Tim,

They went together very well. While MK's aren't quite as robust as Fruils since they are styrene vs. white metal, I like working with them. They take paint just like static indies and have the added bonus of being workable. They also tend to be somewhat less expensive, even more so now with the Euro vs. USD exchange rates, and easier to get at least in my experience.

Taking advantage of the holiday weekend, I started work in on the details for the hull now that major painting was out of the way. First up was to detail the steel road wheels by dry-brushing Steel followed by Raw Umber to simulate the bare metal surfaces/wear. The same was done to the sprocket teeth and the idler.



Next came the pioneer tools. The wood handles were painted with my own special blend of 'wood' and then dusted with Burnt Umber artist pastels. The metal surfaces were painted with Non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal and then lightly dry-brushed with Steel. The spare track links were painted first with the metalizer Gunmetal then very very lightly dry-brushed with Steel, followed by a wash of Rust, and dry-brushed with Burnt Umber to tone down the Rust and give them a nice "heavy" look.





The exhaust pipes received a similar treatment as the spare links and the rear Notek light was detailed with flat Sea Blue. I realized after taking this photo that the bottom towing clevis was installed upside down so popped it off and reinstalled it in the correct position.



Next came the tracks, they were first base coated using the airbrush with Flat Black to insure all the surfaces were painted. Then another airbrush coat of Non-Buffing Metalizer was applied. Since the metalizer is lacquer based, the preceding coat of Flat Black does two things...it provides a barrier to the plastic so that the Metalizer doesn't eat into it and also insures a lot less Metalizer is needed to achieve the same effect.



Each track was then weathered by first dry-brushing with Steel to produce a metallic look and then given successive washes of Raw Umber and Rust. The final step involved dry-brushing Burnt Umber, heavier on the outside vs. the inside where the steel wheels make contact to show different wear patterns.



Then the tracks were installed and the idler positioned to provide just the right amount of sag/tension. Once satisfied, the tracks were then glued down to the road wheels top and bottom to prevent them shifting around in the future.



Next up is the decals and then on to the final weathering stages!

hi bill
ive really been enjoying your build log but what is...........
non-buffing metalizer.
neil

Hi Neil,

Testors has a line of lacquer based paints for producing metallic finishes known as Metalizers. There are two varieties, those that are buffable to produce a polished/shiny finish and those that aren't. Originally designed for use on aircraft to achieve bare metal finishes, the line has expanded over the years to include many different metalic effects such as Brass, Burnt Iron, Gunmetal, etc. Very userful stuff as its properties are different than ordinary paint. While Testors suggests it should be applied via airbrush only, it's easy to apply it by ordinary brush as well for detail parts. It does require additional care due to the chemical nature (paint mask is a must for prolonged exposure or when airbrushing) but is an extremely versatile product.

[

The Memorial Day holiday allowed for some additional work, so this WIP is a special addendum to the normal after-weekend updates.

Work continued with the application of a coat of Future which was allowed to air dry for an hour or so before the decals went on. I used the kit-supplied markings for vehicle 115 of the s.PzJgAbt 653 (according to the kit finishing guide). Each of the decals was given multiple doses of Walther's Solvaset in order to get them to snug down tight to the surface and once everything had dried, a second coat of Future was applied and this was allowed to dry overnight last night before the weathering process began.





The weathering process began with the application of a "dot" filter using flat enamel Beret Green, Yellow, White, and Red applied with a spotter brush. The dots were then blended together using a round 0 sable brush dampened with thinner.





This was followed by a pin-wash of Burnt Umber applied with a 10/0 pointed brush working one section at a time. Due to the large surface area and lots of panel lines, bolt heads, etc. this took quite a bit of time and required several breaks in between to avoid the urge to rush through it. Any excess or "blooming" was removed with a brush dampened with thinner where needed.

Bill,
Great work, and you gotta love that camo.
BUT, I dont know if its me or the photos, but the model seems a bit too shiny right now.

