German Ingenuity 39(H) 10.5cm LeFH18(Sf) auf Geschutzwagen

[rtfoe]

Hi and thanks guys...

Steve, I didn't like the results of the masking so I did a once over with the airbrush...still don't like it.
Scottie, not so great when I'm still fiddling with the camo.



Perhaps I'm not a sharp edge guy but I have to push myself to do it if it has to look correct. The dark yellow has rubbed off in some places contrasting with the gun.



The wheels only got a ghosting of paint and will need another pass to define the edges. As you can see the gun still needs camo.



Cheers,
Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Although I've painted the dark yellow, it's still not what I want...



Here's just to show the gun barrels has been painted with the camo.



The pattern was carefully aligned between the gun shield, the armored structure and the gun.



Cheers,
Richard

 

[Steve Jones]

Nice alignment. What is the look that you are after?

 

[MikeC]

Richard,
If you need not quite sharp edges, first mark out your shape on a piece of card, I always keep the card that comes with the Eduard etch. Cut out your pattern, roll some masking tape into a tube shape and use this to hold the card to the model side and spray on the card and not the model to start with, this will give you a sharper but also a soft edge. If you cannot understand what I am aiming at pm me and I will do you a short demo, I am spraying this week so you will not be wasting my time.
Cheers, Mike.

 

[Steve Jones]

Top tip Mike. Will try that one. Have you ever tried doing this for disc camo? Would be a lot easier to punch holes in cardboard and make a template that way.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Richard
Despite your dissatisfaction with the camo I think it is looking good. As has already been said your work is always well planned and very neat.
Jim

 

[rtfoe]

Thanks guys for your input and concern,

Steve & Mike, I am familiar with the card/paper masking method which works very well for hard/soft edges on planes. I just wanted to try the putty method to see if I could achieve the same results. I find the cut paper method much easier...well what I found out is with the putty I could do corrections easier in small places. Always something to learn with experimentation.

Jim, I know what you mean as I've seen most models stopping at this stage but I tend to want to push the envelop on this to see how far I can go without mucking it up. I'm trying to de-toy this ugly little thing if you know what I mean.

Steve, the look I'm after is half of half, something like this...still needs work with the filters...



Hard and soft...should have used the cut card in the first place but this was achieve with putty/blu-tac.



There was an ejector pin mark on the top recuperator which I missed and have puttied over and repainted. There is still a trace of it. In the first picture above it's still not painted over. If you look closely at the sights you'll see I've drilled out the eye piece.



Enhanced the radio slightly with wires which I'm not sure if they're correctly slotted and scratched headphones with wire and rod discs...just part of the lived in look that I have added.



Filters have made the camo less stark and I have retraced the streak marks subtly and post modulation.





Next tracks will get treatment of mud and rust...

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Deleted member 4539]

I think it looks great Richard .

 

[Steve Jones]

Very nice Richard. Luving the additions

 

[rtfoe]

Thanks Ralph and Steve ...at least I'm getting somewhere.

I had a great time today mucking with the tracks. It's been a long time since I played with dirt...make believe dirt and getting all messy. So different from the constraints of aircraft weathering.



I mixed up a batch of cement/caulking, Tamiya black and Khaki Drab with a healthy pinch of static grass and sloched it between the track treads, hull and a bit on the running gear.



Added some rust from AK and steel for the treads. Steel was also applied to the rim of the road wheels from contact with the track teeth. I should photograph agaist a white background as the rust isn't showing through.
It still needs oil leaks and grease stains...some chipping and scrapes as well.

Applying the decals...just sanded them down after a varnish coat.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Lee Drennen]

High quality work here Richard

 

[rtfoe]

Thanks Lee. Haven't done this kind of weathering for a while. Very therapeutic.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[scottie3158]

Richard,
Some lovely detailing and great painting this is turning into a thing of beauty from its ugly duckling origins.

 

[BattleshipBob]

Very nice indeed Richard

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Lovely work Richard. I think the camo pattern looks spot on. I was watching an episode of 'The World at War the other day and saw some spray camouflaged German vehicles that looked like they'd been done by the neighbourhood hooligans - very quickly done and rough. It's also something I've seen on ME262s and it's always stuck me that if a modeller did the same they'd be laughed out of the room.

 

[MikeC]

Thanks guys for your input and concern,

Steve & Mike, I am familiar with the card/paper masking method which works very well for hard/soft edges on planes. I just wanted to try the putty method to see if I could achieve the same results. I find the cut paper method much easier...well what I found out is with the putty I could do corrections easier in small places. Always something to learn with experimentation.

Jim, I know what you mean as I've seen most models stopping at this stage but I tend to want to push the envelop on this to see how far I can go without mucking it up. I'm trying to de-toy this ugly little thing if you know what I mean.

Steve, the look I'm after is half of half, something like this...still needs work with the filters...

View attachment 346726

Hard and soft...should have used the cut card in the first place but this was achieve with putty/blu-tac.

View attachment 346727

There was an ejector pin mark on the top recuperator which I missed and have puttied over and repainted. There is still a trace of it. In the first picture above it's still not painted over. If you look closely at the sights you'll see I've drilled out the eye piece.

View attachment 346728

Enhanced the radio slightly with wires which I'm not sure if they're correctly slotted and scratched headphones with wire and rod discs...just part of the lived in look that I have added.

View attachment 346729

Filters have made the camo less stark and I have retraced the streak marks subtly and post modulation.

View attachment 346730

View attachment 346731

Next tracks will get treatment of mud and rust...

Cheers,
Richard

Richard,
Good for you for trying it out, I would be happy with that finish.
Cheers, Mike.

 

[Steve Jones]

Lovely work Richard. I think the camo pattern looks spot on. I was watching an episode of 'The World at War the other day and saw some spray camouflaged German vehicles that looked like they'd been done by the neighbourhood hooligans - very quickly done and rough. It's also something I've seen on ME262s and it's always stuck me that if a modeller did the same they'd be laughed out of the room.

View attachment 346800

I totally agree Peter. Many camo patterns were done in the field. The soldiers were literally given a pot of paint and a brush and told to do the best they could. There are some really bad camo schemes that you just would not want on your model. I like to go for the factory applied camo schemes which are more pleasing to the eye. However tracking down the details is a lot harder.

 

[Jakko]

if a modeller did the same they'd be laughed out of the room.

About 15 years ago, I was told I was “very brave” for painting this model the way I did:



That’s to say, to replicate a finish I saw in photographs of real Leopards on winter exercise. As I recall, I even copied parts of the pattern directly from a photo, then improvised the rest in the same style.

 

[Steve Jones]

Richard seen putting the final touches to his camo pattern

 

[Wookie2486]

Richard,

amazing I have just caught up. You are certainly turning this into a thing of beauty.

Marty