Andrew's 1/72 S-Model Jagdpanther G2 x2

[adt70hk]

Nov 4, 2023 17:35:44 GMT -5 dukemaddog said:

Silverado Joe, I do! I may not have commented much, but this has been a thrill to watch.

Andrew, brilliant work on the tracks and wheels. I do the same thing on mine. These are coming along exceptionally well!

Mark

Thank you very much.  These simple wargaming kits are what got be back into the hobby.

Several years ago my then six year old son young son decided he wanted a model tank, after I mentioned I used to make them during a visit to a local arts and craft store.  He decided he wanted the Airfix 1/76 Matilda (Aussie prototype with Spigot mortar on the back). I also bought their Pz IV F1/F2 so we could have some uber simple father/son 'battles'.

I eventually managed to get them finished but they were far too complicated for him to be able to help out and the Matilda's suspension even tried my patience a bit.

Then I stumbled across these 'new-fangled' fast assembly kits (it had been 25+ years since I had made a kit).  A British company called Armourfast do a range of super-simple kits - their Panther only has 20 pieces - and so I bought a few of them.  And the rest they say is history...

These S-Model are a cut above Armourfast in terms of finish, but the principle is the same.

Thanks again for the support!

Andrew

[dukemaddog]

My pleasure Andrew!

[adt70hk]

Ok chaps............................so........................

......................yet again the combined might of the Modelling and Research Gods have kicked me where no man should be kicked....

.....and just as I was contemplating the application of the pre-decal clear coat.

​Turns out that the camo pattern I had gone with is in all likelihood wrong, it should almost certainly be a tri-colour pattern.....but more about that later.....and not one that will be easily adapted from what I have done so far, so I will be going back to a yellow base and start again! 

​Next up an nice clean yellow base!

Don't you just love the hobby sometimes! 

ATB

Andrew

[deafpanzer]

It is a good thing that we can paint again and again until you get it right. I will be on look out for your update... hang in there buddy!

[adt70hk]

Dec 22, 2023 21:59:21 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

It is a good thing that we can paint again and again until you get it right. I will be on look out for your update... hang in there buddy!

Thanks Andy.  As as you know also know I am not normally one for uber-accuracy and so ordinarily I would not have been fussed but in this case they have quite a well known history that ties in with our little battles.



However, 654 Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung were the only unit operating the Jagdpanther in Normandy and on 30th July they 'famously' took out 11 Churchills of 6th Guards Tank Brigade on Hill 226/Mont Pincon/Quarry Hill, in no more than a few minutes.

Well it so happens that by a complete fluke and long before I found out about this engagement, I marked up Junior's Churchills from 6th Guards Tank Brigade - hence me wanting to get these right.



Thanks again for the support.
ATB



Andrew

[406 Silverado]

I know all about what you're talking about in the "Don't you just love the hobby sometimes" statement. But hey.....it wouldn't be modeling if we didn't have those trials and tribulations along the way. You're gonna recover well from all of this potna. Will be watching for the recovery efforts.

[Joe Rix]

That's a bugger Andrew. Yet that is the nature of the beast if we are wanting some particular result in our hobby. One is doomed to endless misery and frustration if they think they are going to "Nail it" on the first attempt consistently. Trial and error are our co-pilots. Looking forward to your redo.

[adt70hk]

Dec 23, 2023 7:00:40 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

I know all about what you're talking about in the "Don't you just love the hobby sometimes" statement. But hey.....it wouldn't be modeling if we didn't have those trials and tribulations along the way. You're gonna recover well from all of this potna. Will be watching for the recovery efforts.

Dec 23, 2023 8:34:00 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

That's a bugger Andrew. Yet that is the nature of the beast if we are wanting some particular result in our hobby. One is doomed to endless misery and frustration if they think they are going to "Nail it" on the first attempt consistently. Trial and error are our co-pilots. Looking forward to your redo.

Thanks chaps.  Although it wasn't all bad news.

The research that means I have to redo the camo also solved without any doubt the problem I was having as to which part of the battalion the JPs were from.....right down the platoon and in one case the actual vehicle and it's commander.

The respray is currently drying.  As you can imagine it took some effort to cover the green with the yellow.

ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Afternoon fellow modelling nuts!

Firstly, apologies for not being around much recently.....life, etc, etc.......

Secondly, I have managed to finish the tri colour camo and have attached the spare tracks....but before the pics some background on my research, which is very reliant on my book on this unit:

• Up until I got the book, I had never been able to work out from which company of Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 654 the Jadgpanthers involved in the action had come.
• However, I'm sure I had read somewhere that it was the 2nd Company - not  that I could find it but that turns out to be wrong anyway.
• The book contains an entry from the diary of a member of the unit confirming that it was three JPs from the 3rd Company's 1st platoon that were involved in the action.
• One was definitely 311 belonging to the platoon leader, a Leutnant Scheiber.
• The book also contains some high quality plates, including one of 314, from which I drew my inspiration for the camo schemes.
  
