Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 8 Finishing the beast

The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Part 5.1

Part 6.

Part 7.

OK, the final push… fixing the running gear, painting small details, and dusting it up. (I wanted to leave scratches and paintchips off this time; historically it is more accurate, but the real reason is that I am experimenting with effects. I don’t want all my models look the same.)

The running gear was somewhat damaged during the subsequent handling, so I had to do some fixing, painting and extra weathering. It is not perfect I admit.

I painted smaller details, like the plug on the machine gun port.

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And finally, I added dust and mud.

I started with Mig Ammo’s washable dust. I never managed to actually wash it back off (it sticks quite well to the matte surfaces I prefer, and it runs into tiny droplets when sprayed onto smooth surface), but it is a very good-looking dust paint. I carefuly built up the dust effect from the bottom up using an airbrush. The horizontal top surfaces got dust layers using a brush, and I did manage to wash them back before full drying.

Added streaks using AK’s weathering pencils and some streaking products.

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The bottom part (running gear, mud guards, etc) got light washes of different mud-colored pigments; after drying it looks pretty convincing. (The one big thing I need to learn is creating mud with volume…)

The running gear, the tracks, the edges were lined with a silver pencil to give a slight metallic shine to the model, and essentially I was done. The model is ready (yes, there could be some more things done with it, but for now I declare it finished).

The interior can be seen through the transparent parts I left unpainted; however it was quite difficult to take photos through them, so here are some photos from the building phase as reminder.

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Overall, Amusing Hobby managed to create a complex model with an interior which is relatively easy to assemble, although there are some problematic areas. The top of the superstructure does not fit very well, and the individual track links are no ideal, either. There are some other fit issues I mentioned in the posts about the assembly, and as Peter kindly commented, the interior is not perfectly replicated. Regardless, the model is highly recommended: it builds up into an impressive replica of the Ferdinand tank destroyer, and all that space inside is perfectly filled out with interesting details.

Now off to finish some long-outstanding builds before starting that T-72…

One last thing to mention.

On this photo used to promote Amusing Hobby’s new version of the Elephan it totally looks like if that dude was milking the vehicle.

That is all.

Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 7. Weathering steps

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The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Part 5.1

Part 6.

OK, after the Mig Ammo filter chipping, I was a bit more careful applying green filter to the model. These filters can be created from oil paints, but it is nice to have pre-mixed colors, and not just the ones you get from the tube. This particular filter is for green vehicles, but you can actually use them for other colors without the modeling police showing up at your door. The previous layers were light brownish colors- closer to the Dunkelgelb, and this layer is a green color -close to the olive green, hence tying the colors of the camo together somewhat, lessening the contrast. (It did work as intended; the model does not look as artificial as before already.)

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This is followed by the oil-dot method, which is also a type of filter. This time I do use oil paints and ZestIt to wash most of it down. I am using yellows and greens, which are close to the camo colors -darker on the bottom, lighter on the top. I apply the dots to the surface, then with a moistened, clean wash, I start removing the paint using downward strokes, while constantly cleaning the brush.

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The next oil-based step was to apply the paint straight. I used burned umber mostly, and applied it into the darker areas to form a sort of shadow/accumulated, thin mud. The paint was gently spread with a dry brush, to “massage” and feather it; you can create a really nice transition with this method. (Just use a very little amount of paint.)

On the top of the vehicle I used a yellowish hue to achieve fading. I used some dark wash on the weld seams and corners.

Well, this is the end of the oil weathering phase.

Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 6. finishing the build for real -and painting the beast

Well, finishing up the build… The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

Part 5.1

Well, the Ferdinand was almost finished -the tracks were not installed as it made more sense to do after having painted the base color.

I finally bought out the airbrush, and applied Dunkelgelb from Mig Ammo (they have to shades: one until ’44, and a much lighter after ’44 -I used them mixed to give some tonal differences, focusing on the darker shades on the lower part, and putting the lightened layers on top.

