Bish personally I like the benches. Looks like it going great.

Terry

Oh and I agree on the filters. Theres a lot of ways to get a better effect than what they do. 

She looks good to me Bish!

I do like the pre-mixed filters for use on multi-colour camo. They do a good job on toning down overt contrast between the different shades. On a single colour subject, yeah, I don't really see the point. 

Coming along nicely Bish! I hear you on the pre-mixed wash stuff...sometimes it comes in handy/useful, other times not so much. It all depends on what you do with the underlying basecoat colors too I think...for some of the stuff out there, it assumes you also do a bunch of lightening/color modulation, etc. to go with it vs. just applying over a straight paint finish. Weathering almost always darkens up things and everyone's 'alchemy' process to get the end result tends to vary a lot!  

Thanks for the comments guys. I have done some more work on the seats and i think its looking a bt more leathery now. At least i know what to do with the seats next time i do an Ausf D with wooden benches. I now have the top protion on so i can get cracking on this.

Nice to hear your guys thoughts on the filters. I have never tried on multi coour schemes, and i had never thougt that they would work better with modulation, i know AK sells those modulation sets. O well, we live and learn.

Firstly, i want to apologise for the poor updates. I tend to get carried and away and forget to take pics. And what with having to clear the bench every time i get the camera put, i keep over looking it. So, i need to make more effort there.

That said, here is where i am at. I got most of the interiour parts fitted, the radio's will go in later and there is some wiring to add at this point. I am much happier with the seat colour now.

With that done, the top could go on. I had a bit of an issue with the fit at the rear corners, especially on the right. But this was my error. When the lower sides go in, you have to be really careful to fit them correctly, its easy not to. I think i had one slighty further back than the other. But with a bit of pressure, some filler and some sanding, it got there in the end. The rear door's don't sit perfectly, but this is only apparent when they are closed.

I was then able to start fitting all the exteriour parts and PE. The left side mounts for the frame antenna will go on once the radio's and operator are in place.

One thing to be aware of with these kits is that Dragon add raised lines to indicate where parts should be fitted. The problem is they use the same mouldings for differant versions, so there are raised indicators that need removing, but Dragon don't tell you this. There are raised marks for at least 3 differant versions. Here, i have indicated there points on the left side. At either side are the locators for the masts for the frame antenna, used on this version. In the middle is another locator and i have not yet worked out what this is for. There are also two more on each side, already removed, which are for the bridges on the /7.

Apart fom that, i have been working on the radios. They have been painted and dry brushed so far. I only have a photo of one of these, so the rest is guess work. Once they have ben weathered, they will be fitted to the rack and wired up, but as i don't have a wiring image for this set up, that will be guess work as well.

One lesson i have learned fom aircrfat is not to fit anything long, thin and easily breakable, like antenna masts or pitot probes, until as late as possable. The same applies to armour and they don't get much longer than this.

In addition to all that, i have gotten round to sorting out the figures. Out of 3 in the kit, i am useing just one, one of the radio operators. Apart from it being made out of Dragons lovely vinyl, its a nice figure. Its now primed and ready for painting.

This set i have planned to use form the start and is the bases for the whole scene.

And yesterday i went through my figure stash and found 3 more. From the set i will be useing the guy on the left leaning over the side, assuming he does fit in the vehcile like that.

And from this one, the 2 second in from either end.

And i will be ordering another Dragon set this week for one figure from that, whcih is also in Pz Black.

And last but not least, the base. After addin the edge, this was stained and varnished. I can now put this to one side as the celluclay will be added at the last minute.

And thats all for now.

Bish the Halftrack is coming along beautifully and you are right about them being a little finicky if the lower sides are not aligned properly.  How do you like working with the celluclay? Always looking to try new things, I normally use a combination of plaster that comes in sheets then top that off with a plaster slurry to smooth everything out.

Robert

Following along Bish. Exceptional work as usual.

She's lookin' good Bish. I know what you mean, once I get going I hate reaching for the camera and documenting what I'm doing. Though having cell phones with camera really does help more than the old days when I had to go find the blasted camera everytime.  

Modelrob

Bish the Halftrack is coming along beautifully and you are right about them being a little finicky if the lower sides are not aligned properly.  How do you like working with the celluclay? Always looking to try new things, I normally use a combination of plaster that comes in sheets then top that off with a plaster slurry to smooth everything out.

 

 

Robert

 

Thank you. I have been useing celluclay for years and really like it. I used to paint it afer it had dried, but thats a real pain, so now i mix in the paint. One thing to watch for is not to add to much water as it shrinks. I always make a bit more than i need so i can add some more. I will get some pics when i mix and apply it and do a little tut on useing it.

Gamera

She's lookin' good Bish. I know what you mean, once I get going I hate reaching for the camera and documenting what I'm doing. Though having cell phones with camera really does help more than the old days when I had to go find the blasted camera everytime.  

 

Gla i am not the only one. I don't have an issue digging out the camera, it stays on a shelf at the bench. Its just the hassle of clearing the bench and setting up the clear back ground. Just being lazy.

PJ, thanks, much appreciated.

Thanks Bob.

Been plodding along slowly but surley. I finished up painting the radios and got them fitted into the rack. After that it was a best guess at wireing them up. I added a strap for the radio on the right as Dragon shows one on the instructions but does not include it as a part.

The raios were then fitted along with the completed radio operator. He was a really tight squeeze and still is not sitting properly, but i managed to cover that up. I have yet to find any figures that fit insid a 251 properly, eitehr all 251 kits are to small or 35th figures are all to big. Or, the 251 was a tighter squeeze then it looks.

