Thanks Gaz

Have finished applying the base coat. Now it's time to start putting the sections together.

Interesting to paint the hull in so many components. Looking good though Mark.

Looks great, Mark! I prefer to paint last. I find it way to easy to gum-up my paintwork.

Gaz

I usually wait as well. As I did the dry fitting, I realized that there were some areas I couldn't to very easily, or paint coverage would not have been good. So, decided to give this method a try. If I'm careful, then there shouldn't be much touch-up required. Whatever happens, I'll be posting pics.

Sounds like a good plan, Mark. I'm just going to stick with wriggling the airbrush around as much as possible.

Here's my status:








Gaz

Really nicely done Gaz. Worth the extra effort for sure.

Gaz, The zimmerit looks great. I haven't had the nerve to give that method a try, yet.

Thanks Mark! It's not overly difficult. The main concerns are materials and tools. Most modelling putties weren't made for the application: They get a skin on them and become unmanageable quickly. Milliput can be used but is a struggle to make thin-enough: You need lots of water and repeated workings of the area you're doing.

I'm using what I think is an acrylic-based, water soluble modelling paste. It responds well to slicing and spreading type motions but not well to pushing-up motions like you might make with the tip of a screwdriver.

Gaz

More work done on my Brummbär:






Gaz

Gaz: nice work on the zimmerit. That is something I’ve not yet tackled. I think your left side (of the vehicle) track is going the wrong way?

Happy Modeling,
Zon

Great job on the track sag, Gaz. Care to share any secrets.
And at the pace you're going, it looks like you'll finish with plenty of time to spare.

You've caught me out, Zon. I've tried really hard to get everything right on this kit. It was quite a kick in the guts to realize I had the tracks on one side backwards. There are way too many glue points to try to remove them. So, I'm stuck the way they are, unfortunately.

The only positive is that there are pictures out there with tanks that have some on backwards.

I'm trying not to let it spoil the rest of the build.

Gaz

Thank you, Johhar!

The tracks are individual links, so everything is is under your control if you do it quickly enough.

For gluing the links I used:


Applied with a paint brush it flows into seams without leaving a sticky residue on the outside areas. I leave it to set for a minute or two on each run before adding it to the running gear.

The places where I wanted it to stick to the wheels I used:


It sets in just a few seconds of the parts being pressed together. It's like CA but less likely to not-stick.

The rest is just shaping to where you want it, and the final tussle of getting the two end links to join.

Gaz

Altogether now 'Nein! Nein! Nein!

He is Using Saumur's Pzr IV and III for reference






Jokes aside, there are WW2 pics showing the IV tracks to be on backward

Thanks Peter! Mistakes like this are very annoying. Especially when I'm trying to improve my results.

Gaz

Gaz,
You're the man. I can't believe how fast your Brummbar build is coming along. It looks great. I'm on step 0 with mine, still painting road wheels. Definitely will be following your progress.
John

In light of Pete’s photos, I’d roll with it as well. A field improvisation! My initial hope was that they might be fruils and you could swap it around, but with them glued down I wouldn’t change them either.

Happy Modeling,
Zon

Hi all,

I am in with the Geschüzwagen 38 Ausf.H "Grille"


I have the decals for 'Ursula' from the 26th Panzer Division.



I ordered the Griffon Model ammo storage racks as I want to have a few 'empties' to spice things up.

Mark - Your Elephant is coming along nicely.

Gary - Great work on the zimm. I was looking over one of the Italy panzerwreck books for inspiration and there are a few picks of Panzer IV's with the tracks on backwards.

Cheers,

-Nate

Nathan, great choice! That's one AFV I've wanted to build for a long time.

Some inspiration for you Nathan

That is awesome Peter! Its honestly hard to find good clear photos of this SPG on the front, because invariably they are covered in foliage, rubble, etc. Took some squinting to see that second Grille.

-Nate

Yeah up on the right. If the pic was a little more left, I doubt anyone would have recognised it under the planks and stuff.

Hey Gaz,
Don't feel annoyed. It is simply looking natural. Could you or anyone imagine that during wartime conditions the crew had said "Scheisse!" and had started to change the track again after realizing that the left side is in opposite direction? I can't.
cheers,
Zsolt (who has not started his own Chaffee yet)

Hello everyone! I wanted to post my start pic although it will be a while before I can start. I will be doing Tamiya's Wespe "Italian front" kit released last year.

Looking forward to an exciting campaign. Looks like it is off to a great start.
Gaz, don't worry about your tracks. From what I have heard German crews routinely put tracks on backwards as the tracks wore unevenly with one edge of the track wearing more quickly than the other. They would then flip the track around and reinstall it so they could get more miles out of them. Also, I am sure it happened on accident during expedited field repairs etc.

Guys,
Thanks for the great replies about my track problem!

Bryan,
Glad you're building that Wespe. It's been on my want list since it came out.

Gaz