Modelling AFV

A P O R T F O L I O O F D U T C H
M A S T E R M O D E L L E R S

MADE IN
HOLLAND
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SEM: 97S-0-966641S-1-6

46*;46)
4
Dear readers,
It is with great pride that we present
this book "Made in Holland" to you,
and with it, a long-simmering idea,
has finally been realized.
Why a book by and about Dutch Modellers? A
plausible question, and not so easy to answer.
Perhaps we simply wanted to show you that the
Netherlands have more to offer than cheese, tulips,
windmills, wooden shoes and the city of Amsterdam.
Is there such a thing as a Dutch modelling style? A
style as distinctive as for example the Scandinavian or
Spanish school or our southern neighbours, the
Belgian modellers have? I tend to lean towards the
theory that Dutch armour modelling is certainly most
influenced by the modelling scene in Belgium, but at
the same time is a melting pot of styles. Like most
modellers all around the globe, we pick up certain
techniques and apply those that we are most
comfortable with. We all create a style that fits us best,
and that is perhaps the best answer to the question.
All modellers represented in this book have their own
approach towards modelling and all have very different
styles and interests.
Most of the modellers represented here haven`t
published their works in printed form ever before or in
other cases, only a very few times. Some names might
ring a bell, if you visit the various internet forums. And
although the internet is a great source of information
these days and an easy way to share your work with
the world, it also is a fast medium, where even the
best models are forgotten after a few weeks. Models,
presented in a printed form like in this book, have a
substantially longer shelf life in peoples` memories.
We have opted for a "Coffee table-style" book, and not
for a step-by-step approach of each project, unless it
would contribute to the value of the article. Other
books, and also many sources on the internet, deal
much better with that.
With "Made in Holland" we hope to have added
something of value to the world of military scale
modelling. Not only can you find inspirational work that
may be familiar but several contributors have also built
one or more projects especially for this book. We truly
hope that "Made in Holland" will be an inspiring source
for you in your modelling efforts, for years to come and
if that happens, we have achieved our aim!
Robert Crombeecke
46*;46)

Page 3
Contents
5
Contents
Axe| Repp|ng
6 Introduction
8 Baptism of Fire
14 By British Standard
Ee|ke Warr|nk
28 Introduction
30 Aerosan
34 T34 1941
38 Jagdcromwell
Luc K||nkers
Bas Hermsen
18 Introduction
20 BMP
24 VOMAG
Er|c Voge|
42 Introduction
44 Bergepanzer
48 Eisig
52 Opel Maultier
56 Engines On
Marce| du Long
M
60 Introduction
62 Sd.Kfz 250/8
66 Sd.Kfz 251
72 Diorama Gallery
74 Figure Gallery

76 Introduction
78 Sd.Kfz 7/1

Contents
6

Marce| von Hobe

Robert Crombeecke
82 Introduction
84 Australian Centurion RAAC MK5/1
90 Gallery
Roy Schurgers
106 Introduction
108 City Limits
112 La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie)
116 Leben in Trummern (Life in Ruins)
122 Introduction
124 Hit by a Stovepipe
128 Norway 1940
130 Panzer IV Ausf.J
134 Retreat from Narwa
138 Sd.Kfz 251
140 Tiger I
144 Tragedy of the Faithful
148 Introduction
150 A Labour of Love
154 End Station
158 Goodbye Lenin
162 Rocket Man
164 Welcome to Africa
Marce| Zwarts

Roger Hurkmans
92 Introduction
94 Sherman
98 The Grandparents Bike Project
100 No Entry
104 Weverstraat
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7
Allow me to introduce myself. I`m Axel
Repping, 36 years young and I live in
Venlo, in the Netherlands. I share my life
with my lovely girlfriend Andrea. The way
I finance my models is by working as a
NCO (first sergeant) in the Royal
Netherlands Army, where I fulfill my
duties as an instructor at the NCO
training centre.
I started modelling the way most of us did: building flying
things as a kid. You will know what I`m talking about with the
old 1/72 Airfix, Matchbox and Italeri kits. I caught the diorama
virus, when one day I went to my local hobby store to buy
another airplane kit, and there it was, standing in a
showcase. A diorama showing the 2cm Flakbunker from
Verlinden Productions. I still remember how excited I was.
Man, that was great stuff. "So you think that`s cool huh?`, said
the shop owner." Well how about this, for a change", and he
showed me the centre pages on the Tamiya catalogue.
Looking, and drooling over those well known pages, my heart
almost skipped a beat. This was it, I was hooked for life.
I started building dioramas as most of us did, by trying to
recreate some diorama I had seen in a catalogue or maybe a
photograph from a history book. Those were the days, no
Internet, no forums, just some hardcopy catalogues and
books as reference. No one to tell right from wrong when you
messed up the construction or paint job. In short: no criticism.
After a couple of years I started to spend my hard-earned
after-school work money, on the more expensive stuff, Tamiya
models, Verlinden figures and accessories.
When the internet began I joined up at the Dutch TWENOT
forum which was was an eye-opener. New techniques I had
never heard of.
I also started to buy the Verlinden magazines, just to look at
those lovely models, and absorb more modeling inspiration.
Just looking at Francois Verlinden`s, Lewis Pruneau`s and
Bob Letterman`s work, I wished I could replicate their work.
My first modelling expo and competition was a great
experience. It was the annual TWENOT meeting, and all that
merchandise, I just couldn`t believe my eyes! In the
competition, I entered one model and one diorama, and won
a gold medal with both of them. What a day that was.
Going to more exhibitions, and learning more on different
forums every day, I got more and more infected by the
diorama virus. Nowadays, with all the forums, feedback,
Internet shops and online reference material, there just
seems to be an inexhaustible supply of inspiration.
Over the years I have developed my own style and way of
working and finishing my models, and that`s how I enjoy
modelling these days. Getting the right idea, doing the
historical research, gathering the materials, doing my
modelling thing, and most of all, being happy about other
people liking my work and the enjoyment of sharing my work
with fellow modellers all over the world, so they can shoot at
it.
So, enjoy the work in this book, and shoot.
:)/
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9

Axe| Repp|ng
10
BAPTISM
OF FIRE
Ever since I started to build
dioramas, I had plans to build a
factory scene. I just couldn`t find the
proper motivation or inspiration for it.
One day I was doing some research on the SIG 33 on
PzIII chassis, and learned that some 24 of these
vehicles were sent to the Stalingrad area to be put into
operational use for the first time. All 24 were lost. They
were simply not equipped for fighting in built-up areas.
Looking at Roy Schurgers` diorama "Firestarter", I was
mesmerized by the idea and how he displayed it,
so I decided to tell the same story, only this time the
Russians would be the fire starters.
The idea was that a Sig33 had to drive through a tractor
factory in Stalingrad to support some infantry. The
Russians started to hunt down the vehicle. The
opportunity presented itself via a raised walkway for the
Russians to get above the German tank and attack it
with a Molotov cocktail.
Sta||ngrad, October 1942
M
<*1*55.3,
11
I started with the basic layout of the factory first. Using

Evergreen strips and polystyrene sheets to build the
brick wall. The walkway was constructed using mainly
Evergreen and balsa wood. The staircase was done
with Evergreen and Aber tread plate sheets. I found
out that it`s very important to have good reference
material. You simply cannot imagine how steel
constructions are built. I wanted the roof to be of
corrugated sheet iron, so I started searching for the
right material. I finally found larger sheets in a shop for
architectural needs. The concrete slab floor was
achieved by scribing panel lines into a 4cm thick plate
of polystyrene. The concrete texture was made by
simply pressing a piece of 100 grain sand paper down
on the base, leaving imprints of the sand paper on the
floor.
I wanted to create some height and depth into the
scene, so after some advice from Roy Schurgers, I
decided to add a sulphur silo on the outside of the
factory, which when looking at the inside view of the
hall, protrudes from behind. The silo was made out of
an old deodorant can and parts of my Lego collection.
I drilled many small holes in it, to give it a real
peppered look.
After all of this was done I started on the details and
other things to be found in a tractor factory. The
pedestal drill, workbench and blowtorch cart are from
Plusmodel. The bent and battered drums are from the
excellent set by Reality In Scale. All the ironwork lying
around is from evergreen strips and stuff from my
scrap box (it`s great to have a fully loaded scrap box.)
Painting the metals parts was done by using a small
sponge and using all those nice rusty colours. A small
poster of Stalin, on which a German has made a little
cartoonish improvement was added. I always like to
put a little humour into a diorama. The main thing is
not to overdo it.
During the paint job I had a mishap. When I was doing
the washes on the floor, it slowly started to melt,
despite having primed it very well. I felt in total despair,
I had come this far without any problems. It was bound
to happen some time. No time to sit down and feel
sorry for myself, I got back on the horse and made a
new floor. It turned out even better than the first
version (as it usually does).
The corrugated roof was weathered using the
hairspray method, taking care to use different base
colours to get some variation in the overall look.

<*1*55.3,
12

)5;9
<*1*55.3,
13
The vehicle is the old Dragon kit, which needed some

minor detailing. For this the Eduard set, a Lion Roar
barrel and Fruil tracks were used. The build was fairly
simple and straightforward. The painting was done
with Tamiya acrylics, Sin Industries filters and Mig
pigments.
As for the figures, now that`s a different story. Figures
are the items that bring life, action, and drama into a
diorama. If you don`t get the interaction right, there`s
no use in putting them in. I wanted all five figures to
have some sort of interaction with each other, in which
two figures (the SPG commander and the Russian
throwing the Molotov) would tell the story. I converted
four figures from Tank to tell the Russian side of the
story, of which the main figure "Ivan the Baptiser" had
undergone the most surgery. A mix of Tank, Dragon,
and Warriors figures were used to achieve the poses I
was looking for. The German SPG commander is a
mix of Verlinden, Royal Model and Hornet. The figures
were all painted with Vallejo acrylics, and sealed with a
matt varnish.
All in all this project was a very fun project to develop
and create. Using techniques and materials I hadn`t
used before (Copper sheet, sulphur, hairspray,
sponge, etc). I`m glad this project turned out exactly
like I had it in mind. It was very pleasing to see it grow
and develop day by day and step by step.
My main aim was to create interaction and linking. For
example: The staircase links the upper and ground
level. The glass on the floor, and the chain hanging
from the hoist binds the roof to the floor. The Russians
looking through the hole in the wall connect inside and
outside. It`s important to connect objects and parts of a
diorama together. If not, you get a mishmash of loose
ends and disconnected items.
Onward to the next project, comrades.

<*1*55.3,
14

Axe| Repp|ng
15

BY
BRITISH
STANDARD
As a young modeller, I always thought that the Tamiya
Quad gun tractor was a nice kit. The vehicle itself, had
a nasty, mean and robust look to it. One to build
someday, but somehow I just couldn't find the
inspiration to build it.
Some time ago, I came across a picture of a Morris
Commercial which was captured by the Germans in
Africa. An idea was born and the research period
began. During my search I discovered that the Quad
was used in both the European and African
campaigns. When British troops had to abandon or
discard their equipment, they usually made sure that
the Germans or Italians could not put them back in
service. When in a hurry, disabling an engine and
throwing away tools, would have to do. I wanted to
depict a Quad that was put back into service by the
Germans, somewhere in Africa. However the Quad
develops a flat tire, and the Germans didn`t have the
proper tools to fix or replace it. The original British
tools were no longer on the Quad, and the Germans
had to use their own. German tools, all were metric
sizes and wouldn`t fit the British imperial system wheel
nuts - hence the title, 'By British Standard`.
The idea was to build a Quad that looked like if it was
'in country` for quite a while and survived one
sandstorm too many, with a fairly new gun in tow.
Thus the construction began. The Tamiya Quad is a
fairly old but decent kit, and the addition of the Eduard
PE-set would be enough to create an accurate model.
I discovered that on the back of the real truck, there
was normally a spare tire-rack installed. So this had to
be scratched from Evergreen-strips. The Dragon PAK
40 was built out of the box, and it is truly a little gem of
a kit.
Since I wanted to give the Quad the old weary look, I
decided to try out a new technique. Laundry washing
powder. ARE YOU MAD? I discovered that detergent
has an aggressive reaction to acrylic paint where it
kind of absorbs it. I used Humbrol paints for the two-
tone camouflage scheme. Since Humbrol is an enamel
paint, the detergent would not do any damage to it,
and it seemed to me that it would provide a good base
coat.
After the base coat had hardened for 36 hours, the
whole model was covered with Tamiya XF59 Desert
yellow. I set the model aside to dry for about 20
minutes. In those 20 minutes I made my preparations
for the Laundry powder treatment. I filled up my
bathroom sink with warm water and placed some
washing powder in a bowl next to it.
After the 20 minutes I dipped the Quad into the sink to
make it soaking wet. The model has to be wet when
you undertake this technique. When it was wet, I
gently, and grain by grain, dropped some washing
powder on to the model. After 20 to 30 seconds I
rinsed off the powder under a running tap. I repeated
this procedure until I was satisfied with the results. The
20 to 30 seconds is a maximum, any longer and the
powder will eat away almost all of the acrylic paint.
The washing powder method is very hard to control,
and the basic rule is not to overdo it with the powder.
Tunes|a, 1941
M
<*1*55.3,
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<*1*55.3,
17

<*1*55.3,
18
After the complete model had dried, the basic
weathering with filters, pin washes, chipping and
pigments was done.
The PAK was airbrushed with Tamiya XF 60 (dark
yellow). Basic highlights were done with Tamiya XF 57
(buff), and after it had dried sufficiently, only some
minor weathering and chipping was added.
The build up of the diorama is the classic '3 step` way,
but I didn`t want the focal point to be in the centre. I
decided that all of the action should take place in front
of the vehicle. The construction of the groundwork took
me about 8 hours, and was fairly simple to do.
The rock sections were cast in plaster from the
Woodland Scenics rock moulds.
After they had dried for two hours, I took them out of
the mould, and carved them up a little more, since the
basic moulds weren`t to my satisfaction.
The smaller rocks and pebbles lying around are simply
smashed up pieces of plaster (a neat little trick, that
Marijn van Gils taught me). The sand is in fact real
Sahara sand. A friend of mine brought it with him after
he came back from his African expedition. Great stuff I
may add. The colours I used for the base were the
basic red-brown and yellowish tones.
After the filters and washes I decided to give the
smaller rocks and stones different tones, just to break
up the monotone brown-yellow colouring. The plant life
was done with mostly dried plants from my garden
pond. Except for the Alo Vera plants, which were
made with paper.
The figures are a mix of Verlinden, Hornet and Dragon.
They were all painted with Vallejo acrylics. This was
my first experience with Vallejo, and I enjoyed working
with them very much. I wanted the German crew to
look like they didn't have a clue why they can't get the
wheel with the flat tire off the truck.
Why didn`t their tools fit? They just didn`t get it!

&7*627*3
19
I am 25 years old and I live in
Zutphen. I am an environmental
planner for a consultant agency
where I make development plans for
cities and towns in the east of the
Netherlands.
I started building scale models as early as 1993. After
a few years I started to build 1/35 military vehicles. My
first serious attempt to build and paint models as
realistically as possible was not until about 2002, at
which point I started adding aftermarket products and
scratch built parts. When I discovered the possibilities
of improving my models with Evergreen sheet, rod and
copper wire I knew that I found the direction in which
my hobby was leading. My passion and drive to build,
paint and weather military vehicles is to create
something that is as real as possible, given the
limitations of scale problems in detail and colouration.
At the same time it is a great opportunity to expose
your creative freedom in this wonderful hobby.
%<
&7*627*3
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&7*627*3
20

BMP
&7*627*3
22
&7*627*3
21
The BVP-1K was bought by the Finnish forces from the
former East German army. The BVP-1K is a recon and
liaisons variant of the BMP-1.
The Finns have abandoned the use of it now, but it does employ several BMP's still.
In the Finnish army this vehicle is referred to as "Bemari", which is actually a nick
name for a BMW.
I used the Zvezda BMP kit of this vehicle, although I knew before I started that it had
some serious flaws. During the build I found this out the hard way. The shape, as
well as the details on the cupola are incorrect, as are the hatches on the rear deck.
To add even more of a challenge, I also had to change the model into a BVP-1.
This meant that the details on the upper deck would be quite different from the ones
on the BMP-version. I did use the tracks provided in the kit, but I added bolts on the
sides, as on the real ones which made a significant difference. The punch and die
was used for this task.
The wheels are resin offerings from Mini Arm, which are much better detailed than
the ones from the kit. The only parts that remained unchanged are the side fenders
or mudguards.
All in all I spent six months of severe reconstruction to get the basics up to par and
to create my version of the BVP-1K.
MIH_Content v6 resized:Content 29/09/2011 16:19 Page 21
BMP
&7*627*3
22
&7*627*3
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The BVP-1K was bought by the Finnish forces from the
former East German army. The BVP-1K is a recon and
liaisons variant of the BMP-1.
The Finns have abandoned the use of it now, but it does employ several BMP's still.
In the Finnish army this vehicle is referred to as "Bemari", which is actually a nick
name for a BMW.
I used the Zvezda BMP kit of this vehicle, although I knew before I started that it had
some serious flaws. During the build I found this out the hard way. The shape, as
well as the details on the cupola are incorrect, as are the hatches on the rear deck.
To add even more of a challenge, I also had to change the model into a BVP-1.
This meant that the details on the upper deck would be quite different from the ones
on the BMP-version. I did use the tracks provided in the kit, but I added bolts on the
sides, as on the real ones which made a significant difference. The punch and die
was used for this task.
The wheels are resin offerings from Mini Arm, which are much better detailed than
the ones from the kit. The only parts that remained unchanged are the side fenders
or mudguards.
All in all I spent six months of severe reconstruction to get the basics up to par and
to create my version of the BVP-1K.
&7*627*3
24
&7*627*3
23
I painted the model with Vallejo Air acrylics, and I am
very enthusiastic about this paint. It allows you to
spray the paint on in thin layers, not obscuring the
many small details and once dry it provides a nice
satin sheen. This satin finish provides a perfect base
for the next steps of weathering.
The tones I used to spray on the basic colour and
camouflage pattern were mixed from many different
colours. To achieve the hard edge camouflage I used
the low tack Tamiya tape, which is especially useful for
paint jobs such as these.
For further weathering I mainly used artists oil paints.
The colours Van Dyke Brown and Burned Sienna were
used mostly.
I finished the model by adding mud, for which I used
the by now famous and almost obligatory Mig
pigments. To create variation in the colour tones I
mixed several different colours to good effect.
&7*627*3
24
&7*627*3
23
I painted the model with Vallejo Air acrylics, and I am
very enthusiastic about this paint. It allows you to
spray the paint on in thin layers, not obscuring the
many small details and once dry it provides a nice
satin sheen. This satin finish provides a perfect base
for the next steps of weathering.
The tones I used to spray on the basic colour and
camouflage pattern were mixed from many different
colours. To achieve the hard edge camouflage I used
the low tack Tamiya tape, which is especially useful for
paint jobs such as these.
For further weathering I mainly used artists oil paints.
The colours Van Dyke Brown and Burned Sienna were
used mostly.
I finished the model by adding mud, for which I used
the by now famous and almost obligatory Mig
pigments. To create variation in the colour tones I
mixed several different colours to good effect.
&7*627*3
25
&7*627*3
26
The Vomag company had some 20
chassis ready to serve as a base for
a transport vehicle destined for Die
Deutsche Post, the German Mail
Services. These chassis were the
starting point for the Vomag
Waffentrger. (Weapons Carrier)
The German Army`s primary conditions for the vehicle
were that it could carry the Flak 18/36 and that the gun
could actually be fired from it. Obviously the
Waffentrger was necessary to ensure mobility. No
other vehicle was able to fulfill this requirement as well
as the Vomag. How many Vomag's exactly received a
Flak 18/36 remains unknown.
The idea to build this model goes back as far as 2005.
As a starting point I had a few scale drawings made by
Pedro Andrada. He also kindly provided me with a set
of wheels, the basics for the engine and the drive
shafts. The Flak 18/36 is the AFV Club offering. I have
added some extra details to this wonderful model, but
basically it was built out of the box. The Vomag is built
mainly from Evergreen sheet styrene and profiles. For
the chassis alone I already used 1.5 meters of
Evergreen styrene bars. Other materials used were
brass sheet and brass rods. The sheet was used to
fashion the mud guards and the hood for example.
The Vomag logo that you can see on the radiator grill
was made on my computer, scaled down and printed
on paper. The logo was then stiffened with CA glue
and then carefully cut out.
One of the bigger challenges I met during the build,
was to make sure that in the end the wheels were flat
level and that the large panels did not warp. This
seems perhaps obvious, but given the size of
especially the panels that made the back of this huge
vehicle, it turned out to be a bigger challenge than I
anticipated.
My version of the Vomag was to represent the ones
that saw action late in the war in Hungary. As a
reference I used a rather poor black and white image
from a copy of "Waffen Revue", a German war time
journal. After close examination this picture suggests
the use of a very faded three colour camouflage
scheme.
For the basic colours and camouflage I have used
Humbrol's enamel paints. To add some depth and
more brilliance into the colours I spiced up the brown
(186) with a tiny bit of orange. For the Panzergelb I
mixed Humbrol colours 94 and 61, and the green was
mixed from 120 and 61.
&7*627*3
25
&7*627*3
26
The Vomag company had some 20
chassis ready to serve as a base for
a transport vehicle destined for Die
Deutsche Post, the German Mail
Services. These chassis were the
starting point for the Vomag
Waffentrger. (Weapons Carrier)
The German Army`s primary conditions for the vehicle
were that it could carry the Flak 18/36 and that the gun
could actually be fired from it. Obviously the
Waffentrger was necessary to ensure mobility. No
other vehicle was able to fulfill this requirement as well
as the Vomag. How many Vomag's exactly received a
Flak 18/36 remains unknown.
The idea to build this model goes back as far as 2005.
As a starting point I had a few scale drawings made by
Pedro Andrada. He also kindly provided me with a set
of wheels, the basics for the engine and the drive
shafts. The Flak 18/36 is the AFV Club offering. I have
added some extra details to this wonderful model, but
basically it was built out of the box. The Vomag is built
mainly from Evergreen sheet styrene and profiles. For
the chassis alone I already used 1.5 meters of
Evergreen styrene bars. Other materials used were
brass sheet and brass rods. The sheet was used to
fashion the mud guards and the hood for example.
The Vomag logo that you can see on the radiator grill
was made on my computer, scaled down and printed
on paper. The logo was then stiffened with CA glue
and then carefully cut out.
One of the bigger challenges I met during the build,
was to make sure that in the end the wheels were flat
level and that the large panels did not warp. This
seems perhaps obvious, but given the size of
especially the panels that made the back of this huge
vehicle, it turned out to be a bigger challenge than I
anticipated.
My version of the Vomag was to represent the ones
that saw action late in the war in Hungary. As a
reference I used a rather poor black and white image
from a copy of "Waffen Revue", a German war time
journal. After close examination this picture suggests
the use of a very faded three colour camouflage
scheme.
For the basic colours and camouflage I have used
Humbrol's enamel paints. To add some depth and
more brilliance into the colours I spiced up the brown
(186) with a tiny bit of orange. For the Panzergelb I
mixed Humbrol colours 94 and 61, and the green was
mixed from 120 and 61.
&7*627*3
27
&7*627*3
28
I used some Johnsons Future Floor wax, applied with
an airbrush, to protect the paint job from the further steps
in the weathering process.
This weathering, with chipping, filters and wash, was applied
using a variety of paints, including oils. As a final step I used
pigments to create more fading and dust effects. The whole project,
from start to finish, was completed over a period of 15 months. During
this time I also engaged in other projects, so I have no idea of the actual
hours spent. But finally, in September 2008, the mission was
accomplished and the model was exhibited at that year's Euro Militaire.
&7*627*3
27
&7*627*3
28
I used some Johnsons Future Floor wax, applied with
an airbrush, to protect the paint job from the further steps
in the weathering process.
This weathering, with chipping, filters and wash, was applied
using a variety of paints, including oils. As a final step I used
pigments to create more fading and dust effects. The whole project,
from start to finish, was completed over a period of 15 months. During
this time I also engaged in other projects, so I have no idea of the actual
hours spent. But finally, in September 2008, the mission was
accomplished and the model was exhibited at that year's Euro Militaire.
*10*#&66.30
30
*10*#&66.30
29
The story of me as a military
modeller begins at the moment I
was born. In true military fashion,
my twin brother Rutger went ahead
to do some reconnaissance. A few
minutes later, when the coast
appeared to be clear, I decided to
come out into the world.
We grew up together in a quiet town in the middle of
The Netherlands, sharing many common hobbies. At
the age of ten, we were introduced to the art of
modelling by a classmate who built 1:24th scale truck
models. We cut our modelling teeth mainly on Italeri
DAF trucks. Inexperienced as we were, the end result
was invariably a bit shaky, stained with glue and with a
speck of paint added here and there as an
afterthought. True 'art`, it certainly wasn`t, but I learned
some very important lessons back then, such as 'don`t
glue back loose decals using plastic glue`. Impressive
as trucks may be, we soon discovered even more
impressive vehicles: tanks and armoured cars!
The next couple of years saw us dabbling in modelling
a bit, building many models but never actually getting
better at it. We did have fun filling the really old and
bad ones up with firecrackers and setting them ablaze,
filming the melting wrecks and the drooping, distorting
grimaces of the model soldiers with a video camera.
Amusing as it was, it did sum up our attitude towards
modelling and eventually, we both quit the hobby for a
few years.
Most boys of that age discover girls, but we had to
settle for the second-best option, video games and
Star Trek...
Around 1997, the internet came alive and the number
of modelling sites soon exploded through the roof. Our
inspiration returned, and as we built British and Soviet
WW2 vehicles mostly, the appearance of new
generation kits of Allied vehicles at the same time
made us return to the hobby, this time for good. When
we started afresh, we finally took the hobby more
seriously, taking more care during cleanup and
construction, and paying more attention to detailing.
We gradually did more research before starting our
projects, and our skills at model construction improved
dramatically.
As you may have noticed, I`ve constantly been talking
about 'us`, because we really worked together on
every model we built. Having a brother around
certainly helps in modelling. When we both still lived in
our parents` house we would share nasty jobs such as
cleaning up road wheels and tracks. But it also meant
that we had to decide who got to do the nice and
interesting bits of construction! Now that we live apart,
we mostly build our own models. We do take an active
interest in each others` models, and we regularly share
new knowledge and news through e-mail or chat.
Rutger spends much more time at research than I do,
and without his knowledge my models wouldn`t turn
out half as good. The Jagdcromwell featured in this
book is a true joint effort, in which Rutger built the
model and I painted it. It felt good to physically work
together on a model again, and I`m looking forward to
painting more of his models in the future.
*10*#&66.30
Once I realised this, my painting skills improved a
great deal in a short time. I began to actually apply the
techniques I had read about for so long. I started using
shading and highlighting, filters, highlighted chippings
and lining. This experimentation cost me a few models
that didn`t really come out presentably, but looking
back they`re necessary sacrifices that made me turn
new corners.
All this may sound like I consider myself an
accomplished modeller now, with fully developed
skills, but nothing is further from the truth. I often still
feel like a beginner, and there is a myriad of
techniques and materials that I have never tried out
(for example, I still hate PE and don`t use it if I can
help it).
The skills of other modellers from all over the world
continue to amaze and humble me. But I hope that my
models convey my love of the subject and will inspire
someone out there to go out and build a model,
whether it be Russian, British, German, or whatever!
*10*#&66.30
30
*10*#&66.30
29
The story of me as a military
modeller begins at the moment I
was born. In true military fashion,
my twin brother Rutger went ahead
to do some reconnaissance. A few
minutes later, when the coast
appeared to be clear, I decided to
come out into the world.
We grew up together in a quiet town in the middle of
The Netherlands, sharing many common hobbies. At
the age of ten, we were introduced to the art of
modelling by a classmate who built 1:24th scale truck
models. We cut our modelling teeth mainly on Italeri
DAF trucks. Inexperienced as we were, the end result
was invariably a bit shaky, stained with glue and with a
speck of paint added here and there as an
afterthought. True 'art`, it certainly wasn`t, but I learned
some very important lessons back then, such as 'don`t
glue back loose decals using plastic glue`. Impressive
as trucks may be, we soon discovered even more
impressive vehicles: tanks and armoured cars!
The next couple of years saw us dabbling in modelling
a bit, building many models but never actually getting
better at it. We did have fun filling the really old and
bad ones up with firecrackers and setting them ablaze,
filming the melting wrecks and the drooping, distorting
grimaces of the model soldiers with a video camera.
Amusing as it was, it did sum up our attitude towards
modelling and eventually, we both quit the hobby for a
few years.
Most boys of that age discover girls, but we had to
settle for the second-best option, video games and
Star Trek...
Around 1997, the internet came alive and the number
of modelling sites soon exploded through the roof. Our
inspiration returned, and as we built British and Soviet
WW2 vehicles mostly, the appearance of new
generation kits of Allied vehicles at the same time
made us return to the hobby, this time for good. When
we started afresh, we finally took the hobby more
seriously, taking more care during cleanup and
construction, and paying more attention to detailing.
We gradually did more research before starting our
projects, and our skills at model construction improved
dramatically.
As you may have noticed, I`ve constantly been talking
about 'us`, because we really worked together on
every model we built. Having a brother around
certainly helps in modelling. When we both still lived in
our parents` house we would share nasty jobs such as
cleaning up road wheels and tracks. But it also meant
that we had to decide who got to do the nice and
interesting bits of construction! Now that we live apart,
we mostly build our own models. We do take an active
interest in each others` models, and we regularly share
new knowledge and news through e-mail or chat.
Rutger spends much more time at research than I do,
and without his knowledge my models wouldn`t turn
out half as good. The Jagdcromwell featured in this
book is a true joint effort, in which Rutger built the
model and I painted it. It felt good to physically work
together on a model again, and I`m looking forward to
painting more of his models in the future.
*10*#&66.30
Once I realised this, my painting skills improved a
great deal in a short time. I began to actually apply the
techniques I had read about for so long. I started using
shading and highlighting, filters, highlighted chippings
and lining. This experimentation cost me a few models
that didn`t really come out presentably, but looking
back they`re necessary sacrifices that made me turn
new corners.
All this may sound like I consider myself an
accomplished modeller now, with fully developed
skills, but nothing is further from the truth. I often still
feel like a beginner, and there is a myriad of
techniques and materials that I have never tried out
(for example, I still hate PE and don`t use it if I can
help it).
The skills of other modellers from all over the world
continue to amaze and humble me. But I hope that my
models convey my love of the subject and will inspire
someone out there to go out and build a model,
whether it be Russian, British, German, or whatever!
BuiIding the exterior
With the interior done it was time for the exterior of the
hull. The engine pylons have some shape issues
which I left alone, but I did adjust the sit of the engine
and engine cover. Plus Model`s engine is noticeably
slanted forward, but pictures show that in reality it was
level with the ground. To remedy this, the engine
pylons and engine supports were carefully trimmed
until the engine was horizontal.
The engine was painted and installed on the engine
supports. I also painted the inside of the engine cover
at this time as it would be impossible to reach once
attached. I was relieved to find that after changing the
sit of the engine, the exhaust still lined up with the hole
in the engine cover! The many support rods for the
vehicle`s skis are very flimsy, and I strengthened as
many joins as I could with wire. Plus Model provide
wire for the propeller guards, and using the supplied jig
they were very easy to make. Note that they should
have a slight upward angle unlike the model in the box
top picture.
The Aerosans were not just snazzy recreational
vehicles, they mounted a ring-mounted DT machine
gun that was operated by the observer. I remade the
ring from plastic rod, as the cross section should be
round, not square like the kit part. I scratch built the
mount and added detail to the gun.
With the major components done it was time for the
final details, such as details on the engine cover, the
headlight support and tie-downs on the sides of
the vehicle. I replaced the steering wheel from
the kit with one that I had lying around, but I
later found out that it should have four
spokes as opposed to three.
Ee|ke Warr|nk
32
Ee|ke Warr|nk
31
A
E
R
O
S
A
N
Some of the most interesting vehicles
from World War 2 were the Russian
Aerosans, literally 'aero-sleighs`.
These snowmobiles, looking like an unholy marriage
between a bobsleigh and a desk fan, are a prime example
of Russian inventiveness: they were of simple but
unorthodox construction, and very effective. Aerosans
were used for transport and scouting missions in deep
snow or on ice, where no other vehicle could go. In late
1941, the GAZ car factory designed a simple scout type
named RF-8. When Plus Model released a new kit of this
type, I picked it up as soon it appeared in the hobby shop.
Interior decoration
The first job was cleaning up the main hull parts. Casting
quality is good throughout, although the engine pylons
were riddled with air bubbles. Construction started with
the interior, which is quite sparse. The real thing must
have had a complicated steering system with wires and
pulleys, but Plus Model give you none of this, probably
because of a lack of references. The RF-8 was
constructed mainly of plywood, and I chose to finish the
interior in a varnished wood colour. In reality the interior
could as well have been white or some primer colour
(perhaps even blue, like in Russian aircraft), but it`s
impossible to tell without adequate pictures. I airbrushed
the base colour, added shading and highlighting and
finished with my usual chips and lining. The dashboard
has a couple of knobs and rivets, which I picked out in a
steel colour. After gluing the bulkheads and seats into
place, the hull could be 'closed up`.
W
|
n
t
e
r

