Academy 1/35 Panzer IV Ausf. H/J

[aur0ra145]

Howdy all,

This is the second time I've attempted to work on this kit. About a year ago I shelved it after getting burned out painting road wheels (lame, I know). Anyhow, I've decided that I must finish this if I'm going to buy a Tamiya Tiger I. It'll be a test bed of painting ideas/methods and I just need to clear off my stash a bit.

Also, this kit had zero painting instructions. Is that normal for armor? I don't think it really even shows where the very few decals go. However, this is the first kit that I got aftermarket goodies for. The barrel was made by someone and it's really quite impressive. You can even see the lands in the barrel.

Few pictures of progress I got through last night. I know now that I messed up on how the box behind the turret is supposed to be attached. But at this point I don't really care.

[aur0ra145]

Got quite a bit done today while watching the live show. Primed in Ultimate gray primer. Didn't get a picture because I'm dumb.

Painted the whole thing in Vallejo Air Dunkelgelb with my new Patriot 105. It's soooo much easier for large application areas than my Iwata Neo. Camo striping was done in Vallejo Air Rotebraun and MM Acrylic Olivegruen. I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I got all the extra pieces painted and glued on. I'm waiting for it to fully cure before gloss coating for decals, then onto weathering.

This is only my second armor model; and, I really have no idea where to start with weathering. Any hints or tips out there for newbies?

Bonus shot of an A-wing I've been building. Forgot to make a build thread; but, it's doing well. I'm going for a tribute to Ralph McQuarrie's concept art of the A-wing.







Even snuck in a picture of the live crew reading what I've been up to this week!

[privatepete]

Hi I think we all at sometime have shelved projects, I know I have, but you are making up the lost time now, it's looking pretty good to me like the colours and camo pattern , keep up the good work

[aur0ra145]

Finally got the decals on both! Girlfriend was in town all weekend so I didn't get much modeling done. Hopefully I can get the decals sealed tomorrow, then on to weathering. I don't really know where to start for weathering armor. Do you do pinwashes? All over washes? I have some of the Tamiya dust things. I may try those again.

[SergioSolo]

It's looking great! Kudos for giving it another chance

[aur0ra145]

This build is clicking right along. Hand painted the rubber onto the road wheels in one sitting. Surprisingly, I didn't mind it, which is odd because I quit the first attempt due to that very step. Also, I think I found a better way to paint road wheels I'll try on the Tiger I that I purchased. It's metal barrel is somewhere between the USA and Poland, I'll start it once I have all the parts.

Wanted to try and properly weather this one, so I looked up a video on how to rust a tank and ended up doing chipping all night. I'm new at this and will get better with time. I dry brushed Tamiya XF-63 German Grey on everything that I think made sense. Had to de-weather with some thinner at parts; but, I think it's okay. Again, I know I'll get better in the future. I'll let this dry overnight and spray another clear cote to protect the chipping when I start to try using lacquers for rust streaks.

After that I plan on doing a wash I guess, I'm still not really clear on the best order to do stuff for armor.

No work on the A-wing tonight at the Panzer took up all my time.

[aur0ra145]

Did a bit more work. Used a Vallejo black wash on the engine deck. MM Stains were used for rust staining (though I wish they popped a bit more.) Tried out the Tamiya dust/mascara stuff. I'm not convinced with it yet. I'll see if I can't find some local pigments to use. I've got to get the tracks painted up and put on. Not calling this done yet; but, the end is in sight. Oh, and I need to dullcote the whole thing too.

Oddly, this kit killed my mojo at one point and now it's really bringing it back. Weird.

[aur0ra145]

Finished up this guy.

Did a light buff cote, then used Vallejo pigments to soften the camo. Followed up with a Testors Dullcote. Slapped some Vallejo Enviroment Mud and Grass, then called it good.

As stated earlier, this one was on the shelf of doom for a year and is only my second armor build. Comments/concerns/pointers welcome!

[DoubleDigit12]

Nice model love the a wing with the blue aswell!