I am new to this forum as well as “new” to modeling. I say new because it is probably 20 years since I built a kit. I am starting a Panzer I and have what is probably a stupid question. Do most of you assemble the entire vehicle (tracks included) before painting or is it better to leave the tracks off until after painting the main structure? Over the past year I have done a considerable amount of reading and am still uncertain about how people approach the painting sequence. I realize everyone probably has a different technique but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Bill
EVeryone does theirs a different way, but I paint mine before adding them on. If they are the one piece tracks (rubber bands) then I paint mine, dry brush and give them a nce dirty wash. If they are the individual links (indies) I paint them, then put them on and then give them the wash and dry brush. I find it much easier to paint them first, so you aren’t getting paint on the wheels of tring to reach tight spaces. Which Pz I are you doing, anyway?
Welcome to the Forum Hawk [#welcome]. I don’t build a lot of Armor, but when I do, I find it much easier to paint the tracks separately & install them when the model is nearly complete.
Regards, Rick
Hi Hawk! I’ve always painted the tank and tracks seperately. Seems like the easiest way to me.
ditto, and thats not a stupid question at all, believe me I ask myself these kinds of questions all the time. If it wasnt for the people here I would have been getting advice from my dog, who of course paints everything seperately [}:)]
Also welcome to the forums[:D]
I picked up the new Dragon Panzer Ib as I felt it would be a good starting point. The tracks are individual link (style that came with the kit). Thanks for all the good advice. Till
I paint mine off the tank also. If they are indies (independent link tracks) I glue them up first “molding” them to the return wheels before they set up. But I leave one link (usually at the rear of the idler wheel) unglued so I can take them back off. Then I paint, dry brush, and rust wash the tracks. After the tank is painted, I put them back on and glue the last link together.
One thing of which you need to be careful, on some models it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to put the tracks on after the upper hull has been attached. I often paint the lower and upper hull of these type seperately, put on the finished tracks, glue the hulls together, then weather the whole thing.
Good luck and welcome to the forum
Hi Hawk and welcome aboard
I think it’s better for a first time to separate tracks but also some details ( as on board tools) witch need to be painted alone. It’s easier to apply your paint on the hull or else like that.
In currently building a PanzerJager I based on Panzer Ib chasis. Witch version are you gonna do ? Dark grey ? Desert yellow ?
I actually bought two kits. One of the grey and one of the DAK panzer 1. I thought the grey panzer 1b would be a good starting point. My plan is to move up through the various panzer models (I, II, III, etc.) as my skills hopefully develop.
The higher Panzer numbers don’t necessarily represent a more complex build. The Pz Ib has a lot of parts to it. Especially those indy link tracks. The old Tamiya Pz II’s (see my sig below) is a really simple kit, built out of the box! Be sure to jump on the forum and ask any questions you might have about a certain kit. The knowledge base out here is truely amazing.
So may be this could help you :
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/garden.maquette/materiel39_45.htm (take care it’s a Panzer Ia here)
Thanks for the great pics and encouragement. I just happen to have the Tamiya Panzer II in my closet. Would you recommend it (and possible the P/E accessories) as a good starting kit.
Hi Hawk,
Welcome to the forum. This will probably become your most valuable resource for modeling. Some of these guys have forgotten more about modeling and armour than I will ever learn.
I agree with what looks like the majority of advice you are getting and that is to paint the tracks separately. I took the advice of some of the guys and built the tracks into 5 piece segments to speed up the final attachment. They actually come off the drive sprockets pretty well once they are dried in position . I recently did a Tamiya and a Dragon Panther at the same time to see which kit I liked better. The Dragon had indy links and the Tamiya had rubber bands. There is no question that the Dragon links look way more realistic. They took a lot longer to assemble but the finished product is much better. Try painting them on the sprues first before cutting them apart and that will speed things up considerably. Then you only need some touching up as opposed to painting the whole thing. ( I didn’t do this the first time and that was a mistake)
I, like you, got back into modeling after a 20 year hiatus and I can honestly say that with the feedback the guys here on the forum provide, my work is easily 2x as good now after 6 months back in the game as it was when I was going full-tilt 20 years ago. Also, seeing some of the work here is a huge inspiration to continue working on the project. The nice thing now is that I am guessing that you, like me, have a little more disposable income than 20 years ago, so a trip to the local hobby shop (abbreviated as LHS here in the forum) is an absolute blast. Who needs a new roof on your house when you can have a copy of every 1/35 scale armour model ever made? What a great hobby!!! Keep up the work.
