Tim’s Sd.Kfz 263 started Autumn 2014

[Tim Marlow]

Missed the start so apologies Tim .
Glad to see you write all over the instruction with ticks and notes. As for finding the hatch after all the effort and time, well it had to happen. Still shows you can still scratch well .
Must feel odd building something like this these days .

Nothing to apologise for John. Yep, I always make notes on the instructions. It seems the logical place to do it. As to that hatch….I’m still amazed!
It does feel a little odd. I’d forgotten how awkward they are to hold. Mind you, they don’t all have this many bits sticking out….it’s like an armoured porcupine. I did “big” armour like this for a few years before I joined Milmod. By the time I joined that site i was mostly making 1/48 aircraft, then back on to the little guys. In between I have done large scale figures and busts, along with a couple of cars and motor bikes. What would feel really weird now is scratch building 4mm railways stuff. That’s something I haven’t done since I returned to the hobby seven years ago. I think this was the third or fourth kit I built after restarting modelling.

[Mickc1440]

Nice work Tim

[Tim Marlow]

Nice work Tim

Thanks Mick.

[grumpa]

Very nice work so far Tim, I built the old Tamiya version many years ago, it lies in obscurity in the attic...poor thing.
I should take her out and spruce her up a bit and put her out, maybe over the winter.

I've always loved the big German "wheelers" from WW2 especially this one.
Will keep an eye on

Jim.

[Tim Marlow]

Very nice work so far Tim, I built the old Tamiya version many years ago, it lies in obscurity in the attic...poor thing.
I should take her out and spruce her up a bit and put her out, maybe over the winter.

I've always loved the big German "wheelers" from WW2 especially this one.
Will keep an eye on

Jim.

Thanks Jim. I always liked the look of this version as well. It’s a great kit, but is actually quite fragile to work on because of the extensive surface detail. I’m almost at the end of the detail painting stage, and will have to weather it soon. I’m not going overboard with the dust though, so it will probably just get a light dusting of pastel chalks and some desert pigments.

[Tim Marlow]

Not posted on this for a while because I had a bad RA flare and couldn’t model for a couple of weeks. Still, onwards and upwards…..I have now completed the detail painting and done a bit of grubbing up with pastel chalks…..







….and these are the bits that fell off……


Some of the pictures show the effect more clear than others….

This thing is too fragile for much more dusty work…..I’m not using pastels or pigment underneath because it simply isn’t visible when she’s on the shelf. I’ll probably just complete the assembly now and call that it!

Hope you like it, nearly there now and hopefully not that long before she’s all done……

[Tim Marlow]

Oh, and I will finish the metal bits as well…..if you see anything I’ve missed please sing out!

[Tim Marlow]

Finally finished the big pig…….









That’s the all around shots. The finish has been bleached out a little, so I took some close ups to try and show the finish I got in a little more detail…




Shows it a little better I think. It also shows that the replacement hatch door fits in pretty well.
Over all, I’m quite happy with her now. I can see bits that could be improved, but I got fed up sticking bits back on LOL….I’ve also lost a bit of my weathering technique skills because I haven’t used them for quite a while.
Hope she passes muster!

Thanks to this GB, it got her over the line after so many years……back to my comfort zone now……

[Tim Marlow]

Strikes me that some might be interested in what I’ve used to finish her….
basically I completed the basic paint in Matt varnish, then broke out these things….

Pastel chalks…..great for varying a finish as they subtly tint a Matt surface……not so good if you handle your stuff a lot though, they wear off and subsequent varnishes can obliterate them. Very fine textured, they stick well to Matt finishes…..the fine Emery paper is used to grind them up before use.


Cares weathering powders…..I’ve had these since Pontius was a pilot, bought well back in my railway days at least twenty five years ago….……they were around many years before Mig et al reinvented the wheel. They are coarser than the pastels, but not huge grained like the modern pigments. It means they are more in scale for dust and rust effects. They also stick well to a Matt surface so don’t need additional fixative unless you are going to handle your toys a lot….unfortunately I don’t think they are still in production anymore…..
I do have modern Mig pigments, but save them for really heavy deposits….

Hope this is of interest….

[AlanG]

I've looked into getting some pastels before and was told to get a metal fine tea strainer to 'grind' down the pastels into a powder. I've used pastels before for exhaust stains but as you say. It can become 'lost' when a varnish is applied.

[Mark1]

Looks good Tim ,nicely done, if it wasn't for the headlights you wouldn't know if it was coming or going.

[Steve Jones]

Well done Tim. Well worth the wait. Lovely finish my friend

[Tim Marlow]

I've looked into getting some pastels before and was told to get a metal fine tea strainer to 'grind' down the pastels into a powder. I've used pastels before for exhaust stains but as you say. It can become 'lost' when a varnish is applied.

I find wet and dry paper makes this very easy Alan. You can grind and mix them on it, then pick up the powder with a brush for application. They also last an age as the pigment value is so high on the artist quality ones. As I say though, not great if you want to handle the finished model a lot….your hands get dirty :tongue-out3: LOL…

[Tim Marlow]

Looks good Tim ,nicely done, if it wasn't for the headlights you wouldn't know if it was coming or going.

It’s got headlights at both ends :smiling2:. It also had two driver Positions and two drivers, one at each end. It could go as fast backwards as it could forwards Mark. Steered and drove on all eight wheels as well….Very complex and costly chassis to build.

[Tim Marlow]

Well done Tim. Well worth the wait. Lovely finish my friend

Many thanks Steve. Glad it passes muster. Pleased with it now I’ve finally finished, but wish I had room in the cabin for the rear mounted aerial to be fully extended! It is around a foot high with an umbrella antenna on the end. In the end I went for pragmatism and modelled it folded :loudly-crying: