Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Tigerman, thanks for a most enjoyable experience! I look forward to your next GB very much. This is my first, so I'm not positive what to do with the badge -- does it go in a footer line, something in my profile settup? Any advice would be most appreciated. Best wishes, and many thanks, TB379

Thanks T-bolt. I've really learned a lot in this GB and am amazed at the size of thread along of course with the beautiful builds. I'm going to try to complete some in-progress builds before I decide on another. I'm leaning to a Monte Cassino or Italian Campaign GB, but have some other ideas in mind. If this occurs, September would be a perfect start.

BTW, load the badge to a host and then paste into your sig line of your profile.

Frangkly, I love the fading you achieved on the big brute. Well done.

Hermes, I look forward to the write-up on your Jagdpanzer. Love the ghost commander. LOL

T-bolt, the Stug looks very nice. I just now noticed you and Scott had the same markings.

Thanks everyone for an informative and fun GB. Sorry about my pitiful performance, but I vow to try harder next time.

My StuG is finished, just waiting for the dust coat to dry then I'll post my finished photos.

Great work on the JagdTiger Frangkly!  I can't wait to see the diorama finished.

Hermisminiatures, love the JagdPanzer IV and the ghost commander.  LOL

And nice job on the StuG TB379!  Great work guys! 

Hi guys,

Here she is in one of about four dozen gallery-type shots: the Tamiya 1:35 StuG III Ausf. G, wearing markings for the Das Reich Division from Echelon of Singapore, and featuring a Tamiya acrylic paintjob overlaid with filter weathering of Rowney oils dissolved in Testor enamel thinner. MiG "Europe Dust" pigment is the final layer, also overlying and toning down the decals.

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There are actually two jobs left to do. The commander's periscopes I completely forgot about until yesterday, and that's a job I'll come back to at a later date when I have time to fiddle with sprayed and razor-cut strips of decal to represent the reflective glass. The other job is the tow cables, and they'll be added when I can a set of Eurekas. I'm looking for their set for the Merkava II for the IDF GB, so I can kill two low-flying bogies with the same round.

I also have photos against white that offer a truer look at the colours, and I'll scale and upload a selection of shots to the finished-builds thread tomorrow.

Tigerman, thanks for a most enjoyable experience! I look forward to your next GB very much. This is my first, so I'm not positive what to do with the badge -- does it go in a footer line, something in my profile settup? Any advice would be most appreciated.

Best wishes, and many thanks,

TB379

Is that a ghost commanding that AFV? LOL. I knew the Germans were hard pressed on manpower but I didn't think they were raising the dead!!!!? LOL LOL

Seeya

Scott

Well, here I am sliding under the wire again, with 46 minutes to spare according to my clock. Would have posted earlier, but I had to go to a picnic/volleyball game tonight and didn't get time to take good pictures. 

Without further ado, here is my Dragon Jagdpanzer IV A-0, upgunned with the PaK 42 L/70. I'll give my usual historical details in a seperate post once I finish the crew figures and the base.

This is a rather poor quality photo (by my usual standards at least) but will be sufficient to serve as proof of completion
I'll be replacing it with a better one tomorrow, right now a quick picture is all I have time (and energy) for.

Thanks tigerman for another fun GB!

Here is my JT, as a tank, she is done, but still long way to go as a diorama. I took her picture right on the diorama base, as a distroyed tank. 2 more armor and 4 or 5 more figures need to be done... it will be a long time project....

Oh Well.. My 1/48 M-10 will not be done by tommorow. So guess I'm out.. I will have it complete for an up coming showing this week June 7th.. at the  Pueblo Air Musuem in Pueblo, CO... hint... hint.... So anyway will post some Finished photos once it finished...

Seeya

Scott

espins1 wrote:

Yes, it's the Tamiya kit (StuG III Ausf. G Fruhe).  I painted the jack XF-56 Metallic Gray (Tamiya Acrylic), which is the color specified in every German tank I've built so far, including in these directions.  As far as I know the jacks were never black or gun metal.  They were either steel or over-sprayed in base coat.

That kit is the current front-runner for the "passenger" on my FAMO w/trailer, when and if I ever get going on the thing! 

