AFV Modeller - 2013 11-12
AFV Modeller - 2013 11-12
                                                                              73
                                                                       November / Dec 2013
                                                                           £6.50 UK $14.95
                                                                      www.afvmodeller.com
November / Decemberr 2013
AFV Modeller
                            Objective
                            Panzer IV Ausf.G Modelled by Markus Eriksson
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                                 CONTENTS
                          2       Objective Kharkov
                                  Markus Eriksson describes his Panzer IV Ausf.G based on the Dragon kit.
                          10      M-51 Isherman
                                  The Academy Super Sherman modelled by Dave Oliver
                          18      DIY Photoetch
                                  Chris Meddings of Inside the Armour explains how to
                                  design your own photoetched parts
                          38      Approach to Berlin
                                  Radek Pituch describes his late War JS II and crew
                          46      Keeping Track
                                  More new releases
         Objective
         Panzer IV Ausf.G Modelled by Markus Eriksson
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         Construction process                           set and I finally changed to the Voyager       made this with a piece of brass tube and
                                                        versions before I damaged my mental            weld seams from Magic Sculp. Speaking of
         Even though the Dragon Smart Kit is very       health. Apart from the fenders and tool        which these were the only weld seams
         detailed, I couldn’t resist the addition of    clamps, the Griffon set was pretty good        added on the whole model - a testament to
         some extras, like photo etched (PE) details    and great value for the amount of parts        the quality of the kit.
         and a turned aluminium gun barrel. The         included. I found the thin brass tubes for
         Dragon kit is superbly moulded and the fit     gun cleaning rods to be excellent, and         I used two different brands of tracks;
         is great. Most areas are very fine, to the     these added a nice touch to the completed      Friumodelisimo and Model Kasten. The
         point of wondering how they can even           model. I used turned gun barrels for both      reason for this is simply because I had the
         mould these details and you really need to     the MG34’s and main gun, as these create       Model Kasten ones in my vault and these
         think twice before you change parts for        an unbeatable sense of scale and detail        are detailed on both sides, which the
         aftermarket replacements. I used PE from       compared to the styrene kit parts. The         Friumodelisimo aren’t. Unfortunately, the
         the Chinese company Griffon, which             same goes for the main gun, which even         Model Kasten tracks are very delicate and I
         includes a vast number of parts for several    has the rifling, and I also replaced the kit   suggest anyone considering using them, to
         versions of the Panzer IV G. A model does      antenna with a turned brass version.           paint them with an acrylic primer, so as to
         not automatically become better the more                                                      not damage the plastic with stronger paint
         PE you use so I was selective in which         The vehicle I had decided to represent         thinners. If you are building on a deadline or
         parts I used. One example is the fenders,      displayed a number of field modifications,     are just generally eager, they also take
         and after trying a number of times with the    enabling me to give it a personal touch.       more than twice the time to construct
         PE fenders I decided to use the original kit   One of these is a plank attached to the rear   compared with the Friumodelisimo type.
         fenders. In the end I only used the front      armour plate, I took a piece of plasticard
         mudflaps from the PE set, to be able to        and scribed it to represent wood grain, and    Painting
         have them hinged up, to let the                it was fitted with Calibre 35 bolts. Another
                                                                                                       Painting begins with a coat of primer, and I
         Winterketten run smoothly.                     prominent detail on this tank was a small
                                                                                                       used a black spray can from the Games
         The usually difficult to construct German      fitting on the Commander’s cupola,
                                                                                                       Workshop Citadel range to create a
         tool clamps, were impossible with this PE      probably for mounting a machine gun. I
                                                                                                       protective layer for the upcoming washes
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         I then left it to dry out completely for a       with the hairspray method, I searched the       whitewash from Sin Industries. This filter
         couple of days before the next step – filters.   Internet and read all facts. Accordingly        creates a matt finish over the clear varnish,
                                                          several thin hairspray layers were applied      and was applied in two layers using a size
         I choose to make the first filter with 5%        and to avoid getting a gritty result, I used    5 brush.
         Prussian blue oil paint and 95% Humbrol          my airbrush for the application. Tamiya XF-
         thinner, and it was applied with a No 5          2 White was then applied in thin layers over    After this had dried I started with the dark
         brush. This step calls for some quick            the model. I wanted a washed out kind of        washes. A overall wash of Winsor &
         working, as you need to cover the whole          faded look, and to achieve this I was           Newton Raw Umber and Ivory Black
         model before the filter dries or you might       meticulous with applying quite a random         thinned with White Spirit was applied, to
         end up with ugly drying marks. After drying      thickness. I found it best to thin this paint   bring out the details. I added more black
         completely; I sealed the work so far by          with tap water, as acrylic thinner might        paint around hatches and shadow areas,
         airbrushing a layer of Tamiya X-22 Clear;        dissolve the underlying layers, and it is       and more brown on the lighter areas. To
         protecting it from further painting steps and    easier to remove the white paint if you only    control the result, this work should be done
         also to assist the application of decals.        use water.                                      in several steps. The final step was a pure
         Out came the aforementioned Echelon              The areas I wanted to remove the white          black pin wash over the darkest parts of
         decals, and in my opinion these are the          paint were moistened and after half a           the model. To represent worn paint, the
         best waterslides on the market. They are         minute I started scrubbing the paint with       ‘dot technique’ works best for me. This is
         thin and the risk of silvering is minimal. I     different sized brushes working in small        when you cover the whole model with dots
         started by adding Humbrol decal fix to the       sections at a time. To create an even more      of different coloured oil paint, blended with
         working area, applied the decal then an          battered appearance I drybrushed selected       the addition of white spirit.
