"The Hunters GB" (2/1/08 to 6/1/08)

Made a little progress this weekend on the Dragon Su-100.  Its a really nice kit.  Got some assembly done, and did some carving of kit pieces to replace with the photo-etch provided in the kit- makes a huge difference.  The wheels will require some tedious cleanup, since all I've seen from wartime pictures are smooth wheels, while Dragon has molded them with raised tread detail seen on these vehicles in the postwar era.

The kit:

Areas to clean up for replacing with photo-etch:

Same areas with photo-etch parts installed, and comparison with optional styrene part:

Hopefully I'll get some more done this week, as next weekend I'm out of town.

 Jeff

Alrighty, little bit of progress - ended up using the pin method for sagging the tracks, they're a bit too saggy, but that's because they're a bit too long. Would have tried removing a couple of links, but I wouldn't have ever gotten them back together...whatever material they're made of is completely impervious to all glues/solvents/etc. Good job Zvezda! Should patent this stuff.

Top coat of paint on the hull, as well as the dirt-coat on the tracks. If it seems dry enough, going to hand paint some markings and start in on the washes later tonight.

Jeff- That PE definitely made it worth the effort, that looks awesome!

Dupes- Cool looking whitewash there!! Those tracks really are extra long arent they!!

I have a feeling that this GB is going to turn out some very sweet builds!!

Jester - thanks bud, I definitely agree, I haven't done too much PE (pretty much an OOB builder), but I can definitely see more in my future!

Dupes - You're making fantastic progress!  That thing looks mean.

Jeff

AAAARGH!

The decal solvent ate everything!

I added the wheels.  I painted them off the vehicle and used the little plastic thingy with all the different sized circles as the mask.  Wheels came out perfectly and in less than half the time of painting the rubber by hand.  (Thanks to whoever suggested that method here on this forum!)

Then I did the tracks.  Melted the ends but was not happy with the results, so I sewed them together for added strength. They went on with no trouble.

Then decal time.  And here is where my rookie status begins to be apparent.

On my 2 recent models I put a heavy coat of gloss on to protect the paint and give the decals a nice smooth surface.  But then it took 6 coats of matte to get the shine back down.

So I thought  I would put a light coat of gloss on and use some decal solvent to ensure a good tight fit.

Well, things went well until the very end when I tried to touch up a number decal and destroyed it.  So i scraped the remains off and put another number in its place.  But then I tried to make the other side match by changing its number when trouble began.

The decal was on tight, and it turned to sludge, with the solvent eating right through the decal, the clear coat, and the paint.

Now I have big brown smudge mark surrounding a 1/2 inch square patch of bare plastic on the upper hull side. 

Aargh!   So I did what any self respecting man would do. I went straight to bed.

So now I am faced with a repair job.  I am planning to sand down the entire panel and re-paint.

The chemicals involved in this debacle are as follows:

Tamiya Acrylic Paint; Testors GlossCote Lacquer; Polly S Decal Softening solution

I would post a picture, but my camera battery is dead.

So much for all that progress!!! 

That's really too bad, DerOberst. I know the feeling quite well, though...I stripped my Firefly three times before I got it the way I wanted it.

I might suggest you use oven cleaner to remove the paint...it will work much better than sanding and won't damage the plastic as sanding might. I tried removing a coat of paint with sandpaper once and wasn't too happy with the results.

Here's my progress so far, I did most of the construction on Saturday and the tracks and road wheel damage over the past two days. Now I've got to finish the hinged parts for the fenders, hatches and travel lock, and all the tool holders (my goodness the Jagdpanzer has a lot of them!)

I always like to damage the road wheels some, and in addition to some farily heavy chipping I also removed a complete tire, to make the suspension a bit more interesting. Took over an hour to sand the rubber off evenly...but I like the finished result. 

I also did some work on my crew - the uniform color was painted a long time ago and will be redone. I added new heads and painted the gunner's face. The commander will eventually be bandaging his hand, a detail I haven't added yet.

I'll be modeling a vehicle of 661st PzJgAbt, Pz. Div. Clausewitz, in Uelsen, Germany, April 1945. The Jagdpanzers of the 661st came from the Paderborn Panzer School and the crews were formed from the elite instructor corps from Putlos Gunnery school. These were probably the best Jagdpanzer crews to see action during WWII and they managed to acheive an 8:1 kill ratio, even when outnumbered by well-armed British armored formations.

My color scheme will be plain dark yellow with the usual cross and the lettering "Schulungs-fahrzeug" (training vehicle) on the side, plus the new L/70 barrel (which replaced the wooden dummy L/48). It will be either primer gray (for a new one) or camouflaged and rather worn (for a salvaged one). I haven't decided which would look cooler...any opinions?

Paint by the end of next week if it kills me! I have a show on March 1... 

Lt. Zogg - Really nice progress, thanks for posting the comparision shot, really helpful.. makes a HUGE difference (the PE). I have the Dragon Premium kit in my stash, will be a few years till I get to it....

dupes - Um, what a dilemma, you ended up with a nice "save" with those tracks! I like the shading on the whitewash, nice paint gradient, gives it depth.

