Thanks for the comments. I would say that it's a complex model given the fact that it includes an interior and is open topped but isn't particularly hard to build from the construction view point. There are things to watch out for and pay attention to (and of course the normal pitfalls in the instructions!) when assembling but I didn't encounter any major fit issues or problems with the actual construction. HTH.

Go Bill, Go Bill, Go Go Go Bill, Go Bill Go Bill ...... Nice.

Going as fast as I can Jim! I think this upcoming weekend is going to be the clincher. I was a little surprised when I added up the total time last night for the update but can feel the end drawing near!

Hey Bill that was not meant to be a discouraging remark. On the contrary that was supposed to be encouraging. I meant that in the most positive of ways. Sorry for the confusion. Say that out loud to yourself you'll know what I mean.

No worries Jim! I took it in the spirit intended.

Originally I had thought that I would get everything completed this weekend on this particular project but, as it turned out, I didn't quite make it as far as I'd hoped. The first order of business was to add the last detail in the form of the radio antenna and get it painted up and installed. I applied a sealing coat of Future by airbrush and let it thoroughly dry for 1 hour before applying the kit-supplied decal markings. The markings were treated with Solvset and then a second sealing coat of Future applied. The second coat was allowed to cure overnight before the weathering process began. The markings were pretty straightforward, just the balkenkreuze on the superstructure sides and hull rear along with the LAH insignia front and back.





The first step was to apply an overall light wash of enamel Raw Umber using a #1 round sable brush.



That laid the foundation for the next round, the application of dot filters. The arsenal for that consisting of enamel Panzer Olivegrun, Deep Yellow, Flat White, and Military Brown, and a mixing bottle of clean thinner.



The first dot filter used the Olivegrun, Deep Yellow, and Flat White to introduce some color variation and fading to the underlying paint scheme. Small dots of paint were applied in sections, working slowly around the vehicle one section at a time, and the dots blended in and away with a flat tipped brush dampened with clean thinner.



This was followed by the second dot filter using the Military Brown. This was applied with fewer dots and the initial blending done the same way as with the previous filter. To introduce/simulate dust/dirt streaking due to rain and prolonged exposure, I turned the flat tip brush 90 degrees and used repeated strokes to produce the desired amount of streaking.

Because all of this work involves working with thinner, I wore a paint breather mask the entire time even with the excellent air circulation at my work bench as a standard precaution.



Once that was complete, a pin wash of enamel Burnt Umber was applied to all the raised detail using a pointed 3/10 brush. Excess wash was carefully removed using the same brush and clean thinner to tighten things up. The Burnt Umber was was also applied to the road wheels and running gear in anticipation of the application of pigments, something that was scheduled for today but I didn't quite get to.



I will let this sit for a few days and then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes to evaluate if additional adjustments are needed before sealing it up with a flat coat and starting in on the final pigment weathering.

Total Session Time: 7.25 hours

Total Time to Date: 71.25 hours

Hi Bill,

Very clean and beautiful, as always. And fast. Love the net effect camo.

-Doug

Love the streaking effects, the model looks better and better after each session! One question: do you apply another sealing coat of future after the wash and the filters? After all, there is a heavy dose of thinner being used, doesn't it dissolve the previous layer of oils? Keep those pictures coming!

Sebastian

grreat work Bill, I like the netting camo. It's not something we see every day. Looking forward to see the final effect.

spit

The end is very near on this one Bill. Great work as always. Nice job.

Doug, Spit, Jim, thanks for the comments!




Sebastian, I don't usually apply sealing coats once I start in with the filters and weathering. You can do that if you want to preserve the discreet effects of each one but I prefer to let them blend in together a bit. I use enamels and not oils for my application since they dry faster and, aside from the initial overall wash/filter of Raw Umber, very little thinner is actually used on the subsequent steps. That's the trick, you are using a thinner dampened, but not soaked, brush so there's no flooding of the surface with thinner. The hairs on the brush do the work for you and the repeated strokes will remove and blend the different layers together in the process, allowing you to "stack" the effects without the need of a sealing barrier in between. You have to work with a light touch and be patient but it pays off.

Bill, i love it. Its one of your best ones yet (and they are all really good).

I have been hearing a lot about the dot filter method lately. I have tried to do this with artist oils but it ended up staining the airie where the dot was applied. I will try enamels in a super-secret experiment , as i have already found they work better than oils for washes.

Thanks Jon! I always try to improve each build over the previous one and have enjoyed this one immensely. If you're experiencing staining from the dots, this could be due to different reasons. I've heard that some acrylics (if you're using acrylics) can be porous if they aren't sealed and so will soak up the oil and produce the stain. Another is that you've allowed the dot to sit too long and it's started to dry/cure and also produces a stain. I've never used oils myself as I've been happy with the results I've achieved with the enamels. If you let the enamel dots sit too long, they too can produce staining especially for some of the "stronger" colors like red or blue.