         additional swipe of decal fix was added to       details with Humbrol 67 Panzer Grey. Even
         make the decal blend into the model.             though these colours don’t fully match with     Now it was time to give the model more life
         When all decals were fixed, another spray        those already applied, they do help in          with chipping and scratches. I used fine
         of X-22 was added to seal them and hide          breaking up the uniformity. The more            brushes and I also use a sponge for the
         any decal edge.                                  nuances the better! This was once again         more irregular undefined chipping. To keep
                                                          sealed with a thin layer of varnish. Time for   randomness in the chipping, I turn the
         Finally I got to the bit I had been brooding     the last filter to harmonise the whitewash      model around frequently. I prefer to use
         over since the start of this project: Painting   with the underlying colours, and this was       Vallejo acrylics for painting details, chipping
         the whitewash. Without any experience            done with a ready mixed filter for              and such, and used 70822 German
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         Brown and a W&N Raw Umber wash. After                                                            The final parts to paint were the tracks and
         some thought; I decided I wanted to have         As previously mentioned, I wanted the tank      spare track links. They received a base
         the plank as if it had originally been painted   to look as it really ‘had been around’, and     coat of 50/50 Tamiya XF-1 Black and XF-9
         in the original Panzer Grey, and used the        to achieve this I started mixing mud from       Hull Red. This was followed by a wash of
         hairspray method once again, and added           MIG Production acrylic resin, fine sand,        W&N Raw Umber to bring out the detailing.
         extra chipping with Vallejo 70819 Iraqi          plaster and different MIG Production            Again, I used grinded graphite for the
         Sand.                                            pigments; P034 Russian Earth, P033 Dark         recently worn areas, applied with the
                                                          Mud and P026 Concrete. This goo was             rubber tipped brush. The highest highlights
         All tools originally painted German Grey         applied with a scrap brush to exposed           received a light touch of a ‘graphite paper’
         was painted with Humbrol 32 Light Grey, to       parts around the drive train. When this was     used in carpeting industries. The spare
         make them stand out from the Grey                dry, I stippled the same parts with a lighter   track links did obviously not receive this
         background.                                      shade of the mix. On the lower parts I          graphite treatment, but instead an
         Tools with metallic finish were painted with     added a rather thick wash of W&N Raw            application of MIG Production P024 Light
         Vallejo 70864 Oily steel, followed by a coat     Umber oils to represent moist mud. These        rust and P025 Standard rust.
         of powdered graphite applied with a rubber       steps were repeated a few times until I
         tipped brush to give them a slight sheen.        was satisfied with the overall effect. To       The figures
         The tools then received a wash of W&N            further enhance the illusion of a well used     For me, no tank model is complete without
         Lamp Black to further accentuate the             tank, I decided to add oil spills on the        at least one or two figures or two, as they
         details.                                         engine deck and at certain greasing             give ‘life’ to the model. Therefore I chose to
         Wooden parts were painted with 60%               nipples. This was done with the rather          add two interacting figures to this model,
         70819 Iraqi Sand and 40% 70873 U.S field         unusual mix of 70% Tamiya X-19 Smoke,           using a stock Alpine figure and one
         drab, and the graining with W&N Burnt            10% Humbrol 33 and 20% W&N Raw                  converted Takahashi figure, from which
         Umber.                                           umber, thinned with Humbrol thinner and         only the torso was used, together with a
         The same techniques were used to polish          applied in several successive layers.           Hornet head. The head on the Alpine figure
         the sprockets and other areas of wear.                                                           was also replaced with a Hornet one, as
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         these have a little more character to tell the   these weather conditions. The dirt is          glued it on top of the grass. Another layer
         story better.                                    comprised of filler mixed with fine sand,      of Acrylic Resin and bicarbonate was
         Skin tones were painted with Winsor &            white glue, static grass, and dark brown       applied to build up a natural shape, before I
         Newton oils, using a combination of Naples       acrylic paint.                                 applied a layer of gloss clear varnish to get
         Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and              The grass is Plumber’s hemp seal, which is     the icy effect. The old abandoned plough is
         Titanium White. All other areas were             cut to appropriate lengths and white glued     scratch built from plasticard and brass, and
         painted with Vallejo acrylics. Vallejo paints    in place to resemble flattened remains of      painted in the same manner as any tank
         are very well suited for painting clothes and    last year’s grass. I then airbrushed the       model.
         garments, as it can be extensively thinned       grass with different Tamiya acrylics. A wash
         with water. For the SS runes and other           with W&N Raw Umber oil paint was added         This has been a very interesting project for
         insignia; I used decals from Verlinden and       to strengthen the nuances, followed by         me, trying out quite a few new techniques
         Archer Dry Transfers.                            drybrushing with light browns and beige        that I have wanted to try for a long time.
                                                          Vallejo paints. The thawing snow was made      The hairspray method proved to be highly
         The base                                         by pouring Mig Productions Acrylic Resin       effective and time-saving and it is definitely
         To enhance the feeling of a cold late winter     onto a flat surface, followed by layer of      not the last Panzer IV I will build!
         scene created a small base depicting             bicarbonate of soda. When dry, I super
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         The M51 Isherman was the result of        acquitted itself well against much       marks or ‘phases’ of the M51. The
         continued development of Israel’s         more modern armour during the 6          Phase 2 version seemed most
         fleet of M4 Shermans to counter the       day war of 1967. Nevertheless, the       common during the six day war, but
         increasingly modern Soviet armour         Israeli Defence Forces suffered some     having said that, the IDF seemed to
         used by the Syrian and Egyptian           of the highest casualties during         modify many of the tanks in a rather
         Armed forces. Fitted with 105mm           clashes on the Golan Heights, which      random manner, with many different
         gun, requiring a heavily modified         is where this diorama is set, with one   stowage configurations often used on
         turret to accommodate the breach          unit losing 24 of its 26 vehicles.       different phases. One surprise was
         and a muzzle brake to decrease the        Having bought the Academy kit at a       the appearance of many of the
         recoil. Other modifications comprised     reasonable price and sourced the         crews, who often wore beards and
         of an uprated Cummins Diesel engine       very comprehensive Eduard photo          relatively long hair, not the usual
         and HVSS suspension. All in all, it’s     etch set. I started researching the      regulation army short back and sides!
         an impressive looking vehicle which       build. There were several different
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          The first thing that struck me upon starting the build was the rather unrealistic cast texture on the hull,   The engine deck required some modification in
          this was sanded down to a greater degree with a few areas left around some of details on the turret and       order to represent a Phase 2 tank. The exhaust
          hull. The pronounced weld around the rear of the turret was remodelled with milliput . A Dremel drill was     housing was deleted and photo-etch engine
          then used to add scuffs and gouges to the surface, then Mr Surfacer was stippled over the whole tank in       louvers were added. Weld marks were made
          a random fashion, while some areas were smoothed off with thinners to form a contrast.                        using Andrea Sculpt, while the brace for the gun
                                                                                                                        and brackets were scratch build from Evergreen
                                                                                                                        styrene, replacing the kit item which was incorrect
                                                                                                                        for this version.
