Tamiya Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. D 1:35 diorama

Post by **localjedi** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 4:00 pm

While I'm still finishing another diorama, I've already made plans for a new dio project: I was inspired by this illustration that I found in Bruce Culver's and Don Greer's book "Panzer colors Vol. 2":

new_idea_dio.jpg

I just think that the picture shows a funny situation with the angry woman chasing a tank with her broom. In my imagination the dio will be like a freeze frame of an otherwise fast and chaotic scene. You know... the tank breaking through the fence, the farmer's wife shouting and swinging her broom, the farm animals running away in panic... It's like a whole story in one frame. Now, since I don't have a Panzer IV Ausf. B kit, I'll just use my Tamiya Ausf. D instead. This tank was also in use by the Wehrmacht in France in 1940. Here are all the items I have for the dio so far:

IMG_0310.jpg

As you can see, I've invested in some aftermarket products this time. I've decided to invest a few more bucks and set my modelling focus on quality rather than quantity. In my last project I used PE parts for the first time and I really like the look of the finished model, so I'm going to upgrade the tank with an Aber PE kit. Phew, I'm afraid it won't be easy and there will be a lot of questions coming up, but hopefully I can count on you guys' professional advice...

Oh yeah, and I found just the right figures, too:

IMG_0312.jpg

Well, I didn't find chickens in panic, but the goat and the dog will do the trick (in fact I like them even better than the chickens in the picture). Alright, that's it for now. I'll post more pictures later...

Post by **trekfanj** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 6:58 pm

That picture made my day!

Post by **localjedi** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:02 pm

After months and months of absence from the modelling bench, I've finally had the time to do some modelling again.

As mentioned earlier this is my first kit for which I got me some aftermarket PE parts. I wanted to go into full on details and stuff... You know, the whole nine yards and everything. Well, turns out some of those PE parts (like the tool holders) are super tiny and I just couldn't manage them. Kudos to those of you who equip their models with all that stuff. As for me, I guess I'm just not ready for that yet. So I decided to make this build more enjoyable for me and only use the PE parts I could handle without losing my temper

Here's what I've done so far:

IMG_0562.JPG

As you can see, one of the emergency hatches (or whatever it is) on the side of the hull is a bit crooked. Guess I'll just have to live with that. I hope that you won't be able to see much of that part anyway once the tracks are on.

IMG_0564.JPG

I did some research and found that the tow rigs on the front hull have to be just the other way round from what Tamyia's instruction says. Am I right on this?

IMG_0563.JPG

...more PE parts.

Post by **localjedi** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:14 pm

Building in the metall barrel wasn't easy at all. I cut off the plastic barrel, drilled out the remaining piece and tried to fit in the aluminum barrel... Hum, maybe it was a bit too tight (*insert dirty joke here*) and I gotta feeling that I messed up part B15 now

. Does anybody have this lying around as an unused spare part or anything like that? I'd be very happy if I could get it for Xmas

and send you something for it in exchange (how about some PE German tool holders?)... Anybody?

IMG_0565.JPG

IMG_0566.JPG

Post by **Noobmodeler521** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:00 am

Looking good so far with al that PE. cant wait to see a ANGRY WOMEN VS PANZER IV!!!!!!!!!

Post by **gustavlekstal** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:47 am

Enjoying reading this one. Great work. Good luck

Post by **Tiger131** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 8:34 am

Looking forward to seeing this come together

Post by **AchtungPanzer** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 9:34 am

Nice subject of Dio

. Model looks not bad at this moment. I look forward to more

Post by **localjedi** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:22 am

Thanks for your supporting words, guys. I really appreciate it. I still have to figure out what to do about the messed up barrel... I'll keep you updated.

Post by **FishBowlMan** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 5:00 pm

Good luck with the barrel, mate. Cracking idea for the diorama. Will be following this one.

Post by **m0rce** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:14 pm

Hiya
Found this through the cool pic thread. Really cool project you've got there. Very funny. I look forward to seeing your updates.
BR

Post by **brickfan8** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:23 pm

How many parts does the panzer IV have?

