PUMA on zee prowl. Dragon sd.Kfz.234/2 and figures.

[Deacon]

Great build of what I feel is one of the ugliest AFV's of WW2

Ugly? Nooooooooo The Puma is a sexy beauty.

I'll second that.

[hansolo]

I love it, Coen!
And I love what you're doing to it.



Carry on Colonel!

Cheers

[WirbelwindModelling]

Gotta agree with hamilikar here the puma is a lovely liking vehicle as well as being deadly effective.
They do great things in Germany...

[Coen]

Those dudes are having way too much of a good time.

[andreb87]

greetings from the fatherland looks awesome! i love the puma it was the best wheeled afv of the war and influenced all that came after the war! the bundeswehr used this one until a few years ago! i think it is clear which ww2 vehicle influenced the design

[Coen]

Man! What I wouldn't give to have one of those!

[ForbesHutton]

Man! What I wouldn't give to have one of those!

Get an engineering version with a plow.

What snow in the driveway?

[Coen]

The puma has been sitting on my bench now for a few days, totally built. I hate the next part... Base painting. I've always hated it. I've had build sit on the shelf unpainted for months simply because I did't want to start the painting.

So I just had to pull my thumb out and do it.

So here it is primed with Vallejo primer



Then I base painted it with Mig's Dunklegelb base.







Then a panel fading of Mig's light Dunklegelb













I started painting the wee details as well, like the stowage.




Then I had to decide on the camo and markings. The box markings though cool wouldn't work so I had to look around for some reference shots of Pumas at the offensive. There's not many.
I went with a 2nd panzer div recon puma, I had to take a guess as to what camo it had. There were several in use at the time. The markings will be sparse as most Pumas in service at that time were all recent transfers and hadn't been properly marked up as yet.

Again...Mig's colours









The tires got a coat of Mig's rubber tire colour. It goes on looking funny but dries well and looks the part. I find a lot of Mig's colours do that. You paint them on, but they don't look right until they've dried.



Finally I finished all the detail painting with all the tools and bits and bobs.














The next time I work on this it will be the gloss coat, and then decals.

[gustavlekstal]

[Nev]

Looking good buddy

[Joesdad]

I've just started to get into AFV's Mike, I'm trying to take it all in but..phew!

[Coen]

It's not as bad as it seems.
It's like everything, you start small, slow and easy. Take your time and practise.
That's supposed to be what a hobby is... slow, easy, fun.

This might make it easier, I put it together for Lee a long time ago so that he wouldn't kill me in my sleep for teasing him about something.
Then he went and made a big deal about it haha.
Still, it can be useful if you're thinking about starting armour.
This is all about the painting/weathering.

http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... de&start=0

[HamilkarBarkas]

There are few things in the world more enjoyable than applying a camo pattern on a German AFV

[Coen]

There are few things in the world more enjoyable than applying a camo pattern on a German AFV

Dude... you are right about that!!!

[Russ72]

Watching your builds come together is a treat Coen. Looking good.

[Jan01]

Like the build so far Mike, its coming along nicely.

[Nige201980]

stunning.

[Tiger131]

the black base coat has done a nice job as a pre shade really pops through look forward to seeing more mucker

[kiwigav]

Nice paintwork mate, really 1st rate

[Coen]

Thanks guys it's appreciated.

I spent the day fussing about with a lot of things and none involved working on plastic until late last night.
I did manage to get some work done though.
The PUMA is now all decaled and ready for the gloss coat. Then the real fun begins
I also started on the figures. All the base coat for their skin has been painted and drybrushed with a lighter tone. Next is the eyes and hair, then I'l start in on the bodies. Farmer Clem is all base painted now and ready for some hair, clean up and then his washes.

The surface was brushed locally with aqua gloss from Alclad and a few hours latter the decals were placed. After another couple of hours I sealed then in with another coat of gloss.
Bullet proof.



After the decals were dealt with I started in on the skin. Vallejo matt skin mixed with a drop or two of cadmium red to make the base colour.
Then I lighten it with a drop of white and a drop of the matt skin and drybrush the highpoints. I'll do their hair eyes and eyebrows next.
When they're dry I'll wash them with a burn umber wash for shadows.
That my cheater faces at 1/35.