          The mantlet cover for the gun would not sit flush with the turret, so this was padded out with Andrea         Miliput weld beads were added to the muzzle
          Sculpt, thereby providing a much better fit, and a more realistic look to the canvas.                         break. Unfortunately when it was offered up to the
                                                                                                                        turret, I realised the mantle was the wrong way up!
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          FIGURES
          I then turned my attention to the figures. The three crew
          figures supplied with the tank looked good but their
          poses had to be altered in order to make them appear
          more natural. The Commander required the most work.
          Having seen a rather dashing period picture of an Israeli
          Commander sporting a pipe, I decided to use a Hornet
          head with a suitable smoking expression and add a
          scratch built pipe made from lead wire. I also gave him a
          late 60’s hair-do complete with side burns and receding
          hairline. Looking at the figures in position on the tank, the
          hands looked rather large so these were replaced, again
          with Hornet aftermarket items. Finally, the gunner was
          given a beard made from Andrea sculpt.
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         After adding a little chipping, I repeated this over the course of the
         build to add contrast with some areas being covered by the weathering
         process while others were added right at the end. I then gave the
         whole model a coat of future. Due to the irregular surface of the hull
         and turret, I decided to spray on the future coat to avoid any unwanted
         build up around the hatches and details. The kit decals were correct
         but the options were a little limited so I decided to use the Archer IDF
         Dry Transfer set instead. This brought back many happy childhood
         memories as transfer books were all the rage in the 1970’s. These
         went on without any fuss and were easy to distress with a sewing
         needle to make them look worn. Another coat of future then a coat of
         Lifecolor satin clear was then added to seal everything in and prepare
         the model for weathering.
         A MIG Brown Wash was used to pick out details, once this was dry I
         used the AK Interactive Streaking Grime which added a nice grubby
         appearance. I then used the dust effects, unfortunately this proved to
         be rather stubborn when trying to remove any excess. This may well be
         due to the fact that I used standard white spirit not the official AK
         Interactive product. Finally, certain areas where the crew would climb
         on the tank were given a light wash with MIG Buff oil paint to restore
         the original colour. Once the Antennas’ and crew hatches and other
         fittings had been glued on, the model was given a light coating of
         Tamiya XF57 in areas where dust would build up, this also helped unify
         the finish on the whole tank, blending in the crew and items of kit that
         looked a little stark before this. Pigments were then used to add the
         final stage of weathering. The sand and soil of the Golan Heights has a
         red-brown appearance so I selected the excellent Pinnacle Pigments
         Desert Sand and Beach Sand colours, which provided a good match.
         Finally a few extra items of kit were added, these were tied down with
         EZ-line. Then I turned my attention to the base.
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     1
     18                                     FRONT                                                                   REAR
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         0.2mm/ 8 thou. But if in doubt ask PPD or       length of around 2mm if you want to be             Part Breakdown
         your supplier and they will be able to          able to cut it out. You need a minimum line        Remember, the more complex you make
         advise you.                                     thickness of 0.25mm, but 0.3 is a lot              parts and the more folds, the more
                                                         better. Etching is a timed process where           precision you need in your maths. Making
                                                         the brass is covered in a photoresist based        multi-part assemblies can help this
         Etching Folds                                   tool and is placed in a bath of acid. If it’s in   problem somewhat. Make sure though that
         The depth of the fold line fixed at half the    there a few seconds too long a tiny tag            your parts fit together! A good way to do
         material. The etch line itself is pretty much   can disappear, but big tags are ugly and           this is to print your drawing on thin card
         a V cut. To get a right angle fold you need     more work to clean up. I only add tags on          when you think it is ready and do some
         to ensure your etch line is the same width      the drawing for the rear. It makes it much         test folding and assembly with the card
         as the material thickness. To get a fold to     easier to work with the fret on your bench         versions.
         work well past 90 degrees you will need a       when the tags are half etched and
         wider line. To make it look on a fold under     therefore easier to cut through.                   Line it up
         90 degrees a little less is good, but no less                                                      Most importantly as your final check, make
         than around 60% of the material thickness.      Detail and Line Width                              sure the two drawings; front and rear, are
         Remember though, anything under the             Just because you can draw it, it doesn’t           lined up perfectly or you will get steps in
         thickness of the material will not allow you    mean they can etch it! When I originally           the parts or worse the etch company will
         a 90 degree fold! If you are etching on         designed the set of Pyrene extinguisher            be unable to resolve the tool.
