German LSM Eidechse Class

Peter Hardy
Wow! Just so near perfect! The cover pic had me thinking for a second it was the pic of the real landing craft until I saw no bend in the helo blades. Then thought they wouldn't have a chopper on a barge on land and then it all fell into place. Absolutely stunning weathering! Just jaw dropping! Congratulations on a super build.

Gluefinger
Hi Peter, thanks for your flattering comments! And for your suggestion regarding the blades; I will submit them to some bending as they have not been glued on yet.
Strangely, I find a super clean shiny finish (as with your yellow Lamborghini) much harder to achieve than the beaten up appearance seen here. 😉

Kerry COX
The only thing the model makers failed to do was represents the 'shoes' that hung off the bottom of each of the bow doors that folded up out of the way to stop the doors from jamming into the beach. I served on the Australian version of these LSM's. VietNam era.

Gluefinger
Hi Kerry - yet another opportunity for scratch building! I have tried to find pictures of the "shoes", but with no success. Can you help?

Kerry COX
LOL. We kept on loosing ours in rough seas, as being a flat bottom vessel, the impact with oncoming waves was always going to see the pins that held them in place shear straight through, causing some moderate flooding down the well deck. !
Unfortunately, all the images I had of my days on board the 'Vernon Sturdee' AV1355 were destroyed when my mothers house burned down some 30 years ago. !
There should be some drawings of the LSM to be found in US Naval archives, and I will see what is available and how clear they are for your scratching around.
I did fail to mention that the build is an excellent one and has bought home some fond memories for me. (I was only 18)
navsource.org/archives/10/14/14idx.htm
Maybe here. ?

[img1]

Gluefinger
Thanks Kerry, both for the praise an the link - I will keep searching.
>> I did fail to mention that the build [...] bought home some fond memories for me
That is probably the most flattering thing anyone can say about a model, especially when it comes from somebody who knows the "real thing".

Kerry COX
It was one big adventure for me to be part of the most exclusive unit in the Royal Australian Army. 32 Small Ships Squadron. Engineers. Life was grand. hehehehehehe 👍 🙂

Kerry COX
All these links show a section of the lower part of the bow door where the 'shoe' should be located.
Almost a 'cut away' of 3 feet long by one foot deep.
Pivoting on three 'eyes' with a steel pin going the full length fore and aft of the 'shoe' through these 'eyes.

Gluefinger
@Kerry: Seems like I would have to do some surgery to the bow doors in order to provide the "shoes", and that's not something I am going to do to the finished model. Thanks anyway for your help!

Kerry COX
I never expected you to go around with a hammer and tongs changing something I noticed was omitted by the manufacturer mate. But it's nice to know you looked at what I was talking about as an omission and not your fault. All is good mate. 👍 🙂

Gluefinger
@Kerry: Nah worries (sorry, used to live in Brisbane)! I never felt "nudged" in any way. I originally thought that the "shoes"were something I could add by kneading a littly putty and sticking it on the doors, that's why I investigated the matter.

Kerry COX
I'm an old Enoggera boy. Dad was engineers. 24 Construction Sqn. 🙂
I was thinking a small slice of thin plastic card. !

Kerry COX
Brissy eh. ? !
I was born and raised at Enoggera, western suburbs. 🙂
The 'shoe' is for me, a small sliver of thin plasticard. 👍

Frank Spahr
Wow, what a fine result, and what a subtle and nicely blended in weathering! Great technique and feeling for "the look"!

Nathan Dempsey
Beautiful finish! Did all the vehicles and helicopter come with the kit?

Gluefinger
@Frank: Thanks! Now I need someone to show me how to do a decent water backdrop. Got anyone in mind? 😉

Gluefinger
@Nathan: Yes, all vehicles including the helicopter came with the kit. In fact, it came with three each of the land-based vehicles, just couldn't get them to fit. The US version of the kit comes with a different set.

Martin Oostrom
Check out some of Christian Bruer builds. He is a master shipbuilder.

e.g. Ship model displays | Album by Christian Bruer

Laurent VILLANUEVA HELLER ForEver
fabulous

Neuling
Impressive build with inspiring weathering!

Gluefinger
@Laurent & Neuling: thanks for your kind words!
@Laurent: Shouldn't that be "Glow2b-forever" these days? 😉
@Neuling: I love "Good Morning Vietnam"!

Gluefinger
@Martin Oostrom: I was just teasing Frank. He's the master water caster.

Matthew Stec
Outstanding job!

coporado
Superb model and very convincing weathering job!

