Global Scale Modeller

Thought I'd have a go at this monster! Less than a 100 built from late 1944 into 1945. Saw action on both the eastern and western fronts. Lethal against all allied vehicles but plagued by excessive weight, breakdowns and the parlous state of training in the late stages of the war.

Tamiya's kit looks a beauty






The plastic looks absolutely gorgeous, fine crisp detail, zero flash, beautiful colour too. Its a nice rich tan but you cant see it in the pics (my desk is right next to a massive window!).




Big SOB too




Grill for the engine deck




Link and length tracks - superb, no rubber for me! Surface detail is excellent. The spare track sections will look brilliant on the hull too.



Last up, given the size of the gun, I fancied a metal barrel



Gonna get stuck in tomorrow. I have a P51 to paint for the shiny SIG but that will have to stand for 48 hours once done. Time for the Big Kitty me thinks.

It looks to be a nice kit and I look forward to following your build of it.

This should be a very interesting build. Link and length tracks in a tamiya kit??
Holy crap!
It's like they heard their customers and actually did something that they asked for ... amazing.
I still see the rubber bands, but if you do a diorama you have something to make the track marks now hahaha.
The kit should fall together though. It will be interesting to see how she looks.

It seems you're ready for the action. Good luck with your build!

Good luck with this build! Make that beast look pretty!

HI Good luck with your build, It will be interesting to see how it turns out, I keep one eye on it

I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out

Thanks all you Guys

I'm working on the running gear at the moment. Putting all the wheels together. The quality of the plastic is beautiful and I'm trying my best not to mark the wheels at all as they come together. Got a bit of a quandary further into a build. The gun comes with a really nice breach and a decent floor for the crew compartment. Its tempting to have the rear hatch open so some of it can be seen.

I guess there are worse things to be worried about!

Its a world of wheels!

Got the wheelies finished last night. Each one is four pieces plus the little rubber insert. Apart from sanding the end seams, they were perfect. As already mentioned the plastic is just so nice looking.

One side



Picked up a new phone yesterday and the camera is much better. As a result, the plastic no longer looks radioactive.






They sit nice and tight because of the poly caps but I'll paint them separately to get better coverage. Once the drive and idler wheels are on I can set the tracks. Do them in top and bottom halves then leave them aside till painting. That's the plan anyway

Taking shape nicely ,I have the same trouble taking photos have to use the phone, keep up the good work

Got some good session time in today.

Rear end first



I left off the rear fenders (nice as they are) as I wanted a free hand with the tracks



All the running gear is now on



Then it was on to the link and length tracks.



I've built Tamiya's aftermarket single link tracks before so I had a plan for how I wanted to go. Before anything goes on to the kit that could get in the way (see above), get the tracks done so they go over the top of the drive and idler wheels.



After that it was a case of lock the top section down with blu-tack and build the bottom section up against it - but keep as 2 separate sections for removal and painting.




No dramas, I built from the rear forwards for the bottom section and it linked up nicely at the front

As for the tracks themselves, a couple of lengths are curved so you get the sag where you need it. Also, the casting detail is superb. I was well impressed. Given the cost of aftermarket tracks, I am properly chuffed and pleased with how they look.




Just got to do the other side now!

Laters Dudes

Looking good sir,thank god for blu-tack , I think every modeller got a lump stuck somewhere on his bench

Looking good. Nice job with those tracks.

privatepete wrote:Looking good sir,thank god for blu-tack , I think every modeller got a lump stuck somewhere on his bench

d6mst0 wrote:Looking good. Nice job with those tracks.

Thanks Fellahs. Hopefully get the second set of tracks done today but my P51 is crying out for attention in the Shiny Thing SIG as well.

Decisions, decisions

I've got this kit in my stash as well. I'm really looking forward to follow your build!!

Looking very good so far.

Very nice looking beast you have there! Well, at least a part of it 3
Eager to see how this beauty turns out.

By the way, tracks on this cat look superb!

CrazyHistorian wrote:Very nice looking beast you have there! Well, at least a part of it 3
Eager to see how this beauty turns out.

By the way, tracks on this cat look superb!

