Dragon Elefant - Completed & Final Photos 3/9/13

[bbd468]

Hey Ben, looks awesome buddy! IMHO - i think the tracks look spot on. Compare to my Ferdinand:

drmmtx.blogspot.com/search/label/Ferdinand

I spent alot of time looking at references to decide what i wound up with. Not sayin' im right...just my opinion.

Gary

[Deleted]

Good looking build Ben .

[wbill76]

Making good progress with this one Ben, keep at it!

[Hinksy]

Thanks guys,

I appreciate your input everyone - that's one cracking Ferdy, Gary!

I did feel that there was room to experiment so last night I removed a single link - a link with a guide horn so I now have a space where two non-guide horn links meet and this space has been rolled around and hidden behind the drive sprocket.

All I've taken out is one link and look at the difference it's made. I did this last night and they look like they 'stretched' a bit over night and now look better? They may still stretch some more?

So, this is 110 links - the previous post showed 111 links! It's amazing the difference that the removal of ONE little link can make!

What do you reckon? This tighter track or the one shown in my previous post. I can't do much more so it's one or the other. Most pictures I've studied show the tracks leaving the back of the front sprocket and just missing the front Fender. They then just brush on wheels 3 & 4 and sometimes make contact with wheel 5 (counting back from the front wheel). I think I've achieved this here and it's a definate improvement - a bit taught up front under the drive sprocket now but something has to be sacrificed!

Let me know what you think - like I say I can't do much more. The DS kit tracks are overscale and ugly (imo) and lack detail and finesse. Plus they will need a fair bit chopping off them to make them look anywhere near acceptaptable AND the guide horns are lacking the hole they should have. They are definately OUT! ;D

Here you go guys - my photo of the shortened track (one link shorter)! This is as good as it gets without the tracks becoming 'live'! Remember this is on a slant as the other side is without it's tracks until later today.



When the other side is on and the wheels are sitting square I think this will look pretty good

Thanks for your honest input guys - I do want to get this looking right so it all helps.

I've looked at photos of the real thing AND other models and the variety is amazing. This one below is on display at Aberdeen.



I'll post an update later depending on how much progress has been made. I'm working from home today and it's been pretty busy so far but I'm getting there!

Finally, I know some of you were looking forward to this but I've decided against a WhiteWash. I've looked at the link showing Gary's Ferdinand and have seen LOTS of other builds too and I really want to show it with a DY basecoat and cammo with my usual AK style Weathering.

I'm only doing this as I love how the Elefant looks in it's 'normal' colours with cammo. I'm also a bit wary of doing my first proper WW on a build I've put so much care and love into

Not to worry as my next build will be a Kharkhov Pz. IV with FULL whitewash - I'm going to go to town on that one big time!

Update later - I want ALL the Friuls on by the end of today and by the end of tomorrow she needs to be assembled and primed with the barrel removed for easy access when painting the front deck and all the road wheel mounted on spikes for separate painting - the Steel surfaces will be brush painted with Gunze Metalcolour 'Stainless' and buffed to a nice shine

Take care,

Ben

[Deleted]

looking very nice indeed

[spud]

oh Very Nice Ben

[Hinksy]

Thanks very much fellas

I've got about 25-30 more links to assemble this afternoon for the other track run and she'll have her shoes! I'll just drop the sub-assemblies together for the final time and secure then prime later on and and she'll be ready for paint next weekend!

Like I said previously, I've decided against a Whitewash for now. I'mm not doing my first proper WW on a this vehicle so I'll be doing it on my next build which is Dragon's Kharkhov Pz. IV with full WW.

I've got a great scheme that I found on the old' interweb that should be pretty good if I can pull it off correctly OR I could go the other way and keep it VERY minimal with a few light random stripes?

Right down to the '334' numbering - this is MY Elefant

postimage.org/image/qmmmov1ad/

Update later chaps,

Ben

[TRM]

Looking great Ben!! I like you plan on the scheme of the 334 too!! Make it happen!! ;D

[Hinksy]

Jan 27, 2013 8:26:46 GMT -5 TRM said:

Looking great Ben!! I like you plan on the scheme of the 334 too!! Make it happen!! ;D

Cheers TRM - its a great scheme and should be fairly straight forward too

Ok, I got to where I wanted to be with the minimum of mess-ups Both Friuls runs are sorted and looking good, the wheels are mounted on matchsticks ready for painting off the vehicle and the whole thing is primed so it will be left for the week to really harden up and I get some pre-shade & DY basecoat/cammo on her next weekend.

