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Hallo again Now it is finished. The next project is a recovery Tiger I from RVF. Stay healthy & be patient! Happy modelling

Hallo again Now, the hull and track chains are done. The front gap of Zemerit I filled with CA glue. Now, next steps are the turret and tools and some etched parts as the air-grills. For shading: I mixed with base color and white / black some color in a reserve bottle. I prevent extra mixing, due to save material. In all steps of working, I try to reduce the input on material. Just to prevent to run out of material. I assume shortages may occur very soon. Stay health, and be patient. We all need a lots of patience in future days and months. Happy modelling

Hallo again Because of Zemerit: Big difference of factory applied and field applied coat! I closed the gaps at edges on the model by CA glue. Here now I did some coloring. Just basic for the hull and deck. With some highlighting and some darkening. After that I added all small parts, except tools and etched parts for the grills. As completed now, I will do some additional coloring before spraying the track chain. I am just at the assembling of the track chain. When it is done, the tank will be completed. Except tools and turret. So far for today. Stay health, and be patient. We all need a lots of patience in future days and months. Happy modelling

Hallo Tony I hate Zemerit. I prefer the steel & welding to see. Just once I wanted to make one Zemerit tank. BTW: Zemerit was done also in the factories. I noticed big differences on photos. Maybe it is the difference in field or factory done Zemerit. Happy modelling

Hallo again Here I build now a Panther A from HB in 1/35. Actually, the kit is nice, good mold. With Zemerit from plastic sheet and etched parts too. So, it will be a build straight from the box. After a Tiger I E and a Tiger II B it is my third of the new German tank designs. Today I did plastic work with Zemerit, since it is first time I have to do with it. So, the next days will bring a lot of new interesting modelling activities. Happy modelling

Hallo Which book do you refer on your Su-152? I have to build a Su-122 from MiniArt with interior. Su-122 This kit looks great. The 152 kits did not meet my disre at all. Maybe you try MiniArt. I like them very much! Happy modelling

Hallo again Now the Tiger II B is finished. As particular niece, I got a new idea for the optics. The mirrors. I used for this purpose an overall coat of Fine Silver SM 201 from Mr. Hobby, after masking the two rectangular vision areas. After that, I used RLM 66, the dark grey. It may be approximately the real color. The interior of the turret is a mixture of C 313 and C 1. Therefore, it is a very good approximation. Well, that is it. It was a good-engineered kit. Really. Highly to recommend. Happy modelling

Hallo again Now after 91 track links each side and some other plastic parts. All etched parts and turret and tools will follow next week. Happy modelling

Hallo It is very interesting to find somebody who has a deeper insight in the tank production with all details. Just to say: Me, I am a mechanical engineer. Well, I never was interested in tanks; but started modelling it, since I wanted a break in a/c modelling. My interest is production, steel and mechanical development. Not the weapon. This is a side aspect. The welding process is the key. To understand: Welding was a young technology. Acetone welding was good established, electric welding on the way. It was a new and young field in research. In all branches of war technology. For tanks: The increase of thickness made welding more difficult. It is no wonder, that the teething of armor plates had two advantages: Reduced use of jigs, reduced production time, and the risk not to melt the core! The increasing thickness was an insurmountable problem in the standard welding process. Welding alone is too less: The embrittlement of the welding area is very destructive. Low temperature or the vibration of a shot. The alloy elements needed for steel production were at low availability. The quality of tracks: I suppose everything was used which was at disposal. Manganese steel is greyish with a brown tint. This is about Mr. Hobby C308 with a black and brown tint. Picture of real manganese steel The reverse production tracks were also used. · The interlocking of armor plate joins: Today used in mass production for commercial products, to reduce jigs and transfer time in and out of jigs and to use low quality employes. Thank you & Happy modelling

Hallo I have to thank you so much for your effort, about the color of tracks of a German Tiger. Today I worked on my Tiger II and got confused with the HB track links, and confused about the color too. In all museums, if you look at aircraft (this is where I am really at home), you find at so many displayed items anything, but not the real thing. So I looked for a book about tracks: The author Peter Schwarzmann wrote the book: Panzerketten : Die Gleisketten der deutschen Kettenfahrzeuge des Zweiten Weltkrieges In English: Tank chains: The track chains of the German track vehicles of the Second World War. I do not know if you have anything like this in English. Summary: The material for Tiger II tracks were ‘Ausweichqualität’ or replacement quality. Scrap material was used! Far away from high quality manganese. It was at the beginning, just the beginning of production. I will read this books next weeks. And I will make a post about the summary of this book too. I think we should stop myths and stories. I am totally new on the subject tank and I believe just facts. In aircraft modelling we have the same. So, I am very curios, what the book may tell me! Happy modelling

They did not produce them in July 1945! I supose the author of the kit box graphic wanted to write 1944!