Thanks Dude

Got stuck into the second set of tracks today. She's now got both sets of boots on. No drama, went on just like the first set. Really pleased with them. Link and length tracks are brilliant as far as I'm concerned. They look great, the detail on the plastic is cool and best of all - they didn't cost me an extra £30 on top of the kit itself.






Here are the parts for the gun breach. There's a nice floor and mount it sits on so I'm thinking about having the big rear hatch open so you can see it. Not sure though, it depends on how much light there will be when its all together. Not enough and there's no point. Too much and you will be able to see the interior is incomplete. Once I've assembled the upper hull casement I'll have a look and make the call.







Biggest kid on the block?




Test mounted




I've been working on the hull this afternoon so I'll post those later tonight. Its coming together nicely but boy oh boy - IT IS A BIG SUCKER

The tracks look great, good amount of sag, that's one mother of a barrel

privatepete wrote:The tracks look great, good amount of sag, that's one mother of a barrel

Thanks Mate. The main sag is caused by one piece about 4" long, its slightly curved through its entire length so it looks the business.

As for the barrel, its a whopper alright. I don't normally go for aftermarket barrels but I got one for this and for a Nashorn that's up next. They're both monsters so I thought why not! I haven't checked the Nashorn yet but the Tiger's tube even has rifling you can see when you look down the barrel. My camera's just not good enough to pick it up.

Great so far! The tracks look awesome!!

Gorgeous looking cat

Nice and clean, nice and clean

Thanks Guys

Got some more done this afternoon. The 2 part rear hatch has some nice detail on it. Still undecided about having it open or not.



This is what I may do. I like the idea of having it open and being able to see something of the main gun inside. Also, the interior colour of the hatch will look good against the external camo.



The main hull pieces were up next. Some filler was required but only to make sure the fit was snug against the existing seams. I wasn't looking to remove the joins, just to make them tight so the original detail would look ok.






Now with the lower hull and gun mantle







Next up is the hull attachments and hatches. Once that's done I'll make the call on the interior.

It's coming along nicely!

Hi I would go with the rear hatch doors open, you will see all that nice locking mechanism, the breech block mechanism and as you pointed out the interior colour contrast against the camo,I would also paint the interior but at is just me

Very nice start Stokesy44, I've got the early dragon Porsche kit 6051 have the Zim on but, stuck on the friulmodel tracks, holy cow.

privatepete wrote:Hi I would go with the rear hatch doors open, you will see all that nice locking mechanism, the breech block mechanism and as you pointed out the interior colour contrast against the camo,I would also paint the interior but at is just me

I think you're right. Decided I'm going to paint the interior and have some fun with it regardless of how much it will be seen. May be even have both of the rear doors open.

Sergiotron wrote:It's coming along nicely!

Thanks mate, its a nice thing to be working on

.

InitialProduction1 wrote:Very nice start Stokesy44, I've got the early dragon Porsche kit 6051 have the Zim on but, stuck on the friulmodel tracks, holy cow.

Best of luck with the tracks mate. Should look superb when done.

Got back on the big Kitty yesterday. She's all done now except for the skirts. I need to decide what to do with them. I think I'll put them on but have several sections missing. Or I might leave them off completely, I don't know!







You could never call her pretty, but there's something brutally functional about her.

May get some priming done tomorrow - if I can make up my mind on the skirts

looking really good pal , what a nice clean build
cheers and thanks for sharing
Mark

burnie43 wrote:looking really good pal , what a nice clean build
cheers and thanks for sharing Mark

Thanks Mark

I think I'm going to put the front fenders on but that's it. I can then show the tracks off and they'll make a nice contrast as I plan to do a winter wash.

That's the plan anyway

nice job, clean built. I love the details

yeah, great idea as the tracks look huge on this model, I'm loving the winter wash idea....are you using the hairspray technique ???
Mark

burnie43 wrote:yeah, great idea as the tracks look huge on this model, I'm loving the winter wash idea....are you using the hairspray technique ???
Mark

Hi Mark. I don't think so. Ive never done it before and its such a big kit, I'd like to practice on something a tad smaller like a Stug maybe!

I cut the fenders off the front mud flaps (if that's what they're called) and sanded off the connectors. I then drilled out the connecting pin holes (checked a lot of reference pics) and on the kit they went. They look quite good and I'm now convinced to leave the fenders off.



