Dragon 1:35 marder III ausf.M initial production

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:21 pm

hi guys
so this is going to be the build log of my marder
wich was purchaced after i got a bunch of photo etch that i wanted to use on a other dragon marder
namely the befhelsjager 38 this is the command version
but that kit had a sprue missing and don't count on dragon to do anything about that
but i'm going of the subject
so for this build i have all the pe kits that voyager makes for this model except for the barrel that is a aber set
this was all done as a big inpuls action after seeing Pauls king tiger (so shiny) and Flyingdutchman's marder

i did a review of this kit already wich can be found in the reference section
and these are all the extra's i plan on using

this is a bit odd because voyager does not name this kit on the label but tells you that this is the correct kit for the fenders
but the vehicle that is on the package has the same hull as this one

and the last pe packs
this gets the total over 20 frets of pe

that i now have to use

and some friul tracks to complete the building insanity

so i'm going to leave it at that for now
and i'm going to make a start at this
but i will keep you guys posted on the progress

cheers Mark

Post by **PaulAyrey** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:23 pm

Looks like its going to be a good build. Lovely stash of extras. Can't wait to see how you get on!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 6:20 pm

PaulAyrey wrote:Looks like its going to be a good build. Lovely stash of extras. Can't wait to see how you get on!

thanks Paul i'll do my best to make it work

HollywoodModelling wrote:Those Hetzer tracks would have been nice for mine as well but as I don't know how to work those friul ones... I stayed basic..

they are noy that hard to use but i'm some what addicted to them
but Paul the admin made a vid about the burnishing liquid and cover the track building too
cheers Mark

http://www.youtube.com/user/longlance67 · Post by **longlance67** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 6:41 pm

wow Mark

thats a lot of etch goodness mate

this is gonna a be a very fun and enjoyable project to watch

thanks

Shane

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 6:49 pm

thanks Shane
but i thought if Frans is called the etch god i maybe can obtain the title of etch demon when messing this up

well i'll see what happens with it
the only bad part is that i needed just 1 of yhe pe sets to replace a missing sprue from a other kit and i ended up with the whole lot
cheers Mark

Post by **fred29** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:06 pm

this is gonna be an epic build. so much stuff

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:12 pm

fred29 wrote:this is gonna be an epic build. so much stuff

yes it is
i just don't know if it is going to be in the good or the way of.epic

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:44 pm

Huba Huba!

I love the smell of PE in the morning

I'm going to follow this build closely, for I love all the goodies you've got there my friend!
I'm sure it will be a blast to build this kit!
And I'm sure you will tackle this one.
My next Marder is going to be A Dragon too, for I love the quality on them.

Good luck with your build buddy!

Cheers, Frans (AKA Etch God)

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:23 pm

fly1ngdutchm4n wrote:Huba Huba!
I love the smell of PE in the morning
I'm going to follow this build closely, for I love all the goodies you've got there my friend!
I'm sure it will be a blast to build this kit!
And I'm sure you will tackle this one.
My next Marder is going to be A Dragon too, for I love the quality on them.

Good luck with your build buddy!

C heers, Frans (AKA Etch God)

i was waiting for a comment from you
as this should be right up your ally and if all goes well i should end up with the same thing as is on the pe boxes
but i made a small start on it yesterday and the pe only covers the outside of the vehicle there is nothing i could find for either the drivers compartment or the engine/fueltank compartment
and i just made the transmission bit and a seat so i'm not very far with it
besides that i try to get my other builds of the bench too

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:52 pm

and here is the first update
i started the build at step 2 because step 1 are the wheels and suspension
from step 2 to 5 you get to build the interior of the marder
i had to remove some bits from the hull to be replaced with the pe parts
but here are all the interion parts

the radiator and inner walls

transmission with excellent details

the engine wich look good but i can't find the bit for the ignition on it so no sparkplug wires

and the fueltanks
i removed the pointy bits on top then drilled them out
this was done to place the fuellines made from leadwire

and then it was time to start with the pile of pe but i guess my basic set was made on a monday after a party weekend
because it is missing 3 frets wich are replaced with a js2 fret that has no use for me
so a e mail was send to voyager in the hope something can be done about this
and that is all for now
cheers Mark

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:37 pm

Great start Mark!

Looks like a great kit to me!
I was missing the engine, transmission and fuel tanks with my Tamiya marder, so I will deffo buy this Dragon kit sometimes..