While the paint cured, I painted the tracks dark grey, and applied AK’s True Metal Gun Metal on the parts that were subject to constant friction (where the road wheels and drive wheels touch the track links). The rest is treated with a couple of rust washes and a generous amount of dirt and mud.

I also applied mud to the sides of the lower chassis with layers of dust washes from Vallejo and also using Vallejo Thick mud (industrial dust) to give it volume. Once dried I stained some of it with a couple of thin, brownish washes.

This is a pale, greyish colored thick paste, which can be used to give texture to mud. It can also be mixed with different colors (acrylic paints, washes, pigments, etc.) to create darker shades as well. Diluted with water it can be used as a “splashing” mud -a lot of ways to use it. (Cost effective modelling.)

Once all this was dry, I glued the tracks on. The running gear is movable, but I did not have the patience and mindfulness to make the tracks themselves workable -they were fiddly to assemble as it is.

The tracks installed I added the mudgards, and now the model was ready to progress with the camoflage.

I applied silly putty on the top to cover the transparent parts in patches, and then proceeded to paint the green. I wanted to do the green intersecting lines style camo, and for that I should have really started with the green, and used putty to make the lines… but I started with a sand primer (on the top), so went the other way around. It took me about three hours to up the mask up (god bless teams conferences…).

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I used a somewhat lightened Model Master olivegrun for the green in several thin layers (to avoid it sweeping under the mask). It was somewhat a stressful moment to take the mask off, but it worked out just well. I quite like the results.

I brush painted the details on top, which were covered by the mask (hatches, etc.) with both Dunkelgelb and Olivegrun, corrected some parts where the mask did not work perfectly, and the first part of the painting was done.

The last step at this stage was to use a dark brown filter by Mig Ammo.

Which led to an interesting discovery: the enamel-based filter dissolves the acrylic paint produced by the same company, leading to an instant chipping/worn paint effect.

I did not plan to do a lot of chipping, but I think I just discovered a new technique for chipping. (Or, alternatively, almost ruined my model. I prefer the former version.)

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Next step: weathering this somewhat artificial-looking beast. (By the way, my wife said she liked the way it looked. Out of the blue. Nice…)

Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 5.1 Finishing the build

Well, finishing up the build… The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

Part 5.

OK, now it is ready to be painted. Personally I blame the holidays for the lack of progress.

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Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 5. Finishing the build

Well, finishing up the build… The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

Part 4.

So, further difficulties… although not big ones.

The periscopes do not fit into their slots -neither on the driver’s hatch, nor on the top of the vehicle. Bummer.

The mantlet (part number A8) of the gun barrel did not fit into place, either; I trimmed about a mm off from the end to be able to slot it into place.

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Because the gun is set off-set, and not centered (I had the bright idea to display it off-centered… talk about self-goals), I can’t fit the roof of the fighting compartment into place. The gunsight gets in the way, unfortunately. I strongly suggest centering the gun, or leave the hatches open so that the gunsight can stick out of the tank. I will have to figure something out; maybe display it lifted.

The tank is essentially done apart from the tow cables and a few minor parts. I will glue the fenders in place once I installed the tracks, and call it a day. I am still unsure about what tracks to use as I am not happy with either options, but I would like to stress something. None of these issues are deal-breaking – the model went together rather well. It is quite a spectacular-looking model, and considering that it comes with a full interior it was not a tour de force to build it. I do confess my love to the MiniArt kits with interior, but a T-54 was a much, much more involved process. This model went together surprisingly quickly. The ease of building obviously does come with some compromise with regards to detail. The question obviously is how much detail you can live without. I am happy to say that this level I am fine with -milage may vary. I am sure there will be a 1kg Voyager update set with PE and resin for the people who wish for more. Perhaps an aftermarket set of tracks would be useful but otherwise I am fine with this model out of the box.

Now I just need to paint the thing.

Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 4.

Well, finishing up the interior… The previous installments:

Part 1.

Part 2.

Part 3.

The interior was a surprisingly short affair, compared to RFM’s or Takom’s Panthers‘ (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your point of view… right now I am happy it did not take years).