1
9
4
2
BuiIding the exterior
With the interior done it was time for the exterior of the
hull. The engine pylons have some shape issues
which I left alone, but I did adjust the sit of the engine
and engine cover. Plus Model`s engine is noticeably
slanted forward, but pictures show that in reality it was
level with the ground. To remedy this, the engine
pylons and engine supports were carefully trimmed
until the engine was horizontal.
The engine was painted and installed on the engine
supports. I also painted the inside of the engine cover
at this time as it would be impossible to reach once
attached. I was relieved to find that after changing the
sit of the engine, the exhaust still lined up with the hole
in the engine cover! The many support rods for the
vehicle`s skis are very flimsy, and I strengthened as
many joins as I could with wire. Plus Model provide
wire for the propeller guards, and using the supplied jig
they were very easy to make. Note that they should
have a slight upward angle unlike the model in the box
top picture.
The Aerosans were not just snazzy recreational
vehicles, they mounted a ring-mounted DT machine
gun that was operated by the observer. I remade the
ring from plastic rod, as the cross section should be
round, not square like the kit part. I scratch built the
mount and added detail to the gun.
With the major components done it was time for the
final details, such as details on the engine cover, the
headlight support and tie-downs on the sides of
the vehicle. I replaced the steering wheel from
the kit with one that I had lying around, but I
later found out that it should have four
spokes as opposed to three.
Ee|ke Warr|nk
32
Ee|ke Warr|nk
31
A
E
R
O
S
A
N
Some of the most interesting vehicles
from World War 2 were the Russian
Aerosans, literally 'aero-sleighs`.
These snowmobiles, looking like an unholy marriage
between a bobsleigh and a desk fan, are a prime example
of Russian inventiveness: they were of simple but
unorthodox construction, and very effective. Aerosans
were used for transport and scouting missions in deep
snow or on ice, where no other vehicle could go. In late
1941, the GAZ car factory designed a simple scout type
named RF-8. When Plus Model released a new kit of this
type, I picked it up as soon it appeared in the hobby shop.
Interior decoration
The first job was cleaning up the main hull parts. Casting
quality is good throughout, although the engine pylons
were riddled with air bubbles. Construction started with
the interior, which is quite sparse. The real thing must
have had a complicated steering system with wires and
pulleys, but Plus Model give you none of this, probably
because of a lack of references. The RF-8 was
constructed mainly of plywood, and I chose to finish the
interior in a varnished wood colour. In reality the interior
could as well have been white or some primer colour
(perhaps even blue, like in Russian aircraft), but it`s
impossible to tell without adequate pictures. I airbrushed
the base colour, added shading and highlighting and
finished with my usual chips and lining. The dashboard
has a couple of knobs and rivets, which I picked out in a
steel colour. After gluing the bulkheads and seats into
place, the hull could be 'closed up`.
W
|
n
t
e
r

