tracks are an absolute joy to assemble. I HIGHLY recommend that you do NOT join the top "shingles" on top of the individual inks until you assemble all of the 48-per-side connecting pieces. Otherwise, it's awfully hard to join them without dislodging the upper plates. NOTE also that the flat plates ARE directional---you have to apply them depending on the flat vs "crimped" side. See here:

See how they lay?

Here's the in-progress shot...

I made a new cover for the ammo bin, damaged it from long-time rust , and thinned out the seats from underneath and did th same...

I also roughed the surfaces up with glue.

Of COURSE the @#$@^#' PE didn't fit. so I had to trim the sides of the gun cupola to look correct...this is "before". Look at how far off the PE piece is! Did I mention that I HATE P???

The seats and ammo bin in place.

I cut off the driver's compartment because it is too short to fit into the tabs of the side walls. When I do finally install it, it will be sandwiched between the walls and shimmed on bottom.

Sorta like this...

I got another key element in today. The graffiti for the vehicle sides. The "Crime" for which the sentence is..... BWAH HA HA HAAAAA!!

Miles to go before I paint....

Cliff, thanks for coming along! The running gear LOOKS complicated, but really it's not too bad. Most of it is hidden by the chassis anyway! If you liked "SPOOKED",  think you'll really like what I've got planned!

Terry, no trench, but I hope you'll appreciate the imagination I"m going to put into it!

Russ, and Bill, thanks for looking in! Bill in all honesty, I"ve been wanting to get to some WWI myself, but you know how hard it is to decide. lol Hope you can follow along!

Bish, TigerEP, and Bruce---glad to have you guys along! :)

Update soon!!

Bish

This looks an interesting build. I have ben thinking about getting this kit myself so i'll be following along for sure.

I'm with Bish, I'm interested in getting this kit too.

But, the bonus is, Karl, you make these WIP threads very interesting. It's hard not the get hooked.

Saw this today at my LHS. Looking forward to your take on it.

This looks an interesting build. I have ben thinking about getting this kit myself so i'll be following along for sure.

Given your enthusiasm for WW1 subjects I was wondering how long it would be before you got around to this one Karl.

Mmmm,,  teasing us hmmm?

Schweet, all the more fun!

Karl this should be a great one, we don't see enough of WWI builds and a dio too, fantastic...I can see that beast rolling over a trench with some very shaken guys underneath. Can't wait on this one.

Terry

Neat Karl, I love 'Spooked' and really looking forward to seeing you work your magic here. $@#@ that's one complicated running gear.

Carlos, Steve, thanks for following along!

Tojo, thanks for that link, --looks like there are some "fit minefields" to be aware of---and for coming along!

KnightsTemplar,  jersey66, and tigerman, welcome aboard as well! Tigerman, I thoroughly plan to grab a Whippet too---they're coming out with one soon!

Hugo and Dave--I think you both will like what I am going to create here. Hugo, yes, I"m sure you can suss out what diabolical idea I am creating here, lol. I Hope it turns you like I can see it in my head. Dave, I've got that Mk IV as well. I may tackle that one soon as well!

Thanks again for riding along guys! I'll be working on this some more today!

Karl- I'm quite excited for this. I've got the Meng A7V as well to go along with my Takom British Mk IV to display what I think is basically considered the genesis of armored warfare, but you've obviously got something far more imaginative in mind here. I'm definitely staying tuned.....

Dave 

OH Karl... I know what you are upto... Im afraid it will be a bitter sweet dio... awesome tank...not respected...

But whatever it is,...we are sure it will be a perfect build.

Looking forward to it Karl,after I built my Tamiya British Mark IV,I wanted to try a WWI German Panzer so I grabbed this one,will be following your treatment of this one.

Here is a nice build log that might be helpful

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=232296#1958274

Logged on!

Well this should be a good one to watch! I am curious to see the final setting.