Global Scale Modeller

Well Gents & Ladies (I know I saw a couple on here),

I submit for your critique, my first ever build post on the forum and for my first ever armored vehicle, my 5th overall (not counting the dozen or so, unpainted, gluey fingerprinted messes I did as a kid). I'm doing Tamiya's 1/35 Hanomag sdkfz 251/1. I painted and weathered the interior. I have a couple of problems. Problem 1: I don't know what to think of it right now, what you see is about the third attempt at streaking/weathering. Which I do know, is better than the first two attempts. Problem 2: I'm limited to my current set of oil based weathering products at the moment, since my job was terminated before Thanksgiving (Happy Holidays!). I have a Raw Umber oil paint, mixing white oil paint, Mig Oil & Grease wash, Mig winter streaking grime.

I have my own opinion at this point, but I wanted to see what you all say. It's amusing to me that I've seen the technique done many times. My first try at it, and I completely forgot what I saw. Watched another video, and it clicked again....but a little more permanently this time (I think). What oil products would you recommend for this application?

Every model at this point is a learning experience in a new technique. This time, it's chipping and streaking/wash. The last project was post shading, soft camo lines, a panel line wash and some charcoal dust work.

In order to chip the interior, I used AK red primer first, put down some Pledge before applying Mig heavy chipping effect solution, then finally Model Master Acryl Panzer black-gray. I figured it would be good to test on the interior. None of it worked and I scraped the hell out of the paint in frustration, right down to the plastic in a couple of areas. I've since watched another video and think I may have it down for the outside of the vehicle. I'll run a test on some styrene sheet this time.

I just listened to a podcast with Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame and he made an excellent point. Before you start a project, just resolve yourself to the fact that you will need to start over 2-4 times, before you get it right.

Enough blabbing for now. On to the pictures!

20141229_193953 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

20141229_193929 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

20141229_193917 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

20141229_193850 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

it looks as though ur off to a good start .....the floor looks spot on with the dry brushing and oil spots...the seats look good too....if ur happy with the streaking leave it as is ...if u want u can tone it down a bit and make it look more subtle by just dragging a slightly damp brush dunked in clean mineral spirits...good luck with it and have fun

MM

You have a really nice way of "chatting" on your threads, really gives off a great vibe.
Love the quote as well.
You have done a sterling job so far and I will look forwards to more of these inputs.
Great Job.
PS: Better than my blathering on about weather and what we had to eat the previous night....see I'm blathering on again

John

I have and had huge problem with streaking. What solved it was a old flat nr2 DAMP with mineral spirit and very very soft strokes over the somewhat dried streaks. Leave to long and
Ive done some hairspray chipping and it always work best with matt surface.
Great work! Gonna follow this one!

goog job

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement gents. I'll post an update soon. I should be able to move on to the exterior assembly this week.

@Art Thanks. I was surprised you even saw the dry brushed steel on the floor. I can barely see it in person. Although, seeing color is not entirely my thing.

@Donkey Thank you, I was wondering how my writing style would come through. I try to make it at least partly entertaining if I can. Let us know about the weather, it adds a bit of personal flavor.

@gustav Thanks for the tips. I did take a damp brush and tone it down a tad. I then just made the decision to flat cote the interior and move on. I just watched this video on chipping and weathering which he uses the matte cote between layers. He has an interesting approach and doesn't preshade or panel wash, contrary to a lot of what goes on here, but his stuff is magnifique. He is an RAF pilot and spends a lot of time around aircraft, so I may be inclined to believe what he says. The vid is a bit long, but hang in there.

[youtube]BKG3UQcJiRk[/youtube]

Here is the latest in the art of rookie modelling. I've completed the assemblage of the Hanomag, or at least as much as I'm going to do before the priming stage.

