Wow, that is awesome. How did you get that burned effect?

Hi Tom, great job! I just have one remark/question - I've seen few pictures of burned vehicles with zimmerit and it a) was flaked away from surface where the temperature caused steel stretching, b) turned the color to it's original one (paint was flaking) which was ochre color, c) remained without any change - only steel visible next to it changed its texture and color.
Correct me if I'm wrong though...

Andrzej

I ran out of steam with this diorama/campaign, but there still is progress, albeit a lot slower than befor.
I have started on the last six figures and painted them in their basic colours. They will have to wait untill I have a better paintingday though, befor I can finish them.


I also did some more work on the StuG-piece, by adding a gloss coat, a black wash, the decal, a dull coat and a drybrush in darkened metal.

Jacob, the burn started with a texturing undercoat of Mr Surfacer mixed with fine sand to get the "peeling paint" effect on the roof. After standard camo, the turret was dry brushed repeatedly with Pollyscale Steam Power Black concentrated on the sides.

Andrzej, indeed zimm often flaked off real tanks. Partly this was metal expansion, but some was loosened by impact, and no doubt some was already letting go and just "hastened" by the fire. I looked long and hard at pics of this particular tank, and except in two of them you can't even see any obvious zimm texture anywhere on it. There is one patch on the right side that looks like a big zimm flake fell off revealing the ochre base coat, but on close examination the ochre has the national cross on it! Either that patch was still zimmed but just rubbed clean of soot by sightseers climbing up, or it is indeed a large zimm flake revealing the pre-zimm surface. If the latter it proves this tank was zimm-coated in the field long after it was first issued to a combat unit rather than at the factory because the zimm must have gone over the cross. Of course, this is all just guess-work, and I'm happy if the end result looks like the pictures! When I "burn" the hull that patch near the hole will be clear of soot, revealing the cross... I've also seen plenty of other Panthers and Tigers where the factory zimm did flake, and also Panthers that burned but stil retained intact rubber road wheels. So unless modelling a specific tank from photos there are lots of choices that are all perfectly acceptable!

Oh, and the camo is just a guess - I can't tell from the B/W photos. By the time the famous colour pic was taken it looks like all the paint had flaked off back to the factory primer. Amazing what a few months of weather can do!

Tom

@ Ron, I’d like to see my progress when I’m full of steam going as fast as your when you’ve lost your impact…

@ Tom – you’ve really done your homework . You’re right – it’s amazing what weather can do but I thing that it’s high temperature we should blame the most – even if it didn’t damage the paint and surface much it definitely activates the corrosion. Could you post some pictures you’ve used as reference? I’d really like to see them.

As for my progress – I’ve made some serious progress with diorama base (partially thanks to child labour )



Next step will be plaster application. I’ve also started preparing trees, but it’s a different story. My work is quite chaotic, but it’s caused by time available… I do what I have time to do, so whole projects moves forward in small steps with bigger leaps from time to time .

Andrzej

Andrzej,

That's a pretty neat looking dio. (My son's a teenager now, so no help at all!)

As for pics, here are a few good ones. Note that they seem to represent shots over several days, since the burnt patches change between shots. There are also shots before and after the turret was turned since the gun stuck out across the road, and shots after the muzzle brake was removed by souvenir hunters, all probably within a week of the incident, so lots of scope for very different models. I'm guessing it went from sooty wreck to rusty in very short order with all those GI tourists climbing over it...

http://www.historyofwar.org/Pictures/pictures_panther_I_panzer_V_ausf_G_cologne.html

(note the cross near the hole...)
http://lh5.ggpht.com/christianhahninfo/RlFaLizBVnI/AAAAAAAAABA/70T_nt7moJE/cathedral.panzer.2.jpeg%26imgmax%3D640

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x1/camoSS88/?action=view¤t=colp6.jpg&newest=1

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x1/camoSS88/?action=view¤t=panth0004.jpg&newest=1

http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x1/camoSS88/?action=view¤t=colp1.jpg&newest=1


Tom

@ Tom - thanks for links! Nice pics, very interesting indeed.

@ Everybody - I have a question. I'm making a tree for my diorama and I'm not really sure if the place I've planned for it looks good... Take under consideration that there is going to be a road where the soldier is walking and three more soldiers will be walking closer to the viewer along the river bank. Upper right corner will be left for the bushes or for the grave of Panther’s crewman (I haven’t decided yet). Season: very early spring.



What do you think? Is layout OK?
Thanks in advance for any suggestion!

A.

Andrzej,

It looks good to me! Kinda gives a verticality to the scene... Just remember to model some exposed roots, since the soil on the edge of the bank would tend to erode away.