1
9
4
2
*10*#&66.30
33
*10*#&66.30
34
A whiter shade of paIe
I was a little apprehensive when I started painting,
because I had never painted a white vehicle before. In
the end I figured that it would be best to start with a
base coat of.white! I masked off the two 'cockpits`
and applied a layer of pure white. With a base colour
this bright it would be easy to overdo the shading, so I
mixed up a light, warm grey and sprayed it onto the
lower part of the body, suspension struts and the
engine cover. The other surfaces were given a quick
pass as well, so that I could highlight the uppermost
surfaces later using pure white. The Russians often
used black headlights straight from the automotive
industry, and this gave the model a splash of 'colour`
that it needed. Pictures reveal that the MG ring was
left in bare metal.
After that, I added the usual chips, scratches, rust
streaks and oil stains, using acrylics and oils. I copied
the spilled glycol from the radiator from a well known
photograph, the fanned out streaks of glycol adding a
lot of interest to the model. The propeller received
more chipping than usual, because I imagined it would
quickly get worn by rocks and other small debris
kicked up by the skis. When all was done, I glued the
skis in place, and I was glad to see that all four of them
touched the ground.
Finishing off
I kept stowage to a minimum, mainly because I was
getting tired of the project. I had to include some
bottles, without an ample supply of vodka the crew
would not be able to withstand the rigors of winter! I
covered a nasty spot of chipped paint with a picture of
Stalin, printed on my ink jet printer. I didn`t glue the
propeller on, but merely pushed it in place, because I
was afraid it would be a prime target for inquisitive
fingers - 'Does it actually turn?` So far the model has
stayed in one piece!
*10*#&66.30
33
*10*#&66.30
34
A whiter shade of paIe
I was a little apprehensive when I started painting,
because I had never painted a white vehicle before. In
the end I figured that it would be best to start with a
base coat of.white! I masked off the two 'cockpits`
and applied a layer of pure white. With a base colour
this bright it would be easy to overdo the shading, so I
mixed up a light, warm grey and sprayed it onto the
lower part of the body, suspension struts and the
engine cover. The other surfaces were given a quick
pass as well, so that I could highlight the uppermost
surfaces later using pure white. The Russians often
used black headlights straight from the automotive
industry, and this gave the model a splash of 'colour`
that it needed. Pictures reveal that the MG ring was
left in bare metal.
After that, I added the usual chips, scratches, rust
streaks and oil stains, using acrylics and oils. I copied
the spilled glycol from the radiator from a well known
photograph, the fanned out streaks of glycol adding a
lot of interest to the model. The propeller received
more chipping than usual, because I imagined it would
quickly get worn by rocks and other small debris
kicked up by the skis. When all was done, I glued the
skis in place, and I was glad to see that all four of them
touched the ground.
Finishing off
I kept stowage to a minimum, mainly because I was
getting tired of the project. I had to include some
bottles, without an ample supply of vodka the crew
would not be able to withstand the rigors of winter! I
covered a nasty spot of chipped paint with a picture of
Stalin, printed on my ink jet printer. I didn`t glue the
propeller on, but merely pushed it in place, because I
was afraid it would be a prime target for inquisitive
fingers - 'Does it actually turn?` So far the model has
stayed in one piece!
*10*#&66.30
36
*10*#&66.30
35
For most modellers, the T-34
doesn`t really need an introduction.
It`s arguably the most important and
most numerous tank of the Second
World War, but most versions were
largely ignored by kit manufacturers
until recently.
I was excited when Dragon announced a cast turret
version of their model 1941 kit, because to my eyes it`s
the best looking tank ever produced. I decided to turn
the kit into an old banger, a battered autumn 1941
survivor of the previous summer, and ultimately it was
my love for this particular version that carried me
through some of the more tedious parts of construction
and painting.
Construction
Dragon`s cast-turret Model 1941 shares some issues
with its stable mates that need to be corrected. The
nose fillet doesn`t fit quite right and I modified the front
wheel arm to better match the early version of the real
part. The engine hatch on all early T-34 kits doesn`t fit,
and I made a new one using a master part that I made
earlier. Before adding any details, I cut off all fenders
and replaced the side ones with .005 plastic card.
Using thin plastic allowed me to dent them up nicely
while still being able to glue them easily, as opposed to
metal foil.
The kit includes an etched transmission cover grille,
but it`s just as awful as all the other etched bits in the
kit. It doesn`t fit the hole in the transmission cover at
all! I fixed it myself with etched mesh and plastic strips.
I fitted some very simple armoured louvres below it to
at least fill the gaping hole. I decided not to replace the
solid radiator intake grills, because all etched
replacements actually look worse, and my skills were
not up to scratch building them. If I make another early
T-34, I will probably sand away the rear portion until
the slots open up.
The hull sides are largely devoid of detail, except for
the fuel tanks. I decided to leave two of them off so I
could make some experimental rust effects later. I
added clamps for two spades on the left-hand rear
corner that were regularly fitted to early T-34's but are
rarely seen on models. On the right-hand fender I
added empty clamps that held the jacks until Ivan lost
them somewhere along the way. They were a terrible
pain to build, but in the end I think it was worth it.
The tracks are by Friulmodel, and they`re a bit tight for
Dragon`s T-34. I decided to stretch them by simply
pulling them slightly apart link by link, and this was just
enough to make them sit more naturally.
The turret didn`t need much work. The weld beads
around the roof and on the mantlet were too simple to
my taste, so I replaced them with softened sprue
textured with a sharp tweezers tip. Finally I added a
subtle texture to the cast parts by stippling Tamiya
Liquid Surface Primer.
T-34
1941
*10*#&66.30
36
*10*#&66.30
35
For most modellers, the T-34
doesn`t really need an introduction.
It`s arguably the most important and
most numerous tank of the Second
World War, but most versions were
largely ignored by kit manufacturers
until recently.
I was excited when Dragon announced a cast turret
version of their model 1941 kit, because to my eyes it`s
the best looking tank ever produced. I decided to turn
the kit into an old banger, a battered autumn 1941
survivor of the previous summer, and ultimately it was
my love for this particular version that carried me
through some of the more tedious parts of construction
and painting.
Construction
Dragon`s cast-turret Model 1941 shares some issues
with its stable mates that need to be corrected. The
nose fillet doesn`t fit quite right and I modified the front
wheel arm to better match the early version of the real
part. The engine hatch on all early T-34 kits doesn`t fit,
and I made a new one using a master part that I made
earlier. Before adding any details, I cut off all fenders
and replaced the side ones with .005 plastic card.
Using thin plastic allowed me to dent them up nicely
while still being able to glue them easily, as opposed to
metal foil.
The kit includes an etched transmission cover grille,
but it`s just as awful as all the other etched bits in the
kit. It doesn`t fit the hole in the transmission cover at
all! I fixed it myself with etched mesh and plastic strips.
I fitted some very simple armoured louvres below it to
at least fill the gaping hole. I decided not to replace the
solid radiator intake grills, because all etched
replacements actually look worse, and my skills were
not up to scratch building them. If I make another early
T-34, I will probably sand away the rear portion until
the slots open up.
The hull sides are largely devoid of detail, except for
the fuel tanks. I decided to leave two of them off so I
could make some experimental rust effects later. I
added clamps for two spades on the left-hand rear
corner that were regularly fitted to early T-34's but are
rarely seen on models. On the right-hand fender I
added empty clamps that held the jacks until Ivan lost
them somewhere along the way. They were a terrible
pain to build, but in the end I think it was worth it.
The tracks are by Friulmodel, and they`re a bit tight for
Dragon`s T-34. I decided to stretch them by simply
pulling them slightly apart link by link, and this was just
enough to make them sit more naturally.
The turret didn`t need much work. The weld beads
around the roof and on the mantlet were too simple to
my taste, so I replaced them with softened sprue
textured with a sharp tweezers tip. Finally I added a
subtle texture to the cast parts by stippling Tamiya
Liquid Surface Primer.
T-34
1941
*10*#&66.30
37
*10*#&66.30
38
%-16-1+
As usual I airbrushed the model using Lifecolor
acrylics. I mixed up a base colour of several greens
and yellows, and added shadows mixing black and
brown into the mix, and highlights with more yellow.
These early machines rarely carried markings, but
there are exceptions. I airbrushed a white recognition
stripe on the turret roof and painted turret numbers
freehand. There aren`t many details to paint in a
different colour tone, but one exception is the front hull
MG ball mount, which in reality was often left
unpainted. After a gloss coat (Vallejo Model Colour, the
best I`ve tried so far) I added a couple of layers of dust
stippled on with a brush to tone down the gloss and
make a good base for the next step: lining.
'Lining` is a technique that, as far as I know, was
pioneered by members of the KMK model club from
Belgium. It involves tracing all seams and corners of
the model with a thinned mixture of oil paints. Use a
thicker mixture than you would use for a wash and
build up the colour with several passes.
I used Van Dyke brown and sepia oil paints applied
with a W&N 000 brush. After this, it was time for chips
and scratches. I highlighted these with the highlight
colour. It is with this step that the model gets its colour
depth and really 'comes to life`. I masked off the areas
where the fuel cells once were and added several rust
effects using airbrushed acrylics and burnt umber oil
paint. Using more oil paints I added grime, rust spots,
oil streaks and tone variations ('filters`) to selected
areas.
Next I dusted up the model with my usual dust mixture,
stippling and spattering on many thin layers to
gradually build up the effect. This method requires a
great deal of patience and control, and although I
learned a lot on this model, I feel that I have still not
mastered it. I added wall filler and darker colours to the
mixture for spots where mud would build up, mostly on
the lower hull, wheels and tracks. The exhaust stains
were airbrushed on, and I added a thin line of gloss
varnish below each exhaust pipe to replicate exhaust
water trickling down.
I didn`t add much in the way of stowage, firstly
because Russian tanks of this vintage were seldom
seen with much stowage, but also because I needed to
finish the model in time for the Scale Model Challenge
2008 show in Eindhoven! I did add a couple of autumn
leaves from Plus Model. These minuscule laser-cut
paper leaves look very realistic, but I felt I needed to
enhance their colour somewhat, using pictures of real
autumn leaves as reference.
All that was left to do was paint the headlight reflector,
and for this I had bought a bottle of Alclad II Chrome
paint earlier. This is a lacquer-based paint that has to
be applied over a coat of gloss black enamel and can
only be applied with an airbrush. I built up the needed
courage, masked off the model with a rubber glove
and carefully sprayed the Alclad at a very low pressure
setting. After two thin coats I was amazed by the
effect. It really looks like real chrome! After some
touch-ups and adding a light bulb from stretched clear
sprue, the model was finished.
*10*#&66.30
37
*10*#&66.30
38
%-16-1+
As usual I airbrushed the model using Lifecolor
acrylics. I mixed up a base colour of several greens
and yellows, and added shadows mixing black and
brown into the mix, and highlights with more yellow.
These early machines rarely carried markings, but
there are exceptions. I airbrushed a white recognition
stripe on the turret roof and painted turret numbers
freehand. There aren`t many details to paint in a
different colour tone, but one exception is the front hull
MG ball mount, which in reality was often left
unpainted. After a gloss coat (Vallejo Model Colour, the
best I`ve tried so far) I added a couple of layers of dust
stippled on with a brush to tone down the gloss and
make a good base for the next step: lining.
'Lining` is a technique that, as far as I know, was
pioneered by members of the KMK model club from
Belgium. It involves tracing all seams and corners of
the model with a thinned mixture of oil paints. Use a
thicker mixture than you would use for a wash and
build up the colour with several passes.
I used Van Dyke brown and sepia oil paints applied
with a W&N 000 brush. After this, it was time for chips
and scratches. I highlighted these with the highlight
colour. It is with this step that the model gets its colour
depth and really 'comes to life`. I masked off the areas
where the fuel cells once were and added several rust
effects using airbrushed acrylics and burnt umber oil
paint. Using more oil paints I added grime, rust spots,
oil streaks and tone variations ('filters`) to selected
areas.
Next I dusted up the model with my usual dust mixture,
stippling and spattering on many thin layers to
gradually build up the effect. This method requires a
great deal of patience and control, and although I
learned a lot on this model, I feel that I have still not
mastered it. I added wall filler and darker colours to the
mixture for spots where mud would build up, mostly on
the lower hull, wheels and tracks. The exhaust stains
were airbrushed on, and I added a thin line of gloss
varnish below each exhaust pipe to replicate exhaust
water trickling down.
I didn`t add much in the way of stowage, firstly
because Russian tanks of this vintage were seldom
seen with much stowage, but also because I needed to
finish the model in time for the Scale Model Challenge
2008 show in Eindhoven! I did add a couple of autumn
leaves from Plus Model. These minuscule laser-cut
paper leaves look very realistic, but I felt I needed to
enhance their colour somewhat, using pictures of real
autumn leaves as reference.
All that was left to do was paint the headlight reflector,
and for this I had bought a bottle of Alclad II Chrome
paint earlier. This is a lacquer-based paint that has to
be applied over a coat of gloss black enamel and can
only be applied with an airbrush. I built up the needed
courage, masked off the model with a rubber glove
and carefully sprayed the Alclad at a very low pressure
setting. After two thin coats I was amazed by the
effect. It really looks like real chrome! After some
touch-ups and adding a light bulb from stretched clear
sprue, the model was finished.
Ee|ke Warr|nk
39
Ee|ke Warr|nk
40
Lower HuII
Tamiya`s Cromwell is a typical Tamiya kit: basically fine, but to keep
the kit easy to build, some smaller details have been simplified or
are missing entirely. Most detailing is needed on the hull front which
would be covered by the new superstructure, so I avoided some
tedious work in that area. While assembling the hull, I noticed there
was a gap between the lower front plate and the glacis. A quick
check of parts fit revealed that everything was straight and true, so
the cause remains a mystery to me. I added a sheet styrene armour
plate to the lower front plate, set at an angle to bring it back in line
with the glacis. A second section of extra armour was then added to
the lower nose plate for good measure.
I left the kit`s tool clamps as they were for this project, but I did add
nozzles to the fire extinguishers. The final drive oil filler tubes were
made from brass wire and punched disks to replace the unsightly
blobs on the kit parts. I kept the kit`s smoke dischargers, but added
wire leads to them to give at least an impression of detailing in this
area. The exhaust cover received a piece of generic Aber mesh cut
to size.
As I prefer the look of Cromwells without side skirts, I removed the
locator tabs, thinned the edges of the fenders and drilled bolt holes
in the appropriate places. A set of Friulmodel tracks completed the
lower hull. I bought these fully assembled from a fellow modeller,
although I did remove one link on each side to improve their fit.
With a pencil I drew a fixed fighting compartment onto the lower hull.
I tried to make it look as if British engineers had been inspired by
German Jagdpanthers and had tried to come up with a home-grown
equivalent, mounting a 17-pounder gun. I christened the resulting
vehicle 'Jagdcromwell` (my inspiration apparently having run out!). A
lack of necessary skills and experience kept me from actually
converting a Cromwell in 1:35th scale. In early 2007, I felt my skills
had improved sufficiently to give the conversion a try. To keep the
project simple, I decided to concentrate on the superstructure and do
only the essential work on the hull. I loaded a new blade into my
hobby knife and set to work.
Construct|on - Rutger Warr|nk
Pa|nt|ng - Ee|ke Warr|nk
The concept of the Jagdcromwell came to me
in a sudden flash of inspiration in 2002. I took
a picture of a Cromwell I had found on the
internet, removed the superstructure in
Photoshop and printed the result on paper.
Ee|ke Warr|nk
39
Ee|ke Warr|nk
40
Lower HuII
Tamiya`s Cromwell is a typical Tamiya kit: basically fine, but to keep
the kit easy to build, some smaller details have been simplified or
are missing entirely. Most detailing is needed on the hull front which
would be covered by the new superstructure, so I avoided some
tedious work in that area. While assembling the hull, I noticed there
was a gap between the lower front plate and the glacis. A quick
check of parts fit revealed that everything was straight and true, so
the cause remains a mystery to me. I added a sheet styrene armour
plate to the lower front plate, set at an angle to bring it back in line
with the glacis. A second section of extra armour was then added to
the lower nose plate for good measure.
I left the kit`s tool clamps as they were for this project, but I did add
nozzles to the fire extinguishers. The final drive oil filler tubes were
made from brass wire and punched disks to replace the unsightly
blobs on the kit parts. I kept the kit`s smoke dischargers, but added
wire leads to them to give at least an impression of detailing in this
area. The exhaust cover received a piece of generic Aber mesh cut
to size.
As I prefer the look of Cromwells without side skirts, I removed the
locator tabs, thinned the edges of the fenders and drilled bolt holes
in the appropriate places. A set of Friulmodel tracks completed the
lower hull. I bought these fully assembled from a fellow modeller,
although I did remove one link on each side to improve their fit.
With a pencil I drew a fixed fighting compartment onto the lower hull.
I tried to make it look as if British engineers had been inspired by
German Jagdpanthers and had tried to come up with a home-grown
equivalent, mounting a 17-pounder gun. I christened the resulting
vehicle 'Jagdcromwell` (my inspiration apparently having run out!). A
lack of necessary skills and experience kept me from actually
converting a Cromwell in 1:35th scale. In early 2007, I felt my skills
had improved sufficiently to give the conversion a try. To keep the
project simple, I decided to concentrate on the superstructure and do
only the essential work on the hull. I loaded a new blade into my
hobby knife and set to work.
Construct|on - Rutger Warr|nk
Pa|nt|ng - Ee|ke Warr|nk
The concept of the Jagdcromwell came to me
in a sudden flash of inspiration in 2002. I took
a picture of a Cromwell I had found on the
internet, removed the superstructure in
Photoshop and printed the result on paper.
*10*#&66.30
41
*10*#&66.30
42
Painting - EeIke Warrink
When Rutger handed over the Jagdcromwell to me, I
couldn`t resist his pleading puppy eyes and added
some final detailing. The front looked a little plain to
me, so I attached a couple of splash strips below the
mantlet. On the right superstructure side I put an
ejection port which I carefully cut from the kit turret.
Years after its conception, the Jagdcromwell
was finally ready to be painted.
Being a late-war vehicle, there was little option
but to paint it SCC 15 Olive Drab. I sprayed
the model in my usual way, mixing colours
from Lifecolor acrylics, adding black and
brown for shadows and lemon yellow for
highlights. I use a strong yellow instead of
sand yellow to keep the highlights vibrant and
saturated.
Once the paint was on, I added the markings.
The stars and census numbers came from
Archer sets, the bridging disk and 11th AD
markings were leftovers, and all other
markings were printed onto decal paper. For
some reason, they didn`t come out as nice
as before, and I had to touch them up
where the ink had worn off. After all
markings were applied I gloss-coated
the model with Vallejo gloss
varnish.
Weathering was the usual affair. I started with a couple
of layers of dust coloured acrylics stippled on, just
enough to take away the shine of the preceding gloss
coat. After that, I lined the model using oils, and
added chips. Highlighting the chips creates an
illusion of depth. While it takes a lot more time to
paint, the effect is well worth the effort. The model
was then dusted up more by stippling on diluted
acrylic paint in many layers, making sure to let the
mix build up in corners and crevices. Streaks and
other colour effects were added with oils, and
dark, wet mud was made by mixing dark earth
coloured acrylics with wall filler.
Stowage and Figure
No WW2 British tank is complete without a
mountain of stowage on the rear deck, and I
decided to give the Jagdcromwell its share. I
made tarps from rolled Milliput, and used
assorted scrap to provide some volume.
The jerry cans came form the ancient Italeri set and
are still quite usable. I spiced them up a little and
added the centre weld by sandwiching thin plastic card
between them. The cable reel, biscuit tin and fuel
funnel are from one of Resicast's very useful sets. The
wicker basket is by Plus Model, and whoever made the
master must have terribly good eyesight. When I
posted the model on internet forums, several people
mentioned that the vehicle didn`t look very British. To
counter the criticism I made up a blue enamelled
teapot from a British RAC helmet. I finished the model
with a Sten submachine gun on the roof, ready for the
commander to grab in case of an emergency, which
was fairly standard practice in some British units. The
commander himself is the upper torso of a figure
included in one of Dragon`s Firefly boxings, with a
Hornet head. The figure was painted in acrylics.
Finally, I added the figure and glued the cupola over its
head. Six years after its first conception, the
Jagdcromwell was ready for tank busting!
Scratch buiIding the Superstructure
The superstructure was largely built from 1mm
Evergreen styrene sheet; the roof plates are 0.4mm.
Construction started with the glacis. This was designed
to rest on top of the kit`s driver compartment, which
meant getting rid of the moulded-on periscopes. The
other plates were cut to fit only where absolutely
necessary: I cut them overly large in places, then
trimmed them flush with the adjoining plates when the
glue had set. If done carefully, this method results in
sharp and tidy edges with a minimum of exact
measurement involved.
With the Jagdcromwell being fictional, I made no effort
to build the hull to precise measurements. If I had, the
construction method I used would probably not have
been the most suitable. I did find that certain seams
had a habit of splitting because of the small contact
area between plates in some areas. The roof plates
received hatch and ventilator apertures cut from the kit
turret roof and were glued to the superstructure to
complete basic construction. I then gave the entire
superstructure a coat of Tamiya liquid surface primer to
cover the inevitable nicks and dings, followed by a
thorough wet sanding. Then the seams popped open
again! Some filling and cursing later I was ready to
move on to the details.
Superstructure DetaiIs
The ring surrounding the mantlet was made from two
rings cut from styrene sheet, the bevelled edge
between them was made from Milliput. For the main
gun I used a Jordi Rubio metal gun barrel. The gun
shield is sheet styrene with a 1:87 M113 cupola fitted
in front, blended together with Milliput. More Milliput
was used to sculpt the canvas cover.
An Ultracast stowage box was added to the rear of the
superstructure to balance the model`s rather front-
heavy look. A spare wheel of the same company and
the kit`s searchlight (with a scratch built plug and
socket) were added to the left side of the
superstructure to spice things up. As an afterthought, I
scribed a drivers hatch into the right superstructure
front, detailed with sprue and strip. On the glacis, I
added the kit`s headlights with new brush guards made
from steel wire. New fender stays had to be made from
styrene.
The main attraction on the roof was to be the
commanders cupola, which I took from a Tamiya
Churchill kit. I added strip periscopes and undercuts to
the hatch ring, detailed the inside of the hatches,
corrected the shape of the opening and added the
chains and their associated hardware as well as head
pads to this area. The hatch stays were taken from an
Aber fret.
By this stage, I had become completely fed up with the
model, which by then had taken over a year of
intermittent work to build. I decided to glue the loaders
and drivers hatches shut, practised my best pleading
puppy look and asked my brother Eelke if he could add
a few final details, to which he kindly agreed. Then he
whipped out his airbrush to add some long-awaited
paint to the beast.
*10*#&66.30
41
*10*#&66.30
42
Painting - EeIke Warrink
When Rutger handed over the Jagdcromwell to me, I
couldn`t resist his pleading puppy eyes and added
some final detailing. The front looked a little plain to
me, so I attached a couple of splash strips below the
mantlet. On the right superstructure side I put an
ejection port which I carefully cut from the kit turret.
Years after its conception, the Jagdcromwell
was finally ready to be painted.
Being a late-war vehicle, there was little option
but to paint it SCC 15 Olive Drab. I sprayed
the model in my usual way, mixing colours
from Lifecolor acrylics, adding black and
brown for shadows and lemon yellow for
highlights. I use a strong yellow instead of
sand yellow to keep the highlights vibrant and
saturated.
Once the paint was on, I added the markings.
The stars and census numbers came from
Archer sets, the bridging disk and 11th AD
markings were leftovers, and all other
markings were printed onto decal paper. For
some reason, they didn`t come out as nice
as before, and I had to touch them up
where the ink had worn off. After all
markings were applied I gloss-coated
the model with Vallejo gloss
varnish.
Weathering was the usual affair. I started with a couple
of layers of dust coloured acrylics stippled on, just
enough to take away the shine of the preceding gloss
coat. After that, I lined the model using oils, and
added chips. Highlighting the chips creates an
illusion of depth. While it takes a lot more time to
paint, the effect is well worth the effort. The model
was then dusted up more by stippling on diluted
acrylic paint in many layers, making sure to let the
mix build up in corners and crevices. Streaks and
other colour effects were added with oils, and
dark, wet mud was made by mixing dark earth
coloured acrylics with wall filler.
Stowage and Figure
No WW2 British tank is complete without a
mountain of stowage on the rear deck, and I
decided to give the Jagdcromwell its share. I
made tarps from rolled Milliput, and used
assorted scrap to provide some volume.
The jerry cans came form the ancient Italeri set and
are still quite usable. I spiced them up a little and
added the centre weld by sandwiching thin plastic card
between them. The cable reel, biscuit tin and fuel
funnel are from one of Resicast's very useful sets. The
wicker basket is by Plus Model, and whoever made the
master must have terribly good eyesight. When I
posted the model on internet forums, several people
mentioned that the vehicle didn`t look very British. To
counter the criticism I made up a blue enamelled
teapot from a British RAC helmet. I finished the model
with a Sten submachine gun on the roof, ready for the
commander to grab in case of an emergency, which
was fairly standard practice in some British units. The
commander himself is the upper torso of a figure
included in one of Dragon`s Firefly boxings, with a
Hornet head. The figure was painted in acrylics.
Finally, I added the figure and glued the cupola over its
head. Six years after its first conception, the
Jagdcromwell was ready for tank busting!
Scratch buiIding the Superstructure
The superstructure was largely built from 1mm
Evergreen styrene sheet; the roof plates are 0.4mm.
Construction started with the glacis. This was designed
to rest on top of the kit`s driver compartment, which
meant getting rid of the moulded-on periscopes. The
other plates were cut to fit only where absolutely
necessary: I cut them overly large in places, then
trimmed them flush with the adjoining plates when the
glue had set. If done carefully, this method results in
sharp and tidy edges with a minimum of exact
measurement involved.
With the Jagdcromwell being fictional, I made no effort
to build the hull to precise measurements. If I had, the
construction method I used would probably not have
been the most suitable. I did find that certain seams
had a habit of splitting because of the small contact
area between plates in some areas. The roof plates
received hatch and ventilator apertures cut from the kit
turret roof and were glued to the superstructure to
complete basic construction. I then gave the entire
superstructure a coat of Tamiya liquid surface primer to
cover the inevitable nicks and dings, followed by a
thorough wet sanding. Then the seams popped open
again! Some filling and cursing later I was ready to
move on to the details.
Superstructure DetaiIs
The ring surrounding the mantlet was made from two
rings cut from styrene sheet, the bevelled edge
between them was made from Milliput. For the main
gun I used a Jordi Rubio metal gun barrel. The gun
shield is sheet styrene with a 1:87 M113 cupola fitted
in front, blended together with Milliput. More Milliput
was used to sculpt the canvas cover.
An Ultracast stowage box was added to the rear of the
superstructure to balance the model`s rather front-
heavy look. A spare wheel of the same company and
the kit`s searchlight (with a scratch built plug and
socket) were added to the left side of the
superstructure to spice things up. As an afterthought, I
scribed a drivers hatch into the right superstructure
front, detailed with sprue and strip. On the glacis, I
added the kit`s headlights with new brush guards made
from steel wire. New fender stays had to be made from
styrene.
The main attraction on the roof was to be the
commanders cupola, which I took from a Tamiya
Churchill kit. I added strip periscopes and undercuts to
the hatch ring, detailed the inside of the hatches,
corrected the shape of the opening and added the
chains and their associated hardware as well as head
pads to this area. The hatch stays were taken from an
Aber fret.
By this stage, I had become completely fed up with the
model, which by then had taken over a year of
intermittent work to build. I decided to glue the loaders
and drivers hatches shut, practised my best pleading
puppy look and asked my brother Eelke if he could add
a few final details, to which he kindly agreed. Then he
whipped out his airbrush to add some long-awaited
paint to the beast.
6.("4,*1
44
6.("4,*1
43
I am Eric Vogel, born in 1970 and I
live in Rotterdam. I work as a
technician; calibrating, testing and
maintaining industrial X-ray
equipment.
My first encounter with scale modelling was when I
was a little boy and wanted to build houses which were
so much needed to stand next to my train that was
driving endless circles on my bedroom floor. Then the
interest switched to the famous 1/72 Matchbox
airplanes and battleships from Airfix.
When I was 10 years old I got a Stug IV as a gift and
from that moment on it was only tanks and trucks.
All of the tanks got a thick hand painted layer of paint
and there were even some attempts to make a
diorama like Verlinden did, but the ones I made looked
slightly different then the ones on the pictures from the
Verlinden books.
The Tamiya catalogue was like the bible for me and it
was hard to make a decision what to buy next,but
certainly, there was always a shortage of money.
Later on, the interest in the hobby slipped away and it
got back my attention, some 10 years ago. First I went
to the meetings of the Dutch Twenot, found a great
hobby shop and saw amazing stuff on the modelling
expos in Belgium.
At the same time, I started to buy books about the
Eastern front in WW II, and I was interested in the
winter scenes shown in the pictures. Reading more
stories and collecting more pictures, I was impressed
by the logistics and maintenance done at that time, to
keep the tanks running.
So my interest moved to this and everything with
cranes on it and broken engines got my attention.
More books and hobby magazines were added to the
ever growing collection.
These days I like to plan my projects. Mostly I work on
3 kits at the same time, so I can use the well known
painting techniques on one kit and work with after-
market stuff on the other or struggle with a resin kit. I
never can tell when I finish a model, as there is always
something that needs some more attention. But to
me, that is still the joy of doing this hobby.
Eric VogeI
6.("4,*1
6.("4,*1
44
6.("4,*1
43
I am Eric Vogel, born in 1970 and I
live in Rotterdam. I work as a
technician; calibrating, testing and
maintaining industrial X-ray
equipment.
My first encounter with scale modelling was when I
was a little boy and wanted to build houses which were
so much needed to stand next to my train that was
driving endless circles on my bedroom floor. Then the
interest switched to the famous 1/72 Matchbox
airplanes and battleships from Airfix.
When I was 10 years old I got a Stug IV as a gift and
from that moment on it was only tanks and trucks.
All of the tanks got a thick hand painted layer of paint
and there were even some attempts to make a
diorama like Verlinden did, but the ones I made looked
slightly different then the ones on the pictures from the
Verlinden books.
The Tamiya catalogue was like the bible for me and it
was hard to make a decision what to buy next,but
certainly, there was always a shortage of money.
Later on, the interest in the hobby slipped away and it
got back my attention, some 10 years ago. First I went
to the meetings of the Dutch Twenot, found a great
hobby shop and saw amazing stuff on the modelling
expos in Belgium.
At the same time, I started to buy books about the
Eastern front in WW II, and I was interested in the
winter scenes shown in the pictures. Reading more
stories and collecting more pictures, I was impressed
by the logistics and maintenance done at that time, to
keep the tanks running.
So my interest moved to this and everything with
cranes on it and broken engines got my attention.
More books and hobby magazines were added to the
ever growing collection.
These days I like to plan my projects. Mostly I work on
3 kits at the same time, so I can use the well known
painting techniques on one kit and work with after-
market stuff on the other or struggle with a resin kit. I
never can tell when I finish a model, as there is always
something that needs some more attention. But to
me, that is still the joy of doing this hobby.
Eric VogeI
6.("4,*1
6.("4,*1
45
6.("4,*1
46
Bergepanzer III
The Bergepanzer was a make
shift solution of the German
Wehrmacht to answer to the
demand for more salvage
vehicles. From January 1944
onwards the obsolete Panzer III's
were converted to Bergepanzers.
Until March 1945 some 167
Panzer III's were converted by
adding a wooden superstructure
and derrick crane.
,)2()/
Tamiya's Panzer III Ausf. L was used as a base for
this conversion. CMK makes a completely resin
conversion set and for the additional details I used
a photoetch set from Eduard.
CMK's conversion kit is finely cast and provides no
problems at all, resulting in a straight forward build
and I can say that I did not meet any construction
or fitting issues along the way.
Due to the large wooden surfaces of the upper
structure, I thought that a white wash would be a
nice challenge for finishing this vehicle. The base
colours were sprayed on by using an airbrush and
various Tamiya acrylic paints. The structure of the
wood was imitated with oil paints. Oils give you
ample time to work, as they dry slowly. This
property makes them also very forgiving, as
mistakes can be easily corrected, if necessary
even several days after applying them.
For the application of the white wash, I also
decided to use oils paints. Although the so called
"hair spray" method was already in use when I
made this model, I decided to play it safe and to
just be patient and I stuck to my more time
consuming method of painting the required effects
with oil paints. Final weathering touches were
done with MIG pigments, mainly on the lower
hull, wheels and tracks.
Additional accessories were scrounged from my
elaborate spares box. The tools are from the
Eduard range. The source of the various engines
that I used in this project is the Tank Workshop.
The transmission box is from CMK.
6.("4,*1
45
6.("4,*1
46
Bergepanzer III
The Bergepanzer was a make
shift solution of the German
Wehrmacht to answer to the
demand for more salvage
vehicles. From January 1944
onwards the obsolete Panzer III's
were converted to Bergepanzers.
Until March 1945 some 167
Panzer III's were converted by
adding a wooden superstructure
and derrick crane.
,)2()/
Tamiya's Panzer III Ausf. L was used as a base for
this conversion. CMK makes a completely resin
conversion set and for the additional details I used
a photoetch set from Eduard.
CMK's conversion kit is finely cast and provides no
problems at all, resulting in a straight forward build
and I can say that I did not meet any construction
or fitting issues along the way.
Due to the large wooden surfaces of the upper
structure, I thought that a white wash would be a
nice challenge for finishing this vehicle. The base
colours were sprayed on by using an airbrush and
various Tamiya acrylic paints. The structure of the
wood was imitated with oil paints. Oils give you
ample time to work, as they dry slowly. This
property makes them also very forgiving, as
mistakes can be easily corrected, if necessary
even several days after applying them.
For the application of the white wash, I also
decided to use oils paints. Although the so called
"hair spray" method was already in use when I
made this model, I decided to play it safe and to
just be patient and I stuck to my more time
consuming method of painting the required effects
with oil paints. Final weathering touches were
done with MIG pigments, mainly on the lower
hull, wheels and tracks.
Additional accessories were scrounged from my
elaborate spares box. The tools are from the
Eduard range. The source of the various engines
that I used in this project is the Tank Workshop.
The transmission box is from CMK.
6.("4,*1
47
6.("4,*1
48
6.("4,*1
47
6.("4,*1
48
6.("4,*1
49
6.("4,*1
50
The Sd.Kfz 11 had been developed for the German army
as a towing vehicle for various artillery pieces such as
Paks and Howitzers.
Production of the Sd.Kfz 11 started in 1937 and ended only at the end of WW II. The
vehicle has served on all fronts in a variety of versions. The late version that I built,
can be distinguished by the completely wooden upper structure; the cabin as well the
cargo bed. The obvious reason for using wood is the lack of steel, an issue that had
troubled the Nazi economy from day one, and of course only worsened the longer the
war was prolonged. The constructors also used a number of parts of the Sd.Kfz. 251.
All in all, the late version looked very different from the initial 1937 design.
The ModeI
I have used the model from AFV club which was built straight from the box without any
major additions or improvements. Having said that, some parts were replaced by left
over PE parts from other projects. The finishing was done in the usual way, described
in other sections of this book also. So I won't repeat myself again, except for the fact
that I used Tamiya acrylics for the basic colours and further weathering was done with
oil paints. Admittedly, working with oil paints is more time consuming, but the results
are well worth the extra effort as they provide excellent control over the effects one
would like to achieve.
The wintery groundwork required lots of snow, and I reproduced this with micro
balloons, tiny glass beads that give a very nice effect, as the material has a natural
shine that represents the glistening of real snow perfectly.
The engine in the cargo bed is from Calibre 35, and
represents a Maybach HL 120 TRM engine from the
Panzer III. The figure is a Hornet product and its pose fits
the winter scene perfectly of course. It was purposely
picked to show the extreme circumstances in which
maintenance had to be conducted. The tarp was
fashioned from tissue soaked in thinned white glue and
was painted with various colours of Vallejo acrylics.
Sd.Kfz11, Late Version.
6.("4,*1
49
6.("4,*1
50
The Sd.Kfz 11 had been developed for the German army
as a towing vehicle for various artillery pieces such as
Paks and Howitzers.
Production of the Sd.Kfz 11 started in 1937 and ended only at the end of WW II. The
vehicle has served on all fronts in a variety of versions. The late version that I built,
can be distinguished by the completely wooden upper structure; the cabin as well the
cargo bed. The obvious reason for using wood is the lack of steel, an issue that had
troubled the Nazi economy from day one, and of course only worsened the longer the
war was prolonged. The constructors also used a number of parts of the Sd.Kfz. 251.
All in all, the late version looked very different from the initial 1937 design.
The ModeI
I have used the model from AFV club which was built straight from the box without any
major additions or improvements. Having said that, some parts were replaced by left
over PE parts from other projects. The finishing was done in the usual way, described
