VK 45.02 (P) Vorne

[Andy Moore]

VK 45.02 Vorne

HobbyBoss 1/35

I wasn't originally going to do a wip for this build as I didn't have any clear idea as to how I was going to build it. I've had it sitting in the stash for a while now and decided I should get it done but I didn't really want to do the Panzer grey scheme from the box.

As this is effectively a paper panzer, any operational scheme would be a what-if so most late war schemes would be usable, but I wanted to do something a bit different. I'd got it in mind to do miss-matched hull and turret colours to show something cobbled together at the end of the war but after flicking through a few old magazines, I saw a couple of builds done in a rusty raw steel finish and thought this would suit the angular hull and show off all the armour plate joints and weld beads.

I'm still intending to do the turret in a different scheme, probably Dunkelgelb, maybe with a faded green ambush camo, and I'll be painting a few panels and other fittings in red primer but, for now, I've been concentrating on the lower hull.

After the hull was built up, I filled the holes for the tool clamps although I will be fitting the brackets for the tow cable (this is meant to represent a part finished hull that's been left to rust in the corner of a workshop). I added a bit of texture to the hull plates with Mr Surfacer along with a few missing weld beads and the cables for the lights. I also had to raise the turret ring with a strip of plasticard as otherwise the turret sat too low and wouldn't fully rotate.

The whole thing was then given a patchy coat of black mixed with a little X-22 clear to act as a combined primer, basecoat and pre-shade

This was followed by a raw steel mix made up from Tamiya XF-16 aluminium, XF-19 sky grey, XF-69 NATO black and XF-82 ocean grey. After the shot was taken, I misted over thinned XF-54 dark sea grey to tone down the metallic look a bit.

To start the weathering, I sponged on some Vallejo 907 pale grey blue to represent mill scale on the surface, followed by a heavy sponging of Lifecolor 701 dark rust shadow from their rust & dust set. I also thinned the dark rust to a wash and used it as a filter over some of the panels

I then added lighter rust tones with the other colours from the Lifecolor set. These were mainly added as washes on a damp surface and allowed to run and pool

More washes were added including some Vallejo colours.

I'll continue to build up the tones with thin colour washes and I'll start to add in some dirt and dust. The tow cable brackets will be added later and painted in red primer as will the driver's vision slit. The front MG mount will, I think, be Dunkelgelb, which will look like a retro-fitted piece and help tie the hull and turret together.

Andy

[dawkuk]

Seems like another superb topic to follow... Getting me popcorn

[foxy]

That's affine bit o rust you have there Andy.

Love it already. Make that two.

foxy

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Amazing build up of colour and texture.....Watching with much interest.

[Crayons]

I generally don't put my two cents worth in, but I am fed up with weathered armour models looking like they have served 100 years in combat.

Not that I was around in WWII, but varying stats show armour life span was from 1 to 9 months before it was either repaired or destroyed. Generally destroyed (Ronson being the nickname for the Sherman). In simplified terms, very little rust, but a fair bit of damage to the paint work, fenders and non armoured fairings and storage systems, given the nature of the terrain traversed.

Having said that, after a few decades in armour and some altercations thrown in for good measure, I have never seen a tank that looks like that. Not true, I recall a few burnt out wrecks. I can't fault your abilities as I think they are A1, I fault your representation. That is not a tank that has sat in a workshop rusting away, given the BHN of armour, that tank would have had to sit in the open in average weather for several decades before that level of rust would occur, even given a rubbish paint job. And for a paper panzer, that is just not going to happen.

I think, you would be better off presenting it in a factory finish as in a "this is how it would have looked had it been made."

Edited May 29, 2015 by Crayons

[The_Lancaster]

We

I generally don't put my two cents worth in, but I am fed up with weathered armour models looking like they have served 100 years in combat.

Not that I was around in WWII, but varying stats show armour life span was from 1 to 9 months before it was either repaired or destroyed. Generally destroyed (Ronson being the nickname for the Sherman). In simplified terms, very little rust, but a fair bit of damage to the paint work, fenders and non armoured fairings and storage systems, given the nature of the terrain traversed.

Having said that, after a few decades in armour and some altercations thrown in for good measure, I have never seen a tank that looks like that. Not true, I recall a few burnt out wrecks. I can't fault your abilities as I think they are A1, I fault your representation. That is not a tank that has sat in a workshop rusting away, given the BHN of armour, that tank would have had to sit in the open in average weather for several decades before that level of rust would occur, even given a rubbish paint job. And for a paper panzer, that is just not going to happen.

I think, you would be better off presenting it in a factory finish as in a "this is how it would have looked had it been made."

Well I think seeing that it was never made you can allow a bit of artistic license. Additionally, if the vehicle had been made, it would of been made from scrap material unprotected and left outside until needed as i think that late in the war the Germans didn't really care about preserving their metal. So that metal could of been about since say 1940 for all we know so 5 years in the elements does have a bit of effect on metal.

[Killingholme]

I'd say that's bang-on for unpainted steel left outside for a month or two. Love the contrast with the weld beads- excellent!

