Zvezda 1/35 Panzerjager I

[ElCapitan]

I was watching telly I dunno, maybe I'll find a rhythm when I try again tonight.

[alextheblue]

I was watching telly I dunno, maybe I'll find a rhythm when I try again tonight.

Single link tracks are a real pain and I used to hate them when I first started. Especially Friul, you have to drill each one out before you start assembling them - nightmare! But I soon accepted that they were worth the effort as they look so much better than rubber band tracks. Now I use the time to "Zen out" and find some inner peace. Until I stab myself in the finger with a micro drill bit and then its inner peace-off!!!

[TheNordus]

I was watching telly I dunno, maybe I'll find a rhythm when I try again tonight.

Single link tracks are a real pain and I used to hate them when I first started. Especially Friul, you have to drill each one out before you start assembling them - nightmare! But I soon accepted that they were worth the effort as they look so much better than rubber band tracks. Now I use the time to "Zen out" and find some inner peace. Until I stab myself in the finger with a micro drill bit and then its inner peace-off!!!

I never drill my Friuls, I find that there's always enough links that just work that I don't need to. Sometimes I have to open a hole by forcing the metal wire through them, but yeah, I've so far survived without a micro drill bit.

Single link tracks really do look better than (old) rubber band tracks, but they're a huge pain to cut off their sprues for sure. I love Dragon's magic tracks for this, really helps you along. Shame they're moving away from them.

[ElCapitan]

I was watching telly I dunno, maybe I'll find a rhythm when I try again tonight.

Single link tracks are a real pain and I used to hate them when I first started. Especially Friul, you have to drill each one out before you start assembling them - nightmare! But I soon accepted that they were worth the effort as they look so much better than rubber band tracks. Now I use the time to "Zen out" and find some inner peace. Until I stab myself in the finger with a micro drill bit and then its inner peace-off!!!

I never drill my Friuls, I find that there's always enough links that just work that I don't need to. Sometimes I have to open a hole by forcing the metal wire through them, but yeah, I've so far survived without a micro drill bit.

Single link tracks really do look better than (old) rubber band tracks, but they're a huge pain to cut off their sprues for sure. I love Dragon's magic tracks for this, really helps you along. Shame they're moving away from them.

I'm sorely tempted to get a set of fruils, but the price puts me off. They look so much easier to work with, and don't need to be put together in section. Also would be keen to try the Ultimate burnishing fluid instead of painting them.

[ElCapitan]

Friuls will be delivered by the end of the week

[digger303]

Friuls will be delivered by the end of the week

You caved under the pressure of fiddly ness

[ElCapitan]

Friuls will be delivered by the end of the week

You caved under the pressure of fiddly ness

I was far too easily swayed!

[digger303]

Friuls will be delivered by the end of the week

You caved under the pressure of fiddly ness

I was far too easily swayed!

[ElCapitan]

Last night I made a start on drilling out the friuls. Got about 40 links done, and not fed up of it yet. Compare that with the styrene links, which I got sick of after about 5...

I did notice that the holes do not always seem perfectly straight - hopefully that's normal and they will line up ok when I come to link them together.

[ElCapitan]

Sadly I've not had many opportunities to work on any of my current builds recently, but I plan to get this fully built by the weekend, so that the painting phase can begin on Saturday.

Fingers crossed!!!

[ElCapitan]

So I'm finally finished the building phase! It's taken a while, so it feels good to put a line under it and move onto painting.

I will deal with the tracks after it's all painted.



I'm not going to bother with the resin sandbag armour, as I'm pretty sure the manufacturer lied when they said it would fit this kit. Must be for
the Dragon kit only. It's a shame but I still have the spare track sections to put on the front in its place.

[TheNordus]

It's looking good and I can't wait to see some paint on it! I'm sure you could make the sand bag armor fit with some hot water, putty and/or filing if you wanted.

[ElCapitan]

It's looking good and I can't wait to see some paint on it! I'm sure you could make the sand bag armor fit with some hot water, putty and/or filing if you wanted.

Thanks!

I'll try to get a picture later of how bad the fit is - sadly I don't think its fixable without chopping huge chunks off.

[ElCapitan]

Well, my goal this weekend was to finally wave goodbye to the building part of this adventure, and get a primer coat done. That was an ambitious notion, but ive actually done better than that! I've only gone and done the base colour as well haven't I!!

I used Tamiya XF-63 German Grey over Ultimate grey primer. I'm really pleased with how nice and flat it looks - so nice to be using Tamiya again after a couple of builds using Vallejo and Mr Hobby Aqueous. You can see all the detail much more clearly now. I wish I had worked on the mould lines of the tools now, but I'll learn to live with them...

