Mobelwagen Flak 43 3.7cm Complete 09-01-08

Very cool wbill!! I like the scuffing and scratches of the fighting compartment

Thanks Specter!

I managed to get one of the tracks built and installed today but it was slow going. I've figured out that there's a small problem with some of the pins in this set of MK links. Some of them are just slightly too large at the head end and need a little extra push to go all the way flush but it's not noticeable at first because they hit a little resistance and feel as if they are all the way in when in fact they are just a fraction of a mm short.

I didn't notice this on some of the first ones I assembled and they stayed together well enough until it came time to install them when of course they let go in multiple places once they had any sort of tension on them. This required some careful reassembly and then treating the whole track run with liquid glue as you would static indy links because the pins weren't strong enough to keep it all together on their own.

Fortunately I've picked up on the issue and how to solve it and the second run will not have this same problem. It does require careful inspection of each pin to insure it really is seated all the way in before moving on to the next link, so that slows things down a little. I've assembled many sets of MK links and this is the first time I've had this problem so I chalk it up to just a slightly off set. One track on, one to go!

wbill76 wrote:

Thanks Specter! I managed to get one of the tracks built and installed today but it was slow going. I've figured out that there's a small problem with some of the pins in this set of MK links. Some of them are just slightly too large at the head end and need a little extra push to go all the way flush but it's not noticeable at first because they hit a little resistance and feel as if they are all the way in when in fact they are just a fraction of a mm short. I didn't notice this on some of the first ones I assembled and they stayed together well enough until it came time to install them when of course they let go in multiple places once they had any sort of tension on them. This required some careful reassembly and then treating the whole track run with liquid glue as you would static indy links because the pins weren't strong enough to keep it all together on their own. Fortunately I've picked up on the issue and how to solve it and the second run will not have this same problem. It does require careful inspection of each pin to insure it really is seated all the way in before moving on to the next link, so that slows things down a little. I've assembled many sets of MK links and this is the first time I've had this problem so I chalk it up to just a slightly off set. One track on, one to go!

LOL should have gone with the Friul tracks they are more forgiving than the MK set and are a bit more accurate. Does the MK set have the hollowed out guide horns?

Mike,

Fruils and MKs are like Ford's and Chevy's...everyone has their preference for one reason or another. MK's have never let me down and this particular set has only a minor issue to contend with, not a show-stopper.

This particular set has the solid guide-horns since they are later war designs with the ice-cleat chevrons on the face. This style of track was available in both the open and closed guide-horn style but MK makes only the solid horn type. I opted deliberately for the solid horns.

As advertised in the last update, the tracks were the next step and this of course follows the usual pattern with MKs, using the provided jig and assembling the runs by installing the workable pins on either side.

While the MK instructions suggest 97 links per side, this is too short and I ended up using 99 links. Because I wasn't careful enough with the pins to insure they actually did seat all the way in, I had several weak pins resulting in the need to run liquid glue along the entire track run and treat it as if it were static indy links instead. I base painted the runs with Testors Model Master Non-buffing Gunmetal, then dry-brushed Steel to create a metallic look, and applied a thin wash of Raw Umber to finish the look before installation. I also used the spare MK links available for the front hull run and finished them in the same way except for using a wash of Rust in place of Raw Umber and dry brushing additional Burnt Umber for their finish.

With that out of the way, I applied a coat of Future by air brush and applied the decal markings. Instead of the Tamiya decals, I hunted in my spares bin and used some Cartograf markings left over from a previous DML build, the Tiger I Initial. Using the cover photo on Panzerwrecks 6 as an inspiration, I added a 3-digit vehicle number to go with the balkenkreuze. The decals were treated with Walther's Solvaset to snug them down to the hull and then a second sealing coat of Future applied. This was allowed to sit overnight before starting in on the weathering process.

The first step was the application of an overall wash of Raw Umber to all of the upper hull surfaces. I used a round 0 sable brush and worked carefully section by section, adjusting any excess as I went with clean thinner.

Then I applied a dot filter of Raw Sienna to add some earth tones to the weathering and some slight streaking for variation. This was followed by a pin wash of Burnt Umber to further pop out the details.