Suspension complete. I actually liked the detail here. Although the two stubs the front wheels attach to are not straight across and it's not my fault.
20150107_134751 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

After the upper hull was attached, there was a gap in some areas like in the back. I used Mr. Hobby White Putty and I am not impressed. After a night of curing, it breaks and pulls out while sanding.
20150107_183718 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

While making the front piece flush at the top, it leaves a considerable gap that must be filled.
20150107_201833 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Tape and putty!
20150109_183559 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Sanding, yeah!
20150109_184735 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Glued the back doors closed because they annoyed the crap out of me with their constant flopping open.
20150109_202743 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

As I'm sure you can all appreciate, I nearly lost this freaking thing at least three times.
20150116_091914 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

This terrible fake bolt just wasn't going to pass muster with me. So I stretched some sprue to remove the center section and replace it. Well, once it flew out of the tweezers I cut all remnants of the bolt off, drilled a hole and called it a boltless hitch.
20150116_102841 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Halfway there.
20150124_100738 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Done!
20150124_104311 by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Well, that's where it is at the moment. I'll be cleaning up the model and preparing it for priming.

At this point I suppose I'll give my layman's opinion on the quality of this kit. This is an older Tamiya kit from 1973 and it definitely was not as pleasant of an experience like the Tamiya Spitfire Mk I. I don't mean a vintage kit, you can still buy it new, but all the documentation says 1973. The raised rivets made it extremely challenging to fill and sand out any gaps that occur, maybe that should be expected with amoured kits? I really have no idea as this is the only one I've done. The instructions are overly simplistic at times. On at least two or three occasions, it left me wondering how exactly some parts were supposed to fit together and it was up to my best guess. Some parts just didn't fit that great, not the worst I've ever seen, but the Spitfire was far better. You'll have to deal with quite a few ejector pin marks, some flash and plenty of seam lines on small parts.

I think I'm going back to WWII aircraft after this is complete. Thanks for looking and if you have any advice, please let me know.

First, I am going to say you are doing a great job. The Sd.Kfz's are not easy builds, no matter who manufactures them. The hull an superstructure alignment is always quite fickle. Perhaps this is not the best armor build for a first timer, as there are a lot of elements: interior, filling, exterior, etc. Your skills are good and you're making the model shine. Don't be so quick to build an aircraft just yet. I think there are a whole lot of other great armor builds out there that you would love. Model on and have fun!

gosselin2112 wrote:First, I am going to say you are doing a great job. The Sd.Kfz's are not easy builds, no matter who manufactures them. The hull an superstructure alignment is always quite fickle. Perhaps this is not the best armor build for a first timer, as there are a lot of elements: interior, filling, exterior, etc. Your skills are good and you're making the model shine. Don't be so quick to build an aircraft just yet. I think there are a whole lot of other great armor builds out there that you would love. Model on and have fun!

Hey gosselin, thanks for the encouragement and opinion/advice. If you can impart any recommendations on armor kits for someone who is an armor virgin, please let me know. I just recently worked out a deal on a new job this week, so I'll have money to spend again. Thanks for looking in on me and please let me know if you have any more suggestions or comments! I won't start the new job until Feb 9, so I have a little more time to devote on this kit and hopefully I'll have some progress to post very soon.

I'm still unsure of what to do with the tracks so if anyone has any advice on that area please let me know. I will also do some research in the meantime.

Tamiya has some nice clean armor builds straight out of the box. I'd recommend these: 1/35 Tiger I, T-34/85, and M4 Sherman, just to start. I'd recommend Dragon kits, but indie links are not everyone's cup of tea. And I wouldn't want to steer you right into aftermarket products. It gets expensive, especially if you're on a model building budget. I will say the Dragon 1/72 armor kits are very good.

I have a video on my You Tube channel where I explain how to loosen the track tension on armor. I actually use this model kit as an example. I will try to post it here on this thread. It's labor intensive, but well worth it. But maybe scratch building may be too much for a newcomer? If I recall, the tracks are a little tight, but they will fit. Much better than some other Tamiya kits.

It's my pleasure to be of help. This is one of the reasons why I love ISM. The community is very friendly and helpful. And I really enjoy passing on my skills to others. Must be the teacher in me

Model on and have fun!

The Hanomag is moving along! I've begun the always fun painting process. I think this is my favorite and most dreaded point of any project and where the model starts to get interesting. Painting is where the model comes to life, but also comes with so many things that can go wrong. Thankfully nothing too much wrong this time. Just a couple of spots that are a little too thick, but I won't tell you where they are!