[barrythornton]

Something very cool about `exposed` P.E. ......... but at some point you know it has to be painted
cool work

[ElCapitan]

Something very cool about `exposed` P.E. ......... but at some point you know it has to be painted
cool work

Thanks! I seem to remember that someone on here floated the idea of a "no paint" SIG which sounded pretty cool. It didn't really take off though.

[TheNordus]

Looking rather nice! I've found that Tamiya and Vallejo seem to work equally well as long as you don't mix and match liquids. For example Tamiya's airbrush cleaner really doesn't like Vallejo's paints and Vallejo's cleaner doesn't even scratch Tamiya paint.

[Tomcat64]

Great to see you're back making progress again Rob - hope the tracks don't give you too much grief!

[ElCapitan]

Looking rather nice! I've found that Tamiya and Vallejo seem to work equally well as long as you don't mix and match liquids. For example Tamiya's airbrush cleaner really doesn't like Vallejo's paints and Vallejo's cleaner doesn't even scratch Tamiya paint.

Cheers Tamiya is definitely my favourite for airbrushing - I've never been able to get as good results with anything else I've tried.

Great to see you're back making progress again Rob - hope the tracks don't give you too much grief!

Yep, it's surprising how fast time goes by and you suddenly realise you've not made progress in weeks!

I'm leaving the tracks till the end, as I wanted to get the painting out the way first because I don't enjoy it so much.

Currently trying to work out what to do next. I'm planning a winter wash so I guess I do decals and then the wash before a bit of chipping here and there.

[Tomcat64]

Great to see you're back making progress again Rob - hope the tracks don't give you too much grief!

Yep, it's surprising how fast time goes by and you suddenly realise you've not made progress in weeks!

I'm leaving the tracks till the end, as I wanted to get the painting out the way first because I don't enjoy it so much.

Currently trying to work out what to do next. I'm planning a winter wash so I guess I do decals and then the wash before a bit of chipping here and there.

Yep I generally leave the tracks til last too

Decals definitely next, and although it makes a little more work you could consider doing some chipping before applying the whitewash so some of it shows through like it would in the field if the whitewash is thin enough. Same thing with the pioneer tools - they were often whitewashed over if the crew were in a hurry

[ElCapitan]

Great to see you're back making progress again Rob - hope the tracks don't give you too much grief!

Yep, it's surprising how fast time goes by and you suddenly realise you've not made progress in weeks!

I'm leaving the tracks till the end, as I wanted to get the painting out the way first because I don't enjoy it so much.

Currently trying to work out what to do next. I'm planning a winter wash so I guess I do decals and then the wash before a bit of chipping here and there.

Yep I generally leave the tracks til last too

Decals definitely next, and although it makes a little more work you could consider doing some chipping before applying the whitewash so some of it shows through like it would in the field if the whitewash is thin enough. Same thing with the pioneer tools - they were often whitewashed over if the crew were in a hurry

That sounds like a really good idea. It'll also let me practise my chipping a bit, knowing that they will only be semi-visible if they don't look great!

[TheNordus]

Currently trying to work out what to do next. I'm planning a winter wash so I guess I do decals and then the wash before a bit of chipping here and there.

A whitewash will definitely look good. Do the decals first, and I'd suggest leaving them clean of the white wash, to show that the crew made an attempt to leave their markings visible while applying the white.

[ElCapitan]

I've decided to go with @Tomcat64's idea of painting the pioneer tools before the whitewash. Here's the shovel and cutters.

[Tomcat64]

Nice woodwork mate! That looks really effective.

Nordus is right about leaving the markings clear of whitewash too - either work around them if you can, or if you're using the removeable clay wash stuff then you can work the area clear (just don't rub too hard and take the decals off like someone might have done... maybe )

[ElCapitan]

Work on this seems to be gathering pace now that I'm over the hurdle of priming and painting - my least favourite part because I have very few windows of opportunity to do it.

This evening I've spent a bit more time painting details - the jack block (still needs to look more woody), internal thingys, other thingys and a thingy...

Then I got the decals on. First time doing so straight on the paint, as I need the matt finish for the wash. It looks like the microset has darkened the paint a little, but it shouldn't be noticeable once it's got its winter coat on.

Oh, and don't worry about the ejector pin marks on the inside of the gun shield, those won't be visible once the gun is in place.

[Quax]

love it so far Rob, the wood for the tools is especially good!

Paul

[TheNordus]

Looking good! I'm a bit surprised to find ejector pin marks on a photo-etched gun shield. How did you paint the gas can canisters?

[ElCapitan]

Looking good! I'm a bit surprised to find ejector pin marks on a photo-etched gun shield. How did you paint the gas can canisters?