Frank Spahr
Thank you, Gluefinger! You´ll find three albums on making seascapes in my profile. I have taken several images of the base in my ongoing project, and will post them when it´s done!

Gluefinger
@Matthew, coporado: Thanks!

Gluefinger
To everybody who likes the weathering:

Note that, as described in the project's description, no special "rust" or "weathering" products were used.

I believe these are as useless as most of the "special purpose" crap such as "Afrika Corps Wash", "Early Luftwaffe Cockpits Paint and Weathering Set" and other questionable merchandise by companies with names usually starting with an "A". Manufacturers try to make customers believe that they can buy readymade solutions for modelling tasks in a bottle, but of course that's not how it works (and modelling would be boring if it did).

Rust is a process, not a product. If you don't know how rust works, you can buy rust products by the dozen and still end up nowhere. If you have learned how rust works by observing it in real life, you don't need these products. All you need is a goodly selection of photographs you have made of the real thing, and a couple of Browns in your paintbox.

Choppa Nutta
Lovely work ! 🙂

Peter Hardy
Glue finger, I look forward to the tutorial. Lord knows I need one!

Wilson Manson
Love this build - well done! I am off to look for this kit...

Spanjaard
I missed this beauty before, great job gluefinger
About your statement in regard to companies selling lots of things we do not need.... in spain we say you can say it louder, but not possible to be more true.... agree with you totally!!!
Those companies are mostly from great modellers who did amazing models and dios, without any of the stuff they try to make us buy today......

Gluefinger
Thanks for a new round of applause! 😉

Tutorial is pretty simple, really.

In the order of application:

Black base coat overall.
Grey base colour, several coats misted on unevenly (very little at the corners), with a bit of vertical streaking. Imagine you are dragging bits of the surface out from the pitch black of the base coat.
Mists of lightened versions of base colour, concentrated at the centers.

Very light blueish filter overall.

3 shades of brown for rust:
First, dark chocolate brown (old rust) sprayed rather thickly, but concentrated on small areas.
Then, medium brown, thinned 1:5, misted on more lightly, but covering greater areas.
Finally light reddish brown, thinned 1:10, misted on very lightly in larger areas, and built up heavier (with vertical streaks) where one would expect water to be running down.

Micro chipping with ruined large brush on non-rusted areas, using black, medium grey, and light grey. Colour must not be thinned to much to keep edges of chips sharp.

Micro chipping with very fine brush on rusted areas, using shades of brown/red/orange.

A few very, very small (at the edge of visibilty) sharp dots of "crazy" colours one would never expect in this setting (purple, pink, ...), applied with a tiny brush all over the place.

With most of the weathering steps, the difficult part is making it look sufficiently random while still following the "logic" of rust creeping and paint deteriorating. My method: Relax. Play some Nils Frahm. "Free your mind, and your body will follow."

Have fun!

Gluefinger
@Wilson Manson:
>> I am off to look for this kit...
Better be quick. Revell adds 10 Euros to the price with every new release.

Gluefinger
@Spanjaard:
>> Those companies are mostly from great modellers who did amazing models and dios, without any of the stuff they try to make us buy today......
My thinking exactly. I have stopped falling for this kind of merchandise after buying an "Eric Clapton Signature Edition" guitar only to find out my playing still sounded like ass. 😉

Spanjaard
LOL 🙂

Kerry COX
This model brings back some great memories of sailing on one of these, in the Australia Army LSM's of 32 Small Ships Sqn. 1964. "Vernon Sturdee" AV2355.
I am still yet to buy this kit, but now I have seen that it is as all LSM's of the era, I will have a lot of fun doing so. 👍
Thank you for the inspiration.
Beautifully done.

Björn Leichsenring
Have you mor pics of the copter? Really nice built of your LSM.

Tim
Very nice buold and an interesting kit

Lochsa River
great weathering

Gluefinger
@Björn Leichsenring:
>> Have you mor pics of the copter?
No, but can try to shoot a few more if you let me know what aspect you are interested in. Note that it is a tiny thing. BTW, I have given the blades a little sag after I shot the photos in the album.

Vampy's Matt
You've made me want to build this kit, I'm doing "Salamander". Very well done!

Simon Nagorsnik
Fantastic paint job!
The rust looks awesome, allover a very good weathering.
Like it!!

Rui S
Excellent work 👍

Agnius
Very nice! 👍

Neuling
Excellent paintwork and weathering!

Villiers de Vos
Very nice work and weathering on this ship.

Łukasz Gliński
Wow, that is really dirty 👍

Mr James
Fantastic distressed weathering work. Bloody good work