Picking up from where I left off last week, I made a few minor adjustments here and there in the previous pin wash work and decided that a little something more was called for. Given the fact that the fighting compartment sides extend right to the edge of the fenders, I decided to add some slight scratching to the previous weathering. To do this, I used the 50-50 dunkelgelb/light gray mix from before and an 18/0 Script brush to add in the marks where desired. I followed this up with a slightly dampened square tip blender brush and carefully worked the scratching into the rest of the finish on both sides.





The next step was to seal everything in with an overall coat of Testors Lusterless Flat lacquer in the spray can. This was left to thoroughly dry for an hour or so before starting in on the pigment weathering.



I mixed up a batch of 50-50 Mig Dark Mud and Europe Dust pigments as a dry powder in an old prescription bottle lid until they were thoroughly combined. Water was added to create a wet mixture and the mixture then applied to the lower hull, running gear, and tracks with a round 0 sable brush and allowed to air dry. After an hour or so, I donned a sanding/dust mask (reminded me of the H1N1 footage on TV!) to avoid inhaling pigment dust and began the fine-tuning process by removing the excess pigment using a square tipped stiff bristled brush.





The next step involved the removal of even more pigment, this time using a Q-tip moistened with water. This allows for a more strategic removal and blending process along with a dry Q-tip end to get a varied look to the pigment application. The Dark Mud is a powerful pigment, capable of staining all by itself and is the main reason I pair it up with the lighter Europe Dust pigment to prevent a too-dark end result. The Q-tip treatment is applied to all the road wheels, sprockets, idlers, and return rollers as well as the track faces themselves.





The final touch was a light dry brushing of Steel to bring out some of the contact points on the guide horns and track faces.





Tomorrow I'll do the walk-around photo inspection to see if there's anything else I missed or need to adjust before this one is marked down as complete.

Total Session Time: 4.25 hours

Total Time to Date: 75.50 hours

Bill, judging from the photos I doubt your final walk-around will show much, if any, touch ups to be done! Looks like you reached a high point on your weathering, I'm really liking this one...great job!

What can I say Bill, another outstanding build. It is always a pleasure to follow one of your blogs, ans learning a thing or two along the way. From what I can see, there is no touching up to do, she's ready for the museum.
I look forward to your next build, which will be another masterpiece.

Rob

What's not to like another fine masterpiece by a fine arts master! Nicely done as always Bill, my usual question. What's next?

James, appreciate the comments but you never know...the camera knows/sees all! It's a good exercise to do and I will take one photo at a time, upload it to the PC where I can see it in good high-def resolution...and then if satisfied, take the next one. Helps introduce some "distance" since the minds-eye wants to already see it as "done".

Rob, glad you enjoyed the blog. Keeping a blog is something that I started doing a while back and ever since has become an invaluable tool. I'm also glad to hear that it's helpful in terms of techniques, especially since I tried out some different things myself on this one.

Jim, always a pleasure to have you along for the ride! The next project will likely be the old DML Pz III M w/ goodies. Have to check a couple of things first but I think I've got everything I would need for that to get started on it.

After a short stint in the photo booth, this one is now done. Build #95 is in the bag!

Thank you Bill, a TRULY awesome build and a very informative build log. I've covered my instruction sheet with all your pointers and construction tips. Your "trail blazing" will help my attempt go a heck of a lot better. Have fun with your next project.

Great build Bill. Definatly one of your best.

outstanding job Bill! Truly beautiful model. One question about application of pigments on tracks. I know from reading that it's good to add some kind of detergent for example for washing dishes to break the surface tension (don't know if the term is right). Did you add any? How much water do you add to those pigments, what was the consistency of the your pigments/water mix?

Once again, great model!

spit

Great job Bill as always. Good luck with that Panzer III that you have up next. Bill do you have a blog for your Puma? I have yet to see it on you website. I am doing a 3D animated version of the Puma, for right now it is going to rather simple but after the class is over next week I would like to expand it a little.

i ahve reall enjoyed wathcing this, and i think it looks great, well done

ivanhoe, Jon, James, thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.

Pawel, normally what I will do is take a juice glass full of water and put a drop of dishwashing liquid soap in it and swirl it around to break the surface tension of the water. I neglected to do that in this particular case because I got in a hurry, but it's something I usually do to make it easier to work with. Doesn't really impact the application of the pigment, just makes it easier to spread it around. The amount of water I added was enough to bring the water level up to the where the threads start on the presecription cap, about 1 oz of so give or take. The consistency is about that of milk, not too thick and not too thin since a too thick application will just produce a lot of excess pigment that is going to be removed anyway. HTH!

JImZ, unfortunately I built my Italeri 234/2 before I started keeping build logs as a normal practice. I often wish I'd started keeping build logs sooner...that one was built in Sept 2006 and was actually the last one before I started keeping logs as a matter of course...the first log I started was the Elefant right after that build in fact.