Stokesy's Desert Clanker - Trumpy 1/16 Pz IV Ausf.F2

[Stokesy44]

After a weekend where it didn't happen, I got back at it yesterday with the base coat.

Tamiya Desert yellow and it went down without any tip dry. Used about two thirds of a tin which was pretty good IMO. All the hatches were closed and I used a wheel mask template for the return rollers. The rims for the maim wheels were put back on after they were painted.





That was COB yesterday.

Back in the booth today. All hatches with rims were taken off so the outlines could be painted in with the base colour. I took the upper hull off too so I was able to get behind the tools on the side sponsons and fill in any missed bits or areas that needed more opacity in the base coat.

















A little bit of clean up was needed on the return rollers before mounting



Then it was time to glue everything on for the running gear (except the drive sprockets).







All ready for decals and detail painting now

[digger303]

Yes you might have to buy some more paint when this is done. Those wheel masks work really well.

[ElCapitan]

Looks really nice and smooth. Those wheel rims are so crisp - excellent work!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Superb

[BigWall]

Brilliant work Stokesy!

[Tomcat64]

Lovely clean paintwork mate - that's cracking work and as Rob said the wheels & tyres look really crisp.

[Kevthemodeller]

Superb paintwork mate, all very smooth, very accurate wheel coverage

[Garion77]

As what said just before me, the paint is really smooth. Awesome job. A lot of work those tanks !!!

[Stokesy44]

Only a small update today. The weather is not conducive to spending a long session in the den. Especially with the golf, cricket, F1 and rugby on!

Got the decals sorted. The kit gives you individual numbers for the turret or sets of 3 to make application easier. I went for the individual numbers as it cut down the visible carrier film substantially.

There's a little staining from the decal solution but that will go when I add the varnish to seal.







I finished off with the fiddly decals on the radios then attached the units to the upper hull. As you can see in the last pic, there's only a limited view through the hatch but well worth the effort.

[digger303]

The 1/16 scale makes all the small blimps in 1/35 more like real objects.
Lovely radio.

[Kevthemodeller]

The radio sets look great mate, I suspect possible cabling is coming

[Stokesy44]

The radio sets look great mate, I suspect possible cabling is coming

Thanks Kev. Its a % call re the cabling. Its on the To Do list but its also on the May Never Get Done list

[Stokesy44]

Worked on the detail painting yesterday. Just the jack block is left.

Various Vallejo metal colors and a couple of their brush painting browns for the axe and spade handles.











Quite pleased with how the muffler has come out. It will have a lot of effects applied during the weathering process but its a good base to start from.



I need to do a little more desert yellow spray work with the small needle, mostly to clear up some dirt smudges courtesy of my over eager fingers. I'll then apply a matt varnish and start the chipping and oil work.

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking great mate, it's the weathering I'm really looking forward to

[digger303]

I'm really happy with the way this is turning out, a real piece of work and joy.
However there is one thing I'm not happy with













It's not mine.......

[Tomcat64]

Nice progress mate - the radios look superb and the detail painting is coming along really nicely too

How did the big decals behave themselves?

[Stokesy44]

Nice progress mate - the radios look superb and the detail painting is coming along really nicely too

How did the big decals behave themselves?

Thanks mate. The decals were ok. I specifically went for individual numbers as opposed to the decal of all 3 so as to minimize the carrier film. They went down fine and look ok under the matt coat I applied later in the day.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Coming more and more alive
She is a big beast

[DRUMS01]

I've been following all along and am simply stunned at the detail and realism, and its not even weathered yet.

N-I-C-E !

[Stokesy44]

Coming more and more alive
She is a big beast

I've been following all along and am simply stunned at the detail and realism, and its not even weathered yet.

N-I-C-E !

Thanks Guys. Now she's got her desert drawers on she's finally starting to look the part.

[Stokesy44]

Firstly, my apologies fpr not posting in a fortnight. I got hit by a virus (not THE virus) which left me hors de combat and on steroids by the end of it.

Still, hopefully on the upward trend now so its back to the clanker. I took her to the chip shop this morning and here's the results.

