Panzer Aces Blitzkrieg.pdf

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Nº 52 • 11€

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Armour Modelling Magazine

72 PAGES

PANZER ACES

• PZ.BFWG 38 (T) AUSF B • RENAULT FT17 • STUG III AUSF.B • SD.KFZ 232 • WAITING FOR THE TOWING VEHICLE • MODELLING LESSONS: MUD

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PANZER ACES Nº 52

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PANZERBEFEHLSWAGEN PZ.BFWG 38 (T) AUSF B This small Czech AFV which eventually became rather useful for the German Army, was one of the great stars of the Blitzkrieg. We are showing a seldom seen version; the command version identifiable by its large radio antenna found on the rear of the vehicle. This is an excellent Tristar kit with an excellent contrast work between the dirt and the dry mud and its dark Panzer Gray livery.

RENAULT FT17 One of the consequences of the Blitzkrieg was the capture of a considerable amount of enemy war material. Abilio gives us an example of this with his German FT-17. This kit has a subtle paintjob, especially with the dirt work on this vehicle.

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SD.KFZ 232 We can’t talk about the Blitzkrieg without mentioning the scout vehicles. The work which traditionally was entrusted to Germany’s cavalry was given to these armored vehicles on wheels that were present throughout the conflict in varied forms. Ivan deploys a wide range of techniques on his 232 including the new “Black and White” painting technique to recreate the vehicle’s Panzer Gray. We will also like to mention his elaborate dirt application work.

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WAITING FOR THE TOWING VEHICLE, FRANCE 1940 Not everything was gray during the Blitzkrieg. Color was provided by the French AFV’s and their flashy schemes. Jorge shows us in a very instructive way how to use these camouflage patterns, integrating the vehicle in a natural environment, putting the vehicle in context and hiding it at the same time. A very interesting article of a vignette which is full of light, color, plant life, minutiae, human elements, animals, etc. with an impeccable presentation and some wonderful pictures.

MODELLING LESSONS: MUD This time we’ve been doing some tests for recreating easily mud and doing mud splashes. We also show what are the market choices and the different products available in order to create a springboard for your own work.

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STUG III AUSF.B Another feature of the “lightning war” was the common use of self-propelled artillery for infantry backup, a job that was entrusted to the specially designed Stugs that played an important part towards the beginning of operation Barbarossa, when very large expanses of land were conquered in a very short time. Carlos’ Stug with its peculiar brown spot camouflage on the roof of its casemate is a perfect example. This kit also features outstanding dirt and dry mud work.

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PANZERBEFEH

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EHL EHLSWAGEN

PZ.BFWG 38 (T)

AUSF B

By Jorge Porto del Corral TRISTAR

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This command AFV -quite common on the opening years of WWII- is just a simple variant of the many that were made using the PzKpfW 38(t) as a base. Many variants using this AFV were made: AFV-hunters, self-propelled howitzers, anti-aircraft retrieval vehicles… In this case the only difference between this AFV and the base vehicle is just the FU 8 radio system which this vehicle had instead of the frontal machine gun and the large antenna on top of the engine compartment. Supposedly, each Panzer Division had about ten units of this type of vehicle, and a grand total of 300 units were manufactured. This Czech AFV is considered to be the best lightweight AFV of this opening war period, because of its outstanding technical features. In fact this vehicle was used by other countries such as Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, Iran, Peru, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. 3/

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THE KIT

I built my 38(t) using Tristar’s product ref. 039, which is the version that includes the interior details, although I employed the pieces for the inside of the turret only. This is an excellent kit and its pieces are well molded, with fine detailing. The pieces fit together in an exacting way and hardly have any flash. The piece array is also quite well thought and we have the option of leaving open hatches revealing the interiors on the turret, the hull and the engine. The vehicle’s suspension is fully functional, so if we want to, we can adapt the vehicle to an uneven base. The track links are individual pieces but are not articulated. I replaced these for metallic ones. The kit also includes a P.E. sheet with some pieces such as the grille and some belts. The decal sheet offers us motifs for four different versions.

The track links are individual pieces, but are articulated. I employed metallic ones.

In addition to the metal tracks I also purchased the RB Models two meter antenna, a bottle of wine and the folded tarp which is scratch made. I also dented the fenders here and there, I bent a box cover and I also added some texture to an exhaust and also scaled it down by trimming excess plastic.

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The large antenna was only glued down when the kit was finished, because its frail nature meant that it could easily break. In fact, once I glued it in place it fell off several times. The tools were also glued after I was done with the weathering processes.

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I applied a coat of primer in order to get a good grip for paint. I used Mr. Surfacer 1200 diluted with its specific thinner in a 50% proportion. I airbrushed several thin coats of it with an air pressure of 1.5 bars. These coats were dried up by blowing some air with my airbrush.

I created the Panzer Gray base color using Tamiya’s XF-24 Dark Gray and XF-63 Panzer Gray. I used the first color to cover the flat surfaces and the second one for the vertical areas. Actually both colors are quite similar but the XF-24 is somewhat lighter and that’s why I applied it on the areas prone to get sunlight weathering. I definitely was determined not to have an unrealistic Smurf bluish gray.

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I usually start the weathering and dirt application processes with a few washes. The goal here is to create a dark shade along the base of whatever feature the kit has. The best example here is the screws. By doing this and also thanks to the backing technique employed later –drybrushing- I strengthen and help stand out the features of the kit. This shading also represents the accumulation of dirt typical of these areas. In this occasion I resorted to using oil paints. I specifically employed a mixture of black and Burnt Umber. I made a diluted mixture of these two oil paint colors and White Spirit. The mixture was applied on the go. This way I also get to create a few stains and dirt trails.

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Once this gray base was dry, I covered the kit with a coat of gloss varnish to create a perfect base for the decals. This coat of gloss varnish will hopefully help us avoid the feared decal gloss effect. Then I applied the emblems and numerals employing the Micro Set and Micro Sol product.

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The wash effect is backed up by the dry brush technique which I use to highlight the most prominent and pronounced areas on the kit’s pieces. I use this technique in a very subtle way and I never use it on flat surfaces. I do it with Vallejo Acrylics because these paints are optimal for this technique. The specific color employed was Panzer Aces’ 305 Rubber. The color used for drybrushing was also employed for the light paint chips. Some of these were filled with 307 Red Tail Light (also a Panzer Aces color). This paint looks exactly like the red priming Germans used on their vehicles throughout WWII. When doing paint chips I take particular care in choosing the spots for these trying to arrange everything in a logical and believable way. The edges of the armored planks are a logical and recurrent spot for paint chips as we can see in real life and period pictures –those that are close enough, of course-. With the idea in mind to recreate worn or dirty paint on a used vehicle I usually turn to oil paints. This is a process based on superimposing different colors starting

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with white and finishing with Sepia or Raw Umber. You have to play with your oil paints along the surface; be it with filters, washes, streaks or simply doing stains sort of like mapping. It merely depends on the ideas I get and the area I happen to be working on. The secret is never to fully cover your previous work with each new color. Here you can see the work I did with white oil paint: a streak on the right side, a paint filter on the central area, some mapping on the left side and some washes on some screws. Within this oil paint process there was a brief parenthesis; the acrylic mapping. The idea behind applying this technique is to do additional but more opaque and well defined stains, which cannot be made with oil paint. That’s why I used extremely diluted acrylic paint. The secret is to unload your paintbrush on an absorbent surface before you make the stains. The colors employed were: German Gray 995 and Chocolate Brown 872 (Both Model Color AV) and Dark Rubber 306 and Light Rubber 305 from AV but from the Panzer Aces series.

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Continuing with the oil paint work after finishing with the white paint I began working with Naples Yellow. With it I worked on the areas where I wanted dirt and dirt clusters. During this painting phase I get a color base which was later on corrected with other colors.

The colors employed in this oil painting process will gradually be getting darker. After working with Raw Sienna. I used Burnt Umber and Sepia. If you look carefully you will notice that the darker the color used the more diluted it was used. This altered the surface where it was applied but did not cover it. These two colors were also used to do further dirt stains in a darker and more opaque way.

