Hi
So after a 5 year break I have just got to the last stages of this build, I have used many new techniques with this including filters (yellow ocher), oil washes, scratches, gloss varnish for the decals, first time successfully getting a 3 tone cam etc. etc.

The kit itself is more or less out of the box and is absolutely superb.

I have not applied the matt varnish to finish it yet so if there are any other things I could try to finish it that would be much appreciated. I have tried to not go too over the top on weathering and chipping as these didn't really see much service as far as I can tell, I believe only 50 went into service and a good number of those were knocked out in the first few days of Normandy!

Thanks

Well, you've got a tank from the third company of 503rd Schwere Panzer Abteilung. Its career was very brief, so don't go nuts weathering it. They were training on the new tank at Mailly le Camp, east of Paris, when the German front in Normandy collapsed in August. They drove through the city and attempted to locate the rest of the battalion, but were ordered to support a Luftwaffe field division against advancing US forces. They lost all their vehicles in short order, and the personnel retreated. The battalion reformed at Paderborn in September, and received new vehicles before heading for Budapest. Two of the "Porsche" Tigers broke down at Mailly and missed the battle, but were recovered through the efforts of Lieutenant von Rosen, and served with the battalion in Hungary.

Curious...what was your masking method, silly putty, or similar?

Hi, yes a new method for me after a lot of research I mixed a couple ideas together and used thin rolls of Blu tac to make the outline then covered with masking tape, for this particular camo I sprayed the yellow then used the rolls and sprayed brown then masked the whole outline area (covering the brown as well) then sprayed the green, I got barely any bleed as well so I was quite pleased!