         0.2mm / 8 thou or less and you want it to       placards I added the writing on the
         look really neat you can stop the fold line     placards in full detail. Sadly the only thing      Conclusion
         just before the edge, maybe 2.0mm but           that could physically be etched was the            Like anything it’s a learning process. It can
         bear in mind this may affect the bend           Pyrene logo. I had to change the rest to           be expensive at the start but you will learn
         depending on the length of the fold             mere representative lines.) The minimum            a lot and get better and better. Never be
         (Picture 2)                                     line width that the photo-tools can cope           afraid to ask for advice. Photoetching
                                                         with is 0.1mm. Keep this in mind in your           companies etch for a living and want
         Arranging Your Fret                             designs.                                           happy customers so they will share their
         You will want to arrange your fret for the                                                         expertise. Once you crack it though it is
         minimum empty space and maximum use.            The Fret                                           rewarding and opens a whole new world of
         It’s a good idea to draw one side of your       The fret is a necessary part, but you need         detail for your own projects.
         fret as separate objects and play with          to keep it within the minimum tolerances to
         tessellating them together before you           make sure it doesn’t eat up valuable and
         settle on a design. Make sure you leave         costly brass real estate. Keep the border of
         enough space though for tags and a              the fret to around 3 to 5mm. The fret will
         couple of lines across the fret to give it      twist on the X and Y axis and will damage          Serif Draw Plus: www.serif.com
         some strength.                                  parts if it doesn’t have some strength, You        PPD Ltd: www.ppdltd.com
                                                         can do this in two ways; either lines across
         Tags                                            the fret which the parts can attach to as
         These are the little lines that hold the part   well as the border, or by basically making
         onto the fret. (Picture 3) Forget these and     part shaped holes in a sheet of brass to fit
         you will receive an empty fret in the post      the parts into. I prefer the latter as it also
         with no parts! Opening new etch is              protects the parts from ‘catching’ on things
         exciting; not so much when all you get is a     in the package and on your bench
         half empty fret. Tags need a minimum
         2                                                    3
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                                    Even though the Zündapp’s overall design proved superior to that of BMW and was to be eventually
                                    exclusively produced, in 1943 Zündapp changed the sidecar frame from the original layout (BW40) to the
                                    leaf spring system of the BMW (BW43). A total of 18,284 units were produced between late 1941 and
                                    May 1945. While originally mainly used as a combat vehicle for reconnaissance units it was later on
                                    employed for multiple transportation purposes just like the fictional motorcycle from a tank maintenance
                                    unit (Pz.Werkst.Kp. Pz.Rgt. 16, 116. Pz.Div.) I have decided to represent with my model.
                                    Tasca has chosen the rather extraordinary 1:24 scale for this subject. To super-detail this model and to
                                    integrate it into a small scenic diorama turned out to be rather ambitious, because I could not rely on the
                                    usual aftermarket details that 1:35 scale enthusiasts have come to rely on.
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                                                                                    In order to enhance the cold running characteristics the late style air cleaning
                                                                                    system was connected to the exhaust with a thin tube represented by copper
                                                                                    wire. Notice that all nuts and bolts are replaced with hexagonal rod.
1 2
                                        The storage boxes were fixed to a characteristic cast frame and held in
                                        place by a spring supported doubled hook. To enhance the simplified kit
                                        part I carefully removed the plastic representation of the spring and
                                        replaced it with copper wire.
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                                                    All three lamp bodies were                                              The inside of the steering head lacks the hollowed
                                                    hollowed to adapt lenses made                                           character of the original part. A piece of plastic
                                                    from clear sprue. The latter were                                       rod is employed to glue the wiring of course is not
                                                    turned with an electric drill. I also                                   original but everything is covered by the fuel tank
                                                    decided to make the clamping                                            anyway.
                                                    rings from copper wire as well.
         The driver’s seat springs were remade from      The late style air cleaner system of the Zündapp    The long copper wire pin fitted tightly into the differential and
         copper wire to get the correct conical ends.    had three single caps, which were held in place     therefore fixed the sidecar firmly while staying removable
                                                         by wire clamps. I replaced the moulded parts        throughout construction work.
                                                         with very thin wire taken from an electric cable.
         As I planned to show a late war scene I                 framing (Pic 4). Just like with the actual             Adapting the sidecar frame made frequent
         decided to change the sidecar layout from               vehicle the exact position of the frame had            handling of the motorcycle necessary. Thus
         BW40 to the BW43 type. The BW40 had                     to be fixed by two adjustable rods (Pic 5).            the most delicate details had to be added
         been developed by Zündapp and showed                    The main fixing point of the sidecar                   later on. Beside the manual shifting
         a torsion bar based suspension. which was               mudguard was located on top of the outer               system it was also necessary for the
         technically superior. But the leaf spring               leaf spring section, which I had to build              cables and the wiring system as well.
         based BMW system of the R75 was more                    completely from scratch. To estimate the               These ran from the handle bars and front
         simple and easier to produce and                        necessary sizes I provisionally fixed the              lights into the hollowed out steering head.
         therefore Zündapp adapted it.                           fender to the sidecar wheel (Pic 6) and                While the kit instructions suggests keeping
         When the motorcycle could stand on its                  made the front mount from copper strip                 the front forks separate I decided to firmly
         wheels I could start to create the new                  connected to the newly made protective                 glue them to the steering head instead.
         sidecar’s drive (Pic 3) and to make a first             front bracket before I could complete                  This decision complicated the painting
         rough representation of the simple sidecar              spring system and central mount.                       process of course but on the other hand
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                                                                                             6
          proved helpful in dealing with the completed front end as soon as the
          stiff cabling and wiring from copper-wire had been added.
          The sidecar body was the last part I finished. The basic problem was the
          fact that it was originally made of thin sheet metal while its plastic
          representation is rather thick, so details which I added to both inside and
          outside were hard to adapt. My plan had been to use only two figures for
          the diorama setting and so I filled the otherwise empty sidecar body with
          some scratch built extra stowage from the "Panther" family. So when I
          decided later on that a third soldier would add to the little scene I used a
          salvaged civilian pillow to create additional seating accommodation.
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         The cast in metal strips to hold the wooden food    In order to support the storage boxes fixations the side car body was stiffened with extra sheet metal plates
         rests were replaced one after another from copper   on the inside. These were engraved into the thick plastic. Notice the also engraved reversed "Steib"
         to preserve the original shape.                     emblem, which was originally stamped into the sheet metal.
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                                                                 Tamiya tape was used to prevent dust from recessing on the painted
          The front end of the side car body will be out of      areas. Notice the "Steib" emblem made from Magic Sculp, which was
          reach once the outer sidewall is glued into place.     manipulated with the tip of a knife and a needle.
          Thus it had to receive a complete painting and
          weathering treatment at first.