On a separate note I've finally figured out how to deal with the colour washout in my pictures when taken from certain angles versus the light source. If you look at the previous post (and most of my other ones), the tank looks 2 different colours depending on the angle. I have the basic edit suite my digital SLR came with (I use my phone for pics) but there was only so much I could do by increasing the saturation. However, I found an RGB adjustment setting and by reducing the Blue, the colour bled right back into the offending pics.

Anyway, never mind that, here's how the chipping went. I used the edge of a sponge brillo pad as usual with Vallejo Model Air black.





















I chipped the muffler support straps heavily as the paint came off the real things almost immediately, such was the heat of the exhaust. They will get a lot more work when I work on the muffler effects later on.





Next up is a dot filer with oils

[BigWall]

Very nice job with the chipping! It really looks great!

[Kevthemodeller]

Glad you're over the illness mate, we seem to forget about all the usual viruses that lurk out there since bloody Covid arrived
Chipping looks great, looking forward to seeing you build up the weathering

[digger303]

I dunno how you get such fine chipping, but it's really good.
Glad your on the path to health again

[Tomcat64]

Awesome work on the chipping mate - that looks fantastic.

Good to hear you're on the mend from that dose of lurgy too

[Stokesy44]

Glad you're over the illness mate, we seem to forget about all the usual viruses that lurk out there since bloody Covid arrived
Chipping looks great, looking forward to seeing you build up the weathering

Very nice job with the chipping! It really looks great!

I dunno how you get such fine chipping, but it's really good.
Glad your on the path to health again

Awesome work on the chipping mate - that looks fantastic.

Good to hear you're on the mend from that dose of lurgy too

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I worked on the oils today. Its my first real desert effort so I was looking to try and fade the paintwork rather than dirty it up. I mainly used white and light brown with a little burnt umber for some minor rust streaks. I'll rust it up properly in the final weathering phase when I do the exhaust baffle after glossing and washing.

So, here's today's efforts. Just trying to get that slightly bleached look.









I've just spotted I missed brushing down the filters on the side of the gun mantle! Better get the thinners out!







Seeing how it looks altogether













Once the oils have cured, it will be time for a gloss coat then a dirt wash. Then detail work to finish!

[digger303]

Smashing work.

[Tomcat64]

Lovely work mate - each layer just adds more life

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes, your definitely getting the sun faded look mate

[BigWall]

Very nice! It's really coming to life.

[Stokesy44]

Thanks Guys.

Got a bit more done. Sprayed the whole kit with aqua gloss. I love this stuff, sprays straight from the bottle, its diamond hard and gives a great surface to take and manipulate a wash on.

Turret first. I took it off the hull as its much easier to get the spray angles. Also, it doesn't fit in the booth when its on the hull!





Then it was on to the hull



Given I have a 1/16 Panther and a 1/16 Jagdtiger, can anyone spot my potential quandary?



No prizes for guessing what was next. Out came the Ultimate Primer for the tracks and tow cable.



Had a mare with the airbrush first time around. I didn't clean it properly after glossing and the primer took one look at the needle nozzle and said, no way am I wading through all the debris sunshine, start again!

So I did a proper clean and it sprayed beautifully.





I'll let it cure overnight then its Vallejo Metal Color Steel for the tracks and an as yet undetermined shade of wash from Ultimate for the tank. I'll also do the rust effects for the muffler if I get time.

Thanks as always for looking in

[digger303]

Sounds like you've been busy. My internet is crap atm to many tourists overloading the network downloading net flicks in their ruddy vans. So I can read the text , but can't see the pic's yet not even sure if this reply will survive the upload. Copying my entry in case I have to re enter this. I look forward to actually seeing the work perhaps tomorrow before they all get a cuppa coffee in them...

[Stokesy44]

Here's the work from the weekend.

I decided on Ultimate's Earth wash in the end as the Dark Dirt would have been way OTT. Added a bit more rust but that's the hull and turret done. All that's left is a mist of buff and maybe a matt clear if it needs it.

I worked on the muffler using pigments and also managed to get the tow cable painted.

