I let the pigments dry for some time and then I rub the pigment covered areas with a soft paintbrush. I always try to move the paintbrush in a way that the pigments get swept to the deepest recesses and also proceeded to remove these from the areas which stick out more prominently, like for instance the lines along the fenders or the screws on the hull.

The next color employed for the application of dirt was Raw Sienna. As you can see, this color is applied on an area previously soaked with White Spirit. Some areas are covered with the previous colors, but this is not the case everywhere. What we need to create here is a little variety.

I was determined from the start to make the dirt work on my 38(t) a priority. That’s why all the painting process is headed towards enhancing this effect. There is no doubt that the ideal means to get this right was to employ color pigments. I began by depositing small amounts of pigment (an “ad hoc” color mixture of my own) with a paintbrush. I always begin with less visible areas such as the interior of the wheels.

Then I put a few drops of enamel thinner on the areas with pigments. We have to let the thinner cover everything by capillarity, without moving the pigments. This is enough to fix the pigments in place.

By gently rubbing with your fingers the areas that stick out, you obtain by contrast the natural looks of accumulated dirt. So that’s what I did on all rounded rivets and on the edges of the armored planks. The results can be judged in this picture.

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I attempted to recreate the looks of heavily chipped boxes created by so much banging around, allowing you to see the red priming paint underneath or rusted metal. This effect is achieved by using a mussed up paintbrush perpendicularly. The lighter shade of gray was Dark Rubber 306 PA. The red employed is Red Tail Light 307 PA and rust was made with Dark Rust 302 PA.

The wooden antenna supports, for instance are painted with Old Wood 310 PA, then covered with chipping fluid and chipped with a paintbrush and water once the gray paint covering it dried up. I tried to make the decals look as dirty and worn as the rest of the vehicle. This is something necessary to deal with if we want to obtain a believable appearance for our vehicle.

For instance, the large numerals on the side of the turret were scratched with gray, stained with oil paint both on the red and the white surfaces. I also did real paint scratches over the dirtied surface using a toothpick. That’s why we have different color intensities on both colors.

The leather straps holding the crank in place are painted with Leather Belt 312 PA and profiled with black oil paint. The tool handles are painted with Red Primer Brown A-MIG 923, except the shears which had Bakelite handles and are painted with Bakelite A-MIG 913.

On the right side of the engine I recreated a few fuel spills. Some were drier, some were wetter and therefore more recent. Both were made with Titan’s asphalt oil paint. The wetter ones are made by applying paint straight from the tube. The drier ones are made by diluting paint with White Spirit.

On the fenders we can see how the drybrushing and washes complement each other. With the washes we create dirt clusters on corners and recesses and with the drybrushing we enhance the volume of the prominent features, such as the lines on the fenders, the edges of the armored planks or the screws and rivets. The wooden block was painted with two Panzer Aces colors; Old Wood 310, New Wood 311 and a pigment wash using the mixture employed previously on the vehicle.

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Pigments were more intensely used on the wheels. This effect was created by successive pigment mixture accumulations fixed with White Spirit. The dark paint chips were painted by hand using Dark Rust 302 PA. The scratch on the dirt on the wheel was done exactly like that; scratching the surface with a toothpick. The oil remains on the hub were also made with asphalt colored oil paint mixed with a little Sepia. As usual, the varying amount of thinner is what determines the dryness of such stains.

I also painted the exhaust with Panzer Aces acrylics, Light Rust 301, Yellowish Rust 303 and Dark Rust 302. I worked on its surface with a trimmed paintbrush, creating micro dots. I began with the lightest color and went to the darker one and vice versa. I was always careful not to cover the previous work. I finished the work with a discreet dirt application on its upper surface. This was made with a subtle White Spirit pigment wash.

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Sand accumulated on the corners of the frontal part of the vehicle were made with two different pigment mixtures that were fixed in place by simply using two drops of enamel thinner. Along the edge of the glacis there are many tiny paint chips revealing both the red priming and the rust underneath. These are made with a trimmed paintbrush using colors Red Tail Light 307 PA and Dark Rust 302 PA. The screws “reappeared” after some drybrushing with German Gray 995 AV MC. The contrast created by the surrounding dirt enhances their shape. In this picture we can clearly see the different dirt and sand hues in contrast with the rivets and other stand-out features, created by the different oil paint treatments described earlier.

On the turret’s roof I tried to get a satin finish on the areas prone to be rubbed frequently by crewmen, as we can see on real metal surfaces in real life. In order to accomplish this, other than the techniques mentioned earlier, I tried to polish the paintjob. First I rubbed these surfaces with a soft paintbrush while some places were rubbed with my fingers. The most prominent areas (those that are more prone to this kind of wear) such as the edges of the hatch, also received some graphite –pencil lead- to recreate the polished metal surface.

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RENAULT

By Abilio Piñeiro MENG

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The Renault FT was a small lightweight A.F.V. from WWI armed with a small 37mm Puteaux SA 18, but other versions with a light 8mm Hotchkiss machine gun instead of this gun were also manufactured. Although its hull was minimally armored it was up to the period’s standards. Its 35 HP Renault water cooled steam engine, was located in the rear. / 14

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FT-17

During the invasion of France in 1940, all caretaker status materials including the 575 FT’s were mobilized as defensive aid, although it was soon made clear that the ineffectiveness of these vehicles for modern warfare was manifest. The Wehrmacht captured 1.707 Renault FT units of which approximately 100 units were employed for policing and patrol chores on airfields and 650 units were used to control occupied France.

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THE KIT The interiors of the small FT are perfectly well recreated in this kit, including both the interior panels as well as the driver’s post, rear fireproof bulkhead, transmission and an outstanding engine. For those modelers fond of complex and exacting work there are already several aftermarket products to help bring a maximum of detail to both the inside and the outside of this vehicle.

The Light Cast Turret is wonderfully executed and includes all lines, markings and foundry numerals, giving you also the possibility of leaving its rear hatches in either an open or closed position. But watch out, because there is a line around the turret on top of the upper bolt line which looks like leftover burr but it’s actually a feature of the FT’s with this type of turret. The inside features of the gun are also included along with several ammunition storage items.

Here we have an overview of the piece array and the sub-assemblies made. As you can see I usually apply a light coat of Squadron’s green putty diluted with Tamiya’s liquid glue to seal parting lines. This is just a personal fixation of mine. The springs meant to recreate the shock absorbers have been replaced for thicker ones, because those from the box are a little bit out of scale as we can see in the reference pictures of the real FT’s. Another detail which should be taken into account is the possibility to paint and age separately both the undercarriage as well as the rear device employed for overcoming ditches and trenches.

The Meng kit has been well received on the market because it represents a significant leap in terms of quality when compared to the previous existing versions of this kit hitherto available. A first version of this kit with full interiors and a Light Cast Turret was first launched, and this is the version employed in this article. Later on, Meng issued a more economical version without interiors and a flat riveted turret. This product (TS-008) contains: - 350 sand colored molded pieces. - 68 plastic track links - 1 small P.E. sheet - 2 metal suspension bars - 2 small metal pins. - 2 long springs - 2 short springs - A decal sheet A 21 page instruction sheet with color diagrams.

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The kit’s assembly should be undertaken deciding first whether to use the interior detailing pieces or not. At first I chose to go the complex way and include all the interior pieces included in the box and as you can see in the pictures I even got as far as building those. After some careful thinking I decided to build a closed version with no visible interior pieces. I must say that if you choose either of these

two options you should consequently plan your assembly and create assembly subgroups which will make painting easier. This is not possible with many kits, but the design of this kit in particular allows you to work this way. In this case in particular, we’re dealing with a hull made up of multiple panels: inferior, lateral, higher, rear and frontal ones which are furnished separately and

need careful alignment in order to obtain a correct assembly. The fact that some of these pieces are fastened to the styrene runners beveled does not help our work a great deal, but we can fix this by using a brand new X-Acto, some sandpaper and putty. The rest of the assembly process is quite simple as you can see in the pictures and texts that accompany this article.