I just spent some time getting all the parts laid out/affixed and whatnot to get them ready. Here are the tools, machine guns and machine gun shield.
Ready for primer by iggy.pants, on Flickr

"Wheels, wheels, wheels!" says Mötley Crüe. Isn't that how it goes?
Ready for primer by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I cut this frame out of some foam core I had. I saw this done once so I thought I would give it a shot.
Ready for primer by iggy.pants, on Flickr

As I am not that great with an airbrush, I thought it would be best to use some white tack to seal around the edges and the crack of the door. I will be posting an experiment with the white tack shortly.
Ready for primer by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Just cut some paper towel to fit.
Ready for primer by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Red tools for now.
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

After a few hours split over a couple of days, here are the primed wheels. Yes, I know, "A couple of days?", you say? Yes, a couple of days.
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

After everything was put away, including my fluorescent light, I remembered that I forgot to take a picture of the tracks.
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

The primed Hanomag! I used AK Interactive's Red Primer. Since this was traditionally what the Germans used to prime their armoured vehicles, I thought, "why not"?
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

"I'll see you, I'll see you on the other side."
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

The booty end.
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

My finger is ready for painting now.
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Look, a suds hat!
Hanomag Primed by iggy.pants, on Flickr


Here's a tip for you. Always tighten the primer lid whenever you're done adding primer to the airbrush. I had it loosely in place when I shook it up before adding more to the airbrush. It wasn't too bad, it just got on my un-gloved clean hand and as I discovered later, the wall and my shirt. I won't charge you for that one.

I'm still a bit unclear as to what I'm going to do for the next step, but I'll have to make a decision here shortly if I want this done or close to done before I start my new job on February 9th. Thanks for looking. Please let me know your comments and suggestions!

Unlucky man! How was the spray with ak primer? Thinning? You got a nice set of homemade spraying "tools".

Good luck on the continuous work and congratulation with a new job.

gustavlekstal wrote:Unlucky man! How was the spray with ak primer? Thinning? You got a nice set of homemade spraying "tools".

Good luck on the continuous work and congratulation with a new job.

Thank you for the well wishes. I like the AK primer. I haven't been thinning it, which is why I think it is spattering out of the airbrush on the periphery of the spray line. The final coat however is very nice. This is only my second model where I have used primer, my first experience was with Tamiya's fine (grey?) primer in the rattle can. It was difficult for me to get a nice coat, due to not being able to control the flow and it came out too thick on some parts. Having the control through the airbrush was nice with AK and the final coat is nice and thin. It's touch dry pretty quick but can easily be scraped off with your finger tip. Its recommended drying time is 24 hours. I sprayed it on some test scrap for an experiment, so I'll see how easy it is to scrape with a finger tomorrow for a durability test (not the experiment).

I won't get to spraying again until Monday.

gosselin2112 wrote:Tamiya has some nice clean armor builds straight out of the box. I'd recommend these: 1/35 Tiger I, T-34/85, and M4 Sherman, just to start. I'd recommend Dragon kits, but indie links are not everyone's cup of tea. And I wouldn't want to steer you right into aftermarket products. It gets expensive, especially if you're on a model building budget. I will say the Dragon 1/72 armor kits are very good.

I have a video on my You Tube channel where I explain how to loosen the track tension on armor. I actually use this model kit as an example. I will try to post it here on this thread. It's labor intensive, but well worth it. But maybe scratch building may be too much for a newcomer? If I recall, the tracks are a little tight, but they will fit. Much better than some other Tamiya kits.

It's my pleasure to be of help. This is one of the reasons why I love ISM. The community is very friendly and helpful. And I really enjoy passing on my skills to others. Must be the teacher in me

Model on and have fun!

Thanks for the suggestions, maybe I'll have to get one of those! Please let me know what your Youtube channel is. Now that I'm starting to get paint on this thing and it's moving along again, I'm getting more interested in it. I may be out of the armor doldrums, but I'm not sure I can get used to so many wheels!

The AK primer is pretty durable. You really have to attack it with your fingernail to scrape it.

You are doing a grand job, stick to it!

I'm about to start one of these, also my first armoured vehicle, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this for help and inspiration

looking really good so far

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Hey Guys,

So here is the latest progress on the Hanomag. I used Model Master Acryl flat black and Panzer Schwarzgrau. The gloss coat was Alclad II Gloss Klear Kote (ALC 310) Lacquer and the decals were set with Micro Set and Micro Sol. I think I would like to try Aqua Gloss since everyone raves about it. I have a very important gloss question I'll hold to the end, that way I can guarantee you'll look through ALL the pictures!


