Heyo everyone

Like many here I was a somewhat productive modeler in my youth and have recently returned to the hobby. Since I started building again I've been lurking here and found some great advice and incredible inspiration. So naturally I figured the best way to dive into the community is to humiliate myself with a build log.

-- Semi-brief background on my return to the hobby - If you're just here for the embarassing pictures, skip down --

A while back my oldest and I started playing World of Tanks on our iPads, and I figured I'd use the game as a way to introduce him to modeling as something we could do together. So we built (well, I built, he painted) a Airfix Matilda, and that was enough to get me hooked back into things.

So next I picked up a Pegasus KV-1/KV-2 pack. They were ridiculously easy to put together and stupidly small for my eyes and hands, so I swore off anything 1:72/76 scale ever again.

Next I bit off a bit more than I really should have with an Academy Mig-29UB (two-seater). While I wouldn't classify it as a difficult model, it definitely had its idisyncrosies that took me some time and effort to figure out.

Scaling back a bit I put together a Tamiya 20mm Flakvierling. That was a fun little kit, and I made my first serious attempts at weathering on it (just some fading, rust stains and oil spills). When I showed it to my wife she said "Oh! It looks old," so I guess it didn't go completely awry.

That brings me to today where I am in the process of building a Tamiya Panther. Yes, that Panther, the one that is out of proportion, missing road wheels, and the like. I figured at this point I'm more in need of cheap plastic to play with that definitive accuracy, so it was hard to argue with the price. And frankly, anyone who's likey to see it I could probably tell them it was a Tiger and they'd believe me.

-- The good (by which I mean bad) stuff starts here --

So this will be my first build log. My goal is to make a Panther-ish looking tank. I plan on doing a desert camo, though going along with my complete disregard for accuracy, I am using the yellow, brown and drab colours I have handy, not necessarily the correct ones.

In the vein of doing things cheap, I'm hand brushing everything in enamels. At this point I'm basically a straight out of the box builder, though some of the things I've seen here are definitely giving me ideas for going beyond that.

Enough yammering from me. I look forward to chatting with you and sucking the knowledge from your brains. If nothing else, let this blog be an inspiration to someone else just starting - you can definitely suck at this and still have fun.

Cheers.


Lower hull and rear panel assembled. Sprockets and idlers are not yet glued.


Upper hull and accessories. This is my first attempt at painting before finishing assembly. Everything I've done before has been fully built before it saw a touch of paint.


Turret. I'm building this buttoned up. I painted my share of Warhammer figurines back in the day, and didn't feel like doing them this time.


Main assemblies, primed. After the Mig 29, this thing has built up like a dream. Very easy to assemble. The only weird thing was the small hole at the rear centre had nothing to plug it - it would have been open to the interior. Not sure if that's intended, but I found some spare plastic and plugged it underneath.


Undercoats on the upper hull. This is my first time playing with those. Also, first base coat on the road wheels. Will definitely need at least two coats. I think the hardest thing about this project will be keeping the road wheels organized. Green bits are the Churchill my son is working on.

So there you have it. Stay tuned, as it's only going to get worse....

Whilst I understand you're just getting back into the hobby and are relearning your skills I don't understand your rationale re your paints. You've said that they're the wrong colours but are going to use them anyway. For what a couple of jars of Tamiya acrylic costs, wouldn't it make sense to get those and do it properly rather than bodge it so it looks wrong. It just doesn't make any sense to me to deliberately do something wrong. Just saying.

Hi Mark,

Well now that we’ve got the pleasantries out of the way, may I humbly welcome you on behalf of the other guys to the best armour modelling site in the allegedly civilised world.

I was particularly amused by (a) the way you write (b) the fact that like you I returned to the hobby in early middle age (sorry if you’re not quite there yet) and chose that very same kit. It was/is certainly only good for practice but that’s the first step on what could/should be an enjoyable hobby. So do what you like & forget about accuracy – as Panthers never went near the North African campaign you’re off to a stellar start - may I recommend pink with lime green polka dots.

Before the air-brush cohorts get on your case, if it’s any comfort, 20+ years later about 90% of all the kits I’ve made are hand-brushed & you’ll never find a single brush-stroke.

And that Tamiya Panther (first issued 1969 if memory serves) – after relegation to a drawer when I finally learned how diabolically wrong it is – made a worthy comeback as a burnt-out wreck. You may one day feel like doing the same to yours but meanwhile, just have fun and good on you for raising your head over the parapet - I'll lend you my helmet.