in other sections of this book also. So I won't repeat myself again, except for the fact
that I used Tamiya acrylics for the basic colours and further weathering was done with
oil paints. Admittedly, working with oil paints is more time consuming, but the results
are well worth the extra effort as they provide excellent control over the effects one
would like to achieve.
The wintery groundwork required lots of snow, and I reproduced this with micro
balloons, tiny glass beads that give a very nice effect, as the material has a natural
shine that represents the glistening of real snow perfectly.
The engine in the cargo bed is from Calibre 35, and
represents a Maybach HL 120 TRM engine from the
Panzer III. The figure is a Hornet product and its pose fits
the winter scene perfectly of course. It was purposely
picked to show the extreme circumstances in which
maintenance had to be conducted. The tarp was
fashioned from tissue soaked in thinned white glue and
was painted with various colours of Vallejo acrylics.
Sd.Kfz11, Late Version.
6.("4,*1
51
6.("4,*1
52
I deliberately left only the front panel of the cargo bed
in an upright position, to clear the view into the cargo
bed and emphasize the details added to it
Situated at the Eastern front in January 1945, this
halftrack provided support to the maintenance units of
different divisions. The cargo bed is ideal for
maintenance work, but could be adequately used to
transport anything that needed be moved from one
place to the other, spare parts for example.
6.("4,*1
51
6.("4,*1
52
I deliberately left only the front panel of the cargo bed
in an upright position, to clear the view into the cargo
bed and emphasize the details added to it
Situated at the Eastern front in January 1945, this
halftrack provided support to the maintenance units of
different divisions. The cargo bed is ideal for
maintenance work, but could be adequately used to
transport anything that needed be moved from one
place to the other, spare parts for example.
6.("4,*1
53
6.("4,*1
54
The Opel Maultier was a variant of
the successful Opel Blitz that had
been in production since 1938. It
was especially designed to be used
at the Eastern Front where the
difficult conditions of the terrain put
heavy demands all kinds of
transportation.
In fact, the German engineers used the 'undercarriage`
of the obsolete PzKpfW I, and applied it to the Opel
Blitz, and a star was born, the Opel Maultier. It could
carry 2t loads and appeared to function well in the
field.
The Stug Abteilung 210 made a field conversion in the
autumn of 1943, by adding a 1.5t lifting crane onto a
Maultier. The crane was simply welded onto the
Maultier's chassis and proved to be a valuable asset
when it came to dismounting or placing engines from
the various Stugs. Besides for rigging engines the
converted Maultier could also be used for towing
smaller vehicles.
The images I found of this vehicle, show it being
deployed under heavy Ukrainian winter conditions in
December 1943.
,)2()/
The base for my conversion is the well known Italeri kit
of the Opel Maultier. This kit has it's flaws, but despite
it's age it is basically still a good kit. Nevertheless, I
decided to spice it up 'bit by bit` using a PE upgrade
set and I improved the windscreen frame with
Evergreen strips.
The crane was provided by New Connection Models.
This manufacturer offers an extensive resin conversion
kit with the crane, but also with a complete chassis. My
aftermarket frenzy on this model was completed with
the addition of a set of white metal tracks from
Friulmodellismo.
The conversion turned out not too difficult, pretty
straight forward, as a matter of fact. Painting and
weathering however, was a totally different story as it
turned out. The chassis is largely exposed and visible
requiring extra attention during the finishing stage.
I painted the base coat of the model with Tamiya
acrylics, shot through the airbrush. Subsequent layers
of Vallejo acrylics were airbrushed to add more tones
and depth. Further painting was done with oil paints, a
brush, and lots of white spirit. Washes, filters,
chippings, pin washes etc. For all of these weathering
techniques I use oil paints, as they provide ample time
for rearranging or correcting if necessary.
The tools are from an Eduard PE set and the
accompanying figure is from Wolf which received a
new head from Hornet. Since this vehicle operated in
harsh winter conditions I decided to add a resin grill
cover, a MIG productions offering. Finally, the engine
dangling from the crane is a Maybach HL 120 from
CMK.
Opel Maultier
6.("4,*1
53
6.("4,*1
54
The Opel Maultier was a variant of
the successful Opel Blitz that had
been in production since 1938. It
was especially designed to be used
at the Eastern Front where the
difficult conditions of the terrain put
heavy demands all kinds of
transportation.
In fact, the German engineers used the 'undercarriage`
of the obsolete PzKpfW I, and applied it to the Opel
Blitz, and a star was born, the Opel Maultier. It could
carry 2t loads and appeared to function well in the
field.
The Stug Abteilung 210 made a field conversion in the
autumn of 1943, by adding a 1.5t lifting crane onto a
Maultier. The crane was simply welded onto the
Maultier's chassis and proved to be a valuable asset
when it came to dismounting or placing engines from
the various Stugs. Besides for rigging engines the
converted Maultier could also be used for towing
smaller vehicles.
The images I found of this vehicle, show it being
deployed under heavy Ukrainian winter conditions in
December 1943.
,)2()/
The base for my conversion is the well known Italeri kit
of the Opel Maultier. This kit has it's flaws, but despite
it's age it is basically still a good kit. Nevertheless, I
decided to spice it up 'bit by bit` using a PE upgrade
set and I improved the windscreen frame with
Evergreen strips.
The crane was provided by New Connection Models.
This manufacturer offers an extensive resin conversion
kit with the crane, but also with a complete chassis. My
aftermarket frenzy on this model was completed with
the addition of a set of white metal tracks from
Friulmodellismo.
The conversion turned out not too difficult, pretty
straight forward, as a matter of fact. Painting and
weathering however, was a totally different story as it
turned out. The chassis is largely exposed and visible
requiring extra attention during the finishing stage.
I painted the base coat of the model with Tamiya
acrylics, shot through the airbrush. Subsequent layers
of Vallejo acrylics were airbrushed to add more tones
and depth. Further painting was done with oil paints, a
brush, and lots of white spirit. Washes, filters,
chippings, pin washes etc. For all of these weathering
techniques I use oil paints, as they provide ample time
for rearranging or correcting if necessary.
The tools are from an Eduard PE set and the
accompanying figure is from Wolf which received a
new head from Hornet. Since this vehicle operated in
harsh winter conditions I decided to add a resin grill
cover, a MIG productions offering. Finally, the engine
dangling from the crane is a Maybach HL 120 from
CMK.
Opel Maultier
6.("4,*1
55
6.("4,*1
56
6.("4,*1
55
6.("4,*1
56
6.("4,*1
57
6.("4,*1
58
Engines
On
In 1942 an order was given to
develop a simplified half tracked
vehicle that could replace the
existing 3t and 5t half tracks that
were in use up until then.
The company Bussing/NAG finally
got the orders and in 1943 the
production of the Schwere
Wehrmacht Schlepper (Heavy Army
Towing vehicle) or SWS slowly
started up. The SWS was built to
tow loads of up to 6t and carry a
load of 3t.
The vehicle was also used for some variants. There
was an SWS with a 15cm Raketenwerfer (Rocket
launcher) and as a platform for Flaks.
6.("4,*1
57
6.("4,*1
58
Engines
On
In 1942 an order was given to
develop a simplified half tracked
vehicle that could replace the
existing 3t and 5t half tracks that
were in use up until then.
The company Bussing/NAG finally
got the orders and in 1943 the
production of the Schwere
Wehrmacht Schlepper (Heavy Army
Towing vehicle) or SWS slowly
started up. The SWS was built to
tow loads of up to 6t and carry a
load of 3t.
The vehicle was also used for some variants. There
was an SWS with a 15cm Raketenwerfer (Rocket
launcher) and as a platform for Flaks.
6.("4,*1
60
6.("4,*1
59
,)2()/
The model I built, was actually the only plastic model of the SWS on the market
at the time and is an Italeri kit. It was built straight from the box, except for the
addition of white metal sprocket wheels and tracks, both from Friulmodellismo.
I wanted to depict the vehicle as a part of a withdrawing German unit,
overloaded with materials.
For the cargo I selected engines from Verlinden, Tank Workshop and CMK.
Other accessories, like the Opel wheels are from MIG Productions. The gas
tanks are from the classic and always useful Italeri tool set.
Another detail that I wanted to work out in this project is the various states in
which the different engines are to be found. Although they are all Panzer III
engines, I deliberately showed them in different conditions. After all, the unit to
which the vehicle belongs is in retreat and maintenance was suddenly
interrupted, with assembly and disassembly being in different stages.
Other engines are from an Sd.Kfz 251 and a Panzer IV, of the latter I also added
a transmission unit.
Tamiya acrylics were used for the base paint coats, and for the white wash.
However, I decided to use the hairspray method for the weathering of this beast,
so several thin layers of hair spray were added before I sprayed on the white
wash. With oil paints I emphasized the details by repeatedly applying pin
washes of oil paint, thinned with white spirit. I also painted the wood grain onto
the upper structure using oil paints throughout.
6.("4,*1
60
6.("4,*1
59
,)2()/
The model I built, was actually the only plastic model of the SWS on the market
at the time and is an Italeri kit. It was built straight from the box, except for the
addition of white metal sprocket wheels and tracks, both from Friulmodellismo.
I wanted to depict the vehicle as a part of a withdrawing German unit,
overloaded with materials.
For the cargo I selected engines from Verlinden, Tank Workshop and CMK.
Other accessories, like the Opel wheels are from MIG Productions. The gas
tanks are from the classic and always useful Italeri tool set.
Another detail that I wanted to work out in this project is the various states in
which the different engines are to be found. Although they are all Panzer III
engines, I deliberately showed them in different conditions. After all, the unit to
which the vehicle belongs is in retreat and maintenance was suddenly
interrupted, with assembly and disassembly being in different stages.
Other engines are from an Sd.Kfz 251 and a Panzer IV, of the latter I also added
a transmission unit.
Tamiya acrylics were used for the base paint coats, and for the white wash.
However, I decided to use the hairspray method for the weathering of this beast,
so several thin layers of hair spray were added before I sprayed on the white
wash. With oil paints I emphasized the details by repeatedly applying pin
washes of oil paint, thinned with white spirit. I also painted the wood grain onto
the upper structure using oil paints throughout.
9(1.30*67
61
9(1.30*67
62
This is me: Luc Klinkers,
born in 1960, ordinary
bloke, married, and two
children. I work as a crime
scene investigator for the
Dutch police, and that`s all
there is to know about me.
I would like to share some things from my
biggest passion. That`s modelling, of
course. This passion started when I was a
little boy. I`ve been gluing these plastic
bits for nearly 40 years now. I grew up
with these fantastic little Airfix 1/72 kits,
packed in plastic bags with the
instructions folded and stapled to it. I
remember the little Panthers and Tigers
moulded in yellow plastic.
Yes, tanks, jeeps, soldiers, that`s what I
wanted, and the more the better.
The years passed and modelling has
changed, for all of us. I am still hooked on
the tanks and the soldiers, but now in 1/35
scale.
Ever since the early days, the soldiers
drew my special attention. I think they are
the eye catchers at modelling shows. Well
painted, they always are a joy. For a few
years now I have been infected by the
sculpting virus. Fascinated by Japanese
modellers in magazines like Armour
Modelling and Model Art, I also wanted
these figures that no one else had or
would ever possess.
The sculpting is now my core modelling
thing. I still build the tanks and vehicles,
but they are no more than props for my
soldiers. Every once in a while I buy and
paint some stock figures, and that is
because there is still a lot of beautiful
figure stuff out on the market. But my own
sculptings are my little darlings.
There is no greater joy than the face of a
fellow modeller at a modelling show when
he asks: "where did you buy the crew for
that half-track?" and the answer is: "They
are not available, I made them from wire
and epoxy putty."
Luc KIinkers
9(1.30*67
9(1.30*67
61
9(1.30*67
62
This is me: Luc Klinkers,
born in 1960, ordinary
bloke, married, and two
children. I work as a crime
scene investigator for the
Dutch police, and that`s all
there is to know about me.
I would like to share some things from my
biggest passion. That`s modelling, of
course. This passion started when I was a
little boy. I`ve been gluing these plastic
bits for nearly 40 years now. I grew up
with these fantastic little Airfix 1/72 kits,
packed in plastic bags with the
instructions folded and stapled to it. I
remember the little Panthers and Tigers
moulded in yellow plastic.
Yes, tanks, jeeps, soldiers, that`s what I
wanted, and the more the better.
The years passed and modelling has
changed, for all of us. I am still hooked on
the tanks and the soldiers, but now in 1/35
scale.
Ever since the early days, the soldiers
drew my special attention. I think they are
the eye catchers at modelling shows. Well
painted, they always are a joy. For a few
years now I have been infected by the
sculpting virus. Fascinated by Japanese
modellers in magazines like Armour
Modelling and Model Art, I also wanted
these figures that no one else had or
would ever possess.
The sculpting is now my core modelling
thing. I still build the tanks and vehicles,
but they are no more than props for my
soldiers. Every once in a while I buy and
paint some stock figures, and that is
because there is still a lot of beautiful
figure stuff out on the market. But my own
sculptings are my little darlings.
There is no greater joy than the face of a
fellow modeller at a modelling show when
he asks: "where did you buy the crew for
that half-track?" and the answer is: "They
are not available, I made them from wire
and epoxy putty."
Luc KIinkers
9(1.30*67
9(1.30*67
64
9(1.30*67
63
Sd. Kfz 250/8
I usually try to keep my modelling
projects limited. That means: not
too big, not too elaborate.
My space for storing models and dioramas is limited.
Another limitation is time, as I don`t want to spend
months on one project. Somehow this always is the
biggest problem. These little things seem to end up
extremely time-consuming. The same goes for this
project: a tiny, neat little half-track with only a crew of
three, on a small diorama.
The Scene
The figures play a main role in the scene. I have a
certain preference for late-war, cold weather scenes.
The German army gives the opportunity to mix all
kinds of uniforms and styles.
I don`t put much energy in creating exact things like
this or that division, dates, locations etc. If you do
that, you always run the risk that some smart guy will
make well intended remarks like: "I believe this unit
never had these vehicles" or "September 14, 1944,
and the rifle slings you modelled are not correct in
this period". I hope you get the point. So I am very
careful with these kinds of gadgets. I hardly ever put
things in my scenes that will point to exact locations,
units, or certain events. So for this scene there is no
particular story. Somewhere in Europe, Eastern or
Western front, final stage of the war, Germans reach
a ruined bridge. An officer descends from the vehicle
and studies his map for other available routes to
continue.
The ModeI
The 250 is a very popular subject for modellers. The
vehicle was used throughout the war by the German
army, seeing action on all fronts. Basically designed
as a personnel carrier, the vehicle evolved and
several versions with a variety of tasks appeared.
Around 1943 the design was simplified. I built the
later version. I chose the version with a 75 mm gun
mounted on top. And maybe this was not the best
choice.
The Kit
In plastic kits there were two options: Tamiya or
Dragon. The 250`s from Japan are nearly vintage,
lack detail and have bad, extreme incorrect
dimensions. So, I opted for the Hong Kong brand
with the Dragon logo. Basically these guys in China
make fairly good 250`s. The 250/8 version is a bit of
an exception. In fact they simply stuck a 75mm gun
and mount on a 250/1. The rear fighting
compartment is incorrect and that`s when my real
problems began in this project. So I searched for
pictures and other reference material.
Through several sources I heard that the search for
the Holy Grail would be more successful than the
quest for interior pictures of the 250/8. At that point it
came in handy that I custom made my crew. The
rather bulky gun breech would cover most of the
interior. Most of the rear was going to be obscured by
the crew. I assembled the kit in a few evenings. I
made some subassemblies for easy painting.
I first painted the interior of the halftrack before
complete assembly. The exterior received a coat of
Tamiya acrylics applied with the airbrush. The
camouflage pattern was obtained by masking with
tape. I applied some chippings, washes and local dry
brushings. But there are other modellers that can tell
stories, much more interesting, about this subject.
9(1.30*67
64
9(1.30*67
63
Sd. Kfz 250/8
I usually try to keep my modelling
projects limited. That means: not
too big, not too elaborate.
My space for storing models and dioramas is limited.
Another limitation is time, as I don`t want to spend
months on one project. Somehow this always is the
biggest problem. These little things seem to end up
extremely time-consuming. The same goes for this
project: a tiny, neat little half-track with only a crew of
three, on a small diorama.
The Scene
The figures play a main role in the scene. I have a
certain preference for late-war, cold weather scenes.
The German army gives the opportunity to mix all
kinds of uniforms and styles.
I don`t put much energy in creating exact things like
this or that division, dates, locations etc. If you do
that, you always run the risk that some smart guy will
make well intended remarks like: "I believe this unit
never had these vehicles" or "September 14, 1944,
and the rifle slings you modelled are not correct in
this period". I hope you get the point. So I am very
careful with these kinds of gadgets. I hardly ever put
things in my scenes that will point to exact locations,
units, or certain events. So for this scene there is no
particular story. Somewhere in Europe, Eastern or
Western front, final stage of the war, Germans reach
a ruined bridge. An officer descends from the vehicle
and studies his map for other available routes to
continue.
The ModeI
The 250 is a very popular subject for modellers. The
vehicle was used throughout the war by the German
army, seeing action on all fronts. Basically designed
as a personnel carrier, the vehicle evolved and
several versions with a variety of tasks appeared.
Around 1943 the design was simplified. I built the
later version. I chose the version with a 75 mm gun
mounted on top. And maybe this was not the best
choice.
The Kit
In plastic kits there were two options: Tamiya or
Dragon. The 250`s from Japan are nearly vintage,
lack detail and have bad, extreme incorrect
dimensions. So, I opted for the Hong Kong brand
with the Dragon logo. Basically these guys in China
make fairly good 250`s. The 250/8 version is a bit of
an exception. In fact they simply stuck a 75mm gun
and mount on a 250/1. The rear fighting
compartment is incorrect and that`s when my real
problems began in this project. So I searched for
pictures and other reference material.
Through several sources I heard that the search for
the Holy Grail would be more successful than the
quest for interior pictures of the 250/8. At that point it
came in handy that I custom made my crew. The
rather bulky gun breech would cover most of the
interior. Most of the rear was going to be obscured by
the crew. I assembled the kit in a few evenings. I
made some subassemblies for easy painting.
I first painted the interior of the halftrack before
complete assembly. The exterior received a coat of
Tamiya acrylics applied with the airbrush. The
camouflage pattern was obtained by masking with
tape. I applied some chippings, washes and local dry
brushings. But there are other modellers that can tell
stories, much more interesting, about this subject.
9(1.30*67
66
9(1.30*67
65
The Figures
Now that`s my kind of thing. I wanted two guys in the
fighting compartment of the vehicle (remember: to
obscure the interior) and one officer beside. When
sculpting these I took a few shortcuts. Usually I start
with my own homemade brass wire armatures. For
these figures, I took Tamiya and Dragon plastic
figures. I removed the upper details with a motor tool
and started sculpting with Magic Sculp. This method
saves time. It is also much easier making a correct
pose. These plastic figures are usually anatomically
correct. Of course one is a bit more limited when it
comes to exiting or dynamic poses, but in this case,
my guys stood and sat fairly relaxed and
uncomplicated. I used Hornet heads and other bits
from plastic kits. I sculpted the officer in three
evenings. The figures in the vehicle took substantially
more time. Fitting them in a small vehicle is always
more complicated. I painted them in oils and enamels.
The Scenery
The bridge was cast in plaster, using a mould made
from plastic card. All the rest of the groundwork was
built up in a very traditional way with scenic grass, sea
foam, and finished with airbrushed paint, dry brushing
and local washes.
9(1.30*67
66
9(1.30*67
65
The Figures
Now that`s my kind of thing. I wanted two guys in the
fighting compartment of the vehicle (remember: to
obscure the interior) and one officer beside. When
sculpting these I took a few shortcuts. Usually I start
with my own homemade brass wire armatures. For
these figures, I took Tamiya and Dragon plastic
figures. I removed the upper details with a motor tool
and started sculpting with Magic Sculp. This method
saves time. It is also much easier making a correct
pose. These plastic figures are usually anatomically
correct. Of course one is a bit more limited when it
comes to exiting or dynamic poses, but in this case,
my guys stood and sat fairly relaxed and
uncomplicated. I used Hornet heads and other bits
from plastic kits. I sculpted the officer in three
evenings. The figures in the vehicle took substantially
more time. Fitting them in a small vehicle is always
more complicated. I painted them in oils and enamels.
The Scenery
The bridge was cast in plaster, using a mould made
from plastic card. All the rest of the groundwork was
built up in a very traditional way with scenic grass, sea
foam, and finished with airbrushed paint, dry brushing
and local washes.
9(1.30*67
68
9(1.30*67
67
In this article I would like to show the
joy and true pain that comes with
more elaborate sculpting projects.
On one hand this will show the
almost unlimited possibilities, on the
other hand the problems one meets
if everything has to fit into the limited
space of an open topped vehicle. I
think this is not for the faint-hearted.
This project took me more than a
year to finish. For me that is a very,
very long.
The Scene
In fact the whole thing is no more than an elaborate
vignette. So there is not much of a story, and once
again: it`s all about figures. A German half track is
driven carefully along a slope in a Russian field during
winter. The crew is a mixed group of soldiers and
officers. Some guys attention is drawn by something
hostile close to the horizon. That`s it.
The ModeI
The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a vehicle commonly used by the
German army on every battle field. It`s the 250`s big
brother. Several, exotic versions with different tasks
were designed and produced. For this project I chose
the rather basic 251C/1 personnel carrier. I wanted a
lot of figures in one vehicle, so this was an obvious
choice. This half track was a true war taxi that had
space for ten troopers and light equipment. So this one
would offer enough challenges to fill the model with a
crew.
The Kit
I took the Dragon kit which has been on the market for
a few years now. Of course the vintage 251C from
Tamiya is still available, but the Dragon brand from
Hong Kong has completely supercedes this fossil from
the seventies in accuracy and detailing. The Dragon kit
is of high quality, though not perfect. It has a fine
running gear and very nice tracks. The kit comes with
a lot of parts. As a bonus a previous released figure
set is provided. These figures are infantry men from
the Gross Deutschland Division. A nice extra but they
ended in my spares box. The fit of the larger vehicle
parts was not perfect and the joint of the main hull
parts needed filler. These are things one can live with,
but the new, state of the art Tamiya kits definitely fit
better. The kit is very well detailed. I found no mistakes
in accuracy, but my knowledge of things like this is
limited. The only things I added, were some putty
tarps, weapons and smaller equipment in the bins of
the vehicles interior.
Everything went together rather well. I made
subassemblies because of the sculpting of the crew.
During the sculpting some of the interior detail was
ruined. For the sake of a better fit of the figures I
removed some of the interior parts. Fortunately in the
event most of these omissions were obscured by the
crew.
Sd. Kfz 251
9(1.30*67
68
9(1.30*67
67
In this article I would like to show the
joy and true pain that comes with
more elaborate sculpting projects.
On one hand this will show the
almost unlimited possibilities, on the
other hand the problems one meets
if everything has to fit into the limited
space of an open topped vehicle. I
think this is not for the faint-hearted.
This project took me more than a
year to finish. For me that is a very,
very long.
The Scene
In fact the whole thing is no more than an elaborate
vignette. So there is not much of a story, and once
again: it`s all about figures. A German half track is
driven carefully along a slope in a Russian field during
winter. The crew is a mixed group of soldiers and
officers. Some guys attention is drawn by something
hostile close to the horizon. That`s it.
The ModeI
The Sd.Kfz. 251 was a vehicle commonly used by the
German army on every battle field. It`s the 250`s big
brother. Several, exotic versions with different tasks
were designed and produced. For this project I chose
the rather basic 251C/1 personnel carrier. I wanted a
lot of figures in one vehicle, so this was an obvious
choice. This half track was a true war taxi that had
space for ten troopers and light equipment. So this one
would offer enough challenges to fill the model with a
crew.
The Kit
I took the Dragon kit which has been on the market for
a few years now. Of course the vintage 251C from
Tamiya is still available, but the Dragon brand from
Hong Kong has completely supercedes this fossil from
the seventies in accuracy and detailing. The Dragon kit
is of high quality, though not perfect. It has a fine
running gear and very nice tracks. The kit comes with
a lot of parts. As a bonus a previous released figure
set is provided. These figures are infantry men from
the Gross Deutschland Division. A nice extra but they
ended in my spares box. The fit of the larger vehicle
parts was not perfect and the joint of the main hull
parts needed filler. These are things one can live with,
but the new, state of the art Tamiya kits definitely fit
better. The kit is very well detailed. I found no mistakes
in accuracy, but my knowledge of things like this is
limited. The only things I added, were some putty
tarps, weapons and smaller equipment in the bins of
the vehicles interior.
Everything went together rather well. I made
subassemblies because of the sculpting of the crew.
During the sculpting some of the interior detail was
ruined. For the sake of a better fit of the figures I
removed some of the interior parts. Fortunately in the
event most of these omissions were obscured by the
crew.
Sd. Kfz 251
9(1.30*67
70
9(1.30*67
69
The Driver
The driver deserves some special attention in my
story. Of course I needed a driver. The omission of a
driver would not fit in the scene and the drivers
compartment is visible enough to see if there is
somebody behind the wheel. For the record: I hate
drivers. They make a modellers and especially a
sculptors life miserable. They never fit. The sculpting
or converting and fitting process ruins a complete
interior, everything breaks off. At the moment they
finally sit comfortably behind the wheel, most of the
work is invisible! The kit comes with some vague
character that should drive this thing around the
Russians steppes. Now this is typical Dragon humour
that I don`t appreciate. What`s the problem? This guy
doesn`t fit. He doesn`t fit at all. I don`t know for which
kit or vehicle this one is intended, but I hate him. He
lacks a proper pose and details.
So I had to fix this. First I decided to make a driver
from scratch. To save some time I changed plans and
converted the ugly guy I described above. I replaced
his head, made new arms and sculpted the sheep skin
vest. To make him fit properly I completely cut off his
legs (that felt good, that will teach him!). All in all this
turned out to be a hell of a job and I think the
converting was more time consuming than a
completely sculpted driver. And the final result: he sits
comfortably behind the wheel, hardly visible. Yes, I
hate drivers!
The figures or how many Germans wiII fit into a can?
As I said before, I wanted a crowded vehicle. I was
looking for something dynamic. So ten guys sitting neatly
on the benches enjoying a comfortable ride in the Russian
fields was not an option, so I chose a scene where the
vehicle is driving down a slope. The crew is standing
more or less and holding itself during the downhill ride so I
tried to express the movement in the poses of the figures.
The guys in front are more or less on the lookout and
keen on any hostile Russian movements. The crew
members at the back are less interested. The trooper
looking backwards should have the beaten and battered
looks with the bandage around his head. The officer in his
sheepskin coat, standing straight up, is intended as the
most prominent figure in the scene.
The scene is winter, a personal preference. Seven guys
wear the typical parka, commonly used by the SS. It is in
the modellers scene often referred as the "Charkow
parka". I depicted the later model with full front closure
instead of the first model pullover styled. The guy at the
right front side is wearing a non-standard sheepskin vest.
The sculpting process was very tricky and time
consuming. Everything had a very narrow fit. It was a
constant process of test fitting and trying. A big frustration
was the fact that a lot of interior parts were ruined. So
during the process I decided to discard several of the tiny
bits inside the vehicle, hoping that most of this would be
obscured by the crew. I used heads from several brands.
Hands and feet were taken from plastic or resin kits.
9(1.30*67
70
9(1.30*67
69
The Driver
The driver deserves some special attention in my
story. Of course I needed a driver. The omission of a
driver would not fit in the scene and the drivers
compartment is visible enough to see if there is
somebody behind the wheel. For the record: I hate
drivers. They make a modellers and especially a
sculptors life miserable. They never fit. The sculpting
or converting and fitting process ruins a complete
interior, everything breaks off. At the moment they
finally sit comfortably behind the wheel, most of the
work is invisible! The kit comes with some vague
character that should drive this thing around the
Russians steppes. Now this is typical Dragon humour
that I don`t appreciate. What`s the problem? This guy
doesn`t fit. He doesn`t fit at all. I don`t know for which
kit or vehicle this one is intended, but I hate him. He
lacks a proper pose and details.
So I had to fix this. First I decided to make a driver
from scratch. To save some time I changed plans and
converted the ugly guy I described above. I replaced
his head, made new arms and sculpted the sheep skin
vest. To make him fit properly I completely cut off his
legs (that felt good, that will teach him!). All in all this
turned out to be a hell of a job and I think the
converting was more time consuming than a
completely sculpted driver. And the final result: he sits
comfortably behind the wheel, hardly visible. Yes, I
hate drivers!
The figures or how many Germans wiII fit into a can?
As I said before, I wanted a crowded vehicle. I was
looking for something dynamic. So ten guys sitting neatly
on the benches enjoying a comfortable ride in the Russian
fields was not an option, so I chose a scene where the
vehicle is driving down a slope. The crew is standing
more or less and holding itself during the downhill ride so I
tried to express the movement in the poses of the figures.
The guys in front are more or less on the lookout and
keen on any hostile Russian movements. The crew
members at the back are less interested. The trooper
looking backwards should have the beaten and battered
looks with the bandage around his head. The officer in his
sheepskin coat, standing straight up, is intended as the
most prominent figure in the scene.
The scene is winter, a personal preference. Seven guys
wear the typical parka, commonly used by the SS. It is in
the modellers scene often referred as the "Charkow
parka". I depicted the later model with full front closure
instead of the first model pullover styled. The guy at the
right front side is wearing a non-standard sheepskin vest.
The sculpting process was very tricky and time
consuming. Everything had a very narrow fit. It was a
constant process of test fitting and trying. A big frustration
was the fact that a lot of interior parts were ruined. So
during the process I decided to discard several of the tiny
bits inside the vehicle, hoping that most of this would be
obscured by the crew. I used heads from several brands.
Hands and feet were taken from plastic or resin kits.
9(1.30*67
72
9(1.30*67
71
Painting the figures
Don`t worry! I am not going to bore you with painting
stories. First of all, I am a mediocre painter. And so it
is much easier to refer to the sparkling painting
examples, lessons and stories of modellers like Jaume
Ortiz and Calvin Tan. You want to know something
about painting? Ask them, read their books, meet
them on the web. I had the privilege to meet Jaume
Ortiz in person a few times at modelling shows. He is
a nice guy willing to share his tips and skills. The only
thing worthwhile mentioning, is that these figures were
completely painted in acrylics. It took some practice,
but this medium is much easier to work with. I got the
feeling that the results are getting better. For these
guys I used Vallejo and some Andrea colours. All the
parkas have different colours and shades. This brings
more life to the scene instead of seven guys wearing
coats in exactly the same colour.
Painting the ModeI
An open topped vehicle equals two panting
sequences. First the interior, then the rest. I painted
the interior in a rather traditional manner, using Tamiya
acrylics, applied with the airbrush, followed by the
usual washings, filters and local dry-brushings. Again,
I kept it to a minimum. Most of it would be obscured by
the crew. The exterior took a bit more effort. I first
painted the base coat of panzer grey, then masked the
camouflage and applied the white. The pattern is
completely fictional, not based on any genuine
reference. I just wanted something different. I think the
large splinter pattern looks quite "German"! The rest
was traditional once again.
The base
The base is small. This way most of the viewers
attention is focussed on the figures. I started with a
cheap picture frame and plastic card. I created a slope
for the drama. I filled everything with Styrofoam sheet,
cut and shaped to size. The groundwork consists of
wall filler, sand and plants. Several coats of different
earth tones applied with the airbrush did the job. The
snow is created with micro balloons, fixed with diluted
white glue.
Wrapping it up
This was a nice and challenging project. I am aware
that I could pay more attention to the finish of the
vehicle, but for me the figures are the main course.
Figures rock!!! They bring the true joy and play the
main role. The same goes for the historical research. I
need the liberty to mess around a bit when it comes to
the true facts of uniforms, vehicle colours etc.
I want modelling to make me happy............ and it
does.
9(1.30*67
72
9(1.30*67
71
Don`t worry! I am not going to bore you with painting
stories. First of all, I am a mediocre painter. And so it
is much easier to refer to the sparkling painting
examples, lessons and stories of modellers like Jaume
Ortiz and Calvin Tan. You want to know something
about painting? Ask them, read their books, meet
them on the web. I had the privilege to meet Jaume
Ortiz in person a few times at modelling shows. He is
a nice guy willing to share his tips and skills. The only
thing worthwhile mentioning, is that these figures were
completely painted in acrylics. It took some practice,
but this medium is much easier to work with. I got the
feeling that the results are getting better. For these
guys I used Vallejo and some Andrea colours. All the
parkas have different colours and shades. This brings
more life to the scene instead of seven guys wearing
coats in exactly the same colour.
Painting the ModeI
An open topped vehicle equals two panting
sequences. First the interior, then the rest. I painted
the interior in a rather traditional manner, using Tamiya
acrylics, applied with the airbrush, followed by the
usual washings, filters and local dry-brushings. Again,
I kept it to a minimum. Most of it would be obscured by
the crew. The exterior took a bit more effort. I first
painted the base coat of panzer grey, then masked the
camouflage and applied the white. The pattern is
completely fictional, not based on any genuine
reference. I just wanted something different. I think the
large splinter pattern looks quite "German"! The rest
was traditional once again.
The base
The base is small. This way most of the viewers
attention is focussed on the figures. I started with a
cheap picture frame and plastic card. I created a slope
for the drama. I filled everything with Styrofoam sheet,
cut and shaped to size. The groundwork consists of
wall filler, sand and plants. Several coats of different
earth tones applied with the airbrush did the job. The
snow is created with micro balloons, fixed with diluted
white glue.
Wrapping it up
This was a nice and challenging project. I am aware
that I could pay more attention to the finish of the
vehicle, but for me the figures are the main course.
Figures rock!!! They bring the true joy and play the
main role. The same goes for the historical research. I
need the liberty to mess around a bit when it comes to
the true facts of uniforms, vehicle colours etc.
I want modelling to make me happy............ and it
does.
9(1.30*67
74
9(1.30*67
73
Diorama
Gallery
9(1.30*67
74
9(1.30*67
73
Diorama
Gallery
9(1.30*67
75
9(1.30*67
76
Figure
Gallery
9(1.30*67
75
9(1.30*67
76
Figure
Gallery
&6(*1)943,
77
&6(*1)943,
78
I inherited the scale modelling virus
from my father. He started
somewhere in the 1950's with
vacuform and wooden airplane
models.
In the 1980's I must have made my first model. I have
forgotten which model it was but most likely it was a
1/72 scale Matchbox airplane.
For years I only built airplanes, until one day I saw a
book by Francois Verlinden with really impressive
military vehicles. I was hooked right away and started
with a Kbelwagen, a King Tiger and an SdKfz 223
(these were all Tamiya kits of course). Not only were
these top notch models, but you also got that amazing
box art with it, for free!
During my modelling career I have never taken to
building dioramas. I consider the construction and
finishing of the vehicles and figures enough work as it
is, so I am a little hesitant to get myself into more work
before I can call a project finished. I slowly tend to drift
towards that side of the hobby though, but I am not
completely convinced, yet. Currently my challenge is
mainly the combination of a good vehicle with spicy
figures without a whole scene around them.
My job as an Art Director for a company that develops
computer games makes it inevitable that I am
especially attracted to the more stylistic approach to
scale modelling. I will never aim for hyper-realism or
extremely historically correct builds. The models of
Douglas Lee are an absolute source of inspiration to
me. Combining the destructive with a somewhat light
hearted or cheerful approach, to me is an exciting
challenge that one can find in his work: The heavy
theme of war coated in sweets. This is also the reason
why I am a fan of the work of the Japanese movie
director Hayao Miyazaki.
MarceI "ModeI Monkey du Long.
&6(*1)943,
&6(*1)943,
77
&6(*1)943,
78
I inherited the scale modelling virus
from my father. He started
somewhere in the 1950's with
vacuform and wooden airplane
models.
In the 1980's I must have made my first model. I have
forgotten which model it was but most likely it was a
1/72 scale Matchbox airplane.
For years I only built airplanes, until one day I saw a
book by Francois Verlinden with really impressive
military vehicles. I was hooked right away and started
with a Kbelwagen, a King Tiger and an SdKfz 223
(these were all Tamiya kits of course). Not only were
these top notch models, but you also got that amazing
box art with it, for free!
During my modelling career I have never taken to
building dioramas. I consider the construction and
finishing of the vehicles and figures enough work as it
is, so I am a little hesitant to get myself into more work
before I can call a project finished. I slowly tend to drift
towards that side of the hobby though, but I am not
completely convinced, yet. Currently my challenge is
mainly the combination of a good vehicle with spicy
figures without a whole scene around them.
My job as an Art Director for a company that develops
computer games makes it inevitable that I am
especially attracted to the more stylistic approach to
scale modelling. I will never aim for hyper-realism or
extremely historically correct builds. The models of
Douglas Lee are an absolute source of inspiration to
me. Combining the destructive with a somewhat light
