Flammpanzer 38, Finished

After what seemed like forever, the vignette is completed. On the whole this was a challenging and enjoyable project to paint. The Hetzer was originally part of a group build that ran last year over at Mig forum. For some reason I'm attracted to wrecked vehicles, this gave me the perfect opportunity to exercise painting skills and diorama making. One of the hardest challenges I had was how to best capture the feel and look I was aiming for from a WW2 photo in Italy. Planning and composing the scene was essential for the scene to work, just as much as the painting and finishing of the vehicle. The possibilities in building wrecks are huge - in terms of representation of battle damage, as well as the painting techniques that can be used. Modelling and painting a wrecked vehicle was a new experience for me and a rewarding one at that. Of course I had helpful feedback from some modelling friends in the course of the project. Sven Frisch, Radek Pituch and others, Thank you.

After a long hiatus, I'm back with an update. The base is progressing with the accessories painted and weathered. The model is in its temporary final resting place, with a bit of integration left before fixing down to the groundwork. The litter/clutter and the zeltbahn were made from Magic Sculpt. I'm thinking about adding some snow/slush melting from winter.

Past few days I've worked on the base work. As I love making diorama/vignette scenes; I enjoyed it immensely. It is at this stage, every step of the vignette takes planning. The assembly of accessories, selection of items. Composing different elements, referencing black & white photographs of abandoned/wrecked vehicles, checking the placement of every objects to get them to sit and look natural and realistic.

The initial groundwork provides a base for further earth and soil added later. There will be some painting and weathering next though not too much as the groundwork currently is pretty spot on. Addtional debris, vegetation, litter will be added after that.

Flammpanzer 38 - painting update

After several tweaks on the burnt and rust areas, painting is almost done. I struggled with the painting at times but when it came through I was quite happy with the results. After my discussion with Sven Frisch (Migs forum), I re-worked areas on the front glacis, increasing the burnt areas for a more smoky and sooty look. Left side of the vehicle received some traces of green base color, not much but to show the entire left amrour totally burnt. Lower hull and running gear got some amendments. The right side received some burnt effects as well to show the effects of the fire that didn't burncompletely leaving some of the camouflage behind. Ashes are a mixture of pastels powders.

Thanks to Sven for the advice and guidance pertaining to the painting/weathering discussion! You drew some points and thoughts through the process on the finishing effects.

There are still some areas that need work to tie in with the groundwork after the model is placed in the scene. Now on to the vignette.

Crusader III - Finished

Built straight from the box. I went for a heavily weathered finish although I would have prefered a more balanced, subtle finish. Not the best photos but these photos will do for now. Thanks for looking.

Flammpanzer 38

A main build I have going on at the moment -a flame Jagdpanzer. The crusader is taking a back seat, for now my time is spent on this. Set in Alsace, Op.Nordwind 1945, a destroyed hetzer has been pushed off the road by the advancing Allies. A lone US tank crew will be viewing the wreck from the road.

I experimented with painting a destroyed vehicle and placed it in a almost vertical position. I try to add dynamism in vignettes/dioramas as it makes the scene much more dramatic than a standalone model on a flat terrain. I have this rule whenever I have groundwork is not to place models on even grounds. By positioning it on uneven terrain, a slight angle to the groundwork or base can add a bit of drama to the scene. The only time I display models on a flat surface is to literally showcase it as a static display.

The model is still work in progress and there's still lots to do. I need to speed up a bit in order to get it done for an article. My intention is to show the vehicle that's been knocked out not too long ago (2-3 weeks) after battle. The aim is not to make a rusty wreck that we are used to seeing in models. I wanted to create a burnt look with some fresh rust that's starting to appear. The challenge I'm faced will be the paintwork on the vehicle and the scene.

Having seen Per Olav's k.o. Abrams, I'm aiming along the lines of that though I don't want it to look too burnt like the Abrams. Mention of Per Olav and his Pz I Norway dio comes to mind. How he completes works in such a short time... I don't know but he makes it look fast and easy.

Okay, I'm in the minority; I like the strange look of Hetzers but this little beast are just so hard to photograph!

Crusader Mk.3 - (work in progress)

Bitten by the bug. I started another 1/48 model between my main builds, this time a British Crusader.