Sd.Kfz. 7 initial / sFH18 15cm

Neuling
Looking forward ..........

Jean-Christophe Zeus
Thank, but I'm taking a short break doing a Trumpeter KV-1 1942. I very much needed this after all that PE. And a positional light flew off...

Jean-Christophe Zeus
Finally some progress. The dashboard was a lot of work: it's a pity that the part included in the kit is much less detailed than the rest of the kit, and there are no decals for the dials and instruction plates included. So I replaced with the one from the Voyager kit and with dry transfers from Archer. The only part I kept from the kit was the odometer left of the steering wheel.
The license plates were also quite time-consuming, as they have to assembled from separate digits. Not very user-friendly! Strangely, the license number shown on the cover art is WH-111012, whereas the instructions say WH-111072. Which is the correct one I have no idea. I have lots of literature on this vehicle, including the two volumes of Camera On, but this one isn't included. But I won't lose any sleep over this issue.

Jean-Christophe Zeus
I'll call it a day for now. I started the sFH18 and I'll add some cargo like crates, jerrycans etc. later.

Neuling
👍

Vytautas
Impressive. Perfect modeling and weathering. Well, there's something you don't see every day. This is top-notch work!

Jean-Christophe Zeus
Thank you for the kind words! If I would build one again, I'd make things somewhat easier for me by 1) using a better CA glue, 2) using an applicator I made by tying a length of wire attached to an old paintbrush, 3) using de-bonder, which I didn't even know at the time. And I would definitely use 3D-printed parts for the rifle holders on the crew compartment floor. They were truly horrible to make out of PE - no two look the same. I bought a nice set on Shapeways and they are very good.

Hekimpd
The weathering is awesome! Was that all done with pigments? If so, mind explaining how you went through the process? The result is spot on.

James C
Awesome looking half-track mate, fantastic painting and weathering 👍
Any idea what the "box" is on the floor next to the drivers position?

Jean-Christophe Zeus
@James_C: Thank you! The box is the battery. The part from the kit was very basic, so I replaced it with PE parts from the Voyager set. There was also a lid for it, but I can't find it at the moment so I left it as it is.

Jean-Christophe Zeus
@Hekimpd: Thank you! The weathering was indeed mostly done with pigments. I'll try to summarize my method.

After priming with Vallejo Panzer Grey, I try to make the uniform colour a little more interesting by applying a slightly blueish filter and, after drying, various oil colours (green, tan, pink) as small dots and then worked into the base-colour with turpentine-moistened brush.

Then comes a clear satin varnish to protect the base-colour, followed by pin-washing with MiG Dark Wash. To enhance little details like rivets etc., I apply some dry-brushing with medium grey oil-colour. The model looks quite unnatural at this point, but the effects get toned down in the subsequent weathering with pigments.

For pigments, I use various brown and ochre tones to make it less uniform, diluted in Thinner for Washes and applied in spots where I feel dust would gather in real life. After the thinner has evaporated, I take off the excess pigments with a dry or slightly moistened paintbrush. When I'm happy with the result I fix them in place with Pigment Fixer. I use a medium-sized brush and try to apply the minimum amount of fixer, letting capillary action do most of the work. That way, the pigments stay more or less as they were.

Finally, I do some dry-brushing with gun metal (AK True Metal wax) on parts that are heavily used, like handles and arm-rests, to simulate worn-off paint. Then I tone down the steel effect a bit with black pigment applied with a rubber brush.

With a complex vehicle such as this one, I do the weathering of the chassis before adding the superstructure, as it would be very difficult to reach certain parts.

Hekimpd
@Jean-Christophe Zeus: Thank you very much for your en-depth response! I find it interesting you use pink oil paint for dot filtering. I'm in the process of doing oil paint work on the lower hull of a pzkpfw ii and will be following up with pigments. I appreciate the explanation. Again, fantastic work sir.

James C
Thanks for the info Jean. I recall the Tamiya kit had a similar box in the same position and always wondered what it was 😉👍