                                                                 A jack weighing about 50 kg would certainly imprint the side car seat
                                                                 and should be kept from damaging the sidecar body with some
                                                                 fabric, which both were represented by Magic Sculp. To allow painting
                                                                 everything had to be kept removable.
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         The key problem when modelling a               The Project continues in the next
         motorcycle is the fact that it consists of a   Issue with painting the Zündapp.
         fair amount of very delicate parts, of
         which hardly any are hidden in the end.
         So almost every part has to receive a
         complete painting and weathering
                                                                                                                27
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1 2
          Painting began with a coat of matt black to shade all the recessed areas      There then followed a rather unsuccessful attempt at the hairspray effect with
          followed by a coat of ‘Shadow Rust’ from the new AK Interactive Rust Effect   a coat of ‘Old Rust’ from the same AK Interactive set which produced this
     28   Colors set.                                                                   rather unexpected finish. My perfectionism almost had me reaching for the
                                                                                        stripper but I decided to push on instead.
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 10:07 Page 29
                                          TARGET
               Tortoise
                                             Part Two Painting
3 4
         Another coat of hairspray was applied and the model was sprayed with             This time the hairspray was more effective and the darker underlying colours
         different shades of AK Interactive ‘Dark Rust’ and ‘Medium Rust’. ‘Light Rust’   were exposed by srubbing with water and a bristle brush.
         was then used to paint the sheet metal areas like the track guards and the                                                                                      29
         stowage bins.
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 10:07 Page 30
                                                                     the
                                                                   TARGET
                                                                         real
                                                                 Tortoise
     30
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                                                                                                   31
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 10:07 Page 32
5 6
          To tone down the contrast between the colours some of the lighter tones were      An overall view to the model at this stage and I was happy that it was
          oversprayed resulting in a more subtle finnish.                                   conforming closely to the colours of the actual vehicle. Most of the running
                                                                                            gear will be hidden so i was happy for this to remain in the darker colours.
7 8
          At some time it appears that the Kirkcudbright vehicle was partially painted to   The paint was then distressed to replicate as closely as I could the finish on
          improve its visibility on the range but only on the side facing up range. Now     the real vehicle. Working panel by panel or area by area is the secret here
          worn and faded the hairspray technique was perfect to replicate this. Here        rather than diving in and stripping paint from the wrong areas.
          the grey paint has been sprayed over a coat of hairspray.
9 10
          I brush painted the stowage bins and track guards to sharpen up any soft          Time for some work inside the hull and I was grateful that the top had not yet
          edges that had been left by the airbrushing.                                      been secured. I added a dull grey/brown wash to the floor silt.
11 12
          Oil colours were used to add rain and rust streaks running down the inside        I began to add some of the debris lying inside the hull which seems to be
     32   walls of the hull.                                                                mostly bits of sheet metal work and the seemingly obligatory car tire! I used
                                                                                            scrap plastic card to make these parts which were perforated with a burr and
                                                                                            then painted.
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 10:07 Page 33
13 14
                                                                                               The hull is speckled by bright orange spall marks which have then rusted. My
                                                                                               initial attempt to replicate these looked wrong but lead me to develop this
                                                                                               process to create them. I began with dots and chips of AK ‘Light Rust’
15
         An overall view of the hull tub at this stage. The tracks have been sprayed
         and given an initial oil wash at this stage and you can see than the rubber           Step two and the centre of these dots and chipping shapes are shaded with
         tires have been painted in a faded grey tone.                                         AK ‘Medium Rust’ giving this look
16 17
         Step three and I applied a selective blended oil wash to the panel. Dots of           Step four, a darker shade was then touched into the centres using AK ‘Old
         Abteilung 502 Light Rust Brown were dabbed over the speckles and then                 Rust’ and some of the rust streaks are enhanced with further applications of
         dragged downwards with a thinners damped brush to give a rain streaked                oil colours.
         effect.
18 19
         Step five. To match this area with the finish of the real vehicle a further overall   The same technique was used to create the spall marks across the front of
         oil wash using Abteilung 502 Light Rust Brown and Light Mud was applied to            the superstructure.                                                            33
         tone down the finish.
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20
          The running gear armour was handled using the same techniques and similarly toned down to match the colours of the real vehicle. Once toned down I first
          sprayed and then brush painted the green staining over the lower edges of the armour and the running gear which replicates the finishes on the real vehicle.
21
          The left hand side of the hull has its own distinctive appearance and has been shielded from the gun fire. I tried to replicate the different colours and stains and
          as the Tortoise sits on a slope the stains are not perpendicular.
22 23
          Back to the roof and I used an old soft brush to apply random soft edged            I used a pale grey to start outlining the weld beads over the vehicle. Assorted
          chipped patterns using a darker shade - here the front roof panel has not yet       rust streaks were added with oil colours and pale dust/orange washes were
          been treated.                                                                       applied to replicate the real thing
24 25
          I used some very dilute Mr Metal Color Chrome Silver to go over the weld            Some foliage is growing where light gets into the hull like the engine bay and
     34   beads, allowing some of the pale grey to show through for a dulled look. On         the area under the transmission cover. I added some more sheet metal to the
          the pistol port I added the green stains seen on the real welds.                    engine bay and then tufts of static grass from the Joefix Studios range were
                                                                                              applied.
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26 27
         I painted the grass and added some granulated foam to simulate moss. A
         quick and easy way to add more tiny scraps of sheet metal was to paint
         offcuts of decal paper. This tears for nice ragged edges and accepts the paint
         readily and is much quicker to work with than plastic.
28
         Close study of the real tracks showed that the raised areas had a distinct             An overall view of the hull with all the debris and foliage added. Some green
         purple tint so I mixed a dark purple/brown mix to replicate this on my tracks.         tones were airbrushed selectively to give that damp look and you can see the
                                                                                                same effects on the exposed right hand side suspension bogies.
29 30
         I also added some foliage and accumulated debris to the empty auxiliary                The rusted out muffler can now be installed - it covers much of the
         motor bay to match the real vehicle.                                                   compartment but the details can still be seen so it was well worth taking the
                                                                                                time to add them.