As a final step, I lightly dry-brushed the lightened Dunkelgelb mix used for the base coat to all the surfaces, blending and fading the camo in the process a bit more.

Next came a wet treatment of Mig Pigments Dark Mud, Europe Dust, and African Earth. The three were mixed together first as powders, then ordinary water added and the mixture applied by a large sable brush to the undersides and running gear. This was allowed to air dry over the course of about 1 hour to get to this stage. The pigments end up a slightly lighter color this way than if applied dry, which is why I mix several colors in together.

After it was dry, I proceeded to remove the excess pigment and adjust the finish. This is accomplished as a two-step process, the first is to use a set of stiff bristled brushes to remove as much of the excess as possible. I wear a dust mask while doing this as the very fine pigment particles go airborne very easily and aren't good for the nose/mouth/sinuses/lungs to be inhaled! Once all the excess is removed, the next step is to use a series of moistened q-tips to tone down and adjust the level of pigments.

Then, as a final step, I dry-brushed some Steel to bring back out the high-points on the track faces and everything was finished.

 Hello wbill76,

 A nice finish to a great WIP. Thanks for all the tips. The weathering looks amazing. That's how it's supposed to be done! The MK's look like a bit of work, but worth the extra effort. Gotta get some of the MM Metalizer's, they give the tracks an awesome finish.

 Thanks again for the WIP....

 Best Regards,

Bill that sure is something to look at. All aspects...subject, camo sceme, weathering.... just beautiful.

Question about Mig powders.  How different are they than finely ground chalk pastels? I realize you may have not used pastels and can't answer.  I am curious if there is some sort if binder, or whatever, in there that gives them a different adhering quality.

Mobious, thanks as always for the comments. The Testor's line of metalizers are great stuff!

wing_nut wrote:

Bill that sure is something to look at. All aspects...subject, camo sceme, weathering.... just beautiful. Question about Mig powders.  How different are they than finely ground chalk pastels? I realize you may have not used pastels and can't answer.  I am curious if there is some sort if binder, or whatever, in there that gives them a different adhering quality.

WN, thanks for commenting as well! I have (and continue to do so) used pastels but I prefer the artist type vs. the chalk type. Mig Pigments are just that, finely ground/milled pigment with no additive binders to them. They adhere reasonably well based on this fact alone if applied dry but are sensitive to handling. Before I apply the Migs, I apply a coat of Testors Lusterless Flat via spraycan to both insure a matte surface as well as achieve some "tooth" to the surface. Because I apply the pigment wet, the pigment serves as a "stain" due to the fine grain it has and can be 99% removed, but not 100%...once it dris, it has very good adherence quality (except for the excess which can be easily brushed away).

Mansteins revenge wrote:

Nice finish to a sweet build; I particularly like the weathering to the running gear...unusual to see a three-digit number on one of these--Very nice work...

MR, you're right, normally the markings are limited to just the balkenkreuze on the side, but once I saw the photos in Panzerwrecks 6, I thought it would add a little twist/uniqueness to the build. The vehicle in question has the 3-tone camo as well as a field-mod to allow the Flak 43 to engage ground targets directly without lowering the sides...maybe this influenced the addition of the numbers?

   Another fine piece from one of the master's. The camo is just great and since this is the pattern I'm going for on my B-Tiger I will be following your instructions to the letter. Thank for another great wip Bill.    

                       Steve 

Wow Bill, that looks just as sweet as they come fella. Fantastic work on the blog as well. Im sure theres dozens of us who have bookmarked this post for future reference.

Wingnut. Ive used both and can say from personal experience that pastels are great and give a huge variation in colours. They take a lot of sanding to get them as fine as Mig pig's. Also thier adherance to the model isnt as good as Mig's. They must put an addative of some sort in em. Ive used pastels with his pigment fixer and they work great. Dampen the area 1st with the fixer, add the pastel, voila. Make sure its where you wqant it cos once the fixer goes off...she aint budging.

...Guy

Panzerguy,

My pleasure and thanks for the comments.