hearted or cheerful approach, to me is an exciting
challenge that one can find in his work: The heavy
theme of war coated in sweets. This is also the reason
why I am a fan of the work of the Japanese movie
director Hayao Miyazaki.
MarceI "ModeI Monkey du Long.
&6(*1)943,
&6(*1)943,
80
&6(*1)943,
79
Sd. Kfz 7/1
Those good oId Tamiya kits
In the summer of 2007 I started the
construction of this old Tamiya
offering, the German 8t Semi Track
20mm Flakvierling 7/1.
I frankly admit that the very sexy box art was the main
reason to start this kit, really. I guess that almost every
box of a Tamiya kit is a feast for the eyes. Even the
box art of a 30 years old Tamiya kit still stands proud
alongside all of the kits that are being released
nowadays. Tamiya's box art to me is so inspiring that I
have a large collection of their older kits in stock:
Sd.Kfz 222 & 223, Marder II, Quad Gun Tractor,
Panzer II, Panzer IV Wirbelwind, Panzer IV, M3 Stuart,
M8 etc. So, pretty old stuff but with the sexiest and
most inspiring box art ever!
Back to the Sd.Kfz 7/1 and before you open the box,
you actually know what you will find: Sprues from the
stone age, vinyl tracks folded so sharp that they will be
unusable, decals on a thick carrier film and cartoony
happy Germans on the instruction sheets. Yes, you're
in for months, perhaps years, of modelling fun.
The first thing I did, was to look for some research
material, preferably books and especially the latter
turned out to be not so easy. Recently, since the
release of the much better renditions of this vehicle by
Dragon and Trumpeter, reference material is being
released like clock work. Here and there I did find
plenty of images of the 7/1, but for the real details I
bought the Kagero publication "Flak Auf Sd.Kfz 7", and
from Waffenarsenal "Leichte Flak in der Wehrmacht" &
"German FLAK in WWII" (by Werner Mller). I also
studied many photos from Vince Abbott's website
(http://vincesgallery.smugmug.com/History). A website
I cannot recommend enough.
BuiIding the gun
I started the build with the Flakvierling. Tamiya was the
only brand offering such a FLAK. It was quite clear that
it needed some work to get it up to current standards.
The gun shields and the ammunition racks were much
too thick, the four gun barrels lacked detail, and on the
inside of the FLAK suspension all nuts and bolts were
missing. Time to call in the cavalry. Evergreen sheets,
the indispensable Punch & Die set, an Eduard PE set,
and four Jordi Rubio barrels were a necessity to pimp
the Flakvierling. Only several weeks after I had
finished my build, two companies, Lion Roar and
Adlers Nest, both released superior 20mm Flak
barrels. To cut a long story short, I decided to build
another Flakvierling using the Adlers Nest barrels. I
must admit that after finishing it, I had seen enough
Flakvierling, but I learned a lot from both builds and
watching the completed gun take shape with top notch
barrels is worthwhile.
The upper structure
I started with the connection between the chassis and
the wooden cargo area. Tamiya conveniently
neglected this area in their kit, and simply limited the
details to a few cylinders. I had to scratch the entire
area using Evergreen styrene and Royal model nuts
and bolts.
The side panels received Eduard PE mesh and the
tools on them are from Plus Models.
The cabin received more Eduard PE and some
scratched elements here and there. The backside of
the windscreen was replaced with Evergreen strips
and I added lead wire cables and scratched wind
screen wipers. I also added home made handles to
adjust the position of the windscreen.
The hood received handles made of stretched sprue
and a new radiator cap was fashioned from a Tiger
shell.
Down under......the running gear
I normally consider the construction of link to link
tracks one of the most boring jobs in our hobby.
However, the Modelkasten track links went together in
no time, due to a genius click system. So all went
perfect until I discovered during the weathering
process, that Modelkasten styrene combined with
white spirit causes World War III. The painted tracks
broke down into 87682736487 pieces the moment
they were treated with a wash that I made of pigments
and white spirit. Realizing that I was up for another two
evenings of track construction made me sigh deep
before continuing with words not suitable for
publication. On the positive side however, I was glad to
find that white metal tracks of Friulmodellismo were
much better detailed than the ones from Modelkasten.
Thus ended my relationship with the latter brand
indefinitely. The front wheels were replaced with resin
renditions from Signifier. The front wheel suspension
was entirely scratched, except for the leaf spring
suspension part. The Tamiya parts simply lacked all
detail.
Paint it bIack
For some inexplicable reason I managed to delay
painting this kit. I was rather happy with the build and
for a long time I just did not feel like painting it. It took
some six months between priming the model and
finally finishing it.
I started the painting job by spraying the whole model
with Games Workshop Chaos Black from the spray
can. All subsequent layers of grey were done with
Tamiya acrylics from my Iwata airbrush.
First was German Grey (mid tone), followed by a mix
of German Grey with blue and black for the shadows.
Corrections were made with straight German Grey.
The highlights use a mixture of German Grey and Buff.
My intention was to apply moderate weathering only.
Not to display some beaten up, mud covered, rusty
beyond recognition Eastern front vehicle, but a subtly
dusted, early war 8t halftrack.
&6(*1)943,
80
&6(*1)943,
79
Sd. Kfz 7/1
Those good oId Tamiya kits
In the summer of 2007 I started the
construction of this old Tamiya
offering, the German 8t Semi Track
20mm Flakvierling 7/1.
I frankly admit that the very sexy box art was the main
reason to start this kit, really. I guess that almost every
box of a Tamiya kit is a feast for the eyes. Even the
box art of a 30 years old Tamiya kit still stands proud
alongside all of the kits that are being released
nowadays. Tamiya's box art to me is so inspiring that I
have a large collection of their older kits in stock:
Sd.Kfz 222 & 223, Marder II, Quad Gun Tractor,
Panzer II, Panzer IV Wirbelwind, Panzer IV, M3 Stuart,
M8 etc. So, pretty old stuff but with the sexiest and
most inspiring box art ever!
Back to the Sd.Kfz 7/1 and before you open the box,
you actually know what you will find: Sprues from the
stone age, vinyl tracks folded so sharp that they will be
unusable, decals on a thick carrier film and cartoony
happy Germans on the instruction sheets. Yes, you're
in for months, perhaps years, of modelling fun.
The first thing I did, was to look for some research
material, preferably books and especially the latter
turned out to be not so easy. Recently, since the
release of the much better renditions of this vehicle by
Dragon and Trumpeter, reference material is being
released like clock work. Here and there I did find
plenty of images of the 7/1, but for the real details I
bought the Kagero publication "Flak Auf Sd.Kfz 7", and
from Waffenarsenal "Leichte Flak in der Wehrmacht" &
"German FLAK in WWII" (by Werner Mller). I also
studied many photos from Vince Abbott's website
(http://vincesgallery.smugmug.com/History). A website
I cannot recommend enough.
BuiIding the gun
I started the build with the Flakvierling. Tamiya was the
only brand offering such a FLAK. It was quite clear that
it needed some work to get it up to current standards.
The gun shields and the ammunition racks were much
too thick, the four gun barrels lacked detail, and on the
inside of the FLAK suspension all nuts and bolts were
missing. Time to call in the cavalry. Evergreen sheets,
the indispensable Punch & Die set, an Eduard PE set,
and four Jordi Rubio barrels were a necessity to pimp
the Flakvierling. Only several weeks after I had
finished my build, two companies, Lion Roar and
Adlers Nest, both released superior 20mm Flak
barrels. To cut a long story short, I decided to build
another Flakvierling using the Adlers Nest barrels. I
must admit that after finishing it, I had seen enough
Flakvierling, but I learned a lot from both builds and
watching the completed gun take shape with top notch
barrels is worthwhile.
The upper structure
I started with the connection between the chassis and
the wooden cargo area. Tamiya conveniently
neglected this area in their kit, and simply limited the
details to a few cylinders. I had to scratch the entire
area using Evergreen styrene and Royal model nuts
and bolts.
The side panels received Eduard PE mesh and the
tools on them are from Plus Models.
The cabin received more Eduard PE and some
scratched elements here and there. The backside of
the windscreen was replaced with Evergreen strips
and I added lead wire cables and scratched wind
screen wipers. I also added home made handles to
adjust the position of the windscreen.
The hood received handles made of stretched sprue
and a new radiator cap was fashioned from a Tiger
shell.
Down under......the running gear
I normally consider the construction of link to link
tracks one of the most boring jobs in our hobby.
However, the Modelkasten track links went together in
no time, due to a genius click system. So all went
perfect until I discovered during the weathering
process, that Modelkasten styrene combined with
white spirit causes World War III. The painted tracks
broke down into 87682736487 pieces the moment
they were treated with a wash that I made of pigments
and white spirit. Realizing that I was up for another two
evenings of track construction made me sigh deep
before continuing with words not suitable for
publication. On the positive side however, I was glad to
find that white metal tracks of Friulmodellismo were
much better detailed than the ones from Modelkasten.
Thus ended my relationship with the latter brand
indefinitely. The front wheels were replaced with resin
renditions from Signifier. The front wheel suspension
was entirely scratched, except for the leaf spring
suspension part. The Tamiya parts simply lacked all
detail.
Paint it bIack
For some inexplicable reason I managed to delay
painting this kit. I was rather happy with the build and
for a long time I just did not feel like painting it. It took
some six months between priming the model and
finally finishing it.
I started the painting job by spraying the whole model
with Games Workshop Chaos Black from the spray
can. All subsequent layers of grey were done with
Tamiya acrylics from my Iwata airbrush.
First was German Grey (mid tone), followed by a mix
of German Grey with blue and black for the shadows.
Corrections were made with straight German Grey.
The highlights use a mixture of German Grey and Buff.
My intention was to apply moderate weathering only.
Not to display some beaten up, mud covered, rusty
beyond recognition Eastern front vehicle, but a subtly
dusted, early war 8t halftrack.
&6(*1)943,
81
&6(*1)943,
82
Figures
I consider figures to be extremely important to my models. Every model I build receives at
least one figure. Since figures and vehicles go hand in hand, it is of utmost importance
that they enhance one another. Figures provide your model with a great eye catcher and
the relatively fragile human figures really give substantial weight and proportion to the
steel monsters that AFV's actually are. I did spend a lot of time in search for the right
figures to fit this project and I finally managed to find what I was looking for. The guy
reading the newspaper is a Legend figure that received a Dragon head and a custom
made newspaper. the standing soldier is a mix of Tamiya and Dragon with a Hornet head.
Both figures were completely painted in acrylics and dusted with pigments.
Wrapping it up
Leaning back in my working desk chair, looking back on this project, I can only conclude
that this was a very cool project to do. Starting from an old kit actually provides you with
lots of modelling fun. For some inexplicable reasons I experienced some serious
modelling dips during the finishing of this model and I am still wondering where that came
from. I am really happy with the completed model and the figures. Of course, there is
always room for improvement, but that will be for another day. On to the next model!
Kits Used - 1:35 ScaIe
Tamiya GERMAN 8t SEMI TRACK 20mm FLAKVIERLING 7/1.
Friul tracks ATL 24
Modelkasten tracks
Adlers Nest 20mm FLAK38 barrels
Eduard PE set
Voyager width pole indicators
Plus Model German tools
Signifier Kfz 7 resin front wheels
After the airbrush session the model disappeared back
into a cabinet for weeks. Once more, I completely
lacked the inspiration to finish this project. After
regaining ideas and inspiration I started with the next
step of the weathering process, skipping the usual step
of applying a protective layer of varnish to seal off the
previous steps. I applied various light washes and
filters using mainly brown toned oil paints. Next were
the dark pin washes to accentuate the details and
recesses. Dust was applied in the same way, only this
time using light toned oil paints. During this step I went
over many of the same spots that had already received
dark pin washes. During both steps I applied some
chips here and there, as well.
When I was applying local (pin) washes to the hood, a
rather large crack suddenly appeared, I assume that
the glue used to construct the hood reacted with the
white spirit used for the washes, in some way. Again a
deep sigh-moment, but in hind sight I believe it was a
sort of a positive turning point. Since restoring the
hood was not a viable option, I was forced to add
some paraphernalia onto the hood. Hence the
machine gun, map case, helmet and piece of cloth.
Nice details on an otherwise plain, large hood.
After all the oil paints had thoroughly dried I added
several light and translucent layers of dust with heavily
thinned Tamiya acrylics through the airbrush.
I applied these layers going from the bottom upwards
and from back to front. The final steps were adding
dust with pigments and pastels, using a graphite pencil
to add a metallic shine to selected details and adding
oil, grease and wet stains with Tamiya Smoke.
The white metal tracks were primed black, after which
they received washes of pigments mixed with white
spirit, without any problems this time. I removed the
pigments that accumulated on the black rubber track
pad surfaces that were in contact with the ground in
real life, with a cloth moistened with white spirit.
&6(*1)943,
81
&6(*1)943,
82
Figures
I consider figures to be extremely important to my models. Every model I build receives at
least one figure. Since figures and vehicles go hand in hand, it is of utmost importance
that they enhance one another. Figures provide your model with a great eye catcher and
the relatively fragile human figures really give substantial weight and proportion to the
steel monsters that AFV's actually are. I did spend a lot of time in search for the right
figures to fit this project and I finally managed to find what I was looking for. The guy
reading the newspaper is a Legend figure that received a Dragon head and a custom
made newspaper. the standing soldier is a mix of Tamiya and Dragon with a Hornet head.
Both figures were completely painted in acrylics and dusted with pigments.
Wrapping it up
Leaning back in my working desk chair, looking back on this project, I can only conclude
that this was a very cool project to do. Starting from an old kit actually provides you with
lots of modelling fun. For some inexplicable reasons I experienced some serious
modelling dips during the finishing of this model and I am still wondering where that came
from. I am really happy with the completed model and the figures. Of course, there is
always room for improvement, but that will be for another day. On to the next model!
Kits Used - 1:35 ScaIe
Tamiya GERMAN 8t SEMI TRACK 20mm FLAKVIERLING 7/1.
Friul tracks ATL 24
Modelkasten tracks
Adlers Nest 20mm FLAK38 barrels
Eduard PE set
Voyager width pole indicators
Plus Model German tools
Signifier Kfz 7 resin front wheels
After the airbrush session the model disappeared back
into a cabinet for weeks. Once more, I completely
lacked the inspiration to finish this project. After
regaining ideas and inspiration I started with the next
step of the weathering process, skipping the usual step
of applying a protective layer of varnish to seal off the
previous steps. I applied various light washes and
filters using mainly brown toned oil paints. Next were
the dark pin washes to accentuate the details and
recesses. Dust was applied in the same way, only this
time using light toned oil paints. During this step I went
over many of the same spots that had already received
dark pin washes. During both steps I applied some
chips here and there, as well.
When I was applying local (pin) washes to the hood, a
rather large crack suddenly appeared, I assume that
the glue used to construct the hood reacted with the
white spirit used for the washes, in some way. Again a
deep sigh-moment, but in hind sight I believe it was a
sort of a positive turning point. Since restoring the
hood was not a viable option, I was forced to add
some paraphernalia onto the hood. Hence the
machine gun, map case, helmet and piece of cloth.
Nice details on an otherwise plain, large hood.
After all the oil paints had thoroughly dried I added
several light and translucent layers of dust with heavily
thinned Tamiya acrylics through the airbrush.
I applied these layers going from the bottom upwards
and from back to front. The final steps were adding
dust with pigments and pastels, using a graphite pencil
to add a metallic shine to selected details and adding
oil, grease and wet stains with Tamiya Smoke.
The white metal tracks were primed black, after which
they received washes of pigments mixed with white
spirit, without any problems this time. I removed the
pigments that accumulated on the black rubber track
pad surfaces that were in contact with the ground in
real life, with a cloth moistened with white spirit.
&6(*1:434'*
84
&6(*1:434'*
83
&6(*1:434'*
Just like many modellers I
started modelling at a young
age. I was influenced by my
father.
He once built an Apollo rocket that stood in
the living room, on a bookshelf, for many
years. Just like the original, the model
could be disassembled into all rocket
stages. More than that, on top, in the nose,
was a small lunar-lander. I found it
fascinating that you can make small parts
into a lifelike model. As my father started a
model of a big, red, US Mack truck I asked
if I could do this as well, this modelling
thing. He took me to the store and I got my
first kit. It was the Panzer 1 Befehlswagen
from Italeri. I still have it.
After my next birthday I saved all the
money I got and bought the first kit on my
own. It was a Heller/Humbrol kit from the
'Army of the World` series. It included a
AMX 13 APC, a AMX 13 155mm SPGun
and many figures.
A few years later I discovered the
TWENOT. Here I slowly learned a whole
new way of modelling. For instance: one
olive drab is not another olive drab. This
discussion still goes on.
I found that I had a preference for
modelling the Vietnam war. Verlinden`s
range of items on this theme helped me to
achieve my goals. After a while, I had build
all the plastic kits that were available of this
era. I had to make some stuff myself. I
started my scratch building with a 2.5 ton,
6x6 REO, followed by a M51 Recovery
Vehicle. Modelling these vehicles took a lot
of time. I wanted to build something faster,
from the box. If only to show something at
the club meetings.
I extended my modelling to all US vehicles
after Vietnam. Lack of finances was also a
main reason. You cannot buy everything!
Even more so now! Anyway, I think I then
built one of the older kits of an Abrams.
Many more kits came out that I wanted to
have. Not just US anymore. My finances
got better, since I started work as a video-
editor/graphics designer at a regional
television station. However my main
interest was still allied vehicles. Tamiya`s
Dragon Wagon lead me into a new era.
Soft skins and tank transporters.
I have now built many of these massive
trucks. Today wheeled vehicles have more
interest for me than tracked vehicles and
when they do have tracks, they should at
least have a crane on top of it!
About 6 years ago I went to the Czech
Republic for a modelling show for the first
time. In addition to the show, we also
visited a museum near Rockycany. Here
my interest in Russian and Czech vehicles
started, especially the many versions of
Tatra trucks used by the Czechs.
Well, what can I say? I'm 37 now and still
building models and probably won't stop
ever! In terms of interest I`m not like any
regular modeller, I assume. I build what I
like, when I like it. My recent list of models
proves that: German SLT 8x8 Faun, Czech
VT-34, Australian Centurion, English
Foden wrecker, US Bradley and a German
Tatra 111. When it comes to buying kits, I
am like most others, though: I buy more
kits than I build. Nowadays it takes a lot
more time to build one model. Etchings,
barrels, decals, paint, weathering etc.
However, I`m not complaining. I can live to
be a hundred and still have plans and kits
left. A happy prospect.
%4')/
&6(*1:434'*
84
&6(*1:434'*
83
&6(*1:434'*
Just like many modellers I
started modelling at a young
age. I was influenced by my
father.
He once built an Apollo rocket that stood in
the living room, on a bookshelf, for many
years. Just like the original, the model
could be disassembled into all rocket
stages. More than that, on top, in the nose,
was a small lunar-lander. I found it
fascinating that you can make small parts
into a lifelike model. As my father started a
model of a big, red, US Mack truck I asked
if I could do this as well, this modelling
thing. He took me to the store and I got my
first kit. It was the Panzer 1 Befehlswagen
from Italeri. I still have it.
After my next birthday I saved all the
money I got and bought the first kit on my
own. It was a Heller/Humbrol kit from the
'Army of the World` series. It included a
AMX 13 APC, a AMX 13 155mm SPGun
and many figures.
A few years later I discovered the
TWENOT. Here I slowly learned a whole
new way of modelling. For instance: one
olive drab is not another olive drab. This
discussion still goes on.
I found that I had a preference for
modelling the Vietnam war. Verlinden`s
range of items on this theme helped me to
achieve my goals. After a while, I had build
all the plastic kits that were available of this
era. I had to make some stuff myself. I
started my scratch building with a 2.5 ton,
6x6 REO, followed by a M51 Recovery
Vehicle. Modelling these vehicles took a lot
of time. I wanted to build something faster,
from the box. If only to show something at
the club meetings.
I extended my modelling to all US vehicles
after Vietnam. Lack of finances was also a
main reason. You cannot buy everything!
Even more so now! Anyway, I think I then
built one of the older kits of an Abrams.
Many more kits came out that I wanted to
have. Not just US anymore. My finances
got better, since I started work as a video-
editor/graphics designer at a regional
television station. However my main
interest was still allied vehicles. Tamiya`s
Dragon Wagon lead me into a new era.
Soft skins and tank transporters.
I have now built many of these massive
trucks. Today wheeled vehicles have more
interest for me than tracked vehicles and
when they do have tracks, they should at
least have a crane on top of it!
About 6 years ago I went to the Czech
Republic for a modelling show for the first
time. In addition to the show, we also
visited a museum near Rockycany. Here
my interest in Russian and Czech vehicles
started, especially the many versions of
Tatra trucks used by the Czechs.
Well, what can I say? I'm 37 now and still
building models and probably won't stop
ever! In terms of interest I`m not like any
regular modeller, I assume. I build what I
like, when I like it. My recent list of models
proves that: German SLT 8x8 Faun, Czech
VT-34, Australian Centurion, English
Foden wrecker, US Bradley and a German
Tatra 111. When it comes to buying kits, I
am like most others, though: I buy more
kits than I build. Nowadays it takes a lot
more time to build one model. Etchings,
barrels, decals, paint, weathering etc.
However, I`m not complaining. I can live to
be a hundred and still have plans and kits
left. A happy prospect.
%4')/
Marce| von Hobe
86
Marce| von Hobe
85
Austra||an
Centur|on
RAAC Mk5/1
A short history
In 1943 the British War Office called for a new tank with
high durability, reliability, a weight of 40 tons and the
ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88mm
gun.
Six prototypes were built before the end of the War, but arrived too late to take part.
These first Centurion Mk1`s had a 17pdr (77mm) gun and a coaxial 20mm Polsten
gun. The Mk2 had it`s Polsten replaced with a Besa machine gun.
Design work finished on a new 20pdr (84mm) gun and it was decided to include it in
the Centurion design. This resulted in the Mk3 which had a completely new, all cast
turret. In this form, the Centurion first saw action in Korea in 1951 and soon proved
itself to be the best performing tank in this theatre of operations. Particularly notable
was its excellent cross country performance.
This is remarkable considering that the original design specification of a 40ton tank
was never met. The prototype was already 42tons en the subsequent versions were
47 for the Mk1, 49 for the Mk3 and later versions were 51tons. This resulted in a
poor action radius. All Mk3`s and early Mk5`s were equipped with external fuel
tanks.
In 1952 the Centurion Mk5 appeared. This was a slightly changed Mk3. Most
notable change was the replacement of the Besa machine gun with a .30 cal
browning to meet NATO ammunition standardisation and the removal of the rear
turret escape hatch.
This Mk5 version was also used by the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC).
These Centurions were modified in 1967 to Australian Mk5/1 standard, before
shipping to Vietnam. This included mounting infra-red fighting equipment, additional
glacis plate armour, .50 cal ranging gun and a searchlight.
Marce| von Hobe
86
Marce| von Hobe
85
Austra||an
Centur|on
RAAC Mk5/1
A short history
In 1943 the British War Office called for a new tank with
high durability, reliability, a weight of 40 tons and the
ability to withstand a direct hit from the German 88mm
gun.
Six prototypes were built before the end of the War, but arrived too late to take part.
These first Centurion Mk1`s had a 17pdr (77mm) gun and a coaxial 20mm Polsten
gun. The Mk2 had it`s Polsten replaced with a Besa machine gun.
Design work finished on a new 20pdr (84mm) gun and it was decided to include it in
the Centurion design. This resulted in the Mk3 which had a completely new, all cast
turret. In this form, the Centurion first saw action in Korea in 1951 and soon proved
itself to be the best performing tank in this theatre of operations. Particularly notable
was its excellent cross country performance.
This is remarkable considering that the original design specification of a 40ton tank
was never met. The prototype was already 42tons en the subsequent versions were
47 for the Mk1, 49 for the Mk3 and later versions were 51tons. This resulted in a
poor action radius. All Mk3`s and early Mk5`s were equipped with external fuel
tanks.
In 1952 the Centurion Mk5 appeared. This was a slightly changed Mk3. Most
notable change was the replacement of the Besa machine gun with a .30 cal
browning to meet NATO ammunition standardisation and the removal of the rear
turret escape hatch.
This Mk5 version was also used by the Royal Australian Armoured Corps (RAAC).
These Centurions were modified in 1967 to Australian Mk5/1 standard, before
shipping to Vietnam. This included mounting infra-red fighting equipment, additional
glacis plate armour, .50 cal ranging gun and a searchlight.
&6(*1:&34'*
88
&6(*1:&34'*
87
The kit
A few years ago AFV Club announced there
Centurion kit. Before that there was only the
ageing Tamiya Centurion. It was not very
encouraging because it simply needed too
much work to make an accurate model. AFV-
Club made a very good kit and has since made
some different versions. My long standing love
for Armour used in the Vietnam war was
fulfilled with their first version of an Australian
Mk5/1.
I loved working on the kit, but however
accurate though, there are some small issues.
Firstly I found the sectioned turret complicated.
It takes a lot of work to connect the sections
without noticing them later. The missing
mantlet cover for the gun is also frustrating.
This means a lot of work. I do not know why
AFV did not include this in the kit. A last small
thing is the workable suspension. For us as
modellers very unnecessary and
overcomplicated. A few months after the AFV-
kit, Voyager Models announced an etch-set for
this Centurion. Besides armour side-skirts,
turret-basket mesh and many small details, it
includes a resin mantlet cover. This was great
because the one from AFV-Club was not
available yet. I find that many aftermarket etch
sets have too many details. Voyager is one of
those brands that tends to let you replace
many parts of the original kit with etched parts,
that are not necessary. Etched parts are not
always an upgrade to kit parts. For instance on
this Centurion set, Voyager wants you to
replace the clamps on the fender and turret
stowage boxes.
These clamps are made up of 4 etch parts and
there are 20 clamps! But look at the ones on
the kit. They look perfect.
However, the rest of the set has many good
replacement parts. Including tool clamps,
smoke grenade launcher, exhaust shields, rear
fenders and others. I did not use the armour
side-skirts though. These were often removed
by the crews in Vietnam because mud would
build up between the track and skirt.
The latest addition to the kit was a track set
from Friul Model. They are much better
detailed and replace the floppy rubber tracks
included in the kit. These tracks strain around
the running gear and tend to bend around the
idler and sprocket wheel. Although the Friul set
is originally for the Tamiya kit, it is well suited
for the AFV-Club. The set includes new drive
sprocket wheels that, unfortunately, only fit the
Tamiya kit.
Tank-additions
On the vehicle are three crew members
relaxing, whilst the tank is on the move. There
is a driver and two men in the turret. The three
figures are built from parts from various
manufacturers, I don't remember which parts
are which now.
I researched many photo`s on the internet
before starting to fill the vehicle up with the
crew`s personal possessions. A few items were
taken from different accessory sets and some
bedrolls I made myself from Magic Sculp.
&6(*1:&34'*
88
&6(*1:&34'*
87
The kit
A few years ago AFV Club announced there
Centurion kit. Before that there was only the
ageing Tamiya Centurion. It was not very
encouraging because it simply needed too
much work to make an accurate model. AFV-
Club made a very good kit and has since made
some different versions. My long standing love
for Armour used in the Vietnam war was
fulfilled with their first version of an Australian
Mk5/1.
I loved working on the kit, but however
accurate though, there are some small issues.
Firstly I found the sectioned turret complicated.
It takes a lot of work to connect the sections
without noticing them later. The missing
mantlet cover for the gun is also frustrating.
This means a lot of work. I do not know why
AFV did not include this in the kit. A last small
thing is the workable suspension. For us as
modellers very unnecessary and
overcomplicated. A few months after the AFV-
kit, Voyager Models announced an etch-set for
this Centurion. Besides armour side-skirts,
turret-basket mesh and many small details, it
includes a resin mantlet cover. This was great
because the one from AFV-Club was not
available yet. I find that many aftermarket etch
sets have too many details. Voyager is one of
those brands that tends to let you replace
many parts of the original kit with etched parts,
that are not necessary. Etched parts are not
always an upgrade to kit parts. For instance on
this Centurion set, Voyager wants you to
replace the clamps on the fender and turret
stowage boxes.
These clamps are made up of 4 etch parts and
there are 20 clamps! But look at the ones on
the kit. They look perfect.
However, the rest of the set has many good
replacement parts. Including tool clamps,
smoke grenade launcher, exhaust shields, rear
fenders and others. I did not use the armour
side-skirts though. These were often removed
by the crews in Vietnam because mud would
build up between the track and skirt.
The latest addition to the kit was a track set
from Friul Model. They are much better
detailed and replace the floppy rubber tracks
included in the kit. These tracks strain around
the running gear and tend to bend around the
idler and sprocket wheel. Although the Friul set
is originally for the Tamiya kit, it is well suited
for the AFV-Club. The set includes new drive
sprocket wheels that, unfortunately, only fit the
Tamiya kit.
Tank-additions
On the vehicle are three crew members
relaxing, whilst the tank is on the move. There
is a driver and two men in the turret. The three
figures are built from parts from various
manufacturers, I don't remember which parts
are which now.
I researched many photo`s on the internet
before starting to fill the vehicle up with the
crew`s personal possessions. A few items were
taken from different accessory sets and some
bedrolls I made myself from Magic Sculp.
&6(*1:434'*
89
&6(*1:434'*
90
Paint
I paint my models using Vallejo Colours. My
experience with these paints however, is that they do
not stick to the basic model that well. For this reason I
always paint the first layer with an enamel paint,
especially when there are a lot of resin and etch parts
involved. In this case I used a dark green from Revell.
The second layer was Vallejo Model Air number 43
(olive drab), letting the darker green base shine
through in inlaying corners and around panels. This
step was repeated twice, lightening the olive with
Vallejo No.75 (sand).
After this pre-shade process a coat of satin gloss was
applied. I applied a wash of white spirit with a mix of
green/burnt umber/black oil paint to the model. I
painted the black parts (wheels and tracks) with Revell
matt black. The mantlet cover was painted with a
thinned down mix of olive drab and brown to give the
cover a different shade of the vehicles colour. I then
dry brushed the entire vehicle with a light green
(almost white) oil paint. The tracks were made rusty
with a thinned down Revell leather brown.
I used sandpaper to reveal the contact surface of the
tracks. This was made less shiny with a thinned black.
The last step here is to give the tank a dusty
appearance with a mix of red brown/burned umber
pastel powder.
The last thing to do is to paint the personnel
equipment of the crew. I tried to give everything a
different shade of the same green or brown. Washed
and dry brushed the same way as the tank. This gives
good distinction between the different parts.
Base
I usually don`t make a base for my models. I always
wanted to make a rice paddy and thought that this was
the time to do so. I found a oval picture frame in a
second hand shop that was the right size for the
Centurion. The basic idea was to make a road that lay
beside some rice paddies. I made the base a little
more interesting to look at, by making the road go
uphill. The idea for the transition from road to bridge
came later.
The basic shape was cut from Styrofoam. I applied
plaster to the whole base. The road surface was
smoothed out with water and a spatula before the
plaster had hardened. After drying I gave the road an
extra rub down with some sandpaper. A few dents
were left to simulate road damage. Birdcage sand and
grass was applied with white glue. The area of the rice
paddy was smoothed with sandpaper. The bridge
guardrail is a piece of plaster which I cast in an old
blister package. I cut the pieces to size with a saw and
shaped them with a file before I used a motor tool to
make the dents in the plaster surface.
Painting the base
The road received a dark grey, the sand got burnt
umber and the grass dark green. I sprayed the water
lighter at the edges and darker on the inside to create
some depth after a gloss finish. I used four coats of
Revell high gloss to simulate water. A dry brush with
lighter colours finished the whole base. The road
damage from the tracks is made by painting the
contact surface of the track (the rubber ones from the
kit) white. I then pressed the track on the road leaving
the 'stripes`. The last thing was to over-spray the
whole base with a brownish colour (to simulate dust).
Last addition
The last thing to build was a really demanding. How to
make a rice plant? Rice plants look like a kind of
wheat. I took a big paintbrush and cut the bristles from
it. I drilled some small holes in the water surface. One
by one the brush bristles were dipped in glue and
pushed in the holes. The plants received a bright
green colour.
The last step was to include some 'uninvited` friends to
the base. The two rats are from a set of small animals
from Busch. This brand is mainly for railroad
modelling, but this set is very usable for 1:35 scale.
All in all I am very happy with the end result. It took
some more time than I expected, but I can not
remember when a model took less time than I
expected. I enjoyed building this kit and the base very
much. On to the next one.
Kits Used:
AFV-Club - Centurion Mk5/1 (35100)
Voyager Models - Centurion detail set (PE35110)
Friul Model tracks (Centurion - ATL-65)
Busch small animal set (nr.1153)
&6(*1:434'*
89
&6(*1:434'*
90
Paint
I paint my models using Vallejo Colours. My
experience with these paints however, is that they do
not stick to the basic model that well. For this reason I
always paint the first layer with an enamel paint,
especially when there are a lot of resin and etch parts
involved. In this case I used a dark green from Revell.
The second layer was Vallejo Model Air number 43
(olive drab), letting the darker green base shine
through in inlaying corners and around panels. This
step was repeated twice, lightening the olive with
Vallejo No.75 (sand).
After this pre-shade process a coat of satin gloss was
applied. I applied a wash of white spirit with a mix of
green/burnt umber/black oil paint to the model. I
painted the black parts (wheels and tracks) with Revell
matt black. The mantlet cover was painted with a
thinned down mix of olive drab and brown to give the
cover a different shade of the vehicles colour. I then
dry brushed the entire vehicle with a light green
(almost white) oil paint. The tracks were made rusty
with a thinned down Revell leather brown.
I used sandpaper to reveal the contact surface of the
tracks. This was made less shiny with a thinned black.
The last step here is to give the tank a dusty
appearance with a mix of red brown/burned umber
pastel powder.
The last thing to do is to paint the personnel
equipment of the crew. I tried to give everything a
different shade of the same green or brown. Washed
and dry brushed the same way as the tank. This gives
good distinction between the different parts.
Base
I usually don`t make a base for my models. I always
wanted to make a rice paddy and thought that this was
the time to do so. I found a oval picture frame in a
second hand shop that was the right size for the
Centurion. The basic idea was to make a road that lay
beside some rice paddies. I made the base a little
more interesting to look at, by making the road go
uphill. The idea for the transition from road to bridge
came later.
The basic shape was cut from Styrofoam. I applied
plaster to the whole base. The road surface was
smoothed out with water and a spatula before the
plaster had hardened. After drying I gave the road an
extra rub down with some sandpaper. A few dents
were left to simulate road damage. Birdcage sand and
grass was applied with white glue. The area of the rice
paddy was smoothed with sandpaper. The bridge
guardrail is a piece of plaster which I cast in an old
blister package. I cut the pieces to size with a saw and
shaped them with a file before I used a motor tool to
make the dents in the plaster surface.
Painting the base
The road received a dark grey, the sand got burnt
umber and the grass dark green. I sprayed the water
lighter at the edges and darker on the inside to create
some depth after a gloss finish. I used four coats of
Revell high gloss to simulate water. A dry brush with
lighter colours finished the whole base. The road
damage from the tracks is made by painting the
contact surface of the track (the rubber ones from the
kit) white. I then pressed the track on the road leaving
the 'stripes`. The last thing was to over-spray the
whole base with a brownish colour (to simulate dust).
Last addition
The last thing to build was a really demanding. How to
make a rice plant? Rice plants look like a kind of
wheat. I took a big paintbrush and cut the bristles from
it. I drilled some small holes in the water surface. One
by one the brush bristles were dipped in glue and
pushed in the holes. The plants received a bright
green colour.
The last step was to include some 'uninvited` friends to
the base. The two rats are from a set of small animals
from Busch. This brand is mainly for railroad
modelling, but this set is very usable for 1:35 scale.
All in all I am very happy with the end result. It took
some more time than I expected, but I can not
remember when a model took less time than I
expected. I enjoyed building this kit and the base very
much. On to the next one.
Kits Used:
AFV-Club - Centurion Mk5/1 (35100)
Voyager Models - Centurion detail set (PE35110)
Friul Model tracks (Centurion - ATL-65)
Busch small animal set (nr.1153)
&6(*1:434'*
92
&6(*1:434'*
91
Gallery
&6(*1:434'*
92
&6(*1:434'*
91
Gallery
&6(*1%;&687
93
&6(*1%;&687
In 1967, when I was born,
there were no signs that I
would ever get my current
fascination for military
history. My parents didn't
have any interest in this
subject, but by the time I
was seven years old, all
kids magazines were
packed with
advertisements of
Matchbox, Revell and
Airfix kits.
Commercials on the television even
showed railroad modelling from Mrklin
and Fleischmann. All of that triggered
my enthusiasm for scale modelling.
The year after I got my first kit, an
airplane of course, a Novo 1/72
Dewoitine D520C.
The tobacco store around the corner
displayed several scale models in the
shop window. One of them was a 1/48
Centurion by Aurora. There was always
a reason to walk by the tobacco store
and by the time I had finally saved the
contemporary equivalent to C3,50, I
felt like the happiest person in the
world. My preference for armour
models was born.
Back home, my father had a copy of
Cornelius Ryan's book, A Bridge Too
Far, about the battle of Arnhem on the
book shelves. Reading this book
aroused my interest for the liberation of
the Netherlands. I remember well that
vehicles like the Sturmgeschtz made
absolutely no sense to me. They
seemed like weird and ugly to me, and
only because of the Tamiya and Italeri