Cheers,

Tim

Welcome back. Rule #1-Build what and how you like and have fun. Rule #2-See Rule #1 above. This is especially true if you are just getting back into the swing of things and want to work on sharpening your skills and improving your techniques. Once you have these down then you can begin to obsess over how many rivets might be missing or in the wrong place or whether the color paint you are using is half a shade too dark or too light. Also with the state of the hobby now cost becomes a major factor for many. Its easy to have $150-300 into a kit before you know it, and you can't eat it when its finished. Just my lousy two cents.

Hi, Mark!!!

Welcome back to "The Hobby"! Despite all of the pleasure, frustration and learning-curves, IMO, it's a worthwhile endeavor. I myself, prefer to call it "My Sickness"...

Just a little bit of info regarding your model- Panthers were never used in a "desert environment", such as in North Africa. Your use of the German "ti-color" camo scheme was used in more temperate climates, such as found in Europe and/or Russia... Just keep in mind that this "tr-color" camo didn't start being used until February of 1943. Also, there were MANY different tonal variations in these three colors, and MANY different methods of their application, as well as MANY different camo-patterns that were used by the Germans during WWII. I think that it would be reasonably safe to say that after February of 1943, virtually NO TWO GERMAN TANKS OR VEHICLES WERE EVER PAINTED IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY DURING WWII... There were slight variations in camo-scheme patterns, even on brand-new vehicles just leaving their respective manufacturing plants... DON'T get me started on all the different variations of plain-old US Olive Drab!

I agree with the other modellers in this thread that you (and your wife) would probably be happier if you switched to using the TAMIYA Acrylic paints. They don't stink up the whole house like enamels and lacquers do...

Also, they're much safer, as far as your home environment and your personal health are concerned, and they don't leave brush marks, as noted by the aforementioned "other modellers" in this thread.

Just to mention it, I personally prefer to use the TESTORS Model Master II Enamels for my own reasons, which are lengthy, and which really have no relevance to this topic of conversation.

As a "re-beginner", I'm sure that you will enjoy the hobby, and it's corresponding "learning curve" as you build more models and gain more experience. Don't be afraid to try new techniques, and don't hesitate to post your subsequent projects. Ask ANY questions you like, and DON'T feel embarrassed to ask them- That's what we're all here for. Even the most EXPERIENCED modellers among us will ask questions periodically...

Hi Mark,

Welcome back to the hobby. That Panther will make for a fun cheap build. Like the other gentlemen have said, just do what you like and have fun. I just recently go into this hobby and I love it.

Cheers,
Dustin

BTW, like you may have noticed, there are many many knowledgable people here that are very willing to help and answer questions. Which I feel, is invaulable.

Hi, welcome back!

Just try to have fun. Everything else comes alone.....

Regards from the south
Alvaro

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I look forward to learning more from you all.

To why I didn't pick up the proper colours? Well,
1. The kit's dodgy enough as is.
2. I'm a cheap bastard
3. Even if I got them they'd be similar to shades I already have
4. I didn't want to wait until I got down to the shop or for shipping.

So in short, expedience.

Dennis, you are of course correct. This will be an attempt at something tri-tonish, along the lines of the dot pattern here: http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3318

Of course, you'll see my yellow is waaaaaay too bright, I guess someone at the factory wanted to make a target out of this tank.



Every time I paint a first coat on something I freak out over how hideous it looks. No exception here.


Two coats looks a bit better, but still needs some work. Also have the base coat on the tracks down and most of the accessories.

As a newbie here myself I'm anxious to see how you get on with this.

I myself come from Automotive replicas only just recently and have just finished my first build so I'm certain to get some critiques there. Keep on plugging away and I'll be watching with interest.

Bob

Don't sweat the brightness of the yellow. If you decide to weather it using a wash, you will be surprised by how much it will tone down your base colors. If you decide not to weather it it's no big deal as this is simply a build to get you back into the swing of things. As long as you are satisfied with your effort that is all that really matters.

Alright, things are progressing.


Here it is with the base coats complete, including on the tracks. No dots added yet.


Road wheel (some of the tires painted by my daughter) and tracks with my initial attempt at pastels. I love the texture they give, but this wasn't the colour I wanted, again too yellow.


Accessories attached to the hull. Dry fit of the hull halves and road wheels. Tracks still yellow.


