One dirty Opel Blitz cargo truck

[JeroenS 3,344]

Hello everybody, 

 

I had a good rhythm going the last couple of weeks while finishing the Fiat. I wanted to keep it going and do a quick build of a small truck, the main goal being to try out various approaches to weathering. I'd never done a fully weathered model before and I thought it would be both good fun and good practice for my Mercedes truck build. 

 

I had my eye on this Tamiya 1/35 scale kit of a German cargo truck. 

 

 

However, I wanted to do a civilian version because that would give me more freedom in terms of colour etc. They were very much in use in civilian life so no problem there. I simply left out all the military extra's like the shovel, the search light and so on. There's really not much to say about the kit other than that it builds really really well. I had it built into the major components in a single day. 

 

If you wish to see the (very short) build thread, it is here:

 

So, it was one day of building, one day of painting and two evenings of finishing up. I am a little surprised myself, normally it take me a lot longer to finish a model. But, one of my goals was to be quick about it so that one's in the bag. 

 

Other than that, I wasn't looking for a perfect model but I just wanted to try: chipping with salt, chipping with hairspray, make a muddy chassis, spray my Vallejo washes through the airbrush (I had only brushed them before) and use some Tamiya weathering powders. Phew... all that in one build. I was a little afraid that the final result would look a bit "random" but I think I managed to get a reasonably consistent look. I enjoyed myself very much and I gained a lot of experience by applying all these various methods. I can recommend something like this for everyone who would like to get their feet wet regarding weathering. Here are some pictures of the finished truck!

 

I forgot to take a picture of the underside, so this photo was late to the party and as such is of less quality so I'll just start with it. 

 

 

 

The rest of the photo's are right side up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking and please feel free to comment!

 

Edited April 25, 2019 by JeroenS
Changed picture of underside

[nheather 735]

Very nice - question though - would a civilian version retain the wehrmacht number plates?

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Cooper645 659]

Congratulations. This really was a quick build. An excellent high standard achieved. Go grab yourself a  

 

coops

[keefr22 11,197]

Cracking job Jeroen, poor thing looks like it's had a pretty hard life!

 

Keith

[Mohawk 153]

2 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Cracking job Jeroen, poor thing looks like it's had a pretty hard life!

 

Keith

Ditto

mohawk

[JeroenS 3,344]

8 hours ago, nheather said:

Very nice - question though - would a civilian version retain the wehrmacht number plates?

Most likely not!  However Tamiya didn't supply civvie plates and I didn't have spare 1/35 plates either so it was this or no plates. 

[Spiny 1,152]

Very nicely done, particularly given that this is a test bed for a whole host of new techniques for you. Looks as though you're well set for the Mercedes.

 

If I could suggest one more thing to try (assuming you apply the same weathering to the Mercedes windows), but some wiper trails would fit in with a working truck. I don't think that's an issue with this model though as it could easily pass for the lorry parked at the back of the yard which is only used when another one breaks down.

[JeroenS 3,344]

8 hours ago, Spiny said:

If I could suggest one more thing to try (assuming you apply the same weathering to the Mercedes windows), but some wiper trails would fit in with a working truck. I don't think that's an issue with this model though as it could easily pass for the lorry parked at the back of the yard which is only used when another one breaks down.

Thanks Spiny! Yes I thought about the wiper trails but I was afraid to push the front window into the cab when applying the masking so I chickened out and decided against it  I will definitely do them on the Benz though.

[goggsy 1,094]

Cool, what a great finish. It’s remarkable how satisfying chipping and hairspray can be.

[JeroenS 3,344]

8 hours ago, goggsy said:

Cool, what a great finish. It’s remarkable how satisfying chipping and hairspray can be.

It is indeed! My efforts on the chassis however were good for practicing but are now completely invisible after all the mud and dust that I applied  

[busnproplinerfan 1,380]

Looks like it could be a barn find, would make a neat load on a newer truck. Just a thought. Good weathering, I need to practice that.

[JeroenS 3,344]

1 hour ago, busnproplinerfan said:

Looks like it could be a barn find, would make a neat load on a newer truck. Just a thought.

Thanks, not a bad thought at all... 

[Old John 161]

Just spotted the finished version That's a great build Love it

 

[activexp 909]

Very effective weathering, lovely job

[Andy J 863]

Wow that is superb work. The weathering is very realistic and looks great. It's very easy to go to far when weathering a kit but you nailed it with this one. Totally different to how I finish my car builds but just as effective. Really like this more please

[Northern Dan 43]

That looks fantastic. The finished paint looks incredible. Must be hard to get at the spare tyre though

[CrazyCrank 1,888]

superb weathering, Jeroens 

[crumper 121]

Very dirty, looks very good