DerOberst - What a pain! I have had good luck with MicroSet/MicroSol on top of a Future coat, but on aircraft, never done armor before... You can "move" a tad the decals while they are still in "Set" by adding more solution.

Hermesminiatures - really REALLY nice :) Nothing to say except admire your work and wish you luck in finishing before the show!

diggeraone - Whats the brand? I know I was missing the clear canopy sprue on a Revell aircraft, just filled a form and sent the receipt and USP# (that bar code thingie) from the box, got the replacement sprue, took several weeks though. Maybe other makers have similar policies, good luck!

This is a Dragon kit and I called squadron shop but they can't help me due to the kit has been discountinued.I bought this kit 4 years ago so,well ya'll know how it gos.I did however contacted Dragon on there web site and will be waiting for a replay as what to do for this problem.Digger

dupes wrote:

Alrighty, little bit of progress - ended up using the pin method for sagging the tracks, they're a bit too saggy, but that's because they're a bit too long. Would have tried removing a couple of links, but I wouldn't have ever gotten them back together...whatever material they're made of is completely impervious to all glues/solvents/etc. Good job Zvezda! Should patent this stuff. Top coat of paint on the hull, as well as the dirt-coat on the tracks. If it seems dry enough, going to hand paint some markings and start in on the washes later tonight.

Looking pretty good there!

My only comment is that you should paint the road wheel rims a bright steel color...it would be more realistic and would make the suspension more interesting.

Gaaah! I knew that wouldn't show up well enough. I spent probably an hour and a half going over each and every road wheel with my Big Graphite Stick to depict the worn steel rims - but it obviously came out too dark. Didn't really have any refs showing how "bright" it might be, so I'll have to go back over it with some actual steel paint.

Thaaaaanks a loooooooot, Hermes!

Hi Dupes,

Re your track problem... The ISU-152 was built on the chassis/running gear of the IS-2 tank, so does anyone make a replacement set for the IS-2? Tamiya have just released the IS-2, so it's short odds there'll be AM accessories coming out quick-smart. A trackset may well be among them. Also, does Tamiya's kit feature a choice of vinyl or L&L, perhaps, as Trumpeter often do these days?

TB379

maybe this will help???

http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=FRIATL14

PANZERJEAGER 

Hey, thanks for the links/ideas fellas. Sadly, only paid 11 bucks for this monstrosity, don't think I can talk myself into shelling out 40 more just for tracks. I'll chalk it up to "bad tensioning".

BTW, progress has been very good...might be done by tonight!

Hermesminiatures wrote:

That's really too bad, DerOberst. I know the feeling quite well, though...I stripped my Firefly three times before I got it the way I wanted it. I might suggest you use oven cleaner to remove the paint...it will work much better than sanding and won't damage the plastic as sanding might. I tried removing a coat of paint with sandpaper once and wasn't too happy with the results.     Here's my progress so far, I did most of the construction on Saturday and the tracks and road wheel damage over the past two days. Now I've got to finish the hinged parts for the fenders, hatches and travel lock, and all the tool holders (my goodness the Jagdpanzer has a lot of them!) I always like to damage the road wheels some, and in addition to some farily heavy chipping I also removed a complete tire, to make the suspension a bit more interesting. Took over an hour to sand the rubber off evenly...but I like the finished result.  I also did some work on my crew - the uniform color was painted a long time ago and will be redone. I added new heads and painted the gunner's face. The commander will eventually be bandaging his hand, a detail I haven't added yet.   I'll be modeling a vehicle of 661st PzJgAbt, Pz. Div. Clausewitz, in Uelsen, Germany, April 1945. The Jagdpanzers of the 661st came from the Paderborn Panzer School and the crews were formed from the elite instructor corps from Putlos Gunnery school. These were probably the best Jagdpanzer crews to see action during WWII and they managed to acheive an 8:1 kill ratio, even when outnumbered by well-armed British armored formations. My color scheme will be plain dark yellow with the usual cross and the lettering "Schulungs-fahrzeug" (training vehicle) on the side, plus the new L/70 barrel (which replaced the wooden dummy L/48). It will be either primer gray (for a new one) or camouflaged and rather worn (for a salvaged one). I haven't decided which would look cooler...any opinions? Paint by the end of next week if it kills me! I have a show on March 1...

HERMES,

I to am building a Jagdpanzer IV A-O.

You sound pretty knowledgeable about this critter, so I have a question for you....

In all of my books and on-line reaserch, I can only find a few pictures af an A-O.

And all of them are from the training school.

Dragon shows one used by PanzerLier, ya know any pics of this one??????

any help shuuuurrre would be helpfull.

PANZERJEAGER 

Sure Panzerjaeger...here's what I know:

The "original" A-0 was a preproduction Jagdpanzer with steel armor based on a Panzer IV Ausf. F, however very few of these were made - A-0 production was soon changed to aluminum-armored training vehicles, many of which carries a dummy gun. The ones in school markings are obviously aluminum.