I hope you will get those missing PE frets Mark, that realy sucks

Keep up the good work mate

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:58 pm

thanks Frans
and the kit looks great but i prefer dragon over tamiya every day of the week
and most new kits have a interior either full or partial so that is a grrat bonus
cheers Mark

Post by **ConnorM** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 3:49 am

very interested in this one. looks fun.

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:10 am

ConnorM wrote:very interested in this one. looks fun.

i hope it is fun too
but it came to a stop as i'm missing parts

so hopefully voyagers customer service is better then dragon's

http://www.youtube.com/user/longlance67 · Post by **longlance67** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 1:14 pm

looking great mark

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 1:20 pm

longlance67 wrote:looking great mark

thanks mate

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Fri Apr 04, 2014 12:11 pm

mini update
i ordered a new basic pe set to replace to faulty one i have
only problem the shop i picked made a mistake on the site and didn't actally have it in stock
but they kindly ordered it for.me and with a discount for the mistake they made
so i decided that i could skip a few things for now and continue the build
as i have the armor plate set aswell i can start on that and some other bit and pieces
i have the befehls jager on the go aswell and i think i make it a dual build with the normal marder
to see how the both stack up next to eachother

so stay tuned as a update should follow soon (i sound like a tv channel don't i)
cheers

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:08 pm

hi guys
just a small update as i made a bit of progress on the pile of pe (just a bit though)
since i couldn't continue the build in the way that i wanted i started on makeing some of the larger pe parts that will replace the kit parts
and boy how i was wrong on the time i had to put into that

what a shock i thougt 2 hours of bending and cleaning up would get the 2 pieces of side armor but NO
this is after 4 hours of messing around and still not done

so it is clear that i underestamated the amount of work it would take to do this
plus after an hour or so the shiny metal starts to iritate my eyes
but this is really something else then a few pe pieces that you get with dragon kits
still it is fun to do but much harder too

cheers Mark

Post by **Tiger131** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:40 pm

thats one load of pe you got there looking forward to seeing this come on

Post by **AchtungPanzer** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:23 pm

a lot metal parts - I like this ! will be like real - im impressed . Well done buddy

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:27 pm

AchtungPanzer wrote: a lot metal parts - I like this ! will be like real - im impressed . Well done buddy

thank you but it will take a lot of time to build

Tiger131 wrote:thats one load of pe you got there looking forward to seeing this come on

yes it is a big pile indeed
think i start building with my sunglasses on for the glare on the pe
you get cross eyed with all those shiny bits

http://m.youtube.com/user/MrBobsBuilds · Post by **Rob** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:35 pm

Looks like a lot of work ahead Mark! But judging by the progress made, it's going to be a stunner!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:06 pm

Rob wrote:Looks like a lot of work ahead Mark! But judging by the progress made, it's going to be a stunner!

i really hope so Rob
i try to.get it like the picture on the box
but it will be a lot of work to do so
i just checked the box of the armorplating and there are over 500 rivet to put in
so i could be builinding a real marder in about the same time

but a lot of parts for sure

http://m.youtube.com/user/MrBobsBuilds · Post by **Rob** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:12 pm

500 rivets to add

it will be worth the pain in the end, I am sure

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:15 pm

Rob wrote:500 rivets to add it will be worth the pain in the end, I am sure

as long as i don't spill glue in the holes i can do them rather fast
if i do spill i have to wait for the glue to dry and re drill the hole
oooohh the life of a modeller

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:41 pm

Looks great Mark

And yeah... It takes time indeed! But all effort will pay off in the end though!
500 rivets... jeez..

And the shiny parts can be annoying indeed.
But there is a solution without wearing sunglasses.

There is a Photo Etch burnishing fluid on the market from AK.
Like the one for the tracks. This will take all shine of the parts. And that will be also come in handy if you should take of some paint by accident, so the shiny metal will not become visible and it looks like chipped paint instead.
haven't tried it, but thinking of it.

Keep up the good work mate, some clean bending done already!

Cheers!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:06 pm

thanks Frans
i have that liquid but.never tried it
but i'm not sure if this build gets paint
if i like the full metal look i just may keep it

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:09 pm

MarkVerploeg wrote:thanks Frans
i have that liquid but.never tried it
but i'm not sure if this build gets paint
if i like the full metal look i just may keep it

A heavy metal Marder!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:15 pm

fly1ngdutchm4n wrote:
MarkVerploeg wrote:thanks Frans
i have that liquid but.never tried it
but i'm not sure if this build gets paint
if i like the full metal look i just may keep it
A heavy metal Marder!

we need a head banging smilie for that

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:37 pm

Your wish is my command...

