Fresh off the workbench, my Neubau Fahrzug (or as I like to call it "NuB FuZ" ). For your perusal and criticism. The only things I added was wire for the turret handholds and stretched sprue for the antenna.






This shot is to illustrate the fact that even though German tanks were still being camoflaged with brown over gray in AprilMay 1941, in B/W photos, the brown completely disappears leading many modellers to assume the tanks were in overall Panzer Gray:

Enjoy!

Typo!! I meant April/May 1940!

Hmmm...no comments or criticism? Does this mean everyone loves it, or everyone hates it??

Is that the 1:35 or 1:72 kit?.I am sorry to say that the pictures are too dark to really get a good look. Maybe a good light source on it would help. I know I have had problems trying to get good photos with my camera and it was always the lighting that helped the most.

Leo,

I'm afraid that I have to agree with Josh (Axis23) that the images are pretty dark and not the clearest. I've built and reviewed this one so I know what it's all about. From what I can determine, it looks pretty good. The colouring is pretty problematic as there are few and poor pictures of this tank on the Web. The builder has to use a certain artistic license in painting. One thing that I must say is that I never saw a picture where the muffler is as rusted as yours appears. However, that's pretty much up to the individual. To see mine just go to Neubau Build.

Cheers,
Jan

G'day! Great work, especially given the scale. The last time I built a Braille scale was when I was 12 (I am now 54) and the only show in town for me was Airfix kits and Humbrol paints from the local news agency. My hat is off to you mate!

With regard to the camouflage application, I imagine that the spray application of the red-brown over panzer grey is at the modellers discretion, but was this actually sprayed on or brushed on in reality at this early stage in the war? Were the edges of the camouflage pattern hard and defined or soft and indistinct or both depending on the time and place of application? Any ideas or references?

You'd have to consult a vet. They were painted in Germany before shipping to Norway. You'll get people claiming they were brush painted, and people claiming they were spray painted, so any discussion is pretty pointless. Plus the fact, as I demonstrated, that brown on gray almost disappears in B/W photos makes distinction of either hard-edge, or soft-edge, almost impossible to tell.

Christian, I believe that this type of camouflage was applied at the factory and was sprayed on, and although not masked, the edge is quite tightly defined. There's some nice photos of a SdKfz263 (8rad) in the Panzer Tracts book 13-2, showing a brand new vehicle at the factory with this pattern.

Biggles, the tank looks neatly done, and I think the camo is as per the illustration on the box art? Not sure myself if the photos are too dark - it's this thing of photographing dark grey vehicles, it's just not that easy in fact, brightening things up can give a false impression of the darkness of the real colour. Personally I think it's one reason why you don't see too many grey vehicles in the modelling technique books.

On the photo, I would say that one thing that makes it quite hard to see is the depth of field is shallow, so that not all of the model is in focus.

Overall, I like it, the dirt coming out of the chutes is well done as are the tools and details, and the streaking on the body. The rust on the exhaust does look very bright, and also just slightly wonder about the way that the tyres look very much the same colour as the rest of the vehicle.

You wanted feedback...

You're right... just because the 263 in the photo I have was done that way doesn't mean that this tank was done in the same way... though I have seen other vehicles in the scheme that also look like they are factory done.

Is this easier to see? My original photos, even though maybe harder to see, have the gray color closer to actual Panzer Gray. These following are easier to see, but the gray color is now too light.

Thanks. I think the question of the camo is a discussion in itself. I would trust Volstad's artwork, but what did he use as reference? As shown, brown over gray, in B/W photos, are almost indistinguishable, and usually just look like dirty or oily spots. And most 70+ yr old color or colorized photos are unreliable due to age and fading. I will try toning down the rusty exhaust with some black pigments. As for the rubber tires, when they are covered with dust, don't look black anymore. I know, excuses...excuses!

Yup... totally agree, that dark grey is very difficult to see well in photos without distorting the real colour.

Also agree about how hard it is to see the brown / grey camo; that is the unusual thing about the 263 photos I have is that you actually can see it quite clearly (brand new vehicle, good lighting, photographed at the factory, not in some field or on operations somewhere...) Interesting in your B&W photo above that the brown comes out darker than the grey - I wouldn't have guessed that it would be that way round.

Maybe if I were to lighten the B/W photos the results might be different.

@Biggles2 – Leo,

I think you did a magnificent job on your rendition. I like the rain streaks and built up dirt on the running gear. Also, great job on the camouflage pattern and weathering. I do think that the rust is a little on the bright side but this could work to your advantage if you carefully dry brush light tan over the areas on the exhaust that accumulate the most amount of heat. This should tone down the rust color leaving it look more natural.


In this example the exhaust manifolds are painted black then dry brushed a dark brown, followed with a bit of light rust and finally the light tan. Rust seems to accumulate easier and look brighter on horizontal surfaces like on the exhaust manifolds on your build. Just use your best judgment and not over do the light tan dry brushing, keep it transparent to allow the rust to show through. Try it on a scrap piece before ruining your hard work on the build!
~ Eddy

I darkened the exhausts with Track Brown and Black Smoke Mig Pigs, followed by a light dusting of Rust again. Looks better. I could still pop off the exhausts, strip them, and start over! Very nice job on your Tiger - what figures are those... Preisers?

Looks great! The new photo makes a world of difference. I realized now that this was under braille scale, so forgive me for the scale question.

@Biggles2 - Leo,

Yes, the figures are from Preiser. My first attempt at figures in this scale, won't be the last. They are kit bashed from one of their sets (Tiger I tank on the box art). Hope this helps? Thanks for the kudos on the tank, much appreciated.

~Eddy

Preiser 1/72 set #72507