• I have not finished the research yet but using this new info (and after I had completed the paint job), I have just found new material online, also quoting the book, stating that 314 was also involved in the action.

In terms of the paints, I used Vallejo's Model Air and Model Colour:

• 71.028 Dunkelgelb (RAL 7028)
• 71.092 Medium Olive (RAL 6003) for the olivgrün
• 71.041 Armour Brown (RAL 8017) for the rotbraun on one vehicle
• and for a slightly redder colour to vary it a bit, a mixture of 71.041 Armour Brown (RAL 8017) and 70.984 Flat Brown (not entirely successfully).

The patterns were an approximation of that from 314 and also 332, as the 314 plate only shows the front and LHS.  The camo pattern from 332's RHS looks to be a similar pattern and going by the dates was likely to have been painted around the same time.....the rear and topsides, I had to make a guess on.  I also reversed the green and brown on one them to mix it up even more.

I still have some minor damage to the paint job to add but I will keep it light as the 3rd Company only had their vehicles for around a month before they saw action.

A note of warning about the pics; for some reason the colours have turned out a bit more vibrant even though I took them outside in a nice natural light - the colours on the schürzen are much closer to the real thing than the rest.

Also, just remember that it turns out the S-Model JPs are a slightly later versions of the G2 than the actual ones in the unit - or didn't have items included in the kit e.g. stowage bin on the superstructure.  But by the time I realised it was too late and so some of the features are not accurate.

ACW as usual.

Andrew



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My source material:









My homage to 314 and 332:

[Joe Rix]

It is indeed a pleasure to see you back making some significant progress Andrew. Although I cannot speak to any accuracies or inaccuracies concerning your JP's, I can note that your paint work on these little guys is stunning. I'm sure a bit of weathering will knock down the vibrant appearance. Wonderful work my friend.

[brandonk]

Those of you who choose to work these small scale kits up are amazing to me. You take a tiny kit and make it look far bigger. Super nice work.

[deafpanzer]

I love how the camo came out and I am always fan of those three toned wheels too!!!

[deafpanzer]

Jan 14, 2024 16:44:54 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

I love how the camo came out and I am always fan of those three toned wheels too!!!

I am glad to see those back on your bench too!

[Tojo72]

Those look great,small scale camo isn't easy.

[kyledehart5]

Absolutely lovely Andrew! Great work on that camo in such a small scale.

[adt70hk]

Jan 14, 2024 10:59:45 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

It is indeed a pleasure to see you back making some significant progress Andrew. Although I cannot speak to any accuracies or inaccuracies concerning your JP's, I can note that your paint work on these little guys is stunning. I'm sure a bit of weathering will knock down the vibrant appearance. Wonderful work my friend.

Thanks Joe!

I have a plan to tone the camo down a bit.  It's something I have seen demo'd in a book I have but I have never tried it, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out

Jan 14, 2024 11:06:35 GMT -5 brandonk said:

Those of you who choose to work these small scale kits up are amazing to me. You take a tiny kit and make it look far bigger. Super nice work.

Brandon, Thank you!  That is very kind of you

Jan 14, 2024 16:44:54 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

I love how the camo came out and I am always fan of those three toned wheels too!!!

Jan 14, 2024 16:45:19 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Jan 14, 2024 16:44:54 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

I love how the camo came out and I am always fan of those three toned wheels too!!!

I am glad to see those back on your bench too!

Thanks Andy!

It's funny but the solid colour wheels look very 'harsh' when compared to the rest of the camo job, and at least to my eye actually draw attention to the vehicle the exact opposite of the whole point of having a camo job.  I wonder why they did them solid rather than a 'blended' pattern like the rest of the vehicle.

And yes, I'm glad to have them back on the bench, I want to get them finished before I crack on with the FW190s and my biplane.

Jan 14, 2024 16:50:51 GMT -5 Tojo72 said:

Those look great,small scale camo isn't easy.

Tony thanks very much!  And you're not wrong.....try not to flood the surface when I got in close for the small areas in particular was not easy

Jan 14, 2024 17:43:49 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Absolutely lovely Andrew! Great work on that camo in such a small scale.

Thanks Kyle.  I really am pretty pleased with the effect!



Thanks again chaps for the support and apologies for the late reply and as you can see there has been some more progress!

ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Morning chaps.

So the final assembly is pretty much done, as you can see below.

From what what I have seen so far in book on it, this unit did not have the hull schürzen skirts installed in most cases.  However, there are a few pics of vehicles with it on, so I have taken some modelling licence with one of the vehicles.

I'm also added some basic chipping using Panzer Grey (Humbrol H67) to represent some minor abrasions as he crew have moved about the exterior of the vehicle.  These vehicles had not been with the unit very long before they saw action, so I see no point in overdoing it.