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:43 pm

fly1ngdutchm4n wrote:Your wish is my command...

DUDE he rocks

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:38 pm

hi guys
finally i have a new update on my marder build wich by now includes the befehlsjager aswell
since i want to use both in a diorama because both are marders anyway

so here is the progress

the interior sections
this is from the befehlsjager but the normal marder gets the same paint
also this is just painted and not yet weathered

the new addition to the completed stack
doesn't look like much but this took a few hours to make
the rivets take up a lot of time
but i now insert the rivets and stick them down with masking tape
then i can flip the piece over and work on the inside part that has to glued in
this way i glue everything at once and i work a whole lot faster

and here are the side armor plates for both vehicles
just to see how they compare to each other
i think the pe ones look better but with about 5-6 hours of work that would be nice
the kit parts took 15 minutes max so i'm kind of missing my regular working pace with this

but it is for a good cause

and i have a question for you guys
next i have to make some hinges and i noticed that i kind of suck in making them
so i wondered if you happen to have a tip on how to bend them that they remain working
or unlike mine straight
because i think i may be using my tools the wrong way or something
thanks in advance

so i hope you like it so far and thanks for watching
cheers Mark

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:23 am

As a PE god

I should be able to answer your hinge question...

But let me start to give you a huge compliment about those rivets Mark.
Wow.. The look incredible! A really great upgrade that makes a lot of difference.
Very clever with the masking tape, I'll keep that in mind for myself!

As for the workable hinges... From all PE work these are the most difficult.

When I started bending PE I could just not get the hang of it myself and ruined a lot of them...
It takes a lot of practise without doubt.
It took me a long, long time to get the hang of it.

I presume that you've got the 3 part hinges?
Those are the most tricky ones.

I use the hinges from Griffion models for they are a lot easier with only 2 parts.

Anyway, I use a hold and fold, and two straight tweezers for this task.
And a head magnifier to see things better.

I bend the handle with a tweezers first.
Next I bend the large part with the pins and hold it down with the hold and fold. You can also put that part onto a piece of double sided tape, that works too.
Part 3 (the lock thingie) I bend with a round rod.

Now the (very) difficult part is here... putting the hinge together.

The large part were the two other parts most go on to is hold down with a hold and fold or double sided tape so that you have both hands free. I start with the handle that is going on the lock. Just pull it carefully open a bit, and hook one eye over a pin. I gently hold a second tweezers at that pin to prevent the handle to come loose. Then with the other tweezers I hook the second hole over the pin and gently squeeze the handle to make it straight again. Just be careful, it's a real pain to do that...
The last part is also tricky. Hold the part a bit crooked and hook one pin into the hole. Then twist the part straight again until the last pin falls into the hole.
Now, you can do what I do and just give the pins a tiny tiny drop of wood glue. This will prevent the parts keep coming off.

It's kinda difficult to explain, but I tried to tell you my way... hope it helps you a bit..
But remember, practice make perfect!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:48 am

thanks Frans
i shall give it a try tomorrow as it is kind of late
i have to try the tape.method as i don't have a hold and fold (yet still looking for the right one)
or magnifiers but that's okay
as for my idea with tape :it is just a brain fart that happens to work
as is the small ball of white tack on a cocktail stick that i use to place them
i still need to do the right side rivets though but after about 100 rivets that i did today i thought i had done enough
i just need hinges on the back panel and on the interior floor
it seems that all the floor plates could fold up and reveal a ammo storage
and my new basic set is not here yet so i'll do all the other parts first
but once again thanks for the help
cheers Mark

oh and WHY DID I WANTED TO BUILD A TANK THAT IS 50% PE?

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:05 am

Your welcome and Ehmmm.... That was my way to bend tool clamps.... sorry...

HAHA!
Hinges is something else...

Those can be tricky too..

Part one I lay down on my hold and fold and I put a long piece of wire on top of those "fingers" and tape down the wire, so it doesn't go any where.
Then I'll take my hobby knife, and I pull the fingers up a bit.
Then I'll take a tweezers and begin to push those fingers around the wire, and squeeze softly at the end.
Take the part out of the hold and fold, and do the exact thing with the second part, but instead of leaving the wire in, take it out.