That was yesterday. Given all the wheels on this thing....(this is just on side)



...I decided a needed a paint station this morning. Accordingly, I present the new patented Panzerjager Paint Station - only 1 in stock and its not for sale! That's how to get my moneys worth from Tamiya



Time to get priming - cue the Ultimate black primer



Smooooooth......







With the rear hatch open you can see the breach so I thought it should get a lick of paint



A bit of free advertising for the Boys




And finally. I came upon this pic when I was looking at reference pictures.



Its hard to think about what happened here. I know it was war but I hope the crew abandoned that vehicle before it was hit. I can only guess what had enough force to blow the casement off. Maybe the ammo went up when it was hit. All 3 sides and the roof just gone, only the front plate and mantle left.

All rather sobering. But part of this hobby (to me anyway, I can only speak for myself), is reflecting on things like this. Otherwise, its just plastic.

I might get some base coat down tonight, or maybe tomorrow.

Looking good ,a good idea that paint station (Excellent. Gonna make me one of those. Not quite the CO2 scrubber on Apollo 13 but it'll do for me!)Mmmm

Those tracks look promising! I tend to avoid tracked vehicles from Tamiya as I despise rubber band tracks and don't feel like buying aftermarket tracks, but these ones might just make me buy the kit, despite being a Dragon fanatic when it comes to tanks! You should do the inofficial "summer version" of the Jagdtiger at some point, as per the wartime photo! Would in a diorama go nice together with some lemonade and German soldiers in pith helmets.

privatepete wrote:Looking good ,a good idea that paint station (Excellent. Gonna make me one of those. Not quite the CO2 scrubber on Apollo 13 but it'll do for me!)Mmmm

Ha ha. I could have done with someone reading me the procedure over the radio! My intellect was definitely challenged with how to make a smaller box out of a bigger box!

Naedrux wrote:Those tracks look promising! I tend to avoid tracked vehicles from Tamiya as I despise rubber band tracks and don't feel like buying aftermarket tracks, but these ones might just make me buy the kit, despite being a Dragon fanatic when it comes to tanks! You should do the inofficial "summer version" of the Jagdtiger at some point, as per the wartime photo! Would in a diorama go nice together with some lemonade and German soldiers in pith helmets.

I really lucked out with the link and length tracks. I wish Tamiya did them more often. I've used their after market single link tracks for the Panther and Tiger 2 as, like you, I try to avoid the rubbers - especially on German vehicles. The single link tracks are more of a faff but at least you can get proper sag - and the detail is better.

Got some paint down today.

Painted the interior floor and the gun mount and breach. Its debatable how much can be seen through the rear hatch but hey, why not? I'll do some chipping and drybrushing before I close it all up. Good practice for the exterior!






Once that was done it was on to the camo. Going for a 3 colour scheme. Using Tamiya dark yellow cut about 25% with white for the base coat. I tried desperately not to over do it and in the end its come out a bit uneven. I'm not too fussed though as it will al level out when all the other colours and tonal stuff is done.

Wheelies first



Then on to the hull




Second colour is Tamiya Red Brown, its a bit loose but I will tighten it up when the green goes on. It also need a bit of a tidy for a couple of bits of overspray.






I'll swap my needle over for the green camo. I've used a 0.4 so far so the 0.2 will get some nice detail where the colours meet. I'll also do some tidying then some post shading to 'pop' it a little bit. That's the plan anyway!

Looks great! That tank is slowly growing on me

Nice work so far Stokesay, just wish I could summon up the courage to spray paint! ! I ve got an Elegant to do, it also has the link track ( I love it, Revell 1/72 building afv, got me hooked) got fruit track also but no metal barrel, anyone else made one? Did they use metal and any other person or resin? All replies gratefully received.

It's coming together beautifully

you're doing a great job with this...and also sharing your steps....!!
Cheers
Mark

Thanks Guys

Finished off the camo today. Tamiya Dark green, cut 70/30 with the dark yellow. One that was down I added a touch of white and added tonal differences. I then did the same with the brown.










All separated now for the detail painting.



Once the detail painting's done. I'll do some chipping then apply a filter to tone it all down.

Beautiful paint scheme, well done. I'm looking forward to seeing this finished.

