My Panzerhaubitze 2000

[dd2356]

Morning chaps (and chapesses).

Just thought i'd share some pics of my latest mission. Its a Revell 1:35 Panzerhaubitze 2000 Self Propelled Howitzer. When complete, its 34cm long, most other tanks are around 20cm, so definately a big one!!

The kit is really nice, lots of detail, fairly straight forward build, with hardly any filling needed. There are just over 100 pieces, so i can get on with the painting etc pretty quickly. There is a choice of 2 gun barrels. A plastic 2 piece on the sprues, and a turned aluminium one. I chose the ally one. The only mod i think i'll make is to the 2 stubby aerials on the back of the turret. Hopefully i'll change these for wire.

I've started the painting, and have almost completed the tracks and suspension. Then i can add the side fenders, and camouflage the main body to match the turret. The turret has its Klear already applied, and the decals will go on soon.

Has anybody else built this kit before? Be nice to see some other finished examples.

Dave

 

[colprit]

Dave, Looks good mate I want one! keep up the good work.

Colin:no1b:

 

[Fenlander]

Looking good, must be a right monster!!! Love the wheel and under arches weathering, to be expected from you but it does look good.

 

[Richy C]

Coming along nicely Dave , keep us posted mate. could be way off track here but was it also known as the elephant , I`m sure I saw it on discovery that this tank was used as a static tank because it was very heavy and slow with a fixed turret,

Richy

 

[Ian M]

Looks like a good kit. Looking forward to seeing it finnished 'cause its looking pretty darn good so far.

 

[dd2356]

Coming along nicely Dave , keep us posted mate. could be way off track here but was it also known as the elephant , I`m sure I saw it on discovery that this tank was used as a static tank because it was very heavy and slow with a fixed turret, Richy

Not too sure about that tbh. The turret is movable, and images on the google show it in action in different positions.

The Elefant tank destroyer (or Ferdinand....i get confused between the two) was based on the Tiger of Porsche chassis (just read that on google too!!) It was smaller, and had a fixed turret. But very similar in shape i must admit.

 

[Ian M]

Think this one is a bit newer than the one you are thinking of Richy.

Here is a bit of info on the real thing. http://www.army-technology.com/projects/pzh2000/

 

[yak face]

AAAH! thats what one looks like, A great big tank! Looks like a great model dave ,looking forward to seeing the finished result . cheers tony

 

[Richy C]

Thanks Ian , the monster I saw was about in WW2 , so I was well out ( never mind its good to learn ) , the one I saw was in Dave`s link - the elephant .

Cheers mate

Richy

 

[dubster72]

Richy, I think you were referring to the Maus, a super-heavy German tank that only reached the prototype stage at the end of WW2. Anything that had a 75mm co-axial gun must have been a big beast!

As for the Ferdinand/Elephant thing, they were, in essence, the same vehicle. Prior to the battle at Kursk in 1943, they were called Ferdinands but during that action, they suffered badly from close-in attacks by Russian infantry & T-34's, even though they had heavy armour. After Kursk they were given an MG for defence & more armour. Hitler officially christened them 'Elephant' but the crews continued to call them Ferdinands.

Patrick

 

[Richy C]

Hi Patrick , the elephant one I saw on tv definitely saw active service , apart from its gun which was fixed had very poor performance and ended up getting used as an artillery gun a long way behind the front lines , the elephant they focused on had taken a hit by it tracks by a Sherman M4 shell that made it useless as it could not move its turret this is what the experts are said to have found out after many tests , it was on one of the discovery channels that was devoted to Tanks for the whole weekend it was only on about 3 weeks ago , I hope they put it on again because it was a great insight .

Wish I had a greater interest when I was younger but its never to late to learn mate

Richy

 

[dubster72]

I can't remember if the Maus had a turret off the top of my head or if it was fixed-the Ferdinand/Elephant was definitely fixed coz it was basically an SP along the lines of a Jagdtiger.

Keep an eye out for 'Tank Overhaul' on Yesterday as that's very interesting both for the (sometimes suspect!) history behind the tank feaured & how they get them up & running again.

I think we've hijacked DD's thread enough now though!

