Work in Progress

Esci 1/72 Sd.Kfz. 184 Jagdpanzer Elefant

Posted by huib on 24 Oct 2017, 08:31

Thanks, Bramble. Yes, I´ll have to cut hem to length. Only I have bad experiences with glueing these tracks
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 24 Oct 2017, 08:48

Tracks (2)

I removed the tracks again because they were too long. I cut 5mm from each track, and as a result also removed the pin and hole connection for the track ends.

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I slid the track lengths between the roadwheels and the mudguards. Then I laced long ends of sand coloured sewing thread through the tracks connecting both ends.

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By pulling the threads both tracks ends are pulled together tightly. I fixated the nots with a bit of superglue. Quite a fiddly job. This one worked out fine. Now for the second track.

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And number two also succeeded. Not bad!

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Well, this big boy is on its tracks. Unfortunately you can still see clearly see the connection between the two track ends. But this is the best I can make of it.

And now for some last details....
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by C M Dodson on 24 Oct 2017, 08:58

Just a thought but I used to weld tracks with a heated screwdriver or similar. A quick but careful dab will melt the join. You will need to then camouflage the weld though.

Chris
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Posted by Beano Boy on 25 Oct 2017, 05:31

Yes I braised all my tracks with a hot soldering iron after I had turned each track inside out. It works for me,but if the job gets done and dusted by other methods that is all that counts in the long run of modelling fun.

Your worked is top notch on this project. Well done.BB
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Posted by huib on 25 Oct 2017, 16:57

Thank you guys!
C M Dodson wrote:Just a thought but I used to weld tracks with a heated screwdriver

Beano Boy wrote:I braised all my tracks with a hot soldering iron

Yes, that is also an interesting method. I´ll try it once.
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 25 Oct 2017, 17:08

The last details

Only a few more details to finish the Elefant:

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Towing cables, very characteristic for German tanks. I make them from thin copper wire from simple electricity cable. Turning four wires together gives a good thickness in my experience.

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On both ends towing eyes from 0,3mm iron wire. I glue them to the cable with superglue. Then a piece of modelling tape for cosmetic reasons.

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After a bit of paint.

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Towing cables on the Elefant.

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And a bow machine gun and an antenna, and the Elefant is finished!

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The Elefant may be finished, but there is still some work to do on its surroundings.
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Posted by Beano Boy on 25 Oct 2017, 18:29

Fantastic end result! I especially like the towing cable info. :thumbup: Thanks for posting. BB
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Posted by FredG on 26 Oct 2017, 08:14

A grass clod would disguise that track join nicely. It's looking good.
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Posted by huib on 26 Oct 2017, 16:43

Thank you, BB and Fred

Crew

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The Esci kit includes an awful tank commander figure with a head like a potato. Still I am going to use this figure. And I found a second figure to accompany him. This figure comes from the Airfix USAAF personell set and, quite disturbing, I think it depicts a woman. :eh: No clearly proportioned breasts, but long hair, a bit of hips and a slender figure.

Good start for a German tank crew: a potato and a girl! :mrgreen:

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This it not IS, but a peaceful hobby called modelling. I cut off the heads of both figures and replaced them with heads from the Airfix RAF personell set, as these are wearing similar sidecaps as German tankers.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4497/37738494682_fb89e8d68a_b.jpg
This is a pic of a Ferdinand crew in Russia, 1943. In total the crew counts 6: commander, gunner, driver, radioman and two loaders. There are five on the pic. I think number six is the photographer. You can see an interesting mixture of combat and working dress, and side caps and field caps (with visor). This variety of clothing makes life easy for a modeller.

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And then I added a third figure: Airfix Luftwaffe personell. Also to be converted to a Panzermann.

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The three guys converted and primed. The commander got a new and much better head, on which I made headphones. The loader in the middle got a side cap from green stuff on his hair. His wrench was replaced by an 88mm grenade from the kit. The girl on the right got a sexe change. She got a male head, and her machinegun was also changed for a grenade.

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Painted.

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Oh, another one. (I suffer from developing ideas) This is originally a stretcher bearer from an Italeri Ju52. But instead of a stretcher he is carrying two jerrycans. I also changed the position of his head.

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All four figures painted, washed, drybrushed and varnished.

On with some stuff....
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 27 Oct 2017, 16:04

Ammunition boxes

If the crew starts handling grenades, these grenades should come from somewhere: Ammunition boxes.

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A load of open and closed ammunition boxes. The size is based on the ammunition racks of the kit, ment to placed in the interior (dark green). I borrowed another one from another Elefant kit (sand colour). And I scratched some more boxes of the same size but closed. And I added a grenade from the kit.