Mess ups: Where the front deck is there's a small piece up the front of the deck that butts-up against the front of the lower hull when dropped in place. How this was sitting was making the Casemate sit too far back so I filed off the thin piece of plastic of the front of the deck so it would butt-up better allowing the casemate to fit properly. I did this and now the Casemate fits great BUT the front deck obviously needed that bit that I filed off as I was left with a big gap which needed some surgery and filling - it'll be fine I also totally forgot about getting the PE Jack mounts in place before priming so I'll have to sort them later. The travel lock was a fiddly PITA to assemble stowed but that got worked out so I'm just a bit gutted about the front deck but live and learn Apart from these errors she looks great primed up.

Friuls: Again I had the same issue - 110 links too saggy, 109 links a tad too tight so I decided to try strecthing them. I'd read a blog where someone had done this before so I simply took about 4" of Friul link (assembled) and gave them a sharp tug and then moved on around the track - doing this easily gave me an extra 3mm and they dropped on just right. I'll do it with the other side before they go back on too.

So, looking good. I've got plenty of time to get this ready for the show on the 18th. She primed up lovely - Tamiya's 'Fine Surface Primer' is great - it gives a nice surface to work on. I was going to use some coloured Vallejo primer through the airbrush but I want to try a pre-shade so I decided to go with the light coloured stuff this time.

Ready to go - fully Friuled!:







Primed:





I tried to add some torch-cut detail on these sections with a scalpel after softening the surfaces with Tamiya Thin Cement:



Here we go - ready to roll! This is everything for the build except the tools and Jack Block which are bagged up. The Friuls will be treated with the usual AK Blemishing stuff and the four loose ones will make up the spare links that sit up front:



I meant to ask guys - I might well drop an antennae onto this beast. How long were they on these things. I have a selection of RB Brass 1.4m and 2m?

Thanks for looking guys.

Have a good week and take care!

Ben

[wbill76]

Looking good Ben, I'd go with the 2m antenna as 1.4m were generally only used on command vehicles in connection with the star extensions.

[Hinksy]

Cheers Bill

[deafpanzer]

Looking great primed... very clean and ready to be painted! Make up your mind yet? WW or no WW? LOL Can't wait to see your next update... no matter which direction you are going I will be happy for you... keep it coming.

[hasenpfeffer]

Looks great, Ben. Anxious to see some DY and camo! Glad to see you sorted out your Friul head-scratcher.

[TRM]

Nice bit of springy work there Ben!!! Glad to see the pea shooter all worked out too!! Keep it going!!

[Hinksy]

Jan 30, 2013 18:11:44 GMT -5 TRM said:

Nice bit of springy work there Ben!!! Glad to see the pea shooter all worked out too!! Keep it going!!

Cheers for the comments fellas

I've only done one 'proper' WW where I've actually worn the white away to expose the layers beneath (Hairspray method) and that was on my old Tamiya Hetzer - it turned out ok. My other WW builds (Initial Tiger and Panzer III N) have incoporated white into the Grey basecoat as a sort of cammo and then blended so this is going to be pretty nerve-wracking! I've got both versions of AK's chipping stuff (mild and heavy) and know how to do it but wonder - before I apply the AK chipping solution do I need to make sure the surface is really glossy? I had a very glossy surface on my Hetzer basecoat and when I started to remove the white the gloss seemed to make big chunks of the white come off. Andy has been through things with me but Im still a bit 'unsure' and what to get this bang on first time.

What about a matt or Satin coat? I was thinking about doing the DY basecoat and adding a basic light cammo pattern and actually applying some weathering/paint chipping prior to the WW so when the WW comes off a well used tank including spots of cammo colour are exposed. I'm wanting to keep it light so a lot of the basecoat stays visible. As I mentioned previously I want a 'spring time' Elefant ie the snow has gone and the WW is starting to wear off too leaving random patches - nothing heavy.

What do you guys think? I know a lot of you have done WW work so any tips or advice would be great!

Thanks guys,

Ben

[deafpanzer]

Try not to think too much while modeling... I am afraid you are pushing yourself too hard. Just follow the flow and have fun. If it was me I would have gone for satin coat because weathering will turn base coat much darker so with matt it will be even darker and duller. That's my best guess... I haven't tried matt on any of my builds. I am a big fan of MM Lacquer Overcoat Lusterless Flat... easy to spray straight out of the rattle can. But not with pigments on or they will vanish...