Marek

Bill-- marvelous work. My question is on the "dot filter." You apply the three colors then use a brush with thinner to blend them. How long between placing the dots on the vehicle and blending should one wait? It appears you did the entire surface then went back to blend.
Thanks
DJ

Marek,

The shine you are seeing in the photos is due to the fact that the model hasn't yet received a flat dullcoat. I use Testors Lusterless (Flat) in the spraycan and that step has yet to be done, once it's applied the remaining shine from the underlying Future coat will be removed. Thanks for the comments!




DJ,

Because the dots I use are enamel flat paints, they dry fairly quickly so I work in sections at a time instead of covering the whole vehicle. It's easier to blend the dots if they haven't started to dry thoroughly as this keeps the pigments from getting crusty. As a result, I work in small sections at a time as you see in the photo. Oil paints, which have much longer work times, don't face the same challenge.

Bill--thanks. I am attempting to replicate the technique. Practice, practice!
DJ

DJ,

Best bet is to play around with it and find what works, the best variable is the amount of thinner on the brush and number of blending strokes to produce the desired effect. In some cases I'll even go back and add more dots of a particular color to a section if I think the effect needs some additional help.

Another handsome build rolls through the assembly line. I always look forward to watching you put together another piece of history.

-Matt

Thanks Matt, appreciate the comments.

This one got shelved for a couple of weeks due to other things getting in the way as they so often do when it comes to the summer and model building! I was able to get back to it today though and carry on with the weathering process.

First up were the tracks and suspension. I mixed up a batch of equal parts Europe Dust, Dry Mud, and African Earth Mig Pigments in water and applied it wet and allowed it to air dry.



Using a combination of stiff bristled brushes and moistened q-tips, I went to work to remove the excess and get the look I wanted. There's a lot of surface area and the pigment dust is very fine, so I wore a sanding dust mask the entire time and took frequent breaks. After about an hour or so of careful work, the result emerged.



The same thing was repeated for the opposite side, so most of the day ended up being devoted to the tracks. Next up was the weathering for the upper hull and surfaces. I decided on giving it a light dust coat using the same mixture as for the tracks but much more heavily diluted with water to avoid a thick coat. This leaves behind a very very light pigment treatment and I followed behind that with a water dampened sable brush to create rain-streaking and adjust the coverage where needed.



There's some adjustments that I still need to do on the engine deck to get it where I want it, but it's 99% done at this point.

After tinkering around the edges a bit today, it was off to the photo booth for the finished shots.

I give it three thumbs up. Don't ask how.

-Matt

Excellent paint fade/streaking......looks great Bill. Your technique on the lower hull, tracks and wheels just gets better and better with every buiId.....I really need to find some Mig pigments! Keep 'em coming

Really good job
I like it

Adam

Like that CAMO Job alot, you dont see many like that, Very Nice Build... milvehfan

Matt, thanks for the comments and indeed, I won't ask.

James, thanks as well, I always try to stretch or improve where I can with each build. The Mig pigments are an extremely versatile tool, definitely recommend them.

Adam, milvehfan, appreciate your comments, thanks for looking!

Another very informative blog Bill, and the result is beautiful. Interesting to see that you painted the camo first, before adding the pioneer tools etc. How did you deal with the possible problem of stains and adhesion of glue on the paint?
The more I see it used, the more I think I might try some of that non-buffing metaliser. How does it keep in the bottle? My favourite metal colours are from the Games Workshop line, but I find that they seem to go thick and hard in the bottle, no matter how well I clean the lids..

Cheers
Henk

Another great build Bill, enjoyed reading this one.

Yop notch work as always,

James

Thanks James, appreciate the comments as always!




Henk, adding the tools afterwards is a standard practice for me. When gluing the tools and such into place, I'm very careful with the amount of glue being used. Enamel paint (not sure about acrylics) responds favorably to the normal plastic glue to create a bond. It's not as strong as plastic-to-plastic of course, but it's still pretty durable.

The Testor's line of Metalizers keeps very well, it's lacquer-based so it's necessary to keep it sealed but I've had single bottles last for months without any problem at all.

Another spectacular job Bill. Are you done with this one? Looks great!

Thanks Jim, yep, all done with the big cat.

Beautiful Jagdtiger Bill.
I've enjoyed following the build.
Cheers

jjumbo