Ah, the ejector pin marks are on the kit part that attaches to the back of the shield, I'm not sure what it's for to be honest.

The gas can canisters (so that's what they are!) are painted in tamiya nato black and dry brushed, like really dry, with some vallejo metal color exhaust manifold for just the slightest sheen on the edges. Then the straps were painted with vallejo flat earth because it's the only leathery colour I have.

[TheNordus]

Looking good! I'm a bit surprised to find ejector pin marks on a photo-etched gun shield. How did you paint the gas can canisters?

Ah, the ejector pin marks are on the kit part that attaches to the back of the shield, I'm not sure what it's for to be honest.

The gas can canisters (so that's what they are!) are painted in tamiya nato black and dry brushed, like really dry, with some vallejo metal color exhaust manifold for just the slightest sheen on the edges. Then the straps were painted with vallejo flat earth because it's the only leathery colour I have.

I meant to write Gas MASK canisters. At least I presume that's what they are, they're textured exactly the same. They look dark and nice, although technically they would be painted in Field Grey.
Looks like the plastic part is supposed to be a moving part of the gun shield to keep the gap for the aiming aperture as small as possible.

[ElCapitan]

this evening I had my first go at doing a Ultimate winter wash, and I'm quite pleased with the result! I brushed it on fairly thick, before letting it dry fully and going at it with a soft brush and some slightly damp cotton buds/q-tips. I'll maybe tone back the build up of pigment in the recesses and edges by scraping some of it away with a cocktail stick. A tiny piece of PE was brushed off but I'll call it battle damage.

[Tomcat64]

Nice work Rob - the great thing about these clay washes is that you can always go back and add more in places if you think you've pulled too much off when you're trying to clean areas up, it's really forgiving stuff

[ElCapitan]

I gave it another once over with the winter wash to even it out a bit, and the gun is finally fixed in place. Like someone said on the live show last week, the wash really brings everything together.




When I next have a chance I'll hit it with some Aqua Gloss (my first time using it!) before weathering begins.

Also, I couldn't resist any longer...I had to see how it would like size-wise on the dio base I plan to use for it. I'm really pleased with it, should leave room for a few figures like I had hoped.

[TheNordus]

Really like it better with the second coat of white wash, are you going to add some snow material on the streets?

If you can find it, AK Interactive's washable white wash is really great for getting the same effect.

I've gotta say, there's definitely something satisfying about working with photo-etch and succeeding in it. I've been slowly building up a Tiger (P) with three different photo etch sets and when stuff works, it's really great to see everything fall into place.

[ElCapitan]

Really like it better with the second coat of white wash, are you going to add some snow material on the streets?

If you can find it, AK Interactive's washable white wash is really great for getting the same effect.

I've gotta say, there's definitely something satisfying about working with photo-etch and succeeding in it. I've been slowly building up a Tiger (P) with three different photo etch sets and when stuff works, it's really great to see everything fall into place.

Thanks! I really enjoy using PE. I know it can be fiddly, but if a specific piece is going to detract from the enjoyment of the build then I'll leave it and use the kit part.

Yes I'll be putting some kind of snow effects on the street, not planning to do a full on snow scene though, as it'll be my first time painting a base too so don't want to hide it. Or maybe I'll do such a bad paint job that I will!

[Tomcat64]

Definitely looks better with the second whitewash on it Rob

Looking forward to seeing what you've got in mind for the base & figures.

[ElCapitan]

Definitely looks better with the second whitewash on it Rob

Looking forward to seeing what you've got in mind for the base & figures.

It does, thanks. The "winter is coming" GB is coming in useful for reference.

I'm looking forward to it too it's likely to be a long process though as I don't want to rush it in my limited free time. Plus I will be learning a lot of new stuff when it comes to painting the scenery and figures. Should be fun though!!

[ElCapitan]

So this sucks... I sprayed aqua gloss on it and now the winter wash is more like it was after the first coat, only now there are patches which look like there's no wash on them at all! I have no idea why this has happened, but it looks garbage!

[TheNordus]

I am sorry to see that. Since it has "Aqua" on the name maybe it reactivated the water-based wash?

[ElCapitan]

I am sorry to see that. Since it has "Aqua" on the name maybe it reactivated the water-based wash?

Looking back at others' similar builds, they've not had the same issue. I'm not really sure how to fix this - if I apply more wash onto the glossy surface it's just going to wipe straight off...

[Tomcat64]

Ouch! That's a bugger Rob.