One other thing. I've started painting the underside of the hatch covers for the commanders hatch and the 2 for the driver and radio op. They're the last things to go on then its just the tracks.

[ElCapitan]

Looks awesome. You always get a really good effect from the ultimate washes - I can never get them to work for me!

[BigWall]

It's looking sweet Stokesy!

[digger303]

Going to have to buy another one of those spray booths and hook them together to get a panther in for painting.

[Parker]

[Stokesy44]

Looks awesome. You always get a really good effect from the ultimate washes - I can never get them to work for me!

Thanks ElC, I've always used them on a gloss base and wiped them using a moist kitchen towel and cotton buds. It just seems to work. Before I used the Ultimate stuff I made my own using pastel chalks with water and a touch of fairy liquid to break the surface tension. Same process as they're basically the same sort of materials. Applied with a brush on to a gloss coat then wipe away.

[Garion77]

Wow
it's when I see an armor build like that, that I continue to be intimidated to build one... I'll keep to planes So much details to build and so much different things to apply different painting and weathering techniques.
This is good work ! Everything looks so real.
I love Ultimate wash ! Even if I don't use them as much as I used to when I started modeling 5/6 years ago. But I plan to use it on my current build, my Ki-64. It's going to be tested first on the metallic finish. Never tried it before.

Continue the good work. It's astonishing !

[DRUMS01]

And it just keeps getting better... wow!

This is going to take a rather large glass case and area to show it off.

What do you have planned for her once the Clanker is done?

[Stokesy44]

Going to have to buy another one of those spray booths and hook them together to get a panther in for painting.

My current booth is at its absolute limit with the Pz4. I'm saving my pennies (British money ) for a Benchvent booth but that's a little while off yet. I need to sell more home insurance policies at work before Daddy can get his new toy!

[Stokesy44]

Wow
it's when I see an armor build like that, that I continue to be intimidated to build one... I'll keep to planes So much details to build and so much different things to apply different painting and weathering techniques.
This is good work ! Everything looks so real.
I love Ultimate wash ! Even if I don't use them as much as I used to when I started modeling 5/6 years ago. But I plan to use it on my current build, my Ki-64. It's going to be tested first on the metallic finish. Never tried it before.

Continue the good work. It's astonishing !

Thanks mate. Just make sure you apply the wash onto a shiny surface or you may find it hard to remove.

[Stokesy44]

And it just keeps getting better... wow!

This is going to take a rather large glass case and area to show it off.

What do you have planned for her once the Clanker is done?

Thanks mate. I dont do glass cases so the brute will be on a shelf or a book case top. I may show the turret separately as it stands nicely on its turret basket. That way more of the interior can be seen.

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes another weathering master piece coming from the Stokesy's stable and he's not finished yet

[digger303]

Going to have to buy another one of those spray booths and hook them together to get a panther in for painting.

My current booth is at its absolute limit with the Pz4. I'm saving my pennies (British money ) for a Benchvent booth but that's a little while off yet. I need to sell more home insurance policies at work before Daddy can get his new toy!

My LCM was a tight squeeze into my bench vent and that has 500mm width to it.

[Stokesy44]

Got the clanker's boots on today.

I sprayed them with Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron (over Ultimate Black Primer) then used their Dark Aluminum to dry brush and shade the tracks. They're clean at the moment but I will apply sand pigments for dust at the end of the build. As a desert vehicle I will not be applying any mud or debris effects as I dont think they would reflect the environment.

They fit easily enough. It was then just a case of adjusting the idler to create the right amount of sag. These pics were taken before I glued the idlers in their position so they still look a bit loose in some of the photos.



















Hatches left to do then its a final spray to matt down the look of the hull with a touch of buff then dry pigments to finish.

[digger303]

Sweet so close now.

[Stokesy44]

Sweet so close now.

Could not agree more mate. I've loved the build and I'm looking forward to the finish. Its not been a fatiguing project and its still fun to work on.

[Kevthemodeller]

Very much on the home straight now mate, the tracks are superb

[Twokidsnosleep]

Quite an impressive machine
The weathering and use effects are very well done