Hey there,
this is the Hetzer that I have been working on. It is finished the paint stage and will undergo vigorous weathering.
The kit is the DML Hetzer MID (actually late) with a Verlinden interior. Other AM includes the Aber update and fenders, Moskit exhausts, Karaya towcables and Fort Duquesne wheels, among other scratch accessories.
All comments and criticisms are welcome.









Andrew

Andrew,

Howdy! Nice to see you post your master piece here. I really admire your technique about the interior part of the Hetzer. And also the camo pattern, how did you achieve it? Are they hand painted or airbrushed? Could you share with us?

Hey Steve, long time no hear.

The camo scheme was achieved by airbrushing the dark yellow coat, masking with blue tack, airbrushing the brown coat, again masking with blue tack and finally airbrushing the green coat.

Andrew

Andrew,

Thanks for sharing your technique. I do learn a lot from you! By the way, how many blue-tack you have used on the kit?

Looking great Andrew. The interior is excellent. I cant really comment on colours at the moment as I have no red so everything looks black ochre and green. I just love the dirty feel of the inside. The building is first rate and all the AM products add so much .... pity it loses so much of the effect though, after painting. The camo is amazing ... cant wait to see this weathered and on a monitor with proper colours. The only thing that stands out as might need some attention is the unpainted towing rope. I dont think metal rope would bend like that at the ends. I see you have removed it for painting ... can it be adjusted??
All the best

Hi Andrew ...gosh it seems you have been at this one for months now!! Your construction and added details look awesome ...Paint job great so far (next time try silly putty even easier to work with ) Now if I were to pick on anything it would be the color of the inside of the hatches ...I would paint them either dark yellow or red oxide....Put yourself in the commanders place... would you want your face highlighted between two white panels??Looks like a perfect aiming point.....
Keep up the good work ..I know the interior has been giving you a few problems lately but you pulled it off excellently. Now lets see it weathered!!

Great job
Rick

Steve - I used quite a bit of the blue tack to ensure that the camo edge would be very fine but you should probably try Rick's technique and use silly putty.

Palsticbattle - from my reference pictures, mainly out of the MBI Hetzer book and the New Vanguard one, the tow cables had that same look to them. Good question though

Rick - From reference, pictures of the open hatches showed that the hatch colours are much lighter than the exterior base colour, even on the ones fresh from the factory so I assume they were white. Also, my reference shots of the interior show the hatch colours matching that of the rest of the upper interior which was white.
And yes, I have been working on this kit for about 6 months as University has interfered with the build considerably

Thanks for the comments,

Andrew

It always seems to be a shame to have to put the body on and cover up all the great interior work. The AM is also great looking. You have a good knack for putting on PE stuff. The only thing that looks odd is the way the cable is rolled up. It looks as though it is too big for the vehicle. I don't know very much about this AFV. The paint is beautiful and I can't wait to see you perform your magic with the weathering. All in all I like your work and enjoy viewing your progress photos. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice work on your Hetzer ! I really like that BMM camo scheme, wow !!!

One thing stuck out for me, is the PE gunshield for the remote MG34 appears to have squared front edges from the photos ? The actual MG shield had more of a rounded front. Again, it maybe just the angle of the pic ?

Other then that, you have a fine looking Hetzer !!

Cheers !!

Alpen

Hey Animal and Flage, thanks for the comments.
About the cable, it is taken from a Panther Karaya set , so it is a little oversized (The Hetzer crew stole it :-) )
As for the MG sheild, the front edges are rounded Flage but I guess my pics of that area are not the clearest.
Thanks again,

Andrew

Apart from the MG shield and things that other guys mentioned i have to congratulate u on the interrior and the camo sharpness. Seems that blue tack is hittin the line . Good work there

Lord Cash Crop

Very impressive as usual. The pe is crisp and cleanly applied. The fender/suspension guard brackets look good, as does the pic of your detailing on the rear end.

Just a question Andrew, were the late Hetzer's always camo'd or were some dunklegelb? Just curious.

Well done here sir.

Steve

Hey Steve, thanks for the comments, how goes?

From all of the reference I have seen, all late Hetzers have were covered in a standard three coloured camo scheme.

Andrew

Most if not all Late Hetzers were factory camo-painted at the BMM facility in Czechoslovakia. In most instances, Czech colors were used. Patterns were supposed to be identical, but not always were. Some late Hetzers were captured in 4-color schemes in 1945.

Check out the Schiffer book on Czechslovak tanks, it 's a must have for all 38t/Hetzer fans

Cheers !!

Alpen

Here's a link to that book gents:

http://www.rzm.com/books/schiffer/czech.cfm

Check it out, it's well-worth it !!

Cheers !!

Alpen