catalogues I learned what was hidden
behind those Schrzen and
camouflage branches.
The library became the next source of
information and thanks to my daily
paper round I was able to even buy
books of my own. By the age of fifteen
I joined the Dutch Armour Hobbyists
club, TWENOT. A new world opened
before me and I became devoted to
armoured vehicles.
A build stop of roughly ten years
preceded maturity in the hobby, and
with my diorama "Utrechtseweg" my
new style of scale modelling began.
My new style consists of thorough
historical research before I start
building anything. I also consider it to
be normal that the construction of the
diorama takes more time than the
construction of my vehicles.
I spend a lot of time in detailing the
whole diorama and finish off by
preserving it for the future by giving
each diorama its own acrylic cover.
I have written a book on the battle of
Arnhem, which was published by
Concord in 2000. In the meantime my
research after the German forces
during the occupation of the
Netherlands continues and I gradually
proceed to work on my three
dimensional paintings we refer to as
dioramas.
I am living a happy life with my Thai
love, Nut, whom I married in 2004.
Besides modelling I spend my free time
as chairman of rifle shooting club APS
and I exercise on Salsa music. I am
employed as an AutoCAD engineer by
TEB Engineering. My knowledge of
AutoCAD comes in handy for designing
scratch parts and photo etch sets, and
it also helps me when making the
layouts of my dioramas.
For the future I hope to be able to
publish more books and to share my
research and dioramas with all that
share this wonderful hobby.
&6(*1%;&687
94
&6(*1%;&687
93
&6(*1%;&687
In 1967, when I was born,
there were no signs that I
would ever get my current
fascination for military
history. My parents didn't
have any interest in this
subject, but by the time I
was seven years old, all
kids magazines were
packed with
advertisements of
Matchbox, Revell and
Airfix kits.
Commercials on the television even
showed railroad modelling from Mrklin
and Fleischmann. All of that triggered
my enthusiasm for scale modelling.
The year after I got my first kit, an
airplane of course, a Novo 1/72
Dewoitine D520C.
The tobacco store around the corner
displayed several scale models in the
shop window. One of them was a 1/48
Centurion by Aurora. There was always
a reason to walk by the tobacco store
and by the time I had finally saved the
contemporary equivalent to C3,50, I
felt like the happiest person in the
world. My preference for armour
models was born.
Back home, my father had a copy of
Cornelius Ryan's book, A Bridge Too
Far, about the battle of Arnhem on the
book shelves. Reading this book
aroused my interest for the liberation of
the Netherlands. I remember well that
vehicles like the Sturmgeschtz made
absolutely no sense to me. They
seemed like weird and ugly to me, and
only because of the Tamiya and Italeri
catalogues I learned what was hidden
behind those Schrzen and
camouflage branches.
The library became the next source of
information and thanks to my daily
paper round I was able to even buy
books of my own. By the age of fifteen
I joined the Dutch Armour Hobbyists
club, TWENOT. A new world opened
before me and I became devoted to
armoured vehicles.
A build stop of roughly ten years
preceded maturity in the hobby, and
with my diorama "Utrechtseweg" my
new style of scale modelling began.
My new style consists of thorough
historical research before I start
building anything. I also consider it to
be normal that the construction of the
diorama takes more time than the
construction of my vehicles.
I spend a lot of time in detailing the
whole diorama and finish off by
preserving it for the future by giving
each diorama its own acrylic cover.
I have written a book on the battle of
Arnhem, which was published by
Concord in 2000. In the meantime my
research after the German forces
during the occupation of the
Netherlands continues and I gradually
proceed to work on my three
dimensional paintings we refer to as
dioramas.
I am living a happy life with my Thai
love, Nut, whom I married in 2004.
Besides modelling I spend my free time
as chairman of rifle shooting club APS
and I exercise on Salsa music. I am
employed as an AutoCAD engineer by
TEB Engineering. My knowledge of
AutoCAD comes in handy for designing
scratch parts and photo etch sets, and
it also helps me when making the
layouts of my dioramas.
For the future I hope to be able to
publish more books and to share my
research and dioramas with all that
share this wonderful hobby.
&6(*1%;&687
94
The Hybrid, options for the buiId and choices.
In the land of modellers, the one wanting to build a
British Sherman Firefly is the absolute winner. We live
in a golden age, because almost everything with a
military background will be made by the main kit
manufactures and Dragon`s M4 Hybrid Firefly is no
exception. For most modellers this is a wonderful kit
but for some it isn`t enough. Those builders want more
detail, better dimensions and so on. It doesn't need
further explanation that I'm one of them! For me one of
the main reasons for not using the upper hull was that
the cast structure was too rough and there were no
casting numbers.
When the research was made before the project was
started, there were several discussions on internet
forums about the Hybrid hull. Verlinden had made a
hull in the past but it had some major problems.
Somewhere in the discussion someone mentioned the
Chesapeake hull. Google was used to find a photo of
this part and this hull was what I needed.
Also thanks to the internet I quickly found a great
source for plenty of beautiful Sherman detail parts,
namely Formations. For the bogies there was no
question, the Tasca set was the absolute winner and
my favourite Japanese modelling shop Rainbow Ten
could deliver the set fast.
The M4A4, options for the buiId and choices.
The choice for the M4A4 was much easier. At this time
we have the great kit from Tasca and the five versions
made by Dragon. I have them all, but it wasn`t until I
came across the Resicast resin M4A4 kit. It was not
cheap and I had to think twice, but it was worth every
Euro. At home the kit was studied very close and the
conclusion was made that the bogies would be
changed by the already mentioned Tasca versions.
BuiIding the tanks.
The building process was started with the M4A4 and it
was an easy kit to build. When building tanks I always
start making the main parts like the hull and turret. If
there are problems with these it has absolutely no
sense to concentrate on the details.
In some places the hull did not fit 100%, but with some
light filling the job was done. Also the turret was an
easy build. Wonderful details were standard on the
Resicast kit. After this the bogies from Tasca were
produced and glued to the hull. Compound glue
was used for binding them to the hull. In most
cases I combine superglue with compound glue.
The super glue takes care for the quick fit and
the compound glue makes sure the fit is strong.
Then the focus went to the details. All fit well
and there were no problems. When the tank was
almost complete I found a small Japanese firm
called Adlers Nest who produced some wonderful
US .30 MG Barrels. A separated barrel and cooling
jacket have a very realistic appearance and are, in my
opinion, worth every penny.
When working on the Shermans I looked on the
internet for information frequently, and in this way I
learned that the inner side of the road wheels needed
small rivets. When looking close at the Tasca sprues I
noticed the little things and tried to put them on the
wheels. This was an absolute failure and I looked for
an other way. Luckily I found that Resicast made
separate wheels with the small rivets already in place.
Two sets were purchased and the old Tasca wheels
were replaced.
The Hybrid is a totaIIy different story.
The start was made with the underside of the hull.
Dragon parts were used. The Chesapeake upper hull
and Formations transmission were made to fit but it
took me a long time. The Formations turret was used
together with a Resicast gun shield, Aber gun barrel
and Tamiya interior parts. The already mentioned
Tasca bogies and Resicast wheels were used and
many small details were used from an Aber etching
set. The Horn and headlight came from Formations
and slowly the model was finished.
The probIems with T54E2 tracks and the soIution.
When starting building these tanks I did not have a lot
of knowledge of Sherman tanks. My main interest is
German stuff and until then the only Allied vehicle I
had built was a Para Jeep. To make up for this lack of
knowledge, books were bought and lots of time was
spent on the internet. Listening to and reading more by
experienced Sherman builders taught me a lot. In this
period it came to my attention that there were different
types of tracks and that the British Shermans in
photographs almost always had the same type. To my
horror I discovered that this type (T54E2) was not for
sale.
All options were considered and all in all I could not
find a solution until a modelling friend, Henry Klomp,
called. As always with Henry, we talked a long time
about investigating military history, modelling and
designing etched parts. During this conversation I
mentioned my problem with the tracks and told him
that I had to learn duplicating parts in resin. At this
point he told me that he had a contact that was willing
to do the job with professional machinery. The contact
was made and all I had to do was make one master
track pad. A Model Kasten track set was used as a
base. The master was sent by post and a couple of
months later I had a couple of hundred small parts that
would create the much wanted T54E2 tracks.
Marce| Zwarts
95
Marce| Zwarts
96
Sherman
Bu||d|ng Shermans of the
Br|t|sh 11th Armoured D|v|s|on
When my military modelling friends heard that I was building a couple of British
Shermans they acted surprised. "Your building Allied stuff and we thought you only did
Arnhem German things?". Many times I answered that I`m interested in the whole
campaign of the liberation of the Netherlands. So all related nations have my interest.
To set their minds at ease I added that the Shermans would be placed on a diorama
with a German Sd.Kfz.251/21 as well.
This diorama will be depicting
a story I heard for the first time
some 25 years ago and
involved the vehicles
belonging to the Regimental
Headquarter of the 3rd Royal
Tank Regiment. This Reg.
HQ possessed four Sherman
tanks: a command tank, two
forward observation tanks
and a standard fourth tank.
Because they were the
second Regiment the white 52
in a red Square was the
Squadron sign. The Yellow
diamond stood for their
Regimental HQ task.
The Hybrid, options for the buiId and choices.
In the land of modellers, the one wanting to build a
British Sherman Firefly is the absolute winner. We live
in a golden age, because almost everything with a
military background will be made by the main kit
manufactures and Dragon`s M4 Hybrid Firefly is no
exception. For most modellers this is a wonderful kit
but for some it isn`t enough. Those builders want more
detail, better dimensions and so on. It doesn't need
further explanation that I'm one of them! For me one of
the main reasons for not using the upper hull was that
the cast structure was too rough and there were no
casting numbers.
When the research was made before the project was
started, there were several discussions on internet
forums about the Hybrid hull. Verlinden had made a
hull in the past but it had some major problems.
Somewhere in the discussion someone mentioned the
Chesapeake hull. Google was used to find a photo of
this part and this hull was what I needed.
Also thanks to the internet I quickly found a great
source for plenty of beautiful Sherman detail parts,
namely Formations. For the bogies there was no
question, the Tasca set was the absolute winner and
my favourite Japanese modelling shop Rainbow Ten
could deliver the set fast.
The M4A4, options for the buiId and choices.
The choice for the M4A4 was much easier. At this time
we have the great kit from Tasca and the five versions
made by Dragon. I have them all, but it wasn`t until I
came across the Resicast resin M4A4 kit. It was not
cheap and I had to think twice, but it was worth every
Euro. At home the kit was studied very close and the
conclusion was made that the bogies would be
changed by the already mentioned Tasca versions.
BuiIding the tanks.
The building process was started with the M4A4 and it
was an easy kit to build. When building tanks I always
start making the main parts like the hull and turret. If
there are problems with these it has absolutely no
sense to concentrate on the details.
In some places the hull did not fit 100%, but with some
light filling the job was done. Also the turret was an
easy build. Wonderful details were standard on the
Resicast kit. After this the bogies from Tasca were
produced and glued to the hull. Compound glue
was used for binding them to the hull. In most
cases I combine superglue with compound glue.
The super glue takes care for the quick fit and
the compound glue makes sure the fit is strong.
Then the focus went to the details. All fit well
and there were no problems. When the tank was
almost complete I found a small Japanese firm
called Adlers Nest who produced some wonderful
US .30 MG Barrels. A separated barrel and cooling
jacket have a very realistic appearance and are, in my
opinion, worth every penny.
When working on the Shermans I looked on the
internet for information frequently, and in this way I
learned that the inner side of the road wheels needed
small rivets. When looking close at the Tasca sprues I
noticed the little things and tried to put them on the
wheels. This was an absolute failure and I looked for
an other way. Luckily I found that Resicast made
separate wheels with the small rivets already in place.
Two sets were purchased and the old Tasca wheels
were replaced.
The Hybrid is a totaIIy different story.
The start was made with the underside of the hull.
Dragon parts were used. The Chesapeake upper hull
and Formations transmission were made to fit but it
took me a long time. The Formations turret was used
together with a Resicast gun shield, Aber gun barrel
and Tamiya interior parts. The already mentioned
Tasca bogies and Resicast wheels were used and
many small details were used from an Aber etching
set. The Horn and headlight came from Formations
and slowly the model was finished.
The probIems with T54E2 tracks and the soIution.
When starting building these tanks I did not have a lot
of knowledge of Sherman tanks. My main interest is
German stuff and until then the only Allied vehicle I
had built was a Para Jeep. To make up for this lack of
knowledge, books were bought and lots of time was
spent on the internet. Listening to and reading more by
experienced Sherman builders taught me a lot. In this
period it came to my attention that there were different
types of tracks and that the British Shermans in
photographs almost always had the same type. To my
horror I discovered that this type (T54E2) was not for
sale.
All options were considered and all in all I could not
find a solution until a modelling friend, Henry Klomp,
called. As always with Henry, we talked a long time
about investigating military history, modelling and
designing etched parts. During this conversation I
mentioned my problem with the tracks and told him
that I had to learn duplicating parts in resin. At this
point he told me that he had a contact that was willing
to do the job with professional machinery. The contact
was made and all I had to do was make one master
track pad. A Model Kasten track set was used as a
base. The master was sent by post and a couple of
months later I had a couple of hundred small parts that
would create the much wanted T54E2 tracks.
Marce| Zwarts
95
Marce| Zwarts
96
Sherman
Bu||d|ng Shermans of the
Br|t|sh 11th Armoured D|v|s|on
When my military modelling friends heard that I was building a couple of British
Shermans they acted surprised. "Your building Allied stuff and we thought you only did
Arnhem German things?". Many times I answered that I`m interested in the whole
campaign of the liberation of the Netherlands. So all related nations have my interest.
To set their minds at ease I added that the Shermans would be placed on a diorama
with a German Sd.Kfz.251/21 as well.
This diorama will be depicting
a story I heard for the first time
some 25 years ago and
involved the vehicles
belonging to the Regimental
Headquarter of the 3rd Royal
Tank Regiment. This Reg.
HQ possessed four Sherman
tanks: a command tank, two
forward observation tanks
and a standard fourth tank.
Because they were the
second Regiment the white 52
in a red Square was the
Squadron sign. The Yellow
diamond stood for their
Regimental HQ task.
&6(*1%;&687
97
&6(*1%;&687
98
ConcIusion.
I really enjoyed this multiple project. Of course the
Sherman is not at the top of my favourites list, but
when finished it gave great satisfaction. The Resicast
M4A4 is wonderful kit with some minor issues. Building
a good as possible Hybrid was a real challenge.
Finding information on the technical part of these tanks
proved to be a hard task, but in this age, the internet
was a welcome help. The hardest part was finding
information on the Sherman in British hands. The
biggest surprise was that the main type track used by
British Shermans is not available on the market yet,
but who knows what the future will bring.
The T number
When one chooses to build a model from a
photograph several problems will occur. In case of the
M4A4 there were only small problems. Only the
headquarters symbol, the yellow diamond had to be
made. A small drawing and Tamiya tape gave the
solution.
On the other hand the Hybrid had a problem I did not
expect. The photo that was used showed the Sherman
from the left side. The only marking that could be seen
was the T number. This number was used by the
British to mark there tanks. I had hoped that Archer
dry decals could be used, but when the set arrived at
home I noticed that the Archer numbers were far too
small. Many options were considered but the only
solution was to make an airbrush stencil myself. This
took a very long time because cutting these small
parts isn`t an easy task. It took four attempts before a
good stencil was made and the numbers were
painted.
Dirt, dust and oiI and chaIk writing.
Only new factory-fresh tanks are relatively clean. In
real life they are dirty, they`ve collected dust, mud, oil,
and everything the climate will throw at them. In peace
time there is a lot of time for maintenance, but in times
of war only the necessary maintenance was done.
When building German vehicles there is the ever
lasting discussion about worn off paint and other wear
and tear, and a lot of modellers like to paint their
vehicles with a large amount of damage to the paint.
The Shermans I was building were in action for around
three months and this would surely damage the paint,
so I thought. Again it was thanks to a discussion on
one of the forums that I learned that the US made
tanks were baked in their paint and that therefore
there was almost no wear and tear on the paint layers,
so that chapter could be closed. I learned from the
Japanese modelling magazine Armor Modelling to use
pastels for replicating the dust. Seven different dust
colours were used to create the effect. Oil and rain
marks were made with Humbrol and oils thinned with
lots of white spirit. Glossy enamel paint was used to
create an oily look.
When the Allies liberated Europe it`s inhabitants wrote
many words of thanks on military material to express
their gratitude. To duplicate this, a white pencil was
used. Obviously this can only be done after all paint is
fully hardened. The pencil is sharpened and the text
could be written on the model. I learned that after
writing one letter the sharpening process had to be
done again. It`s also important to make a small study
in different type of handwriting and the contemporary
spirit.
Painting process
Painting models in one colour is always a challenge. I
started by spraying white, red and yellow paints on the
locations were the stars; divisional symbols and
Squadron numbers had to come. When finished and
dry, all the symbols were hidden behind some
temporary decals made by Eduard and a base coat of
semi gloss black Tamiya acrylic paint was sprayed on
as base colour. The Olive Drab was mixed with Yellow
and sprayed over lightly, which resulted in a nice one
coloured model. Temporary decals were removed and
after a week the tanks were sealed in a mixture of
Tamiya Clear and Flat Base. Then the Shermans were
placed aside to let the paint harden.
It was after two weeks that I started the weathering
process. First, four oil paint colours: black, white,
yellow and brown were washed over the model
followed by dry brushing with Humbrol dark green
mixed with subsequently more desert yellow.
&6(*1%;&687
97
&6(*1%;&687
98
ConcIusion.
I really enjoyed this multiple project. Of course the
Sherman is not at the top of my favourites list, but
when finished it gave great satisfaction. The Resicast
M4A4 is wonderful kit with some minor issues. Building
a good as possible Hybrid was a real challenge.
Finding information on the technical part of these tanks
proved to be a hard task, but in this age, the internet
was a welcome help. The hardest part was finding
information on the Sherman in British hands. The
biggest surprise was that the main type track used by
British Shermans is not available on the market yet,
but who knows what the future will bring.
The T number
When one chooses to build a model from a
photograph several problems will occur. In case of the
M4A4 there were only small problems. Only the
headquarters symbol, the yellow diamond had to be
made. A small drawing and Tamiya tape gave the
solution.
On the other hand the Hybrid had a problem I did not
expect. The photo that was used showed the Sherman
from the left side. The only marking that could be seen
was the T number. This number was used by the
British to mark there tanks. I had hoped that Archer
dry decals could be used, but when the set arrived at
home I noticed that the Archer numbers were far too
small. Many options were considered but the only
solution was to make an airbrush stencil myself. This
took a very long time because cutting these small
parts isn`t an easy task. It took four attempts before a
good stencil was made and the numbers were
painted.
Dirt, dust and oiI and chaIk writing.
Only new factory-fresh tanks are relatively clean. In
real life they are dirty, they`ve collected dust, mud, oil,
and everything the climate will throw at them. In peace
time there is a lot of time for maintenance, but in times
of war only the necessary maintenance was done.
When building German vehicles there is the ever
lasting discussion about worn off paint and other wear
and tear, and a lot of modellers like to paint their
vehicles with a large amount of damage to the paint.
The Shermans I was building were in action for around
three months and this would surely damage the paint,
so I thought. Again it was thanks to a discussion on
one of the forums that I learned that the US made
tanks were baked in their paint and that therefore
there was almost no wear and tear on the paint layers,
so that chapter could be closed. I learned from the
Japanese modelling magazine Armor Modelling to use
pastels for replicating the dust. Seven different dust
colours were used to create the effect. Oil and rain
marks were made with Humbrol and oils thinned with
lots of white spirit. Glossy enamel paint was used to
create an oily look.
When the Allies liberated Europe it`s inhabitants wrote
many words of thanks on military material to express
their gratitude. To duplicate this, a white pencil was
used. Obviously this can only be done after all paint is
fully hardened. The pencil is sharpened and the text
could be written on the model. I learned that after
writing one letter the sharpening process had to be
done again. It`s also important to make a small study
in different type of handwriting and the contemporary
spirit.
Painting process
Painting models in one colour is always a challenge. I
started by spraying white, red and yellow paints on the
locations were the stars; divisional symbols and
Squadron numbers had to come. When finished and
dry, all the symbols were hidden behind some
temporary decals made by Eduard and a base coat of
semi gloss black Tamiya acrylic paint was sprayed on
as base colour. The Olive Drab was mixed with Yellow
and sprayed over lightly, which resulted in a nice one
coloured model. Temporary decals were removed and
after a week the tanks were sealed in a mixture of
Tamiya Clear and Flat Base. Then the Shermans were
placed aside to let the paint harden.
It was after two weeks that I started the weathering
process. First, four oil paint colours: black, white,
yellow and brown were washed over the model
followed by dry brushing with Humbrol dark green
mixed with subsequently more desert yellow.
Marce| Zwarts
99
Marce| Zwarts
100
How to, Step by Step.
Step 1 The basic drawings
Seven years ago I decided to pick up the challenge.
My own bicycle, which resembled a grandmothers bike
was put in the hobby room and with the help of the
AutoCAD program I made 1/1 scale drawings. When
these were finished I resized them back to 1/35 scale
and I finally got an impression of what this was going
to lead to.
Step 2 The PE etchings
During this period I was experimenting home made
etchings, together with my friend Jos Visser.
My task was to make the drawing, designs, and film
prints and Jos was doing the actual etching.
Everything went fairly well and one of the first designs
I made was of the spoke wheels. The Aber sets were
used as an example, as I didn't intend to invent the
wheel, literally. The trick is to get the sizing done 100%
correct, which is not the easiest task. Still, I had some
wheels to turn into real bicycle wheels by adding tires
made of electrical wiring insulation tubing. Although
these wheels were not going to be the final versions,
at least I had learned a lot from these first steps.
Step 3 Soldering
At the same time I soldered my first bike frame. Since I
hadn't been soldering since my schooldays a lot went
wrong. After grasping the principles I managed to
finish the frame eventually. This too wasn't exactly the
result I was hoping for, but still, I had a granny bike-ish
thing on my desk.
Most important lesson learned was that I had to learn
how to make the wheels correct, with straight spokes
before I could advance with this project altogether.
In the following years designing and drawing etch sets
became easier and better. The German company
Seamann was very helpful with improving my designs
and results got better and better.
Step 4 The soft skin online contest
An online "soft skin" contest triggered the re-start of
this project and I aimed for two bikes, a ladies and a
mens version. Initially the wheels didn't work out the
way I wanted, but when Dragon released their 8.8cm
Flak, they showed that wheels can be made by joining
two discs. This seemed a perfect method for my
bicycle wheels, so new designs were made and when I
finally got the actual etchings back from Seamann the
result turned out to be perfect and I was motivated to
finally finish this long pending project.
Step 5 Soldering and drilling
My soldering skills had improved by then and I had
purchased a good soldering station by Weller.
I also invested in high quality drills from a Swiss
company called Sphinx. To round off this tool lecture, I
obtained callipers by Mitutoyo. These tools proved to
be indispensable for this project and in hindsight I
cannot imagine ever having modelled without them.
The old drawings were the base for the new frames.
After several attempts I had two small bicycle frames
on my work bench and I was ready for the next
challenge.
Step 6 Making the mudguards
The mud guards are thin metal plates bent in two
directions. Initially I planned making a press mould to
form the mudguards. This took a lot of time and in the
end, it didn't work out satisfactory.
After a lot of brain storming, I came up with the idea of
using a circle cutter.
A circle was cut out of sheet of thin metal and attached
to a motor drill with a nut and bolt in the middle of the
circle. With the motor drill turning I could easily round
off the outer rims and shape the contours of the
mudguards. With this job done I only had to cut out the
middle. An additional ornamental strip was glued over
the outer rims and the circle was cut in half. Some
additional filing did the rest.
Next steps
With the hardest parts done, at least that's what
I thought, I commenced with the other details.
The chains, saddles, pedals, front frames and
many small parts were made with relative ease.
The process of thinking of ways to make those
parts was the most time consuming part. Most
parts were made of brass tube and rod, but
others were made of styrene..
The choice for styrene was made because it was
easier to work with. The hardest part to manufacture
was the baggage rack at the back of the bike. The
frame for it was fashioned from 0.5mm copper coil
wire. In this frame I needed to drill 8 holes of 0.3mm.
Definitely a tedious and nerve wrecking job that has
cost me several drills and even more patience.
On your bike!
These sort of projects are quite demanding. You learn
as you go, and it is inevitable that parts are not correct
the first time around. Of all the parts I made, there
were very few that could stand my critical eye from the
beginning.
I am planning to build more bicycles anyway, so the
experience gained is certainly not lost. My next bikes
will take less time and effort, I think. Nevertheless, it'll
always remain to be a delicate build. The rack is
especially hard to make properly and I haven't thought
of an easier way to do it.
The bicycles came out exactly the way I had hoped,
and although I believe that AFV's are much nicer
subjects, subjects like these lift the level of my three
dimensional paintings and provide the viewer with
even more to look at.
I still have visions of other daring projects that may
never come to life, or maybe they will. As long as we
have something to dream about, the fun in the hobby
will definitely remain.
The Grandparent's
B|ke Project
Cheese, tulips, windmills and more recently,
Amsterdam's red light district and an alleged
liberal policy on drugs, are topics related to
Holland, but bicycles also certainly fit onto
that list.
After China, the Netherlands has relatively the highest density of
bicycles in the world. For obvious reasons bikes are a popular
means of transportation: they're inexpensive and the Dutch
landscape is very flat. Besides, nowadays it stands for environment
friendly and provides plenty of exercise.
Why Dutchies ride bicycIes.
Looking back on WWII, we see that there was a shortage of
everything really, but fuel was certainly high on the list. Besides, a
bike provided the average citizen with means of transportation,
where only the rich could afford a car in the 30's and 40's.
Since my three dimensional paintings are always situated in
Holland in 1944, it was inevitable to come across the idea to build a
bicycle at one point. Lucky for me, there was little variation in style,
models and colour, as the Dutch society was rather conservative in
those days.
The contemporary model of the 30-40's is called a grandmothers' or
grandfathers' bicycle nowadays. A black, rigid frame with large
wheels to take you from A to B comfortably.
The bicycIe in scaIe 1/35.
Coming back to 1/35 scale modelling you can quickly draw the
conclusion that there isn't much available on the market. Sure,
Tamiya, Italeri and Hornet have bikes in their catalogue, but these
are German military bikes and certainly not a standard Dutch 30-
40's bicycle. This German bike is smaller and differs in shape. Most
modellers wouldn't mind, but I do, as I'm a modeller that counts
each and every brick, nut and bolt. With all of this in mind, my long
term wish to build a Dutch bike is easily understood. However, it is
simpler said then done. Scaling a bike down to 1/35 means a model
of 5cm long.
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How to, Step by Step.
Step 1 The basic drawings
Seven years ago I decided to pick up the challenge.
My own bicycle, which resembled a grandmothers bike
was put in the hobby room and with the help of the
AutoCAD program I made 1/1 scale drawings. When
these were finished I resized them back to 1/35 scale
and I finally got an impression of what this was going
to lead to.
Step 2 The PE etchings
During this period I was experimenting home made
etchings, together with my friend Jos Visser.
My task was to make the drawing, designs, and film
prints and Jos was doing the actual etching.
Everything went fairly well and one of the first designs
I made was of the spoke wheels. The Aber sets were
used as an example, as I didn't intend to invent the
wheel, literally. The trick is to get the sizing done 100%
correct, which is not the easiest task. Still, I had some
wheels to turn into real bicycle wheels by adding tires
made of electrical wiring insulation tubing. Although
these wheels were not going to be the final versions,
at least I had learned a lot from these first steps.
Step 3 Soldering
At the same time I soldered my first bike frame. Since I
hadn't been soldering since my schooldays a lot went
wrong. After grasping the principles I managed to
finish the frame eventually. This too wasn't exactly the
result I was hoping for, but still, I had a granny bike-ish
thing on my desk.
Most important lesson learned was that I had to learn
how to make the wheels correct, with straight spokes
before I could advance with this project altogether.
In the following years designing and drawing etch sets
became easier and better. The German company
Seamann was very helpful with improving my designs
and results got better and better.
Step 4 The soft skin online contest
An online "soft skin" contest triggered the re-start of
this project and I aimed for two bikes, a ladies and a
mens version. Initially the wheels didn't work out the
way I wanted, but when Dragon released their 8.8cm
Flak, they showed that wheels can be made by joining
two discs. This seemed a perfect method for my
bicycle wheels, so new designs were made and when I
finally got the actual etchings back from Seamann the
result turned out to be perfect and I was motivated to
finally finish this long pending project.
Step 5 Soldering and drilling
My soldering skills had improved by then and I had
purchased a good soldering station by Weller.
I also invested in high quality drills from a Swiss
company called Sphinx. To round off this tool lecture, I
obtained callipers by Mitutoyo. These tools proved to
be indispensable for this project and in hindsight I
cannot imagine ever having modelled without them.
The old drawings were the base for the new frames.
After several attempts I had two small bicycle frames
on my work bench and I was ready for the next
challenge.
Step 6 Making the mudguards
The mud guards are thin metal plates bent in two
directions. Initially I planned making a press mould to
form the mudguards. This took a lot of time and in the
end, it didn't work out satisfactory.
After a lot of brain storming, I came up with the idea of
using a circle cutter.
A circle was cut out of sheet of thin metal and attached
to a motor drill with a nut and bolt in the middle of the
circle. With the motor drill turning I could easily round
off the outer rims and shape the contours of the
mudguards. With this job done I only had to cut out the
middle. An additional ornamental strip was glued over
the outer rims and the circle was cut in half. Some
additional filing did the rest.
Next steps
With the hardest parts done, at least that's what
I thought, I commenced with the other details.
The chains, saddles, pedals, front frames and
many small parts were made with relative ease.
The process of thinking of ways to make those
parts was the most time consuming part. Most
parts were made of brass tube and rod, but
others were made of styrene..
The choice for styrene was made because it was
easier to work with. The hardest part to manufacture
was the baggage rack at the back of the bike. The
frame for it was fashioned from 0.5mm copper coil
wire. In this frame I needed to drill 8 holes of 0.3mm.
Definitely a tedious and nerve wrecking job that has
cost me several drills and even more patience.
On your bike!
These sort of projects are quite demanding. You learn
as you go, and it is inevitable that parts are not correct
the first time around. Of all the parts I made, there
were very few that could stand my critical eye from the
beginning.
I am planning to build more bicycles anyway, so the
experience gained is certainly not lost. My next bikes
will take less time and effort, I think. Nevertheless, it'll
always remain to be a delicate build. The rack is
especially hard to make properly and I haven't thought
of an easier way to do it.
The bicycles came out exactly the way I had hoped,
and although I believe that AFV's are much nicer
subjects, subjects like these lift the level of my three
dimensional paintings and provide the viewer with
even more to look at.
I still have visions of other daring projects that may
never come to life, or maybe they will. As long as we
have something to dream about, the fun in the hobby
will definitely remain.
The Grandparent's
B|ke Project
Cheese, tulips, windmills and more recently,
Amsterdam's red light district and an alleged
liberal policy on drugs, are topics related to
Holland, but bicycles also certainly fit onto
that list.
After China, the Netherlands has relatively the highest density of
bicycles in the world. For obvious reasons bikes are a popular
means of transportation: they're inexpensive and the Dutch
landscape is very flat. Besides, nowadays it stands for environment
friendly and provides plenty of exercise.
Why Dutchies ride bicycIes.
Looking back on WWII, we see that there was a shortage of
everything really, but fuel was certainly high on the list. Besides, a
bike provided the average citizen with means of transportation,
where only the rich could afford a car in the 30's and 40's.
Since my three dimensional paintings are always situated in
Holland in 1944, it was inevitable to come across the idea to build a
bicycle at one point. Lucky for me, there was little variation in style,
models and colour, as the Dutch society was rather conservative in
those days.
The contemporary model of the 30-40's is called a grandmothers' or
grandfathers' bicycle nowadays. A black, rigid frame with large
wheels to take you from A to B comfortably.
The bicycIe in scaIe 1/35.
Coming back to 1/35 scale modelling you can quickly draw the
conclusion that there isn't much available on the market. Sure,
Tamiya, Italeri and Hornet have bikes in their catalogue, but these
are German military bikes and certainly not a standard Dutch 30-
40's bicycle. This German bike is smaller and differs in shape. Most
modellers wouldn't mind, but I do, as I'm a modeller that counts
each and every brick, nut and bolt. With all of this in mind, my long
term wish to build a Dutch bike is easily understood. However, it is
simpler said then done. Scaling a bike down to 1/35 means a model
of 5cm long.
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Marce| Zwarts
102
No
Entry
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No
Entry
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104
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103
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104
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103
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#*:*6786&&8
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#*:*6786&&8
4'*68642'**(0*
108
4'*68642'**(0*
107
4'*68642'**(0*
I was born on 6 August 1962 in
Utrecht, the Netherlands and live
happily ever after in Eindhoven,
together with my wife Margot, with
whom I also share another passion:
scuba diving.
I also teach diving (part time) and have taught diving
professionally whilst living in Egypt some years ago.
Professionally I have been working as a purchasing
manager, for as long as I can remember.
Having two hobbies, forces me to make choices
sometimes, so my modelling output is not as prolific as
the ideas I have for new projects. My main interest
goes out to building dioramas, with an occasional side
step to figure painting.I have tried building stand alone
vehicles, and I have even tried building them out of the
box. Both seem impossible for me to do. Although I
shamelessly admire those who can make breathtaking
single vehicles on a plain base, in my opinion, a well
executed diorama always gives a model something
extra.
When I got back into the modeling hobby, about 12
years ago, my interest merely went to the models I
bought. Soon thereafter however, I discovered that
some historical research was necessary, to at least
depict the correct vehicle with the correct unit, in a
liable time and place, in order to give my work some
credibility. And although I am all for artistic license
when it comes to modeling dioramas, I try to get those
aspects right, with each new project. From this initial
historical research came another personal interest,
namely the political and social history leading to, and
throughout, World War II.
I tend to add a lot of details and colours to my work.
Details, because diorama's lend themselves perfectly
for that, and the more details, the longer one can look
at a diorama. I also like to give things a humorous or
interesting twist, especially for the observing viewer.
Colours break the monotony that AFV dioramas show
more than often, and can act as an eye catcher or
better, as an instrument to guide the viewers eye
through the scene. I often tend to take a step back
from a project that I`m working on, in order to avoid
getting dragged into something resembling tunnel
vision. I guess that is also why I make dioramas. If I
get stuck along the way with the vehicle, I can
continue with the figures, or the groundwork, and
eventually return to the vehicle with a clear mind. Silly
maybe, but it works for me.
A good diorama tells a story, that is obvious to the
viewer. And this sounds a lot easier than it actually is,
certainly in case you want to break out of the ordinary.
The story, the title, the base, the elements and their
layout play an equally important role in the complete
picture and that makes it also very complex and hard
to make a good diorama.
I hope that my contributions to this publication please
the viewer as much as they pleased me while I
created them.
4'*68642'**(0*
108
4'*68642'**(0*
107
4'*68642'**(0*
I was born on 6 August 1962 in
Utrecht, the Netherlands and live
happily ever after in Eindhoven,
together with my wife Margot, with
whom I also share another passion:
scuba diving.
I also teach diving (part time) and have taught diving
professionally whilst living in Egypt some years ago.
Professionally I have been working as a purchasing
manager, for as long as I can remember.
Having two hobbies, forces me to make choices
sometimes, so my modelling output is not as prolific as