Guy,

Thanks for looking as always. I'm not sure that Mig adds an additive, if they do they don't market that as a "plus" for it, something I would think they would highlight. You're right about the separate fixer Mig sells, once it's set, it's set for life!

Specter wrote:

Wbill, that is awsome That field mod on the pictured Mobelwagen is pretty smart. I do have two questions though. 1: I was re-reading on the scuffs and such and was wondering if the burnt umber you used was oil or enamal. 2: what exactly is stippling?

Specter,

Appreciate the comments! I used enamel Burnt Umber, Testor's provides this in their Model Master II line. Stippling is done using a short stabbing motion instead of normal brush strokes, the brush is cleaned of paint just like you would for dry-brushing but instead of brushing you stab the brush. Simple and effective but it's very tough on a brush, so I only use older/worn-out brushes for that sort of thing.

Bodge wrote:

Nice build but looks as if no one has set foot inside it accept maybe to polish it,  maybe think of at least a bit of wear and tear to take the toy like interior away, only a sugestion.Still a nice build though.

Thanks for the input Bodge, gave me a chuckle. In fairness, I haven't posted a up-close photo of the interior, but "polished" or "toy-like" it certainly isn't.

wbill76 wrote:

Mobious, thanks as always for the comments. The Testor's line of metalizers are great stuff!  wing_nut wrote: Bill that sure is something to look at. All aspects...subject, camo sceme, weathering.... just beautiful. Question about Mig powders.  How different are they than finely ground chalk pastels? I realize you may have not used pastels and can't answer.  I am curious if there is some sort if binder, or whatever, in there that gives them a different adhering quality. WN, thanks for commenting as well! I have (and continue to do so) used pastels but I prefer the artist type vs. the chalk type. Mig Pigments are just that, finely ground/milled pigment with no additive binders to them. They adhere reasonably well based on this fact alone if applied dry but are sensitive to handling. Before I apply the Migs, I apply a coat of Testors Lusterless Flat via spraycan to both insure a matte surface as well as achieve some "tooth" to the surface. Because I apply the pigment wet, the pigment serves as a "stain" due to the fine grain it has and can be 99% removed, but not 100%...once it dris, it has very good adherence quality (except for the excess which can be easily brushed away).  Mansteins revenge wrote: Nice finish to a sweet build; I particularly like the weathering to the running gear...unusual to see a three-digit number on one of these--Very nice work... MR, you're right, normally the markings are limited to just the balkenkreuze on the side, but once I saw the photos in Panzerwrecks 6, I thought it would add a little twist/uniqueness to the build. The vehicle in question has the 3-tone camo as well as a field-mod to allow the Flak 43 to engage ground targets directly without lowering the sides...maybe this influenced the addition of the numbers?

    Well Tex you've put another nice one in the books.

I'm going to bookmark and save this build so when I do mine

i'll have some inspiration.

....Tony the Mutt....

Bodge wrote:

Glad i made you laugh , everyone likes a bit of friendly banter. In my honest opinion though for what its worth i think vehicles that are portrayed as being in a war would at least have thierfair share of scrathes and scrapes, even on aclean build or new vehicle you would have one or two wouldnt you?

Bodge,

The depiction of scratching/chipping etc. is one that's certainly open for personal interpretation, application, and debate and I respect your opinion regarding that area of finishing. The realism vs. artistry debate isn't one I want to go into as there are plenty of threads out there to see both sides of that coin, it's a debate that never ends depending on your preferred style and approach. Heavy scratching and chipping is something that I choose not to do even at the same time that I appreciate the techniques and artistry that goes into producing it by others. I just choose not to because it doesn't fit in with my chosen style/approach in the balance between accuracy and artistry. A 1 mm long or wide scratch scales up to 35mm long or wide on the real deal (2mm is 70mm or almost 3 inches, 3mm is 105mm or ...you see what I mean) so it doesn't take long before you've left the realm of realistic representation and entered the purely artistic in my opinion. It's the same reason I don't model wood grain on tool handles for example even though I've seen some very cool effects done by various builders, it just doesn't scale out properly in my mind so I choose not to do it. That's the beauty of our hobby, plenty of room for both points of view.

