Looks great Bill. I really like the tool added to the side of the hull.

I wasn't going to watch 24 this year. But the wife did and i got involved so i too was pulled away from the bench. It happens

Dean, I have to admit you've got me puzzled on what you consider is the error? The Pz IV family has the idler positioned that far back as a matter of course under the mud flap...the idlers are positionable for track tensioning but aren't out of position relative to the photos and plans that I've got on hand? Or am I misunderstanding your point?

JimZ, Koen, thanks for the comments!




Marc, thanks for the comments, I too like the tool on the lower side...and was really glad to be able to get a photo that solved the mystery of where that wrench had to go to accomodate the jerry cans. As for "24", I too wasn't going to watch it this year as I thought it had pretty much run its course but my wife too got me sucked in...so we'll see.

The left hand track run appears to be skewed outwardas it goes over the idler wheel, thats all. Although it could be the camera angle playing tricks on me

Dean, ah! I see what you mean now. The idlers themselves are still able to rotate since I haven't yet glued them down permanently (the idler mounts have been glued but not the idler itself) so there's a little bit of play still there. That plus the camera angle may be giving it a slightly toed-out look.

wow, the camo really works.
i like it, great build!

Looking great Bill. I'm interested in seeing what you've chosen for the numbering. I received my PzIV ausf F yesterday and it is an awsome kit.

Rob

Thanks Jimmy!




Rob, I'm using markings from the Bison decal set and not the kit supplied markings (there's only 1 set provided for N.Afrika, Pz Rgt 8, 15 PzDiv, in the DML kit). The markings I'm going to be using are for the PzRgt 5, 21 PzDiv red "215" as the photos I've been working off seem to come from that unit although I haven't been able to confirm that 100%.

BILL
Great project!!!! This is the boost I needed to get going on my liite F2. I too like this Pnzr. and the new DML kit makes it a TOP "TO DO" contender. I think I will choose an Rommel 8th/15th Pnzr as well. Love the BLOG, and I will definately stay tuned for your progress.

Thanks Todd! Glad to hear this one's got you interested in building yours, the IV "Smart Kit" family from DML are a pleasure to work with for sure.

very impressive build Bill. I'll be starting a build of 6363 Pz VG, I've already dug out you build log of this kit They're really helpful. It's a pity that there's no special section for the build logs.

spit

Thanks Pawel, take note if you haven't already of the "easter eggs" that Rick mentioned earlier in the thread as they also apply to #6363. I'm glad my previous log is going to be of help to you, I agree it would be nice to have the Build Logs all in one place but don't know how feasible that would be with the way the site is set-up currently.

Looks great Bill. The camo is different ... don´t see many of these. The tracks add a perfect contrast to the vehicle´s colours. Great build!!

Thanks Frank! I agree that you don't see this scheme represented too often even though the orders for it and the '41 scheme are clear...I blame Tamiya and their years and years of "Desert Yellow" for that! Living in a desert myself, I can relate to why a two-tone scheme would make sense especially since the "desert" doesn't always mean "Sahara" when it comes to N. Africa topology and climate.

Since the build has entered what I call the "hurry up and wait" stage, I took advantage of some pockets of time this week that would allow for short bursts of time but long periods of waiting. I resolved my tow cable issue by dispensing entirely with the kit-supplied wire and instead used some high quality crochet rope soaked with Metalizer Non-Buffing Gunmetal and attached to the sytrene cable heads provided in the kit with some CA gel. It does the job although not quite as good as the braided wire look...but it was just too springy to work.

That was the final detail, so the model received an overall coat of Future applied by airbrush and allowed to sit overnight. The markings were added using the Bison set for the turret numbers and balkenkreuze. All of the decals were applied using Walther's Solvaset to get them to snug down tight and the turret markings in particular required several doses and careful adjustments with a soft brush to get them to conform to the irregular surfaces. The numbers come as single decals instead of separate numbers, so this had its advantages and disadvantages. Since I wanted to display the left view port in the open position, it was necessary to apply the decal with it closed first (the workable nature of the port is very convenient at this stage!), then use a sharp #11 blade tip to carefully cut through the decal to allow it to open. Additional doses of the Solvaset were used to insure that the edges smoothed out. Once the decals had thoroughly dried, I glued the port in a fixed open position from the inside using liquid glue. A second sealing coat of Future was applied to protect the decals and will be allowed to sit overnight before I start in on the weathering tomorrow.







