I must say that this build is looking really good!
Thanks for the in-depth way of showing it to us.

Looks good so far, what an impressive vehicle this is ! G.

Thank you both. I will be gone for a week, but will finish the whitewash and put on the tracks when I return. Stay tuned!

Wow, I'm sure most of y'all had given up on me, and I wouldn't blame the Staff here if they never gave me another review kit to build, but DAMN! this baby was a bear to finish! Part of the reason was the very complex weathering schema I took on: mid-Winter, Eastern Front, dried mud on the vehicle, but snow everywhere else. It's too damned cold to touch up the rust and the thing has broken down, giving me a chance to expose the engine detail while having two figures working on it while the FLAK 36 it is towing works nearby (diorama to follow).

In general, this was one of the finest kits I've had the pleasure to build. Tons of detailing, as much or more than you could want, with not need for any AM PE (interesting that as far as I can see, none of the PE manufacturers have rushed out any supplement, because there really isn't a need for any). There are a few late challenges including the plastic tracks, I think I would go for Friuls if I build this kit again (and I plan to, next time with a DAK paint scheme). I lost one of the "driver knows" poles, so I went with it and figured those babies could be knocked off and the crew would just go with it as well. I may add some gear on the rear, but this one's pretty much ready for the dio.

Here she is with the engine bonnet removed:




Engine detailing up close:







A full set of water and gas jerrycans:





The plastic tracks looked like metal by the time I finished with the non-buffing metalizer (would use the buffing kind next time, the color is better):







The MIG pigments and mud recipe worked fine; the tires are R&J AM resin snow tires:



Finally the rifle racks up close:



That pretty much sums up this build. I will start a separate blog for the dio, and should have the photos of the accompanying 88 finished in a few days (weathering done, just need some proper gauge insulated wire for the connector cables).

Hey billC, The worn whitewash looks fantastic. Very well executed. The weathering is a bit heavy for my taste, but that's just me. I never weather enough to suit most. Having the hood opened for repair is a great idea to showcase the level of detailing. It's been a while but worth the wait. I haven't even started my SdKfz. 7 yet. Got caught up in several other projects.
Glad to see the update. Looks great and will be looking for the dio "soon"?
Mobious

very nice

that's a fantastic finish Bill! The chipping of the white paint looks just great. Which technique did you use if I may ask? Outstanding job.

spit

Thank you, Mobious, Jim and Pawel.

I applied Tamiya German Gray, then a MIG filter followed by MIG Faded German Gray pigment before applying Future or Acryllic sealer (can't remember which, as I was switching over to Future at that point). Then put on a coating of hairspray followed by the Winter whitewash with an airbrush. After drying, I used an old toothbrush to chip away the whitewash (the time of the dio is late Winter after a fresh snowfall, but before the Spring thaw).

Accomplishing that project ended up removing the compartment doors, despite my best care. I don't think I would build this vehicle again with those doors open.

After that, I applied a mix of MIG acrylic resin, acrylic paint, plaster of Paris and a little water to make the mud splatter. I put dabs of paint in different parts of the "mud" mix so I ended up with mud of differing colors. Then it was some pigments, which look much brighter in the photos (the rust really jumps out).

How goes the build feature?

Hi Bill that build is going great i sooo want this kit i've got all of the old tamiya variants but the trumpeter version frpm what i've read blows the tamiya ones out of the water hopefully my LHS will be getting some stock in soon fingers crossed on that

WOW... totally awsome, one of the finest winter schemes i've seen in a while. The rust does stand out a bit in the pics but that's normal so no minus points taken away. I can't wait to see the dio Bill.

Rob

LOL, about as fast as the build itself.

I need to put the photos in a zip file and send 'em to you.

Lyndon, there's no comparison between the Trumpy and Tamiya kits, but in fairness to the latter, they're separated by 3 decades.

Rob, thanks, I may continue to tone down the rust a bit. Still experimenting. Now I need to get the 88 finished (all except the cables done over there), then build the dio.

This really is one excellent piece of modelling.
Great build, great winterwash, great weathering.
As far as the rust goes, I personally think it is overdone and should be toned down. I can even see rust on the rubber tracksblocks (right rear).
The amount and brightness do not do this, otherwise splendid, halftrack justice.
I too am looking forward to see your feature!

Thank you, I'm very flattered by everyone's kind words.


I am leaning in this direction, and everyone's comments are duely noted. The track blocks are rubberized, so they would not rust, but rusty-wash/run-off would likely stain them. I think I will rework this part, though. Sometimes what is logical isn't what looks logical.


Everyone's praise will help fortify my courage for attempting this dio.

Bill,

Looks great! Can't wait to see the dio!