31 32
         One final thing before glueing the two parts of the         The vehicle has been standing for so long that debris has collected on top of the tracks and some weeds
         hull together was to glue the gun cradle into               are starting to grow there. I began by sprinkling some very fine dirt into selective areas of the tracks.   35
         position on the hull roof. It is not terribly visible but   Clumps of the Joefix static grass were then added as well as other bits of debris.
         again it replicates the real vehicle.
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33 34
          The same treatment was applied to the section of exposed rear tracks and a      For the base I sandwiched together some polystyrene sheet and formed a
          large clump of grass was added to the top of the towing hook.                   suitable slope. A thick layer of filler was applied and using cling film to protect
                                                                                          the model it was pushed down to give a sunken look. Once dry I began to
                                                                                          apply the grass using Gardman Sisa Moss which was glued onto the base in
                                                                                          clumps with white glue.
35 36
          This shows the building up effect of consecutive    Test fitting the model into the base ensures that it is sitting in a natural way and that there are no strange
          clumps of the Sisa Moss. At this stage there are    gaps. With the model removed you can see that I did bother to apply grass under the tank. You can also
          some huge long strands which look unsightly but     see that the moss has been trimmed with scissors for a more scale appearance.
          these can be trimmed once everything has dried.
     36
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37 38
         The grass has a bit of a brown shade from the bag so I       The next job was to add the taller grasses for which I used two different products. The first was a
         gave the whole thing an overspray of green to adjust the     Woodland Scenics product which is a pack of long bristles and you could probably use bristles
         colour balance.                                              from a decorating paintbrush instead. The second is a dried natural plant which I found in a florists
                                                                      and the tiny seed heads are ideal for this grass effect. Individual strands with the seed heads are
                                                                      plucked off the bunch to be applied.
39 40
         The taller grasses were added individually or in small clumps using a touch of    As a finishing touch I added the makers plate from the Kirkcudbright vehicle.
         PVA glue to secure them until a convincing depth was achieved.                    Derek Hansen of Accurate Armour kindly made a resin copy of the original
                                                                                           plate which I painted with Mr Metal Colour Brass and some carpet tacks
                                                                                           made perfect stand ins for the studs.
                                                                                                                                                                              37
         My thanks to Richard Stickland for his help with information from the original Tortoise manual, Peter Breakspear for his photos of
         the Kirkudbright vehicle and to Derek Hansen for a copy of the original makers plaque.
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/10/2013 11:42 Page 38
                    Appro acrhlin
                        to Be
                                                             JS II Model 1944, April 1945
                                                                                            39
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/10/2013 11:42 Page 40
          added some other aftermarket products to       medium green shade, a flashed light green       applied some delicate splashes over the
          build a more accurate model like a turned      one and a deep green shade colour. I            suspension and lower hull parts. The
          D-25T gun barrel from Armorscale, turned       proceeded with the model, masking some          wheels were treated with pigments (Dark
          turret rear DT machine gun from Aber, and      of the areas during painting with paper         Slate Grey and Green Earth, that were later
          towing rope from Eureka. Etched grills         card masks. After this phase I enhanced         fixed with a pigment fixer. I usually apply
          come also from an Armorscale update set.       some of the details with a very light green     pigments on wet surfaces and tap them
          The tracks are of my usual choice of Friuls.   colour composed of the flashed shade and        with a old soft brush. I apply two-three
          I also added some torch marks on the hull      geldbraun. Later I used Mig Prod. neutral       shades at once so I get more colour
          bow section where the casting blocks were      wash and some van Dyke Brown based pin          diversity at once. The oil stains on the
          cut (the whole bow section was a single        washes. The scratches were painted using        wheels were made using van Dyke Brown
          casting). I also added some of these marks     Vallejo 70.002 paint diluted with retarder. I   white spirit based solution and with the
          on the commanders cupola, this was all         find it to be the most useful colour for this   help of Mig Prod. neutral wash.
          done with Greenstuff putty that I normally     purpose. This basically sums up the
          use for my figure sculpts. I also added        painting process.                               The figures
          some weld marks in the areas of the                                                            A vehicle without figures is not that
          missing fenders and scratchbuilt front         The weathering of the model was done in         interesting as it can be with them on
          fenders bracket remains with thin plastic      a different manner than I normally do. This     board. They not only add some life to the
          sheet (0.2 mm). I wanted the vehicle to        time I wanted to try out something else, a      subject we’re building but also colours and
          look very beaten up that’s why I removed       kind of dry mud effects on the hull and         tend to attract more attention to the
          the front parts of the fenders and one of      turret. Since I wanted to show the tank         subject. Sculpting can be difficult but you
          the rear flaps, a common feature of battle     operating in the first warmer days of April     can always try converting some stock
          weary Stalin tanks.                            1945 I didn’t want it to be completely wet,     figures to your ideas. By adding figures you
                                                         yet very weathered after the wet season.        can always tell a story with a single
          Painting and weathering                        That’s why, after some initial testing, I       vehicle, yet without necessarily adding
          The paintjob was done basically in two         came up to an idea to use the excellent         groundwork. In my case I choose to
          steps. First I sprayed a primer layer of       Tamiya acrylics (XF 52 and XF 72) as the        portray a conversation between the crew
          Tamiya’s Deep Green shade. This basis          basic weathering component. These were          and a recon troop squad leader. Late war
          allowed me to work further with a new set      diluted with alcohol. By mixing them with       soviet tank crews can be seen wearing a
          of Lifecolor paints dedicated to Soviet        alcohol I was able to scratch and remove        leather type black jackets over their
          vehicles – a 3 in 1 Soviet AFV 4 BO green      some areas of the so painted surfaces due       standard tanker uniforms and overalls.