PAINTING

I was determined to test some painting techniques and other brands, so I decided to use for this project a set of Lifecolor acrylics that have been sitting around here for several years practically unused. This brand has a strong covering capability and paints are odorless. Paint was diluted with the brand’s own thinner and was allowed to dry for 12 hours before I began with the weathering phase. RAL 7021 is a rather appropriate dark gray for using it as a base color and doing some previous shading work. After applying grey priming on the entire kit I let it seat for a full day and then used soft sponge sandpaper (3M) to smoothen some surfaces. Later on I airbrushed the dark gray paint covering gradually the kit with several coats. This is a rather pleasant slightly bluish hue and a mat finish.

I’ve recently finished some model kits with French camouflage schemes such as the hard edged pattern of the Schneider and as a consequence I decided against similar patterns. After reading about and seeing the vast amount of vehicles that were repainted by the German troops using Dunkelgraü paint I decided that it would be interesting to recreate an airfield surveillance vehicle. This FT-17’s were versions with both a main gun and a Hotchkiss machine gun and were used for routine tasks, had a good maintenance and rarely saw any real action. These vehicles were slightly dusty but were not excessively punished. With this idea in mind I began painting my kit following the processes described in the picture captions.

The base color was now ready to varnish and begin the weathering work. Towards the end, when I was closing the hull, I had five separate sub units that could be handled quite comfortably.

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Employing the same base color and some white, I lighted up the areas which needed highlighting and created some modulation. As you can see, it has a slightly bluish hue which is quite light. I prefer to work with a far lighter base coat than needed, because all kinds of weathering processes undertaken, regardless of how light these may be, will tend to darken our kit and I can guarantee you that lighting this up later is an almost impossible task.

Using Vallejo’s black and white paint I painted and went over each and every screw, hinge and detail on the kit. You really can overdo this without worrying because if there’s something that we don’t like we can always darken the area later with color filters or just the regular weathering processes. This phase, although quite tedious is quite necessary because it will provide added volume to the kit. In this case I chose to apply Mig Productions’ transfers which are quite realistic, avoiding the risk of decal application and the possibility of getting some unwanted silvering. Transfers can be applied easily and fast and we can move on to the next phase almost immediately. Once applied I rubbed the transfers further with a rubber tipped brush (these are used for sculpting) in order to secure the transfers better.

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In order to enhance the personality of my FT I decided to apply some dirt throughout. By using Tamiya’s XF-57 buff, XF-52 mat and white sand diluted with Lacquer Thinner I created a light dirt layer that would ultimately constitute the base and guide for the weathering processes to follow. It is crucial to apply it highly diluted trying to apply a mere transparency in order not to fully cover all previous work and enhance all previous effects. I applied first the darker sand hue; later on I moved to the buff and mixed this with a little white for the final touches. I usually put my kits on top of a provisional stand in order to be able to manipulate the kit easily. With a small piece of featherweight board and some blu-tack we can perform wonders. The first step in the weathering process was to apply a soft ochre filter employing Mig Productions’ Earth Wash quite diluted with thinner. I worked on some areas more intensely with this product (using it undiluted) creating rain marks for the vertical panels creating horizontal clouds.

The tools and the exhaust were painted with acrylics following the usual techniques and doing some zenithal light source effects. I like to paint these items at this intermediate stage because that way we can integrate these with the remaining painting processes and also see how these contribute to the final looks of the whole ensemble. The exhaust and its rusty hue is fresco- mapping work in various hues, starting with the lightest hues and ending up with a rust colored pigment wash diluted with pigment fixer providing some necessary texture.

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With the intention of creating a little more tonal and chromatic variety I applied to the undercarriage and the upper portion of the turret small amounts of white oil paint mixed with natural sienna and some Naples yellow while melting oil paint with thinner.

I usually also do some small paint chips and scratches during this intermediate stage again to integrate these with the rest of the painting processes and see how these contribute to the final looks of the whole ensemble. I employed chocolate brown acrylic paint trying to make these as small as possible. A larger paint chip is the result of a number of smaller paint chips occurring together. I did not want to abuse this effect because as I mentioned earlier we’re dealing with units that hardly saw any action and were well maintained.

After seeing the results of my work thus far I decided that it was time to apply a pin wash along the panel lines using a dark brown/black mixture. I employed Mig Productions’ Dark Wash because of its nice consistency and depth. This is a very important phase because we can get a lot of volume on our vehicle and it helps us to tell apart the different elements which our kit contains.

I applied some fuel and grease stains on top of the engine’s cover mixing bitumen, asphalt and burnt sienna colored oil paints. A bit of satin varnish gives it enough gloss. For the hinges and the greased up areas of the vehicle I also employed the same oil paint mixture.

I finished the work by using some light sand colored pigments to enhance some dirt clusters. The specific product used was Mig Productions’ European Dust P028 thinned out with natural sienna oil paint and some thinner to fix it in place.

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TRACKS The track links provided are excellent and are articulated but these have a small external mold ejector mark which requires some knife work. With a small click and 5 minutes’ work I had assembled both tracks. 32 track links on each side will give you a perfect fit in and tension. Different grit sandpaper sheets were used to fully get rid of the mold ejector mark on the tracks. This is rather tedious work, but very necessary in order to fully get rid of the mold marks.

The tracks are painted with several successive coats of black and brown Tamiya colors. First we start with the darkest hue and then we work through the lightest one. I did this in several coats without actually covering any previous coat in full. I did this to obtain a variation between the different hues. A little double sided adhesive tape was used to secure the tracks because I didn’t want these to blow away with the pressurized air from my airbrush. After letting this sit for a day, I applied several ochre and sand colored pigment hues; European Dust, Dark Mud and a smaller amount of Light Dust, securing these with pigment fixer applied by following the capillarity principle. We can use either our airbrush or a hair dryer to accelerate the process. The results are immediate. I finished the work on the tracks and the FT by applying a coat of graphite rubbed with my fingertip hard enough to fix it in place.

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STUG III AUSF.B

By Carlos Alba López

Picture credits Joaquín García Gázquez

DRAGON

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The Stug III was the German assault gun created initially for infantry backup. Just like all German vehicles during WWII, this vehicle suffered numerous modifications. In this case we will deal with the Ausf. B model with the typical Panzer Gray scheme, but with a curious camouflage pattern with brown spots on the roof of its casemate.

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ASSEMBLY This Dragon kit has a decent piece arrangement and general detailing, for a kit that has been around for a few years. It doesn’t require special modifications and can be easily built by following the instruction sheet. The kit can be definitely improved with the Eduard P.E. set which contains improved mudguards, engine grilles or tool clasps.

MATERIALS EMPLOYED - Kit: Dragon ref. 6008 - Accessories: Eduard P.E. sheet ref. 35125

Additionally if we engage in additional work like making a few missing welding lines with Tamiya putty, doing detailing in some handles and taking care of the missing electric wiring (employing copper wire in different girths) the kit’s appearance will definitely improve.

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PAINTING I chose the painting scheme of a Stug from the 226 Stug. abt. This is a vehicle painted in Panzer gray with brown spots on the roof of the casemate, which is a seldom seen pattern, because camouflage was usually always employed on the whole surface of the vehicle. Once we’re finished with the assembly work it is quite recommendable to wash your kit with water and soap to get rid of the dirt remains and dust which may have gotten there during the assembly stage. The surface will now be clean and ready to receive paint. Before applying the base coat I apply Vallejo’s Panzer Gray priming. It isn’t necessary to fully cover the kit thoroughly. Right now we just need to apply a few thin coats to change the color a little bit and create a support for the paint that will come later on. The base color was made with a mixture of Tamiya acrylics. Panzer Gray can be obtained with a mixture of 60% XF-63 German Gray + 25% XF-50 Field Blue + 15% XF-18 Medium Blue and should be airbrushed in several soft passes. The kit is highlighted by adding XF-19 Sky Gray applying two highlights following the zenithal light source technique. For the final highlight we can add a little XF-2 White, but we just highlight with it the upper area of the casemate and the hatches. Shading incorporates highly diluted XF-1 Black and is only applied on the areas with less light exposure and other crevices.

The camouflage spots are hand painted doing several highly diluted coats of Vallejo acrylic 872 Chocolate Brown.

