Let me know how and what needs to be improved.

Wow! Very nice work!

Hi Matt. Nice build. Im not a fan of flat finishes like this. Armor modelling is, more and more, becoming about the paint and weathering. Too much of any of the techniques is not a good thing, but a little of them all adds so much depth and lift for the details. You´ve got the perfect base to have a go!

I would agree with Frank. Nice work and an exceletn base to work with! Thise large rims on the wheels are begging for some love. With a good amount of moving parts on this, some carefully placed chipping would go a long way towards the over all look for sure. Nice work friend.

I'm not sure what color to represent bare metal for this would be. I normally use dark grey, but that is the color of the gun's paint. I also forgot to add the tow chains. I'll post some more photos with the tow chains in place tomorrow.

I would like to set the sFh 18 as being on the eastern front with this crew:

I think I will go along the edges with a soft lead pencil. Other than that, I have aluminum, steel, silver, and metallic grey as options for the paint chipping. Does anybody know what type of metal the sFh 18 was made of?

Matt,
The howitzer is made of steel, so you have the option of bright steel for moving parts, e.g. equilibriators; black or metallic grey for worn areas, and rust (in small doses, this is after all a weapon being used). BTW, the part you have painted red & white is the hand spike, this should be base colour, the instructions are incorrect. It is the parts below this that should be red & white, they are the aiming stakes and they have points on the end. IMHO those "rubber" tyres really need some muck on them! Either mud colour in the treads and the high spots dark grey to simulate mud worn off by the road, or go the whole hog with powders. I suspect this is the Trumpeter kit. As the others have said this is a nice build and you have the basis here for a stunning model.

Matt,
Here's one I did earlier! I'm not trying to poach your thread or claim this isa panacea, but feel free to use it for ideas!

Thanks for the tips Steve. Not worried about you "poaching" my idea. Aren't many ktis out there that haven't already been built.

nice build Matt, looks like a gem. with just a bit more weathering, especially a touch of washes, this piece would really pop. one thing i may add is the rail the barrel assembly moves back and forth on is usually shiny bare metal as not only does the paint get scrapped off it is buffed to a shine by the metal on metal friction during the recoil action.

Steve's pics shows this area as bare metal and with some graphite from a pencil you can get a nice shine. thanks for sharing this one, cheers, bd.

Bruce, I just finished weathering the rear of the cradle to make it look worn and shiny. What wash would you recomend?
Stever, the paint is going to have to stay where it is for now. Too much cutting to repaint it.
Thanks for all of the kind comments.

Does it need to be shinier than this?

Looks good to me!
Yes, some weathering takes the "flat finish" and would give more contrast or a used-style.

I also built one of Trumpeters guns, the s.10cm Kanone 18, and made a "snowy" diorama-scene for this.
Image of my -not perfect- build: ;-)



greetings...
Soeren

Too much weathering?

Hi again Matt.


The only person who can really answer this is yourself. Its a personal taste thing really .... do you want to weather after my taste?
If you have not seen them, Id really recommend borrowing or buying some of the MIG videos with step by step explanations. The first pigment DVD is particularily good as is the AK Interactive weathering with enamels. Both of these together, are great introductions and in-depth explanations on all the steps needed to achieve good weathering effects. Mig also made a video for Vallejo where only acrylic media is used if you have a preference to avoid oils/enamels, but the steps techniques are pretty similar.
Of course theres no magic supplied with the DVDs ... practise is also needed.

Thanks Frank. I am finished weathering, except for snow. I have some white pigment I intend to use. I did see a "winter effects" weathering system, but I can not remember where I saw it or who produces it.

hi Matt,
i am an old school modeler just so you know, i like to drybrush which is "out of fashion" for some and i try to weather right to the edge without covering the whole piece in mud. the suggestion to add a wash is just to add a bit more dimension to an already great model.

if you would like my opinion, i would use oil piants and mix raw umber with a touch of burnt sienna thinned with turpentine to make a weak wash that i would apply around the bolt head, edges, creases and recesses. i would use a clean brush damp with turp to blend this wash and to remove any tidemarks.

a quick search on this site found this article
https://armorama.kitmaker.net//features/782

washes are a fairly easy technique to master and can add a new level to your models. how much you use this and how many various colours/stages/transparent filters/oil spills you decide to go with is up to you... you may like the results or you may not. like many things, having the tool in the toolbox is handy, knowing how to use it is handy, but deciding when is the best time to grab it from the box is open to debate. cheers, bd.