Brummbar Mid Production

[robbo]

Underneath looks sweet

[wbill76]

Thanks Robbo!

[wbill76]

Today was one of my more-productive sessions in a while. I started in on the pigment weathering for the tracks and this is where using a set of workable tracks really pays off in my view. I used the same water-and-dish soap approach here but used Mig Dry Mud pigments. It's a lighter pigment that works well with the dark color of the tracks and I applied it only to the bottom surfaces of the links. The intent here is to get it into the faces of the tracks but not as heavy an application as when I was working on the lower hull.



This is allowed to air dry, the result is much lighter than the wet mix would lead you to think, and I used a round stiff bristled brush to remove most of the pigment.



The reason I don't apply the wet mix to the top side of the track is that it's not necessary. The process of dealing with the bottom side translates into a light coating of fine pigment ending up on the top side due to the action of the stiff bristled removal from the bottom. Sounds a bit counter-intuitive but it is the result. Some adjustments with the same round brush on the top side and this is how the track run ends up.



I installed the tracks on both sides and glued the sprockets into position. Once the sprockets had set up, I used some dry Mig Dry Mud pigment to lightly dust the wheels and suspension as well as the hull side to create an additional layer effect and tie them in with the tracks.



Front hull received some dusting as well as did the spare track runs. I also applied some black artist pastels inside the muzzle of the 15cm gun to improve its look.



The rear hull and spare wheels were dusted along with the exhaust. Then I added the radio antennas using 2m brass rods from RB Models. I cut the rod down for the star antenna to the proper length and used CA gel and the kit-supplied "star" portion to assemble.



The fun part with the antennas was getting the tilt and alignment right on the different antennas. The impulse is to have them both straight and upright but that's not how they were due to the different bases and points of installation.



There are just a couple small things left to clean up like adding a little bit of bare metal wear to the track faces on the sprockets and idlers since the pigments largely removed what I'd put in place earlier. Tomorrow will see this one in the photo booth for the walk-around completion pics!

[TRM]

Outstanding Bill!! Looking forward to the beauty shots!!

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Bring it on Tex

Tony

[deafpanzer]

Wait a minute!!! It was not Sunday when you posted an update. Boy, I love surprises!!! Tracks look great!

[wouter]

Nice to see an update so soon indeed ;D. Lovely work on the pigments Bill, I think you really nailed working with them. Applying pigments to other parts than the lower hull still scares the *** out of me...always afraid to mess up the previous weathering effort.

Looking forward to the endshots!

Cheers

[martyncrowther.]

Sweet dusty Brummbar Bill I really like the weathering on this!

Martyn:)

[wbill76]

T, Tony, and Martyn, thanks for the comments!

Andy, consider it a "double" feature...will post the finished pics up in the Gallery later on today once that's squared away so you get a 2-fer this weekend!

Wouter, thanks as well! Using pigments can be fairly forgiving depending on how you apply them and which type of pigment you're using. I keep a can of compressed air (one of those used to clean out keyboards) and when working with dry pigments like I did for the dusting, if they get somehwere I don't like or too heavy, a quick puff of air sets it right. Wet pigments of course are a totally different story as some of them behave more like a "stain" and can't be 100% removed, so it's all about experimenting and seeing how the different ones behave. I'm still going through the "trial and error" process myself with every build, so don't be afraid, just go for it!

[spud]

Fantastic as usual Bill

[wbill76]

Thanks spud and Dicky!

Finished pics are up in the Gallery. Here's a teaser. Thanks for following along with the build!

[deafpanzer]

What a beauty!!! Glad the picture I posted earlier was a motivator...

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Great lookin crossing of the finish line Bill.

Thanks for doing it for us
Tony

[wbill76]

Andy, I think the BBQ pictures would've been an even better motivator! ;D Thanks for the "inspiration".

Dicky, sure thing, the Gallery pics will do nicely.

Tony, thank you sir! I know how important it is for SPGs to be adequately represented, always glad to do my part.

[tonylee-Rest In Peace]

Very Adequate, you've done your part very well my son.

Tony

[multicam]

Nice finish Bill. Lovely outcome. Top notch.

[craigcole20b.]

Nice job thanks for doing the sbs

[bullardino]

Jul 29, 2012 14:48:58 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

Thanks spud and Dicky!

Finished pics are up in the Gallery. Here's a teaser. Thanks for following along with the build!

I love it!

It's been a pleasure to follow your sbs, the track weathering part was really inspiring.

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to seeing your next build

[wbill76]

Thanks Nate!

Craig and Luigi, my pleasure and glad to hear the SBS are helpful. Now I just have to decide what will be the next victim...fortunately I have the full week to stare at the stash and ponder things before deciding.

[bigjohn]

Hey Bill, I must say that it has been fun watching this build progress. Looking forward to your next project.

[wbill76]

Dicky, I started out building wingy thingies as a kid and when I came back to the hobby in 2000 I built a few A/C...even had a trio of Airfix 1/24 (Stuka, Spitfire, Me109) suspended from the cieling for a while but I was won over to the dark side of armor modeling and that's all I do now. I did build some Allied stuff for a while but since about 2005 I've been focused strictly on German/Axis stuff...there was no way I could keep up with both sides in terms of kits and build interest so decided to specialise. I do admire work across all periods/genres though!

John, thanks for following along with me, I enjoyed it a good bit myself, one of the more enjoyable builds in fact even though it presented a couple of challenges along the way.

[406 Silverado]

Yep, another great looking model Bill. Can't wait to see what you start next.

[bbd468]

Another FANTASTIC build Bill!

Gary

[wbill76]

Thanks Rob and Gary! I'm leaning heavily towards an Sdkfz 251/22 at the moment...haven't built an HT in a while and it's been calling to me quietly from its corner in the stash. ;D

[bbd468]

Jul 31, 2012 10:57:26 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

Thanks Rob and Gary! I'm leaning heavily towards an Sdkfz 251/22 at the moment...haven't built an HT in a while and it's been calling to me quietly from its corner in the stash. ;D

OH!...Thank goodness! I thought i might be the only one that has kits calling at me. My T-90 kepps whispering, Gary...build me...Gary...i know you want me... Freaks me out man!!! ;D ;D

[wbill76]

Gary,

Not all of the kits talk...would be quite the cacophony from the modest 70 kits that are waiting their turn in the closet! They all know that they will get a turn one day...and some have waited patiently for a long while. But when the "bench clearing ritual" begins, that's when they know they can exert their influence and the lobbying begins! ;D

[406 Silverado]

That's a good one Bill. Built it a few years back.

[bigjohn]

I'm looking forward to that 251 Bill.

[wbill76]

Me too John! I've spent some time this week browsing through my references and will start in on it tomorrow...today was spent getting the bench nice and tidy and squaring away some other things so should have a good stretch of bench time to get this one rolling.