1/35 VK1602 Leopard update (Part 5 - completed model! )

Above: I think this is my favourite build thus far. I'll admit, I've not built many models since I picked-up my childhood hobby once more, but yes, this is my favourite.

Above: I was originally going to have this tank depicted as a captured machine and had even hand-painted my white allied star on the hull, however, it just didn't look right to my eyes. I will save this idea for another build.

Above: a mud mixture with grass scatter works well to add some realism, even though my aim is not to try to solely make it look real - which sounds weird, I know, but to create an interesting model which is visually satisfying in its own right, whether or not it looks real or not; a realistic model is, of course, a nice bonus.

Above: I just had to use the lovely photo-etch hinge/bracket supplied with the kit. I used my trusty artist pastels to rust it up and fixed it with thinner - this might be my favourite little area of the tank simply because I love the colour contrast it provides and think it also looks quite convincing as rusty metal.

Above: I added both Mig dry and damp mud pigments to the underside of the hull and behind the tracks/running gear.

Above: cheap jewelry chain from an art shop adds some visual interest to the engine deck. It's weathered using pastels and pigments.  The red-oxide thing to the far left is a scratch-built spare road wheel holder and securing clamp.

Above:  a plain black base 'frames' the model nicely without distracting the viewer from all my hard work.

Above: I did plan to have a spare road wheel/extra armour on both sides, but wanted to have a different look to the model on both sides, thus opted for one to the port side - that meant on the opposite side I could show off my scratch built wheel bracket.

Above: oil and fuel stains finished off the engine deck

Above: using brass wire I added loops to the turret which enabled me to hang any natural vegetation the crew wanted to camo their machine with.

I often find that the little extras like a bucket finishes off a machine nicely and adds a human element, after all, without a human this machine is just a static piece of steel. The exhaust pipes were weathered using artists' pastels fixed with thinner.

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1/35 VK1602 Leopard update (part 4 - chipping, oil weathering, mud)

After finishing  chipping I always take photos and review them carefully. It's strange, because just like my artwork, in a photo mistakes instantly jump out of a photo that I don't see when viewing the actual model. 

After deciding what my changes will be, I use Photoshop to highlight areas in the photo that need to be changed, adding or removing chipping, oil streaks, rusting, etc. It's then just a question of following my photo guide.  These photo sessions are normally repeated many times before I'm happy, thus the reason my builds take so long.

In the photo above you can see the chipping and streaks that represent rust, dust and fuel/oil. I personally like very weathered machines so use my full weathering arsenal.

Above you can see the tracks have been muddied up.  I wanted a vehicle that had recently driven through mud, but that also had some dry mud caked into the tracks - the wet and dry mud help to create some extra visual interest.  I mixed white glue, pigments and other bits and pieces to thicken up the gooey mess. Later on I added another layer in which I mixed in static grass and pieces found in my garden. To speed up the drying process I used a hair dryer.

I used the same muddy mixture, but watered down, to flick onto the hull. I used a short, stiff- bristled brush dipped it into my mixture, and using my finger  flicked the loaded bristles to create the mud spattered effect. A post-it was used to cover areas I wanted to stay clean,

Here's another view of the lower hull that I was still working on.

See the final reveal HERE

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Base coating - the VK1602 'Leopard' (part 2)

I love 'paper panzers' - they give us creative license as modellers, or dare I say, as artists, to to let our minds envisage how a tank, vehicle, or airplane might have appeared had it actually made it into reality.  It all depends on how far you're willing to venture away from reality as to your finished model's final appearance. 

Personally, I like to have some sort of pre-knowledge about my subject matter and its time-frame, so as to create a machine that was at least plausible. This being said, don't let anyone else ruin your fun, although be prepared to take the flak from hard-core history buffs who are not so open-minded,  

To summarize, we build models for ourselves using our precious time and money, our aim being an attractive model to admire on/in our display shelf/cabinets, and if we're lucky, we'll produce a model that others may also be excited and inspired by.

Okay, back to business!  With my primer and pre-shading complete I moved onto my base coat.  I might add that most of this work was lost in subsequent paint coats, but it's better to have it present, just in case 

                       

I wanted a late-war dunkelgelb, a much lighter version of the earlier shade which I personally don't like. I had previously bought Mig's 'Late War German camoflages' which concentrate on the 1944-1945 time-frame. The paints are excellent and I can thoroughly recommend them; as a side note, I thin them in my airbrush cup with Vallejo airbrush thinner (71.061). although they can be sprayed neat.

You can hopefully make out the subtle shading with the darker shade at the bottom of the turret; you can see the pre-shading on the turret's near corner,

I had real fun with these road wheels introducing some lovely shades from the Mig paint set and a couple from Vallejo. Although this tank is destined for a single colour camo scheme, some might still consider it quite an insipid choice compared to alternative schemes, however, invoking some visual interest by using brighter colours is a good option.  I  always try to remember - weathering will dull colours right down, so don't be afraid to go bright!

With the base coat in place the whole model was given a couple of coats of Klear floor polish to protect the paint beneath,  I normally wait a few hours for a Klear coat to dry before repeating the procedure.

See part 3 HERE

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1/35 HobbyBoss VK1602 'Leopard' Part I

The box-art really grabbed my attention and after some research I decided to purchase it.  

I can tell you now it's a beauty of a kit; the quality and detail is excellent, the fit is as near to perfect as I've experienced thus far, and if you like photo-etch there's even some of that, too.  All in all, a very reasonable kit for the price and what's best, it's a unique subject matter.

Now, there's nearly always a 'but', and this kit is no exception - with this one the downside would be the tracks.  Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the individual links supplied, but having to attach two guide-horns to each track link was over-kill! 

A little bit about the tank: in reality this machine never saw any combat, and I believe only one prototype was ever completed in around late 1943.  The truth was, it was just too expensive to manufacture this tank for its intended purpose - reconnaissance.  It was a version of the already tried and tested MkV 'Panther' that instead took on the 'Leopards' role.

There are two options when putting together the lay-out of the road wheels, and also two styles of idler wheel.  The fitting of the torsion bars is straight forward, and in my kit's case, a perfect fit. These bars are very delicate so there's a spare in the box; a nice touch from Hobby Boss.

And here's a mock up with my trusty yellow tack holding on the spare track links.  As you can see, leaving off the front fenders gives this little beast an aggressive look. 

The photo etch grills for the engine deck are an excellent feature and really make the model 'pop'!  As you can see there are no pioneer tools with this kit. I wanted a minimal look so this suited me just fine. If you wanted to add some extras there are plenty of after-market options for this kit and generic German tools from the spares box could be added with minimal fuss.

See part 2 HERE

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