I cut the floor of the fighting compartment to show off half of the electric motor, and the assorted parts; I also did a cut on the panel holding the gun, but still very little can be seen of the engines. I actually took one of them out to display it separately.

The superstructure was finished (a few bits and pieces are missing still) and weathered with AK’s interior wash, oils, chipping done with brush and sponge, and some AK rust pencils.

One issue with the decals: there are no stencils for the interior or the ammunition. It is important in this case since you can see the bottom of the rounds from above. I used RFM’s decals for the Panther ammo to depict the primer. It does improve the overall look of the model.

Based on the few photos available on the driver’s compartment it does not seem to be completely accurate, but it is easy to work with if you want to.

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I also ran into the first fit issues…

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1. The horizontal cover of the driving comparment, D2, (where the extra tracklinks are stored) is too long. It needs to be filed down so it actually fits inside the hull. I did not remove enough so now it is bent… I think I will install the spare tracklinks after all to hide this shameful fact. (It was not clear when I glued it in place. The frontal part is straight as I had it pressed flat in its place – the back part, however, stayed bent.
2. At step 33 the assembly of the air filters (those strange flower-like things on both sides of the gun) should not be done in the suggested order. The instructions would have you put the whole filter assembly together, and then install them in place. You should first glue the individual holding legs into place, and then add the top of the filters with the canisters installed.
3. E18, the panel that holds the gun, and the top of the engines do not have enough clearance… The engines are a mm or so too high, and will not let the panel settle into its place.
4. The superstructure has a very tight fit… I had to remove the gun, in order to be able to glue the top of the superstructure on -which obviously created fit issues with the gun later on. The gun was heavily modified: I cut off the pin that would keep it in place because once the superstructure is on, it cannot be inserted into the hole on the floor, and the gun shield was thinned somewhat. This allowed me to squeze the gun into place. Since I did not want it to be boring, I made it a slight off-center as if it was aiming at something.
5. Part D5 (some sort of engine hatch) is too wide to fit between the superstructure and the engine deck. I had to sand it a bit off.
6. Part J35 should be labelled B35…
7. I am seriously considering using the flexible, rubber band tracks…

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Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 3.

Building and painting as I go. I used AK’s French blue for the greyish/blueish parts, and a black thread for the V belt on the engine. (And lots of rust on the exhausts…)

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Touching it up here and there: some red is added to to some fine details to make them pop; it will be a shame to cover it up. I think I will cut the crew compartment’s floor in half to show off what is underneath.

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Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 2.

Well, keep going with the interior of the lower hull. The assembly was a joy; most parts are simply dry fitted during painting as they fit really well, and slot into their respective places. Part one went well, part two continues this trend.

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I gave a few, subsequently lightening coats of AK’s dunkelgelb to the bottom, and started with the ivory interior color (also AK, then misted over with MRP’s paint to lighten it on the top), using the bottom of the crew compartment as a mask (also some masking tape for the other areas not covered by it.

The gun needs some filler. Which is a bummer.

The suspension is an unique torsion bar system, which is reproduced by Amusing Hobby -at least now I know how it is supposed to work.

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Does it work? Kind of.

It is very well designed, but the metal springs/torsion bars are not very strong. The metal springs have a slot on the hull which produces the tension; it is not very difficult to install them. (First I thought the metal wire hanging out of the suspension units are leftovers, but no; they do have a role.) Some of the units do have a “spring” to it, but most are quite flaccid. It does move, though.

Onto painting details – that is the topic of the next post.

Amusing Hobby 1/35 Ferdinand with interior part 1.

 

I have seen the Tiger exhibition in Bovingdon, and there is an article on armorama worth reading.

I never really liked the way the Ferdinand looked- the JagdPanther had a much sleeker outline. However, it was a very intruiging vehicle due to Ferdinand Porche’s unique solution for powering this monster, which in itself made it a must to have a model with an interior.

There are only a few illustrations available of the interior of the tank online:

There is, however, a book available if you fancy buying one (and understand German -although the photos alone would be enough I suspect).