Farmer Clem has had his skin done but needs hair and brows. His clothing is just base coat. Some still need another coat yet.



And that's is for now. Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada so I won't be getting much done at the bench, it's also my Wife and I's Anniversary so the day is a bit full.

[hansolo]

Thanks guys it's appreciated.

I spent the day fussing about with a lot of things and none involved working on plastic until late last night.
I did manage to get some work done though.
The PUMA is now all decaled and ready for the gloss coat. Then the real fun begins
I also started on the figures. All the base coat for their skin has been painted and drybrushed with a lighter tone. Next is the eyes and hair, then I'l start in on the bodies. Farmer Clem is all base painted now and ready for some hair, clean up and then his washes.

The surface was brushed locally with aqua gloss from Alclad and a few hours latter the decals were placed. After another couple of hours I sealed then in with another coat of gloss.
Bullet proof.



After the decals were dealt with I started in on the skin. Vallejo matt skin mixed with a drop or two of cadmium red to make the base colour.
Then I lighten it with a drop of white and a drop of the matt skin and drybrush the highpoints. I'll do their hair eyes and eyebrows next.
When they're dry I'll wash them with a burn umber wash for shadows.
That my cheater faces at 1/35.



Farmer Clem has had his skin done but needs hair and brows. His clothing is just base coat. Some still need another coat yet.



And that's is for now. Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada so I won't be getting much done at the bench, it's also my Wife and I's Anniversary so the day is a bit full.

Congrats on the anniversary! Coen.

cheers

[Coen]

Thanks Han

More figure painting was the order of the day of late.
Camo camo and more camo

I started with one of the officer figures and by the time I finished with him I decided that I didn't like how he turned out. I may replace him with a different fella.



One of the PUMA crewmen finished.



The other one started. Painted black and an oil wash of lamp black added.



Farmer Clem is done as well.



Washes are dry on the second crewmen.



Both crewmen drybrushed and dryfitted in the PUMA.



On to the Fallschirmjäger. Vallejo Model Colour German Uniform Green for the pants and helmet covers.



Then Lift colour something (the label is worn off so I don't know what colour it is. It just matched the reference pics.



All in the family...





The first layer of colour... Vallejo Model Colour German Uniform Green.





The second colour, german camo brown...







So that's it for today. Time to rest the eyes. That's the hard part done though. The rest is boring. Detail painting till I puke. Haha.

[Tiger131]

its a forest of figures..nice work

[jbellos1]

Very nice work Mike.

[kiwigav]

Top figure painting Mike

[JayCub]

Looks brilliant Mike I really like the fine details and the whole project looks to make a very busy setting
Tom

[Nige201980]

Wow those figures are brilliant mate

[Coen]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

The last few days I spent finishing the figures, gloss coating, washing and chipping the PUMA, and I've made a start on the vignette.

Firstly the figures.
I had to assembly line the things because there so many of them. It takes the joy out of painting them, but it accelerates the process a great deal. The method that I use to paint figures is also extremely simple so It takes only a few hours to finish large amounts of work.
First I painted all the leather worn on all the figures with vallejo model colour leather, then I thin some vallejo model colour smoke and add a shine to all the leather.



Then I hit all the small details, ranks, belt buckles, eyebrows, irises.





Then all of the clothing got a wash of lamp black oil paint and the faces got one of burnt umber.





Then I let them dry for a couple of hours and cleaned up the excess on the faces and some areas that looked too intense on the clothing.
After that I drybrushed the Fallschirmjäger with a life colour olive drab and the tankers got one of a sand.

[Coen]

Next came work on the PUMA.
After a gloss coat I gave it an all over wash of burnt umber, then I added some chipping. I went light on the chipping as I wanted it to look like a fairly new vehicle or newly repainted and reissued vehicle which was very common at the time.





After doing that I decided to set it aside to think about how I wanted to handle the weathering. She'll be muddy as hell, but the weathering regards age and care. So I need to chew on it for a bit. So I started in on the vignette in the mean time.

