Clayton's build of Takom's Panzer IA & Panzer IB in 35th scale is complete. He has taken the time to show us how he finished the kit off so nicely from priming to camo, tracks, weathering, dust mud & rust. See how he did it in the second part of his report...
Build Review Pt I: Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.A & Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B
From Takom
Kit No #2145
1/ 35th scale
2 kits in the one box (both A & B types - one of each)
8 marking choices - either PZ.1A or PZ.1B types.
Link & Length tracks supplied in this kit
Photo-etch parts included
Today - Pt II: Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B (1+1 kit) in 35th scale from Takom: Painting & Weathering
How time flies, but finally I have made it back to the bench to get some paint on one of these Panzer 1’s for the previous build review I did here at The Modelling News a couple of months ago. If you haven’t seen it be sure to check it out. As I highlighted in that review, this little 2 kit boxing from Takom is of the absolute highest standard and I can’t speak highly enough of the kit. Simple in nature and a pleasure to build.
I left off with the two models primed and ready for paint. As a reminder this is where I got to.
Whilst there is two models in the kit, I decided to focus my attention on the Ausf B. You may recall the foundation painting of the road wheels, idler and drive sprocket were taken care of in the build phase. This ensured a good clean coverage of some of the hard to get to places and the rubber sections of the road wheels.
The white metal tracks were temporarily pinned in place to check fit and sag.
The tracks are removed, and the model is painted in SMS Gunship Grey. The plan was to paint this tank in the Grey/Brown early war two tone scheme. Whilst the Gunship Grey does have a blue hue to it and is quite different to German Grey, I wanted to ensure the Brown that was to follow would contrast against it and be visible. Brown / Grey schemes can sometimes get lost in each other…so whilst the purists may be clicking their tongues the choice of colour was quite deliberate.
To further soften the grey a mix of Kure Grey and German Cream was applied to horizontal surfaces and top edges of panels. I don’t particularly like harsh edge, structured modulation, but I do like varying the tones in a model and creating volume through this technique.
The brown is airbrushed freehand following the kit supplied scheme. AK Dark Brown from Real Color range is thinned and built up in layers. I purposely left the coverage imperfect to simulate fading and wear of this layer.
To better help define some of the edges of the scheme and deepen some of the recessed areas a heavily thinned mix of Clear Smoke was applied in a post shade layer. The effect is subtle but will be reintroduced at a later stage one I get a better feel for the effect the washes will have.
The decals are required to sit through some pretty nasty shapes. Patience and a lot of decal softener is required to help them settle. They aren’t perfect but nothing that can’t be corrected with a fine brush and some matching paint.
The decals are now sealed with two generous layers of VMS Satin varnish.
To unify and create some wear to the paintwork, small dots of oil paint are applied to the model. White and buff colours to the top edges and darker greys and browns to the lower sections of the parts.
The oil is then dragged and blended in a downward motion using a flat brush moistened in enamel thinner.
The entire model receives the same treatment. It’s important to work in small sections at a time so the oil paint doesn’t have a chance to taint the paint below it.
The effect should be refined and is simply a way to make the paintwork look ‘tired’. You can also notice the way the effect helps visually tie the grey and the brown together. This effect can be further blended by carefully using a clean makeup sponge to tidy up any excessive marks.
The body of the tank now receives the same oil paint treatment as the turret.
Again, the makeup sponge is used to blend and soften the effect.
The oil dot technique has the unwanted effect of flattening everything out, so to try and reclaim some of the depth in the model, a thinned clear smoke mix was used again as a pre-shade layer.
Details around the model are now selectively picked out with a fine brush and acrylic paints.
The teeth of the drive wheel were given the look of worn paint by dry-brushing aluminium paint on the raised sections.
The white metal tracks are now treated with burnishing fluid. Rather than soak them in a diluted mix I used the fluid straight from the bottle and scrubbed it on the tracks using and old brush. After about 10 minutes they were rinsed with tap water. The results were very pleasing
Earth toned pigments were ground into the burnished tracks and loosely set using enamel thinner. Once dry the raised details in the tracks are sanded back to the metal using a sanding stick.
Europe Earth, Russian Earth and Light Dust Pigments are applied to the running gear and under sections of the model. A mix of similar coloured enamel paint thinned with enamel thinner was used to hold the dry pigments in place. The stability of the pigment is quite fragile and allows for the effect to be manipulated somewhat even after it dries.
The wheels and tracks are now attached to the model and the shape and feel on the little Panzer starts to materialise.
Dirt and debris are scattered around the recesses of the model and set in place with Gravel and Sand fixer. This effect was later blended with the model by spraying it with a diluted dusty coloured acrylic mix.
The tow cable was attached, and some dry pigments were ground into the surface to help build the dusted look that would accumulate over time. And with that process complete way the model was finished.
CONCLUSION
This is a simple kit with no interior, but as you can see, with a little paint and some weathering it presents really well. Whilst I added the metal tracks, the link and length tracks supplied with the kit is still a respectable option.
A close-up of some of the details of this kit...
I spoke highly of this kit in the build review, so there isn’t much else to report in terms of the quality of the kit. It is a beauty and is highly recommended.
A wider walk-around of the whole kit...
For those of you looking for the link to the sister kit Ausf.A Panzer I, the story is here... Clayton Ockerby
Thanks to Takom for sending this kit to Clayton to build and review
