Hi All,
Almost Three Year Update : 10 Aug 22
Track Rack
F01 featured a front track rack that consisted of a section of channel welded to the lower side plates just below the eyelets for the towing shackles. I decided to make use of the existing M3 tapped holes in the front plate by designing a bracket that would provide more support for the channel in an unobtrusive manner.
Bracket fitted, will be epoxied in place when the weld details are finished and the bolt protector plates are installed.
Channel dry fitted, will be permanently installed after the base colour is spayed on. The channel is also pinned to the lower side plates using 1.6mm brass rod.
Weld detail finished! Ready for red oxide primer
.
Bolt Protector Plate
epoxied in place
bolt/stud detail added
ready for base coat.
Base Coating
Underside textured using Upol High Build Primer
primed
then painted
Underside primed then painted. As mentioned earlier, I have decided to use Gelbbraun RAL 8000 (Yellow Brown, RC063) for the base coat of the Wanne (Fgst.Nr. 250158). This is the same colour used on Tiger 131 (Fgst.Nr. 250122 – Feb 43) and was the colour used for vehicles intended to operate in North Africa. In fact, Fgst.Nr. 250157 was issued to s.PzAbt. 505, who were originally destined to join the Afrika Corps before events took them to the Eastern Front instead. Therefore, it makes sense, to me anyway, that the next one on the production line was painted similarly.
Note that for variety I have assumed that the additional access plates, required by the HL230 refit, would be painted in a later colour (Dunkelgelb Ausgabe 44, RC061) and that one of the original plates has been replaced with one still in red oxide (Rotbraun, RC066)
Also, note that the base coat coverage is not uniform. This is partly deliberate
and partly caused by the 0.5mm nozzle size on my airbrush. I do not think this is a problem as it makes these large blank plates visually more interesting. The rough surface finish left by the red oxide primer (caused by it partly drying in transit from the can to the plate?) resulted in some dark areas, these were disguised by stippling on another coat of the base colour.
Weathering starts with a ‘pin’ wash using MIG Productions (enamel) Wash for Desert Sand Base (P284). Pictures below show the process partially completed so you get before and after views.
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Any excess was removed using Thinner for Washes making sure that the brush strokes were vertical on the sides and front to rear on the belly plate. Contrast was enhanced by dry brushing the base coat over the welds.
The two front plates were given some dot modulation using oils: Naples yellow hue, chrome yellow hue, yellow ochre, raw umber, and Paynes grey. Dots applied over a satin varnish coat that had dried for about 12 hours and was moistened with thinners. The dots were arranged with the lighter tones near the top edge and the darker tones near the sides and bottom edge. The whole was then blended using only vertical strokes to get a subtle streaking effect. Once again I have tried this out on area that will be hidden; this time by the spare track links. The idea being that I will be more practiced when I get to the parts that matter.
The finish will be sealed with a coat of matt varnish before the chassis is turned the right way up.
image of finished track rack in situ.
Fan drives
Following an interesting visit to the Archive at the Tank Museum, Bovington, I have been able to create my own version of the radiator fan gearboxes using a copy of drawing H.Sk.Nr. J 3025.
The rear mudguard frames have now been attached to the Wanne:
area prepared for epoxy glue
frame attached
weld detail added
15 Tonne Jack
I decided to make my own 15T jack so that I could adjust its length to fit the brackets already fixed to the chassis rather than forcing a 20T jack onto the early pattern bracket layout.
That is all for now. I am making use of the dry weather by having my painting tent permanently set up in the back garden and priming the road wheels.....
Alastair
.)
Mike Kasputis had pointed out that there was excessive material outboard of the lower hull sides. This would have been a relatively easy fix with a mill had the plate still been removable, ah well! 