First I i built a little fence out of toothpicks and CA glue, and made a small rocky base for them and I made the hole for the tree. Then I smeared carpenters glue all over the thing.




Then I added a layer of DAS Air Dry modelling clay to the surface. The first layer about 3-4mm thick over the entire surface (wear rubber gloves and keep them wet while working with this stuff. It keeps the finger prints from messing up your work. Make sure that your gloves are the ones that DON'T have the textured fingertips.)

After I added the first layer and let it set for about 20 minutes I took a piece of paper towel and tamped the surface of the clay with it. This both absorbs excess moisture laying on the surface as well as imparting some texture. Once done I added the detail layer, hills and bumps.
I made the ditches as well as the ruts made by wheeled vehicles in the lane then I varied the surface by adding lumps of clay to random areas. I again used the paper towel to remove the moisture, but for surface texture this time I used an old toothbrush tapped randomly all over the surface.





I also added the tracks of previous vehicle passage to the ruts.



Zee tree



Then I started adding crap to the surface, small rocks, pebbles, bits of wood.




Then I added "old man's beard", a lichen that grows everywhere here. Makes good bushes when painted properly. I'm trying an experiment with this batch. I added them to the diorama before priming in the hope that I can make them darker than I have made them previously. When I paint them separately I have trouble getting them to blend colourwise sometimes. I'm hoping this will help solve that.



I also added some logs to the scene to add a woody/country feel.



Then I marked the positions of the figures and the PUMA in the surface.

[Yevgeny]

Wow, this is serious amount of work!
You like a factory, non stop man
Looks great.

[Russ72]

Very nice mate. I'm glad you didn't cut back the amount of figures.

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Woah!
That camoflage on those figures is spot on! Very nice work!
And that Puma, and the base. ..
Another gem in progress

[Coen]

Thanks guys!

I'm doing something slightly different this time with the vignette. A little experiment.

Today was a short day.
I started off with a primer and base colours. Then I have to let it sit for a day to cure.
I used Vallejo black primer to both seal everything in and give a good base for shadows. It also makes the base very similar to a mini art base as once the primer it on its almost the same as a coat of plastic.
It's also just as strong.
At least that's the hope. This isn't a new idea, it's just new to me.



Then I base painted the ruts with a muddy brown colour that I mixed up from some craft paint.



Then a bit of green for the grassy areas.



And another green for the bushes and some variety.




Then some burnt umber Vallejo air for the centre of the ruts for a more muddy look.



Then a couple of greys for the rocks.




It's looking a bit toy like and goofy at the moment, next it will be the brambles and actual grasses. Then snow effects. After that is should look a bit better.

[Deacon]

Wonderful work on the figures, Puma and dio mate, as always.

Something for me to aspire to.

[Schoof]

zat izz some very nize work you did the mein Herr

[MarkVerploeg]

Da Igor agrees
Now where is my vodka

[Nige201980]

Great work Mike just given me a whole load of ideas for my chally dio I'm trying to do. So thanks for that buddy.

[wappynutter]

Awesome buddy....
Gonna be an excellent finish when all done Mike, well done i love it.
Figures are excellently painted and detailed, Puma is fantastic, and the little dio.... Superb so far, cannot wait for the snow effects..
Keep doing what ya do...
Continued success, stay safe and well mate..More soon please...

[JayCub]

Looking great Mike and I like and appreciate the dialog that you use at each step, gives a feel to the build and I can pick a few tips along the way, which is another added bonus to the build log
Tom

[Coen]

Thanks guys, and here ya go Andy.

Today was all about layers. Lots of them.
First I drybrushed all the rocks with a light grey then a sand colour. Later I'll give the. A wash with dark dirt and then one of burnt umber oils, but not until all the scatter is done.

Then I added a bit of thinned white glue to the entire surface. A few patches of grass tufts, a couple of twigs. Then it was all layers of spices. A bit of ground coriander, parsley flakes, chilly powder flakes, unground thyme, woodland scenic's green accents and forest accents.