the ideas I have for new projects. My main interest
goes out to building dioramas, with an occasional side
step to figure painting.I have tried building stand alone
vehicles, and I have even tried building them out of the
box. Both seem impossible for me to do. Although I
shamelessly admire those who can make breathtaking
single vehicles on a plain base, in my opinion, a well
executed diorama always gives a model something
extra.
When I got back into the modeling hobby, about 12
years ago, my interest merely went to the models I
bought. Soon thereafter however, I discovered that
some historical research was necessary, to at least
depict the correct vehicle with the correct unit, in a
liable time and place, in order to give my work some
credibility. And although I am all for artistic license
when it comes to modeling dioramas, I try to get those
aspects right, with each new project. From this initial
historical research came another personal interest,
namely the political and social history leading to, and
throughout, World War II.
I tend to add a lot of details and colours to my work.
Details, because diorama's lend themselves perfectly
for that, and the more details, the longer one can look
at a diorama. I also like to give things a humorous or
interesting twist, especially for the observing viewer.
Colours break the monotony that AFV dioramas show
more than often, and can act as an eye catcher or
better, as an instrument to guide the viewers eye
through the scene. I often tend to take a step back
from a project that I`m working on, in order to avoid
getting dragged into something resembling tunnel
vision. I guess that is also why I make dioramas. If I
get stuck along the way with the vehicle, I can
continue with the figures, or the groundwork, and
eventually return to the vehicle with a clear mind. Silly
maybe, but it works for me.
A good diorama tells a story, that is obvious to the
viewer. And this sounds a lot easier than it actually is,
certainly in case you want to break out of the ordinary.
The story, the title, the base, the elements and their
layout play an equally important role in the complete
picture and that makes it also very complex and hard
to make a good diorama.
I hope that my contributions to this publication please
the viewer as much as they pleased me while I
created them.
Robert Crombeecke
109
Robert Crombeecke
110
CITY
LIMITS
When planning this diorama, the starting point was
that I wanted to do an urban action scene on a small
base. Reason for this being the fact that I`ve done
several larger dioramas in the years before which
depicted neither action nor an urban atmosphere.
So in short, this had to be something that was the
opposite of previous projects.
Knowing that urban fighting is not exactly ideal for any kind of vehicle, also
brought on the title eventually. Narrow passages and lots of rubble make it
hard for AFV`s to manoeuvre and fight effectively. In other words: the city limits
the effective use of them.
The Stug IIIB was produced in vast quantities and has been used quite
elaborately during the first years of the war. Although I like to detail my vehicles
as much as possible, I am not what you would call a rivet counter. Having said
that, I always thoroughly research the area and period of the war, which the
specific unit, or vehicle of that unit that I am depicting, fought in.
So this diorama does not depict Stalingrad. I have marked my Stug as one
belonging to Stug Abteilung 503, who have used the IIIB on the Eastern front.
THE
Robert Crombeecke
109
Robert Crombeecke
110
CITY
LIMITS
When planning this diorama, the starting point was
that I wanted to do an urban action scene on a small
base. Reason for this being the fact that I`ve done
several larger dioramas in the years before which
depicted neither action nor an urban atmosphere.
So in short, this had to be something that was the
opposite of previous projects.
Knowing that urban fighting is not exactly ideal for any kind of vehicle, also
brought on the title eventually. Narrow passages and lots of rubble make it
hard for AFV`s to manoeuvre and fight effectively. In other words: the city limits
the effective use of them.
The Stug IIIB was produced in vast quantities and has been used quite
elaborately during the first years of the war. Although I like to detail my vehicles
as much as possible, I am not what you would call a rivet counter. Having said
that, I always thoroughly research the area and period of the war, which the
specific unit, or vehicle of that unit that I am depicting, fought in.
So this diorama does not depict Stalingrad. I have marked my Stug as one
belonging to Stug Abteilung 503, who have used the IIIB on the Eastern front.
THE
4'*68642'**(0*
112
4'*68642'**(0*
111
,)67+
Work began on the vehicle, the old Dragon/Italeri kit that I won in a raffle. It`s a
basically correct kit, but it is definitely showing its age and can benefit from some
extra detailing. What more does a modeller want? For some of the necessary
corrections a lot of information was taken from French publication by MK35. A major
correction was made at the back of the hull, for which a new plate was made from
Evergreen sheet. More styrene was used to scratch other details, like nuts and
bolts.
I also made extensive use of two Aber PE sets, one for extra details and a second
one, merely for the fenders. A Jordi Rubio turned aluminium barrel and Model
Kasten tracks completed the after market upgrades.
This vehicle was also my first attempt to deploy a white wash. The final outcome is
the result of a mish mash of techniques, of which using Maskoll was only one, and
not the most successful, I have to add. I found tiny pieces of Maskoll even at the
end of the finishing stage. But hey, modelling is fun!
4'*68642'**(0*
112
4'*68642'**(0*
111
,)67+
Work began on the vehicle, the old Dragon/Italeri kit that I won in a raffle. It`s a
basically correct kit, but it is definitely showing its age and can benefit from some
extra detailing. What more does a modeller want? For some of the necessary
corrections a lot of information was taken from French publication by MK35. A major
correction was made at the back of the hull, for which a new plate was made from
Evergreen sheet. More styrene was used to scratch other details, like nuts and
bolts.
I also made extensive use of two Aber PE sets, one for extra details and a second
one, merely for the fenders. A Jordi Rubio turned aluminium barrel and Model
Kasten tracks completed the after market upgrades.
This vehicle was also my first attempt to deploy a white wash. The final outcome is
the result of a mish mash of techniques, of which using Maskoll was only one, and
not the most successful, I have to add. I found tiny pieces of Maskoll even at the
end of the finishing stage. But hey, modelling is fun!
Robert Crombeecke
113
Robert Crombeecke
114
The idea for this diorama has been lingering for quite a
while and executing the idea turned out to be one of my
rather smoother running projects, although it did take
some pre-production planning, searching on the internet
and a comprehensive study of magpies. More about
that later.
On a small scene like this, the top of the base measures some 13cm in diameter
only, it is only too important to provide the viewer with plenty of details to look at.
Stand alone AFV's require many painting details to keep the interest going for a
while, but on this vignette there aren't any large objects, so I resolved to using
plenty of additional subjects, scattered around the surface.
The title was actually the starting point, some time ago. It is the title of an opera by
Rossini and what triggered the idea was the fact that British band Marillion used the
title and part of opera`s theme as an opener for their live concerts back in the
eighties. That's 1980's! The story depicted here was worked out from that title, and
not the other way around, which would have made more sense. The idea of
showing the magpie's alleged habit to be attracted and take shiny objects was the
first part of the story that was planned. However, I like double layers in a story, so I
thought I'd give the viewer something to chew on and use the scene of the dog
offering a helping hand to the cobbler as a sort of initial diversion from the actual
story behind the title.
BuiIding the scene
Construction started with the limber of the vintage Tamiya field kitchen. I replaced
some of the parts with Evergreen, brass rod, and other metal parts from the scrap
box. When construction was done, I painted it using Tamiya paints for the base
colours and oils for washes and weathering. The latter was kept to a minimum. I
also used different pigments from Sandstorm Pigments. Faded grey gave a very
nice effect to the Panzer grey colour. Dust was simulated using various earth
colours from the same brand. At the bottom and lower edges of the limber the
pigments were fixed with Sandstorms' Pigment Fixer. The metal rims of the wheels
were metalized using rubbed on VBM graphite powder and metal highlights were
added with a silver pencil. The rusted effect, was created with various rust colour
pastels.
The figures were carefully selected for this purpose. The cobbler is a resin Wolf
offering and comes with the dog and spare boots. I replaced the cobblers head with
a Hornet one, that suited the scene much better. Other than that it was a pretty
straightforward figure paint job. Flesh tones receive a Vallejo Mud Brown undercoat
and I paint the rest with heavily thinned oils paints. For uniforms I use whatever
comes to hand, but basically the base coat is always done with Vallejo acrylics and
highlights and shadows with oil paints, although I painted this guys shirt and leather
apron completely with acrylics.
The dog`s fur was too smooth so I added some Magic Sculp and scribed the hairs
when the MS was hardened. To add the boot I had to cut off the dogs mouth. The
resin boot I selected needed to bent a little by applying some heat with my soldering
iron. After the boot was put in place I sculpted the bottom of the mouth with Magic
Sculp, and painted it completely with acrylics using tones varying from light sand to
straight black and added a bit of red brown to the appropriate areas.
The standing guy is a very nice figure from Resination. I replaced his head with a
Hornet one. Again, not because of quality but because of a more appropriate
expression. The only catch here, was to get rid of the seams between the upper and
lower neck and between upper and lower arms, as the latter came as separate
parts.
I decided to use Vallejo Sunny Skin Tone as a base coat for the flesh parts, and
finished them with my usual oil painting method. The trousers received an Italian
camouflage pattern, painted with Vallejo acrylics. Highlights and shadows however
were done with selected oil paints. I usually paint boots starting with Humbrol Brown
Bess (out of production) or Vallejo chocolate brown. Next is a wash of diluted black
oil paint, and highlights and wear are done with Schmincke Warm Grey. For this
fellow`s boots though, I opted to do them completely in Vallejo acrylics.
The magpie was sculpted after months of studying magpies in the park behind my
house. My first attempt was the size of a condor, and it took several attempts to get
both the size and the posing to my liking. His legs, with toes were made from very
thin wire. Painting the correct colour pattern in was easy, in the end. As long as the
basics have the correct balance between white and black, anything goes, as I
haven't found two magpies alike. Some even miss the black stripes on the sides
altogether. The tail feathers are bluish, starting on the back, so I painted that
accordingly.
La Gazza Ladra
(The Thieving Magpie)
Robert Crombeecke
113
Robert Crombeecke
114
The idea for this diorama has been lingering for quite a
while and executing the idea turned out to be one of my
rather smoother running projects, although it did take
some pre-production planning, searching on the internet
and a comprehensive study of magpies. More about
that later.
On a small scene like this, the top of the base measures some 13cm in diameter
only, it is only too important to provide the viewer with plenty of details to look at.
Stand alone AFV's require many painting details to keep the interest going for a
while, but on this vignette there aren't any large objects, so I resolved to using
plenty of additional subjects, scattered around the surface.
The title was actually the starting point, some time ago. It is the title of an opera by
Rossini and what triggered the idea was the fact that British band Marillion used the
title and part of opera`s theme as an opener for their live concerts back in the
eighties. That's 1980's! The story depicted here was worked out from that title, and
not the other way around, which would have made more sense. The idea of
showing the magpie's alleged habit to be attracted and take shiny objects was the
first part of the story that was planned. However, I like double layers in a story, so I
thought I'd give the viewer something to chew on and use the scene of the dog
offering a helping hand to the cobbler as a sort of initial diversion from the actual
story behind the title.
BuiIding the scene
Construction started with the limber of the vintage Tamiya field kitchen. I replaced
some of the parts with Evergreen, brass rod, and other metal parts from the scrap
box. When construction was done, I painted it using Tamiya paints for the base
colours and oils for washes and weathering. The latter was kept to a minimum. I
also used different pigments from Sandstorm Pigments. Faded grey gave a very
nice effect to the Panzer grey colour. Dust was simulated using various earth
colours from the same brand. At the bottom and lower edges of the limber the
pigments were fixed with Sandstorms' Pigment Fixer. The metal rims of the wheels
were metalized using rubbed on VBM graphite powder and metal highlights were
added with a silver pencil. The rusted effect, was created with various rust colour
pastels.
The figures were carefully selected for this purpose. The cobbler is a resin Wolf
offering and comes with the dog and spare boots. I replaced the cobblers head with
a Hornet one, that suited the scene much better. Other than that it was a pretty
straightforward figure paint job. Flesh tones receive a Vallejo Mud Brown undercoat
and I paint the rest with heavily thinned oils paints. For uniforms I use whatever
comes to hand, but basically the base coat is always done with Vallejo acrylics and
highlights and shadows with oil paints, although I painted this guys shirt and leather
apron completely with acrylics.
The dog`s fur was too smooth so I added some Magic Sculp and scribed the hairs
when the MS was hardened. To add the boot I had to cut off the dogs mouth. The
resin boot I selected needed to bent a little by applying some heat with my soldering
iron. After the boot was put in place I sculpted the bottom of the mouth with Magic
Sculp, and painted it completely with acrylics using tones varying from light sand to
straight black and added a bit of red brown to the appropriate areas.
The standing guy is a very nice figure from Resination. I replaced his head with a
Hornet one. Again, not because of quality but because of a more appropriate
expression. The only catch here, was to get rid of the seams between the upper and
lower neck and between upper and lower arms, as the latter came as separate
parts.
I decided to use Vallejo Sunny Skin Tone as a base coat for the flesh parts, and
finished them with my usual oil painting method. The trousers received an Italian
camouflage pattern, painted with Vallejo acrylics. Highlights and shadows however
were done with selected oil paints. I usually paint boots starting with Humbrol Brown
Bess (out of production) or Vallejo chocolate brown. Next is a wash of diluted black
oil paint, and highlights and wear are done with Schmincke Warm Grey. For this
fellow`s boots though, I opted to do them completely in Vallejo acrylics.
The magpie was sculpted after months of studying magpies in the park behind my
house. My first attempt was the size of a condor, and it took several attempts to get
both the size and the posing to my liking. His legs, with toes were made from very
thin wire. Painting the correct colour pattern in was easy, in the end. As long as the
basics have the correct balance between white and black, anything goes, as I
haven't found two magpies alike. Some even miss the black stripes on the sides
altogether. The tail feathers are bluish, starting on the back, so I painted that
accordingly.
La Gazza Ladra
(The Thieving Magpie)
4'*68642'**(0*
115
4'*68642'**(0*
116
ParaphernaIia
A few words about the accessories that I used. Because the scene is small,
some 13cm in diameter, I figured I had to scatter the scene with
accessories to increase the interest. It also meant that I had to take the
detailing a step further than I usually do. For one, it meant to go the extra
mile on painting, but I also spent more time to see if I could improve some
details. For example, the large food containers received Bronco wing nuts.
The food canisters were not only painted in two opposite colours, but also
received properly shaped handles, fashioned from thin wire. The food tins
and the bottles received labels that I downloaded from the internet, a very
time consuming job, downsized in high resolution and finally printed on
Micro Scale decal paper on my inkjet printer.
Since the title and inspiration for his whole project have a musical source, I
found it necessary to lay the link to music. Plus Models has a great set with
radios and phonographs (record players). Carrying a large phonograph
with a big horn around in a war seemed a bit over the top, so I decided to
use the more moderate style provided in the set. Plus Models also provides
photo etched records as well as decals for the record labels, but no record
sleeves. So, back to the internet. I managed to find some contemporary
record sleeves that I downsized and printed on plain paper. One record
sleeve however, I had to design myself: the one showing a portrait of
Rossini. I obviously positioned that one so it would be most visible.
The boxes with nails for the cobbler, also received some home made
decals, but the text turned out illegible at the end, so I could have saved
myself the trouble. Oh well, I know it's there. The nails themselves were cut
from steel wire.
The Groundwork
Contrary to common practice, I based the size of the scene to the size of
the base I had lying about for years already. The wall was made from a
remaining piece of an old plaster casting and added details to create some
sense of boundaries. The scene is staged along the side of a country road.
it also serves as a back drop. The stones were scribed with a Squadron
Scribing Tool. Since the plaster is flat, I added some volume and created
rounded surfaces by adding acrylic gel to the scribed stones, more or less
at random.
The surface of the wooden base was scored with a hobby knife and after
the plaster wall was glued on with two component epoxy glue, I applied
wall filler, small pebbles and sand. Before I pressed some of the main and
heavy objects, like the limber, buckets, wooden boxes, figures etc. into the
still soft wall filler, I covered it with cling film to prevent the wall filler from
sticking to my carefully weathered and painted stuff. Obviously pressing
the heavy and main elements into the groundwork is necessary to ensure a
proper sit, and to prevent them from floating over the surface. I also pre-
colour wall plaster with pure pigments (not weathering pigments) or liquid
pigments (used to colour wall paint) to make sure that no white spots
remain.
The grass I used comes in different shapes, lengths and colours and are a
Grey Funnel Line product called Mini Nature. One of the best solutions for
landscaping in scale I have encountered in the past years. The patches of
grass come on a carrier film which should be glued on with a drop of super
glue. Mixing colours and lengths gives a natural and controllable result.
Icing on the cake was the rat that I added underneath the limber, enjoying
the remains from a disposed food tin. Since I had a magpie and dog
already, I figured that adding one more animal wouldn't hurt.
ConcIusion
The scene came out almost exactly as I had planned it in my mind for a
long time. It must be said however, that the plethora of after market
products and accessories partly made the job less difficult than it would
have been 10-15 years ago, and certainly less time consuming as you can
save yourself the trouble of building everything from scratch.
Something that is fortunately not readily available, is the way that these
products are being used and applied. So creativity is still not buried
underneath all of the commercial offerings. On the contrary, to avoid that all
dioramas look alike because of the use of these products, an original idea
is still as important as before, perhaps more so.
4'*68642'**(0*
115
4'*68642'**(0*
116
ParaphernaIia
A few words about the accessories that I used. Because the scene is small,
some 13cm in diameter, I figured I had to scatter the scene with
accessories to increase the interest. It also meant that I had to take the
detailing a step further than I usually do. For one, it meant to go the extra
mile on painting, but I also spent more time to see if I could improve some
details. For example, the large food containers received Bronco wing nuts.
The food canisters were not only painted in two opposite colours, but also
received properly shaped handles, fashioned from thin wire. The food tins
and the bottles received labels that I downloaded from the internet, a very
time consuming job, downsized in high resolution and finally printed on
Micro Scale decal paper on my inkjet printer.
Since the title and inspiration for his whole project have a musical source, I
found it necessary to lay the link to music. Plus Models has a great set with
radios and phonographs (record players). Carrying a large phonograph
with a big horn around in a war seemed a bit over the top, so I decided to
use the more moderate style provided in the set. Plus Models also provides
photo etched records as well as decals for the record labels, but no record
sleeves. So, back to the internet. I managed to find some contemporary
record sleeves that I downsized and printed on plain paper. One record
sleeve however, I had to design myself: the one showing a portrait of
Rossini. I obviously positioned that one so it would be most visible.
The boxes with nails for the cobbler, also received some home made
decals, but the text turned out illegible at the end, so I could have saved
myself the trouble. Oh well, I know it's there. The nails themselves were cut
from steel wire.
The Groundwork
Contrary to common practice, I based the size of the scene to the size of
the base I had lying about for years already. The wall was made from a
remaining piece of an old plaster casting and added details to create some
sense of boundaries. The scene is staged along the side of a country road.
it also serves as a back drop. The stones were scribed with a Squadron
Scribing Tool. Since the plaster is flat, I added some volume and created
rounded surfaces by adding acrylic gel to the scribed stones, more or less
at random.
The surface of the wooden base was scored with a hobby knife and after
the plaster wall was glued on with two component epoxy glue, I applied
wall filler, small pebbles and sand. Before I pressed some of the main and
heavy objects, like the limber, buckets, wooden boxes, figures etc. into the
still soft wall filler, I covered it with cling film to prevent the wall filler from
sticking to my carefully weathered and painted stuff. Obviously pressing
the heavy and main elements into the groundwork is necessary to ensure a
proper sit, and to prevent them from floating over the surface. I also pre-
colour wall plaster with pure pigments (not weathering pigments) or liquid
pigments (used to colour wall paint) to make sure that no white spots
remain.
The grass I used comes in different shapes, lengths and colours and are a
Grey Funnel Line product called Mini Nature. One of the best solutions for
landscaping in scale I have encountered in the past years. The patches of
grass come on a carrier film which should be glued on with a drop of super
glue. Mixing colours and lengths gives a natural and controllable result.
Icing on the cake was the rat that I added underneath the limber, enjoying
the remains from a disposed food tin. Since I had a magpie and dog
already, I figured that adding one more animal wouldn't hurt.
ConcIusion
The scene came out almost exactly as I had planned it in my mind for a
long time. It must be said however, that the plethora of after market
products and accessories partly made the job less difficult than it would
have been 10-15 years ago, and certainly less time consuming as you can
save yourself the trouble of building everything from scratch.
Something that is fortunately not readily available, is the way that these
products are being used and applied. So creativity is still not buried
underneath all of the commercial offerings. On the contrary, to avoid that all
dioramas look alike because of the use of these products, an original idea
is still as important as before, perhaps more so.
Robert Crombeecke
118
Robert Crombeecke
117
I started off with building the T34/85, an old Dragon
offering that I spiced up with an elaborate selection of
after market details and scratched parts. I also had a
set of resin damaged road wheels by Warriors, and for
variety I swapped some wheels with a buddy who had
another T34-version in his stash. So at least I was
assured that the undercarriage had plenty of
interesting detail already. While posting my in progress
work on the Planet Armor forum, I was suggested to
even add a Panther wheel to my T34. This was backed
up with contemporary images and a Russian field unit
manual. Given the flimsy look of a Panther wheel
compared to their massive T-34 counterparts, I
suspect it wasn`t a successful and long lived
experiment, but for modeling purposes it would be top
notch.
I wanted to depict the T34 as a raw, battle weary war
veteran, using PE fenders, as these were much easier
to damage convincingly and there must have been a
reason why the crew added a Panther wheel to their
tank. The blast that hit the original wheel also
damaged the fender. The PE fender was thinned in
selected places using a motor tool, before piercing it.
The construction of the T34 went rather quickly,
certainly to my standards, but the painting was a
different story all together. I tried to add life to my
models by layering various painting and weathering
techniques which took a lot of TLC.
The figures were a different story, and especially the
Klepcesz family took me some time to get right. The
tank commander standing on top of the turret is a
slightly converted Alpine figure. The conversion was
done to make him fit the tank and to give him a more
arrogant pose. He received a Hornet head and a
Magic Sculp cap. The Alpine heads are actually fine,
but the Hornet one had a facial expression that was
perfect for the scene. Both other Russians are a mix of
Miniart, Hornet and TANK.
Opposite of the Russians was the German family that
has lost almost all their possessions, and the only
valuable thing they have left is each other, although
the parents have lost their oldest son. Their hotel is
destroyed, and they have gathered some belongings
that they could save from the rubble. They have
grouped together in fear and anticipation of what the
Russian conquerors are up to. The youngest boy is
indifferent to the nasty looks from the Russian crew
and only has eyes for the food he just got.
The male figure is from MK35 with, you guessed it, a
Hornet head. His wife, the standing boy and the girl
with the blonde hair are old Verlinden offerings and
had poor facial expression, which made them difficult
to paint. The girl in the red coat and the eating boy are
from SOL and are excellent sculpts. I have toned down
their clothing deliberately as they should play the part
of the victims. I mixed the colours that I used with
black and grey to achieve that.
When a four year old child looks at your diorama and
asks you if these mean men on the tank are going to
hurt the children and their parents, I think that the story
is clear and that part of the project has succeeded.
The base was custom made
by a Dutch company called
JADE BASES. The diameter
of the base is 39 cm and it
looked like a big black cake
when I got it.
Without going in too deep, it seems
that the human suffering and the
enormous impact war has on the
average civilian, is more than often
ignored in most dioramas that I
have seen through the years. And if
human sacrifice was depicted, the
final result was arguably
horrendous, and subject of
discussion between the pros and
cons of realism.
What I intended to depict in this project was the
sense of despair and apathy of war weary Berlin
civilians in the last days of WWII, face to face
with their grim victors, the Russian army. An
image in a book dealing with the fall of
Berlin, was the starting point of this
diorama, which received the initial title: "In
a world gone mad".
Leben |n
Trmmern
(Life in Ruins)
Robert Crombeecke
118
Robert Crombeecke
117
I started off with building the T34/85, an old Dragon
offering that I spiced up with an elaborate selection of
after market details and scratched parts. I also had a
set of resin damaged road wheels by Warriors, and for
variety I swapped some wheels with a buddy who had
another T34-version in his stash. So at least I was
assured that the undercarriage had plenty of
interesting detail already. While posting my in progress
work on the Planet Armor forum, I was suggested to
even add a Panther wheel to my T34. This was backed
up with contemporary images and a Russian field unit
manual. Given the flimsy look of a Panther wheel
compared to their massive T-34 counterparts, I
suspect it wasn`t a successful and long lived
experiment, but for modeling purposes it would be top
notch.
I wanted to depict the T34 as a raw, battle weary war
veteran, using PE fenders, as these were much easier
to damage convincingly and there must have been a
reason why the crew added a Panther wheel to their
tank. The blast that hit the original wheel also
damaged the fender. The PE fender was thinned in
selected places using a motor tool, before piercing it.
The construction of the T34 went rather quickly,
certainly to my standards, but the painting was a
different story all together. I tried to add life to my
models by layering various painting and weathering
techniques which took a lot of TLC.
The figures were a different story, and especially the
Klepcesz family took me some time to get right. The
tank commander standing on top of the turret is a
slightly converted Alpine figure. The conversion was
done to make him fit the tank and to give him a more
arrogant pose. He received a Hornet head and a
Magic Sculp cap. The Alpine heads are actually fine,
but the Hornet one had a facial expression that was
perfect for the scene. Both other Russians are a mix of
Miniart, Hornet and TANK.
Opposite of the Russians was the German family that
has lost almost all their possessions, and the only
valuable thing they have left is each other, although
the parents have lost their oldest son. Their hotel is
destroyed, and they have gathered some belongings
that they could save from the rubble. They have
grouped together in fear and anticipation of what the
Russian conquerors are up to. The youngest boy is
indifferent to the nasty looks from the Russian crew
and only has eyes for the food he just got.
The male figure is from MK35 with, you guessed it, a
Hornet head. His wife, the standing boy and the girl
with the blonde hair are old Verlinden offerings and
had poor facial expression, which made them difficult
to paint. The girl in the red coat and the eating boy are
from SOL and are excellent sculpts. I have toned down
their clothing deliberately as they should play the part
of the victims. I mixed the colours that I used with
black and grey to achieve that.
When a four year old child looks at your diorama and
asks you if these mean men on the tank are going to
hurt the children and their parents, I think that the story
is clear and that part of the project has succeeded.
The base was custom made
by a Dutch company called
JADE BASES. The diameter
of the base is 39 cm and it
looked like a big black cake
when I got it.
Without going in too deep, it seems
that the human suffering and the
enormous impact war has on the
average civilian, is more than often
ignored in most dioramas that I
have seen through the years. And if
human sacrifice was depicted, the
final result was arguably
horrendous, and subject of
discussion between the pros and
cons of realism.
What I intended to depict in this project was the
sense of despair and apathy of war weary Berlin
civilians in the last days of WWII, face to face
with their grim victors, the Russian army. An
image in a book dealing with the fall of
Berlin, was the starting point of this
diorama, which received the initial title: "In
a world gone mad".
Leben |n
Trmmern
(Life in Ruins)
The picture in the wooden crate
shows the eldest son of the family,
a Luftwaffe pilot, who has died in
action. Another tragic loss.
4'*68642'**(0*
119
4'*68642'**(0*
120
I have painted the front of
the left building in a yellow
tone on purpose, to provide
contrast with the adjacent
building.
The family name Klepcesz has a humorous undertone. The
phonetic Dutch equivalent of Klepcesz, at least in my regional
dialect, actually refers to people with anti social behaviour. I
gave the written name a sort of Czech touch, making the joke
a bit less obvious. Family names from Czech and Polish origin
were, and still are, common in Germany.
The image of the son, killed in action, was made using
Photoshop, and in fact it shows my step son Marco
who passed away in 2008. He was actually the one
who dragged me back into the modeling hobby. When
I first met him, he was building a Harley Davidson
model and had a Tamiya catalogue lying on the table.
The rest is history. I remember his enthusiasm and
astonishment over the models on display, when he
visited the first Scale Model Challenge, organized by
our club, in 2007. So this diorama about loss, is also a
specific tribute to him.
Because big demolished buildings would show the
material loss suffered by civilians in an overwhelming
way, I wanted to make a diorama with ruins standing
tall over the figures. This would also enhance the
feeling of despair and would add a sense of the mass
destruction that took place. I could have made a much
smaller scene, but in this case, I believe that size does
matter.
Using the aforementioned picture as a guide line, I
made a mock up of the buildings and groundwork in
order to establish the right scene and the dimensions
of the base. A thin layer of HD polystyrene foam (the
blue stuff) was glued on and for the street section I
added measuring paper. Reason being, is that the
street was made out of bricks fashioned out of cork,
glued on one by one. Without the measuring paper it is
impossible to keep the pattern straight, at least for me.
The large structures were made using foam board,
covered with thin Styrofoam sheets, and balsa foam.
The latter being fantastic, versatile stuff to work with,
as it does not melt by glues and paints like the
polystyrene does, as I found out in an attempt to prime
my first set of buildings for this project with Vallejo
spray can primer. On the other hand, it is very messy
stuff to work with, as it leaves an extremely fine dust
when being cut, sanded or carved. So be prepared.
To save on my modelling paint, I raided my wife's stash
of artists paints and primers and came up with a
product called Gesso, which painting artists use to
prime their linen frames. Gesso can also act as a filler,
and I also used it to fill the seams between the bricks
of the street section.
For the base colours of the buildings and groundwork I
also used artists acrylic paints.
Finishing was done with different types of paint and
media, depending on the required colour and effect.
Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, Humbrol, oil paints, pastel
chalks and the ever present MIG pigments.
According to some, I am a freak when it comes to
bricks and details. Decide for yourself after reading
this: The piles of bricks were built up using Styrofoam
blocks covered with plaster bandage.
For fashioning the bricks, I chopped up strips of cork,
obtained from a model train shop, with my Amati cutter.
Repetitive and boring work, but the final result makes it
all worthwhile.
I pre-coloured the bricks in a mixture of acrylic paint,
and after drying, I glued them into place avoiding
monotony in the rather prominent presence of the
bricks and walls, I started painting the bricks, one by
one, using an endless variety of colours and tones.
After everything was painted, the majority of the bricks
received blotches of mortar. The mortar was given
some volume by mixing various sand-grey colours with
Brussels Earth, a powdery filler for making oils paints.
With that all done, I gave the bricks several washes
with various thinned oil paints like Raw Umber and Van
Dyke Brown to unify the colours of the bricks.
When all elements in the diorama were in place,
except for the T34 and the figures, I started dusting the
lot with a mixture of various ground pastels, pigments,
bird sand and some genuine really fine red brick
powder. The latter is a product used as bedding in
desert terrariums!
Getting the family grouped
and posed properly was a
challenge, but all worked
out pretty well.
The picture in the wooden crate
shows the eldest son of the family,
a Luftwaffe pilot, who has died in
action. Another tragic loss.
4'*68642'**(0*
119
4'*68642'**(0*
120
I have painted the front of
the left building in a yellow
tone on purpose, to provide
contrast with the adjacent
building.
The family name Klepcesz has a humorous undertone. The
phonetic Dutch equivalent of Klepcesz, at least in my regional
dialect, actually refers to people with anti social behaviour. I
gave the written name a sort of Czech touch, making the joke
a bit less obvious. Family names from Czech and Polish origin
were, and still are, common in Germany.
The image of the son, killed in action, was made using
Photoshop, and in fact it shows my step son Marco
who passed away in 2008. He was actually the one
who dragged me back into the modeling hobby. When
I first met him, he was building a Harley Davidson
model and had a Tamiya catalogue lying on the table.
The rest is history. I remember his enthusiasm and
astonishment over the models on display, when he
visited the first Scale Model Challenge, organized by
our club, in 2007. So this diorama about loss, is also a
specific tribute to him.
Because big demolished buildings would show the
material loss suffered by civilians in an overwhelming
way, I wanted to make a diorama with ruins standing
tall over the figures. This would also enhance the
feeling of despair and would add a sense of the mass
destruction that took place. I could have made a much
smaller scene, but in this case, I believe that size does
matter.
Using the aforementioned picture as a guide line, I
made a mock up of the buildings and groundwork in
order to establish the right scene and the dimensions
of the base. A thin layer of HD polystyrene foam (the
blue stuff) was glued on and for the street section I
added measuring paper. Reason being, is that the
street was made out of bricks fashioned out of cork,
glued on one by one. Without the measuring paper it is
impossible to keep the pattern straight, at least for me.
The large structures were made using foam board,
covered with thin Styrofoam sheets, and balsa foam.
The latter being fantastic, versatile stuff to work with,
as it does not melt by glues and paints like the
polystyrene does, as I found out in an attempt to prime
my first set of buildings for this project with Vallejo
spray can primer. On the other hand, it is very messy
stuff to work with, as it leaves an extremely fine dust
when being cut, sanded or carved. So be prepared.
To save on my modelling paint, I raided my wife's stash
of artists paints and primers and came up with a
product called Gesso, which painting artists use to
prime their linen frames. Gesso can also act as a filler,
and I also used it to fill the seams between the bricks
of the street section.
For the base colours of the buildings and groundwork I
also used artists acrylic paints.
Finishing was done with different types of paint and
media, depending on the required colour and effect.
Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, Humbrol, oil paints, pastel
chalks and the ever present MIG pigments.
According to some, I am a freak when it comes to
bricks and details. Decide for yourself after reading
this: The piles of bricks were built up using Styrofoam
blocks covered with plaster bandage.
For fashioning the bricks, I chopped up strips of cork,
obtained from a model train shop, with my Amati cutter.
Repetitive and boring work, but the final result makes it
all worthwhile.
I pre-coloured the bricks in a mixture of acrylic paint,
and after drying, I glued them into place avoiding
monotony in the rather prominent presence of the
bricks and walls, I started painting the bricks, one by
one, using an endless variety of colours and tones.
After everything was painted, the majority of the bricks
received blotches of mortar. The mortar was given
some volume by mixing various sand-grey colours with
Brussels Earth, a powdery filler for making oils paints.
With that all done, I gave the bricks several washes
with various thinned oil paints like Raw Umber and Van
Dyke Brown to unify the colours of the bricks.
When all elements in the diorama were in place,
except for the T34 and the figures, I started dusting the
lot with a mixture of various ground pastels, pigments,
bird sand and some genuine really fine red brick
powder. The latter is a product used as bedding in
desert terrariums!
Getting the family grouped
and posed properly was a
challenge, but all worked
out pretty well.
4'*68642'**(0*
121
4'*68642'**(0*
122
More colour elements in this diorama that serve a purpose:
the two Russian crew members on top op the T34, especially the
commander. He received blue-grey coveralls to make him stand
out clearly over the green of the T34 and from the diorama in
general.
The red/white sun shades draw the attraction from the T34 in the
foreground towards the building and upwards in the diorama.
The name sign of the hotel: the red matches with the sun shade
and will draw the view towards the Klepcesz family.
More colours were provided
by several great accessories
from Reality In Scale, which
were used throughout this
diorama. The real enamel
street name signs and house
numbers. The also real
enamel commercial signs, the
carpet on the collapsed stairs,
made from real cloth and the
green striped wall paper. The
fuel drums are also from the
same manufacturer.
A humorous, but at the same
time grim touch, are the three
rats, scrounging the remains
