Matt182

Hi guys, I've started a new project, Dragon's Stug III G with zimmerit. I will be building a small vignette with a few British soldiers moving past the abandoned stug. I've almost finished building the Stug, just waiting for a CMK engine set to arrive. I'ts a great kit and very well detailed. The only real issue I found was that there are no locating holes on the superstructure or fenders for the side skirt mounts. Not an issue for this build as I won't be using them but if you do use them they have to be located by eye. Also the hole in the mantlet on my kit was smaller than the barrel so had to be drilled out. Apart from that it all goes together well This is certainly one of those kits that is built in sub-assemblies. Thankfully the fit is spot on so painting each assembly separately is a certainly an option. It's especially helpful if you are adding an engine bay and painting the interior. I'm going to make a start on the figures while I wait for the engine. I haven't really tackled figures before so this should be interesting! Cheers Matt

Cheers guys Good idea, they do seem to have quite a varied collection down there so might be worth a shout. I might also ask the occupation museum as they already have a few models on display there. I know what you mean about the model shop but I do find their prices are good and they will order something in if you ask. Would be nice to have some competition though!

Honestly thought the first photo was a reference photo! Great build, must be a pretty sizable kit!

Cheers again chaps for all the great comments Ha yeah, it is tempting! Think I will stick to 1/35 for a little while though. I haven't completed any other builds since I started this one! Have to admit I was a quite worried about the exterior paint job in the early stages. It didn't look great to me but I'm really happy with the final result. I didn't want to go nuts with the exterior as I wanted the interior to draw the eye the most, which I think it does I think the only PC issue might be the SS 501 emblem on the front plate. I know they are strict on the swastika, but not sure on unit emblems. At some point I will look at getting it out of the house to be seen by more people but for now I'm happy with it being on my shelf I've picked up a figure to go with it to provide a sense of scale so I will post up some more photos once it is complete. Also looking at a display case and a small information card to go with it to round it all off. Cheers Matt

Cheers chaps Not sure whats next yet Mike. I have the Hobbyboss 1/16 Tiger in line for my next big build but I won't be starting that for a while. Might be tempted by the Tamiya Cromwell I have in the stash. Cheers for pics Beefy, that is a very nice build indeed. Really like his idea for the turret stand.

Thanks guys for all the fantastic comments, really appreciate it after all the effort (and time!) that went into building it I would be chuffed to bits if a museum were to approach me to display it but I doubt that will happen. There isn't really a modelling scene where I live and no dedicated modelling shows. It's likely it won't get any further exposure than this forum, friends and family. I'd love to take it to one of the UK shows but that would involve taking it by ship across the channel Ultimately though, I built it for my own satisfaction and to share with other like minded people on the forum. It will be the center piece of my collection and I'm happy with that Brian, do you have a link to Joe's build? Would love to see it. Cheers Matt

Trumpeter 1/16 Tiger II Here is my Trumpeter Tiger II finally completed after almost 3 1/2 years. This project was a huge challenge, with lots of firsts for me. The base kit was modified with lots of aftermarket and scratch built items to increase the detail / accuracy. I won't go into detail about the build as it can all be found HERE. Just want to say a quick thanks to all those that followed the build and all the encouragement to get this build finished 1 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 2 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 3 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 5 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 6 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 9 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 4 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 8 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 7 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 10 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 1 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 2 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 3 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 4 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 5 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 6 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 7 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 10 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 12 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 13 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr 14 by Matt Tullier, on Flickr Cheers

Thanks for all the great comments chaps Just finishing up the last few bits now. Tools added to the left side. I decided to fit the tow cable in it's normal position and also added the track cable. Aerial has also been added. That just about finishes the build. I still have some small details to add and a figure to paint but this is pretty much it. I will be posting up in RFI soon, with some better photos Cheers

Hi guys, Almost at the finish line now. Lower hull has been weathered. Tracks were painted in Tamiya dark iron, given a heavy oil wash and lots of pigments. I used the fire to help dry them quicker Wheels painted and weathered Wheels on along with sprockets and idlers Finally, the tracks went on Not much left to do now. Better photos will follow one it's complete Cheers Matt

Thanks chaps The stains are Vallejo 'dark wash for dark yellow'. It's a medium brown acrylic based wash which I dabbed on and allowed it to spread out. I've had it sat in a draw for a couple of years so I thought I'd give it a go. The streaks are raw umber oils, thinned with turps. Cheers Matt

Very nice work so far, excellent work on that photo etch!