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In order to protect the base coat we now seal the whole vehicle with a coat of gloss varnish. This is also quite necessary when it comes to putting the decals in place and avoiding unwanted decal gloss. Decals are set in place with the help of the specific product for it, allowing it to dry for a couple of days. First we soak the area where the decal goes with the Microset product. Once the decal is exactly in place we apply the Microsol liquid. This makes the decal softer and helps it adapt to the contours of the kit, which is quite advantageous when there is riveting underneath for instance.

Once the decals are in place, the kit will be ready for the different dirt and weathering treatments to follow. Before we begin with that, we apply a coat of slightly satin varnish to seal the decals and we let it dry thoroughly.

DIRT AND WEATHERING I usually divide this process in two stages: - Weathering and base paint deterioration - Dirt effects Weathering begins by applying oil paints. The method employed is the “micro dotting technique”: We do many small color dots along the working surface and immediately afterwards we “melt” these using Humbrol thinner. The colors employed are white, gray, blue, yellow, different hues of brown and black. I recommend soaking the working surface with thinner before we do the paint dotting. The final results of this procedure can be fully appreciated in this lateral view of the casemate.

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In order to convey the effects of dirt on the kit we use sand colored oil paints (ranging from light sand hues to ochre to dark browns) which are placed on the kit and then “melted” with Humbrol thinner. It’s important to perform this job on the kit in different ways depending on how prone to get dirty the surface of the kit we’re working on actually is.

Detail profiling on model kits is quite important, because we enhance the different volumes and create a depth effect on our kits. The procedure is as follows: create a highly diluted mixture of black and Raw Umber oil paints that will be applied on every crevice of the kit, and remove excess paint with thinner. The effect obtained becomes rather obvious in the welding strips for instance.

Mud splashes on the undercarriage are made with a mixture of plaster and sand colored enamels, which are splattered on the kit by using a toothpick on the tip of the loaded paintbrush. When doing this effect I usually employ different sand colored hues in order to get a greater color range in the mud itself.

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On some areas we strengthen the dirt and sand effects by applying sand colors and pigments.

I would like to finish by thanking my comrades from Almería Modelismo for their great help and support.

Oil and fuel remains on the engine hatches are conveyed using Bitumen oil Paint diluted with enamel thinner.

Exhausts are treated with rust colored pigments, which are fixed in place using Humbrol thinner. The mouthpiece of the exhaust is airbrushed in several airbrush passes using highly diluted XF-1 black paint.

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COLOR CHART Tamiya XF-63 German Grey XF-50 Field Blue XF-18 Medium Blue XF-19 Sky Grey XF-2 White XF- 1 Black Acrílicos Vallejo Chocolate Brown 70.872 Oil Paint references

Weathering base coat (All from the Titan Brand) Titan Grey Raw Sienna White Titanium Titan Blue Lamp Black Dirts and sand oil paints Yellow Ochre Light (titan)

Burnt Sienna (titan) Raw Sienna (titan) Raw Umber (titan) Light mud (mig productions) Oil and fuel spills effect Enamel Earth effects Africa dust effects Fresh mud Dark mud

Once the tracks are on the kit, we do some detail retouching to integrate everything together.

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By Ivan Momcilovic Momcha AFV CLUB

1/35

The term Schwerer Panzerspáhwagen means heavy armored reconnaissance vehicle. Under this name, all German armored vehicles with six and eight wheels used in WWII are included. These vehicles were used by the German army of the period for reconnaissance missions that up to that point had been the traditional responsibility of the German cavalry. These vehicles were used to explore enemy flanks and advanced enemy AFV units in order to evaluate the strength, intentions and location of enemy forces. Their priority was to observe and evaluate the situation before engaging in combat, but these vehicles could also confront enemy reconnaissance forces and even try to capture enemy patrols.

The Panzerspähwagen was large and heavy, but fast, and that’s why it was incorporated to the mobile units during the outbreak of WWII. The first versions

of this vehicle were based on 6x4 trucks with added armoring, but during 1937 these were replaced by the eight wheel versions. These vehicles kept the same

special vehicle reference “Sd.Kfz” (short for “Sonderkraftfahrzeug”) but after the name they had a 6-rad or 8-rad clarification.

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SD.KFZ 232 These vehicles had their baptism of fire in Poland, and then they fought in France, the Soviet Union and Northern Africa. The extreme weather conditions

in these last two fronts proved to be too rough for these vehicles. When the first heavy rains took place in the USSR, 150 Sd.Kfz 232 were immobilized. At any

rate, the speed of these 8 wheelers made it the best long distance exploration vehicle for Rommel in the desert.

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KIT I built this model using AFV Club’s initial version Sd.Kfz 232. If we carefully observe the pictures we can see the differences between the initial and the late versions. AFV’s kits are anything but simple, the many pieces contained, many of which are quite small. This requires some extra attention when cutting and gluing these in place. This kit includes some very basic interior detailing pieces, and that’s why I chose to leave the hatches closed in order to avoid assembling and painting its interiors.

PAINTING I started the job by using the brand new Black and White technique. I love this technique because the final results obtained are for me much more realistic looking than the results you get when using the modulation technique. At any rate I like the two techniques a lot and I usually employ both. I used white gray and black priming. Black priming was used for the areas hidden from sunlight and gray for the rest of the vehicle. Finally I airbrushed the white priming along the edges and other prominent features which get the most light. A simple table lamp will be a useful tool for determining which areas need highlighting.

Afterwards I did some previous wash work, which is usually done after applying the base coat, but in my case I do this before as well. This effect will be visible after covering the kit with the base paint and the corresponding camouflage pattern. I employed for this AV’s Black Wash. This could also be done with enamel washes, but we would have to apply first a coat of gloss varnish in order to do a better work with the washes.

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Once I had accentuated the details with the washes, I proceeded with the paint chip technique, trying to make the paint chips in the most reasonable spots, where paint usually chips off. White paint was employed for this purpose.

After applying the decals I applied a very subtle enamel paint filter, applied with a flat tipped paintbrush.

Now it’s the time for applying the base coat. During the opening stages of the war, German vehicles were painted dark gray with the so called Panzer gray color. When using the Black and White painting technique you can’t simply use your Panzer gray just like that, because it is dark enough to cover and render useless your previous work. That’s why I used Tamiya’s XF-18 Blue and applied it like a paint filter. This means that you should dilute this color at least 50%. This way you can apply real thin and transparent coats which reveal underneath the previous paintwork. When working with enamels you have to wait a pretty long time between each paint effect coat in order to allow each to dry. Once the bluish filter was dry, I did again a few dark paint washes to enhance details like hatches, screws, indentations, etc. This time I used the Wash Blue for Panzer Grey product. After a brief pause I melted the brushstrokes from the wash and got rid of excess wash product using a flat tipped brush and enamel thinner. I was however careful not to remove it completely, always leaving paint in the deeper recesses. I like to put it this way: the vehicle “resuscitated”. Once again, all details became more evident.

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Now it was time to paint the tools and other items having a different base color.

WHEELS

I didn’t glue the wheels in order to be able to paint them easily. After applying the base colors; black for the rubber area and medium blue for the tires, I then applied European Earth pigment soaked with enamel thinner. Once this thinner evaporates, the wheels look like as if they were thrown into a puddle full of mud. By dry rubbing a paintbrush against the wheels we can remove excess pigment. For instance, the gun is painted with Gun Metal.

I did again some paint chips where I had applied the base color earlier. I also did some paint scratches, in both cases using a very light shade of gray and a fairly new paintbrush, although I also used the sponge. As you can see I wanted to do different kinds, just like it happens in real life.

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After the gray ones I also did a few paint chips with Hull Red in order to recreate the red ones corresponding to the red priming paint underneath applied in real life. One of the most visible weathering effects are the dirt, mud and rust streaks. I recreated these I employed Panzer Aces’ Streaking Grime and a thin paintbrush. I did some random sized lines and a few minutes later I melted these using a flat tipped paintbrush soaked with enamel thinner.

Now it’s time for applying some dirt on the vehicle. I did this airbrushing the surfaces without a specific pattern with A. Mig’s North Africa Dust Effects. After letting it dry for a few minutes I began to remove it partially using a paintbrush soaked with thinner. In order to get realistic results you should use real life vehicle pictures as reference.