Pre-shaded wheels on sticks. Excitement.
Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I doubted whether or not the pre-shading work would show through the Schwarzgrau, but I thought I would give it a shot. I just started getting the hang of the pre-shading at the end. For some reason I was having some trouble getting a good flow out of the airbrush. I thought it was thinned sufficiently, but when I was doing really fine lines, it was shooting tiny round dots.
Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

It's like a wheel graveyard!
Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Some of the pre-shading came through, but it was easily obliterated. It is slightly more noticeable in real life. "Is this real life?"
Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Hanomag Base Color by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I put on three coats of gloss before I added the decals. From the minimal research I did, Hanomags did not appear to be heavily marked. I'm surprised how much darker it looks after it's been sealed.
Decals by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Decals by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Decals by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Decals by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Here is my question. When you guys gloss coat over acrylic to give the decals a "nice smooth surface", how smooth are we talking? Like ceramic tile smooth or newborn butt smooth? When I laid down the lacquer law, there are fine bumps and does not feel "smooth" to the touch.

Thanks for checking in and if you have any suggestions please let me know, but please try to suggest before I mess it up. I'm going to give it a another gloss coat and some light oil work before I move on to the next phase! I haven't even really touched any of the other little parts yet.

shortCummins wrote:I'm about to start one of these, also my first armoured vehicle, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this for help and inspiration

looking really good so far

rgds
John(shortCummins)

Thanks for checking in John. I found this website for pictures of Hanomags and found it useful before I decaled. http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/ ... sdkfz-251/ Thanks for the kind words, I'm not sure it will inspire you but it should show you what not to do.

PaulAyrey wrote:You are doing a grand job, stick to it!

Thanks man, I'll keep trying!

Good progress

mincemeat wrote:

gosselin2112 wrote:Tamiya has some nice clean armor builds straight out of the box. I'd recommend these: 1/35 Tiger I, T-34/85, and M4 Sherman, just to start. I'd recommend Dragon kits, but indie links are not everyone's cup of tea. And I wouldn't want to steer you right into aftermarket products. It gets expensive, especially if you're on a model building budget. I will say the Dragon 1/72 armor kits are very good.

I have a video on my You Tube channel where I explain how to loosen the track tension on armor. I actually use this model kit as an example. I will try to post it here on this thread. It's labor intensive, but well worth it. But maybe scratch building may be too much for a newcomer? If I recall, the tracks are a little tight, but they will fit. Much better than some other Tamiya kits.

It's my pleasure to be of help. This is one of the reasons why I love ISM. The community is very friendly and helpful. And I really enjoy passing on my skills to others. Must be the teacher in me

Model on and have fun!

Thanks for the suggestions, maybe I'll have to get one of those! Please let me know what your Youtube channel is. Now that I'm starting to get paint on this thing and it's moving along again, I'm getting more interested in it. I may be out of the armor doldrums, but I'm not sure I can get used to so many wheels!

I found Russell Gosselin's video here…

Hey folks,

I've finally made enough progress to justify a post! The work was done over a few weeks. I was able to take a day off this week for my son's birthday and while the kids were at school and the wife was gone, I was able to put the winter scheme on the vehicle while watching Return of the Dragon. It was fantastic! I would really like someone to tell me how they get such perfectly painted wheels. The best I found was to gloss coat the wheels, thin the paint, hold the brush, and turn the wheel as a bead of paint clung to the part. On to the pics!

I didn't have any "wood" paint, so I used a combo of Dark Earth Ana, Leather and a touch of Rust.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I coated the wheels with an uneven satin white after applying the chipping fluid.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr


Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Maybe chipped too much? Oh well.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr


This is the best I could do with the wheels. In real life they're OK. I added a little flat white to the flat black. I think it worked out pretty well.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr


Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I used the calipers to measure the masks which I cut out of index card and applied with a tiny piece of white tack.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr


Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I really like how the white came out on the model. Nice and uneven. I really didn't care much for how the masking turned out. It was too harsh of a line.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr


Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

When I pulled the tack off, it took some license plate with it. Well, it can be "wear and tear" now.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Before I started painting I realized that one of the fender indicator things broke off. No idea where it could be. Now it's "wear and tear".
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I chipped around the decals to soften the edges.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

