BP Models

This weekend was a productive one and the first order of business was to take care of the remaining details on the hull rear and front. On the rear I detailed the water-proof convoy light with Testors Flat Sea Blue and also detailed the wading muffler. It was base coated with Non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal and then given successive washes of Rust until the color had built up to where I wanted it. Then I strategically dry brushed some enamel Burnt Umber to blend it all in together.



Moving on to the front hull, I painted up the various spare track runs that were assembled and test fit a little while back. These were also base coated with the Non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal and dry brushed with Steel. A wash of Rust was applied and then Burnt Umber dry brushed to complete their look. All of the runs were carefully glued into position with regular Testors glue, starting at the hull front and working my way up until the last run was in place propped up between the grab handle and the spaced armor plate. The three extra links behind the Bosch light were glued in place directly to the fender. The hull and coax MGs were also detail painted at this point with a base coat of, you guessed it, Non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal and then very lightly dry brushed with Steel to complete the details on the front.

Now that I had the tracks installed I also made an adjustment to the damaged right side fender. Initially I had damaged it enough to look the part but needed to be sure it would have sufficient clearance for the tracks to get mounted. The photo of #421 shows that the fender was bent down away from the hull at a pretty sharp angle, so I carefully added that in using a pair of smooth tip tweezers and gentle pressure to fine-tune this to the desired look.



That was the last major hurdle to clear before moving on to the vehicle markings. A sealing coat of Future was applied by airbrush and allowed to sit for 1 hour before the decals were added. While the kit includes the right turret numbers and balkenkreuze, the unit insignia are not correct for the 11th Pz Div and the photos show that #421 didn't have any unit insignia on the spaced armor plate anyhow as called for, so the only markings applied were the three turret numbers and single balkenkreuz on the rear hull plate. I used Solvaset to insure all the decals snugged down tight and after they had thoroughly dried, a 2nd coat of Future was applied and the model left to sit overnight so it could thoroughly cure.





Now the weathering process began in earnest. The first step was the application of an overall wash to the whole vehicle of enamel Raw Umber.



Next up came the dot filters. I used 4 colors, Panzer Olivgrun, Dunkelgelb, Flat White, and Deep Yellow. The dots were placed with small spotter brushes with the Olivgrun only on the green patches and the Deep Yellow only on the base coat patches while the Flat White and Dunkelgelb were applied over both.



The dots were then blended together using a flat tipped shader brush moistened with thinner. The key here is moistened...this is achieved by dipping the brush in clean thinner and then blotting it on a paper towel before applying the brush strokes. It's slow going so I worked only one panel at a time to avoid the dots drying too much which would've lessened the effect and made it a much harder task to accomplish. Each panel took about 20 minutes to complete using this method.



Sounds like a lot of time...but in reality I would take a short break when one panel was done to avoid rushing and to maintain a perspective from one panel to the next until I had all four panels done and looking consistent but not uniform.



The process was then repeated for the other side, the front and rear hull, and the turret schurzen. The areas without camo patterns also received dot filters but only the Dunkelgelb and Flat White were used on those areas.





There are a few areas that still need some adjustments here and there before this is completed. I also still need to apply a pin wash and then it will be on to the pigments!

Today's progress was very good, wrapping up several of the loose ends from last weekend in the weathering department. The first was the application of a pin wash using a 90/10 thinner/Burnt Umber mixture carefully applied with a pointed 10/0 brush to add some depth and bring out the details. Excess wash was adjusted and/or removed using the same pointed brush and clean thinner where needed. To make things easier, I dismounted the turret and worked on it first and then addressed the hull separately.



Once I was happy with that result, I applied an overall sealing coat of Testors Lusterless Flat in the spray can. Multiple quick light passes were made in a well ventilated area and while wearing a breather mask as the fumes can be very strong.



I let the vehicle sit and thoroughly dry before continuing work with the weathering. I prepared a dry mix of Mig Dark Mud, Europe Dust, and Gulf War Sand pigments in the lid from a prescription bottle. I mixed in roughly half and half of the Dark Mud and Europe Dust and then used the Gulf War Sand to lighten it up just a bit.



This was then turned into a wet mixture using ordinary tap water with a touch of dishwashing liquid soap added to it to break the water's surface tension and allow it to flow more easily. I add enough water to where it's a soupy consistency but not so thin that the pigments are too diluted. The wet mixture was then applied with a round sable brush to the various surfaces on the lower hull, the road wheels and running gear, the edges of the schurzen, and the lower portions of both the front and rear hull plates.



This was allowed to air dry for about an hour and then the excess pigment removed using several different square and round stiff bristled brushes. I wear a dust mask while doing this to avoid inhaling the inevitable fine particles that get airborne and also take care when handling some of the more delicate parts not to get too aggressive with the scrubbing. Once the excess is removed, I use a series of wet and dry q-tips to blend and adjust the pigments to get the desired look. In order to have a grip for handling the lower hull, I removed the turret and used the inner surfaces of the turret ring as a handy grip point to avoid potential damage to the schurzen mounts and plates.



With the pigments set, I very lightly dry brushed some Steel on the track faces and the exposed guide horns to bring out a little wear on their surfaces and add to the overall look.



The final piece of the puzzle involved mounting the radio antenna, this was accomplished using a tapered brass 2m antenna from Armorscale glued into place in the pre-drilled out hole using some CA gel. The antenna itself was painted with non-buffing Metalizer Gunmetal prior to installation and then it was off to the photo both for the walk around shots.

And now for the walk-arounds:

This project is featured in the Finescale Modeler July 2018 75th Anniversary Kursk edition.