Post by **PaulAyrey** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:45 am

Great stuff, looking forward to seeing more!

Post by **localjedi** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:33 am

Hey you guys!
Thanks for all your friendly and encouraging comments. I don't want to bore you with details of my personal life but I'm getting ready for my state exams at the moment, so unforunately there won't be much time for modelling in the near future for me.

I'll post new pics when I'm back at the bench.

@mOrce: Which cool pic thread? Is that something I missed here on ISM?
@brickfan8: I haven't counted the pieces yet, but it seems a fairly resonable number to me. Maybe you can google a review of the kit.

Post by **m0rce** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:15 pm

Hi Jedi
The thread i was talking about
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 10&t=11028
Enjoy, good luck with your exams and look forward to updates.

Regards

Post by **localjedi** » Sat Apr 11, 2015 5:16 pm

Although I should be studying for my state exam, I just couldn't resist going to the workbench and working a bit on my Panzer IV.

As I posted earlier, I wasn't happy with my "modification" of the barrel. So I got myself another aftermarket barrel by Jordi Rubio on eBay... Pretty expensive, but you know... What the heck.
I cut off the plastic part of the Tamiya kit and dremeled out the piece to make the barrel fit.

dio_update_01.JPG

Now I'm happy with the result. This is what it looks like on the model:

dio_update_02.JPG

dio_update_03.JPG

Alright, that's it for now. Just a small update, but there will be more soon. Let me know what you think.
Cheers!

Post by **localjedi** » Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:38 am

Another quick update: I filled the big-o gaps between the fenders and the hull with plastic sheet. I used strips from a margarine plastic container for this. It's cheap material and it comes with a free lump of grease to spread on your toast... That's what I call a good deal.

Let me know what you think about this.

dio_update_04.JPG

dio_update_05.JPG

Probably not the best filler job, but the gap is closed and in the end you won't see much of this part of the model anyway, right?

Post by **localjedi** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:18 pm

And it's time for another update: I managed to hire an all new tank crew via eBay (maybe this exact kit looks familiar to a German user here on ISM?).

dio_update_06.JPG

Then I assembled the Doug's Original figures (see photos I Posted earlier). They're quite expensive but I my opinion definitely worth the money with very crisp details. I experimented with the layout of the dio. Here's what I've come up with so far:

dio_update_07.JPG

dio_update_08.JPG

Since nothing is "set in stone" (or should I say modelling clay?) yet, I'm open to criticism and all kinds of advice concerning the layout of the dio. Let me know what you guys think. Have fun modelling!

Oh, and just in case anybody is interested: I passed my exams with honours!

Now I'll have more time for modelling in the near future.

Post by **Coen** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:29 pm

Ha!!! That's freaking awesome bud!!,
Haha I love it!

Post by **localjedi** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:44 pm

Thanks, Coen!

Post by **rwsmith14** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:09 pm

Dio mockup and positions looks Great !!

Post by **localjedi** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:03 pm

Thanks a lot, mate!

Post by **localjedi** » Mon May 04, 2015 4:18 pm

I've had some trouble with the Friul tracks and the sprocket wheels. Problem now solved. You can read about it in this thread here:
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 40#p165040
Now I've got another question and I'd appreciate your feedback: How much track sag on an early German tank like this Panzer IV Ausf. D is realistic? Here are the two options that I have...

I like them both, but I'm not sure if the first one is too much sag. Let me hear your expert opinion, guys.

Post by **AgentG** » Tue May 05, 2015 12:27 am

Less is better and more accurate.

G

Post by **localjedi** » Tue May 05, 2015 7:33 am

Thanks, G. I guess you're right

. I did some more research last night and now I know that a rather new vehicle like the one in my dio would have had new and therefore tighter tracks. So I'll go for this option.

Post by **localjedi** » Tue May 05, 2015 8:37 am

As I've successfully passed my final exams and am now temporarily unemployed

I have more time for my favourite hobby... Life couldn't be better for me right now

I built the farmbuilding (a shed or a barn or whatever it is...) from scratch. I took an old bamboo place mat and some round wood from the hobby store.