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It was a rather common occurrence during this war to see how crews gathered a motley range of objects that were deemed useful; such as tarps, bags, containers of all sorts, blankets, wood beams… some of these objects were used as additional armoring. I usually recreate these with the generic sets created by Value Gear Details, where we can find highly detailed items that can be used to dress any vehicle from any country. Some items are scratch made such as the barrier wooden beams.

I recreated some dry dirt by airbrushing A.Mig’s Earth acrylic paint.

With all these weathering processes some details end up becoming unnoticeable. I did some Vallejo acrylic washes to enhance these back.

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I did some orange Vallejo washes on the exhausts, which had previously been painted with a brown colored base.

Then I repeated the process employed for the wheels. I put some European Earth pigment agglutinated with enamel thinner along the base of the turret and along the lower areas of the vehicle. Once the thinner had dried, I removed excess pigment by rubbing the surface with a flat tipped brush.

In order to recreate recent oil spills I resorted to using Engine Oil paint. The best way to recreate this effect is to employ a thin paintbrush, make a few small stains and then locate these in the most logical and reasonable spots.

Picture of the finished vehicle.

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DIORAMA

I created the base with foam and modelling paste to create the texture of the ground. When the paste was still fresh I did some track prints. The texture of the ground was created by mixing Brown Earth Vallejo acrylic. I painted it with gray, sand and black priming and several Vallejo acrylic washes. I added further color variety by painting some cobblestones in different hues.

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Once the vehicle was finished I put on it an AFV figure with a Hornet head which I painted with oils.

I glued some Nock grass on the higher ground and painted it with Tamiya’s XF-67 NATO Green to darken it up a little. I also did a few brown color washes on the cobblestones and added a Miniart telegraph pole.

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COLOR CHART Tamiya Medium Blue XF-18 Acrílicos Vallejo Wash Brown 76513 Wash Dark Brown 76514 Wash Europe Earth 76523 Wash light Rust 76505 Wash Rust 76506 Brown Earth 26219 Hull Red 70985 Ammo Mig Filter Blue for Dark Grey 1509 Blue Wash for Panzer Grey 1006 New Wood 037 Gun Metal 045 Pigment Europe Earth 3004 Pale Grey 063 Streaking Grime for panzer Grey 1202 Streaking Grime 1203 North Africa Dust 1404 Earth 073 Fresh Engine Oil 1408

MATERIALS EMPLOYED • AFV CLUB Sd.Kfz 232 Early type ref. 35232 • Value Gear Details, generic sets • Miniart Telegraph Poles 35541 • Armor35 35104, 35105 • Bravo 6 B6-35107

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WAITING FOR THE T

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E TOWING VEHICLE

FRANCE 1940

By Jorge Porto del Corral TAMIYA

1/35

By May 1940, French forces were engaging in a defensive retreat because of the unstoppable advance of the German Panzer Divisions. The 13e Dragons made it to the Furnes Canal, the High Command gave the order to go pass this area leaving all vehicles behind. This unit disobeyed this command and made it to the vicinity of La Panne in Belgium. The lack of fuel, supplies and the impossibility to effectuate any repairs, ultimately forced them to abandon their AFV’s and begin the long journey to the last free port: Dunkirk. 45 /

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THE IDEA I wanted to offer one of my vignettes to my great friend Ricardo Merino for quite a while now, and having the opportunity to create one for a presentation, I told him to

give me some ideas about the subjects he enjoyed. Ricardo has always been known for the intense way he researches every one of his projects, and in this case it was

no different. During the whole process he overwhelmed me with research materials, information and opinions on how this vignette had to conform to his initial idea.

THE SOMUA ASSEMBLY 1

2

Frankly, there are way too many model kit brands… but Tamiya is on a class of its own. When this kit hit the market I bought it right away. As I had the opportunity to find out, Tamiya is still the best. The kit has nothing but the necessary pieces

and these have a beautiful fit. I suppose that it can always be improved upon, in fact there are several aftermarket products to improve it, but in my case, I simply followed a few indications made by Steve Zaloga in his review of this kit.

1, 3 & 4. I added the screws to the upper part of the cupola fastening the viewfinder system on the inside and the lifting hooks. I also did some screws for the ring to this piece and had to put some detail to the upper machine gun viewfinder. On the hull the most important improvement was made to the driver’s right side viewfinder. The original piece is rather wanting in terms of detail and you need to make an “L” shaped hollow spot in order to be able to add the 3 missing screws.

4

2. The tracks are simply wonderful. You only have to extract these from the box and in 20 minutes you can assemble these with a simple “click”. The only inconvenient is the small mark on the center of the cushion, which needs some sanding.

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PAINTING 5

Happy coincidence amongst happy coincidences, AMMO of Mig Jiménez had recently put out a paint set for French AFV’s of the 1916 to 1940 period (A.MIG-7110).

5. As usual I always start by cleaning the kit with soap and water in order to get rid of possible grease or other oily liquid remains left there during the production process. 6-7. The kit is now primed with several thin coats of a 30% mixture of gray primer and 70% AMMO thinner. Although this process is longer than others, I’m sure afterwards that the successive paint coats will be totally flat and paint will be distributed evenly.

6

7

8

8. The base color for my Somua has been made with a 50% mixture of A.Mig’s 065 Forest Green and A.Mig’s 060 Pale Green. By adding small amounts of the second color I create a few highlights to enhance the volumes of my AFV.

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9

10

9. Silly Putty is now used for masking the areas where I will apply the blue camouflage. This camouflage is made with a mixture of A.Mig’s 062 French Blue and A.Mig’s 063 Pale Gray. Just like I did with the green color I add additional amounts of A.Mig’s 063 Pale Gray to create some highlights. I repeat the process to paint the brown camouflage. I mix A.Mig’s 064 Earth Brown with A.Mig’s 061 Warm SandYellow in this case using a 60/40 proportion and add some more A.Mig 061 Warm Sand-Yellow to create highlights. 10. After having profiled the edges of the colors in the turret by hand with A.Mig’s 0046 Matt Black, I airbrushed a generous coat of Tamiya’s X-22 Clear in thin layers that will help us apply the decals and protect the paintjob from the weathering processes that will come later. Once dry I apply all decals with the Microsol and Microset decal fixing product, and once these are in turn dry I cover again the surface with another coat of Clear X-22 to protect the decals. 11. I do some detail profiling on all details and features of the kit with A. Mig’s 1005 Dark Brown Wash for Green Vehicles. We have to avoid overdoing it, but if this happens, the way too dirty areas can be corrected and cleansed with a paintbrush soaked with thinner. 12. The deeper paint chips were done with A.Mig’s 044 Chipping, using both a thin paintbrush and the sponge technique. Afterwards I did the superficial paint chips using the same color mixtures employed for painting the camouflage, but lighter. 13. The tools were painted with A.Mig’s set 7112 Tool Colors. The straps and other supports are made with pieces from my box of spares and Tamiya tape and were painted with the strap colors mentioned in the figures’ color chart.

12 11

13

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14

14. The exhausts were first painted with A.Mig’s 042 Old Rust. Before paint dried I pecked the surface with A.Mig’s 040 Medium Rust and A.Mig’s 041 Dark Rust. Once it all dried up I applied in a random way color pigments A.Mig3005 Medium Rust, a.Mig-3008 Truck Rust and A.Mig-3006 Light Rust. I use small amounts of thinner to fix the pigments in place and create some texture. The same procedure is used for the towing chain.

16. Oil paints are now used to create nuances and increase the chromatic richness of the ensemble. My recommendation is to do this by separate areas. The process I usually follow is this: I soak a flat tipped paintbrush with A.Mig’s 2019 Thinner the working area, and then with a thinner brush I peck the surface with different colored oil paints. A few minutes later I mix this. I use the lightest colors for the upper areas and the darker ones for the lower ones.

15 15. The tarp was airbrushed with a mixture of A.Mig’s 074 Green Moss and A.Mig’s 021 7k Russian Tan (60/40%) as a base color. By adding to this base color some A.Mig-030 San Yellow I created some highlights. Small amounts of A.Mig’s 046 Matt Black are applied to the base color mixture for shading.

16

17

17. The tractor wheel cogs are painted with A.Mig’s 191 Steel to give us the impression of friction wear created by the contact with the track links.

