Brian's build Aufklarungspanzer 38(t) updated 27/04/09

I have the Lion Roar mega etch for this kit which has new fenders & tool boxes , I will not have those problems . The turret walls are all etch as well .

Jenny

Jenny probably has the best idea replacing much of the plastic with PE , the kit is actually OK but there are some fit issues and someparts that need attention Deano ,It is not a straightforward OOTB build where everything just fits together and is right anyway . I'm just moaning because I was hoping for a quick and easy build (laziness ) , The paper panzer is 1/72 from Cromwell models combat ready range it only has about 10 parts and 4 of them are hatches !,I like to keep them handy for painting purposes (again with the laziness !)

cheers
Brian

Ha Ha I know what you mean,a,lot of the time I like a good OOB build.However on occasions I like to dabble with PE,well its looking great so far

Cheers
Deano

I'm amazed that two halfs of the one kit can be so different , the hull put up a final protest with the jack ,the kit shows it mounted the wrong way around and lying on its side ,photos show it differently ,adjusted mounts and straps saw it overcome ,I will probably add some stowage somewhere ,the instructions show the starterhandle port cover missing but I think this is just from photos of abandoned vehicles and it seems logical it would have it in place and as it is included in the kit I will use it .

The turret in contrast is a little gem of a kit ,it goes together flawlessly and gives both plastic and photo etch parts for several items ,the PE grills are great with handles easily attached and the ability to have it open or closed is a bonus .All the grill are just sitting in plave on the kit and the MG is not yet installed. I'm going to sit back for a day or two and finish some other stuff and then think about stowage and painting ,Ive added a photo of the base to give an idea of how the dio will look when completed although I may use an Alpine figure instead .





regrads
Brian
meanwhile , back at the ranch ....

...a great update!...looking foward to the next...regards!

Luiz

Back to the 38t now my braille scale adventures are over for the time being !

Main vehicle parts all now primed and basecoated in my own mix of sand yellow ,it looks bright but will darken down with weathering ,much will be covered in whitewash but I'm still doing a complete cam scheme under it

regards Brian

It is a bit bright but as you say , weathering does darken it considerably . I reckon you have the colour about right then !

Jenny

looks cool brian and as there will be full camo, whitewash and weathering there's nothing to complaint about the color!

Some paintwork progress , main camo colours sprayed and then a mist coat of tamiya earth to blend it all together and darken the sand slightly ,more to follow shortly



regards
Brian

Well Brian , this is looking very nicely done . It is always nice to see whats in the background on your workbench too , a braille king tiger & that same panther , Hey are those WWII Production Tracks there ? Where did you get them from ?

Jenny

Hi Jen

Yes , it is WW2 production tracks , my last set but I wish I had more , I picked them up a few years back at one of the shows ,I have used them on a few kits ,my Pershing ,a Sturer Emil and I think I have a KT set lurking around somewhere .The braile KT is actually an E75 I'm trying to put off painting for a few days !

Brian

fine camo brian! the aufklärungspanzer is coming along very nicely!

Great paint job, looking forward to see more.

\Erik

Brian.

...great airbrushing job...perfect control!

Regards!

Luiz.

This is where we are now ,

I have added some rough basecoats to the tools ,also added the decals and sealed the whole model with Warhammer Purity seal aerosol satin varnish ,this is a barrier layer to protect and seal the base colours from the hairspray and whitewash that is to follow ,It is important to use a non alcohol varnish to seal it so that both the hairspray and the whitewash will be easily removed after application ,I may try to do the whitewash later today once the Varnish has suitably hardened ,



regards
Brian

Hey Brian,

Looks great so far. I'm interested in the Warhammer Purity - how'd you stumble upon this? I assume that regular Klear would work as well?

rick

Propaganda

Hi Rick

The Purity seal is a Warhammer product I was given by Phil Stutchinskas ,It is a very hard varnish and can take the stress of the whitewash abuse better than most other varnishes ,i would say an automotive laquer would do as well , I have tried Klear (future) before and find that it bonds to either the hairspray or the white paint and is very difficult to shift .tamiya clear does not work either as it is also an alcohol based varnish and bonds to the white .

Im just about to post new photos

regards
Brian

Ok , here we go ,WHITEWASH TIME

After the varnish coat had dried for a few hours I moved onto the hairspray (had to buy this as there is a female shortfall in my flat !) , once I had given it two coats of cheap and nasty hairspray I blasted it with a hairdryer to dry it off ,then I applied a coat of Tamiya white through the airbrush ,an even coat but not solid as I wanted a hint of the cam to be visible through the whitewash ,this was then dried off with the hairdryer



I then got a jar of hot water and a stiff brush and started to remove the whitewash ( the longer you leave the whitewash in place the harder it is to remove) ,I use a turning motion with the brush and this breaks loose the white paint by disolving the hairspray underneath ,working on one panel at a time I worked my way around the vehicle I try to remove whitewash from areas where it would be easily chipped or worn and leave larger areas in the centre of the panels




After I had completed the Hull I moved onto the wheels and did the same ,leaving areas of white around the bolts and the centres of the hubs ,with the Hull complete I started the process all over again for the turret and anti grenade grills




once happy with the result I assembled the kit and took a couple of photos ,I do this as it shows up things not always obvious to the naked eye ,for instance the fire extinguisher is almost completely white and needs attention




Once completely happy I dried it all off with the hairdryer and applied another coat of varnish to seal the white and protect everything so far from the washes and paintwork still to come ,I will let the model dry until tommorow now before continuing





I am really enjoying this project now and am looking forward to doing the base and groundwork

regards
Brian

Looking really really cool ! I love it ! The hair spray method is brilliant , how long between painting the white & removing it ? Approximately ?

Jenny

Hi Jen

I only wait about ten minutes ,just enough time for the white to dry out , you probably even have some hairspray at home !

regards
Brian

The whitewash really turned out great Brian, great work.

\Erik

Brian, your weathering procedure is excellent!

A little more done today , I used some spots of oil paint to add some chromatic difference to the base colours ,these were then almost completely washed out with a brush and clean thinner until just a hint of the original colour was visible .



Then I started to line out the edges and details ,hinges ,panel lines anything that stands out or is recessed ,at the same time the tyres , main gun and tracks were basecoated in vallejo black grey and chocolate brown respectively , the exhaust was basecoated in salmon pink , still more washes ,all the chipping ,rust streaking etc yet to come and also the mud effect for the tracks

regards
Brian

Better & better all the time Brian . I love it !!!!!

Jenny

Brian,my congratulations...the whitewash effect looks great!...very didatic and easy to understand,many thanks!

Luiz.