I questioned the XF-56 color choice because it's so metallic looking.  I know the directions call for this color...it just looks so new that I've been disappointed with my final results after the washes.   I've tried the X-10 route and then added graphite at the VERY end of the process with better results. I also read/ tried painting jacks, tools, machine guns, etc. flat black and then add a good helping of graphite to give it the worn look...good results.  I'm still looking at the way others weather metal...I'll follow along with your build and check it out.  By the way, that wash added a ton to the look!  it still amazes me how a wash or two takes it from that super-clean painted look to a much richer/ deeper look...nice job Scott, keep us posted! 

Hermesminiatures wrote:

Um, Tigerman...it's May 31 and according to the rules on page 1, it runs till June 1... I do believe you meant to post that tomorrow

My bad. I guess I'm so tired I thought today was June 1st. Wow, do I feel like an even bigger loser. Can't finish my build and can't keep dates straight.

Um, Tigerman...it's May 31 today and according to the rules on page 1, it runs till June 1...

I do believe you meant to post that tomorrow

Hi all. Though the build is officially over, i'd like to thank all the participants. Some great converation and equally impressive builds.

For those of you whom are still plugging away, please continue to post until you finish. You might see my build later in the Fall.

Here are a few shots after the first wash yesterday.

SMJmodeler wrote:

Scott:  Sweet!  Really cool camo'...kinda subtle...but VERY effective, I love it!!!  I'll be curious to see how you weather that jack,  why did you choose silver versus gun metal or black?   by the way, is that the Tamiya kit?

Thanks!

Yes, it's the Tamiya kit (StuG III Ausf. G Fruhe).  I painted the jack XF-56 Metallic Gray (Tamiya Acrylic), which is the color specified in every German tank I've built so far, including in these directions.  As far as I know the jacks were never black or gun metal.  They were either steel or over-sprayed in base coat.    

Hi guys,

It's just ticked over to June 1st here in Aus and I'm very happy to say the StuG is done! I've used a heap of techniques I've never done before, including all-acrylic cammo, dot-fiter weathering and MiG pigments, but they all seemed to work well. I didn't get to the mud, unfortunately, I ran out of time and didn't want to touch the job without experimenting first, so I went with "European Dust" instead and tried not to be over-enthusiastic with the stuff simply because it's my first time.

I'll do the 'gallery' photos tomorrow evening, with the full paper curve-up backing, I need to set up my bench specially for those images. I'll post one to this thread and the rest to the finished-builds thread.

I'm very happy with the way it's turned out. There's probably stuff I've missed, though, and constructive feedback is always welcome.

I've enjoyed this group build very much! It's a great motivating method for getting a quality model done, instead of it being perpetually a WIP that sits half-built in its box for years. I look forward to many more!

Cheers,

TB379

PS: Thanks Scott, for the advice and the benefit of your own build-experience along the way!

PPS: SMJ -- FANTASTIC finished dio for the Su-122! I didn't catch the second part of your winter tutorial, that snow looks so real I could shiver at the sight of it!

Scott:  Sweet!  Really cool camo'...kinda subtle...but VERY effective, I love it!!!  I'll be curious to see how you weather that jack,  why did you choose silver versus gun metal or black?   by the way, is that the Tamiya kit?

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your input! I'm doing the decals as we speak, the tail cross just went on to start the process, and the flank crosses are trimmed ready for soaking. I'm using the kit decals for these as I know how they'll behave and it simplifies matters at this late stage. I'll go to the Echelons for the unit markings, next.

My impression is that the flank crosses moved around with regard to where stowage was mounted -- there are StuGs with spare track links lined up as extra armour along the superstructure, and the cross could be painted in the sloped area for visibility under those conditions. Also there were sometimes jerry cans mounted at the flank behind skirts, so again that might influence the placement of the insignia.

I agree with the front-half-of-the-cupola rule of thumb, that pretty much centralises the insignia on the length of the superstructure top plate, which would agree with the clear photos. I'll also go with the half-height impression.

I think I'm going to leave the MG shield loose and just lay it in place. If I glue it in it'll permanently obscure some wash detailed that looks very realistic!