Then it was finally time to get the outside painted. I don't go for modulation myself as i prefer to be closer to a realistic finish than an artistic one. But i do lighten the colour vedry slightly higher up the vehicle. I am useign vallejo modl air for this. I don't like it as much as i do enamels, but i figured i might as well use it up.

And this was followed by the decals. I had a bit of an isue here. I had the Dragon decals when i started the build but seem to have misplaced them. Fortunatly, the AFV 251/3 Ausf C has ,markings for what seems to be the same vehicle, except it has a Div Commanbd pennant decal for the front, so i used those. For the close, i simply added a spot of future where the decals were going rather than coat the whole thing. After thye decals i gave it a dry brush with some grey oil.

And the figures are now all reay for painting.

And thats all for now. Next up with be some weathering and getting the figures painted, and hopefully i'll get the tracks done.

Bish - 

Outstanding job thus far friend. Great looking paint and detail. Patiently waiting for the dio process...lol. Again Bish, wonderful job buddy.

Bish the extior paint work looks great and so dose the radios.

Robert

Looking good Bish. That telescope antenna is neat and fragile looking. Good start to the gray as well. 

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated. I have made a strat on the weathering tonight, so its coming on.

Bill, a quick question. I am useing a similar approach to what you did on the Neubau-Fahrzeug. I have applied a Raw Sienna wash and will do some dot filtering later. But i was woundering what you do about the wheels at this stage. Do you give them any treatment or just leave until the pigments.

Ye, i know what you mean. The only really good wireing diagram i can find is on the /3 II. Nice job on wiring yours, most of mine is hidden by the figure anyway, so i am not to worried about it.

I was thinking about leving the doors working, but am going to glue them now, one open one shut.

The Hobbyist

Yeah, this is a great kit---too bad there isn't more info w the kit on the different radio configurations...this is how I wired mine:

If you're careful you can keep the rear doors workable...

 

 

 

 

 

Hobbyist - 

Very nice looking build! By chance do you have a wider shot of the dio? It looks very interesting, and would like to see full view if possible. Real interested in how you did the paint job.

It would really be cool if there was an Enigma machine along with it like in the picture with Genral Guderian during the invasion of France in 1940.

Marcus McBean

It would really be cool if there was an Enigma machine along with it like in the picture with Genral Guderian during the invasion of France in 1940.

 

Agreed, i did look for one to go with this, but there don't seem to be any on the market, which i find surpriseing, and i was not up to scratch building one. I think it would have been a nice addition.

Looks good Bish, that's one heck of a suite of radios/wireless. Ahhh, the good ol' days of the vacuum tube! I guess one point would be on the cold Russian steppe those suckers would throw off enough heat old Fritz wouldn't even need a coat. 

Hobbyist: Very nice work there too! 

Thanks G. I am sure glad we have managed to getthing a bit smaller, i don't know how i would have coped with radio's like that.

Hobbyist, indeed, thats some impresive work. Even more so seeing this must be your first since the 70's. You have certainly done well with all the changes since then, very impressive.

Hey Bish, I'm looking in on this for the first time and it looks like you've got it all under control. Great job so far. Good call on lightening the paint on the top--a little bit of "scale effect" really helps a paint job in my opinion. :)

As far as the filters go, you really have to understand  that filters are meant for VERY subtle shifts in the tone of a color. You won't get the same kind of tonal shift that you would get in, say, an airbrush lighter base color. However, if you were to modulate the color the way I usually paint mine and THEN use a filter, you would be able to effect a very slight color difference over the lighter shades, Filters tend to work better over lighter shades, in my experience. German gray takes a blue filter very nicely, but I don't know what exactly that AK Filter is based uponm color-wise.

I also believe that most 1/35 figures are a hair larger than true scale. I have a very hard time fitting them inside almost any given model.

Bish

Bill, a quick question. I am useing a similar approach to what you did on the Neubau-Fahrzeug. I have applied a Raw Sienna wash and will do some dot filtering later. But i was woundering what you do about the wheels at this stage. Do you give them any treatment or just leave until the pigments. 

It depends Bish, sometimes the wheels will get a wash treatment to supplement the pigment weathering, sometimes I just leave them alone. For darker colored wheels like Panzer Gray, there's not much point in doing much to them since it will get lost under the pigment effects regardless. Lighter colored wheels often get a wash as an added 'layer' to their finish. HTH! 

the doog

Hey Bish, I'm looking in on this for the first time and it looks like you've got it all under control. Great job so far. Good call on lightening the paint on the top--a little bit of "scale effect" really helps a paint job in my opinion. :)

As far as the filters go, you really have to understand  that filters are meant for VERY subtle shifts in the tone of a color. You won't get the same kind of tonal shift that you would get in, say, an airbrush lighter base color. However, if you were to modulate the color the way I usually paint mine and THEN use a filter, you would be able to effect a very slight color difference over the lighter shades, Filters tend to work better over lighter shades, in my experience. German gray takes a blue filter very nicely, but I don't know what exactly that AK Filter is based uponm color-wise.

I also believe that most 1/35 figures are a hair larger than true scale. I have a very hard time fitting them inside almost any given model.

 

Thnaks Karl. I do like the lightening effect, in the right situation. The AK gilter is a blue one, but not to my taiste. The dot filtering is really giving me the result i want, so thats working out nicely. But modulation is a deffinat no-go .

I am glad its not just me on the figures. I have noticed that not one single brand of figure will fit in a 251 with the feet going in the space between seats, and i figured it could not be like that on the real thing.