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Der Famo

The Kit

Well, the basic build was pretty easy -- it's right of the box. I made no modifications and used no PE or other aftermarket parts. The only "addition" to the basic kit is a small band of tissue paper I used to fill a gap in the canvass between the hood and firewall. Other than that, a few spots of putty closed up some minor gaps, but this kit really was a dream to build.

Painting

I wanted a simple one-color scheme. I went with a base shade of Tamiya Dark Yellow (XF-60) that was lightened with flat white. I used thinned Desert Yellow (XF-59) and thinned Testors Raw Umber for shadows and just used an even lighter shade of Dark Yellow for the highlights. All exposed metal (and rust) are Metalizer colors from Testors (despite the note saying they are for airbrush use only I have no problems dry brushing them). Dirt colors are a combination of tans and browns fro Tamiya and Testors as well as an artists oil that I used for the heavy, dark, wet mud -- with some grass strands pressed into those areas.

Stowage

I think it took almost as long to build and paint all the junk in the back of the Famo as it did to do the base vehicle. While there's a real mishmash of stuff in there, here's a breakdown of the major kits used.

Verlinden Military Cargo WWII, German (VE1693) -- fantastic set that includes a stripped tank engine.

Tamiya German Jerry Can set

Tools from the Tamiya Tank Repair set

Italeri tools from the workshop set

Verlinden Boots and jacket

Pullys from the Tamiya FAMO accessory set

Grandt Line bolts/screws (in the tool box on the side)

other odds and ends from the spares box.

The owner of the Hobby Town here in Green Bay (Tom) pointed me to chains in the ship section of his store that were perfect for what I was looking for. After painting them they were added to the back of the vehicle and one was wrapped around the front bumper. It's amazing how much those have added to this kit.