Will the wreck be old enough for the track marks etc to have grassed over?

Tom

Thanks for opinion!
Roots are must, I'll be modeling with pictures of Wislok riverbanks on my desk - I've made a lot of them last spring to have some reference.
Wreck is not going to be too old – something like “last month” or so… enough for toasted turret to get rusty and to catch some rust close to water, but definitely not enough to allow the grass to grow back on track marks. I’ll try to make those like the tank was hit, turned from the road to the bank and than slipped in muddy ground stopping in the river. I’m planning to work some more on the tree and the ground today.

Oh, what do you think about crewman’s grave on the bottom right corner of the diorama? Is it a good idea?

Andrzej

Hmmm. Not sure about the graves. How common were they? I would think if the tank burned chances are anyone inside was dust on the floor, and anyone who got out would be dealt with away from the bank. Also, depends who controlled the area after the battle. My gut instinct would be not to draw attention from the figures surveying the wreck, but I guess there's really no "right" answer.

Maybe you should make a simple paper mock-up of graves, place it on the dio, and post a picture for comments? That way you could shuffle it around in different positions to see how it fits with the figures.

Tom

Good call! Unfortunately I'm out of plaster so I have to go shoping...
I started to paint the tank, I hope to have basic camo painted today.

Andrzej

Hey that Panther dio is looking good. If I'm not too late, my vote would be to move the tree forward. That way the Panther had more room for sliding down the embankment. I would also vote for no graves, but maybe just wounded looking at the wreck.

Going good, Andrzej!
Leavo out the graves. It just wouldn't look right, apart from the fact that during retreats the dead weren't allways taken care off...

Moving the tree forward does sound like a good idea and why not add some broken trees.shrubs etc. under and around the Panther?

Well, I've moved the tree a little bit to the middle. I actually seems to look better now.


Thanks for suggestions - graves are no longer under discussion

A.

It sure does look better that way, Andrzej. Much more balanced!

I have been a bit busy with my build, too. I consider my vehicles done!
The StuG was treated with pastelchalk, both wet and dry and as a finishing touch I added a leaking lid on the StuG and a stained wooden floor, too! An idea Tim Sloan offered me...







The 251/22 was also enhanced by adding a wire for camouflagepurposes along the sides and nose and by adding a muzzlecover, instead of an open barrel. Makes things look just a little bit different and more interesting, I think.



6 More figures to go and some touching and finishing off on the groundwork...

Ron, this is going to be beautifull diorama. You sure put a lot of work in it.

As for my progress: I'm still working with Panther tank: here are results:

I've used Montex mask for markings:



Next step: matt coat and than the most difficult: weathering of damaged vehicle (it's going to be the first one I've damaged...)

A.

Despite my busted-up leg I managed to paint the panther. It may want some dusting in black too, but I'm hoping to start on the base next.





Tom

Here's the S&T figure ensemble I'm using to complete this Late War Panther G diorama.
The sculpting is awesome and the fit of all the figures is exceptional for resin. I've left off the extremely brittle resin slings so they don't break off during the painting process.
The figures will depict a squad from the 75th Infantry Division, known as the "Bulge Busters," as they come across the abandoned Panther while chasing the Germans back to the Fatherland following the Battle of the Bulge.


Randy

Wow, great looking wrecked panthers!

Tom, Randy – these are great Panthers… I’ve already stopped dreaming about mine looking half that realistic, I keep trying though…
I wanted to show you some progress but delivery of needed goodies (especially paint thinners) is late so I’m stuck… I do hope to receive it today, breathe in some paint and post some pictures

Andrzej

A bit late but I'm almost sure I'll finish this project before deadline

Ooooh... poor guy... lost his hands...
Nice start Marcin! Taking under consideration that I still don't have my package (Polish post is something that could consider carpet bombing as improvement...) you will probably finish earlier than me…

A.

You don't have to say anything more . here at office (which is in Warsaw not some Kozia Dupa) I receive mail 2-3 weeks after being sent (in Poland too). so delivery time 2-3 weeks for Poland to Poland mails is quite impressive. I think I've seen postman about 10 days ago last time.
I feel lucky phones are still on as I get almost all invoices after due date

Andrzej,

From what I've seen of your work your Panther will be excellent! I'm still working up the courage to lay down plaster and start carving all those cobbles... (Why didn't the good burghers of Koln use tarmac?)

Tom

Thanks Tom! I've done some work yesterday so I will post few pictures later.

As for cobblestones carving from plaster - it's easy and effects are really nice. Here is what I've done recently:

And by the way - tarmac is boring... I prefer coblestones, they are more interesting and look better on diorama .

Andrzej