Until now there was only one option for interior: Jaguar’s set, which only consisted of the fighting and the driving compartments -not the interesting (for me at least) bits.

It is well-worth watching the Tank Museum’s Tank Chat of this tank destroyer -although regrettably they did not climb into it.

Here are some photos I took of this vehicle.

Anyhow. I decided to start this model out of the stash. The model, in general, looks simple and easy to build, despite of the complex interior – a great news indeed after the previous tribulations. The part number is suprisingly low for a kit like this, which, after the RFM Panther, is definitely welcome news… There are some annoying ejector pin marks, however. (See photos below.)

Things to keep in mind: painting and building are very interconnected. The instructions will not take into consideration the fact that several parts will be needed to be painted together, or just the opposite, need to be painted separately… I already made a couple of mistakes of gluing parts into place without thinking about how to paint them later on. This is a normal thing with all the complex models; it is up to the modeller to modify the sequence as they see fit.

The decals leave something to desire: there are no decals for the interior or the ammunition. I suspect I will just use Verlinden’s interior set, and the leftovers from the RFM/Takom Panthers for the ammunition -whomever can read the stencils can complain they are not correct for 88mm.

The engines do not have V-belts; they can be added with very little effort. If you want to do so, here is a good page for reference.

I really like that Amusing Hobby offered an alternative for tracks: either individual track links, or if you can’t be bothered with the tedium of assembly, a flexible rubber-band-like option. There is a jig provided for assembly but it is not that easy to make the tracks workable. The point of contact between the track links is really tiny, and it is very easy to get glue where it should not be,

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Interior overall has a good fit, and it is well designed; so far I am really happy with the model. The fit is so good some parts are held in place firmly without glue. A lot of the parts on the photos are only dry-fit, not glued -except for those two cylinders behind the driving compartment, which I unfortunately glued in. They will need to be painted with a brush in situ.

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The tale of two Panthers 2: a build comparison of the Rye Field Models and Takom models

So I finally finished these kits.

It is worth watching this little youtube video just to get into the mood:

There is also an interesting summary of wartime analyses by the Allies.

The builds can be found here: RFM and Takom Panthers. I also did an an in-box comparison with lots of photos of the parts.

If you are interested in more sprue shots and individual in-box reviews, both have been covered by other modellers; the Takom model was reviewed here, and the Rye Field Model here.

Problems with the kits:

Let’s start with the problems because I am a Hungarian, therefore naturally predisposed towards pessimism and negativity. I would also mention here that some of the problems listed  are absolutely a matter of taste… so do not be surprised if you see two opposing features (too much detail vs not enough detail) listed. I am trying to give an impression of both kits, and both have their positive and negative aspects.

RFM

I think the first two are really serious; the rest is more a matter of personal taste.

• Fit issues in the bottom hull. Serious fit issues
• Fit issues with the top of the hull… not as serious but still. There are some gaps left at the sides, and there are no side-skirts that would hide them.
• Extremely overenginered (way too many parts for details that are mostly invisible)
• A LOT of PE. As they say: just because you can do something, it does not mean you always should do that thing. Some detail could have been moulded on, or provided as a plastic part. Some are not even visible.
• Individual tracks are provided pre-detached only attached to a small piece of plastic, so cutting is simple, the teeth are moulded hollow, which is great, but there are two injector pin mark on each track link, which, frankly, sucks.
• The gun breech is a two-part affair, with the two parts joining right in the middle. Somewhat annoying to fill. As with the Takom muzzle break -why? It is not the ’70s any more.
• The horizontal hull sides are attached using large “flaps” which will leave some serious and visible seamlines to clean up. A bit sloppy.
• The tube running around the gun breach (compressed air bore evacuation system) is missing. It can be replicated using wire, but with a kit this complex you really should not have to. I would expect at least four, near invisible PE and an extremely thin plastic part for it.
• fume evacuator hose from the turret basket is a rigid, two-part assembly, difficult to install
• apart from the gun breech, some parts are designed so that they are joined smack in the middle, so putty is needed (a part of the turret turning mechanism, for example).
• you have to add some rivets to the parts instead of them being molded onto them… (same part as above)
• options are not always explained clearly
• some of the injection pin marks are in visible places; technology makes it possible to do away with them, so the modeller does not have to fill and sand
• the working suspension breaks/bends very easy. I know the torsion bars are made of plastic, but I still ended up gluing them in place, before the whole tank started to sit funny.