Patrick

 

[noble]

Dave this is huge looking, and it is looking very nice so far.... love the camouflage pattern by the way nicely done.

scott

 

[dd2356]

Thanks Scott.

It might have been better to use an airbrush, but i don't have one yet, so that was a simple choice to make!

I started with a reasonavle size brush for the first colour, and then found myself using smaller and smaller brushes for each subsequent colour of the camo. I ended up with absolute finest brush i have. I think it has about 3 hairs on, so the painting could take some time!! I'll post some more piccys when the hull is coloured.

 

[dd2356]

Just done a bit more work, and thought i'd give the pictures a bit of an outing!!

The side fenders have been fitted, decals put on the turret, and then had 2 clear matt laquers. Then out came the mud wash (can you see a trend yet?). There was a mark under the laquer towards the back, so i added a little rust around the handle nearby to hide it.

I also changed the aeriels for the bristles from a broom, and added some cables to the lights (?) at the base of the cannon. Some of the edges on handles, steps etc had a graphite pencil rubbed over them to give a worn-off paint/bare metal look, although you can't see it in the picture (damned mobile!)



just to give you an idea of the size of this thing, i've pictured it next to a 1:35 Patton

 

[Ian M]

Looking good keep it up!

So shall we start writing to Tamiya and suggest it as their next Radio controlled tank in 1/16 ! Dude that would be huge!!!

 

[dd2356]

Me again!!!

Thought i'd try out the new camera, and give you an update on the PzH 2000.

The turret is/was virtually finished, but i noticed on a few pictures that the front mesh

step has some webbing on. So i made some mounting points from fine gauge wire, and fitted them into holes that i had driled. Then the webbing was made from doubled up masking tape, and held in place with pva. I just need to paint them now.

The camouflage on the body is pretty much done, and then i can detail the rest. But so many distraction this week. Getting the kit for the group build, sorting the airbrush, working on the Big Foot, and a series of interviews for a new job (last one today i hope). Oh, and rehearsing with the band this evening.

Busy busy!!!

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[dd2356]

Thought i'd wait a little longer before starting on the group build. As i'm just putting the final finish to a couple of kits, i thought i'd make a start on the Staghound.

The kit looks fairly straightforward, and so far has fitted together relatively well. Included in the kit are 4 sprues, a PE sheet, a turned aluminium gun barrel, a choice of decals, a clear plastic flexi sheet, and a piece of thick cotton. Also, as this is a special edition (the PE kit) it also includes a nice walkround booklet, and a copy of the box graphic on thick card (for framing). If anybody wants the piccy, PM me and its yours!!

This is me first attempt at PE. so i thought i'd get to grips with it before tackling the Eduard Fw190.

The first couple of bits are totally straightforward, and i fixed them with PVA. Hopefully it'll all be as simple, but somehow i doubt it!!!

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[Fenlander]

Nice one Dave. Just take your time with the PE and when you cut it, keep it flat. Once it bends, it can be very tricky to get flat again. If you have to bend anything that feels a bit 'tough' just heat to red and let it air cool. Takes seconds so be careful or it could melt/distort. This will anneal it and make it easier to bend. To get the strength back if needed, re heat the bent/folded piece to bright red and quench by dipping into water. This will re harden the piece so if it is in a situation where it could get accidentally bent or pushed in, it will help hod the shape.

 

[dd2356]

The house was quiet today, so managed to watch the Grand Prix and assemble the Staghound. Had a few minor hiccups with the photoetch, decided that i'd try superglue, and then almost stuck a pair of tweezers to my fingers, not to mention a machine gun to my ear (don't ask!!). I was a bit worried about having to bend and fold the parts, but once i'd gathered together a few more tools and templates, it was ok.

I'm totally converted to photo etch. and now am really looking forward to the Eduard for the group build.

Everything is primered now, and ready for paint. I've decided to finish the Staghound in British Army Green. The Staghound was used at Caen in 1944, so i have some infantry, brick walling etc, for my first diorama.

This realy is a nice kit, with lots of good detail. There is interior detail for the turret, which is hardly visible through the hatches, but easy to assemble, and worth the extra effort.

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