GazzaS

Thanks Kai. There's nothing set up for RC work. Though, the tracks are workable, and with enough work it could be done as it's a large hull tub with nothing in the way.

From reading, I know the Germans at the front weren't often put through the same crap a peacetime US soldier today might get regarding shaving. But a full beard is pretty rare.

Unfortunately Covid has made ordering from Korea problematical. I actually had an order with them when Covid hit. It took almost a year to get it. Those were 1/35 figs. Their 1/16 figs aren;t cheap.

Unfortunately, Rob.... The green was eating at me. Like a mustache on the Mona Lisa. I'm still experimenting with my light box.

When the Takom Pz I came out, I ordered one straight away. But.... looking for figures cooled my ardor for the scale. Jeff Shiu makes great figures... but they ain't cheap, and the the cost of shipping from the US... raises the cost into the realm of not-gonna-happen. So, anyway I settled on the Tamiya guy. I thought "how bad could it possibly be?" After assembling him, I thought something was wrong. Mid way through painting, I realized what it was. His head is not to scale. And... instead of getting him a new head, all they did was extended the chin to almost double what would be proportionally correct. Anyway... despite his Frankenstein face... he's with us for the duration. So... yeah... I started this one a while ago painting the hull tub and assembling some of the suspension, and it's been sitting in a relatively dust free space while I built lots of other stuff. But, with the Albatros in a state of drying, and a cardboard palette full of paints I decided to restart the PZ I and dust up it's chassis and suspension with oil paints... this is another new thing to learn. Here are some pics... feedback and advice... always appreciated. Happy Modelling!

After adding a gray layer to the hitherto green area, I think it looks a little better. Though I may have overdone it on the vertical stab.

Very nice looking painting of the nozzle, Kai. I can see a sooty appearance already beginning.

All of that resin looks great! Can;t wait to see it painted.

Thank you, Hubert.

Jeff, avoid that SAC stuff. As Hubert says.... it's crap. Basically all the guy has done is to mold the original part and cast it in a soft, fragile metal that is weaker than the kit part. This is what I did back on the first page: My landing gear struts are now rock solid. Take your time, and use your scribing tools and a razor saw to slowly and gently make a trench. Once you have made a recess big enough for the wire, drop in the wire, and fill it with CA... and sand it smooth as soon as it's dry. Don't wait overnight as the CA will reach diamond hardness. If you have a cheap electric sanding device, you can make finer, quicker motions than you can with your hand. Since I converted an electric toothbrush into a power-sander, my sanding time has probably been reduced by 60%, and the damage done to surface detail has also been reduced.

Thank you Kai. I was definitely happier with the top result than the bottom. I may blend in some gray to soften the impact of the green. The buff area isn;t really a shadow, it's more an effect of more light catching the upper areas.

Thank you Peter!

Thanks, Rob. I appreciate your input. False shadows seem part-and-parcel of modelling nowadays. It's basically what is often done with a pin wash. Creating a shadow around a detail to bring it to the fore. I've always been fascinated by artwork where a color is illustrated without that color even being used.

Welcome back hombres! AS promised... another update. Every once in a while you meet someone in the modelling world who rocks your modelling conceptions to their very foundations. One day I met this guy named Steve over at Armorama. Another Aussie, he did things far and away different from the old standards of dot filters, and pre-shading. He would do fantastic things with armor models, and you wouldn't even realize how he reached spectacular finishes unless he told you. Though I've lost contact with him, with each model I try to find ways to do things like he might have. For instance... in the below photo... He used a pink filter in places on this T-72 This color rich tableau has has inspired me to move beyond the more traditional weathering steps. I know I haven't reached his level, yet. But I hope to someday. So....here's what I've been up to. On the ventral curved surfaces, at the base of the vertical stabilizer, and at selected areas of the struts, I used green oil paint to add shadow. I don't really know if I'm sold on the green. I'm hoping you guys will offer some insight if I've failed. On the curved dorsal surfaces, the top of the vertical stabilizer and selected areas on the struts, I've used a buff colored mixture in oils to lighten and highlight the line between the slab sides and the arched top. In this photo the dark shade at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer is lightly more prominent... I've also made small shadows under the 'ear' radiators and under horizontal stabilizers. In this final photo, there isn't much worthy of remark except for a couple of smudges I used between the wings to add shape that normally isn't picked up by the camera. Happy modelling!

Thank you, Kevin!

Thank you, Peter! Thank you Kai. There's no way it will be done Thursday, as much as that would be nice. Tonite, I hope to paint the dorsal fuselage with oils and set it to dry. Then if dry tomorrow, I will clear coat the fuselage. After that, the pin wash. Yes... still gotta have a pinwash. Though I'm still debating the colors. Thankfully, the other D.I's I posted on the previous page show that neither black nor brown is the right color for the job. I will mostly use a darker shade of the fuselage color. Anyway, the oils for tonite are seeping linseed oil into some rough cardboard and hopefully I'll find time tonite to do the area I want.

G'day Comrades... not in the Socialist sense, though. But in styrene. On work days, I have little time or energy for modelling. But I did continue work on the wing. My key goal was subtlety. White and black have different rules from other colors, I believe. White reflects light while black absorbs it. And effects need consistency to be believed. But I was very apprehensive about attacking the cross fields on the upper wing. So... I have no way to know how this will look once a matte coat is applied. Here is a collage of the upper wing crosses: I worked on the fuselage today, but no pics. I'm trying to use oil paints to bring out the unique shape of the fuselage. I have Thursday off... I hope to accomplish something noteworthy then. Happy modelling!

Anything but fighters was a huge mistake until they ran out of well-liked fighters to make.

Some great work already, Johnny B! Color me interested!

Great job, Kai! A huge transformation from what the LG once were! Now, you're getting close!

What caught my eye was the figures for the Tamiya 1/35 scale Pz IVG. They look really nice and natural.

But it was all about the Douglas! I really don;t care much for older cars. Maybe a 63' corvette split window or maybe a 71 camaro splut bumper. Older cars are just novelties, really.

Thank you, fellas! I am glad to be of help.

This is really more about the Douglas....

You are welcome. Yes, you can seal everything in flat varnish. I usually give the oils a week to dry before I add any other effects or coats. Be sure before you use the oils to place them on a piece of rough card-board and let them sit for three hours to leach out the linseed oils in the paint. Otherwise... it can take a very long time for the paint to dry.