Redid the pastels on the tracks getting a more reddish brown. Also did a light silver dry brush. Basically followed the ideas in the "How to paint tracks" thread in the painting forum, and it worked bananas. The dot pattern is now applied. I used a toothpick as an applicator, and it didn't come out terribly even.


Assembled. Some touch ups needed where the hull halves meet and on the barrel lock. Not sure what (if anything) I'll do about the gap where the hulls meet.


Clear coated, decaled, and tow ropes hung. Have to say these decals were a dream compared to the last ones I used (Acadamey Mig 29UB). No problems at all with these.

While a long way from where I want to be, and with many issues even my untrained eye can see, I'm reasonably happy with how it's coming along for my first big tank. Even in this state it's already miles ahead of anything I did as a teenager. Now to beat it up and wear it down.

Good start but you will have to invest in an airbrush and compressor.

At this point, an airbush is a long way off. But I'm still having fun without one, so we'll see where things go. And Dragline, I look forward to seeing some of your pictures. Thanks for chiming in, my main goal of posting this is to show that it's okay to try, fail, and generally suck at this stuff while (re)learning.

Progress still must progress, so here is the progression.



Two filters applied over the base coat. First was a darker shade of the brown used for the camo, second coat was the same but with some added sand. I struggle with filters as they are so subtle it's hard to tell what difference it's making. I like doing the hull and turret separately just so I can directly compare things filtered vs. unfiltered. That said, it had the intended effect of toning down the main yellow so I was happy.



With the filters on, I tried adding some chipping. This was just using a beat up brush and a convenient shade of gray. I haven't advanced to hairspray yet.



Streaking with oils. If my filters were subtle, my streaking was not. At this point only the one side of the turret has been done.



Streaking completed all over now.



Along with some slight fading on the upper turret and hull decks.



I may have gone a bit overboard, but now she's definitely a dirty girl.

Next steps - a bit more rust, then pin washing and dry brushing.

And I think I'm going to call her done now.

Finished it off with pin washes to add contrast (this is always my favorite part, it just makes the details pop so much), a little bit of dry brushing here and there, and then I tried adding some dirt/dust using pastels.


Front view. The pastels seemed to partially melt away after I gave the final clear coat. From what I can tell from some googling, this is inevitable. though there are ways to reduce its impact. But still kept a fair bit visible on the front. This time I basically just dabbed it on, next time I'll try bushing it in harder as well.


Closer view of the front muck.


Tried to get a fair bit in the roadwheels, but this stuff seemed to disappear the most.


And a few oil stains on the rear deck.

Given what I put into it, I'm happy with how this turned out. Construction was great, though I did have a few errors there (AA ring and driver's vision port).

Now that I've built one, I definitely prefer working in 1/35 scale for armour - no more 1/72. Too finnicky, and the larger models just have such a better presence.

It was fun to try the different techniques on a larger model, and see how they work. It definitely gives me more confidence on how to approach future builds. Next up will be a PaK 35/36 gun for the Tank Hunters campaign.

For all you new or returning builder, you can do this! Everything I did on this tank I learned just from reading articles here and watching a few videos. Did I get it all right? Hell no. But I got something that looks approximately like a Panther, and a good feel for how to improve next time. Don't hold back, just get in there!

Hey Mark,

Well done – given your starting point I think it’s a bravura performance! Forgetting about the shortcomings of the Tamiya kit itself, I’d only want to give it a super-dulled dilute wash of dirty dark yellow to take the contrast down several notches and remove the gloss. Or then again just leave it alone now & try the flat/matt effect on your next project, what matters most is enjoying and/or learning like I hope we all are.

And while an airbrush can be very handy indeed sometimes, it is NOT essential provided you use brushes to apply very thin coats so the fine detail parts don't get glooped up - you can always add another coat later.

Cheers, Tim

A very solid effort for getting back into the swing of things. As long as you had fun nothing else really matters at this point. Naturally, as you refine your skills and techniques your builds will improve. Hand painting is a severely limiting factor at this point especially in doing a multi color cammo., but as you have stated an airbrush and compressor are a ways off yet. When the time comes you can get plenty of opinions and suggestions of this forum. Look forward to seeing more of your work and hope you keep having fun.

Good first effort in 1/35th. Now you are hooked and only repeated efforts will result in improving your skills and increasing your satisfaction as htey grow. Welcome.