Frank.W.

Today I have glued the other little things: -Jack -shackles -Mounting of the gun barrel cleaning linkage and the tow ropes -C-hooks -Rear reflector or taillight -Column lights The jack was painted in dark yellow with a chipping in a brighter yellow and dark brown. I also have "oiled" the jack, different wheels and the fuel filler cap on the rear cover with a mixture of gloss black and gloss clear paint For this I took a fine brush and painted thin webs of running oil from the hubs of the wheels and the fuel filler cap.

Now some equipment was fixed to the vehicle. I think that affects optically very strongly. The wooden handles of tools were painted in brown wood and dusted with pigments Mig Europe Dust. The metal parts in Mr. Metal Color painted, polished and dusted. The brackets were additionally provided with scratches. The tow ropes were painted in Mr. Metal Color black iron, iron, Hobby Color gray and Revell light gray. The ropes were fixed with superglue on the vehicle.

Thank you very much, Mike. Meanwhile, the model is painted with mat clear coat and the tracks were treated. For this purpose the tracks were airbrushed with brown dust by Hobby Color. Then treated with pigments Europe Dust from Mig. This as follows: - Spraying of small sections of the tracks with Pigmentfixer. -Dusting of the wet places with pigments -distribute of the pigments with a brush. -After coating with clear coat, which was mixed with a drop of beige. The raised areas of the track drybrushed with Mr. Metal Color iron and polished with a cloth The contact surfaces of the wheels on the tracks and the wheels painted with Mr. Metal Color iron and polished.

Some tools, handles, mine guards and the headlight were mounted. Then there was a micro-painting. minor paint damages and scratches were painted. This Method is called chipping. At first a little spot of the lightened primary color (example dark yellow lightened with white) and therein a smaller spot of brown black color. This gives a 3d effect. But use this only with smallest damages of the paint in this scale (1:16) Then the grids were dented or damaged to imitate the rough use. Recently I have overlaid the whole model with fine scratches that I scratched very careful with a knife. Ensure always scratch the top coat only - never possible to plastic. Then I have built from balsa wood, wire and sheet metal Ätzteilrahmens a wooden block, because the plastic part in the kit did not like. Then a large building phase had been completed. The decals were fixed. At first glossy clearcoat, then fixing of the decals. Treating of the decals with softener to adapt the decals to the rough ground. After a short time the decals were spotted with a soft brush into the surface structure. After drying, the decals were painted with gloss clear lacquer. On the following day, a washing was done with thinned oil paint burnt umber. For this, the wheels were removed and treated separately. After Washing the hull behind the wheels had been heavily treated with pigments. This was done as follows: First, the area was smeared with Pigment fixer. Then pigments were dabbed with a hard brush. The process was repeated several times to get a heavy pollution. Thereafter the wheels were locked. The hubs and wheels got a washing with thinned oil paint burnt umber. In the wet oil paint pigments were spotted. Then came a drybrushing with white oil paint. This very very discretely!!!!! The exhaust pipes were painted with oil paint English Red light and spotted with rust-colored pigments (or chalk in orange color) The exhaust ports were treated with carbon black pigments. Then the whole Kit was treated with pigments Europe Dust from Mig. These are photos on the terrace. The lighting conditions were not optimal, because of the color of the awning.

Then all of the openings of the hull were covered with tape or paper. Also the fighting compartment of the turret. The ventilation grids were covered from inside. Then it was time to paint. First, a preshading with Hobbycolor brown black was applied. When this had dried it followed a masking with mustard at the edges, covers and hatches and various metal surfaces. In this way I masked the base color. Then followed the painting in Hobbycolor yellow brown. Then I airbrushed with dark yellow and then dark yellow mixed with a little bit of white. The second stepp was applied cloudy and irregular. The next step was the camouflage. Now I have created the camouflage with Hobbycolor chocolate brown and olive. For this I took the airbrush with the small nozzle. The chocolate brown is extremely dark, so I covered the whole tank easily with matte clear coat with a drop of beige. Then I removed the mustard for a first job "chipping". In addition, I dabbed various points with a sponge in brown black color to imitate paint damage. Last but not least I have painted several places on the Zimmerits chipped in "rust paint".

As the wheels were completed, I fixed the rear plate. The fit wasn't good unfortunately and I had to fill this with putty. Otherwise the hull was very solid after removing the tapes. No creak and crack was to hear and the hull was very rigid.

Now, I painted the wheels. The wheels had received a painting with Mr. Metal Color iron black at first. After that a treating with mustard on each wheel to mask the wheels partial. Then followed a painting in Hobby Color green-brown (more a brown yellow similar to the Africa Brown from Revell). Finally, a layer Hobby Color dark yellow. Then I scraped and brushed away the mustard.

Now, I fixed the upper hull to the bottom. This was not easy. There were many assemblies, which must be mounted perfect to ensure the correct fit of the upper hull. The adhesives had to be set free from color. Both adhesives, upper hull and bottom, were applied with glue. The parts wwere pressed together and fixed with many tapes. I'll probably leave at least 24 hours.

Then I sprayed the interior of the upper hull with white color. The engine compartment was left in anti-rust color. I created the paint chippings with a sponge in black brown color.

I have assembled the turret top with the turret base now. Then the assembly of the aperture of the gun barrel and muzzle brake. The visual effect is of course immensely.

