Pz.Sfl.IVb

The Pz.Sfl.IVb   kit no. 6475 is another awesome Smart-Kit from Dragon, and is loaded with finely detailed parts. There are two sprues with Pz IV roadwheels and suspension that are not used, and will go to the spares box for future use. There is an interior to the model but only for the fighting compartment, so the drivers area will have to come from a resin after market set. the good thing is that there is only a drivers hatch so not much will be needed for the front end of the model. I chose to leave things the way it is and mainly build OOTB except for some modifications to the kit parts.



I have had this kit for a while and held off building it until I came up with a way of simulating rust effects on a dark paint color. I feel that the way most model builders represent rust on the panzer gray tanks is not realistic or accurate, aslo one of the reasons it has taken me this long too figure it out. Simply using bright colored rust paint, pigments and oils looks ok for an OD Green tank such as a Sherman, but on a dark Panzer Gray it is way to bright. The bright rust streaks work fine for fresh rust, but for an older rusty tank it has too be darker.
When the painting and rusting begins on this project I will explain and show what I think is a better representation of rust effects on dark paint.

So the construction of the model follows the kit instructions for the assembly of the upper and lower hulls since I wanted to get an idea of how to display the tank. I did not glue any of the more delicate parts yet so as not to break or lose any while handling the model.



I decided to build the model as an outdoor Museum piece that has not been maintained in a while, so there will be some rust and dust, but not a rust bucket. I added some battle damage to the front of the tank along with a missing towing pintle. This is just to add some character and eye candy to the model.

A drive sprocket also received some battle damage along with a couple of missing return rollers. The roadwheels have been cleaned and glued together but are not pictured here. The kit comes with magic tracks with open guide horns and looks pretty accurate to me, and go together fast since there is not much cleaning up to do.

While the tracks are drying I will start with the interior parts. The fun part of the build will be the turret and all the detail parts that go on the interior of it.


Just to give a small idea of what I have planned for the rusting of the metal, here are a couple of ref. pics that I will be using.




Not only is research important when building a model, but the painting and especially the weathering as well. I try to use ref pics and items lying around the back yard as visual references when doing the rust on my models. On with the building of this model, with an update coming soon.



So back to the actual model build. I finished gluing together the tracks, and they will sit in place a couple of days just to let the glue cure. I went ahead and added some texture to the floor boards, assuming they are made of wood. I simply scribed the wood grain using the point of my hobby knife. I went deep as to simulate dried out wood, and rot on the ends. I am still deciding on leaving the ammo bins out, or installing just a couple. The bins are assembled and waiting if I do use some or all of them.

Here are some pics of the model as it stands.

The floor boards in the lower hull, with engraved wood grain.



Battle damage on the sprocket. No special tricks, just the trusty old hobby knife. The hub was left off and bolt holes drilled where the bolts screw into the sprocket.



A couple of pics showing the tracks and upper hull test fitted.



Construction will continue per the kit instructions, and some painting in the interior before joining the upper and lower hulls permanently.



9/13/10

After shelving this model in order to work on others, I finally started back up on it. This is mainly due to an upcoming show in which I will enter this model.
The first pic is of the finished build.



The following photos are of the painting and chipping process that I follow. A base rust color followed by HS then red oxide primer color. This was then chipped and a coat of HS applied over this. Next came the tanks Panzer gray paint, and this was done using the CM technique. Again some chipping of the paint revealing the underlying primer and rust.




Next will be highlighting the rust using oil paints. I used 502 Abteilung from MIG Productions to replicate the lighter colored rust effects. The model was further weathered using various oil paints and of course pigments from MIG.
The tracks were painted using rust colored paints from Lifecolor, and weathered with oils and pigments. Once the model was done a small base was made to rest the tank on.







The model is actually finished, and just in time for the AMPSEast model show in Danbury Conn. The model won a gold medal in the advanced category.