Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.N - Tank No.04 Tunisia 1942 - Tamiya 1/48

[PlaStix]

I am struggling for time for kit making at the moment, but I can't not take part in an MTO GB! So, unlike my previous projects in previous MTO GBs, this is going to have to be a one-off 1/48 Panzer III build.

From Wikipedia - The 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion was part of the Afrika Korps in North Africa. Following the Allied landing in French North Africa the Battalion, with its 16 Panzer IIIs, arrived in Tunisia between November 1942 and January 1943.

Initially only three Tiger Is of the 501st landed at Tunis on 23 November 1942. These first elements of the battalion, along with four Panzer IIIs, were organized with other units into Kampfgruppe Lueder. They were involved in fighting just over a week later during the Axis counterattack on 1 December, destroying nine US and two British tanks on the first day while relieving German forces.

This is the box art for the kit I’m going to use:

 

The version I'm going to make:

 

 

If I have time I might make a base and if I have some figures I will include them as well.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[Ozzy]

Looks a nice kit Stix, looking forward to your build I hope you've still got a Panzer III for February?

[TEMPESTMK5]

Good afternoon Stix

Welcome aboard and have fun with your build

Best regards

Patrice

[Valkyrie]

Do you use any special paints for this project, 

[rob85]

Nice bit of tank action, nice choice stix

[CliffB]

I'm looking forward to seeing this in 1/48 scale 

[GREG DESTEC]

I like the look of the victim version 👀

 

However I am sure the Africa Korps subject you have chosen will look equally fab when finished. 

 

Cheers Greg 👍

[PlaStix]

On 31/08/2020 at 20:45, Ozzy said:

Looks a nice kit Stix, looking forward to your build I hope you've still got a Panzer III for February?

Hi Ozzy. These do tend to be nice kits. I'm looking forward to making it - as long as I get time! And yes I have plenty of Pz.IIIs left.....it's one of my favourite AFVs!

 

On 01/09/2020 at 11:53, TEMPESTMK5 said:

Good afternoon Stix

Welcome aboard and have fun with your build

Best regards

Patrice

Hi Patrice and thank you for the welcome.

 

On 01/09/2020 at 15:59, Valkyrie said:

Do you use any special paints for this project, 

No - just going to be brush painting the usual mainly Humbrol and Revell acrylics.

 

On 03/09/2020 at 22:29, rob85 said:

Nice bit of tank action, nice choice stix

Thank you Rob.

 

On 04/09/2020 at 06:44, CliffB said:

I'm looking forward to seeing this in 1/48 scale 

Hi Cliff. These 1/48 kits are usually really good to make.

 

On 04/09/2020 at 12:08, GREG DESTEC said:

I like the look of the victim version 👀

 

However I am sure the Africa Korps subject you have chosen will look equally fab when finished. 

 

Cheers Greg 👍

Lol! Yeah! 

Thank you Greg.

 

Looking forward to making a start on Saturday as long as I get time. 

 

Kind regards, 

 

Stix

[Valkyrie]

I watched your great painting tutorial, love it 

[wimbledon99]

Hi Stix,

 

Booking myself a front row seat

[modelling minion]

I have the Ausf L version of this kit lined up for the Panzer III STGB so I am really interested to see how you get on with this one mate, I mean we all know that it will be a stunner already but we really like watching you work your magic.

[PlaStix]

On 09/09/2020 at 20:58, Valkyrie said:

I watched your great painting tutorial, love it 

Go on.........you can admit how many times you fell asleep!

Hope it was useful.

 

On 09/09/2020 at 21:35, wimbledon99 said:

Hi Stix,

Booking myself a front row seat

Hi Nigel. Thank you and I will try not to splatter you with too much paint!

 

On 10/09/2020 at 21:20, modelling minion said:

I have the Ausf L version of this kit lined up for the Panzer III STGB so I am really interested to see how you get on with this one mate, I mean we all know that it will be a stunner already but we really like watching you work your magic.

Hi Craig and thank you. The L version is a lovely kit to build - I think you will enjoy it. I made one a few years back in one of the MTO GBs. It goes together very well and looks the part when completed.

 

So....this is what's in the box for this project:

 

A few closer views:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small decal sheet:

 

Sample of the instructions:

 

 

And I have made a bit of a start. These are the parts I'm using first and the plastic bits and bobs have all been cleaned up - seam lines removed, etc.:

 

Some assembly done:

 

 

Then I started some painting!! Thinned, with water, Humbrol 93 - Desert Yellow - applied with a medium flat brush. This is after a couple of coats:

 

 

 

 

 

It might be a while before another update as I need to do some more work on another project in the BoB GB.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[modelling minion]

Off to a good start mate, the Humbrol paint seems to have gone on nicely and will make a great base coat for your usual high standard of weathering.

[Ozzy]

Take your time Stix, nice start do you use super glue to stick the plastic on the metal hull?

[SoftScience]

always a joy to watch you work.