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After paint, wash and drybrush. The plank lines are drawn with a pencil. Matt varnish in the open boxes is still wet on the picture!

http://cdn-frm-xbox.gcdn.co/wotx/xbox/uploads/monthly_11_2013/post-8190-0-93048700-1385658060.jpg
By the way, the colour of the grenades was based on this picture. The big boy below with the black grenade with silver cap is the armour piercing (APCBC) grenade for the 88mm PaK 43/2 Lang 71of the Elefant. This is the same gun as the later Tiger II. The big explosive filled cartrigde gives an indication of the power of this round. As you can see on the picture the powerful guns of the Tiger I and Panther are sissies compared to this brute force.

On to the last phase!
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 28 Oct 2017, 16:40

A base

I do not do it with every model, but with the Elefant I was inspired to make a small base. My inspiration came from this picture:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4459/37738624072_ea5fdae0ec_b.jpg
A crewmember loading a grenade through the little hatch in the back of an Elefant.

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I started with a piece of old plywood, covered with a thin layer of synthethic childrens clay. In the clay I pressed cobblestones.

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Some stones and gravel, made from a crushed flower pot.

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Then I painted a baselayer with dark grey gouache.

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A dusty colour representing the soil, and some different colours of cobblestones.

Now for some weathering....
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 29 Oct 2017, 17:33

A base (2)

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After a very nice session of washing and drybrushing with different shades of earth, sand and dust, the base starts looking good.

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I threw a pile of empty ammo boxes on my base.....

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......and added some vegetation.

The base is ready for an Elefant now!
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 31 Oct 2017, 20:53

Final pictures

Finished!
A Jagdpanzer Elefant of the Stab of the 1. Kompagnie, Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 635
Anzio, Italy, february 1944.

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For more pics, please look in the Gallery
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by Carlos on 31 Oct 2017, 22:02

Amazing work, your techniques in the painting the base are really great. :yeah:
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Posted by huib on 02 Nov 2017, 13:58

Thanks, Carlos!
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by huib on 04 Nov 2017, 22:00

And another one

Well, I enjoyed building this little kit very much. And during the build I saw how easy it is to convert this model to its predecessor, the Ferdinand. So, when I encountered this kit recently on a modelling event, I didn't hesitate......

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It is the Italeri release of the old Esci Kit. The same kit, but in another box.

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Apart from the colour of the plastic, there is one big difference: link and length tracks. That offers new possibilities!

Again a piece of history

Although I introduced the history of the Ferdinand and the Elefant already in the beginning of the thread it might be useful to refresh your mind. The Ferdinand was a German heavy tank destroyer built on the chassis of the Porsche prototype for the Tiger I tank. Only 99 were build. The Ferdinand was first operational during the Battle of Kursk in july 1943. It appeared to be a formidable anti tank weapon on long distances. But it's mechanical unreliability, lack of mobility and lack of self-defence against infantry made it very vulnerable. Of 99 Ferdinands 39 were lost during the battle of Kursk.

As it was a new weapon, Russian intelligence photograhed the lost Ferdinands at Kursk extensively. And I am inspired by these pictures:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4224/340 ... 81f7_b.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4469/241 ... df54_b.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4485/379 ... 1b7d_b.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4449/241 ... ac92_b.jpg

So this kit will be built as a Ferdinand after the battle of Kursk. What has to be adapted for that?
Not a lot:
- Refrain from installing the front machine gun and ball mount.
- Refrain from making Zimmerit
- Replace the commanders cupola by a square hatch.
- Reposition some tools and toolboxes.
That's it. Let's build!
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Posted by huib on 05 Nov 2017, 17:36

Wheels and suspension

For a change I start this kit with the wheels. Also because I discovered with my earlier kit that the suspension is placed a bit too high. There is too little room between the road wheels and the fenders compared to the real vehicle. Moreover it is nice to go a step further with this second model. Modelling shouldn't get boring!

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This is how the suspension is moulded on the hull sides.
What's wrong? Two things:
1. The bogies are placed too hijgh on the hull sides. They should be lowered one or two mm.
2. The last bogies on each side should be reversed.

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So I cut of the bogies. In doing that I couldn't prevent damaging the hull sides, so they need some filler.

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Then I sawed and filed a groove in every roadwheel to simulate the double wheels of the vehicle.

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The road wheels glued to the bogies in the right order. The bogies received a piece of iron wire to ensure a strong connection with the hull later.

Now let's continue with making some holes in the hull....
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by Wiking on 05 Nov 2017, 18:54

It is new to me that the Produktion line of Sd. Kfz 184 in the "Niebelungenwerke" are located in the Netherlands! :mrgreen:
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Wiking  Germany
 
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Posted by huib on 06 Nov 2017, 12:04

Wiking, you know there are most severe penalties for disclosing the location of secret production facilities to the enemy!
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huib  Netherlands
 
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Posted by Wiking on 06 Nov 2017, 13:01

Huib wrote:
... most severe penalties for disclosing the location of secret production facilities to the enemy!

:oops:
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