After a few year hiatus and boredom setting in I have been getting back into model building. I am currently working on a Tasca Firefly I had built years ago but never got around to painting and weathering. I am looking for my next project.

I’ve always been fond of those odd ball vehicles of WW2, and the Ferdinand is one that really piques my interest. I’ve been looking around at sourcing a Ferdinand kit and saw that dragon is really my main option if I want a Ferdinand instead of an Elefant. I have only been able to locate a 2001 Dragon Ferdinand kit 6133. What is the main difference between this and the premium version? Is the 6133 kit a good one for both accuracy and someone with what I would probably label beginner to intermediate skill.

Finally what is a reasonable price for a kit like this?

Thank you in advance.

The premium kits tend to be the same release with added PE and perhaps different tracks.

I am building the Amusing Hobby version of the Ferdinand.
It is a hit and miss kit.

The best Ferdinand that I built many moons ago was the Cyber hobby kit 6436.It came with photo etch fenders/metal barrel and magic tracks but the decals for only the one vehicle.

The Ferdinand/Elefant is one of my favorite AFVs of WWII and have built a number of them. The Cyber Hobby 6436 is very nice, with metal barrel and photoetch and based off of this photo: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/germany/tanks-2-3/elefant_ferdinand/ferdinand-150100/


Good luck finding one tho. I got mine off ebay.

Amusing Hobby has put out the latest Ferdinands and they have interiors. How accurate? Unless they got a real one to compare it to who knows? I've one with the crane on order but hung up in China right now.

https://www.how-amps.org/amusing-hobby-35a030-135-sdkfz184-ferdinand-16t-strabokran-full-interiorclear-roof-parts

Another odd-ball vehicle is the Japanese take on the Ferdinand concept:
https://www.modellbau-koenig.de/Fahrzeuge/Militaer-1-35/Panzer/Panzer-WK-II-Achse/Verbuendete/IJA-Experimental-Gun-Tank-Type-5-Ho-Ri-II

Is that a twin IJN 25mm AA gun at the back of the superstructure?

looks like it

Another oddball I just discovered that has really piqued my interest is the AFV club Churchill Mk III Dieppe version. This kit is actually fairly easy to find and on sale right now. I live less than 20 minutes away from the armoury and now museum for the Calgary regiment which supplied the armor for the Dieppe raid. I may go with this kit since it holds a special link to my hometown.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good match for SCC2 paint that I can paint by hand? I don’t have an air brush and don’t model enough to shell out big bucks on one. I normally use tamiya spray paint for the body and do detail work by brush. I don’t think there is a good spray match for SCC2 so will probably fully hand paint this one

Cheap airbrushes work just fine for basic coverage so there is no need for the expensive ones.
Compressors also come cheap if noise is not an issue,
otherwise there is always spare tires

Any suggestions on a good airbrush kit for a beginner? Not looking to spend too much. The model kit alone is $100 shipped to my door after USD conversion as I couldn’t find one in Canada.

I will probably build 1-2 kits a year, though my other interest is german armor and I know an airbrush will help with camo schems as well. I am not opposed to also picking up an airbrush but don’t want to shell out 200-300 on one

I built the 6133 kit back around 04-05. I thought it was a good kit and it isn’t too difficult to build. Taking the tracks off the spruces was probably the worst part.
I think the Paasche VL series airbrushes are good for a starter. It was my first airbrush that I bought and I still use, mainly for base coats . Some like gravity feed better then siphon feed. The needles and tips are easy to damage ( not sure if all ABs are like this, as I have only used Paasche.) Making sure the paint is throughly thinned and mixed does make a difference.
Get the kit with the 3 needles and nozzles for fine lines

I second the Paasche VL, good starter/general purpose airbrush and you can find it for around $75. But no matter what you do get a water trap! You'll be sorry if you don't. And yes, all airbrush needles are fragile, some more than others.

Once you try airbrushing you will be hooked.
I spent more than 30 minutes brush painting all the nooks and corners of the chassis of an M1 tank, and then the same tedious procedure for a Leopard 1. With my firt cheap airbrush I got far better results on the chassis of an M48, in less than two minutes ....
With cleaning the airbrush and everything I still saved more than 20 minutes for a tank chassis. Afeter a while the cleaning went faster as well. It also saved on paint ...
/ Robin

Thanks for the help guys. I think I’ll probably go with the Churchill Kit since it holds a special tie to where I live!

