The Highland weather gods vouchsafed me a warm, calm morning- perfect for airbrushing, in fact.
Living 100 metres from a tidal sea loch (fed by the Atlantic, no less), protracted onshore and offshore breezes are a daily determinant of my outdoor activities.
Anyway, I had a choice between starting the WW2 Finnish camo scheme on the Tamiya Pz IV Ausf J, or of giving the late Jagdpanther a more 'lived in' look. The JP currently has a coat of the ubiquitous Tamiya Dunkelgelb for the 'production line' look. However, I always intended to give it a more chronologically accurate camo coverage, before putting it on the Panzer 'Cat-walk'.
I now have some more appropriate, and accurate, late war colours from MIG and AK interactive. Of the two, I like the AK most- especially their Rotbraun, which is much less red than the MIG product. AK paints can also be diluted/thinned with water, and dry to a good matt finish. What's more, they go nicely in the Harder and Steenbeck airbrush without thinner.
The paint scheme here is based on Tamiya's Tri-Tone Kompanie 3, sPzJgAbt 654, Western Front, 1945. However, I've omitted the Dark Green (Dunkelgrün) stripes. Paint was very scarce towards the very end of the war, and many Tanks and JPs rolled out with non-standard camo patterns and colours. Bovington's JP was actually finished and painted by the British in non-standard patterns. But, I just happen to like the JP in Rotbraun and Dunkelgelb stripes.
Green suits the garden more.
Tamiya's usual recommended Red-brown XF-64), Dark Green (XF-61)and Dark yellow (XF-60) would have been wrong for this late war JP version.
A few bits of touchup are needed, and overspray removed, Then I can work on the tools, and attach them. The spare tracks will also given a black/grey shade with hints of metallic and rust.
After lacquer, and decals, I shall add washes and tints.
I don't know why I like the Jagdpanther so much, but I prefer it to the Tamiya Panther that donated the flash unit and gearboxes. The Panther will be re-styled and fitted with alternate drive units.
Note to self: wash the windows!
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.