Then I added a couple of dried flowers from Mk35 that Forbes Hutton gave me a while ago.




Next will be some pigments and washes, then a bit of snow effects.

[HamilkarBarkas]

Sir, how can you dare to create such a beautiful building thread?!

[Coen]

Im sorry master... I shall go outside and beat myself with a shovel imediately and then iron my hands.

[ForbesHutton]

Im sorry master... I shall go outside and beat myself with a shovel imediately and then iron my hands.

So it's snowing there too?

Please refer to the MK35 product as "shrubbery" or something similar. I don't like to think of myself as giving flowers to another man ("not that there's anything wrong with that", plus your wife might get jealous).

[Coen]

Hahaha!!! Ok boss... Masculinity defence mode engaged.

[brickfan8]

Coen your doing a great job you should post a vidieo of this on you tube one of your best builds

[hansolo]

Eeh, that dio, eeh WOW!!!
You just realy cut out a chunk of reality there!!

Cheers bro

[Schoof]

Ok. ...... I'll take a step back now. .... Wouldn't want to drool to much on your vignette

[alextheblue]

Another stunning piece Mike, brilliant!!

Especially love the figures, all the little touches with the washes and dry-brushing really bring them to life.

[Coen]

Today I spend trying to get my mud in order. The damned stuff just wouldn't play ball.
To make wet mud you can take either plain old dirt or mud coloured pigments and mix them with some white glue and water, toss in a couple of pebbles, kitty litter, static grass, and sand and poof! Mud.
To make it wet you apply it then wait till it dries and add some future to it. It's a gloss varnish and dries clear and shiny. Makes the mud look wet.
Well that wasn't happening today.

What happened today is that I discovered that this new formula crap future that I have is piss for making mud. It reacts to the pigments or glue in some way and dries like a layer of white soap. Not what I was looking for. So next time I'll have to use one of the acrylic paint varnishes like vallejo's or alclads to do the wet effect. I don't have any of the old forumla future so I'm SOL in that department.
Live and learn.
So I had to alter the plan, and pray that I didn't alter it further.
Since the scene is of December 1944 I went with frozen mud.
This is what is looked like before the future dried to a white film of BLAH!!!



So I carried on, adding layer after layer of future in the hope that it would stop reacting. In the meantime I added the snow effects.
This was done with talcum powder and a soft brush.
I applied it in two ways.
The first was to rub it on some places then scrub it a little. This adds the effect of frost and very fine collections of snow. Talcum powder is good for this as the particles are almost completely invisible as snowflakes would be at 1/35. Piled snow at 1/35 should look like shaving cream or icing on a cake. Very smooth and very slightly sparkly. Micro balloons (the filler used by R/C plane builders) is great for the sparkles. I added a couple of pinches to my talcum powder to give that effect, even though the camera can't see it at all.
The second way is to hold the brush several centimetres above the vignette and tap the brush. This allows the talcum powder to fall free like real snow. This is great for applying it to foliage as it collects on the branches and leaves very realistically.



After that I added the figures along the roadside to their final positions and glued them in place.
They kinda look like they just stepped off the tour bus.
Once they were attached I dusted them with dirt coloured pigments and their boots with talcum powder and dirt.



I almost forgot these, but I managed to add the sawn logs then dusted them with frost and snow.



Next up was to finish the PUMA. First a dull coat from Alclad.



Then a dot filter of green, yellow and raw umber.



After the dot filter.



Then the rust streaks...





Then I added the mud. This I first applied with a brush, dabbing it on in thick blobs.
Then I used my finger on the bristles to flick it onto the lower areas of the model.
The mud is Ultimate's dark dirt, mud, static grass, white glues, talcum powder for body.



Then I installed it onto the vignette.



Next I added the final figures and a touch or two of pigments here and there.
Then it was finished.

Check out the reveal section to see what she looked like and watch the vid if that interests you.
Thanks for following along fellas. I really appreciate the support and I hope that maybe you got something out of it.



Here's the reveal...
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 316&t=9694

[Tiger131]

looking real good coen