Hallo again Just basic painting. Minium. It is lead oxide! For the model C 29 hull red. To save time and paint. Happy modelling

Thank you Badder I was not happy with the solution of the air pipes. I put in CA. Probably too less. The same issue as on rigging material. BTW: What color were original tracks of a Tiger. Since it was a high quality steel, so I assume steel darkened into a shade of grey. Screws may have been browned (in German: brüniert). This is a cheapest and fastest way to protect steel from corrosion. What are actually all the tools on the tank for, beside an ax or shovel. The sticks on the side, at the position of ropes? Tanks are so far away. Now, my Tiger II from HB is basically sprayed in Minium. This is a protective paint for steel, the molecule is from lead and oxygen. Thank you! Happy modelling

Hallo again Now I started a Tiger II. The kit is HB. A very good mold, I am astonished about the quality. It is a kit without interior. I build all different types of tanks from Germany, Russia and Great Britain from WW2. Two exceptions are Merkavas from Israel present day. My build is straight from the box. I build the version just painted in Minium; it is a protective paint against rust. Without any marking, ready for deployment. Well, first I work on plastic, without all tools and pulling ropes etc. After turret and tracks, I start spraying the first round. With tools and etched parts the second round. Well, we will see how it works out. Corona makes me more patient, we will have lots of time. Here in Austria we have curfew. It will last I think three full months. Happy modelling

Well I choose to make all tanks in a maintenance of ready to delivery mode from factory. After trials....ready to be deployed!

Hallo again This Tiger I E from Tamiya I built within a few days. Beside the news from Corona. I used Mr. Color 39 and SM 203 special steel. It was a straight uneventful build. Just to get an idea what a Tiger I is actually. This Tiger should show us one of them before action in Tunesia. My next kit is the Tiger II from HB. Before I start a kit with full interior, I build each tank just straight. A little break from my F-15 project. Happy modelling

Position on station: Front fuselage outboard and CFT front. Eventually wing pylon. So maximum load (depending on GBU) 6! All front. The GBU-15 is something special, but it is omitted in your case. Never forget AIM: 2 120s and 2 Pythons! Depending on range: External fuel on wing pylon and leve one GBU at home. You can fly assymetric! The centerline tank is just seldom used. And your 2 pods! Ready?

Which sortie? Precission guidedwith AGM-154 is not that you want? Carpet iron bombing? Mk.82 on every pylon on the CFT and outboard fuselage. Or you want GBUs: GBU-10 or GBU-12 or GBU-15 or GBU-32? For GBU-15 you need AN/AXQ-14 data link pod. I hope there is something for your target!

Yes, they are for the Baz. That is F-15A,B,C,D. All are possible at the F-15I. Note: The Navigation and targeting pods are usually always on! This decreases the flight envelope drastically! If a sortie is save, they are taken home. Otherwise they would have droped. There exists flown sorties full with Mk.82 execpt the 2 pods and 4 AIM. Today usually withe 2 Python 4 or 5 and 2 AIM 120. Python always most outerwing on the wing station, 120 inboard at the wing station. Pythons need more care when loaded! Happy modelling

Hallo Python 4 or 5: Externaly Identically? I do not know! I asume, there are at least some markings different, for the loadmaster! Here are some examples. From the magazine Kne Mida, from IPMS Israel. Maybe it helps!

Whatever you need. You want an iron lorry? Full with Mk.82? More exquisite with AGM-154? Which sortie? Let me know! Never to forget the self-defense Python 4 or 5 and AIM-120. Let me know!

Hallo again My first T-34. The kit is not a correct one. My verdict is acceptable. Fast build. No interior at all. Did any of you modeller a tank with interior? Since I have nearly all of them, AfV and MiniArt, RFM and Takom. Happy modelling

Hallo again The subject is the tank development in WW2 on German and Russian side. The idea is: Due to the topographic issue in Europe to show two total different ways of thinking, development and handling. As a basic literature, I can recommend the book: Der Panzer und die Mechanisierung des Krieges Eine deutsche Geschichte 1890 bis 1945 Von Markus Pöhlmann There is no English translation for this book. In opposition to most other literature about tank warfare, this book was basic for a habilitation at university, therefore it has scientific level. My points I want to remark are: The basic design of German vs. Russian tanks had as a cornerstone: · German: Front gear, front drive and rear engine. · Russian: Rear Gear, rear drive, rear engine · German: Straight hull · Russian: Inclined hull · German: Otto motor · Russian: Diesel engine · German: Torsion spring · Russian: Coil spring This are the basic. The Russian track is simpler and better suited for unpaved roads. The production and maintenance hours for a German tank are much higher as for a Russian tank. The sophisticated gear units of German tanks, especially V and VI are prone to damage. Resources necessary to keep a tank unit serviceable differ very much from German to Russian. Assembly lines were forbidden in Germany by the leading Wehrmacht office. To increase the factory output in Germany, Minister Speer did so much. His effort is widely unknown even today. Equivalent to this episode, you can see many other examples in history or present day, which seem queer. (Present day F-35 vs. Su-57) Happy modelling

Hallo again Here my BT-5. A fast build. My first Sovjet tank. T-34 will follow in some versions. Happy modell ing

Hallo You are doing great! Really, I am very impressed. I use the SM colors the first time on the F-15A Baz from the IAF. It is much easier to work as Alclad. You show me a good way, after modelling for decades, I am now on to make 4 F-15I. With all the coloring in the hot area and the weapons in a correct manner. Are you aviation linked? Where do you live in China? Happy modelling