Now some little things were done. The fighting compartment was glued to the bottom of the tower, the gun and the racks were fixed and the grenades were glued into the racks. Furthermore, I painted the riflescope in black brown, then washing in black, then drybrush in silver. The inside of the loader's hatch is still painted in dark yellow, since the inside folds outwards and therefore was not painted white.

Now followed a washing of the parts. This was done with thinned burnt umber. Since the parts have not been previously treated with gloss clear coat, color excess and unwanted color collections had to be immediately removed with a brush or cloth to prevent edges or excessive darkening. After the washing of the fighting compartment followed a drybrushing to highlight small details. This was done with oil paint english red mixed with a little white. After this pigments were added again , since some pigment were removed.

Meanwhile, all assemblies were completed and it was time to priming. For this I took Mr Hobby Color Color iron-black and black-brown. The turret interior, the ammunition rack, the gun, the MG's were treated. Then the fighting compartment was airbrushed reddish brown. The color was partial removed with a knife and a hard bristle brush to simulate scratches and scraped color. The floor in front of their seats was shown particulary strained. Then followed a treatment with Mig Europe Dust pigments. Here are the pictures ..... a detailed painting followed later. Today the turret interior, the gun and the ammunition racks were painted. At first I dabbed mustard on the surfaces, which are painted in Mr. color black iron or dark brown. With this method I mask the ground color. The parts were airbrushed with white color. Then I removed the mustard with my "special tool". The tool I made from a bristle brush . The wooden handle was removed. The metal was squeezed with a pliers. With this tool I removed the mustard under pressure or by scratching. In this way I imitated scratches and paintless. The tip with the mustard is not from me. I read this in the context of a weathered winter camouflage in a forum. This is used for chipping, since mustard can apply controlled than salt and hairspray. The effect is the same. The details still need to be painted. Here are the pictures:

Now, the two MGs were assembled. These are also detailed extensive. Since I am fascinated by the commander figure, I have published photos of the unpainted figure at his workplace. Furthermore, I had placed the assemblies without glueing. Best regards

Meanwhile, the fighting compartment was almost completed and fixed provisionally to the base of the turret with tapes Also today, the half-figure of the commander has come .... extremely expensive, but "damned good." The figure is from Scale Fanatic, design by Robert Döpp. It is equipped with etched parts and perfectly cast from resin, packaged in a tin and costs € 36.95 € .... but awesome!! Then I had assembled the gun. The gun barrel was only plugged in and not glued. Now the ammunition racks had to complete and than the painting of the assemblies. I've made a lot of photos for our scratch builders ;-)

I built the next part of the interior now.....the fighting compartment. I like the detailing very well, so I would like to share the images, although still missing a lot of parts.

Then I continued the detailling of the interior.The commander's hatch locking mechanism, the loader's hatch with lock and gas cylinder (?) and various parts inside and out. Here are the pictures:

A little confused, but I love the diversified. In addition to the figures I have continued the building of the Köti (short form of Königstiger =kingtiger). The commander's cupola was assembled and created a slight cast structure by carefully dabbing plastic glue with a hard brush. In the same way I treated the fan openings of the engine covers. The cover of the front machine gun (ball mount? In german Kugelblende) was fixed Then I built the tailgate of the turret. The parts of the tailgate are movable. The gun mantlet was built to make the Zimmerit coating for the last parts. With Magic Sculp and a Zimmerit stamp the parts (tailgate, ball mount and gun shield) were covered and structured. After drying, the clay coated were airbrushed with "anti-rust paint". Later I noticed a mistake: The Zimmerit only covered in the reality the base of the gun shield and not whole part. Here is the pictures:

I was very angry about this and so I turned away from the tank and devoted myself to the figures at first. Sorry....I was confusing the report. I started with the making of the figures At first I edit the resin figures in the fine weather in the garden with the Dremel. A damn dusty affair. Here the the 5 kits From Verlinden: Armoured Crewman with grenade kit S09 WW II German tank commander kit 966 SS Obersturmführer Russia 1944 Kit 1239 SS Infanteryman WW II Kit 0451 Legend: "Halt" kit 1607 After removing of the casting residues the figures were assembled (except the weapons and other items that hinder the painting. The parts were glued with cyanoacrylate ahesive.

Thank you, JK. Then I began to build the turret. The turret is made of two parts. For this reason the thickness of the armor is very realistic. Both parts were assembled. The fan, a few small parts and an periscope (Winkelspiegel in german, I don't no the meaning in english) The interior of the cupola with seven periscopes and mechanism (attachment or flaps for closing ... no idea) was assembled and glued to the turret. Then, the base of the turret was fixed with tape to the bottom of the turret, and so began the misery. The sprocket (?) of the hull didn't match with the pendant at the turret. With the alternative transparent hull of the kit exactly the same problem. So I cut off the teeth of the sprocket and sanded the parts.

Thank you very much. I'm repeating myself......great job. First class

Excellent job. Very Good painting. Do you have photos from another point of view? Greetings from Reutlingen Frank (Lappes)

Sorry...I mean the prints of the tracks should have another color....not so dark. It's a dry ground, the prints are too dark.

Great Job. Wonderful painting of the figures and the tank. It would be great on a wooden socket. But if you use a base like this, the tank and the figures should have a "used Look" with dirt and dust. The prints of the tracks shouldn't have another color. Don't be angry....otherwise a great job. Best regards Frank (Lappes)