Visual makeover for 'Gunther'

[Marco Peter]

Thanks Mark, the first bit of info was unknown to me. Unfortunately too late. I'm glad Gunther is not depicting a specific tank.

The advice for spraying stencils I partyly already knew / partly found out myself by trial and error haha!

My actyual turret-numbers turned out a LOT better than these tests - luckily!

[Marco Peter]

Well, I couldn't resist starting to work on the turret a little bit more. First I tried some shading:

Before:


After:


The result was quite subtle, but there! I used AK Track Primer in the airbrush.
(For the body of the tank I switched to Panzergrau for this effect)



Tried the same on the whole turret:

Quite the difference - Less squeaky clean!

[Marco Peter]

Next step: Pinwashes. On a much larger scale then on 1/35 models haha!




After drying starts tidying it up with a damp brush and some white spirit.


Before


Wash applied


As said before, I have no patience!


After

[Vince Cutajar]

Thanks Marco for all the useful and detailed information. Keep it up.

Someday I will pluck up some courage to do something on my Tiger.

Vince

[Marco Peter]

Before:


After:


And yes I soaked it!


Not only does it darken the overal color (especially the dunkelgelb) and makes some nice shading by darkening all the nooks and crannies, but it also blends the colors together a lot more, making it less clean and airbrushed on.

Some more:




And I always end each weathering step with a nice protective layer of varnish.


Don't worry, it's matt. Right now it is just still wet.

[Marco Peter]

The previous paintjob was 'lazy', I mean, underneath the turret the camo-pattern stops, so that shows when you turn the turret!



But I really like my new colors!

[Robert Reid]

So.... why were the dots there in the first place? Not being a German track aficionado... enquiring minds want to know!

Beautiful paint and numbering work, BTW! Amazing!

Cheers,

RPR

[Marco Peter]

So.... why were the dots there in the first place?

Well... Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess?
It was not my handywork! Already there when I bought it, and the owner before that also wanted to change it.

Actually, the 'Hinterhalt'-camo is not that bad, if you see it like this:

But somehow painting the model it turned out a little different on this Panther... The dots being larger, rounder and, well, in my opinion: distracting.

More info here:
https://resourcesformodellers.wordpress ... amouflage/

[Robert E Morey]

Nice makeover Marco. I like your redone turret much better. The washes and cast texture are really nice. Someone put some time into those weld lines- they are excellent. I agree those dots are just too perfect and distracting!
Best regards,
Bob

[Robert Reid]

So the dots were sort of a form of dazzle camo?

Interesting.... and I like the new scheme better!

Cheers,

RPR

[Marco Peter]

Nice makeover Marco. I like your redone turret much better. The washes and cast texture are really nice. Someone put some time into those weld lines- they are excellent. I agree those dots are just too perfect and distracting!

I am not at all technical, so I am very happy the vehicle was already made to work perfectly, a lot of time and effort was put in by its previous owners, especially Kees van Rijswijk. The load of details like the weldlines were a real bonus! And now it is up to me to make him look as good as he can be!

[Marco Peter]

So... the dreaded turret-numbers... But now for real!


I covered more of the stencils to have less to clean afterwards.


RED!


Waaaay better then my first try!


I'm getting the hang of this!


And now it gets even trickier...


Not perfect, but nothing a few small touchups can't fix!


And the other side (after touchups)

[Marco Peter]

First test next to final:



I like it! Now let's just tone the whites down a little and blend it in a little more...


Covering it in wash...


...helps!

[Marco Peter]

Some 'gun soot' pigments applied to the muzzle break


And some graphite rubbed over the edges for a more worn look. It's just the holes that annoy me.

[Marco Peter]

Then I finally spent some time making streaks etc. on the turret. Nothing too fancy, just to bring it to life





The metallic look on the start of the barrel is graphite again


Gun Soot pigment


...and the result