Hi All,
Conor, thanks for the head's up, but I already have the New World Miniatures set for the vehicle. I'm not sure if I'm going to use them, but it's good to have them in the stash.
Well, tonight's work was pretty minute. That is, I was dealing with lots of tiny details. Here's where I stand right now. I think this is some significant progress.



I didn't go buck wild with the PE, although the Eduard set is pretty extensive. I'm keeping to the big stuff and only using the really tiny details when they enhance what's already there (ie. hinges). The wife is out of town this weekend, so I'll have some time to make some progress.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
It's Monday again and here's the weekend's update. I was able to get a bunch of stuff done on the gun, which with PE is about 100% better. I was able to prime a bunch of the parts and get a coat of Panzer gray, just to make sure that everything got painted.



I also started on the tracks. It took about 30 min to do this section and I'll be doing an extra half hour every session to get these done and out of the way.



On Sunday was when I really got some momentum going. I got the gun together on its mount:





I then moved on to the gun shield and shell case cage. I used the Eduard parts for the gun shield, with Grandt line lift rings.



The shell case cage was really fiddly and I needed to let it dry before continuing construction. Also, the instructions pretty much sucked by this point, not telling you that the mesh needed to go on the INSIDE of the frame!





Of course, here the obligatory shot of the tracks, now double in length.



So that's where I stand as I head off to the bench tonight.
Regards,
Georg

Comming along just great Georg
The PE work looks awesome and frightning
looking foward to your next post.

Regards
Horst

Horst,
Thanks! The Pe wasn't too bad. I just needed to take my time. I was able to get the gun shield attached and the catridge case basket finished. I need to paint it and underneath it first before it gets attached, but the gun, for all intents and purposes is done. I need to work on the tracks more and get some smaller details done, but this one is almost ready for paint. I'll post the current status tonight.
Regards,
Georg

Georg,

I have memories of building this one when it was first released...DML set a record for the number of errors in the instructions (every step had at least one mismarked part or similar error IIRC) but with patience it builds up into a nice kit. Looks like you've got this one moving along nicely. Have you decided on the markings scheme for it yet?

So will this end up in a diorama? I really like this build and it (IMO) would look great in one. You really have incredible patience for that PE. I could never do that, at least not at 17 hahaha.

-Conor

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, the instructions really suck, but at least there are pictures to work from.
Bill: from what I've been able to find (and there isn't much) there were probably less than 50 built. 9 or so were deployed to Africa with the HG division. Since they deployed in November 1942, I'm thinking of doing it up in a late Africa scheme: Africa brown and dark gray.
Conor: I'm not sure if this will be placed in a diorama (I have space constraints), but i do plan on doing some figures for it. I got the New World Miniatures set for this beast, so I plan doing those over the summer. I'm not much of a figure painter, so I'm a little reticent to dive in on that just yet.
Regards,
Georg

When I built mine, I went with the HG Africa scheme as well. Just provided more opportunities vs. the straight panzer gray IMHO. Look forward to seeing what you do regardless.

Hi All,
I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I have not been idle! Here's where things stand right now (even if alot of it is only dry-fitted for the pictures).



The gun and platform are dry-fitted, but the doors are glued in place. The retaining arms drove me nuts and I ended up breaking them, not helped by the near-useless instructions. It turned out I was missing the mounting brackets on the upper hull (which I missed, not the instructions' fault). So, I replaced them with some styrene rod and stretched sprue. They're not perfect, but they do look the part and not quite so flimsy.



Also, as you can see, I got the gun shields mounted, so those are done. I hope to get paint on this thing over the weekend and then start weathering next week.



This one is going to be close, but I THINK this one might make it to AMPS. We'll see. Right now the first coat of black primer is drying on the running gear and front wheels. I'm hope to get the rest of the priming done tonight.
Regards,
Georg

Those arms look really good. I built one of these kits a while back and I remember the ares were fairly flimsy. Did you make them straight or did you replicate the curve in those arms?

Just curious. Looks good. What camo are you thinking?

Mark,
I just went with straight arms. As to camo, I'm planning on dark gray with Afrika brown over it. The only unit to use these things was Hermann Goering, so I'm pretty limited to unit selection.
Regards,
Georg

I have this kit, and I am wondering about the rear bench seats. I would think, those would be left out. I think this vehicle was converted for this use,so maybe those seats would be superfluous.

Carl,
Actually the instructions give you a choice. But I was afraid that the locating holes might still be visible after construction, so I didn't want to chance it. The folding type seats were probably correct, but pictures are so scarce and the interior so cramped, it's anyone's guess. Besides, I'm too far along to change anything now! So that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
I haven't posted in a bit, but that does not mean that I have been idle. Since we last met, I have primed, painted and prepped the model for decals. Here's where things stand:









I was also able to paint the gun:





The rear doors also got painted. I'm going to need to paint the fire extinguisher (yes, I know it shouldn't be red).



I shot a coat of gloss onto it this morning, so it should be ready for decals tonight. Again, I'm going to decal it as part of the Hermann Goering division in Tunisia in the early spring of 1943. The camo scheme was made up of various grays from Tamiya and the camo pattern was made up of XF-59 desert yellow. I had originally planned to us a Modelmaster enamel, but cleaning the airbrush would have been a pain, so went with the water-soluble acrylic. More's on the way, so stay tuned!
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
With less than a week left until AMPS, I've had to step up my game! Since the last update, I've sealed the model with gloss, decalled it, sealed it again with gloss and finally hit it with flat. The decals came from a number of sources, including the necessary custom-made front license plate (the original disintegrated when it hit the water. I also gave it an overall filter, followed by a pin wash! Yes, i have been busy. Somewhere in there, I was able to complete the tracks:



The gun has been permanently mounted and an extra couple of ammo can added:



The decals depict a vehicle from the 6th company of the Hermann Goering division, marked as a light aint-aircraft battery.



I used an ochre overall filter to show dust in the recesses and I like the look, especially against the dark Panzer Gray.



You can seen one of the added ammo cans in this view.



Here are the road-wheels after being filtered and pin-washed:



And here are the front wheels and a drive sprocket:



Finally, you are supplied with a couple of magazines for the gun. I painted them dark green and gave them a dark pin-wash:



So, there you have it. The model has just been "dot filtered" and is drying. I'll be applying dust-colored pastels tomorrow to complete the look. With a little luck, I'll be mounting this on the base Monday evening. Whew!
Regards,
Georg

Winner!!!!!!! Georg
She looks awesome and the camo is spot on
cant wait tosee the dust
Great job as always.
Regards
Horst

What's a pin wash? Whatever it is, it worked.
Looks amazing
-Conor

Conor,
A pin wash is a thick wash that is used around raised details. It's thin enough to be pulled down around detail and seams (like around the hood, for instance), but not so thin it goes everywhere (like a filter). I use pin washes for shadows and dirt to highlight details, seams, bolt heads, etc. Usually, I use van Dyke's brown or raw umber thinned w/turnpenoid (don't use enamels and regular thinner as they dry too fats and end up glossy. HTH.
Regards,
Georg

Hi All,
Well, the model made it to AMPS and Replicon last weekend. Here's a shot:



I hasn't won a thing, but it's one of my favorite vehicles, so I'm happy. On to the next project!
Regards,
Georg

Hi Georg,
I saw this at the AMPS show. I thought it looked really good in person.

Nice finish on this one Georg, enjoyed following along.