Hi Guys.


Having recently got back into this hobby after a 12 month break i have set myself this weekend build. My goal is to finish this Marder III over the long weekend (5 days), starting today (Thursday night), i will hopefully get everything done....although i am thinking weathering may move into mid next week ><

As with any of my partial non completed builds of the past (sorry-im getting around to shipping these to myself to finish...i promise), the following build with be well documented for any potential builders, or people looking for some good shots of the sprues...etc.!

So.....picture time.

Box shots...sprue shots....ohhh ahhh detail.














DETAIL SHOTS!























Next Up, Building Begins....

Ok...sooo













Next Up, i started on some of the other details.....

The Grouser box has the holes done as small recesses....understandable.

But i am the way i am...i want holes.....sooo.









And...the finished box....



More to come tomorrow.

Also, for anyone that would like to know....this baby will be painted up German Grey...with a White winter coat done up over it (Hairspray technique)....then some heavy washes etc with 502 oils....filters and Mig powders.....

Cheers! and thanks for Looking!

Damian

I agree, the holes look much better when drilled out. This is a sweet little kit, still need to pick up both of the 1/48 Marders myself.

nice work so far,for me this wasn't the easiest kit,good luck on the rest

Thanks the replies guys!

Anything for me to look out for Anthony?

Cheers!

No,it was probably just me,a little different then your average tank build being open,and it was pretty small being 1/48

Day 2 and the little Marder III is complete.

The rear basket....its a little thick, but an overall good rendition of the real thing.





Tracks completed, they conform to the wheels very well and have been engineered perfectly.
The rear exhaust had a layer of Tamiya Putty, thinned with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, added. This added a slight texture and filled in the seams.
The exhaust hole was increased slightly.









The gun is very well done, and was the most challenging aspect of the kit.
Some of the parts are very fiddly and require some patience. I added a small hole in the rangefinder scope.



The inside details/plates of the gun have a few ejector marks, these were filled with some Tamiya Putty, again thinned with Cement.



Almost complete, some parts are omitted for painting purposes.









Tomorrow i'll get right into the painting!

Cheers!

Damian

Damian,

Looks good - nice build, and I like your toolbox work...

Scott

OK, so today i spent a good 6-8 hours on the kit. Started the morning off with Primer.





































Sorry about the photos, im really trying to figure out the best lighting, so that the images on screen match the colours in real life. At the moment im shooting with a little Powershot, SX100, with a A4 sheet behind the model and a large lamp infront.

Practice i guess...but im hoping to invest in a new camera and setup and match atleast the vibrance and detail i see on the white background in Tamiya modelling magazine etc....

The kit is almost finished!...day 3....not bad. I still have to finetune the weathering, blend everything together and add the rest of the smaller details!

CHEERS!

wow,fast progress,that whitewash looks really good.

That is very nice Damian! What technique did you use to create the whitewash?

Hairspray technique Jeremy, i used a TREsemme brand spray (Fine Mist).

This hairspray has Den Alcohol in it, so a protective layer must go on before you spray the HS.

You can use Future or Vellejo Varnish (what i used), or any other varnish of your choice.

After this has fully tried (45mins), i spray the HS, wait for it dry (30mins), and
then spray the white in areas where the crew would have placed it.

Then with warm water i work away at small areas, lifting the white paint.

I use a softer brush to blend areas, and then a very hard brush to replicate flaking.

Im starting my next project on Monday that will again use this method, a Stug III, however i will use red primer base coat,HS, then a German Yellow overcoat.

Cheers!!

Damian

Great explanation Damian, thanks!

Can this be applied over a matte varnish, or does it only work over a gloss varnish?

Looking forward to that Stug

Matte works fine, i used Vellejo Matt, and it worked perfect.!

Cheers!

A nice little build. The whitewash turned out very well.

Nice work - I like the whitewash in and out

Great, thanks Damian!

Updating pics after some more finishing!

Cheers