          paint set. The set consists of three paints    to weathering. All was done with fine           After some research and help from my
          selected especially for the Colour             brushes, layer after layer different earth      colleague Taesung Harmms of Alpine
          Modulation technique so we have a base         tones were applied on the model. I also         Miniatures it appeared that the jackets
     40
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                                                                      41
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     42
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/10/2013 11:43 Page 43
         green ones. Some sources claim that               details with Greenstuff putty. Both can be     toothpicks. It’s always useful to have a
         there were even blue types of these               mixed together and that gives you the          sharp blade at hand. GS as well as MS can
         pattern but I wasn’t able to confirm that.        flexibility of GS and the ductility of MS in   be smoothed with water. For the belt of the
         The figures were sculpted with Magic              one. In my case Greenstuff is good as it       recon trooper I used led foil strip. The
         Sculp using the excellent Hornet heads            comes to details such as hair, belts,          buckle comes from a PE set of medals,
         and hands sets. I also have some boots            buttons, resculpting facial expressions etc.   buckles and other useful stuff my friends
         castings that I use as a basis for my own         but some sculptors use this putty even for     once designed for me. If you want to
         conversions. The armatures of the figures         larger parts of their sculpts. Nevertheless    achieve as much realism as possible it’s
         were made with the paper clip wire and            for sculpting clothes I prefer Magic Sculp.    important to focus not only on the details
         magic sculp made torsos and hips. For             The tools I use are very simple consisting     and folds of the clothes but most of all on
         sculpting I always use Magic Sculp two            of a spatula made of old brush stick while     the language of human body. Choosing
         part epoxy putty and make most of the             the main folds sculpting tools are shaped      proper gestures, facial expressions help to
                                                                                                                                                        43
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/10/2013 11:43 Page 44
                                                                 45
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 08/10/2013 12:20 Page 46
          new releases
                                           KEEPING TRACK
         Tommy's War
         World War One 54mm figures
new releases
         Three vehicle crew and two fallschirmjäger make up this set              Yes, we have a very wide choice of panzer crew figures in 1:35,
         who could be posed together or used in pairs or individually. The        probably more than any other subject, but another great idea
         vehicle crew could adapt to a wide range of subjects with their          from MiniArt here taking some well known period photographs
         basic tropical climate shirts and shorts. Quality again is very          as inspiration for their sculptors to work from who have really
         impressive- just about as good as it gets in injection moulded           delivered the goods! This really is an instant vignette which will
         plastic and equal to many more expensive resin miniatures on             bring a great touch of character and atmosphere to any panzer
         the market. The paratroopers in the tropical uniforms aren't             project. Poses look very natural and the fabrics are beautifully
         often seen as figures and are a welcome change superbly                  rendered. Another excellent group of figures from MiniArt that
         done.                                                                    get the imagination racing!
new releases
                                           ple
                                   n   sam
                           u  ctio
                   -p rod
               Pre
                                             ple
                                    sam
                            uc tion
                   -p   rod
               Pre
                                               ple
                                       sam
                              uc  tion
                      -p  rod
                  Pre
          AK Interactive
          Two new large-bottled primers from AKI, simply basic
          black and white. I’ve found these to airbrush very               Inside the Armour 1:35 Decals
          smoothly (best with a little of AK’s thinner) and ‘bite’
                                                                           A nicely produced set of 1:35 decals here to suit British vehicles in Russian
          very well to plastic resin or metal. A good stable base
                                                                           service covering matilda, Valentine, Churchill and even a Universal Carrier.
          coat available in a good range of colours. Also another
                                                                           The decals are contained in a A5 booklet with very comprehensive plans
          in their boxed set of colours which are ready to
                                                                           and information, the large turret markings have a nice in-scale hand
          airbrush- ‘German War Colors’ covers dunkelgrau and
     52                                                                    applied look. 35087D is the code to search for at
          three-tone camo patterns. Top quality paints all round
                                                                           www.insidethearmour.com
          www.ak-interactive.com
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 08/10/2013 12:21 Page 53
EA35-093
E35-192
E35-183
E35-184 E35-195
         Lifecolor sets
         Two new Pigment and Colour sets
         aimed at armour modellers from
         Lifecolor. 'Dust' and 'Mud' each contain
         three paint colours and three pigment
         powders with specifics such as
         'Eastern European dust'. Both the
         acrylics and pigments can be mixed
         together to produce subtle variations in
         finish as well as texture. Ideal for any
         armour project and the closely
         matched colours and pigments in the
         dust set should be a big help in
         getting a unified finish. Lifecolor
         products are distributed in the UK by
         the helpful folk at the Airbrush                                                  53
         Company www.airbrushes.com
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 08/10/2013 12:21 Page 54
         MK35
         Always to be relied upon by the
         diorama builder, France's MK35
         produce a terrific range of civilian
         figures and accessories and have
         sent us a couple of their latest
         releases. A103 is a set of French
         roadsigns in resin with printed facias
         to apply. F235 is a seated figure in
         dungarees with the armchair
         included in nicely cast resin, a great
         character who would also suit more
         modern scenes. F230 depicts an SS
         Unterscharführer in the Ardennes
         campaign leaning casually with
         crossed legs with a beautifully cast                                  A103 is a useful set of French road signs suitable for the World War
         MP44 slung over his shoulder.                                         Two period. Resin signs and ‘I’ beam posts are provided, four
         www.mk35.com has details of the                                       square and four triangular together with a printed sheet for the
         extensive range.                                                      artwork which comes with a guide to each sign in case you cannot
                                                                               work them out! Simple but very effective!
     56
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                                                                                                              57
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 16:21 Page 58
          The Bronco model (Ref 35054) is very finely moulded and the detail is
          good. The model was built almost "from the box" here. While the
          instructions are fairly clear, one must be careful and not mount the
          rear seat backrest (part A32, Step 3) as per the instructions provided;
          you may have problems to fit this part to the hole provided for this
          purpose (parts A34 and A33 steps 5 and 6). It is best to attach this
          part once the interior has been painted and weathered and is ready to
          be closed. Building was split into several sub-assemblies to facilitate
          the painting stages.