[PlaStix]

On 16/09/2020 at 15:54, modelling minion said:

Off to a good start mate, the Humbrol paint seems to have gone on nicely and will make a great base coat for your usual high standard of weathering.

 

On 16/09/2020 at 16:48, Ozzy said:

Take your time Stix, nice start do you use super glue to stick the plastic on the metal hull?

 

On 17/09/2020 at 14:08, SoftScience said:

always a joy to watch you work.

Hi all. Sorry for the slow reply to your kind comments. As I have mentioned before - it's a strange time at the moment and it means I have not had as much time for building kits or commenting on Britmodeller. So I apologise for not taking part in this Group Build as much as I would normally have hoped to have done. I can't really complain as my job is still continuing at the moment - I'm just hoping that, with the announcement about Thurday's lockdown conditions, the work we have done over the summer doesn't change much. I'm in one of the sectors that will remain open over the next month.....so we will see.

 

So - enough of the excuses - I have done a little bit of work on this project. First thing I did was get some paint and basic weathering applied to the wheels, idlers, drive spockets and tracks. The wheels were given several light coats of Humbrol Acrylic no. 93, Desert Yellow. Once dry, as I usually do, I gave them an overall, very thinned wash of Revell's Aqua Gunship Grey. Once this was dry I did a targeted wash of very thinned Revell's Anthracite in and around the detail - which I applied using a small fine brush. When dry, I drybrushed a lightened version of Humbrol 93 over all the surfaces - to pick out the highlights. Next I used Humbrol's Gunmetal - applied very thinned - with a very fine pointed brush - to represent chips and worn areas. To tone these down a little I used very thinned Revell's Antracite applied with a fine pointed brush again. Finally I added some touches of very thinned Railmatch Light Rust into some of the detail. The very final jobs on these were to apply thinned Revell's Antracite over the tyre areas and then, once dry, apply several very, very thinned washes of Humbrol Dersert Yellow. The tracks were given a base covering of thinned Revell's Anthracite before being drybrushed with Humbrol Gunmetal. Once dry, these were given very light washes of Humbrol Dessert Yellow and Railmatch Light Rust. The results, plus some painting/weathering on some other parts, can be seen here:

 

 

 

I did a similar process - as on the wheels above - on the lower hull, but I also added some Vallejo Light Mud to the lower areas:

 

 

 

Next I glued all the wheels in place using CA glue. The idlers and sprockets were just test fitted at this point:

 

 

The final bit I did on these over the weekend was to fit and glue the link & length tracks:

 

 

 

 

I also started work on cutting off and cleaning up some of the parts for the upper hull and turret - but nothing done worth a photo yet.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 

 

 

[modelling minion]

Well once again another painting and weathering masterclass.

The end result there really is fantastic, and looks very realistic to me. 

As always the blow by blow account of how you are achieving this is very useful to those of us who aspire to achieve such great results.

[SoftScience]

Glad you're back to this one. I was having trouble coming up with effective desert weathering for one of my projects. I'm going to try to replicate what you did here. 

[Hewy]

Had to do some investigative work to find my way here ,it was worth it!👍

[Foxbat]

I've followed a few of your builds and tried following your technique as I love the results but it's going to take a LOT of practice as mine never comes within a country mile of yours.

 

Suppose I'll just have to keep building and trying, life is hard like that sometimes 🤣

 

Andy

[PlaStix]

On 02/11/2020 at 14:17, modelling minion said:

Well once again another painting and weathering masterclass.

The end result there really is fantastic, and looks very realistic to me. 

As always the blow by blow account of how you are achieving this is very useful to those of us who aspire to achieve such great results.

Hi Craig. Thank you but, as always, you are way too kind.

 

On 02/11/2020 at 14:53, SoftScience said:

Glad you're back to this one. I was having trouble coming up with effective desert weathering for one of my projects. I'm going to try to replicate what you did here. 

Hi SoftScience and thank you very much for your comments. I'm glad to be back on this one too! Desert weathering can be a bit tricky can't it? I suppose it's mostly dust - but it's how it builds up that's difficult to capture in model form - well it is for me. I suppose it depends on how long the tank has been in action, what the weather conditions are like and what the terrain and surroundings are like - mud or sand. While researching for this project I've seen AFVs based in Tunisia that look virtually clean through to those that look like they've just been through a dune!!

 

On 07/11/2020 at 20:06, Hewy said:

Had to do some investigative work to find my way here ,it was worth it!👍

Hi Glynn. Nice to see you here and thank you. I know what you mean. I'm losing track of a lot of modellers I usually try and keep up with - like your talented goodself. With finding my time restricted a bit at the moment, I don't get on BM as much as I used to, so I keep missing out on people's builds. Hopefully I will have time to keep up at some point soon.

 

On 07/11/2020 at 21:52, Foxbat said:

I've followed a few of your builds and tried following your technique as I love the results but it's going to take a LOT of practice as mine never comes within a country mile of yours.