[Hinksy]

Jan 30, 2013 21:35:21 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Try not to think too much while modeling... I am afraid you are pushing yourself too hard. Just follow the flow and have fun. If it was me I would have gone for satin coat because weathering will turn base coat much darker so with matt it will be even darker and duller. That's my best guess... I haven't tried matt on any of my builds. I am a big fan of MM Lacquer Overcoat Lusterless Flat... easy to spray straight out of the rattle can. But not with pigments on or they will vanish...

Think too much? Me? Blimey, no one has EVER said that before!

All my varnishes are the Vallejo AB type now, Gloss, Satin and Varnish. Usually when basecoated and cammo'd the decal spots get a shot of gloss then, following the decals I like to seal everything in with gloss or Satin varnish prior to washes. Matt varnish coat goes on last followed by pigment work.

I'm just not sure how this chipping stuff will behave on a glossy surface so I will probably have to do some testing on the underside or on plasticard?

Anyway - QUESTION!

A buddy sent me an RB Elefant Barrel and metal shackles. Not sure if I'll need the barrel as the kit one is fine but that Muzzle Brake could look better.

The only ? I have is that the barrel seems to have a round collar at the base which butts up againlinkst the mantlet. I haven't seen anything like this on my photos or box art? If I tried to remove it the whole barrel would drop straight in.

On the RB site it shows a small raised bit towards the breech end but not a darn great big collar. I've definately got the right barrel as it's bagged and coded.

Look at 35B86 - 3/4 of the way down the 1/35 barrel page on RB's site - I can't post a link for some reason? That is how it should look. Everything else i.e. length and Muzzle Brake are fine?

I'd like to use it but that collar is bugging me Any ideas?


Cheers guys,

Ben

[wing_nut]

If that barrel is the way you want to go and id doers fall into the tube... make a small plug of Milliput to put down the hole and push the barrel in against it. when it hardened it will be a nice strong base for the barrel to sit against. Maybe even easier... seal the back of the tube if need be and drop in a section of sprue just long enough to hold the barrel out at the appropriate length.

[406 Silverado]

Something about those big boxy tanks that cry out to be weathered...or wrecked..lol

Very nice clean work Ben.

[Tojo72]

looking forward to some paint

[Hinksy]

Jan 31, 2013 7:46:29 GMT -5 wing_nut said:

If that barrel is the way you want to go and id doers fall into the tube... make a small plug of Milliput to put down the hole and push the barrel in against it. when it hardened it will be a nice strong base for the barrel to sit against. Maybe even easier... seal the back of the tube if need be and drop in a section of sprue just long enough to hold the barrel out at the appropriate length.

Cheers guys,

Wingy - This barrel thing is pretty difficult to explain. I'll post some photos on Saturday.

It fits the mantlet perfectly and won't drop in but the odd thing is the barrel itself has a separate round collar at the base where it pushes into the mantlet. It looks wrong.

It's an RB 35B86 Elefant/Ferdinand barrel but on the RB site the barrel shown only has a small protusion - not the larger collar seen on mine.

Photos needed methinks - I'll post some tomorrow or Saturday.

Cheers guys,

Ben

[Hinksy]

Hi guys,

Barrel photos as promised - to recap:

My Friul guy sent me an RB barrel for my Elefant to try. It's the correct barrel (RB35B86) - it fits fine but has this weird Brass Collar that butts up against the Mantlet. I have looked on RB's site and their photo shows the exact same barrel but no collar - the barrel simply has a part that protrudes at the Mantlet end?

The Barrel and offending collar:



RB Barrel fitted to the kit - what the hell?



Kit barrel fitted - looks okay?



I can obviously use the kit barrel and return the RB one but I'd like to hear opinions/thought on this collar! Can I use this barrel?

I'm painting tomorrow so need a verdict asap on this one!

Btw, it won't budge and it fixed tight so it cannot be removed.

Cheers fellas,

Ben

[deafpanzer]

Looking good... you can always add some kind of washer if you want to use the kit barrel to hide the gap. Maybe make one from scratch if there is not a washer for this size.

[wing_nut]

Just looked at tons of Google images of Flefants and did not see any with that collar. IMHO it just should not be there. Fixed tight is a relative term . EVERYTHING can be taken apart LOL. It's at what cost though. I bet if you found a sturdy tube that slipped over the barrel and rested on that collar a whack or 2 with a hammer would get it off. But there will likely be damage to the barrel that would have to be repaired. In the pics above when you primed, that barrel looks fine. How much would you gain by just using the muzzle brake? I would put the RB barrel bag in the bag. But that's me.

