The Modelling News: Build Guide Pt. II: MiniArt's 35th scale Sd.Kfz 234/2 "Puma" (no interior kit)

Andy King shows us the process of painting, weathering & finishing his version of MiniArt's Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma" Schwerer Panzerspähwagen in 1/35th scale. See how he finishes it off so nicely in Pt.II today...

Build Guide Pt. II: MiniArt's 35th scale Sd.Kfz 234/2 "Puma" (no interior kit)

Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma"

From MiniArt

1/35th scale

Kit No#35419

Product Link in the MiniArt Website

First part of this build: Build Guide Pt. II: MiniArt's 35th scale Sd.Kfz 234/2 "Puma" (no interior kit)

Today: Build Guide Pt. II: MiniArt's 35th scale Sd.Kfz 234/2 "Puma" (no interior kit)

With the model built I inflicted some damage on the fenders before applying a coat of black from an automotive rattle, the base colour of Dunkelgelb (dark yellow) was then sprayed overall using the new-ish reformulated Tamiya XF-88. For many years I used Tamiya XF-60 that was lightened with XF-15 Flesh and XF-2 White however I thought I would give the new colours a try and was quite impressed with the dark yellow so this will be my 'go-to' paint for WW2 German subjects in future.

The wheel hubs were masked with a circle template and sprayed;

The camouflage pattern was sprayed next using Tamiya XF-89 Dark Green 2 however the red/brown was mixed using XF-68 NATO Brown and XF-72 JGSDF Brown as after watching a review on YouTube about the new Tamiya colours, I had to agree with the reviewer that XF-90 Red Brown 2 looked a bit on the orange side so I followed his paint mix instead.

The green and red/brown were sprayed freehand then any over spray was reduced using the base colour.

The model then got a coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear.

I do this to help with decal application and for weathering washes to flow better without leaving 'tide marks' all over the model. I usually leave a model for a day or so to let the varnish harden off as X-22 can be quite fragile (the times I've left fingerprints in the varnish), this time I only left it for a couple of hours as there was only a few decals to apply and all were on flat surfaces (not forgetting the decals for the two Tetra fire extinguishers on the fenders).

The model was then given another coat of X-22 which WAS left to harden before applying a pin-wash of sepia oil paint.

Again the model was left for a day or so before spraying it with VMS Satin varnish. Next is the fun bit, weathering, and to kick it off the lower chassis was sprayed with a thinned mix of Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth and XF-1 Flat Black.

As well as around the lower hull the mix was also sprayed on the sides of the fenders and rear hull, after which a very highly thinned XF-55 Deck Tan was sprayed overall to create a dust-like effect. With the airbrush work done, all the details on the hull were painted such as the pioneer tools, ammo box etc. The wooden box on the right fender was carefully masked then sprayed with XF-55 Deck Tan, after which it was painted with burnt sienna from the Winsor and Newton Griffin Alkyd range as this is a quick drying oil paint.

This was also used for the handles of the pioneer tools after painting them with Vallejo Buff. The exhausts were done using black pastel chalk as a base then various browns and rust coloured chalks were stippled on using white spirit to help them adhere.

With the handles of the pioneer tools painted, the metal parts were painted with Vallejo Camouflage Black/Brown then graphite was rubbed onto them.

The handles for the wire cutters were painted with Vallejo Burnt Umber as these were made from Bakelite. The jerry cans were painted separately with two in dark yellow and two camouflaged as I wanted some variation between them, these were then 'chipped' using a piece of sponge and Vallejo German Camo Black/Brown (a very useful colour in the Vallejo range). Once they were all glued into place the tie down straps were threaded and glued then painted with Vallejo Dark Umber, these were then painted with a thin coat of Vallejo Black to represent a leather colour.

Finally the mud was applied to the lower hull using pigment powders (Mirage Hobby P009 Dark Earth and Alclad II ALCWP 004 Mud). These were brushed on quite liberally with white spirit to hold them in place and although Alclad do make a pigment fixer, this was beginning to attack the paint underneath so that was binned.

The wheels were coated with pigment that was fixed in place with white spirit and when dry, they were rubbed over with black pastel chalk using my finger.

All the final bits were fitted including the wheels, width indicators etc and the model was finished.

The finished kit:

Apart from the few niggles with the kit during construction that were detailed in part one, this was a quite enjoyable build and to me it makes up into a good replica of the Puma as I feel it captures the look of the real vehicle very well.