OneSmallStep1966 wrote:Beautiful paint scheme, well done. I'm looking forward to seeing this finished.

Thanks mate. I'm trying to use Coen's weathering guide so there's a very long way to go yet!

I've done the detail painting now so next up is glossing for decals, glossing after the decals then its on to the chipping. And then.....

Oh, and I haven't painted the tracks yet!

Awesome work, Stokesy!

For a few months I had gotten burned out on armor for various reasons; tired of dunkelgelb, paint wasn't spraying right, too many wheels, and the list goes on and on...

Seeing your work with the Jagdtiger has sparked my interest again; I have an AFV Club 1/35 Sturmtiger that's been plonked down half-finished in it's box for at least 3 months, waiting for me to get my mojo back. And it's back, baby! Yeah!

Keep up the great work!

Just awesome work Stokesy44, love that camouflage. Hey In picture 7, what the heck are those little square boxes on the engine deck, around the vent fans, looks like 4 on each, I got to see if there on my Jtiger, Again great build.

InitialProduction1 wrote:Just awesome work Stokesy44, love that camouflage. Hey In picture 7, what the heck are those little square boxes on the engine deck, around the vent fans, looks like 4 on each, I got to see if there on my Jtiger, Again great build.

Thanks man

As for the question - No big mystery I'm afraid. They're positional marks for 8 tiny little hooks. Their size defeated my fingers so I left them off!

My story is the vehicle's driver got so fed up with the gear box breaking down (common on JT's I'm told) that he lost his rag while standing on the rear deck and kicked all 8 of them off. Its worth a try but it'll never stand up in court!

trekfanj wrote:Awesome work, Stokesy!

For a few months I had gotten burned out on armor for various reasons; tired of dunkelgelb, paint wasn't spraying right, too many wheels, and the list goes on and on...

Seeing your work with the Jagdtiger has sparked my interest again; I have an AFV Club 1/35 Sturmtiger that's been plonked down half-finished in it's box for at least 3 months, waiting for me to get my mojo back. And it's back, baby! Yeah!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks mate - and hey hey, sounds like you've got your mojo back! Good for you Dude.

I know what you mean about losing interest. Wheels are an issue with me as well. Sometimes when you look at the sprues, you can almost hear them saying, 'Oh yeah? You want to take me on?' Doing things in the right order is another one for me. Its supposed to be a hobby but from the moment you pick up the airbrush it becomes days of Simon says do the primer, Simon says do the camo, do the gloss do the decals do the chipping... But I guess that's why we love it and we keep coming back

I like aircraft too so I try to break it up a bit - doesn't always work though

Minor update on the JT

Got all the detail painting done, cables and tools etc. Also sprayed the interiors of the rear hatch doors. I reckon they will look pucker with a dirt wash and some chipping / rust.

Question - I didn't paint the fire extinguisher, its hull colour at present, does anyone know what colour it should be?

Then it was time to do the glossing and get the decals on. No drama. One thing I really did like - putting the Alclad Aqua Gloss on really brought out the surfaces of the kit (it also evened out some of my airbrushing, mercifully!) and gave it a heavier, more metallic look. That will reduce during the weathering but there will still be a an underlying sheen when its done as I don't tend to matt coat the finished kit. Mind you, doing the winter camo is a whole new ball game so we'll see.

Anyway, update pics.











Glossing over the decals and chipping is next. Then its a light tan filter, more gloss and then dot filters. Thinking about some battle hits too. Noting major, just some nicks and minor gouges.

All good fun, mind you there's lots of sport on today so I may get diddly squat done!

Did some chipping on the gun today. I used Mike's (Coen) method of using wire gauze to dab on the chipping paint.

The gun was a good piece to practice on as it has nice hard edges and is light in colour.



Once that was done it was on with the Ultimate Dark Dirt Wash




You can't see much through the rear hatch but its done anyway.

Then it was time for the chipping on the hull.

I used the gauze again with a little augmentation with a fine brush. Restraint was the order of the day and I stopped before things got silly!!



I also applied the wash to the rear hatch doors









Ultimate wash all over is next then gloss, then a filter of light tan. Hopefully then it will be ready for dot filters (new one for me) and winterising.