Yesterday was fairly productive. Got a number of items done on the Honey-Do List and, bench time.
I completed a run of track. Of which I’ll post when I get them painted. First, I need to complete the right hand run. Also, I got a goodly amount of foliage on the tree. There will be more painting to get done but, I wanted the foliage on so that way I can tie it all together with the colors. For the foliage I used Caspia Basil purchased from Michael’s. I cut sections off and glued them on with CA and accelerator. Think of it as the art of Bonsai that even a black thumb can’t possibly mess up.[:D]
That tree is beautiful! There is definitely a lot we can learn about groundwork from the Railroad guys [Y]
I will have to try one of the Tristar kits when I get a bit more experience, I am just starting one of the Dragon smart kits and that is intimidating enough [:$]
Your Panzer is really looking nice, I am looking forward to seeing it finished. Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you for checking in on this build and for the compliments. [:D] There is a lot we can pull from the folks in RR. I also pulled some inspiration from a lady in my Dojahn who creates and tends to bonsai. I probably would be good to get a bit more experience under your belt before undertaking a Tristar kit. They are really good kits. Their assembly and small parts is a bit different than most. Though Dragon has a fair share of small parts in their kits as well. When you do a Tristar kit pay particular attention to the hull pan for any warpage. After gluing my hull together (knowing there was a warp for and aft) I would do it differently next time. THere are a couple more in the stash for me to try my hand at next time. When you do a Tristar kit feel free to drop me a line (i.e. PM) and I’ll give a couple of pointers on how to beat the hull pan warp.
Thank you for the compliment. When I was a kid I wanted to live in a tree house but, that was Southern California. Then we moved to the Pacific Northwest. Talk about your rain festivals. No thank you (on the tree house that is)
I got a bit more foliage on the tree. I looks a bit more filled out. I also picked up a couple more Woodland Scenics rock molds. I plan on adding some rock that will stick out on the embankment. My eye kept going back to that spot and I was thinking to myself (and out loud), “That just doesn’t look right”. The slope just seemed too steep not to have any rock showing. So I may be going at the base with a Dremel tool as well. Wooooo Hooooo. Power tools. [:D] When I do, I’ll post some (de)construction pics.
Thank you![:D] Upon realizing how simple the tree was to build, it got some ideas rolling around in my head. One of them being a PAK 43/41 concealed in some heavy cover. I got the right hand track run build yesterday in a 98 link marathon. I had to step away from the bench after that as I think one of my eyeballs roll back into my skull briefly. I’ll get it glued and fitted today. Possibly even some paint on them. Thank you for checking in on this build.
Well at least the right track run was completed. I did test the track brown on a couple of spare links. I’ll get those posted soon. I opted to let the glue set up overnight before taking the track run off the tank. The white things you see sticking out of the right side are Q-tips that I inserted between the fender and the track, so that I could get a bit of sag between return wheels.
Eric, Thank you for your support on this and other builds. The weather has finally gotten sunny. I’ll contend with the humidity it’s just I am so darned glad to see the sun. I’m hoping to get the tracks painted and the rock outcropping on the embankment done this week. Gotta get through the work week first.
Oh my there is a whole lotta SCHWINGING going on here. [:O]
Marc and Bob,
The both of you dang near made me snork my IPA on the monitor (again!). Thanks for the laughs guys.[:D]
I accomplished some more on the base. Mostly modifications. I felt the embankment was a bit blah so I casted some outcropping rocks using a Woodland Scenics mold and hydrocal plaster. To place the rocks I cut out a couple of areas using my Dremel and, “cemented” them in using Elmer’s Wood Filler. I filled in around the rocks using the same Elmer’s material.
This one is a bit fuzzy. I tried numerous time but the camera kept focusing on the first tree I ever made. It 'll give you an idea of how it looks.
The tracks dried overnight. I used Devil Over the Atlantic “Track Brown”. I like the color and it goes on pretty nicely. I shot two views of different stages. In both of the pics the finished track is on the left(treated with a MIG pigment wash “European Dust” and graphite for the contact areas) . In the first pic the track on the right does not have the wash applied nor does it have the graphite.
In this pic, I have applied the MIG pigment wash to the track on the right but not the graphite. That will happen tomorrow. Perhaps the decals as well and then I can get started on the weathering.
Thank you so very much for checking in on this build and the compliments. Ed and Bob sold me on the Elmer’s filler. Very forgiving stuff to work with. I got some more done on the tree today but it’s probably nothing that would show in pics. Some of the branches got painted with Vallejo Burnt Umber. Oh, and the other track run got its graphite treatment. So, both track runs are done. Nest will be decals for the beastie. But first, I’m trying to find a reference pic that shows a number on the left side of the hull. Whether it is on the hull itself or on a placard. I’ve got the PE placard that came with the kit, it’s just not called out. Hmmmm.
I’d say run with the placard. The use of the rhomboid placard wasn’t discontinued until late in 1940 so the IV-Bs would be most likely to have the placard and vehicle number vs. the turret.
Thank you for the info. I had planned on heeding your advice anyway when, I took another look at my references and, clear as day, I found several pics that clearly show the placard, including several with the post that it is mounted to. Putting a “few” hours in at work and not enough sleep. Oh well. [*-)] That happened. As always thank you for following this and your support.
The trunk and larger branches were washed with Vallejo German Black Brown. Once this dried I dry brushed the same areas with Vallejo light grey.
I did a test shot on a scrap piece of basal and some Woodland Scenics Turf blends and, decided to apply it to the tree as it looked sparse after the test shot. I first sprayed the tree with 3M Spray Mount. I then placed a small handful of Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf Burnt Grass T62, held the base upside down in the bag, shook the bag. Instant foliage. I sprayed what was already on the tree and then placing Green Blend T49 in the bag and, repeating the process. This darker green gave the foliage more depth.
Now I can get started on the rest of the base. Once I finalize those colors then I’ll get back to the tank (after the decals are on) so then I can apply the colors to the tank, thus tying the tank and base together.
The bench has been idle for a about a week now. The better three quarters and myself were out of town. A grown up (ie no kids) biking/kayaking trip to the San Juan Islands. I’m feeling quite a bit more human now and the creative juices are flowing better. I got a little bit done since getting back. I got some color on the base. Now mind you, these are only initial colors. They will be built up in layers, so the stark colors are not the final product. The vertical portion of the base is painted with Liquitex Burnt umber. The ground portion is a mishmash of Woodland Scenics Yellow ochre, raw umber, burnt umber and slate gray. I also used a bit of Liquitex Raw Sienna. The rocks were painted with Vallejo Basalt Grey. I am still needing to fabricate a static grass applicator. Finding a 9-12volt Negative Ion generator is proving problematic. No worries.
This is a detail shot of the tree with the excess foliage brushed off, so that the branches and trunk are now visible.
Well, Dave you may say no worries with the static grass applicator, but I’m still going to do a little worrying for you.
Here’s a link to a back issue of an on-line model railroad magazine I subscribe to, with an article on how to make a few different types of static grass applicators (both using a negitive ion generator, and another one not using one) It also has some adresses of negative ion generator dealers, if you want to get one.
