Sancho Panzer Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Hi All, here are are some shots of the Hetzer that I finished recently. I placed it onto a cobbled street scene base with a couple of piles of rubble and a lamp post to add some height. The commander figure is painted in WSS Camo colours as worn from 1944 onwards. I made the wooden base from hardwood and chamfered the edges with a router to mirror the angular nature of the Hetzer. Feedback and comments are welcome. thanks for looking, Andrew 28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Tierney Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Very nice. Shows well what a tiny little machine it really was. Commander looks like he's thinking "how do I get out of this chicken sh!t outfit" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Excellent finish. Nice wok on the figure too. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Thanks for posting this fantastic build. Made me look for the kit and found it for 16$ shipped from Taiwan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 Hi All, thanks for your kind comments! @Lawrence Tierney yes the Hetzer is tiny, and is a real contrast to some of the other German machines being produced at the same stage of the war. A great little tank destroyer, although apparently not very popular with the crews due to it being very cramped inside. @Bullbasket thanks - I’m pleased with the way both the tank and the figure turned out. @Soeren thank you! It was a great kit to build - no issues at all. I hope you enjoy your Hetzer too, and that’s a very good price! Cheers, Andrew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 That really is very impressive!! Fantastic paintwork, finish and display. Very well done! Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 Hi @PlaStix, thank you so much for your very kind comments, it is really appreciated😁 cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev The Modeller Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Lovely build mate 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Great build, really nice base as well. It is indeed very small, how many crew does it take? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 18, 2019 Author Share Posted March 18, 2019 Hi @JeroenS, Thanks for your kind comments - there were 3 crew members, which given the small size and sloping armour must have made it a pretty unpleasant place to be, Cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairtrigger Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Excellent build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Wasn 1 hour ago, Sancho Panzer said: Hi @JeroenS, Thanks for your kind comments - there were 3 crew members, which given the small size and sloping armour must have made it a pretty unpleasant place to be, Cheers, Andrew Wasn't that four? Driver and loader plus gunner and commander? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 18, 2019 Author Share Posted March 18, 2019 14 minutes ago, Soeren said: Wasn't that four? Driver and loader plus gunner and commander? Erm yes, a typo on my part.........there were four crew inside one of these; it must have been very claustrophobic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 It must have been. Did you see the video on youtube of the Chieftain? It looks well contained in there. But sitting in a small car isnt much different maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Hm... if the lack of space isn't claustrophobic, the apparent lack of access hatches will most likely do it for you. I wouldn't want to be the poor driver of this thing... Luckily I'm 6' 4" so I think they'll use up all the small guys first 🙂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Great work on Hetzer, figure & base. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndM Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Excellent build and well presented. You have nailed the ambush camo scheme. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 Hi @BerndM, thanks - the camo scheme was quite a challenge and I made a few mistakes along the way. Overall I’m very happy with the way it turned out though, cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Hmm. What would you say is/was wrong? What was your way to do the dots inside the patches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Soeren said: Hmm. What would you say is/was wrong? What was your way to do the dots inside the patches? Hi @Soeren, I initially sprayed the whole vehicle body with 'dunkelgelb' after the B&W shading and then applied the Academy kit masks directly onto the dunkelgelb without applying a layer of varnish or inter-coat clear. When I removed the remaining masks after spraying the brown and green it should have revealed the dunkelgelb patches although some of the masks removed the paint layers underneath all the way down to the bare plastic. I had to then cut new masks to repaint the dunkelgelb patches where this had happened. I now realise why leaving 24 hours for paint to dry, and using a coat of satin varnish - also with 24h drying time - before masking is recommended........ As for the dots inside the patches, this is quite complicated. I initially tried hand-painting dots on a couple of the patches after unmasking, although it was slow and just didn't look right. I also have an Alliance Modelworks PE disc-camo stencil, although this design is the slightly different Panther'disc camo pattern and the PE only really works on perfectly flat surfaces - I had already applied the tools, handles etc to the Hetzer which made this difficult. As I have a Cricut 'Explore Air' stencil cutting machine that I use for custom airbrush stencils (for example the skull in my profile pic) , I decided to create a stencil that comprised a repeating pattern of the 'gaps' between discs of varying sizes. After a lot of Googling I found a good image of the 'Disc' camo pattern online and re-scaled it in an image editor application on a PC before converting it onto the right file format for the Cricut. I then used the Cricut to cut this stencil in an A4 sheet of 'Artool Ultra' flexible, self-adhesive airbrush mask . I then cut out exact shapes for each surface of the tank from this A4 sheet which was made easier by using the camo plans provided with the kit and masked off the entire vehicle using these. I then sprayed dunkelgelb over the green and brown patches, and green over the dunkelgelb patches. I already had the Cricut Explore so this was a viable option although I would have persevered with the hand-painting option if I didn't have the Cricut as they are expensive. I should add that Archer Transfers produce a 1/35 disc camo transfer set which is just the 'dots' that can be applied over the base colour patches - I bought a set from a seller in the US through eBay, although this didn't arrive until after I had already worked out my own solution with the Cricut. I'll use these on a future project. Sorry for the long reply, although I hope that helps? Cheers, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlj72 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 On 3/16/2019 at 9:03 AM, Lawrence Tierney said: Very nice. Shows well what a tiny little machine it really was. Commander looks like he's thinking "how do I get out of this chicken sh!t outfit" Is that you Hudson lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Tierney Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 5 minutes ago, Karlj72 said: Is that you Hudson lol You'd better secure that sh!t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soeren Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Sancho Panzer said: Hi @Soeren, I initially sprayed the whole vehicle body with 'dunkelgelb' after the B&W shading and then applied the Academy kit masks directly onto the dunkelgelb without applying a layer of varnish or inter-coat clear. When I removed the remaining masks after spraying the brown and green it should have revealed the dunkelgelb patches although some of the masks removed the paint layers underneath all the way down to the bare plastic. I had to then cut new masks to repaint the dunkelgelb patches where this had happened. I now realise why leaving 24 hours for paint to dry, and using a coat of satin varnish - also with 24h drying time - before masking is recommended........ As for the dots inside the patches, this is quite complicated. I initially tried hand-painting dots on a couple of the patches after unmasking, although it was slow and just didn't look right. I also have an Alliance Modelworks PE disc-camo stencil, although this design is the slightly different Panther'disc camo pattern and the PE only really works on perfectly flat surfaces - I had already applied the tools, handles etc to the Hetzer which made this difficult. As I have a Cricut 'Explore Air' stencil cutting machine that I use for custom airbrush stencils (for example the skull in my profile pic) , I decided to create a stencil that comprised a repeating pattern of the 'gaps' between discs of varying sizes. After a lot of Googling I found a good image of the 'Disc' camo pattern online and re-scaled it in an image editor application on a PC before converting it onto the right file format for the Cricut. I then used the Cricut to cut this stencil in an A4 sheet of 'Artool Ultra' flexible, self-adhesive airbrush mask . I then cut out exact shapes for each surface of the tank from this A4 sheet which was made easier by using the camo plans provided with the kit and masked off the entire vehicle using these. I then sprayed dunkelgelb over the green and brown patches, and green over the dunkelgelb patches. I already had the Cricut Explore so this was a viable option although I would have persevered with the hand-painting option if I didn't have the Cricut as they are expensive. I should add that Archer Transfers produce a 1/35 disc camo transfer set which is just the 'dots' that can be applied over the base colour patches - I bought a set from a seller in the US through eBay, although this didn't arrive until after I had already worked out my own solution with the Cricut. I'll use these on a future project. Sorry for the long reply, although I hope that helps? Cheers, Andrew Thanks for this complete explanation. That is the reason why your approach looks so realistic, I guess your would have a hard time toing this free hand witha brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badder Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 A brilliant Hetzer, with lovely, very slightly faded disc camo - I know how hard that dotty stuff is! I must say that the figure is beautifully sculpted/moulded by the designer/manufacturer and wonderfully painted by you. And I think the lamppost deserves a mention too. May I be cheeky and suggest maybe a few propaganda posters/leaflets blowing across the road, or stuck to the lamppost? Rearguards, Badder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panzer Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 4 hours ago, Soeren said: Thanks for this complete explanation. That is the reason why your approach looks so realistic, I guess your would have a hard time toing this free hand witha brush. Hi @Soeren Are you planning on the Ambush’ Camo scheme for your Hetzer? If so, if you are able to PM me your postal address I can make another stencil and ship it to you. cheers, Andrew 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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