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18

19

18. Period pictures tell us that the undercarriage and the armored planks protecting it, accumulated large amounts of dirt. I recreate this dirt by making random mixtures of A.Mig enamels 1404, 1406 and 1400. These are applied with an old paintbrush and then with a flat tipped brush soaked with thinner I remove in an up and down motion all excess product, while trying to leave dirt streaks with my brushstrokes.

19. When the enamels are not quite dry I add in a random way pigments A.Mig-3007, A.Mig-3010 and A.Mig-3013. Excess pigment is removed with a brush soaked with thinner also with an up and down motion and trying not to press too hard in order to preserve the previous work.

TRACKS 20

21

22

23

24

25

20-21. Now it’s the turn for the tracks; I begin the work here by airbrushing A.Mig’s 0035 Dark Tracks as our base color. While paint is still fresh I add to this base some A. Mig’s 0041 Dark Rust in varying intensities to create some hue variations here. 22. Mixing A.Mig’s 0041 Dark Rust and A.Mig’s 0042 Old Rust with water (60%/40%) I apply a few random washes that will get inside the crevices of the tracks. 23. The same enamels used for dirtying the undercarriage -but more diluted- are now used for making a wash used to enhance the volume of the tracks. 24. The following pigments are now applied dry on the tracks: A.Mig-3007 Dark Earth, A.Mig-3010 Concrete, A.Mig-3013 Rubble and A.Mig-3015 Brick Dust. This is intentionally done without following any specific order. 25. Finally A.Mig’s 3009 Gun Metal is now rubbed on the tracks with my finger to recreate the polished metal effect.

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26. With a mixture of A.Mig’s 1409 Fuel Stains and A.Mig-1408 Engine Oil I recreate oil and fuel spills on those areas prone to getting both.

26 27 to 29. During this phase I prepare the AFV, to integrate it with the vignette I’ve worked on. First I take some of the natural materials I’ve used to dress this vignette. Then I mix these on a pestle and place the materials on the lower areas of the Somua. I proceed to fix this in place using A.Mig’s 2012 Sand & Gravel Glue which will fix it in place permanently in spite of the varied nature of these materials. I do this by using a glass pipette for dropping the glue that will spread throughout by following the principle of capillarity. 27

30 30. By using the previous pigment mixtures I do the same thing for the horizontal areas of the vehicle. First I apply some pigment on the specific area, I put a drop of thinner and wait for it to expand and check the results. If I need to accentuate the effect I simply repeat the process. If I want to dim the effect I remove excess product on the area using a flat tipped brush.

28

31

32

29

31-32. The same system is now used to work on different areas and crevices of the Somua. One of these is the A.Mig 8404 leaves set that gives a great realistic touch to our AFV.

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Pictures of the Somua ready to be placed in the vignette.

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THE FIGURES I am among those who think that the vignette, the selection and the quality of the figures add extra value and a more realistic feel to the dio and the story that’s being told. In this occasion, choosing the brands for my figures was going to be both a rewarding and a not so rewarding experience. The French infantryman from Nemrod products was a bit of a disappointment to me because of its irregular and low quality modeling.

On the other hand, the Alpine AFV driver is a great product of a high quality. At any rate I traded both figures’ heads for Hornet replacements.

COLOR CHART FLESH HUES Base: Brown Sand 70.876 1st Highlight: Base + Sunny Skin Tone 70.845 2nd Highlight: 1st highlight + Ivory 70.918 1st Shading: Base + Burnt Red 70.814 + Glaze Medium 70.596 2nd Shading: Base + Burnt Red 70.814 + Glaze Medium 70.596 + Violet 70.960 In order to change the hues we can add Flat Earth 70.983 COAT: Base: 60% Green Brown 70.879 + 40% Flat Earth 70.983 1st Highlight: Base + Green Ochre 70.914 2nd Highlight: 1st highlight + Sunny Skin Tone 70.845 1st Shading: Base + Flat Earth 70.983 2nd Shading: 1st shading + U.S.A. Olive Drab 70.889 PANTS Base: 65% English Uniform 70.921 + 35% Flat Earth 70.983

Highlights: base + Magenta 70.945 Shading: Base + Prussian Blue 70.965 + Black 70.950 LEG STRAPS Base: 80% Russian Uniform WWII 70.924 + 20% Khaki Grey 70.880 1st Highlight: base + Khaki Grey 70.880 + Sunny Skin Tone 70.845 2nd Highlight: 1st highlight + Sunny Skin Tone 70.845 1st Shading: Base + Olive Grey 70.888 + Burnt Umber 70.941 2nd Shading: 1st Shading + Olive Grey 70.888 + Black 70.950 DUFFLE BAG: Base: 70% Buff 70.976 + 15% Desert Yellow 70.977 + 15% English Uniform 70.921 1st Highlight: Base + Buff 70.976 2nd Highlight: 1st Highlight + Ivory 70.918 1st Shading: Base + English Uniform 70.921 + Prussian Blue 70.965 2ns Shading: 1st Shading +

Chocolate Brown 70.872 CANTEEN Base: 40% Flat Earth 70.983 + 60% Black 70.950 1st Highlight: Base + Flat Earth 70.983 2nd Highlight: 1st Highlight + Orange Brown 70.981 Shading: Base + Black 70.950 STRAPS- CARTRIDGE BELT Base: 40% Sky Blue 70.961 + 40% Orange Brown 70.981 + 20% Bright Orange 70.851 Highlights: Base + Bright Orange 70.851 + Dark Flesh 70.927 Shading: Base + Glossy Black 70.861 BOOTS Base: 50% Flat Brown 70.984 + 50% Glossy Black 70.861 1st Highlight: Base + Flat Brown 70.984 2nd Highlight: 1st Highlight + Orange Brown Shading: Base + Glossy Black 70.861 RIFLE AMMO A.MIG-7123 weapon set

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THE BICYCLE

ANIMALS And finally, in order to add some animal life to the scene I resort to the Mantis Miniatures animal sets that I’m really fond of because of the variety and quality of the animal sculpts in their catalogue. With these I made an entirely different “combat”, in this case between a hedgehog and a fox. A couple of swimming frogs gave some life to the brook.

I decided to accompany the infantryman with the veteran Tamiya product ref. 35240 detailed with the Aber P.E. set (Ref: 35097) and an MV Lenses light and some Evergreen. A couple of Metal primer coats give me the ideal surface for painting the metal surfaces.

I prepared the bike for receiving paint and then some weathering by first applying a couple of coats of AMMO’s Grey Primer mixed with its specific thinner (80/20%).

Base paint is A.Mig’s 032 Satin Black hand painted. The wheels are painted with a mixture of grey and matt black (80/20%). I took care of the detailing of this piece using Magic Sculpt putty to make the tarp which is tucked in the rear of the seat, while the tin can the coffee grinder, the cup and the machete were obtained from the “French equipment set” manufactured by ICM. I weathered the bike using the same enamels employed for the Somua.

THE BASE In order to raise the height of my base I employ reproductions of two topped willow trees. The willow tree is quite typical in the area where the action takes place.

The first of the trees was done creating a structure made with a thin aluminum sheet. This is then covered with putty (two component Feroca brand type) and while it dries with a burin and several different metal points I give it some texture.

The other tree is a JoefixStudios product. For both trees I followed the manufacturer’s instructions and I began by drilling holes on both treetops with 0,3 and 0,5 drill bits in order to insert the branches later. I finish this stage by applying Tamiya’s spray primer to both trees.

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The base was made with two expanded polystyrene boards glued on top of each other and carved to obtain the shapes I want. The base and edges are covered with 0,5 cm thick Evergreen sheets to make the base more solid. The base is then covered with DAS Pronto paste and while the paste is still soft I create some texture with an old toothbrush and put both the AFV and the trees to mark the position of these items in the base. Then, using a mixture of water and white carpenter’s glue I adhere to the base a mixture of thin and thick grain sand to create some texture.