I'm going to leave off the tow cables for the moment. The Tamiya string is ineffectual and I've not yet located a set of Eurekas to purchase, so they'll be coming at a later date.

Right, on with the rest of the decals. I'm determined to be finished tonight!

Cheers, thanks for your advice,

TB379

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Hi Scott, Great work, it feels really solid! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished shots. I'm curious about the placement of the balkenkreuzer -- I've just been through my references and the majority (okay, only about five photos of G models where you can actually see the insignia) seem to agree on a pretty centralised location for the flank hull crosss. The decal instructions also centralise it on the panier of the F.8 in the profile. However, the StuG build-up in Armor Models #14 features a rearward location, but only about 45% of the way down from the top edge of the superstructure (I believe that one is based on photos of that particular vehicle). Are you working from specific shots to place it rear/low? Decals are the next big task, then final paint weathering, small details assembly, mud, mount the running gear and at least one antenna, and this beast is done! Cheers, TB379

Thanks! 

I spent a lot of time analyzing all my StuG pics and profiles.  There is no "set" place to put them.  In some cases, the balkenkreuz is located towards the front of the side panel in the area where it slopes downwards towards the front.  In others it is almost all the way to the rear of the side panel.  The vast majority, however, have the vertical bar of the balkenkreuz lined up with the front half of the commanders cupola when looking at the StuG from the side, so that's what I based my placement on.  The markings guide that came with the decals was useless as the profile is of an F/8 which has a completely different shape and size to the superstructure.  

In terms of how high up on the superstructure, I based my placement again on the majority, which had the balkenkreuz either perfectly centered from top to bottom, or placed lower.... never higher.  So I put mine a little on the low end of the spectrum.   

Hi Scott,

Great work, it feels really solid! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished shots.

I'm curious about the placement of the balkenkreuzer -- I've just been through my references and the majority (okay, only about five photos of G models where you can actually see the insignia) seem to agree on a pretty centralised location for the flank hull crosss. The decal instructions also centralise it on the panier of the F.8 in the profile. However, the StuG build-up in Armor Models #14 features a rearward location, but only about 45% of the way down from the top edge of the superstructure (I believe that one is based on photos of that particular vehicle). Are you working from specific shots to place it rear/low?

Decals are the next big task, then final paint weathering, small details assembly, mud, mount the running gear and at least one antenna, and this beast is done!

Cheers,

TB379

Here are a few update pics.  Since I took these photos I have already done a raw umber oil wash over everything with specal emphasis on the lower hull and running gear.  I have some more weathering to do this evening and tomorrow and I need to paint the commanders periscope and attach the tow cables.  I will eventually paint both the figures and the dog that came with the kit, but not for this GB.  I'll work on them as a side project later. 

This is what I intended to do:




The pictures are from Vaso Barbic's article "Samokhodnaya Ustanovka" in the July 1993 issue of Military Modelling and represent an Egyptian SU-100 (Tjekoslovakian Build) captured by the British 3'd Para at Port Said in November 1956.

I messed up the commanders cupola, got side tracked and ran out of time, but hopefully I will be able to give her at least a first coat tomorrow and if the camera decides to return to life I will post some pics :)

This has been / is a very good thread, thank you all for sharing!

Very Best Regards
Johan

Lookin great so far James and TB379!

I've just about finished up the LAV-AT, weathering is basically finished (just need to add a bit of mud.) and it'll be done! I don't get the camera until Sunday though, so it'll be a close finish but hopefully I can finish by then.

Chris,

Hi all,

I'm in the home stretch! The fade coat is done and the tracks are ready (airbrushed dark umber, washed rust and drybrushed gunmetal). The running gear has been pinwashed in burnt umber plus enamel for rust, and the camo overall has been dot filter weathered. The wash so far has darkened the overall effect, I can apply some lighter colors to have an opposite effect (if that works.) I've always advocated less-is-more, but this is my first time on these techniques.



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The external tools are hand-painted and will go on tomorrow. Decals are a job for tomorrow, then final weathering over them, uncluding old rust and scratches, and rusting the weld-seams. Mud and dust (MiG pigments) should be the last major task, then I'll add the running gear, final small details, an antenna, graphite around the muzzle break, touchups and anything else I can spot. I missed one hull part, an armour plate just behind the mantlet, which needs to be airbrushed with faded yellow, mounted and oil-washed to blend it in.