Put the part were the wire is still in again and put it on the hold and fold. (also tape will work here)
Then pull the wire almost out. Stop at the last eye.
Take the second part, and hook it in the first part.
Now gently begin to push the wire back in. wiggle a bit with the wire to make it a bit easier.
A drop of glue at the and of the wire to prevent it falling out. Clip the wire at the other side.

Phew! That should do it!
I hope this is what you meant... lol

Good night, i'm hitting the sack too

Ps, I use a hold and fold "bug" from the small shop.
Bought it for 39 euro at: http://www.domino.be/main.php?action=firmaselect
Belgium shop. Just search under manufactures at "the small shop"

Good luck!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:20 am

thanks for the info
and i know that shop they go to the.Nieuwegein modelshow each year
but i have seen one of the bigger hold and folds on some shows and i want that one
it is some what more expensive but it has all the shaped points on one side
and 3 layers i think
but i'm going to Militracks next month and it has a small modelling show there aswell
with some good deals and i will have a look there
i go there for the past 2 years and i think i saved up to €200 just on kits
real nice event you should have a look
it is in the overloon museum but is cheaper then normal ,10 euro i think
and they have some german stuff driving around
but i will pm Lee on the dates aswell for the news show next month
cheers Mark

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:40 pm

hi guys
here is a little update on the marder
after i had some useful tips by frans i gave the fighting compartment floor a try
and because i wanted to do something without pe so the guns are made aswell

here is the floor as it sits in the back of the vehicle
the detail on this part is much better then the kit part

the strips that hold the floor in place
the big parts are for ammo stowage but i will keep them empty as they will be out of sight

this is the floor when it is out of the vehicle
the detail is very clear to see
i did try to make the hinges workable like it was explained to me
and i failed

the floor is one solid board without any form of movement
that's too bad but i'll live

and here i have the pak40/3 guns
the barrel on the top gun is from aber and is easy to build and looks great (the shine makes a close-up inpossible sorry)
the barrel and slide are not glued on the body og the gun because i like to take them off when i paint them
and i kept the parts of the recoil system off completly because they are hard to work with and can't be seen at all

next thing should be either the back plate or the upper hull plate but i haven't decided on wich it will be
so that is all for now
thanks for tuning in
cheers Mark

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat May 03, 2014 12:26 am

good day gentlemen
so after a short break i continued work on my marders
it was more work then i thought to get some basic panels together
i'm used to working with some photo etch but that is more as add on parts like grills and some tool clamps
so small stuff and i think i have proven to myself i'm no master in pe but then again i never thought i was

but here is the result of my labour

last time i wasn't sure what i would build next but i ended up making the upper hull plate first
this is not a hard piece to make and offers more detail then the already good kit part
the only thing i found that was not so good is that the pe plate is slightly wider then the kit part
so either sand down the sides wich takes hours or and that is what i did
place 2 styrene rods about 2mm thick in between the hull sides (so left to right) and they will push the sides outward to make place for the new hull plate
and i made the fenders these are easy and relatively fast to make as they took me about 2 hours start to finish
if any one wants to get these keep in mind that you need to search for flakpanzer 38t fenders but that vehicle has the same chassis and most of the hull like the marder

this is the befehljager with all the armorplates and fenders
not bad when it comes to detail and fit as you can see

the 2 builds next to eachother this is before i finished riveting the pe plates

and here is the marder with it's armor
as you can see the engine covers are made too but are not glued in place
and to my joy this time i managed to make all the hinges workable (sort of on some)
but the covers can fold up to show the engine in a later stage of the build

and this is how it looks now
i know that there are some places that are scratched and these have been sanded using a Ultimate sanding sponge wich is very good for this task
also in some places the glue leaked past the rivet to the outside of the hull
this is not so easy to get off the surface but i will have a secnd try to loose those marks
oh and before anyone points it out i know about the epm's above the engine but there will be a coverplate that supports the gun and this covers that part
but i did miss them in all honesty

and that is all i have done at the moment
it doesn't look like much i know but this method is really slow but satisfying in my opinion
so i hope you like it and untill next time
cheers Mark

Post by **AchtungPanzer** » Sat May 03, 2014 8:42 am

From me 3 x YES mate !!!

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat May 03, 2014 9:18 am

AchtungPanzer wrote:From me 3 x YES mate !!!

thanks buddy

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Sat May 03, 2014 9:46 am

Slow but awesome Mark!