I think Nordus is probably right in that it's the water base in the aqua gloss that's the culprit but it's weird that it only seems to have taken off one layer of the wash pigments. I've not used Aqua Gloss over the wash before but even when I've used Ultra Matte it does seem to tone the effect down a bit. The pigments I used on the Chaffee recently were fixed with variations of Tamiya X-20 or AK odourless thinners (depending on which bit I was experimenting with). I want to see if that will work to fix a winter wash as well before adding the next layer but haven't got around to trying it yet.

Anyway I digress; I think you'll need to lay down a matt layer before having another go with the white wash - like you said it'll just wash off the gloss surface you've got at the moment. Just makes sure you leave it to cure off completely before trying with the wash again otherwise you might end up rubbing the matt coat off when you manipulate the wash.

[TheNordus]

Anyway I digress; I think you'll need to lay down a matt layer before having another go with the white wash - like you said it'll just wash off the gloss surface you've got at the moment. Just makes sure you leave it to cure off completely before trying with the wash again otherwise you might end up rubbing the matt coat off when you manipulate the wash.

Not to sound dramatic, but for Christ's sake don't put Ultimate wash on a matt layer. It NEEDS a glossy surface to work properly.

[ElCapitan]

Anyway I digress; I think you'll need to lay down a matt layer before having another go with the white wash - like you said it'll just wash off the gloss surface you've got at the moment. Just makes sure you leave it to cure off completely before trying with the wash again otherwise you might end up rubbing the matt coat off when you manipulate the wash.

Not to sound dramatic, but for Christ's sake don't put Ultimate wash on a matt layer. It NEEDS a glossy surface to work properly.

That's correct for things like panel lines, but with this I'm looking for coverage, so it needs something to grip onto.

[Tomcat64]

Anyway I digress; I think you'll need to lay down a matt layer before having another go with the white wash - like you said it'll just wash off the gloss surface you've got at the moment. Just makes sure you leave it to cure off completely before trying with the wash again otherwise you might end up rubbing the matt coat off when you manipulate the wash.

Not to sound dramatic, but for Christ's sake don't put Ultimate wash on a matt layer. It NEEDS a glossy surface to work properly.

That's correct for things like panel lines, but with this I'm looking for coverage, so it needs something to grip onto.

Yep Rob's spot on - if you want to accent panel lines and other surface features then gloss is the way to go, but using any of the clay washes over a matte or satin finish will give you a grubbier or in this case patchier look if that's what you're after.

And if you're nervous about the result you might get and don't want to experiment on the project you're working on you can always try it out on a piece of scrap or even on the underside of an AFV as that generally doesn't get seen.

[ElCapitan]

Just to show that I'm not slacking...

I've built a section of wall for the Miniart diorama base I'll be putting together. I've also given the vehicle another covering of Ultimate winter wash, and will give it another, gentler, go with Aqua Gloss soon. Also, a dog.



And here's a sneak peek at one of the figures I'll be using. I used an arm from another guy and some putty to position him holding onto the gun shield.

[ElCapitan]

Great news! I sprayed some more aqua gloss on using some advices I got from @ForbesHutton and it worked much better this time! I can now proceed with a bit of Weathering which should hopefully really bring this to life.

[ElCapitan]

Weathering so far...

I used Mig panel line wash "neutral brown" to give a muddy look around the areas that would receive a lot of traffic from muddy boots/hands, and then the "medium grey" wash to give a bit of variation and grubbiness around the hatches etc. I like to lightly dab it on with a small brush and then smudge it a bit with a cotton bud to blend it in.

I love weathering.

[Tomcat64]

Looking good Rob!

Are you allowed to share the secret of the AquaGloss?

[ElCapitan]

Looking good Rob!

Are you allowed to share the secret of the AquaGloss?

Yes I turned the pressure way down to about 10psi, then sprayed from about 20cm. Stayed perpendicular to the surface so as not to blow away the pigment.

Seems obvious now

[Tomcat64]

Looking good Rob!

Are you allowed to share the secret of the AquaGloss?

Yes I turned the pressure way down to about 10psi, then sprayed from about 20cm. Stayed perpendicular to the surface so as not to blow away the pigment.

Seems obvious now

Neat! I hadn't realised you could spray it with the pressure that low - that's one stored away for future use!

So it wasn't the water content after all - we were sandblasting the pigment away

[ElCapitan]

Looking good Rob!

Are you allowed to share the secret of the AquaGloss?

Yes I turned the pressure way down to about 10psi, then sprayed from about 20cm. Stayed perpendicular to the surface so as not to blow away the pigment.

Seems obvious now

Neat! I hadn't realised you could spray it with the pressure that low - that's one stored away for future use!

So it wasn't the water content after all - we were sandblasting the pigment away

Certainly seems that way! Being overly careful definitely paid off.