DML #6540 Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind COMPLETE Pics p.17

Love those AM barrels.

Thanks Andy! We've been getting quite a bit of heavy rain in the last week or so. Had one storm roll through and drop over 1 inch of rain in 20 minutes! Quite a change-up from the drought conditions we experienced in the earlier months of the year. Still well behind our yearly average total expectations though. Heavy rains like that add the double-whammy of flash flooding but that's life in the desert!

Eric, have to agree with you there! The Flakvierling is such a prominent feature on this beast and the kit barrels suffer from some detail weaknesses that just can't be overcome without AM replacements IMHO. Glad you like them.

Bill - All the little details are falling into place.....looking very nice. The turret especially is an eye catcher!!

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks Mike! Still have more work to do of course but progress is progress!

Dang fine work Bill!

Thanks John, appreciate the comments as always.

Had a couple of days off work so got some more done in the details department. Although it doesn't show too well in the photo, I weathered the interior of the turret and the Flakvierling with an overall wash of thinned enamel Burnt Umber and then dry-brushed my lightened Dunkelgelb mix over that to create some dirt accumulation and some variety. The Flakvierling was then installed into the turret and I discovered why the PE spent shell catcher bin is added after this in the instruction order...it's because there isn't enough clearance between the edge of the gun and the turret ring, so I ended up having to remove it in order for the gun to install properly. It's not visible anyhow so I just left it off completely since I'm going to display the turret in position.

I also detailed and installed the spare track runs for the hull nose and glacis. The tracks were base coated with MM Nonbuffing Metalizer Gunmetal, given a wash of enamel Rust, then lightly dry-brushed with enamel Steel to create a bit of metallic finish. This was toned down and blended in with some Burnt Umber artist pastels. I also used a #76 finger drill to create the open pin holes on the first and last links of the hull nose run for some added detail.

The rear hull also got some detail attention. The three spare track links were finished and installed using CA gel so they would stay put on the resin zim surface. The rear blackout light was painted with Tamiya Clear Blue and the fender reflector with some Testors enamel Flat Red. The muffler was painted in the same fashion as the spare track link runs minus the Steel dry-brushing with just a touch of black artist pastels applied to the exhaust spout.

Instead of the kit-supplied braided steel wire (which is too stiff to easily work with), I used some crochet rope to create the tow cable. The rope was dipped in Future so it would stiffen up and also not go "fuzzy" when painted and left to air-dry. Then I cut it to the necessary length of 125mm (the instructions say 150mm but that includes the styrene eye ends) and glued it to the cable ends with CA gel. It will get painted and installed later after the weathering is done and is only dry-fit for now to insure I got the length/configuration correct.

That's where she stands for now, still need to give some attention to the lower hull/running gear and tracks as the next phase.

Good to see you back in the saddle again, Bill! You haven't lost a step; the Flakpanzer looks up to your usual "WOW!".

I didn't know about dipping the rope in Future. Cool idea.

I'm working my way back over here....still in the garage for now, though......

Well, I'll be dipped in......

Looking cool....... 

Great progress as usual Bill. It's been slow but well worth the wait.

Good to see Karl posting, if your reading well  then hello and I hope your keeping well.

I look forward to your next update Bill.

Regards,

Terry.

Karl, nice to see you poking your head in buddy!

Just be sure to get the grease out from under your finger nails when you're all set. I discovered the crochet rope solution to tow cables a while back after talking with a ship-building buddy who mentioned he used beeswax to do the same thing with ship rigging thread. Since the Future permeates the rope as it dries, it has the added bonus of preventing the rope/thread from becoming a paint sponge by creating an acrylic barrier. Also makes it much stiffer and "cable like" in terms of how it behaves and drapes and is much more flexible to work with vs the awful steel wire that DML provides. 

Steve and Terry, thanks as always for the comments and support! Hard to believe just how much my building pace has contracted over the last few months...this build actually started in March and is setting a new record for me in terms of total chronological duration for a single build! It will get done, just a question of "when"!  

wbill76

Karl, nice to see you poking your head in buddy!

Just be sure to get the grease out from under your finger nails when you're all set. I discovered the crochet rope solution to tow cables a while back after talking with a ship-building buddy who mentioned he used beeswax to do the same thing with ship rigging thread. Since the Future permeates the rope as it dries, it has the added bonus of preventing the rope/thread from becoming a paint sponge by creating an acrylic barrier. Also makes it much stiffer and "cable like" in terms of how it behaves and drapes and is much more flexible to work with vs the awful steel wire that DML provides. 

Steve and Terry, thanks as always for the comments and support! Hard to believe just how much my building pace has contracted over the last few months...this build actually started in March and is setting a new record for me in terms of total chronological duration for a single build! It will get done, just a question of "when"!  

Sounds like you should send it in to Readers Tips.

