Friday night and Saturday morning my son and I stuck together italeri’s Panzer 38t. Then we washed it with a grease cutter to get the mold release off, blow-dryed the water off of it to accelerate the process (bringing on a mini-disaster!), painted the wheels with a rattle can of Tamiya matt black, the rest of the tank with a rattle can of Tamiya gunship grey, and Saturday evening painted the wheels with the grey, using a circle template to cover the tires. Sunday morning I stuck on the wheels. Voila! He was so pleased to see a respectable looking model kit in such little time.
In fact, it’s still a WIP, but I thought I’d post photos before I glossed it up for the decals and washes:
The disaster was: my wife’s blow dryer was so darned hot it melted the turret gun barrels, both 37mm and the MG!! [(-D] Down they drooped. Panicked, I put the dryer back on and tried to get them back in shape. The 37 is still a bit wiggly, and the MG looks odd. What was I thinking? [D)] You have to stare to see the damage, but I’m going to completely fix it anyway. I ordered the Jordi Rubio replacement barrel, despite the fact that it’s for the Macquette kit, not for this one, so it’s going to be a royal pain in the tuchas to get it on the model. I’ll put a canvas cover over the coax MG, like this tank, which is also from the 7th Pz Dv, which is the unit I’m painting my tank for (there are decals for the outfit in the kit):
The tank is going to wear a set of WWII Productions treads. My son was cool with this, as I gave him the rubber band track lengths to play with. I’m keeping an eye on them anyway though, just in case the WWII do not fit.
Of course, it’s not done done, but it’s done enough to prove the point. I stuck this thing together, but I think it’s going to come out not half bad, with a bit of work. So pull those tanks out and stick em together! [:)]
Awesome job Larry. Looking forward to seeing the completed model pics. Now I also know where to get that particular model. Have been looking for one but never knew a manufacturer.
Great work Larry. The Panzer 38t looks really nice, and you & your son did it within 2 days. The 37 mm gun and MG still look alright to me. BTW, you wife’s blow dryer seems to be a powerful anti-tank weapon[:O]. From now on every army unit should equip with at least one[:D].
Insert Applause here…
Well done, and it was fun to boot!
Can’t wait to see the finished product. Give us a review of the WW2 Production tracks when you get them.
Nice work, Larry. I built that kit years ago and it was a fun weeklong build for me. You guys did a great job, drooping ordnance notwithstanding [:D][8D][:D]
Thanks to all for the kind words, and thanks to Major Rob for the generous offer on the barrel. (I actually called RJ to order the replacement on Saturday! – but the offer is really appreciated.)
Oh, and the rug is so happy too. It prefers early war armor. So much lighter. [(-D]
Now that the 38t looks somewhat like a tank, my son wants to know when the Panther and Sherman will be done. D’oh! Backfired on me. [:)] Looks like I better get moving …
Good stuff for such a short amount of time. Hehehe, I melted mine once like that too, wasn’t thiking. Ah well. I’m happy to see that you acheived fairly nice results out of a rattle can, as I’ve used them for quite some time as well. Great for large area coverage
Cool looking tank. I also used as blow-dryer to dry my kit parts too, but I’ve always checked to see if the heat setting is off after a near-disaster of my own. I love the smooth paint job, and the damage is barely noticeable: good fix!
It is great to see a fatherand his child building togather. Keep up the great work!