A base of diluted green yellow 881 diluted paint (with Gaianotes acrylic thinner) is now employed for the base. When this is dry we apply a 650 black paint wash insisting specially on the crevices and sunken areas. When the wash is still wet I do some Stone Gray drybrushing. After all this is dry I do again some selective and subtle drybrushing with a mixture of 884 and a little white gray 993 which will help us bring the details out some more. Finally I paint the base of the trunk with a little Green Sand oil paint diluted with AMMO’s thinner creating a moss effect. For the interior of the trunk and the knots on the tree, I apply a base of Vallejo’s 834. I do some highlights by adding to this color some 976 and 837 for the final highlights. For the shading I add some 981 to the base color while the final shadows are made with 941 and a little black paint.

After making some contours with the pictures Ricardo has provided with his research materials, using Photoshop some filters and textures I create the color fading for the sides of the base. These are then printed on high quality laser paper and then proceed to glue them with double sided adhesive tape. In order to protect these from further treatments I cover them with masking tape.

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I paint the base with Tamiya’s XF-52. Once dry, I keep adding XF-15 to generate highlights. I then add some XF-10 to the base color for the shading.

I apply now the first coat of plant life using a mixture of sea tangle, Nock miniature train grass and clumps of Silflor grass, glued to the base with a mixture of white glue and water. I begin by the grass shrubs and the tallest bushes and go down from there until I’ve covered the remaining spaces with the model train grass.

Now I proceed to paint this vegetation with XF-5 matt green. Olive green 967 or 877 (both Vallejo’s) are now used for drybrushing different hues to the different grass areas.

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I now select some pebbles in different sizes and shapes that will help me break the monotony of the large green areas. The bed of the small brook will get the pebbles with rounded edges for these are typical of these areas.

As I mentioned several times earlier, part of the materials employed by me are in fact natural and are picked in nearby forests. These materials and a few store bought items are enough to provide an appearance of “life” to my base and the necessary contrast. I proceed to select the different items and mix these together. Then I use my fingers to make the mixture more compact and proceed to distribute it on the areas which have been previously covered with glue and water.

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In order to recreate the moss growing in these humid areas, I sand some balsa wood with thin grit sandpaper, creating very thin balsa sawdust. With a 50% mixture of water and acrylic paint (Medium Olive and Golden Brown) I tint the sawdust. Once this sawdust is dry I crush it with a pestle until I get the desired texture. I then apply a mixture of glue and water on the areas I want to cover and sprinkle the “moss” I’ve created.

At this point I proceed to integrate the tree with the base and give it some life by creating some nuances with oil paint mixed with thinner in a 50% proportion. The moss is now toned down with dark oil paint and the porosity of its material helps with this a great deal. This darkening will be made along the edges of the areas where it is. The capillarity principle will do the rest.

Mininatur’s product ref. 200-S is now used to add some depth to the scene, creating some hedges that along with the trees surround the paths of the French Bocage.

While the oil paint dries up, I ready the branches for the two trees. The branches are glued little by little with a pair of tweezers and white glue, always trying to get the correct volume for the treetops.

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The water on the small brook was made with Andrea’s two component product, which is very easy to apply. First I apply three coats of this water product, moving the base around in order to have this product get to every corner of my diorama. It is capital to put two pieces of Plasticine on either end of the brook to prevent water from leaking out. It is also equally important to respect the drying time. Once the AFV was in place along with a couple of Mantis frogs, I applied a fourth coat of water product for integrating the right track which happens to be touching the brook. I soak the areas adjacent to the track with AMMO’s 091 gloss varnish applying it with a paintbrush.

Now we have to put each and every item on the base. Out of precaution and in order to avoid unwanted paint scratches I protect the tip of my tweezers with masking tape. The ongoing combat between the hedgehog and the fox is a small touch of humor introduced by me on the scene.

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GalerY

Pz. I ausf. A “de observación” By Antonio Tomás Aguilera Cano

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By Michel Pérez Blasco

MUD To talk about tanks is to talk about mud. This is one of the most frequently portrayed and recurrent effects in the static military vehicles’ hobby. In Panzer Aces we have made a small study on how to portray mud, be it in splashes or other types of accumulations. In both cases we’ll show you how to do it with the special products available or using the standard painting methods (using acrylics, enamels, pigments…) with some added items such as sand.

MUD SPLASHES Commercial Products To illustrate mud splashes we’ve painted green an old kit’s mudguard and we’ve made splashes with products from three different brands. We’ve chosen a light color which generates some contrast with the green in order to be able to see the color better, but of all three brands examined; Ammo, Vallejo acrylics and Wilder have a pretty wide range of colors.

In all three cases we’ve used the product right out of the pot, undiluted and has been applied by scratching the paintbrush with a toothpick. This seems to us like the simplest method and the one that affords us a better control for choosing the direction of the mud splashes. But if you feel more comfortable with it you can blow paint with your airbrush, that’s up to you.

The Wilder product has an enamel base, it has a medium grain and after drying it has a totally matt finish.

The Vallejo Acrylics is obviously an acrylic, it has a more watery consistence, it has a more “rounded” surface and once dry it is slightly glossy, making the splash look like a recent one which is still wet.

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The Ammo-Mig splashes are enamel, have a matt finish and paint grain is overall thinner than Wilder’s.

As you can see, all of these brands are pretty easy to use, can be diluted and also be employed on scenes. Paint can in all cases be easily removed using a specific thinner, but don’t sleep over it, the sooner you remove unwanted paint all the better.

Homemade Products

ENAMELS

As an alternate method for doing splashes, we’ve used regular enamels, acrylics, oils and pigments. In three of these cases we’ve used the same technique employed for the specific products earlier on, but oils and pigments had to be used with a thinner to improve paint flow and in the case of color pigments, these needed some cohesion. Oils are thinned with White Spirit or any other enamel thinner.

The acrylics gave us an equally matt surface, but with a little more volume and the paint direction can be controlled a whole lot easier. The acrylic drops are also smaller than those created with enamels, because enamels dry up much slower and therefore its drops tend to expand and blend with other drops while paint is still fresh. As you know, acrylics dry almost immediately. The color employed is Panzer Aces’ 315.

ACRYLICS

When using enamels we will obtain a totally matt surface with hardly any texture and the shape of the paint drops tends to be quite rounded. The color employed was Humbrol’s 72.

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PIGMENTS

OILS

The oil paint employed is Titan’s Burnt Umber. Obviously you can employ the oil color or mixture that best suits your needs. Oils can only be splashed by first diluting paint a little. The more diluted it is the rounder, more transparent and less thick the drops will be. The finish will be more matt as you very likely know. In our case we were looking for a semi-gloss finish, similar to what you’d get when using Vallejo acrylics’ product.

The pigments were used to make mud. Exactly that: mud. We put some of AV’s 73111 pigment on a pot and we added water until we got a watery enough paste to be able to splash it. The results prove that we can get much more volume than when using enamels, acrylics or oils. The finish is absolutely matt and we can obtain the drop shape that we want. However the appearance of this effect is quite different when you apply it than once it dries because it lightens up considerably, just like real mud! This mud is at any rate quite fragile and does not admit any “wet” work later.

MUD CLUSTERS We’ve all seen some amazing pictures with this effect and all modelers have at least attempted once to create some of these on our vehicles. However we do

not always obtain the desired results. Manufacturers usually keep their ears to the ground and create specific products to make this a much easier hobby. We’ve

tested –just like we’ve done with the mud splashes- the products manufactured by Vallejo Acrylics, Ammo-Mig and also Wilder, and these are the results.

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Commercial Products

With AV’s 73808 Thick Mud and Russian Mud we made a mud cluster on the central area of the mudguard piece where the mud splashes had been created earlier. The product was applied straight from the can, using an old paintbrush. The product is handled easily and it adheres well to the surface. As usual with this brand this is an acrylic product and therefore it dries rather quickly and can be diluted with water to create other effects or make it less thick. Water can also be used to shape the product to our specific needs. It has a slightly gloss finish giving an impression of dampness and has a rough and realistic texture as well. It is also a nice touch to put some plant remains in this mixture.

The Ammo Mig product employed here is called 1701 Heavy Mud Thick Soil. It is an enamel based product and you can mess with its dilution in order to get all sorts of different results. In our test we simply used the product straight and saw that it can be easily handled, it adhered well to the surfaces, but the drying time for this product was of course slower. This is actually an advantage because we have a greater margin for making corrections. The final result has a matt finish and is smoother than other products, but as you can see in the pictures it looks pretty realistic, but is only good for making just this type of mud.