Now that's what I call heavy metal

I love the way you tackle this immense PE job mate, I know I can be really hard.
But as you said, it's satisfying at the end!
Keep up the good work buddy

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat May 03, 2014 10:00 am

thanks Frans
i'm glad you like it so far
but i am putting it on the shelve for a little while
i'm still waiting for my missing pe set and i want to build something a bit faster in the mean time
just to keep busy with something else then just pe
so now i'm going through my stash looking for a kit that is not on a 38t chassis and that doesn't come with a lot of pe
and as i had a first look that is hard ans most of my kits have either some extra pe or a full interior
but my king tiger is tempting to build and i only have the relatively small lion roar set for that
that has stuff like fenders ,tool clamps and grills but not as much as the marder

but there is some other stuff there aswell
and i'm planning a big dio for my leopold but i need several vehicle to go with that so maybe i start working on that
and the gun itself has to be cleaned and repainted
so we'll see what happens next
cheers Mark

Post by **Coen** » Sat May 03, 2014 11:13 am

I don't know how I missed this Mark! Sorry for that bud.
I'm old and slow and I don't keep up that well haha.

I gotta say bud, my mouth went dry reading this thread. Beautiful work!!!
She'd look spectacular beside Paul's big C3P0 kitty and Fran's Uber Marder. What a piece of work.
Again, it's one of those things that it's a shame to paint it.
I won't be missing any more of this one... that's for sure.

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat May 03, 2014 2:40 pm

thanks Coen
it is a shame indeed to paint it but as there are a lot of scratches i will paint it
but just making these parts takes a lot of time but it has a better look then the normal styrene parts
and as you mentioned in on of your.vids the pe starts to mess with your eyes
but i will make a new update.when i have.enough new bits and pieces made
cheers Mark

http://www.youtube.com/user/longlance67 · Post by **longlance67** » Sat May 03, 2014 3:28 pm

wow so much etch Mark !

wonderful work, and the detail is out of this world !

great stuff

Shane

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Sat May 03, 2014 4:46 pm

longlance67 wrote:wow so much etch Mark !

wonderful work, and the detail is out of this world !

great stuff

Shane

thanks Shane
i'm glad you like it
but most of the detail work is still to come
i only made the big parts so far and the amount of pe that will go in the fighting is insane
but that is coming when i receive my new basic set for this vehicle
i did made a start on the gunshield and that is a more challeging part
cheers Mark

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:00 pm

Hi guys
So i have a little update as far is this project goes
I know it should be about the normal marder with all the pe but i want the command version to go with it on a dio
And as things where going slow like painting and priming other builds
So i decided to do some building on the befehlsjäger so that would be ready for a splash of paint
And here it is

With out the gun so far but i will paint it seperate as that would be easy compared to having it in the narrow vehicle

so internals

more internals
The instructions dragon gives you are kind of crappy and some parts.that are needed come on the sprue that i never had in the kit so that all was a pain in the rear end

and this is the first of the marders completed
The engine bay will remain open so i have to mask it but there was some paint drying on the edges
One of the covers is on the background btw
So with the exception of the friul tracks i will use on this the building stage is done
Now i just have to finish the heavy metal version but i still don't have the missing pe kit

as the shop i ordered it from didn't receive it when they had the delivery but i was ensured it should be here soon

so that is all i have for now
i hope you guys like it and i promise next time it will be the metal marder that has some progress made
cheers Mark

Post by **fly1ngdutchm4n** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:24 pm

Another cool progress Mark!

Hope you'll get the missing PE soon!
Keep up the good work mate

Post by **MarkVerploeg** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:10 pm

fly1ngdutchm4n wrote:Another cool progress Mark!
Hope you'll get the missing PE soon!
Keep up the good work mate

Thanks Frans
I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks
But the shop i ordered it from is going to the twenot club meeting in overloon on the 15th of june and i'm hoping they will bring the missing set and some other stuff with them (still have to ask them)
Then i know when i will have it and i don't have to wait on the postman
And then then marder build can go on
Altough i still have some things i can do to it with the stuff i do have like the back wall but it should be seperate untill i have all the other stuff in the fighting compartment because as you know it is tiny in there
Cheers Mark

Post by **lasautin** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:40 am

That is fantastic work! For me that would be an absolutely overwhelming amount of PE, but you've just done a fantastic job with it! Nice work!