Hi guys, Weathering of the turret is near complete. Lots of pigments have been dusted on and some rain / grime streaks added. Spare track links have been painted in Tamiya burnt iron, ready for washes and pigments. I kept paint chipping to a minimum, instead going for a dirty, scratched look. i also added a few stains on the flat part of the roof. Turret should be completed tonight

Thanks Chaps Thanks for the tip Julian, I will give that a go. It may be worth taking a look at Julian's Panzer IV build HERE to get a good idea of what is involved and how to approach it. My best tip would be to research the vehicle and try to understand how the real thing would of been built. It helps to think of it like it is on a factory production line. What parts would be painted together and what would be painted before fitting. Break down the build into separate sections like the engine bay, drivers compartment etc. Study the instructions and references carefully, identify all the parts relating to each area and colours of each component. Try to find out what each component is, where it fits in the model and what other parts it joins to. I found this helped me plan my build, so I always knew what needed to be done next and when certain items needed to be painted and fitted. I also found it quite interesting learning about the real vehicle. My other tip is be prepared for losing motivation. I had points where I didn't work on it for months. If you are beginning to find things are becoming a chore, put it down and take a decent break. Last thing you want to do is force your way through it. As for the PE, I find that in 1/16 it is quite forgiving. If your worried about getting straight bends it might be worth investing in a folding tool like this. Worth the money if you use PE quite regularly. Hope that helps!

Thanks for the comments chaps Well, I've got the dull coat on and have removed the masking tape. Only one tiny area of over spray thankfully. Very happy with how this is looking now! Only issue is the carrier film for the turret number is still visible, sure I can figure something out. Detail painting, chipping and pigments next Cheers Matt

Great work on the Tiger and figures Nick. Really like the whole scene

Cheers Mike, I'm much happier with the paint job now all the oils are going on Just a small update. The mantlet and engine deck have now received the oil filtering and pin washes. Just waiting for all the oils to dry now. Next up will be a dull coat and more detail painting. I will also be able to remove all the masking tape, fingers crossed it has done it's job! Cheers Matt

I've moved on to the turret. Oil filters and pin washes have been applied. Need to tidy up some areas but it's getting there 😀 Cheers Matt

Cheers for the tips Dan, will have to have a look into that AK set. Looking forward to the next update

Those figures look fantastic Dan and certainly bring the Jagdtiger to life. The faces in particular are very well done. I'm still in the 'my figures are crap so I won't bother stage'. I want to do a figure to go with my tiger II so this will be a very good reference on how to do it. What colours do you use for the flesh tones, do you mix them to what you want as you go?

Small update. I've finished the oil dot filtering on the hull, added some pin washes around the welds and details, and also done some basic detail painting. Before I go any further with the hull I will get the turret to the same stage. cheers Matt

Top job on those figures Dan

Thanks chaps. I'm going to be doing a lot of work with the oils as the base paint job come out very flat, not what I was hoping for. I'm having to adjust how I approach things as what works in 1/35 doesn't always work in 1/16. I used Tamiya masking tape, cut to the shapes I wanted. Took bloody ages to cut and shape the tape for the camo. Think I will try blu tack if I try this scheme again!

Nice one Wogga, Meng's KT looks set to be a very nice kit indeed. Cheers Julian, spots were painted free hand. I'm finding it quite difficult to make the ambush scheme look good. The last time I tried this scheme I made a real mess of it so fingers crossed I get it right this time! I've start work on weathering the paint. First I gave it a couple of very light filters of red brown, followed by some over sprays of buff and flat earth Everything was gloss coated and the turret number added. The Pedinghaus decals come on a rather thick carrier film, might have a little trouble blending it in. Next I cracked out the oil paints to start blending everything together. The glacis plate before Oil dots applied Blended all together Some work on the side armour Still have the rest of the hull and turret to go. Cheers Matt

Cheers guys I've made a little more progress. Spent some time tiding up the camo and dealing with small bits of over spray. I also added the dots for the ambush scheme. Still looking like a toy at the moment but I'm ready to start toning it down and weathering the paint. Hopefully by the next update it should be looking a lot better. Cheers Matt

Thanks chaps. Ha yeah, I've seriously reduced the local model shop's stock of dark yellow and black! I continued with the basic camo scheme by masking all the dark yellow, applying red brown, masking the red brown and then applying the dark green. Masking everything has been very time consuming so I haven't got as far as I would of liked. Here is where I am at now. Sorry for the photos again, and the poor lighting. I know it looks like a toy at the moment but that will change! I've got lots of work to do! Cheers Matt