My Rebuilt Panzer III - Panzer Grey

[Marc780]

After painting the first incarnation in yellow multicam, I decided to stick with Panzer Grey with this one. Having 4 other tanks with multicam I decided to keep this one simple, and basic. I added highlighting with the airbrush, using dark grey (almost black really) primer. I highlighted around the edges of panels on body edges ala' some of the Taigen tanks, and I like the effect.



My goal was to add depth and avoid that one dimensional scale model paint job, the way so many turn out. So I need to paint the wheels and a few other details and that's probably as far as im going to go. I prefer a lightly weathered tank, not the heavily battle damaged look, to each his own i say.

[PainlessWolf]

Marc,
Excellent paintwork! You have a solid starter there. A little running over rough ground will variegate the rust on those tracks. )
regards,
Painless

[ALPHA]

I like it better than your old paint Mark

ALPHA

[tanker 242]

great looking paint job on the tank &on the tank commander as well ,tanker 242

[Marc780]

Tanker if only i could paint figures so well! I bought "Manfred" from Jason-hobby on ebay for $35, already painted. For him to fit in the commanders cuppola they tell me i have to cut him in half (the feet are too big to fit through, even if i just cut the bottom off the bb bay) but so far i cant bear to do it!

[Marc780]

I took some more pics showing more of the airbrush detail.







I really am sold on the airbrushing method of weathering. Purists may not like this method...but it is easy and the results are satisfying. My favorite type of weathering appears natural, the vehicle neither looks factory new" nor does it look like it's sat in a Polish junkyard for 70 years - used not abused. Good weathering, to me, is "transparent".

I am far from an expert, but in my opinion it's very easy to over-do weathering on armor. The toughest part in weathering might be knowing when you are finished. Since we are modelling much smaller mocks of the real thing, i feel that many kinds of weathering are far too easy to over-do. Many types of weathering simply can appear out of scale compared to how they'd appear on a huge tank in real life. After trying many kinds of weathering and being dissatisfied with most of them, when weathering I try first of all to create effects that fool the eye and create real depth and mass. Like you are actually looking at a good representation of a 30 ton steel tank, and not some molded plastic that someone slapped some paint on. You can do quite a bit with minor variations in shading and color especially with solid color vehicles. Subtlety is key here and the line between just right, and too much, can be very thin.

[PainlessWolf]

Marc,
You don't have to cut 'Manfred' in half. These standing figures look great with their tanks in static shots and the tanks can be buttoned up when moving. The Commander of 'Maxene' is a good example of this as well as this fellow:
regards,
Painless

[Marc780]

Wolf you did a really good job with the many small details! The tool collection looks quite complete. I must have built more then a dozen Mark IV's when i first got in the hobby in the 1970's, the Monogram Mark IV in 1/35 scale was what they had, in my price range, and in every variation there was. They had the kind shown above with the shurtzen (which does hide a lot of detail so dont blame you for leaving those off!). The side skirts were introduced on Hitler's orders, if i recall, in the book "Citadel" by Robin Cross, possibly the best overall account of the Kursk battle - there is a translation of Hitler's lengthy operations orders to his commanders on the overall goals, and even his suggestions on carrying out the orders. Ever the micro-manager, and dilettante, Hitler even mentions the "shurtzen" as a means to counter Russian anti tank guns against the under-armored Panzer IV. I have found no German records or reports on just how effective, or ineffective, this "Shurtzen" was in battle...of course it was intended to, and hoped, detonate Russian anti tank shells, or at least dissipate their effect before hitting the main armor.

[PainlessWolf]

Marc,
I can not take any credit for this Pz IV. ( Well, I did add the Extinguisher and clean up the main gun some but that's it ) This is one of those 1/18 scale 21st Century basic RC tanks from years ago. I hang onto it for sentimental reasons. I've got plans for a Dak Pz Iv and a Wirbelwind built on the HL or Taigen chassis one of these years here soon. Your Pz III is really coming along my friend. ;o)
regards,
Painless