Will

[Andy Moore]

Thanks for the comments guys

Crayons, as far as I'm aware, I've never built a model that looks like it's served 100 years in combat. The finish on this is surface rust that could develop in a short space of time in a damp atmosphere. It's surface staining, nothing else; no heavy corrosion or flaking and by no means excessive.

If you don't like the way I've chosen to build this kit, that's fine. If you'd rather build kits in a factory fresh condition, that's fine. Try and see other's work in the same frame of mind. This is a creative hobby and not everyone is always going to do things the way you think they should be done.

Moving on

I've added a few chalk marks to the hull with white pencil and painted the vision slit, grills and filler caps in red primer (Vallejo cavalry brown). I'll paint the MG mount tomorrow and start adding some general grime and dust

Andy

[The_Lancaster]

Tell you what, that is brilliant! I am going to be watching this with great interest, I love all the chalk marks!

[Stashaholic Steve]

Superb rusty metal effects. Among the best I've seen.

- Steve

[HL-10]

You're doing a great job on this!

The surface rust effects are very convincing, just like I used to see on the stuff in the yard at the Queen's Engineering works in Bedford, very realistic

[Sgt.Squarehead]

With a few parts in gelb and various primers, this looks spot on to me.....Watching with much interest as I said, I'd like to emulate some of your techniques on future projects.

I'd be fascinated to see how you would approached scorched metal surfaces, both painted and unpainted?

[mick]

excellent work

[Andy Moore]

Thanks for the comments guys

I'd be fascinated to see how you would approached scorched metal surfaces, both painted and unpainted?

It's something I've never done but I'd like to try. This whole build is really just an experiment in recreating a raw metal finish which is something I'd also not attempted before. I picked the kit up cheap so I was less concerned about screwing it up.

When I find a kit that's suitable, and if I'm feeling brave enough, I'll have a go at a burnt out finish (actually, it had occurred to me to do a Bandai AT-ST as a burnt out wreck half buried in sand. These's a bit more freedom with SF subjects so I may give that a go)

Not got as much done over the weekend (so far) as I'd like but I've managed to get a base coat on the turret. I gave it a very light prime and a bit of a pre-shade with Tamiya NATO Brown then followed that with a base coat of Tam Dark Yellow with a little white added for the turret sides, then added more white plus a little buff for the top

It's since had a light overspray of strait dark yellow which has blended the finish a bit more and removed some of the red tint from the pre-shade (I really should have used a less saturated colour for the shade but it was on the bench in front of me and I'm lazy)

I've also added the tow cable brackets to the hull. I was going to use the kit parts but they were a bit on the chunky side. I tried shaving them down but it was hard to get a consistent finish and they still looked to thick so, in the end, I used some off-cuts from the frame of a sheet of PE

I'll try and add a hint of a weld bead with some Gator Grip painted round the edge of the bracket, then give them a coat of red primer.

Hopefully I'll get a little more work done on it tonight

Andy

[beefy66]

Andy superb paint effect you have achieved there has the look of an abandoned not quite finished and ready to use peace of Armour obviously not to every one's taste

some of the extreme weathering techniques used these days do go a little OTT but this looks spot on mate

Beefy

[BeeKay]

Andy, I have to agree with Beefy. Your paint techniques are some of the best I've seen, especially your rust effects and use of an airbrush. Just keep 'em coming and we'll keep ogling!

Brian

[taggart]

Now that i like very much , it's almost as if it's made of steel not plastic !

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I reckon the hangars could be left in a bare metal finish.....Looks more like the sort of thing that might be knocked up at the bench rather than pulled from a parts bin.

[Andy Moore]

Thanks guys

I reckon the hangars could be left in a bare metal finish.....Looks more like the sort of thing that might be knocked up at the bench rather than pulled from a parts bin.

Yeah, they would have been fine in bare metal. I've gone with the primer, mainly, so they stand out a bit better. I've painted the primer over the edge of the bracket and onto the surrounding hull as if the workers had daubed it on after attaching the brackets.

Most of the details are painted now. The MG mount's been added and I've done that and the headlights in Dunkelgelb. I did consider red primer for them but I wanted some parts on the hull to tie in with the turret. I'm probably not going to fit the MG into the mount as any useful parts would probably have been removed for use elsewhere

I'm going to have the turret facing rearwards so I've added a timber beam made from balsa for the barrel to rest on. The tarp is made from greenstuff. I want this thing to look as if it's been pushed into a corner and forgotten about so I'll be adding more tarps, timber, sheet steel, general junk to the deck and turret

I'm starting to think now that it's really going to need a base so I may have to work something out for that before I get on with the wheels and tracks

Andy

[HL-10]

Oh I say!

That is a thing of beauty

Looks the business indeed

[foxy]

Have to agree HL-10.

Its becoming what it should look like in a corner.

Nice work Andy.

foxy

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Yup.....Your posing of the turret is already selling the story to me and I'm really looking forward to the next installment, I think you have something a bit special in the making here!

[Ingo Degenhardt]

It definitely needs a base!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Something like this perhaps:

Tucked away in the corner, behind all the proper tanks like Panther Gs?

[The_Lancaster]

Stunning! Making me stare at my 45.02 ( B ) that I have stashed away!

Edited June 1, 2015 by The_Lancaster