I used some Tamiya tape lightly attached under the fender to mask it while airbrushing. I didn't think the tape stuck so aggressively to the side and it took off the primer and paint with it. I handed painted some primer on afterwards and it will mostly be hidden by the wheels. You know what I call it? "Wear and tear".
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

So the Iron Cross on this side met with some Tamiya tape unfortunately when I was removing some cotton bud fuzz..."wear and tear".
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

The stuff I used on the vehicle and wheels for the winter camo.
Winter camo, chipping and guns by iggy.pants, on Flickr

There it is. Please let me know your thoughts. I'm not exactly going for historically accurate here. I'm really just trying some new stuff, like chipping fluid, winter camo, an armored vehicle build and so on. With so much wear and tear on this model, I think I'm finally letting go of "perfection". Thanks for checking in!

Here is the latest post. Wash done. Wheels on.

Wash by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Wash by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Wash by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final matte coat with AK's Ultra Matte Varnish. Awesome stuff. I don't plan on using Testor's flat lacquer rattle can anytime soon.

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Matte coat and wheels by iggy.pants, on Flickr

There it is. The Hanomag is already fully assembled and done. I just need to take pictures. I hate the vinyl tracks. Paint and primer flaked off when I was attempting to put them on the vehicle and there is no track sag as they are stretched too tight. I think I would like to avoid this type of track in future armour kits.

That's really nice work Meat! That wash and the winter camo looks excellent.

Coen wrote:That's really nice work Meat! That wash and the winter camo looks excellent.

Wow. Thank you, that means a lot coming from such an excellent armour modeller as yourself. I do have one fender indicator back on. I need to be more cautious in the future of the delicate parts.

Ah beans !
I'm no different than anyone else.
I don't think that I could have done much better that what you've done.
Looks great.

Your model is looking really great and it will be an inspiration for me, since I have the same kit still lying around here in my stash untouched... Thanks for sharing.

This is going very well for your first armor kit. I am loving the whitewash. Very well done.
Chris

Here it is. I can't believe I started this back in September! I tried a bunch of new things and learned quite a bit. Thanks for the kind words along the way. If I were to do a first tank, what should it be?


Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Final Reveal by iggy.pants, on Flickr

Excellent work! Good job on the weathering, you should try some dirt or mud on the lower bits. For a first tank you can't go wrong with a Sherman or Tamiya's pz II to go with the half track. Again excellent work.

Chris

That's a cracking build for your first attempt at a AV, and even if it was your 100th AV build, it's still a cracking job!

Cheers,

Martin

Wonderful halftrack and very inspiring! Makes me want to pull this kit out of the stash right now and get it going!

Hi

That's a excellent finished model. Good pics of build progress.

Liked your tip on frame for track painting.
The only way to learn is by trail and error. I am not long back into modelling myself and posts like yours really help with tips and ideas.

You made an excellent job on that one mate!

Hope to be able to reach such a level one day on armoured stuff.

See you

Bruno AKA Goose

Incredible work. I'm very jealous of your obvious talent!

Thank you guys. Your comments are all very kind and generous. I thought I would include some items that I learned this time around.

- Use a matte coat before spraying chipping fluid, not gloss.
- Be more careful of the delicate parts. (I have a feeling this will be a continual lesson)
- Real life tires aren't straight flat black, mix in a touch of flat white to soften the darkness.
- When painting rubber, gloss coat the wheel, thin the paint and let the droplet pull toward the wheel as you spin it. If you do it right, you won't actually touch the brush to the wheel.
- For interior rim jobs (hee hee), thin the paint so it flows around the rim for a crisp edge.
- Don't bother priming and painting rubber band tracks in a kit, it will just flake off.
- Leather + Dark Earth Ana + Rust = not too bad of a wood color.
- When doing an enamel pin wash or streaking, let the wash dry for 15-20 minutes before trying to feather/remove.
- Sticky tack will also remove decals.

You sure this is your first afv good job on the weathering thanks for sharing

That's a totally great Hanomag!
Nice paintjob. Excellent weathering!
Love the camo.

Cheers

Nice work. I like it

Awesome work!

Seen this kit on the shelf at Hobby Lobby so many times; I just might pick it up one of these days.