I cut the pieces with a hobby knife to give them a worn and used look. The rest of these will be used for the fence later.

Then I built the walls and added strips of a resin wall as a base.

For more variety I decided to build one wall with stones. Hopefully this will make the building look more interesting later on. For the stones I used air-drying clay and bricks from Juweela that I cut with a hobby knife. Everything was glued in place with white glue.

This are the walls of the building so far:

Let me hear your opinion, guys. Cheers!

Post by **localjedi** » Wed May 06, 2015 11:00 pm

Yet another update: making the roof for the farm building.

Roof framework made from balsa wood and spruce wood beams.

Cut clapboards from balsa wood and glued in place with white glue (it felt a bit like doing a puzzle

).

Dry-fitting the roof.

After cutting the roof in the right shape.

And this is kind of what it will look like in the end...

You might have noticed the big hole in the left lower corner of the wall. I wanted to add more variation to make my building more interesting, so I'm going to cover this hole with an old and rusty "iron" plate: It's another piece of that margarine container and rivets made from stretched sprue, a raw coat of Mr Surfacer and various pigments...

It was a nice way to get back into the whole weathering thing. How do you like it so far? Feedback appreciated.

Post by **gustavlekstal** » Thu May 07, 2015 12:49 pm

Some real exelence in modelling! Just a joy to behold! The rust is one of the best work I've seen and I'm a huge rust fan!

Post by **localjedi** » Thu May 07, 2015 1:03 pm

Thanks a lot, Gustav! Yeah, rust rules!

Post by **localjedi** » Thu May 07, 2015 1:17 pm

Thanks, HM! Let's see how the panzer turns out...

Post by **Bissyboat** » Fri May 08, 2015 11:54 pm

This is going to be a cracker. Great bit of scratching and a very original idea with tongue in cheek humour.

Post by **localjedi** » Mon May 11, 2015 10:52 am

Thanks, bissyboat!
Time for an update. I made some progress on the dio base. I used an old carving board from the kitchen as a base. Then some styrofoam coated with plaster...

I primed the shed with black AK surface primer... Nasty stuff that needed a lot of thinning and still had to be sprayed with about 22 PSI...

Anyway, I started with the paneling, too.

The back of the shed covered with balsa wood.

And more plaster to fill the gaps...

That's it for today. Comments appreciated!

Post by **gustavlekstal** » Mon May 11, 2015 12:30 pm

This is my favourite part of modelling, creating the dio. Get it right and it helps the story so much. Good luck it looks great!

Post by **brickfan8** » Mon May 11, 2015 9:33 pm

This is very interesting to whach thanks for posting

Post by **localjedi** » Tue May 12, 2015 3:20 pm

Thanks for the advice about the primer. I use a .3 needle, but I think I have a .4 lying around somewhere. I'll give it a try.

Post by **Tiger131** » Tue May 12, 2015 4:04 pm

love it great scratch building on the building looks spot on inspiring me to try this

Post by **OliveDrab** » Wed May 13, 2015 4:10 am

I've got the

out, can't wait to see more

Post by **localjedi** » Wed May 13, 2015 10:53 pm

Thanks to all of you, guys! Your kind feedback is highly motivating.

So here we go, some new pictures... I finished the dio base and the fence today. I used a Dremel to drill the holes for the fence posts. Then I added some more holes where I want to have small puddles of mud. When you look at a goat (or in fact any other animal) pen you will find that there are always these little holes and puddles. I guess they just like to dig for food or whatever...

I tried the last mock-up positioning before base-coating the tank and the dio. As you can see, the hornet heads and the Doug's Original figures are pretty damn good quality and definately worth the money.

Poor little goat...

I've got a good feeling about this dio so far.

Started weathering the tracks with Ultimate burnishing fluid, pigments and real dirt. I also used the extra track links to add more armor and give my model an individual look. The mounting bracket is scratchbuilt from the PE set I bought for this kit. Since I wasn't able to deal with most of these parts, this was a good way to use at least some them. Also notice the damage on the front fenders.