As for your first builds, do something that you really enjoy and personally really like. Even if it is a King Tiger. Your 2nd and 3rd tries will be far superior to your first one anyways, so look at it as a learning curve that is about straight up. Have fun and don’t worry about making the first one perfect because it won’t be anyways. Have fun and enjoy.
Bill, (we’re sure getting a lot of “Bills” here on the forum. You’d think it was the end of the month!! lol) I forgot to say, welcome back to the hobby before, sorry. I, too, took quite a haiatus from modeling!
Tamiya’s Pz II is an old kit. It’s not terribly accurate and has a lot of problems. But, it’s an easy build, if you want to refresh you skills before tackling something more detailed. It can be built up into a pretty nice model, but takes a bit of “re-engineering”. I put quite a bit into the one that’s shown in my sig, and I’m pretty happy with it. But it sure could have been better. I guess that’s what modeling is all about. You’d for sure want to put some backing on the inside of the lower hull then fill the motorization holes from the outside. As well as fashion some “filler pieces” to close off the bottom of the sponsons right over the tracks. I also replaced the tracks with a set by Friulmodelessimo (sp?) (usually, we just call them Friuls!!) They were a big improvement over the kit tracks, but pricey.
You shouldn’t have any problems with your Pz Ib’s, just take your time and all those forgotten techniques will come back quickly. There are a lot of “aids” out there that weren’t around even 5 or 10 years ago. If you have any questions or run into any problems, someone out here will answer with a boatload of knowledge and advice.
Good luck, and again, welcome to the forum.
Welcome hawk. I recommend building the Panzer 2 first; it has been oftenly referred to a great starters kit. The Panzer 1 has indy tracks and thus would be more time consuming and more expensive. Best to break in gradually and fiddle around with an inexpensive kit. I’m doing the same with a wingie kit I got at a good price.
As for doing tracks, I too paint them on the sprues and do as much weathering and cleanup as I can before assembly.
Hi there Bill,
I feel the need to drop in my 2 cents, so I will. I also dropped from the scene for many years. A back injury limiting my abitility to do much more than read and walk made me take a look at something I just used to love to do and had not done for years.
My thoughts are: Dragon, Academy and AFV Club make some of the nicest, best detailed accurate kits available . I have been getting to the point of finding a piece I really like, getting hte kit, photo-etch kit and resin details as I see fit and taking my time enjoying th ebuild
Using photo-etch takes a bit of time and skill but is SOOO cool in adding a more realistic look to the item. I personally have been working on three different dioramas for the last two years. I also have a couple of “book hslef” pieces I am working on now.
I would say, assemble and paint the tracks seperately, than assemble them to the armor itself. AS the otehr fella said, the learning curve is straight up and just enjoy what your doing!!
I have a bad habit of getting into a kit, spend even more time adding scratch built details and then I don’t finish it because of howe long I work on it. I tend to move on to another item and then come back later.
Anyway, that is a long winded answer to a simple question. Welcome aboard!!
Hi Bill, and welcome to the forums. Your question on how to approach the assembly of your tracks comes up quite often here on the forums, so, don’t feel like it’s a stupied question, we don’t have any stupied questions here! You will find even the most experinced modellers ask questions here! all of the time, including myself. Like most of the folks have recommended, painting, and assembly seems to be the best way too tackle the question on your tracks. It sounds like you’re really ready to jump into your project! just think about what some of the guys said about making the build enjoyable, and work at a pace that you feel comfortable with. Hope you enjoy your time here on the forums, and we thrive on people asking questions, we all become better modellers as a result. Semper Fi, mike
Paint tracks with the base coat first, then wash them while their on. The wash will spill onto the wheels and such, giving it a ruddy look along the bottoms. If you don’t like the look, simply put the wash on before you put the track on. Last but not least, have fun!
Cheers!
Mike