What I do choose to model is paint wear/fading, dirt, etc. to varying degrees as you can see clearly on the lower hull and the inside of the fighting compartment on this particular project. It's not a factory-new/clean vehicle but neither is it on its last legs and ready to keel over in the junkyard. Every area on this model is weathered to one degree or another through the use of washes, dry brushing, pigments, or combination. Go back and look at the first photo I posted when the camo scheme had been applied as a "factory fresh" example and compare it to the last ones and you'll see the progression, it's there even if it's not the "in your face" WOW level of scratching and weathering that others choose. I don't knock the heavily weathered "it's been in a war!" approach, on the contrary I can appreciate it for what it is even if I personally choose not to replicate it with my own work.

MR,

I gave it some serious thought but had already committed to the AA layout for the superstructure panels and it didn't seem quite right...so I left it alone. Still, it would be a cool thing for someone else to attempt.

Tony,

Appreciate the kind words, thanks!

wbill76 wrote:

Not too much slack in that track.

Love the build

wbill  Another beautiful build.  Your attention to detail is awsome.  But what tops that is you weathering.  It just makes your builds simply a work of art.

Keep up the great work.

ps1scw,

Thanks for the comments. Have to agree with you on the track tension, definitely a prime example of a properly tensioned idler! That's the funny thing about the Pz III/IV family, you can find examples of track sag that range from taut as in that pic to sagging so much (on an operational vehicle as opposed to one that's knocked out) you wonder how on earth they don't throw it everytime it gets in gear. Like these for example:

Moose, thanks for the kind words and encouragement!  

Thanks detailfreak for the comments.

It's true the Pz III and Pz IV had different designs for their track tensioning systems (Pz III used a screw type adjuster while the Pz IV used a capped swing arm type) and throughout the Pz III production span things changed in relation to the position of the return rollers and sprocket/idler design. I put these two up simply because I had the Trojca "Pz III At War" book to hand, but you can find similar examples of track sag on Pz IVs too, all depends on when/where you're looking at things. The choice of all-steel, and often ungreased, tracks usually meant the track runs had a relatively short life span, especially when compared to those of Allied vehicles like the Sherman.  

Bodge wrote:

I get your point entirely. I used to do clean builds and its thanks to the likes of Mig  and Mirko Bayerl that i changed my style.Now when i do a build it doesnt seem finnished until its had a bit of abuse. Have you tried the  style i do ,once you get it right it is very addictive.As they say dont knock it till youve tried it.Go on give it a go sometime

I always find it a bit ironic that those who practice heavy weathering tend to think that those who don't do the same either a) are afraid to try something new or b) haven't "drunk the Koolaid" yet and gotten onboard with the latest fad/style but should. As a point of fact, I've tried it and been succesful at producing it depending on how you look at it but didn't like the end result sitting on my shelf (although some techniques have been incorporated into other approaches based on the experimentation) and chose a different path. I have adapted and evolved techniques and approaches over time to different degrees, but the chipping and scratching angle just isn't for me. I belong to a different school of thought in that regard and am not interested in being a convert...unless of course it comes with some nice perks like free model kits for life or the guarantee of an eternity hereafter surrounded by styrene.

wbill76 wrote:

Bodge wrote: I get your point entirely. I used to do clean builds and its thanks to the likes of Mig  and Mirko Bayerl that i changed my style.Now when i do a build it doesnt seem finnished until its had a bit of abuse. Have you tried the  style i do ,once you get it right it is very addictive.As they say dont knock it till youve tried it.Go on give it a go sometime I always find it a bit ironic that those who practice heavy weathering tend to think that those who don't do the same either a) are afraid to try something new or b) haven't "drunk the Koolaid" yet and gotten onboard with the latest fad/style but should. As a point of fact, I've tried it and been succesful at producing it depending on how you look at it but didn't like the end result sitting on my shelf (although some techniques have been incorporated into other approaches based on the experimentation) and chose a different path. I have adapted and evolved techniques and approaches over time to different degrees, but the chipping and scratching angle just isn't for me. I belong to a different school of thought in that regard and am not interested in being a convert...unless of course it comes with some nice perks like free model kits for life or the guarantee of an eternity hereafter surrounded by styrene.