Been aching to build this kit for a few years, had it sitting in my basement for half a year, and now decided to get around to it.



Only 2 figures in so far, since the 250 will be a big project. But for now these two will do. End goal is a mix of that box art and this photograph-



I've got that great Tamiya kit with the WSS driver, and have an update kit for the bike.

The big project here was getting the figure's stance right. OOTB they're stiff and "meh" looking, but after a bunch of tiny adjustments...

IMG_3712 by mullinator7, on Flickr

IMG_3717 by mullinator7, on Flickr

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Did I intend for the NCO to have a head wound? Hell no, that's the result of stray superglue finding it's way into his eye. I tweaked them in a couple spots to make it look like they're out on the windy Hungarian plains. Heads are Alpine and Hornet. The Stg 44 guy was trickier to work with since I turned his torso a bit and re-worked his legs to give him a bit more of a turned around stance. Skeptical still of how their heads are sitting, but we will see. Over all I think they have a bit more of a natural stance?

More to come I hope, I may do the motorcycle & dispatch rider next before I begin painting anything.

Feels good to be back at the bench

-Conor

Hi Conor ,

it is good to see you posting again , Dragon figures with Alpine heads that's a great combination isn't.

I'm gonna follow this build for sure !

Remember don't forget to take your time

Cheers
Kurt

Good start!! I like these guys and you have made some vast improvements already. The MP44 guy should maybe have his noggin upright more and chin tucked into his shoulder? Try it yourself,you can see things better if your head is upright and aren't these guys in fact trying to see something?
Also,the ammo pouches for the 44 were pretty heavy when full and had a ring at the top middle to hook onto the front y strap. They also had a canvas strap going around the back connecting the two sets of pouches.
I know how you like to get stuff
right so that's why I'm typing in.
J

Conor, Great to see you back at your craft! Following this one for sure.

—mike

Thanks for the feedback and support fellas, it's nice to get back at this again.

The MP 44 figure has been adjusted as per Jerry's suggestion, but the past couple days have seen the motorcycle get finished up. Only used some of my Voyager PE kit, as it's impossible and I now have an outrageous respect for the dudes who practically build entire kits out of that stuff.

IMG_3739 by mullinator7, on Flickr

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Got a meager start on the driver as well...

IMG_3743 by mullinator7, on Flickr

Going to wrap most of his head in a scarf too. Overall, I'm really happy with the bike, it was worth the headache and raw fingertips.

-Conor

Yep,the bike turned out nice. It is a great little kit. I also hate those fiddly little PE parts and try to avoid them.
J

Im with you on the P.E. That stuff is fiddly.Great job so far.

Now why does this look so familiar??

I really need to dig up my build again, too...

Nice work!

I finished one of these off last year I'd had hanging about for a couple of years. It's a really lovely little kit when it's finished. I think all the internal detail gives it the edge. Figures are coming on nicely. Like yourself, I don't really like building OOB as they just look live everyone elses figures. If you're interested I'm thinking about submitting an Sdkfz 250/251 campaign as there's so many variants and as you've got one to build....

Another one, Karl?

Maybe because your old thread got the gears turning for me to start this build? Really though, that's probably a big reason I've started this. You should get yours going again! That looked great.

I might consider a campaign, however I don't have a terrific track record with them haha

-Conor

I did this??

Cool!

I had a peak in the box tonight. I was surprised to see I actually painted the interior already!
Right now I am working on a 1/18 figure and the 1/35 seems so tiny now. But expect an update soon!
Now you triggered me...

Yes, you're absolutely right, there's been a gap in progress, due in no small part to this:

IMG_3744 by mullinator7, on Flickr

Trouble is not exactly that, but rather the compressor. Anyone know of a cheapish one that I can use indoors? The one I've got now is loud as hell and the instructions say a lot about making sure I use it in a very open space...not a room in the basement. That said, it's below freezing quite often this time of year, so that's not an option. But I digress. In short, I'll take suggestions for a compressor.

But, I did get a jump on the 250

IMG_3745 by mullinator7, on Flickr

So far it's been a fairly fast paced build, I like it... Probably because I haven't tackled the wheels yet

Lastly, I'm considering adding a few more characters into the mix:

IMG_3746 by mullinator7, on Flickr

I don't want to add anymore frankenfiguers to this endeavor as I want to keep from getting bogged down in it all. If anything I may just add this fella.

IMG_3747 by mullinator7, on Flickr

He's a tad smaller than the others, but I think he's sculpted to be short... at least, that's the impression I've got.

Looking into the layout, I may put them at the foot of a bridge, or along a ditch. Kind of like these photos:


[IMG]http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t68/60buick/konrad_3.jpg" BORDER="0">[/img]

Unfortunately, there's not a huge abundance of pictures from that stage of the war available, so I'm going mainly off what I've read. Those new SS casualty figures from Stalingrad almost tempt me to buy them to scatter in a ditch along the road. It's a tad dark, but I read about a scene just like that in Russ Schneider's "Gotterdamerung." (Fun fact, that's probably my favorite WWII book I've read, and I've read a lot).