I'm gonna give it my best shot to be finished by tomorrow night, which is May 31st here in Aus.

Cheers,

TB379

SMJmodeler - Thanks for the pics and words! I loved your Su122, did not even realized it was an old Tamiya ;).  Neat idea the styrene welding, i will try that (was thinking of tracing some Tenax to melt some plastic for "welds"). I dont mind hand/brush painting, just takes awhile! :)

Here is some progress:

Road wheels painted flat black and MM Russian Green Armor (enamels). Also you can see the 4 external fuel tanks, they need one more coat, I had to re-sand some of the seams.

The rest of the road wheels (back ones). Also the spare tracks, I gave them a shot of nonbuffing gunmetal metallizer, will follow up with steel dry brushing and couple other steps (got this from a recent thread on spare tracks, this method came from wbill). you also see the track threads... not very good detail wise, gave them a shot of flat black from a rattle can, will follow up with washes.

testing the thinner/paint ratios for hand brush painting the hull. Just the two pieces of fenders, one coat, Im looking for brush marks post-painting

and finally,  I did not forget the bottom ;)

Alas, Im leaving for my niece's wedding tomorrow at daw and will not be able to finish before the deadline... unless there is an extension    .. if not, I will post as a WIP.. in any case, this was a GREAT GB and I did learn a lot. And got some "armor" practice for the Big Cats GB :)

Cheers all

Jmart:  Don't underestimate what can be done with those old kits!  Here's a couple of in progress pic's of my SU-122 that may help you.  I'm sure they are the same except for the barrel.  I added a weld seam of styrene at the front and accented the other welds with a with a wood burning tool:

Don't forget the underside!:

Watch out for those fuel tank straps/supports!...the holes in the hull are too large so you'll have to hold them in place while the glue sets to keep them plumb and perpindicular.  I hope this photo keeps you motivated:

Good Luck!!!

Chris - Glad to have been of help! The old Tamiya SU-85 kit is mixed... goes together very easy, great fit, hardly any flash. But detail is laciking and the tracks are very simplistic. A great kit to build for a newbie like me ;)  easy to put together, not much detailing, no camo. The only tricky part in terms of build is the external fuel tanks. You have to do some careful dry fitting and sanding, and probably use a 'welder" type of glue like tenax in order to keep the tanks looking "cylindrical". I have mine will all hatches closed, since it has zero interior. Kit does come with one figure, which is useful for practice purposes I guess.

Here is my progress: major construction done, you can see the ugly dark pseudo OD color of the plastic:

The holes on the side are for the external fuel tanks, which are being painted separately:

you can see the almost complete lack of detail in the suspension section. The grab handles are also on the thick side, I tried to shave them down a bit carefuly with an Xblade

I glued all the hatches shut; no sense in opening them since there is no interior at all. The holes up front are for the spare track, currently drying from a basecoat of gunmetal metalizer.

Grill is plastic of course, you need PE if you want a better build. I tried to do a good job on the simple construction aspects, no seams, etc. Anyone please let me know if you see any construction errors!

----  and of course, disaster happens! I get my AB compressor out to do the basecoat and paint the wheels and... "something" fell on it during the winter and sheared off the valve connecting the gauge to the compressor. Half of the metal chunk is wedged in the valve... cant get it out :(  I spent couple hours hand brush painting the wheel rims black, and the wheels MM Russian Armor Green. I got the thinner ratio OK for hand painting, but there is no way I will be able to finish by the deadline :(   hand painting (or brush painting), you really need to slowly put down the coats and wait long enough for drying, to avoid brush strokes.

I am going to my niece's wedding this weekend, so... unless I can get an extension, I will be unable to finish in time! Boo hoo

When the hatch interiors were painted elfbein crews usually painted them over with a camouflage color - many Panzer corps veterans remember this, even though most don't remember much about paint schemes. I can't image feeling too cool about a nice white target sticking up, either...

My Jagdpanzer is nearly done - I have only tools and final touchup left. Finally, a GB which I am not late finishing...