Wilder calls its mud “Stony Light Brown Textured Earth TE06” it is enamel based, and its use is pretty much like the previous product. We apply it as usual: straight from the can. Out of these three, Wilder’s is the product with the thicker grain. It also has a matt finish, and the results are also very realistic. Depending on the kind of mud that we seek to recreate, we would choose among these three products and the two which are enamels can also be combined if necessary.

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Homemade Products As far as traditional methods go, the following tests were made. We have used the most common tools in this hobby;

of color pigments- we have added a little thin sand into the mixture.

When dealing with acrylic, which in this case was AV’s Panzer Aces’ 315, we added to the mixture Mig Productions’ Industrial City Dirt pigment, to darken the color a little bit and make it different from the mud splashes we’ve done earlier. This however does not affect the bonding of paint nor its texture. We also added very little water, because we needed a real dense paste that is quite easy to put in place, handle and retouch if necessary. The result is totally matt with a medium grain texture, quite random and realistic as well. Once dry it is pretty consistent and would resist the application of further paint treatments like a dark wash or drybrushing to accentuate the volumes.

ACRYLIC & PIGMENT ENAMEL & PIGMENT

acrylic paint, enamels, oil paint and color pigments. None of these tools will give us any texture when dry –with the exception

The enamel used is also the same one employed in the mud splash section: Humbrol 72. When mixing it with the thin sand we decided not to use thinner in order to get a paste similar to the one obtained when using acrylics. However, this paste takes considerably longer to dry. Application is equally simple. The final result is also matt, but when dry, the sand grains are much more visible. Let’s say that this is a different kind of mud. Possibly, if we apply several layers we will obtain a result closer to what we’ve achieved with acrylics. Once dry, of course it is fairly resistant and it would certainly take further treatments.

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OIL & PIGMENT PIGMENTS

Again, we work again with the same oil paint color, but unlike enamels and acrylics, we add to the mixture a little White Spirit in order to make it more manageable. Once dry we were able to see that the sand grains become more evident, although less so than when using Humbrol enamels. The satin hue obtained reminds us of wet mud unlike the precedent tests. This takes the longest to dry and the consistency and sturdiness of the mixture is quite inferior. We do not believe that it would resist further treatments, but its finish is certainly quite realistic.

We made two tests with color pigments, one with sand on the mixture and another one without it. In both cases White Spirit was used to bind pigments together and attach these to the surface. The procedure does not change; we mix evenly pigment and sand and add thinner until we get the consistency we’re looking for. The paste should not be watery; what we’re looking for is sticky mud in scale. Once we have it, we apply it with a paintbrush. As we all know, color pigments look a whole lot darker when wet, so the real color only appears when dry. As foreseen, it came out totally matt. The most interesting thing is the texture obtained with this mixture. The great setback with this technique is the frailty of this mud; any contact can make our mud crumble and we could only attempt a capillarity wash if we wanted to modify its appearance. We didn’t do it this time, but we feel confident that if you use pigment fixer you may get a sturdier result.

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The other test consisted in using only color pigments and White Spirit. First we made a paste with both and applied it in several coats doing mud splashes. That way we avoid touching the paste with our paintbrush and we create the texture by accumulation. It is certainly a much slower procedure, but we obtained a new texture, different from the previous tests. The result was again quite matt and frail, but quite convincing and realistic.

PIGMENTS

And now we’ll demonstrate the most classic method: we put the color pigments dry and straight from the can and then we put a few drops of White spirit on top. This can be repeated as much as we want and that’s how we will get more volume and texture. Again, the main setback with this system is in the frailty of the results, and its greatest virtue is the very realistic appearance pigments give us in terms of texture.

Knowing all this you can run your own tests; vary the proportions, adding new elements, other binders and fixers, mixing techniques, media, etc. The possibilities are actually endless. The most important thing is to never lose the sense of scale, be critical with your own work and never be quite happy with the results obtained. Good luck and enjoy your work. / 70

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Armour Modelling Magazine EDITORIAL COMPLAINERS

Today I’m going to cave in and kick about those who complain. As far as I can recall there have always been those who complain in this hobby. We’ve all complained at some point in time, -I’m well aware of that- and therefore we all have to be lenient, but some people are true professionals and quite frankly make it a whole lot easier for the rest of us to denounce this situation. I don’t actually care when someone complains, really, the problem comes when after the complaint there is some manipulation work that follows suit and these people intend to make us share their unease. This is a classic situation: people complaining in contests. You know the score; this is all rigged, the same people always win, they share the medals amongst themselves… I think that this is a serious offense to all the hard working people involved who year after year –the whole year long- are working for us modelers to get together and be able to see other people’s work and showcase our work as well. certainly. This is offensive towards the judges who are more often than not, fellow modelers that would rather be in the competition instead of judging. These people are doing this generally ungrateful duty because they are conscious that somebody has to do this work. Some people are truly motivated, and this motivation usually turns into smoke the minute they hear the classic complainer who is usually somebody who has submitted a mediocre project, and hear his curses directed towards the “incompetent jury” which has dared to ignore their “art”. This is also offensive –much more so- towards their fellow hobbyists, those who have fared better and those who have not, but still respect the decisions of the jury. After more than twenty six wears in this hobby and having been through being considered a rookie, then being recognized by fellow modelers, having been a judge and having been awarded some prizes I can certainly say that ninety five percent of the awards are given in all fairness. We also have those funny people who complain about having contests at all… but still attend. No comments. Then we have those who complain about how many brands, products and models are available… I’m sure that most of these people do not remember the old days when you could almost only buy Italeri or Airfix products and was harder still to get decent research material to build a decent Pz IV. And there is worse than that; there are people who do remember this but want to go back to those times. These fellows are usually those who complain about how awfully are all brands doing basically everything, how the manufacturers have no idea about anything, how people throw away their money. Obviously these folks are highly knowledgeable about the market and industry demands. Indeed. Not too long ago somebody was complaining in a website about an Asian company who had committed the unforgiveable mistake of making the rear of an AFV a few degrees lower than it should. That individual turned this particular kit into a piece of turd. If anyone were to see the original kit and would compare it to the real thing I bet most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in inclination. In both cases what you would see is a large T-12345-X and a scale version. When you see his “corrected” kit with the “right inclination” -which unfortunately looks like everything but a T-12345-X- what you would actually see is something like a bumper car or an undefined lump. However this person insists that what he does is modeling and what the other people do isn’t, and that we all should follow his lead. I don’t know if I’m getting my point across… Of course we have many more kinds of complainers, but I digress… how hard is it to make model kits without having to tell other people how they should do them, with whom should they do them, or if we should or should not enter our kits in any competition, showcase our work in FB or publish it in magazines? We need a little more Peace and Love and certainly more deference.

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Editorial Management Rodrigo Hernández Cabos J. David Hernández Chacón Editor in Chief Michel Pérez Blasco Have collaborated in this issue Jorge Porto del Corral, Carlos Alba López, Abilio Piñeiro, Ivan Momcilovic Momcha and Michel Pérez Blasco Photographers Rodrigo Hernández Cabos Illustrations Rodrigo Hernández Cabos Lay Out KOMMAD S.L. Printed by Artes Gráficas Dharma Scanning & filmsetting ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A. J. David Hernández Chacón Computer Graphics J. David Hernández Chacón Editorial and Technical Staff, Administration and Advertising ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A. c/Ezequiel Solana, 16 28017 Madrid Tel.: +34 913 675 708 +34 914 086 135 Fax: +34 914 085 841 [email protected] Suscripciones Tel.: +34 913 675 708 Published by ACCIÓN PRESS, S.A. ISSN: 1886-4457 The reproduction of the images and texts is prohibited, using any current or future technical medium without written consent of the author. ACCION PRESS, S.A. does not necessarily support its collaborators’ opinions.

www.euromodelismo.com www.facebook.com/PanzerAces. Magazine?fref=ts

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LANDSCAPES LANDS 101

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LANDS003

LANDS002

LANDS005

40€

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Beech /Haya

Base with tree stump Base con tocón

Linden / Tilo

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