I will try to keep busy with this while I figure out the compressor.

-Conor

I really like what you are doing here!! You are correct,the intel about this part of the war is nowhere near as good as the earlier parts. For this stuff I rely on Mirko that posts over on ML. He is a huge expert on the Hungarian battle.
You picked some great figs to work with here!
J

Have you tried to find the book 'The history of the fifth SS Division'?
It is covering the end of thisdivision as well, including photos.

P.

Hi. I just got a Paasche DA400R Air Compressor with Auto Shutoff and Regulator after my Badger quit. About $160 free shipping off Amazon. I run this into a 8 gallon tank for an Iwata Neo at about 20 psi. Not too loud. Works great so far.


I like your figures!

Nice progress Conor !

Kurt

I bought a cheap compressor from Lowes that is used for nail guns,etc. I had to buy a hose adapter but it is a lot cheaper than airbrush compressors and.....you can fill your ties with it as well.
J

Alright, that compressor is on my "I need to get that right effing now" list, so I'll hopefully grab one next week.

Did some work on the recon officer from The Bodi, with an Alpine head. Wanted to use him to get back into the swing of painting, and try to give the face a cold appearance. Mixed success. This is sort of a step-by-step of my approach.

IMG_3754 by mullinator7, on Flickr
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I used the Holy Trinity of the 3 vallejo skin tones, with some burnt red and blue colors thrown in. Red, for the cheeks, blue to make his eyes baggy and give him a cold/tired look.

This is what he looks like now:

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I like him. Kinda. For the next two figures I'm going to try a different approach, we'll see where it goes. Up next are these two:

IMG_3776 by mullinator7, on Flickr

Just faces/skin tones for now, I'll have an AK paint set en route tomorrow so I can really kick in gear.

And, this is where the 250 stands:

IMG_3775 by mullinator7, on Flickr

So, it's starting to get fun.

-Conor

Faces! Just a small update, but this is likely the most notable work I'll get done in the next few days while I await my paint sets.

IMG_3777 by mullinator7, on Flickr

As before, the Holy Trinity of Vallejo skin tones, combined with some burnt red for cheeks, Uniform Green for baggy eyes and a sickly/cold look, and the same color for those piercing blue eyes.

IMG_3779 by mullinator7, on Flickr

He isn't quite finished- still needs eyes and a bit more highlights/shadows. I went back to Prussian blue to give his face that tired/cold look. His bandage and hair will be the harder things to paint, but they should really make him pop.

-Conor

Hi Conor, Those figgies look great! Just wondering how you're getting the acrylics to blend? And eyes? ... I'm not even going there.

—mike

Yeah man,your face paint is getting better and better! I forgot,did you get an optivisor?
J

Thanks guys!

@Mike The short answer? I have no idea. The long one is that I dilute them however much I need to (a little bit for base colors, a lot for highlights). I thin them out and more or less layer them so that I get a smooth transition from a highlight to a shadow or another color. It helps to sort of do a wash with your primary color (vallejo highlight, shadow, or basic flesh tone) to reel them all in so they all blend. Aside from that, I find myself sort of dry brushing them too. That's how I did the cheeks on them.

Sorry for the ramble, I think I confused myself trying to explain haha.

@Jerry- damn right. I love it, should have got one ages ago. Sometimes the optivisor does them justice, other times it makes me cringe!

-Conor

Well Conor ,

the face painting is very good , it really works for me and i think that you are the only one that paints with an '' cold effect '' technique ? So you are kind of unique in this matter. I love it , wish that i have your skills friend.

Kurt

Thanks Kurt! You & I both are dealing with cold atmosphere scenes.

In any case, the weather here (-7 F) is just what I need for diorama building. However, I haven't been able to bust out the airbrush yet, so progress has been little more than some figure painting.

IMG_3783 by mullinator7, on Flickr
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The Oak Leaf needs more detail, I can never seem to figure out a good technique for that scheme. I think he looks thoroughly pissed off however, and the head wound came out good.

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I may add to the dark spots on the M44, but overall, I'm very happy with this figure so far. You'll notice a little snafu on his back where the Y straps meet. That will take some clever work to fix.

Finally, I've started on one of the weary survivors from the battle that preceded this scene.

IMG_3790 by mullinator7, on Flickr

Panzer crewman, exhausted, out of breath, busted wrist/forearm. Alpine head, body is from the Dragon Eastern Front Tank Hunters, and grabbed an arm from my Frankenstein box. Just stuck the arms on for now, still needs an application of Green stuff to do the detail work. I'll use small wire as the chord to his headset. Should give the impression that he bailed out of his tank and didn't look back.

It's all coming together! Until I get the airbrush working I'm just going to stick figures together. Trying to populate this scene but not crowd it.

Thanks!

-Conor