Hueschrecke IVb

This may not be a rust bucket, wreck or a destroyed tank but is also not a normal tank on the front line. I chose to build the Hueschrecke as might have appeared in the factory during the final stages of assembly. Since I mainly build and paint my models as wrecks or old rust buckets, why not do the beginnings of a tank, at the factory where it all starts.

For this project I went with the very nice Dragon kit that is loaded with details, and best of all the Magic Tracks. I started the assembly by building the lower hull parts and paining it in the Red Oxide primer color used by the Germans during WWII. For then floor plates I went with a raw metal color weathered with oils and pigments. To show that it still being assembled, I left out some parts such as the ammo bins on the sponson and cover to the batteries. Chalk marks finished off the interior and the upper plate was then glued on.











I did add some rust to plates, I couldn't resist, using Mig production pigments and Abteilung oils. Doing the floor plates this way added some color to the interior and gives it the look of being under construction.





I added some weld seams around some of the gantry parts since they were actually welded on, this little detail will pay off in the end when the paint and very light weathering is applied.



The only added details applied to the turret were some bolt heads on the turret ring. This was kinda bare and the added bolts liven it up a bit even if it's not 100% accurate.





The assembly was pretty much straight forward following the kit instruction, of course by omitting a lot of the parts such as tools, it all comes together fast.

After a quick once over to check for any imperfections and such, the model was then given a good primer coat using a primer gray out of the spray can. I use the cheap brand found at the local Wal-Mart, it covers good and dries fast. After giving the primed model a couple of hours to dry, I then applied the Red Oxide primer color. For this I mixed Tamiya Acrylics, basically some flat red, dark brown and a drop or two of black. I mixed these colors until I was happy with the color shade. I used the same color mix on the interior, but just a bit redder.






The next step was to paint certain parts, such as the gantry and fenders, in a different color. In this case I want to show different raw metal and parts with a semi gloss black color. I simply mixed browns and some black to get a shade similar to raw umber. I used this model to experiment in achieving different raw metal affects using different techniques, some new and and others already used.




Some manufacturer chalk marks added to the model breaks up the all red appearance and gives it some character. I then used a lead pencil to highlight the weld beads, a light wash followed giving the beads more depth.




 The hatch covers and panels over the motor compartment were painted in the same manner as the interior floor.




Washes and filters were applied using 502 Abteilung oils in shades of brown .
Light weathering using MIG pigments in various shades of rust and dust were lightly added, a little goes a long way with these pigments.





The turret was painted the same way as the hull, with a primed interior and raw metal plates on the outside. The gun, elevating and sighting components were painted in different shades of black. I chose to paint some parts black for the simple fact that these parts were produced by different manufactures.








The gun breech will be wrapped with canvas or a clothe to protect it from when the actual interior color is sprayed on. I chose to do this to add a different color and break up the all black and red oxide colors.




The turret hatches will be layed on the engine deck, waiting to be mounted and a few of the workers tools here and there.

The model has been mounted to a small base and is basically done.





































A once over for anything I might have missed, but otherwise the model is finished. I did use some rust on this vehicle so I think I can include it here on this site. This was an overall fun project where I got to experiment with different painting techniques and still apply some rusting to it. The use of pigments and oil paints in weathering models gives us modelers a free hand at pushing the limits in our quest to paint the most realistic looking model that we can. A lot has changed in the past ten years and it will only get better.