Total time this session: 2.25 hours

Total Time to Date: 60.25 hours

Looks good. If you said what the cable problem was I missed it but I am guessing it is getting that stiff cable to wrap around the plastic pegs that come in the kit. I replace mine with bent wire and it is still difficult. Craft wire is too soft and bends easily. I am going to try a straight pin on the H i am working on. I think they are stiffer. I like the idea of crochet rope in paint. Do you have a close up of what that looks like?

Marc,

The DML provided wire is very stiff/springy...even with annealing it wasn't possible for me to get it wrapped into the proper configuration without it having an enormous amount of tension/stored energy. The plastic holders are too weak (they just have a small D-shaped pin that mounts into the hull that's half the diameter of the base of the holder...a very shaky foundation) on their own. I replaced them with brass rod bent to shape and the mount holes drilled out to take them. They were secured in place with a combination of Aves epoxy putty and CA gel...they are rock solid now but the wire still wouldn't cooperate. Let me see what I can do about getting you additional pics on the rope.

Nice work as always Bill. Almost done with this one. Keep going. Looking great. I'll check in late tomorrow after football. Take care. Jim Z.

PS Saw Valkyrie tonight. GREAT MOVIE. See it if you haven't already. Take care.

what is solva set????, your decals look so realisitc, i wish i had your modeling skills i love the camo and the rusting on the exhaust

JimZ, yep I went to see Valkyrie on Christmas Day when it opened...thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it. Tomorrow ought to be a good day depending, so should have an update for you after football...this is the first season where I haven't watched a single NFL game...not even the playoffs believe it or not!

Calvin

Thanks very much for the kind words! All I can tell you is that it's just a matter of time, patience, and willingness to try new things...everything I've learned I picked up from places like Armorama. As for your question about Solvaset, it's a solution that softens decals and, as it dries, snugs the decals down over raised details...I don't know the whole chemistry/physics involved but it's great stuff...I use it on all my decals no matter if they are going on over flat or complex surfaces and highly recommend it. Look for it from any of the online retailers, it was originally desiged for use with model railroad stuff IIRC. The first time you use it though you'll have a moment of panic as it wrinkles up the decal and appears to ruin it but in fact it's part of the process and they will smooth out as it dries.

Marc, here's a combo/closeup showing the crochet rope on the spool and how it looks on the vehicle. HTH.

Today's efforts got down to business with the weathering. First up was the application of a dot filter consisting of Flat White, Afrika Grunbraun, and Panzer Schwarzgrau. These were blended together using a square tip brush dampened with thinner. I worked section by section starting with the hull first.



Once the hull was done, the turret was next using the same colors and approach. I took frequent breaks throughout the process to limit the thinner exposure and to avoid getting too hunch-backed. Sometimes I get too into the process though and it's only when my shoulders start to stiffen that I realize it's time for a breather! Working with light colors to begin with, my aim was to blend and fade the two-tone scheme just a bit in keeping with the desert environment and the light overall weathering I have planned for this one.



The next step was the application of a pin wash of Raw Umber. I applied this with a small pointed brush, again working section by section. A heavier brush and heavier concentration of wash was applied to the lower hull and running gear since that area is going to receive pigment weathering and needed to have some stronger tones as a result. I then went back over the pin wash with the same small brush lightly dampened with thinner and removed any excess and cleaned up any tide marks where they occurred. The Raw Umber provides a nice contrast to the lighter tones so a little bit goes a long way.



This will sit overnight and I'll take another look for any areas that need touching up before applying a flat coat and then moving on to the pigments.

Total session time: 6.5 hours

Total time to date: 66.75 hours

Thanks for the pic Bill. I will check that stuff out..

Don't know if I missed it in this massive thread, LOL, but how did you mask the disruptive RAL 7027?

No problem Marc! I remember picking mine up in a Hobby Lobby as I needed some tie-down type rope and normal twine was way too thick...so while carrying a handful of paint brushes and such, I ambled over to the needlework section. It's amazing all the stuff they've got there...that spool cost about $5 and is a life-time supply for what I'd use it for!

Bill, I didn't mask the RAL 7027 portions, they were applied freehand with the airbrush.

Bill, your models always coming out great. One question is if you alter the consistency of MM enamels for your handbrushing- yours always look so crisp.

Thanks John! I don't normally do anything with the MM paints but use them straight out of the bottle for the most part. On occasion I will mix up a very small batch of some of the more viscous ones with a little bit of thinner but that's rare. A few of the MM paints are actually too thin to brush paint (even when thoroughly mixed) in one pass and require multiples to build them up, so it can vary depending on the color. HTH.