¹⁄35

Achdung!

Workshop

The PlusModel kit contains 17 resin parts comprising a Pillar Drill, Workbench (with a removable drawer), a wheeled welding kit and also a PE fret. I did not intend to use the welding kit as its not accurate. (should you want a very accurate set, Scale Model Accessories have a fantastic set plus spare bottles, valves etc, all of which were modelled on an actual German WW2 welding set). Some care is required in removing pour blocks from the resin parts, as some of them are very large and require a saw. There is a fair amount of flash to be removed especially between the wheel spokes of the welding cart. Detail is excellent with very little filling or sanding work required.

The Italeri set is plastic suffers a bit from soft detail and mould seams, but on the whole is very usable (and at the price who can complain?). It has loads of tools, various sized jacks, a mini-compressor, fuel drums, hoist frame etc. I used the compressor, the anvil, pick-axe, sledge hammer, and some of the jacks, and the rest went to the spares box.

The Aber tool set is fantastic. It contains a working 3 tier hinged toolbox, spanners, screwdrivers, hacksaw, pliers, files, welding goggles and cutters. The spanners even have etched writing on them, and can be used either singly, or glued together as two halves to make a more 3d effect. I used MRSurfacer to build up the handles on the files and other items to give a more realistic look.

The spray gun hose and drill cable are PlusModel lead wire, and the ladder was scratch built from styrene rod. The MG on the table is the unused item from the Panther kit.

All items were primed and sprayed ‘workshop green’, and metal surfaces were painted with Gunmetal, MRMetalColor Iron or Alclad Steel. Large handles were given a wood look and smaller ones semi-gloss black. The temporary workbench was made from Lime wood strips and mounted on two drums, then everything then got a coat of future. Stains and washes were applied with Flat Black and Smoke thinned with turps which gave a nice oily sheen.

Figures

Composition of this area was very important as this is where I wanted the initial attention of the viewer to be drawn. To this it was vital that the expressions on the faces and body language on all three be both instantly recognisable and well sculpted. Also because hopefully it detracts attention away from my amateurish face painting skills.

The dog is white metal from Andrea Miniatures, the tanker from Yosci, and the mechanic from Corpus with head and hands from Hornet, and boots from a Gen2 set. Sculpting on all three is exceptional, and they are a pleasure to paint. Here I must say that if you want figures in overalls the two from Corpus range at Resination are hard to beat. I won’t dwell on the figure painting as this is my weak area, suffice to say I hope it does not detract from the overall diorama.

Conclusion

I had a lot of fun on this project, spread as it was over some 6 months and a house move. It has definitely given me a direction in which to go with regard to subject matter and also composition. Next up I have to finish the long delayed Sturmtiger dio.

Kit used:
Dragon Panther D : DML6299
PlusModel Workshop : 094
Aber Hand Tools : 35 A68
Italeri Field Tool Shop : ITA419
Corpus German Mechanic : 35-009
Yosci Tanker : HY35G07
Andrea Miniatures dogs (3) : SG-A41

References

Die Panzer – Instandsetzung der Wehrmacht : Lukas Friedli German Military Trailers and Towed Equipment 1935-1945 : Horst Beiersdorf The Tiger Project – Book two : Dale R. Ritter Horst Kronke Schwere Panzer (Tiger) Abteilung 505