Next up is the pre-decal clear coat!

Below are few rushed shots taken in less than ideal light, so apologies for the quality.

Andrew


-----------------------------------------------------

[kyledehart5]

Excellent!!

[adt70hk]

Jan 20, 2024 7:58:51 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Excellent!!

Thanks Kyle!

[adt70hk]

Good evening all

So over two months since my last update thanks to work sapping my energy, a lack of mojo and general procrastination.

So I am calling the the two kitties done but I still have to do the two crew.  So here's what I've done since the last post:

• Added decals.
• Some light chipping.
• Some panel line washes to make things pop a bit.
• A very light coat of Vallejo Model Wash Desert Dust 76.522.  It's virtually identical to their Dunkelgelb in colour, so it's helped tie the tri-camo colours together and also mute the 'new' paint look slightly.
• One one of them had a light coat of Dark Earth to mimic dust/light mud.  I've seen it done on SCC15 and it was surprisingly effective but less so on this because of the tri-colour scheme, with a dunkelgelb base.
• With the other I tried pigments for the first time - using a DIY mix from drawing pastels (see below link).  Not very successfully though, too bright, so it I gave it a light coat of Dark Earth to tone it down.  I couldn't bothered to redo it.

I have deliberately kept the weathering fairly light, as these were not with the unit long before they entered combat in July '44, which is nominally when we battle.

I am particularly please with how the the engine deck grills turned out.

So just the crew and then I'm done  at last.

ACW as usual.

ATB

Andrew


-------------------------------------------------------------


My inspiration for the DIY pigments was PLASMO......

I've had them five years but only ever used the black.  I've ordered a brown 'set' to give me a better range of hard pastels.

The two kitties....

Not too shabby, I think you will agree! 

[Tojo72]

Congratulations on getting them to the finish line thanks for participating

[buddho]

Great looking builds!

[dukemaddog]

Magnificent work! I do like that pattern better! These are very masterfully done! Way to go!

[stikpusher]

Magnificent pair of hunting cats! Very nicely done!

[handiabled]

Wonderfully built duo! I really like the paint work on these! I'll be watching for the crews you add to them

[kyledehart5]

Awesome Andrew!! Great to see you back at the bench. The kitties came out great!

[cbaltrin]

Very nice!

[Joe Rix]

Absolutely outstanding finish Andrew. It is indeed great to see you rebound and finish your Jagdpanthers. Your paint and weathering is marvelous.

I feel you bro. I have been dealing with health issues for my mother and brother and it has definitely taken it's toll on the time and motivation to get to the bench. Not to mention participate on the forum. I'm slowly making my way through the malaise and getting some work done on my long overdue Panther. It's inspiring to see you get yours across the finish line. Well done.

[adt70hk]

Mar 30, 2024 14:50:24 GMT -5 Tojo72 said:

Congratulations on getting them to the finish line thanks for participating

Mar 30, 2024 14:58:50 GMT -5 buddho said:

Great looking builds!

Mar 30, 2024 15:01:12 GMT -5 dukemaddog said:

Magnificent work! I do like that pattern better! These are very masterfully done! Way to go!

Mar 30, 2024 17:17:56 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Magnificent pair of hunting cats! Very nicely done!

Mar 31, 2024 3:53:04 GMT -5 handiabled said:

Wonderfully built duo! I really like the paint work on these! I'll be watching for the crews you add to them

Mar 31, 2024 17:57:20 GMT -5 kyledehart5 said:

Awesome Andrew!! Great to see you back at the bench. The kitties came out great!

Mar 31, 2024 19:25:23 GMT -5 cbaltrin said:

Very nice!

Mar 31, 2024 20:07:10 GMT -5 Joe Rix said:

Absolutely outstanding finish Andrew. It is indeed great to see you rebound and finish your Jagdpanthers. Your paint and weathering is marvelous.

I feel you bro. I have been dealing with health issues for my mother and brother and it has definitely taken it's toll on the time and motivation to get to the bench. Not to mention participate on the forum. I'm slowly making my way through the malaise and getting some work done on my long overdue Panther. It's inspiring to see you get yours across the finish line. Well done.

What can I say gents but thank you very much indeed for such fulsome praise, coming from such as talented bunch as yourselves they are high praise indeed. We are normally our own worst critics but the only thing I was not happy with was the pigment but you have to start somewhere!




Anthony - you are more than welcome, I'm just sorry I am more than a bit late.  Thank you for running the GB.  I have only done one myself and didn't fully appreciate all the work involved in keeping up to date with the builds.

Mark - Thank you very indeed.  Have to agree with you that I prefer this camo scheme.

Kyle - Thank you very much.  Now I'm back on the saddle we must finish the AB review.

Joe - sorry to hear about your family's problems, I hope things are improving.


Thanks again chaps!



ATB



Andrew

[deafpanzer]

Your little kittens really looking great! Your work on the camo make them sweet.