There is one photo of Jagdpanzer IV A-0 112 of 130. PzJgAbt, Panzer Lehr, but I can't find it at the moment. It might be one of the original steel-armored vehicles, but since Panzer Lehr, much like the later Clausewitz division, was assembled from training formations, I'd venture to say that 112 is an aluminum armored vehicle as well. It's armed with the L/48 gun provided in the Dragon box. You can use the markings in the Dragon box for Panzer Lehr and be accurate.

The only other combat photos are of late-war, last-ditch efforts using the school vehicles, some of which have had zimmerit applied, others have the L/70 gun (presumeably because the bigger gun fit in the same mantlet, and they didn't think much of the dummy wooden gun)

The only other thing you need to remember is not to rust the areas that would be aluminum. That includes the pointed bow armor and superstructure - the Panzer IV chassis and Jagdpanzer engine deck are still steel.

Hermesminiatures wrote:

Sure Panzerjaeger...here's what I know: The "original" A-0 was a preproduction Jagdpanzer with steel armor based on a Panzer IV Ausf. F, however very few of these were made - A-0 production was soon changed to aluminum-armored training vehicles, many of which carries a dummy gun. The ones in school markings are obviously aluminum. There is one photo of Jagdpanzer IV A-0 112 of 130. PzJgAbt, Panzer Lehr, but I can't find it at the moment. It might be one of the original steel-armored vehicles, but since Panzer Lehr, much like the later Clausewitz division, was assembled from training formations, I'd venture to say that 112 is an aluminum armored vehicle as well. It's armed with the L/48 gun provided in the Dragon box. You can use the markings in the Dragon box for Panzer Lehr and be accurate. The only other combat photos are of late-war, last-ditch efforts using the school vehicles, some of which have had zimmerit applied, others have the L/70 gun (presumeably because the bigger gun fit in the same mantlet, and they didn't think much of the dummy wooden gun) The only other thing you need to remember is not to rust the areas that would be aluminum. That includes the pointed bow armor and superstructure - the Panzer IV chassis and Jagdpanzer engine deck are still steel.

KOOL,

THANKS HERMES!!!!!!

I could shure use that pic if you can find it.

I hope it has zim on it because mine does already....

Really appreciate the help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PANZERJEAGER

HMMMMM an aluminum jagdpanzerrrrrrrrrrrrr. 

Awesome work fellas. Looks like this GB is smoking.

...Guy

Permission to come aboard?

At first, I thought I was too late for this build, but then I realised that the date was US format, not British. Anyway, for the past few weeks I've been working on the 2002 version of the Dragon 1/35 Nashorn. Construction, more or less OOB and fairly routine once all the overflow nodules and ejector-pin indents , especially on the track links, had been dealt with, was completed about 10 days ago, and main painting is now also complete. At the moment, I'm applying Future coats in preparation for decals and oil washes. Here are a couple of WIP piccies:

The paints used are Tamiya acrylics, and the camo was done by cutting random-pattern stencils in a style similar to the kit painting instructions, and spraying through them.

Here's a close-up of the running gear:

which was installed before painting the tracks and tyres, which was brush-painted, using thinned Citadel acrylics. It's not finished yet.

Comments and queries welcome.

Cheers,

Chris.

chris hall wrote:

Permission to come aboard? At first, I thought I was too late for this build, but then I realised that the date was US format, not British. Anyway, for the past few weeks I've been working on the 2002 version of the Dragon 1/35 Nashorn. Construction, more or less OOB and fairly routine once all the overflow nodules and ejector-pin indents , especially on the track links, had been dealt with, was completed about 10 days ago, and main painting is now also complete. At the moment, I'm applying Future coats in preparation for decals and oil washes. Here are a couple of WIP piccies: The paints used are Tamiya acrylics, and the camo was done by cutting random-pattern stencils in a style similar to the kit painting instructions, and spraying through them. Here's a close-up of the running gear: which was installed before painting the tracks and tyres, which was brush-painted, using thinned Citadel acrylics. It's not finished yet. Comments and queries welcome. Cheers, Chris.

Actually the build only started last Friday. You started a bit before that time. If nobody has objections, since you started a few days prior, than we welcome you. 

Mumble, grumble ...

I TOLD Chris about this GB in PM, didn't I, Chris! Still, he could have made all that progress and not told us he started early ... and who'd be the wiser, because he CAN work quickly when he wants to?

Interesting camo scheme. I've not seen that one. 

I'll abstain

I dunno about this "early starting". I suppose a penalty should be in order. If I were to receive a new DML Jagdpanther in the mail, I would certainly be appeased.

Or I could just settle for five bucks.

Ah, what the hey. Looks like a decent build. I won't complain...much!

Well, as long as he doesn't finish before me.

Panzerjaeger - here's a photo of a Jagdpanzer IV A-0 with camouflage and zimmerit:

Not the greatest resolution, but it was the only one I could find. The hull number is 244 (I've seen a larger picture before) 

diggeraone wrote:

Well butter my biscuts and call me silly.I got a hold of Dragon and my missing parts for my Stug IV will be on there way.So it is a go,also I have started on my marder II.Digger

I think you're the first person I've ever heard of to get replacement parts from Dragon...how'd you pull it off?

Digger - is "butter my biscuits and call me silly" an Arkansas saying?