Dragon Jagdpanzer IV L/70(V) Finished! 8-18-05

[vindicareassassin]

Aug 7, 2015 19:37:55 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

It never ceases to amaze me how effective this simple step can make such a huge difference in the overall finish. I also added some careful streaking in various spots using the same brush/wash combo to create a little more variety in the weathering.

I only started doing the pin line/wash myself when I got back into the hobby just over a year ago, beforehand I just used to rely on a couple of washes of super thin ink to do the job for me, now I like to spend the time to do the individual pin wash as the results are so much more defined/refined. I, though, use thinned artists waterproof inks in different shades, Burnt Umber and Sepia mostly.


Also being a waterbased kind of boy I'm trying to perfect using artists watercolours for the streaking effects as acrylics seem to leave what looks like a dried out blob of grainy paint when super thinned with water. The results seem to be promising so far 


She looks loverly by the way 

[wbill76]

Thanks Leon!

Sean, always more than one way to skin the cat when it comes to producing effects. Just a matter of learning the little quirks that come with the different mediums. Watercolors and acrylics will behave slightly different from enamels and oils both in terms of drying and work times and how they handle the pigments but in the end you can get the same effects in terms of creating shadows and getting the details to 'pop' while still retaining the overall finish effects. Like you, I tend to mix my own stuff vs. using the pre-mixed stuff but that's more out of habit than anything else. One advantage (or difference, depending on how you look at it) that the pre-mixed stuff does seem to have in general is a finer grain of pigment in their formulas since they are designed to produce a different result vs. regular paint. Sometimes that's what you want, sometimes not, it depends on the situation. Just one more tool in the arsenal!

[deafpanzer]

Aug 7, 2015 15:58:20 GMT -5 wbill76 said:

Aug 7, 2015 13:29:01 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Bill, did I ever tell you how much I love the camo?

Hope you've saved up enough for the ring Andy!

I don't think I have enough but hey I can take her with me to Europe for Band of Brother tour next summer. I am sure she would have loved it too!

[wbill76]

The weathering process continued this time with a little different twist from the ordinary. I decided to add some variation to the lower hull in the form of some dot filters for that area to create more visual interest vs. the normal straight pigment application. The colors chosen were of the earth tone variety with Raw Sienna as the dominant color in combination with Raw Umber and a 50/50 mix of MM enamel Leather and Military Brown. It would've been a lot easier to do this if the return rollers and road wheels weren't already installed, but I hadn't planned to do this at the time. Definitely something to remember for the future!

After I was done with the dot filters, I also gave the suspension and various details the Burnt Umber pin wash to create shadows and pop out the details.



After completing this for both sides, the next step was to seal it all up with a dose of Testors Lusterless Flat in the spray can. Once that had dried, I removed the bits of blue tack poster putty that had been protecting the periscopes and touched them up where needed. The clear styrene rear Notek convoy light was detailed with some Tamiya Clear Smoke and installed into the holder on the left rear fender to round things out.





All that's left now is to get the tracks weathered up and ready for install and make the final push for the pigment weathering to the running gear.

[deafpanzer]

Pin washing sure did the trick especially on the wheels!

[elco]

Yup, lower hull looking much better, the only thing i am missing is the fuel stains

Your soft weathering style sure did the trick again!

[wbill76]

Thanks Andy!

Elco, believe it or not I actually made a couple of attempts at a little fuel stain/drips but couldn't get it to look right for some reason. Trial and error has its limits! Glad you like where this one's headed, almost done with it.

[elco]

Oh ok, maybe a thinned mix from a dark color Vallejo and a bit of gloss should do the trick. Anyhow good job!

[reserve]

Great job brother

Regards,
Mark

[Leon]

Great job on the lower hull weatering Bill!

[wbill76]

Thanks Mark and Leon! Hope to make the final push over the next few days if things work out the way they should...

[vindicareassassin]

Looks real nice... a breath of fresh air in amongst all the battered, spanked and rusted hulks that would never make it past any RSM, at any time, that seems to be in vogue at this present time 

[wbill76]

Aug 13, 2015 14:53:01 GMT -5 vindicareassassin said:

Looks real nice... a breath of fresh air in amongst all the battered, spanked and rusted hulks that would never make it past any RSM, at any time, that seems to be in vogue at this present time 

Thanks! Every vehicle had a 'life' from factory fresh through to whatever end it met along the way I guess. Combat conditions can have a profound effect on a vehicle considering. Since I build mostly stand-alone vehicles, I tend to go lighter in my treatment unless it's sitting on a base or in a dio that can explain the context of 'how it got that way'. Since this particular vehicle is sporting an 'ambush' disc camo pattern that was only used for a short period of time and the vehicle's features are confined to a narrow window of production in late 1944 (basically Sept-Nov), the approach I've taken with it aims to reflect that. It's still 'young' in its life so to speak but has been in the field and seen some use.

That's not to say that there also isn't an aesthetic or artistic element to finishes, far from it of course. Different finishing methods come in and out of fashion over time and some people prefer the wrecked/heavily worn look because it conveys a sense of 'heaviness' to the finish. More power to them if that's what they enjoy doing with the art form IMHO. I will do heavy finishes myself when the situation warrants it. A winter whitewash for example or more recently my DAK 222 project are perfect examples. It all depends!

[panzerjager2]

Outstanding paint job

[wbill76]

Thanks PJ!

[wbill76]

I've been working on the pigment side of things for this project. First up were the tracks. I used Mig Dried Mud and applied it wet using ordinary tap water with a small drop of liquid dishwashing soap added to break its surface tension. This was 'painted' onto the tracks and allowed to air dry. Once dry, I worked on it with some stiff bristled brushes to remove pigment and get the look I was after.



The lower hull also got some attention. Using the same wet approach, I used som Mig Dark Mud pigment around the suspension elements and the road wheels.



Tracks will go on next and then just a couple of small things left to wrap this one up!

[TRM]

Nice seeing the shoes ready to go on Bill!! Spiffy work on the lower end dirtifiction! Put the shades on...that light is getting brighter!!

[Leon]

Nice work on the pigmentation and lower hull Bill!

[wouter]

Again some classic Bill style weathering. Great work indeed mate

Cheers

[wbill76]

Thanks Todd! For a build that was supposed to be relatively 'quick' this one's taken longer than expected...but that light sure is welcome!

Leon, thanks as always my friend!

Wouts, glad to have you stop by as well...the end is near!

[Wes]

Bill she is a thing of beauty. Great build buddy.

[wbill76]

Thanks Wes! Looking forward to getting this one all wrapped up.

[wbill76]

Finished up with the pigment work and got the tracks installed on both sides. I used a little bit of the Dry Mud pigment as 'dust' for things like the spare road wheel, tracks, tools, etc. to give them a little more blended look while I was at it.

Sprockets were permanently installed along with the MK workable tracks and the idlers tweaked a bit here and there where needed to get the desired sag.





Just about done!

[Tojo72]

Great work,sag looks just right.

[Leon]

Bring it on home Bill,really looking fantastic!

[richardcraig-Email Not Valid]

Haven't been around for months but you sure haven't slowed up one bit ... Looking great Bill ..

[vindicareassassin]

Inspiring work!!

[Deano]

Hell yeah Bill , you have nailed this one buddy . Inspiration for me to try this camo in 1/72

[deafpanzer]

You must have gotten those shoes during 'Back to School' sale too?!?!? Had to get several pairs for my boys too. But I like yours better by far!!!

[Wes]

Thats the bees knees Bill. Wow.