Looking great Bill!   Remaining work on your Wirbelwind should be a breeze so it should be done by Sunday, correct?   Only kidding... again, happy to have you back with us! 

Eric, not a bad idea, will have to submit it for consideration.

Andy, thanks for the comments and support! Done by Sunday would be a tall order indeed...but it is getting closer to the finish line and should be done relatively soon barring any unfortunate circumstances!

It's really shaping up Bill! Looking great! Speaking of tow cables, I do mine very similar. I use a ship modelers thread made by Artesania Latina. I usually get the .5mm in brown color. The brown color is pretty rusty looking but to make it look right I cut the length I need and dip it in a very thinned out acrylic steel color. The steel clings to the outside real good but you can still see hints of rust color in the windings. I then use a set of helping hands with the alligator clips. Take one of the clips out and attach it to one end of the freshly dipped thread then attach the other end to the alligator clip still in the helping hands. Let the weight of the free clip pull the thread straight down. Once dry it is a bit stiff but very bendable. Just attach the cable ends and drape around the tank as needed.This is what it looks like on my T34/85.

Wait......that's cheating.....Bill always has his updates on Sunday evening!! Mid week update.....what next....dogs and cats living together!

Now things are looking good. I also use the ships rigging which has a light wax coat on it to prvent fuzzing. Also use the micro clips and the helping hands to hold while painting.

Rounds Complete!!

Those are some nice looking cables John!

Mike,

Have to throw a curve ball every now and then just to keep things interesting.

redleg12

Wait......that's cheating.....Bill always has his updates on Sunday evening!! Mid week update.....what next....dogs and cats living together!

LMAO!

Hiya Bill :  )

been silently observing' till now........'cause this is the best part....your camo schemes and washes are the real treat....the quad guns are beautiful !

I have always wanted to ask, is that a judges gavel that you build on?

Bill Plunk,Axis Master

I just gave you a new nick name...no offence meant if ya don't like it!...LOL

yer pal,

bill

Thanks brother Bill! Always a pleasure to have you poke your head in and say howdy. One of the things I had to get used to on the quad 20s was the fact that they are offset (accurately) and when viewed head-on are asymmetrical as a result. At first I thought I had done something wrong with them! That's not a judge's gavel that I use as a stand, it's a scale figure stand/pedestal that I picked up from a model buddy a long time ago. It's the perfect size/diameter for displaying stuff in 1/35 and I snagged an extra that he had laying around.

No worries on the nickname, I've been called worse!

looks good Bill,looking foward to your weathering.

Thanks Anthony! I'm starting an MBA program with the University of Phoenix next week so this weekend will have to be extra productive in terms of modelling time as it may be in relative short supply for a little while at least.

Wonderful work, as always, Bill. I always admire your attention to detail, in this and the builds that pop up in various mags. Never a missed seam or mold line, color always applied with total precision, weathering always appropriate, etc.

No pressure though, right?

Looking forward to seeing more progress.....

No pressure at all! Thanks for the kind words, I should have an update tomorrow on the "regular" schedule depending on how things go.

I've pretty much ended the whole publication angle and now just build for enjoyment...it was fun while I did it but a lot of work that I don't have time for any more.

Some small progress to report this time around, didn't quite get as far as I wanted due to some RL distractions that took more time this weekend than anticipated. Still, progress is progress!

I pre-weathered the lower hull by stippling some enamel Burnt Umber to simulate scuffs/scratches and also detailed the bare metal contact surfaces on the return rollers, sprocket teeth, and idler wheels. I applied a base coat of MM Metalizer Steel followed by some dry-brushed Burnt Umber. Using some blue poster putty, I dry-fit the sprockets and tested out the length of the MK tracks assembled earlier to determine how many more links I needed. After fiddling with the idler position and the desired sag, 3 more links were needed on each side to bring the grand total to 99 links.

The tracks themselves were ready for paint, so off to the spray booth and an airbrush coat of MM enamel Burnt Umber. The tracks received a heavy dry-brush of enamel Steel to provide a metallic look followed by a wash of enamel Raw Umber to blend everything back in. The tracks were installed along with the sprockets and the idlers given a slight adjustment where needed before they too were glued into permanent position.

Next up will be the decals (minimal markings) and then on to the weathering!

I just love that camo job Bill. Superb.

Good t see you back on the horse.

Looking great Bill.

Nate

She's really looking good!  From the guns to the zim and finishing up with the paint, its going to be masterpiece when done.  Tracks look good too

Bill - Every little bit is that much closer to the finish!! I understand the RL in the way.

Congats on starting your MBA and good luck. I am headed off to college also.....with my daughter who starts this year. I am dealing with a bucket of hormones talk about RL!!!

Rounds Complete!!

I am telling you I never get tired looking at your camo.   You are one step closer to the finish line.

Good luck with your MBA study and looking forward to the BITW GB!