Suppose I'll just have to keep building and trying, life is hard like that sometimes 🤣

Andy

Hi Andy and thank you very much for your comments. My building and painting wasn't like this originally. The techniques I use these days are vastly different from when I started getting back into the hobby. You are quite correct - it took me a long time practicing all the techniques I wanted to achieve. I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and reading sites like Britmodeller - looking for techniques I thought I could use. I think I eventually ended up combining several different techniques in my own way - stuff I found I could keep repeating with reasonable final results. So yes - keep building and trying! - You are already getting great results with what you do!

 

I got more done over the weekend. As I mentioned in my last post - I had begun cutting off and cleaning up the remaining parts that still need to be added - the upper hull, turret, and all the hatches, tools, etc. I did some assembly of the parts I felt could go together that wouldn't compromise any of the painting I wanted to do and this is what the parts looked like at this point:

You'll notince that I still leave the majority of the parts with some sprue left in place - so I have something to hold while painting them. I try and work out where the sprue gates will be least noticeable when cut off and cleaned up.

 

Next I painted several thin coats (thinned with water) of Humbrol's Desert Yellow acrylic, no.93, which I applied with a medium flat brush. The photos here show the parts after they had also been given a wash of very thinned Revell's Aqua Gunship Grey.  Unfortunately the light quality wasn't great when I was trying to take these yesterday morning.

 

 

Once the Gunship Grey wash was fully dry I used a very fine pointed paint brush to apply very, very thinned Revell's Aqua Anthracite in and around all the detail:

 

 

With the Anthracite dry I could start the dry-brushing - which I do with a lightened (with matt white acrylic paint) version of Humbrol 93. The dry-brushing was done with an older medium flat brush.

 

 

.....a couple of closer views:

 

 

You may notice there were some grills over the vents in the earlier photos. The mesh I used seemed quite thin and smooth when I first fitted it. It was mesh from another Tamiya kit. As the paint layers went on, however, it seemed to look coarser and more rope like - so i decided to remove it. I have got some other mesh I can try.

 

Next I think I will apply the decals before starting work on the weathering. I will also do some work on the more metallic finished parts.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[wimbledon99]

Hi Stix,

 

Nice to see you back and busy at the bench!! I'm off to get my notebook and some fresh popcorn

 

 

[modelling minion]

I see your usual technique is paying dividends again Stix.

The washes and dry brushing are really bringing out all the details of the kit and helping to give her a used look.

[PlaStix]

On 09/11/2020 at 17:38, wimbledon99 said:

Hi Stix,

Nice to see you back and busy at the bench!! I'm off to get my notebook and some fresh popcorn

 

On 11/11/2020 at 12:39, modelling minion said:

I see your usual technique is paying dividends again Stix.

The washes and dry brushing are really bringing out all the details of the kit and helping to give her a used look.

Hi Nigel and Craig. Hope you are both keeping well and thank you very much for your comments.

 

Some more progress has been made. I did get the decals on next and used thinned Humbrol acrylic matt varnish to seal them on, before starting on the basic weathering. As I always do, I cut the clear carrier film away on the decals - back to the printed design. This seems to help avoid any silvering of the clear fim between the decals and around them.

 

My weathering is pretty much what I always do - 

1. I apply thinned Humbrol Acrylic Gunmetal, with a fine pointed brush, very randomly to edges and what I feel would be high wear areas.

2. Once the Gunmetal is thoroughly dry I use very, very watered down Revell's Anthracite, applied with the fine pointed brush again, over all the Gunmetal areas to soften the edges and tone the shine down a little. I also use this beyond these areas a little to give the impression of scuffs, etc.

3. Then I use very, very thinned versions of Anthracite, Gunship Grey, Light Grey and lightened Desert Sand to create the variety steaking effects. These usually take a bit of time to build up each streak using a fine pointed brush again.

4. After this I use very thinned Railmatch's Light Rust, in and around some of the smaller details, as well as to create some final weathering effects. I don't use it to try and make it look as if it's rusty but, to my eye, it creates a kind of worn, dirt impression.

5. I finally add some very, very thinned lightened Desert Yellow applied with a small stippling brush to create some dust effects in some areas.

 

You will probably notice that I do a lot of the above while the parts are not assembled yet - I find it easier than when everything else is in the way!

 

All the parts with the above five steps mostly done:

 

Some closer views:

 

 

 

 

Once I was fairly happy with where I had got to with the basic weathering I got the upper hull deck fitted to the lower hull - with the metal hulls Tamiya use in these 1/48 kits the attachment is done with two screws:

 

 

Then the parts on the rear hull were attached:

 

....and most of the turret parts assembled:

 

Over a the following couple of hours I got all the remaining parts attached in place and this is how it looked:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I'm going to put some stowage together for it. I'm still planning on doing this as part of a small vignette. I have a few figures I can use and will need to do a base for it as well.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[wimbledon99]

Beautifully done, Stix!! I like the 'tweaks' to the mud guards. Very subtle but SO effective