Armortek

Parts made for the split hatch locking mechanism:



Assembled:








Six bits just to lock the hatch. Don't you love German wartime over-engineering? And this degree of complexity carried over into the Tigers and Panthers, ensuring that there weren't that many of them. Quantity has a quality all of its own (attributed to Stalin although there are some who think that quote was not made about Soviet tank production but about Konstantin Rokossovsky's inappropriately large number of female lovers).

Regards

Stephen

Split hatch base coat, filters and washes:





Production line parts for the cupola visor opening mechanism (and I've only done the ones you can see). Must have been a production nightmare:





Trial fit:





Primed, painted and ready for assembly:





Regards

Stephen

Stephen,

As always, your work is beautiful!

Brian

clever stuff, great to follow this build, well done stephen superb posts, regards simon manning.

Brian, Simon thanks for the kind comments, appreciated. So, money where mouth is time, the cupola completed and fitted.

Firstly the vision blocks and the visor operating mechanisms mounted:







Next the Abdeckblech, the protective cover that prevented the visor mechanisms snagging on the commander's underpants. It needed a wooden former to beat out the shape. A bit rough but serviceable:



The Abdeckblech and operating handles for the vision block covers:





Final cupola installation:









Thanks to Brian for having the idea and skill to create the correct size cupola in the first place.

Just the commander's vane sight and some tidying up and weathering to do.

Regards

Stephen

Hi Stephen.

Just WOW! really well done its all just bloody great well done.
Cheers Paul

Hi Stephen,

Nice!

All the best
Tim

Stephen,

Your work is right on as usual.

Very beautiful

Like the real theng, I am impressed!

With construction more or less finished, time to concentrate on final paint - weathering.

The paint story so far:

Acid 8 etch prime
Oxid rot RAL 3009 primer
Camouflage: 2/3 gelbbraun RAL 8020 and 1/3 graugruen RAL 7027 (Xtracrylics)
Citadel Purity Seal satin varnish to seal

Various washes from Promodeller and AK Interactive to highlight detail and shadow

Vaious pigments from Promodeller to fade, apply dust, discolour. The Promodeller pigments are easy to use, come in generous quantities and have a very fine grain size, so they don't dry streaky. Mig Pigment Fixer is used to complete. The only drawback with pigments is their capacity to dry in shades which are generally much lighter than when wet. The hue remains constant so the effects can be tested in a small area before the full application.

Filters from AK Interactive: Light grey, DAK desert yellow and a darker yellow. Filters are very simple to use, just a heavily diluted mix of enamels which unify and vary the tones of a disruptive camouflage. The paint is translucent and infinitely variable. The effect is seen where I've missed a bit on the turret overhang:



Next comes the fading step. Fading is done using oil paints to replicate the effects of sun and rain. It's best to squeeze out some oil onto card to absorb some of the unwanted linseed oil. This allows the paint to dry quicker and with a matt finish. Various shades of yellows, ochres and browns, with some white and blue on the grey, are applied as dots and then dispersed using a wash of turpentine:







Oils can also be used to create highlights and shading and since they're translucent, the underlying colours can be preserved:





Now for the bit that's easily overdone - chipping. I used Vallejo Model Colour 70822 German Camouflage Black Brown on the yellow and on the grey, a combination of the base RAL 8020 and then the black brown.









Final stage will be some very limited dust, rust and mud. The Tunisian campaign over the winter of 1942/43 was a mudbath and a lot of contemporary photos show running gear heavily clogged with mud but it needs a bit of restraint.

More to come. Regards

Stephen

Thanks for posting this. Very helpful. I will try some of your techniques. Brilliant work.

Stephen.
This is the best build so far of any Armortek tank. A stunning model with a great finish.
Hope to see it at the open day
Regards
Steve

this build has reached a point where you cannont tell the differance between the model and the real tank, to me thats the skill, the paint is the icing on the cake and a few photos with a desert back drop would be great to show it off, a treat to follow, regards simon manning.

Hi Stephen,

Sorry to say I can't make the open day this year, so will miss the chance to ogle Otto's mount. And all the other fine models.
Just to suggest a little weathering to the roadwheels when you have a moment, as they just look too pristine now that the rest of the model is so delightfully weathered.

May I suggest a quick wash of black/burnt umber between the wheels would add visual mass and make her "sit" on the tracks. Old artist's trick. The track horns will naturally wear the high points, so no need to add highlights. The second bit of wear would be to scrub off the moulding seam on the roadwheel tyres' centreline. Even if you don't want too gouge the sidewalls up, then this will simulate at least some abrasion over the contact surface. One of those little red abrasive drums on a dremel would facilitate this without having to remove the tracks or roadwheels.

Super job. Catch up with you soon.

Cheers, Fabrice

Fabrice, Hi.

You're quite right about the roadwheels - great to have another pair of eyes. Thanks. I'm away for a couple of days but it would be good to get the wheels in shape before Saturday.

Sorry to hear our paths won't cross but let's plan a meet in Mr Fletcher's emporium before too long. I feel the need to start looking at Comet stuff again.

All the best, we'll catch up soon.

Stephen

A couple of bits I'd left off, the blade vane sight and the fore and aft bump stops, which I made in resin, having turned the shape:







Fuel and oils stains, usning the AK Interactive wash:



Mud: several layers using a mixture of washes and pigments. Final "spray" using a pigment/MIG pigment fixer/water mix, splattered on using the airbrush and an old paint brush:







Some general shots:











Regards

Stephen