          Accessories and seats were painted with          finish was really good but also revealed a
          acrylics separately before fixing them to        few imperfections that had to be removed
          the inside of the vehicle. Metal parts were      before applying a second coat of Tamiya
          enhanced with a graphite pencil (2B)             Panzer Grey XF-63 on the outer surfaces of
          Weathering of the car was carried out on         the car body only. The final painting stage
          the entire body with washes of oil paint         consisted of fine camouflage swirls of very
          diluted with lighter fluid. Two colours were     diluted XF-60 "Dark yellow" paint applied
          used primarily : "Burnt Umber" and "Black".      with an airbrush set at a very low pressure.
          This is a very important stage to give a first   I scratchbuilt a new bumper with a piece of
          illusion of depth to the paintwork.              aluminium foil using the plastic part as a
          Note the inside of the doors frames where        template.
          remnants of the original blue civilian paint     The effects of dust / mud were obtained
          remain as I wanted to show a civilian            with a light mist of AK "Africa dust effects"
          vehicle that had been requisitioned. The         on the underbody and the windshield. This
          model was first covered with a base coat         light film was removed in places with a fine
          of Tamiya XF-8 "Flat Blue" mixed                 brush moistened with white spirit to give
          with a bit of gloss varnish; the resulting       the effect of rain streaks on the body.
     58
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 16:21 Page 59
                                                        To break uniformity and create a more           was installed permanently after the fixing
                                                        messy look, a tint of red was added to          of all elements to the diorama. The eyelets
                                                        some of the wood planks and they were           were made from a plastic disc and with a
                                                        subsequently weathered with scratches of        punch and die set, fitted into the locations
                                                        ochre and grey acrylics. The canvas was         and then pierced.
                                                        painted last with Prince August acrylics and
                                                                                                                                                       59
AFV-73 Nov Dec 2013_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/10/2013 16:21 Page 60
          Horse Play
          The first horse has his neck bent toward the ground to
          suggest a feeling of exhaustion. The moulded harness on
          the animal was ground off, and some body parts
          were sculpted with Magic Sculp. The second horse has a
          more fearful attitude; ears pointing back and extending
          his neck and throwing his head forward as if it was
          whinnying. All grey parts (neck, mane, muzzle, ears,
          joints, head ....) were created with Magic Sculp, the
          green parts (Teeth, tongue, loops) from Duro (or Green
          Stuff). After careful study of reference pictures and
          documents gleaned on the Internet, all the harness
          equipment was made with Duro, lead or aluminium foil
          and loops from various electrical wire sections.
          The horse’s manes were then carved and        expert on horses, I studied the work of
          so the detailing of both animals was          some figure painters and special
          complete. The painting was done with          references were very much needed
          Prince August acrylics. To expand the         (thanks to the Internet here too).
          chromatic range in the diorama, I chose
          two very different colourings. Not being an
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         Hungarian Hetzer                                 came with the Dragon kit. The muffler was        angles to determine the shape and
                                                          detailed by adding clamps and bolts and          location of the various tones. Unless you
         This is the old Dragon kit (No. 6060) which      the tow rope is twisted electrical wire.         wish to work with a brush to achieve this
         today is still a very solid base. The level of   Finally, the tracks were best replaced by a      kind of camouflage, you have no other
         detail is certainly not up to the current        Modelkasten set that provides enough             options than to use masks. After the green
         standards of this manufacturer, however,         parts to replace the spare track links as        base coat was airbrushed, the entire
         as the photos before painting show, with a       well; these must be handled with great           surface of the model was covered with
         minimum of work it can be turned into an         care during the painting stages and when         Tamiya masking tape. The swirls in the
         accurate representation of this small            set in their final positions as they are         pattern were then drawn with a pencil
         armoured vehicle. The bulk of the work lies      extremely delicate plastic parts that do not     according to the period photos and next
         with the mudguards as these were entirely        take heavy handling well. The kit skirts         the tape was removed from the model and
         scratchbuilt using aluminium foil cut out        were refined by sanding, as well as their        the various parts were cut out carefully.
         from a food tray; this is cheap, fine and is     attachment points. At this stage they were
         flexible enough to allow a series of ribs to     not permanently glued to make painting           These were then repositioned in sequence
         be scribed which were typically found on         and adding the tracks easier.                    based on the colour that was to be
         38T and Hetzers. To make the assembly                                                             sprayed. Needless to tell that this was a
         sturdy enough, two plastic brackets were         The paint scheme was inspired by a photo         very tedious task which required a lot of
         rebuilt from the kit parts as these were too     of a Hungarian machine abandoned during          attention and care. Once the colours have
         thick for scale originally. An Aber photoetch    Operation "Spring Awakening". This vehicle       been airbrushed, any necessary
         set that offers several types of German tool     has a hard-edged camouflage scheme               corrections can be made with a fine brush
         fasteners (ref: 35 A20) was used. The jack       with "T-038" , the letter "T" corresponding to   with "Prince August" paints such as PA 985
         was taken from a Tamiya accessory set, a         the first letter of the name of the Major        for brown and PA 885 for green. If the
         very handy and useful source to upgrade          General commanding the 20th Hungarian            above method appears too complicated to
         old kits ! All handles were made with wire       Infantry Division : Tilger Ferenc. The model     use, pre-cut masks are now available from
         for more finesse. The photoetched grille         was painted with Tamiya acrylics, XF-71          "J’s Workmodel" which should make things
                                                          "Cockpit Green" (+ gloss) for the green          easier! Weathering was a time-consuming
                                                          basecoat, XF-68 "Nato Brown" for the             build-up of oil paint washes and AK
                                                          brown blotches, a mixture of XF-2 "Flat          Interactive’s ‘Africa Dust Effects’. The
                                                          White "and XF-60" Dark Yellow "for the           running gear was blended into the
                                                          yellow sand. This hard-edge camouflage           groundwork once in position with real earth
                                                          pattern was factory applied and it is            mixed with PVA, wetter mud was achieved
                                                          necessary to carefully study several photos      with oil paint.
                                                          showing the same design from multiple
                                                                                                                                                         61
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Groundwork
     62
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                                                                 63
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