[Hinksy]

Feb 1, 2013 9:02:32 GMT -5 wing_nut said:

Just looked at tons of Google images of Flefants and did not see any with that collar. IMHO it just should not be there. Fixed tight is a relative term . EVERYTHING can be taken apart LOL. It's at what cost though. I bet if you found a sturdy tube that slipped over the barrel and rested on that collar a whack or 2 with a hammer would get it off. But there will likely be damage to the barrel that would have to be repaired. In the pics above when you primed, that barrel looks fine. How much would you gain by just using the muzzle brake? I would put the RB barrel bag in the bag. But that's me.

Believe me Wingy - it's already back in the bag!

There's absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever with the kit barrel but with the option a very cheap RB Barrel I had at least to give it a go.

I can't find anything, anywhere, on the web that shows this barrel? It's a weird one alright.

Kit barrel it is - that small but visible gap at the mantlet end around the barrel needs to be there.

God knows!

Cheers buddy,

Ben

[Hinksy]

Ha!

Figured it out - I just found a site where a guy used this exact same barrel on his Tamiya Elefant.

www.network54.com/Forum/619315/message/1347893541/Tamiya+Elefant+of+3.653+Getting+Pull-Through

It seems that the round part of the mantlet has to push over the barrel and collar locking it in place - this is great except nothing tells you this so everyone who decides to use this barrel as an afterthought after they have assembled the entire tank like me is totally screwed unless they fancy carrying out some surgery. I do not! This guy had to!

Looks like you guys were right - sorry! [:$]

No probs, Kit barrel it is! LOL! At least this mystery has been solved!

I'll sleep well tonight now!

Ben [t$t]

[Deleted]

Good you got it worked out ! Thats the prob with RB barrels for me also .....no instructions .

[Hinksy]

Hi guys,

Here's the usual Saturday update!

I've really been dragging my heels on this one so today I gave myself a kick up the backside and got all the niggly little things sorted out like the PE Jack Mount and the DIY Tow Cable from Lion Roar so now everything is good to go - it's all primed and I'll be adding preshade and a basecoat tomorrow

Some of you will have read the problems I was having with my RB Barrel and Brass Collar Conundrum! I really wanted to use it so after finding out that a part did need to be removed to allow it to fit I took the plunge, lopped off the end of the ball housing and fitted it. I'm pretty pleased with myself as I would never have had the bottle to do this a year ago!

Photos:

New Barrel Fitted, RB Shackles fitted and PE mounts for the Jack and Jack block sorted and fitted to build (I'm not too worried about the Jack area as it's going to be very muddy under there-otherwise I'd have fitted the Jack later and painted it off the build):





I accidentally used the non-zimmed part here for the exhaust outlet (the curved bit - not the toolbox glued onto it) so I used a heated screwdriver to add some simple zim effect as this was plain flat and looked totally wrong:



Lion Roar Tow Cable all assembled - this is sweeeet:



Following Priming:



All ready for tomorrow - the Elefant with the new barrel and all the fiddly stuff fitted, Sledgehammer and PE Sledgehammer head clamps which will be painted separately and fitted after the cammo has been done:



Paints for tomorrow - Black for the preshade and the ingredients for what I hope will be a really good DY colour:



The Bible - what a great find!

I've made the decision regarding the Whitewash. I was looking through my magazines last night and found this Tamiya magazine from September 2012. It has the second part of a full build of Tamiyas Elefant. I assume the first part covered the assembly but this second part (which covers 3 two page spreads) kicks off EXACTLY from where I am now. The guy uses all of my AK stuff and Vallejo paints and does a brilliant SBS so the Whitewash can wait for my Panzer IV which I'll be building next. His build looks great and I really want mine looking similar. It covers new methods I'm yet to try , particularly using oil paints for dry-brushing etc., so this will be a good learning experience!



I hope you like everyhting so far guys - I hope to posting pictures of a basecoated and pre-shaded Elefant tomorrow

Please chime in with any comments and suggestions! They all help me a lot!

Take care,

Ben

[noll]

Looks awesome! You're lucky to find an article on the exact tank you're building. - never seems to happen to me lol.
Can't wait to see paint!

[wing_nut]

Not that my say mean a thing but I am glad you took the plunge and chopped to get that barrel in there. So you could see you could do it and that barrel looks freakin' sweet.