I’ll probably also go with an airbrush since I will either get tamiya’s nashorn or a Ferdinand at some point and the camo schemes seem to come out much nice with an airbrush


As an aside, if I bought this airbrush kit from the same place I’ll order the Churchill, what else do I need to get airbrushing?

https://houseofhobbies.com/collections/all/products/paasche-vls-airbrush-set

Paint
Thinner to suit paint
Patience
Some basic hand-eye-finger coordination skills
A supply of compressed air.
Adapter to connect the airbrush hose to the air supply.

The El-Cheapo way is to fill a spare tire and then go back for refills at the service station when the air pressure runs out. You will typically use air at 20-25 psi so a pressure control valve will be needed.
If noise isn't an issue then there are cheap compressors, they rattle like a machine gun nest but when the tank is filled you can airbrush for a while before you need to start up the compressor again.
With a large tank you get longer sessions before the noise has to come on again.
Most compressors come with a pressure regulator and a oil/moisture trap.
You could also buy high pressure air (scuba tanks) or CO2-cylinders. CO2 is dry and oil free, also witout any noise. Compressed air (scuba tanks) could have moisture so a water trap could be needed.
There are also silen compressors (silent as in same noise level as your fridge, mine can still startle the sh*t out of me when I am in deep concentration and total silence and suddenly it starts). The silent ones are more expensive, like 4-5 times and upwards.
It all comes down to how much you want

Cheers everyone! Found the kit for $60 and the airbrush on sale from the same retailer for $80, gonna order both to save on shipping! Now to find a cheap compressor

You can find reasonable compressors with, or without, holding tanks at Canadian Tire. Sometimes they have a deal of a hobby compressor with a basic airbrush.

Scored a Passche D500 on kijiji for $50.

Now just to wait for all this kit to show up. Pretty excited for modelling again. Always wanted an airbrush

Basic requirements for compressor:
1. Tank, 2 gallons is enough
2. Pressure regulating valve to allow you to adjust the pressure of the air delivered to the airbrush, the pressure in the tank will be higher, if you spray at 20 psi the tank might hold 115 psi ..
3. Pressure controlled power switch. This allows the compressor to run until it has filled the tank to 115 psi. When you use the air the pressure in the tank drops until the motor starts again, usually around 85 psi.
This also allows the motor to cool off and prolong its life
4. Oil/water trap, not totally essential since these can be retrofitted but it is easier if they are already included.
This one almost has all the required bells and whistles:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/California-Air-Tools-1-0-Gal-Light-and-Quiet-Steel-Tank-Electric-Portable-Air-Compressor-1P1060S/300500747
The knob with the red ring is the outlet air pressure control valve. Above it is the pressure gauge for outgoing air. The big black box in the middle is the pressure controlled power switch. To the right of is the tank pressure gauge. The valve below the tank is for dumping oil ad condesation water that might have gathered in the tank. The brass fitting on the left is the quick connect to attach the airbrush hose

Oil/water filters can be had separately or as combined fittings with pressure gauge and pressure regulator
One example: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/52612601-1-4-bsp-air-compressor-regulator-moisture-trap-oil-water-separator-filter-lubricator
Just the filter: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-4-in-Air-Compressor-Filter-HDA70403AV/100027474
Filter and pressure regulator to mount inline on hose (vertical mounting is recommended): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32832896961.html?channel=pinterest
Bunch of different filters:
https://nz.dhgate.com/compressor-water-filter-new-zealand.html

Google search: https://www.google.com/search?q=compressor+oil+water+filter&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi00czP0_XoAhWC0KYKHXURCkoQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1677&bih=884#imgrc=FR8SgoZ1-857JM

Might go the CO2 route. My brother in law works for a gas supply place so I could probably get a cylinder cheap. Am I correct that for a CO2 setup I just need the tank, a regulator and the connection?

I think so. I haven't used that setup so others here in this forum would know more about it.

What do you find miss on this kit?

CO2 tank just don't run out mid session

I'd like to know more as well as I was really looking forward to building a Ferdinand with a full interior.

My dad has a 3 gallon Husky compressor he doesn’t use anymore so I’ll buy it off him for cheap. Just need a water trap now.

I’ll probably get a Ferdinand kit when I’m done the Churchill as well now. One thing that always kept me from German armor was my inability to do convincing German camo without an airbrush. I’ve hand painted a bit of camo but it always looked to rigid with sharp edges. That and I am also really interested in the Tamiya Nashorn but don’t want to do a winter scene so would need to find some summer crew members