Takom

• Less detailed than the RFM kit (I know, I know, contradicting the RFM list). The turret interior is especially visibly less detailed.
• two part muzzle break -not a big deal, but… why? It looks like a very archaic solution
• static running gear (some like it, some do not)
• the teeth on the tracks are a chore to attach and not always stay on; no injector pin marks, though.
• Static suspension
• some of the pictures in the instruction manual are really tiny
• some of the injection pin marks are in visible places; technology makes it possible to do away with them, so the modeller does not have to fill and sand

Good things about the kits

RFM

• extremely detailed; a museum quality model can be built out of it. It is ideal for wrecks, cutaways, vehicles under assembly or maintenance
• working suspension and tracks. The assembly of tracks using the little jig is a joy
• the clear parts make displaying the interior simpler

Takom

• easy to assemble (well, relatively); it reminded me of the MiniArt kits I have been building, with a little better quality
• elegantly designed
• tries to do most everything without the use of PE; some people may appreciate it (I do), some may not -it is a matter of taste.
• Link and legth tracks – assembly and installation using the provided jig is a joy. (Again, it is a matter of taste; both types of tracks have positive and negative aspects.)
• the fume evacuator hose from the turret basket is a flexible part, which is amazingly simple to install

Further advice

RFM

Just one: follow the instructions religiously. As with the Takom kit (and most kits) I deviated from them, and it really bit me in the bum.

Bonus advice: it is a marathon. Do not rush it.

Extra bonus advice: you get more ammo than you will use. Do not paint them all… just paint as many as you need.

Takom

Number one: follow the building sequence. It sucks because it will make painting of the interior more difficult, but if you do not, you will have to look out for the following especially:

1. Do NOT attach the hull sides before installing the transmission. The transmission needs to go in first.
2. Also: do NOT install the torsion bars before the transmission.
3. Do not attach the torsion bars to the sides as the instructions show (you are supposed to slide them in place when attaching the side) . I found it really frustrating to do so since the side does bend a bit, and it makes sliding the torsion bars into place really tedious. I think inserting the torsion bars before adding the sides would simplify this issue tremendously.
4. I messed up a bit with adding all the details onto the hull bottom; they covered the attachment points for some of the torsion bars, making installation a bit more difficult than necessary. Just follow the order of the build in the instructions.
5. Do not attach anything to the interior of the sides before painting. It makes masking a nightmare. (But you will have to paint the smaller parts with hairy sticks…)
6. Do add the batteries before installing the drive shaft and the firewall. Do not ask me how I found out the order.
7. The commander’s cupola is easier to assemble if you first glue K2 and K24 together (top of the cupola + insert), then add the periscopes, and finish off with K3. It is really difficult to fit the periscopes in if you follow the instructions. The periscopes, by the way, are not clear, so they will need to be painted for lens effect. (RFM provides clear parts for the periscopes.)
8. you get more ammo than you will use. Do not paint them all… just paint as many as you need.

Conclusions

I have to say both kits have positives and negatives. The sheer amount of detail really makes the RFM Panther stand out, there is no question about it. It is absolutely up to the modeller if she or he is willing to put up with the problems of the kit: the overengineering and the fit issues. It is a very ambicious, a very impressive, but a little bit flawed model nevertheless (fit-wise). Many times I did feel like the model was actively fighting me, but now I am ready, I actually feel like giving it another shot, this time to build a really messed-up wreck.

Compared to the RFM Panther the Takom kit builds up like an “ordinary” model; it does what it says on the box, and builds into a respectable model of the Panther. You have to weight the pros and cons and make your decision. I could not, so I built both; I do not regret it. Both kits are excellent -but you have to make your own decision which one to get.