Aftermarket tow cable, muffler roughed up with Mr. Surfacer and a Tamiya bucket dremeled out and given a wear and tear look.

And since I totally caught the scratchbuilding fever, I made hinges for the gate (again from PE leftovers).

Alright, my friends. That's it for today. I'm looking forward to your comments. Have fun and keep modelling

Post by **lucasner** » Thu May 14, 2015 12:21 am

Amazing work! You make it look so simple. And...it makes all our prize models just sitting on our shelves seem like we quit before we were really finished!!!

Post by **Kurnas** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:49 am

WOW!!!

great job on the wooden fence and on positioning the figures.
really loved the diorama.

Post by **Nige1940** » Thu May 14, 2015 9:54 am

Looking great ! Really love those gate hinges . The panzer looks like a clean build cant wait to see some paint

Post by **Tiger131** » Thu May 14, 2015 10:17 am

Love it never seen action pulled of in a dio so well top marks

Post by **localjedi** » Sun May 17, 2015 4:54 pm

Thank you so much for your feedback, guys!!! Keeps my scale modelling mojo in the flow. I finished the shed today and will upload some pictures of the painting and weathering process tonight or tomorrow. It turned out really good. I can't stop looking at it (my wife is kinda jealous already...

).

Post by **Nev** » Sun May 17, 2015 4:59 pm

Love the Goat! Awesome job so far!!

Post by **localjedi** » Mon May 18, 2015 11:51 am

So here are the photos of the shed:

I started with the stonewalls and bricks. It looks a bit like a Hundertwasser-building at first, but from my experience you have to start painting with brighter colors and more contrast. It will look more natural once it's weathered.

Next I filled the gaps and cracks in the base wall with clay dirt from the garden. In my opinion nothing beats the real stuff when it comes to realistic looks. I fixed it with Vallejo pigment binder.

It doesn't look good at first (too wet and all), so you have to let it dry for 1-2 days.

Once it's dry, it looks quite natural and has a nice structure. I weathered it with Ammo of Mig slimy grime light wash and some Mig light rust effects wash in the left upper corner where the iron plate will be later on.

Next step was painting the boards and the roof. I used a variety of colors (see picture). Again it looks too colorful at this stage but will look great after the weathering.

Mig dark wash for the roof and Ammo of Mig wash for German dunkelgelb on the wooden boards. Then an overall heavy drybrushing with Tamiya XF-55. I like the looks already!

Aaaand... (drum roll) the final reveal of the shed. Roof: Added some tufts of grass from Fredericus Rex and Mininatur plus some slimy grime light wash streaking. You can also sand off some balsa wood, mix the wood chips with slimy grime wash and create moss with it. It adds a nice effect.

Side walls: Slimy grime light wash at the bottom of the boards, the "iron" plate glued in place (as intended it works as an eye-catcher and adds more contrast to the wall), some really tiny tufts of grass between the boards (can you see them at all?

) and ivy from Mininatur. Done.

Now, I don't want to blow my own trumpet (insert dirty joke here), but I'm very satisfied with my work here. It was my first scratchbuilt building and was rather complex but I had a lot of fun building it and the result made it worthwhile. If you have any questions about it, always feel free to ask. And leave me a comment if you want. Cheers and keep modelling.

Post by **wappynutter** » Mon May 18, 2015 12:34 pm

wow!!!
Stunning work there dude....

Well done mate...
Continued success...

Post by **Kurnas** » Mon May 18, 2015 1:20 pm

WOW!!!! the shed looks amazing!!!
great job on the painting and weathering
the vegitation looks great as well
well done!!!

Post by **gustavlekstal** » Mon May 18, 2015 3:08 pm

looks bloody real

Post by **Tiger131** » Mon May 18, 2015 4:56 pm

You are the diorama master...stunning work on this master piece

Post by **peppie** » Mon May 18, 2015 9:47 pm

OMG..... I thought I could do some nice scratching, but seeing this makes me think what I'm making is kindergarten stuff

The colours of that shed, stunning mate

Thank you for showing every step, I´m learning a lot here.