The basics: This is the Tamiya Jagdpanther (late) kit with a Jordio Rubio barrel and Tamiya deck screens. Otherwise, OOB. Very nice build, no problems at all.
Painting: I finished the kit in a 3 tone banded cammo. Since I wanted the vehicle to have a distressed winter cammo look, and since I use acrylics that mess up the "salt-distress" method, I used really thick (drying up) rubber cement to mask off the areas I wanted to show through. Next, I painted the whole kit Panzer Grey. Then I clouded on Camoflauge grey. and then I hit the very highlights with Tamiya white. In retrospect I could have just skipped the panzer grey step. Once done and dry, I peeled off the rubber cement and Viola! A crappy looking tank. Thankfully I had more to do to it!
Weathering: I next drybrushed a coat of the panzer grey over edges and details, making sure to not overdo the effect. This was fairly hard, but eventually worked out ok. This also helped to tie in the patches with the regular white-wash scheme. I also made some marks that would look like water runoff using watercolor. Not too much, but enough to show.
Shading: Here is a new technique I am using that really works well once you get the hang of it. I take Pigment that I bought in bulk from Dick Blick and mix it with water into a runny paste. I then take a No.2 paint brush and load it up and run it along the shade lines of the vehicle, yup, the whole thing. Then, after it has dried (about 15 minutes) I take Q-tips and wet them down lightly and start to remove the pigment. It takes practice to know what to leave and what to take, but it works out real well. Even in areas that the pigment is removed from, there is a slight discoloration that gives the impression of a shade without looking like it was applied. Hard to explain,but it is noticable. Also, if this technique is done over a gloss finish, it comes off very easy without any "tinting" of the undercoat. On a flat finish you get a bit more out of the shading.
The wrap up. Once I was done with all that, I used my standard Future floor polish/burnt umber watercolor mix to gloss the kit up and to help blend all the effect together. After 2 says drying, I added a dull coat, did a few touch-ups, and there you have it.
Phew! Nice to have this one out the chute!
A good top view, showing the "chipping" I got out of the rubber cement.
A good side shot showing the big "swipe" I did on the superstructure side, just to make it look different. Also, the cleaning rod container was done after the vehicle proper was finished, but the technique worked so well that it does not look like it was finished seperately.
The other side. I need to clear some space to add bigger/better images of the build. These pictures just do not so justice to the kit.