of the once flourishing hotel.
I could have saved a lot of time, because many of the tones and colours of the
bricks varied too slightly to notice the difference after applying the washes, sand and
dust. But it did keep me from mischief for several weeks.
Grouting the bricks in the walls was done by carefully painting these with a grey oil
paint mixture. Any excess was wiped off, leaving the "cement" in the recesses. So
yes, call me freaky if you will.
I have worked on this project during a period of nearly 13 months, with an estimated
bench time of around 5 months.
The one advantage of this long period is that I had plenty of time to come up with a
catching title, which strangely enough proved to be the hardest part of the whole
project. I finally came up with "Leben in Trmmern" a few weeks before I finished
the diorama.
A big thank you goes to fellow club member, diorama builder extraordinaire and
bercreative modeller, Roy Schurgers, who stimulated me to improve my own work
with his awesome projects and he suggested to use a German title this time. Also
thanks to Volker Bembennek who made sure I used proper German for the title.
Another big thank you goes out to Canadian modeller and Russian Armor guru Scott
Fraser, who was kind enough to suggest the Panther wheel idea and let me browse
through his immense Russian armor photo archive.
4'*68642'**(0*
121
4'*68642'**(0*
122
More colour elements in this diorama that serve a purpose:
the two Russian crew members on top op the T34, especially the
commander. He received blue-grey coveralls to make him stand
out clearly over the green of the T34 and from the diorama in
general.
The red/white sun shades draw the attraction from the T34 in the
foreground towards the building and upwards in the diorama.
The name sign of the hotel: the red matches with the sun shade
and will draw the view towards the Klepcesz family.
More colours were provided
by several great accessories
from Reality In Scale, which
were used throughout this
diorama. The real enamel
street name signs and house
numbers. The also real
enamel commercial signs, the
carpet on the collapsed stairs,
made from real cloth and the
green striped wall paper. The
fuel drums are also from the
same manufacturer.
A humorous, but at the same
time grim touch, are the three
rats, scrounging the remains
of the once flourishing hotel.
I could have saved a lot of time, because many of the tones and colours of the
bricks varied too slightly to notice the difference after applying the washes, sand and
dust. But it did keep me from mischief for several weeks.
Grouting the bricks in the walls was done by carefully painting these with a grey oil
paint mixture. Any excess was wiped off, leaving the "cement" in the recesses. So
yes, call me freaky if you will.
I have worked on this project during a period of nearly 13 months, with an estimated
bench time of around 5 months.
The one advantage of this long period is that I had plenty of time to come up with a
catching title, which strangely enough proved to be the hardest part of the whole
project. I finally came up with "Leben in Trmmern" a few weeks before I finished
the diorama.
A big thank you goes to fellow club member, diorama builder extraordinaire and
bercreative modeller, Roy Schurgers, who stimulated me to improve my own work
with his awesome projects and he suggested to use a German title this time. Also
thanks to Volker Bembennek who made sure I used proper German for the title.
Another big thank you goes out to Canadian modeller and Russian Armor guru Scott
Fraser, who was kind enough to suggest the Panther wheel idea and let me browse
through his immense Russian armor photo archive.
4,*69602&37
123
4,*69602&37
124
4,*69602&37
When I started building models as
an 8-year old, after market was still
science fiction and wishful thinking. I
believe that was a good thing for
sure, otherwise I might have given
up on this hobby a long time ago,
perhaps even before I started..
The first vehicle I ever built was Tamiya's Krupp
Protze. My father had painted it for me, that is to say,
some of the details like the tools, because the main
parts already were Panzer Grey, of course. The only
other painting added was mud.
Now, 30 years later, the modelling landscape looks
completely different. Scratch building is slowly
becoming an ancient handicraft, because almost
everything can be readily bought.
In terms of painting quite a lot has changed. In the 70's
and 80's one could get away with a simple wash and
dry brushing session.
Nowadays filters, pin washes, modulation, chips and
what have you, are required to make your model stand
out. Do I mind these changes? Not at all. I must admit
that they have made this hobby even more fun, maybe
even a lot more than before.
Making an original and exciting model has been made
much easier to achieve than with the old school
methods. Some food for thought: Do you think that in,
say twenty years from now, we will look back on the
current period in the same way?
Roger Hurkmans
4,*69602&37
123
4,*69602&37
124
4,*69602&37
When I started building models as
an 8-year old, after market was still
science fiction and wishful thinking. I
believe that was a good thing for
sure, otherwise I might have given
up on this hobby a long time ago,
perhaps even before I started..
The first vehicle I ever built was Tamiya's Krupp
Protze. My father had painted it for me, that is to say,
some of the details like the tools, because the main
parts already were Panzer Grey, of course. The only
other painting added was mud.
Now, 30 years later, the modelling landscape looks
completely different. Scratch building is slowly
becoming an ancient handicraft, because almost
everything can be readily bought.
In terms of painting quite a lot has changed. In the 70's
and 80's one could get away with a simple wash and
dry brushing session.
Nowadays filters, pin washes, modulation, chips and
what have you, are required to make your model stand
out. Do I mind these changes? Not at all. I must admit
that they have made this hobby even more fun, maybe
even a lot more than before.
Making an original and exciting model has been made
much easier to achieve than with the old school
methods. Some food for thought: Do you think that in,
say twenty years from now, we will look back on the
current period in the same way?
Roger Hurkmans
Roger Hurkmans
126
Roger Hurkmans
125
H|t by a
Stovep|pe
The first idea is not always the one
we follow, that was the case with
this vignette.
Initially I planned to position three seated German
soldiers on the back of the T-34. After thorough
experimenting with various figures I was not
completely satisfied with the overall effect. Looking on
the internet for some ideas and alternatives, I found a
nice MIG Productions offering, called "Helping
Comrade" which I ordered immediately. The plan was
to let this figure dismount from the tank.
Unfortunately, this setting too was unsatisfactory, so I
had to change plans again.
By this time, I had already finished the T-34, including
the battle damage, so this limited the possibilities
somehow. In the end I decided to select a
Panzerschreck team, that had knocked out this tank.
The Germans also referred to the Panzerschreck as
an "Ofenrohr" or a stovepipe, in English. I guess the
reason for that does not need any additional
explanation.
The idea was to put the team next to the T-34 with one
of the soldiers proudly pointing at the damage done.
The T-34/85 is a Dragon kit that was enhanced using
PE fenders and an update set from Aber, as well as
metal tracks from Friul Modellismo.
I airbrushed the tank in various green tones and after
applying the basic coat, I finished this off with a layer
of clear varnish. After this layer of varnish had
thoroughly dried, I added even more tones of green by
using a variety of green oil paints. The method I use is
rather simple. I add small patches of oil paint and start
carefully blending it with a clean brush, slightly
moistened with turpentine. After all the patches were to
my liking, the model was set aside to dry. After ample
drying time I sprayed another layer of varnish to
protect the work so far.
Filters, washes and pin washes were next, before
proceeding to the following step of the weathering
process. This next step was to create many tiny spots
over the surface to simulate more wear and tear. This
was done using a mix of Humbrol and oil paint. The
combination of these two mediums ensure that you
have ample time to make corrections if required. The
method of applying these spots is by loading a brush
with stiff bristles and flick them back with your finger.
The effect of this method is great, but not fully
controllable, so a slow curing paint is important in this
case.
The same method was used to apply mud splashes
like the ones I applied to the wheels and to the back of
the vehicle.
Roger Hurkmans
126
Roger Hurkmans
125
H|t by a
Stovep|pe
The first idea is not always the one
we follow, that was the case with
this vignette.
Initially I planned to position three seated German
soldiers on the back of the T-34. After thorough
experimenting with various figures I was not
completely satisfied with the overall effect. Looking on
the internet for some ideas and alternatives, I found a
nice MIG Productions offering, called "Helping
Comrade" which I ordered immediately. The plan was
to let this figure dismount from the tank.
Unfortunately, this setting too was unsatisfactory, so I
had to change plans again.
By this time, I had already finished the T-34, including
the battle damage, so this limited the possibilities
somehow. In the end I decided to select a
Panzerschreck team, that had knocked out this tank.
The Germans also referred to the Panzerschreck as
an "Ofenrohr" or a stovepipe, in English. I guess the
reason for that does not need any additional
explanation.
The idea was to put the team next to the T-34 with one
of the soldiers proudly pointing at the damage done.
The T-34/85 is a Dragon kit that was enhanced using
PE fenders and an update set from Aber, as well as
metal tracks from Friul Modellismo.
I airbrushed the tank in various green tones and after
applying the basic coat, I finished this off with a layer
of clear varnish. After this layer of varnish had
thoroughly dried, I added even more tones of green by
using a variety of green oil paints. The method I use is
rather simple. I add small patches of oil paint and start
carefully blending it with a clean brush, slightly
moistened with turpentine. After all the patches were to
my liking, the model was set aside to dry. After ample
drying time I sprayed another layer of varnish to
protect the work so far.
Filters, washes and pin washes were next, before
proceeding to the following step of the weathering
process. This next step was to create many tiny spots
over the surface to simulate more wear and tear. This
was done using a mix of Humbrol and oil paint. The
combination of these two mediums ensure that you
have ample time to make corrections if required. The
method of applying these spots is by loading a brush
with stiff bristles and flick them back with your finger.
The effect of this method is great, but not fully
controllable, so a slow curing paint is important in this
case.
The same method was used to apply mud splashes
like the ones I applied to the wheels and to the back of
the vehicle.
4,*69602&37
128
4,*69602&37
127
To convincingly depict the metalic surface of the wheels, I used
Humbrol polished steel. This paint can be applied with a brush.
After half an hour drying time you can polish the paint with a soft
cloth or a Q-tip to achieve a nicely polished metal effect.
The Panzerschreck team is from Warriors. That is to say, the
bodies and legs. The arms were taken from Dragon figures and
the heads are from Hornet.
The base was fashioned from plastic card with a wooden frame
around it. The surface was covered with Porion. With white glue I
added several tones of static grass. The base was first sprayed
completely and for the grass I used various tones of brown, green
and ochre. The grass was subsequently dry brushed with various
lighter shades of green and yellow. As a cherry on the cake I
finished off the groundwork with Plus Model tree leaves in order to
picture the scene in early fall.
The lesson I learned, once more, from this project is that you
should always plan your scene ahead and find out exactly what
you are trying to achieve before you start. Let us say that it saves
time, headaches and also money if you do. I now have several
figure sets lying about that I have wanted to use for this project.
But who knows, may be one day they will come in handy for one
of my future dioramas.
4,*69602&37
128
4,*69602&37
127
To convincingly depict the metalic surface of the wheels, I used
Humbrol polished steel. This paint can be applied with a brush.
After half an hour drying time you can polish the paint with a soft
cloth or a Q-tip to achieve a nicely polished metal effect.
The Panzerschreck team is from Warriors. That is to say, the
bodies and legs. The arms were taken from Dragon figures and
the heads are from Hornet.
The base was fashioned from plastic card with a wooden frame
around it. The surface was covered with Porion. With white glue I
added several tones of static grass. The base was first sprayed
completely and for the grass I used various tones of brown, green
and ochre. The grass was subsequently dry brushed with various
lighter shades of green and yellow. As a cherry on the cake I
finished off the groundwork with Plus Model tree leaves in order to
picture the scene in early fall.
The lesson I learned, once more, from this project is that you
should always plan your scene ahead and find out exactly what
you are trying to achieve before you start. Let us say that it saves
time, headaches and also money if you do. I now have several
figure sets lying about that I have wanted to use for this project.
But who knows, may be one day they will come in handy for one
of my future dioramas.
Roger Hurkmans
129
Roger Hurkmans
130
Norway
1940
Roger Hurkmans
129
Roger Hurkmans
130
Norway
1940
Roger Hurkmans
131
Roger Hurkmans
132
Panzer IV Ausf.J
In the Concord publication "Panzers
in the East" I came across an image
of a Panzerkampfwagen IV,
Ausfhrung J, which had wooden
planks attached to its fenders. This
field adaptation was the perfect
base for making my Panzer IV with
a twist. I planned to paint the tank
completely in Panzer Gelb (Pz
yellow), and the green planks would
allow a nice colour variation.
The model of my Panzer IV is a Tamiya kit which is not
a recent kit and it could use a little bit of "edge".
Especially the side skirts, the so called " Schurtzen"
are way too thick in the styrene version as they come
with the kit. I decided to replace them with some home
made skirts, fashioned from thin copper sheet, which
have a much more realistic appearance. For the same
reason I decided to use the copper sheet to make new
fenders.
The kits tracks were replaced with white metal tracks
from Friulmodellismo. The tracks picture the so called
"Ostketten", a variant on the winter tracks actually.
There is a significant difference between Winterketten
and the specially designed Ostketten. Although both
are extended, or widened to provide better grip on the
snow, the main difference between the two is that the
links of the Ostketten are actually made out of one
piece. Winterketten are regular tracks of which the
links have been extended with separate grousers.
Ostketten were used from 1944 onwards, mainly at
the Eastern Front.
5th Panzer D|v|s|on "W|k|ng"
Po|and Autumn 1944
After the tank had received its basic colour, several
filters were applied to give the yellow colour more
depth and to make it more interesting. I always finish
the barrel in a darker tone of the basic colour. During
combat or when firing a round these barrels were
subject to an increased temperature which affected
the colour of the paint considerably. The underside of
the barrel received even darker washes after which
several colours of pigment were used for more
variation.
The bottom hull of the tank received mud splashes,
created using flicked oil paint, done by pulling back the
brush bristles with my fingers before releasing them.
Roger Hurkmans
131
Roger Hurkmans
132
Panzer IV Ausf.J
In the Concord publication "Panzers
in the East" I came across an image
of a Panzerkampfwagen IV,
Ausfhrung J, which had wooden
planks attached to its fenders. This
field adaptation was the perfect
base for making my Panzer IV with
a twist. I planned to paint the tank
completely in Panzer Gelb (Pz
yellow), and the green planks would
allow a nice colour variation.
The model of my Panzer IV is a Tamiya kit which is not
a recent kit and it could use a little bit of "edge".
Especially the side skirts, the so called " Schurtzen"
are way too thick in the styrene version as they come
with the kit. I decided to replace them with some home
made skirts, fashioned from thin copper sheet, which
have a much more realistic appearance. For the same
reason I decided to use the copper sheet to make new
fenders.
The kits tracks were replaced with white metal tracks
from Friulmodellismo. The tracks picture the so called
"Ostketten", a variant on the winter tracks actually.
There is a significant difference between Winterketten
and the specially designed Ostketten. Although both
are extended, or widened to provide better grip on the
snow, the main difference between the two is that the
links of the Ostketten are actually made out of one
piece. Winterketten are regular tracks of which the
links have been extended with separate grousers.
Ostketten were used from 1944 onwards, mainly at
the Eastern Front.
5th Panzer D|v|s|on "W|k|ng"
Po|and Autumn 1944
After the tank had received its basic colour, several
filters were applied to give the yellow colour more
depth and to make it more interesting. I always finish
the barrel in a darker tone of the basic colour. During
combat or when firing a round these barrels were
subject to an increased temperature which affected
the colour of the paint considerably. The underside of
the barrel received even darker washes after which
several colours of pigment were used for more
variation.
The bottom hull of the tank received mud splashes,
created using flicked oil paint, done by pulling back the
brush bristles with my fingers before releasing them.
4,*69602&37
134
4,*69602&37
133
The spare tracks were first painted flat brown, after
which they received a treatment with rust and sand
coloured pigments. Final touches were made by
drybrushing the model with straight black. Metalizing
effects were made with the help of a carbon pencil.
The tank commander is an Alpine figure. The rest of
the figures are Dragon. In order to give their trousers a
bulkier and overall better appearance, I used Magic
Sculp. With the same material I made the shawls and
bandages. The heads were replaced by Hornet heads
which have much more expression and bring more life
to the figures.
Since weathering has become a significant part of the
finishing process of vehicles, I have to admit that I
enjoy making these more than before, when I was only
making dioramas. A well finished vehicle with many
details in the painting process offers plenty to keep the
viewer interested and needs nothing more than a nice,
plain and simple base.
4,*69602&37
134
4,*69602&37
133
The spare tracks were first painted flat brown, after
which they received a treatment with rust and sand
coloured pigments. Final touches were made by
drybrushing the model with straight black. Metalizing
effects were made with the help of a carbon pencil.
The tank commander is an Alpine figure. The rest of
the figures are Dragon. In order to give their trousers a
bulkier and overall better appearance, I used Magic
Sculp. With the same material I made the shawls and
bandages. The heads were replaced by Hornet heads
which have much more expression and bring more life
to the figures.
Since weathering has become a significant part of the
finishing process of vehicles, I have to admit that I
enjoy making these more than before, when I was only
making dioramas. A well finished vehicle with many
details in the painting process offers plenty to keep the
viewer interested and needs nothing more than a nice,
plain and simple base.
Roger Hurkmans
136
Roger Hurkmans
135
Retreat
From
Narwa
The inspriration for this project came while
reading a book about Dutch SS war-
reporters. In that book was an image of
several Dutch SS-troops in a withdrawl
from Narwa after heavy combat.
During the second World War there were, like in many other
countries, volunteers who joined the German forces. These
Dutch volunteers were gathered in the 4. SS-Freiwilligen
Division Nederland. This unit was deployed at the Eastern front,
again like so many other foreign volunteer units.
Over time I have become more interested in doing smaller
dioramas, or vignettes if you will, as it forces you to work more
into detail as compared to larger scenes. The figures that I have
used are Warriors and Jaguar offerings. I have tried to unify the
figures into a coherent group by using arms and heads from the
spares box, as well as Magic Sculp.
The cart is a Historex item, and the horse is taken from
Tamiya's Field kitchen. The horse needed some modifications
to adapt it to the scene, so out came the Magic Sculp again
from which I fashioned the manes, a new tail and the blanket on
it's back.
Roger Hurkmans
136
Roger Hurkmans
135
Retreat
From
Narwa
The inspriration for this project came while
reading a book about Dutch SS war-
reporters. In that book was an image of
several Dutch SS-troops in a withdrawl
from Narwa after heavy combat.
During the second World War there were, like in many other
countries, volunteers who joined the German forces. These
Dutch volunteers were gathered in the 4. SS-Freiwilligen
Division Nederland. This unit was deployed at the Eastern front,
again like so many other foreign volunteer units.
Over time I have become more interested in doing smaller
dioramas, or vignettes if you will, as it forces you to work more
into detail as compared to larger scenes. The figures that I have
used are Warriors and Jaguar offerings. I have tried to unify the
figures into a coherent group by using arms and heads from the
spares box, as well as Magic Sculp.
The cart is a Historex item, and the horse is taken from
Tamiya's Field kitchen. The horse needed some modifications
to adapt it to the scene, so out came the Magic Sculp again
from which I fashioned the manes, a new tail and the blanket on
it's back.
4,*69602&37
138
4,*69602&37
137
I like to paint my figures with oils. Reason is that the
slow drying time enables me to blend the colours used
for weathering, Raw Umber and Van Dyke Brown,
much better than other kinds of paint. For this scene I
wanted to give the figures an extremely tired and
combat beaten look, so I needed to give the uniforms
an intense weathering.
The cart was painted using the airbrush and several
tones of green. Once I was happy with the basic
colour, I treated it with several filters of oil paint. This
increases the hue and brings even more variation to
the different tones of green. Next step was to paint the
wood chippings with a fine brush and the final step
was to bring on the pigment powders.
I always use plain tap water to apply the pigments,
which I prefer to thinners like turpentine, which are
normally used for this task.
The base was made with Porion, a wall filler, which I
painted with an airbrush in various earth tones. I used
leaves from Plus Model and finally applied the snow.
The "icy" snow is a Scale Line product, the "white",
fresh snow is potato starch.
4,*69602&37
138
4,*69602&37
137
I like to paint my figures with oils. Reason is that the
slow drying time enables me to blend the colours used
for weathering, Raw Umber and Van Dyke Brown,
much better than other kinds of paint. For this scene I
wanted to give the figures an extremely tired and
combat beaten look, so I needed to give the uniforms
an intense weathering.
The cart was painted using the airbrush and several
tones of green. Once I was happy with the basic
colour, I treated it with several filters of oil paint. This
increases the hue and brings even more variation to
the different tones of green. Next step was to paint the
wood chippings with a fine brush and the final step
was to bring on the pigment powders.
I always use plain tap water to apply the pigments,
which I prefer to thinners like turpentine, which are
normally used for this task.
The base was made with Porion, a wall filler, which I
painted with an airbrush in various earth tones. I used
leaves from Plus Model and finally applied the snow.
The "icy" snow is a Scale Line product, the "white",
fresh snow is potato starch.
Roger Hurkmans
140
Roger Hurkmans
139
Sd.Kfz 251
Roger Hurkmans
140
Roger Hurkmans
139
Sd.Kfz 251
Roger Hurkmans
141
Roger Hurkmans
142
TIGER I
Ausf. E Ukra|ne February 1943
When I started the build of a
diorama with this Tiger I, the idea
was to make it ride through fresh
snow. A challenge to make
convincingly, but it would also
mean that the groundwork would
be relatively modest and would
point all focus to the vehicle.
My Tiger depicts a vehicle of the 8th company,
2nd SS Panzer division "Das Reich". In 1943, this
unit found itself in the freezing Ukrainian cold.
One of the first things I did, after selecting the
figures, was to make a satisfying layout as I
wanted to use them to create some extra height to
the finished picture.
The figures are all Warriors offerings, except the
commander, which is an Alpine figure. All Warriors
figures received Hornet heads, I swapped some
arms here and there. In case they were visible I
also changed the boots for Dragon's Generation 2
figure boots. Main reason for this was that the
steel studs are very clearly present on the Dragon
parts and it would give the figures an extra touch.
The Tiger is from Tamiya that I spiced up using an
Aber PE-update set and PE fenders from the
same maker. I further enhanced the look of this
beast by using Friul Modellismo tracks, Karaya
tow cables and a turned aluminium barrel, again
from Aber.
Roger Hurkmans
141
Roger Hurkmans
142
TIGER I
Ausf. E Ukra|ne February 1943
When I started the build of a
diorama with this Tiger I, the idea
was to make it ride through fresh
snow. A challenge to make
convincingly, but it would also
mean that the groundwork would
be relatively modest and would
point all focus to the vehicle.
My Tiger depicts a vehicle of the 8th company,
2nd SS Panzer division "Das Reich". In 1943, this
unit found itself in the freezing Ukrainian cold.
One of the first things I did, after selecting the
figures, was to make a satisfying layout as I
wanted to use them to create some extra height to
the finished picture.
The figures are all Warriors offerings, except the
commander, which is an Alpine figure. All Warriors
figures received Hornet heads, I swapped some
arms here and there. In case they were visible I
also changed the boots for Dragon's Generation 2
figure boots. Main reason for this was that the
steel studs are very clearly present on the Dragon
parts and it would give the figures an extra touch.
The Tiger is from Tamiya that I spiced up using an
Aber PE-update set and PE fenders from the
same maker. I further enhanced the look of this
beast by using Friul Modellismo tracks, Karaya
tow cables and a turned aluminium barrel, again
from Aber.
4,*69602&37
143
4,*69602&37
144
When going through a book on the Wehrmacht's Gro
Deutschland Division, I found a picture of a white
washed Tiger and I noticed that the horizontal surfaces
were almost Panzer Grey again, due to the weather
influences and of course by crew members walking
over it frequently. I used the "hair spray method" to
apply the first weathering. This method is very well
suited for vehicles that have a white wash camouflage.
I first applied Tamiya Panzer Grey with an airbrush.
After this layer had thoroughly dried, I sealed it with a
protective layer of satin varnish. After the varnish had
dried, I then applied some thin layers of hairspray over
the model. The cheapest one available will do fine.
The next step was to spray on Tamiya White with the
airbrush, and after leaving that to dry for 20-30
minutes, I started to rub it back off on selected spots
with an old flat brush and some luke warm water.
During the process I made sure to rub off the paint in a
distinctive direction and not at random. After all, the
white lime or paint wears off in distinctive ways, also
depending on the position of the surface. Paint layers
on vertical surfaces, for example, mostly suffer from
weathering due to rain, and will naturally show vertical
streaks. Horizontal surfaces will also be subjected to
wear and tear because of the traffic from crew
members. Following this process came various filters
and washes. Last in line was chipping, in a variety of
colours. For deeper scratches I used brown, for
example, to simulate rust. White was used on some
chips to create a 3D effect. I also finished one of the
road wheels in primer red, to show that it was a
replacement wheel.
I painted the figures with oil paints. For me this
medium is a lot easier to achieve the desired effects,
especially on white uniforms. Shadows and weathering
of the trousers is therefore less complicated, for me
anyway, as the slow drying paint makes blending
easier and more subtle.
The groundwork was made with Porion, a ready-for-
use wall filler, which was painted white with an
airbrush after applying it to base. After that I applied
Scale Line snow, which gives a nice icy effect, even
when thinned a little with water. The snow on the
wheels was fashioned using potato starch and water.
During the process of building this vignette, I became
increasingly convinced that "less is more", although I
have to admit that I followed the advice of Roy
Schurgers to add the tree branch to add depth to the
vignette and to enhance the effect of the snow.
4,*69602&37
143
4,*69602&37
144
When going through a book on the Wehrmacht's Gro
Deutschland Division, I found a picture of a white
washed Tiger and I noticed that the horizontal surfaces
were almost Panzer Grey again, due to the weather
influences and of course by crew members walking
over it frequently. I used the "hair spray method" to
apply the first weathering. This method is very well
suited for vehicles that have a white wash camouflage.
I first applied Tamiya Panzer Grey with an airbrush.
After this layer had thoroughly dried, I sealed it with a
protective layer of satin varnish. After the varnish had
dried, I then applied some thin layers of hairspray over
the model. The cheapest one available will do fine.
The next step was to spray on Tamiya White with the
airbrush, and after leaving that to dry for 20-30
minutes, I started to rub it back off on selected spots
with an old flat brush and some luke warm water.
During the process I made sure to rub off the paint in a
distinctive direction and not at random. After all, the
white lime or paint wears off in distinctive ways, also
depending on the position of the surface. Paint layers
on vertical surfaces, for example, mostly suffer from
weathering due to rain, and will naturally show vertical
streaks. Horizontal surfaces will also be subjected to
wear and tear because of the traffic from crew
members. Following this process came various filters
and washes. Last in line was chipping, in a variety of
colours. For deeper scratches I used brown, for
example, to simulate rust. White was used on some
chips to create a 3D effect. I also finished one of the
road wheels in primer red, to show that it was a
replacement wheel.
I painted the figures with oil paints. For me this
medium is a lot easier to achieve the desired effects,
especially on white uniforms. Shadows and weathering
of the trousers is therefore less complicated, for me
anyway, as the slow drying paint makes blending
easier and more subtle.
The groundwork was made with Porion, a ready-for-
use wall filler, which was painted white with an
airbrush after applying it to base. After that I applied
Scale Line snow, which gives a nice icy effect, even
when thinned a little with water. The snow on the
wheels was fashioned using potato starch and water.
During the process of building this vignette, I became
increasingly convinced that "less is more", although I
have to admit that I followed the advice of Roy
Schurgers to add the tree branch to add depth to the
vignette and to enhance the effect of the snow.
Roger Hurkmans
146
Roger Hurkmans
145
Tragedy of
the Fa|thfu|
On January 26 and 27, 1944 the
Soviet forces fight their way to
Klopizi and Wolossowo. The next
day they reached Gurlowa. By this
time it was clear that the Dutch SS
volunteers would be forced to
withdraw from the front if they were
to avoid being encircled south of the
former Oranienbaum Kessel. It
meant the first major retreat for the
Dutch volunteers.
The Soviet 2nd and 42nd Army are celebrating the
great success: Leningrad is finally back in Soviet
hands. The first major retreat of the Dutch volunteer
comes to an end after five days of hard defensive
fighting between the rivers Luga and Narwa.
The Diorama
in this diorama: "Tragedy of the Faithful", I wanted to
show a weary expression of the Dutch volunteers,
after heavy fighting against the Russians who are on
their way to Narwa with an Opel Maultier... The
Unterscharfhrer alongside the Opel gives the driver
leads in which direction he should continue to
minimize any possible resistance.
I wanted to show the stance of the figures to be as
natural as possible. After I had built the base of the
Opel Cabin, I started selecting the figures I wanted to
use. Most of them are from Dragon. It was a matter of
fitting, cutting off arms and legs, placing the figure
back on or in the cabin, and refitting and gluing legs
and arms back again. When the glue has dried, I fill
the gaps with Magic Sculp. I also look for suitable
heads and hands. I use mainly Hornet heads for this
purpose as they are the best around, in my opinion
and the range of available heads is endless.
I have added scarves to most of the figures, and some
received winter trousers. In some cases I dropped the
legs of the trousers over the boots to give the figures a
more worn appearance. All of this was done with
Magic Sculp.
The inside of the Dragon Gen2 helmets are thinned at
the edges with a sharp scalpel blade. The thickness of
the plastic is too much out of proportion. Straps for
helmets and for the guns are made of thin lead sheet
and Aber buckles.
The OpeI MauItier
I have taken Tamiya's Opel Blitz as the basis for my
Opel Maultier. The Tamiya kit is excellent where as the
Italeri Maultier suspension is useable but showing it's
age.
I replaced the wheels with those of Royal model. This
is a special set to update the Italeri Maultier, which
also includes some photo etch parts, which I also
used. The tracks are from Friulmodellismo, actually
produced for the Panzer I, but the Maultier was
equipped with the same tracks.
The radiator cover was made of Magic Sculp again.
This cover was meant as a protection against the cold.
The tarp is a Mig Productions item; I only gave it a
new back flap as the one in the Mig kit was very
straight and sort of unnatural to me. You probably
already guessed that I used Magic Sculp for this job.
As you can see I use Magic Sculp a lot, but it is a
great material and ideal to create tarps like the one on
top of the Maultier cabin or the fender.
The Zndapp
Lion Roar makes a very good kit of the Zndapp. I've
just added some details, such as the brake and
ignition wires. The beauty of this kit is that is comes
with beautiful wheels with metal spokes. I substituted
the regular leather bag with a jerry can, held in place
with a rack made of lead foil.
Retreat from Len|ngrad to Narwa
Roger Hurkmans
146
Roger Hurkmans
145
Tragedy of
the Fa|thfu|
On January 26 and 27, 1944 the
Soviet forces fight their way to
Klopizi and Wolossowo. The next
day they reached Gurlowa. By this
time it was clear that the Dutch SS
volunteers would be forced to
withdraw from the front if they were
to avoid being encircled south of the
former Oranienbaum Kessel. It
meant the first major retreat for the
Dutch volunteers.
The Soviet 2nd and 42nd Army are celebrating the
great success: Leningrad is finally back in Soviet
hands. The first major retreat of the Dutch volunteer
comes to an end after five days of hard defensive
fighting between the rivers Luga and Narwa.
The Diorama
in this diorama: "Tragedy of the Faithful", I wanted to
show a weary expression of the Dutch volunteers,
after heavy fighting against the Russians who are on
their way to Narwa with an Opel Maultier... The
Unterscharfhrer alongside the Opel gives the driver
leads in which direction he should continue to
minimize any possible resistance.
I wanted to show the stance of the figures to be as
natural as possible. After I had built the base of the
Opel Cabin, I started selecting the figures I wanted to
use. Most of them are from Dragon. It was a matter of
fitting, cutting off arms and legs, placing the figure
back on or in the cabin, and refitting and gluing legs
and arms back again. When the glue has dried, I fill
the gaps with Magic Sculp. I also look for suitable
heads and hands. I use mainly Hornet heads for this
purpose as they are the best around, in my opinion
and the range of available heads is endless.
I have added scarves to most of the figures, and some
received winter trousers. In some cases I dropped the
legs of the trousers over the boots to give the figures a
more worn appearance. All of this was done with
Magic Sculp.
The inside of the Dragon Gen2 helmets are thinned at
the edges with a sharp scalpel blade. The thickness of
the plastic is too much out of proportion. Straps for
helmets and for the guns are made of thin lead sheet
and Aber buckles.
The OpeI MauItier
I have taken Tamiya's Opel Blitz as the basis for my
Opel Maultier. The Tamiya kit is excellent where as the
Italeri Maultier suspension is useable but showing it's
age.
I replaced the wheels with those of Royal model. This
is a special set to update the Italeri Maultier, which
also includes some photo etch parts, which I also
used. The tracks are from Friulmodellismo, actually
produced for the Panzer I, but the Maultier was
equipped with the same tracks.
The radiator cover was made of Magic Sculp again.
This cover was meant as a protection against the cold.
The tarp is a Mig Productions item; I only gave it a
new back flap as the one in the Mig kit was very
straight and sort of unnatural to me. You probably
already guessed that I used Magic Sculp for this job.
As you can see I use Magic Sculp a lot, but it is a
great material and ideal to create tarps like the one on
top of the Maultier cabin or the fender.
The Zndapp
Lion Roar makes a very good kit of the Zndapp. I've
just added some details, such as the brake and
ignition wires. The beauty of this kit is that is comes
with beautiful wheels with metal spokes. I substituted
the regular leather bag with a jerry can, held in place
with a rack made of lead foil.
Retreat from Len|ngrad to Narwa
4,*69602&37
147
4,*69602&37
148
Now the painting begins! I always start with the figures.
I have used artist`s oils for both the uniforms and
faces. If you paint with oils, you have to first add a
base coat with acrylic or enamel paints. For me it
works best to use a base coat in the colour near to the
final result, so skin tone for faces, white for winter
clothing etc.
I let the base coat dry for at least one day before I
continue with oils. Let`s take the Unterscharfhrer with
the dark beige parka, for example. I first painted the
parka with a medium beige colour followed by a layer
of artist`s oils in a resembling beige tone. As there's
always too much oil paint at first, that I wipe the excess
off again with a dry, flat brush. I repeat this until the
primer is almost visible. Then I apply the shades, in
this case with Van Dyke brown. The undersides of the
arms are always painted darker than the upper parts
that receive more natural light. Next I apply the
highlights by mixing the initial oil colour with some
white. The next step is to carefully blend the oils from
light to dark.
One of the nice qualities of artists oils is that you can
make nice dirty uniforms, e.g. at the knee and lower
parts of the trousers. I use Van Dyck brown or Raw
Umber blending it carefully into the base colour. The
advantage of artist`s oil is that the extended drying
time allows long manipulation, giving you ample time
to achieve the required effect.
The extended drying time has a slight disadvantage.
You must wait a few days before the straps, buttons
etc. can be painted. After the entire figure is painted, I
let it dry for a few weeks, and then I put a layer of
matte varnish, sometimes because artists oils tend to
leave a glossy appearance.
The SS-patches I used are Verlinden Productions
decals. (I do not know if they are still in the collection!).
I wrapped up the figure painting process by adding
some mud splashes with Mig pigments on the lower
parts of the trousers. The helmets also received some
pigments,
Painting the OpeI MauItier
Before I start spray painting the vehicle it is important
that you remove any dust residue. I always do this by
rinsing it in clean water and then again with an
airbrush, only using air. Just to check everything one
more time.
I prime my vehicles black. I feel comfortable with black
as primer colour and has the advantage of being less
annoying if you cannot reach the deepest nook or
cranny with your paint. I spray on a second layer with
dark sand and spray this at an angle from above and
thus a first shadow effect is shown. Then I spray a
lighter sand colour which may further emphasize the
lighting.
The tarp received several shades of field grey in the
same manner. Finally I give the whole vehicle a layer
of gloss varnish and let it dry for a few days.
Next step is the weathering. I start with pin wash using
a mix of Indigo, Van Dyke brown and Alizarin Crimson,
which gives a beautiful deep colour of the lines. Seams
and lines are done with Van Dyke brown only.
For chipping I always use acrylic paint heavily diluted
with water. This enables me to paint very thin lines. I
think chipping of a vehicle is essential, but you should
never exaggerate: I just add lighter shades of the base
colour here and there on the parts that receive more
light. I use a mixture of artist`s oils for this.
The tires and road wheels are painted with a mix of
black and flesh tone, and are then treated with
pigments.
The tracks are first painted Panzer Grey, and are also
treated with pigments. Dry brushing with some black
finishes this part of the process.The last bit of
weathering is done by adding some mud splashes of
with diluted artists oils, Raw Umber and Van Dyke
brown.
The base
To bring more depth into this diorama I added
some height by putting a couple of trees onto it.
First I have made a stem out of round balsa
wood. With sandpaper I shaped the stem to a
point. After that I made the stem rougher with
Tamiya putty mixed with some sand. Next, I
used a needle to make holes in the stem in
places where the branches were supposed to
be placed.
The branches were made from branches of
asparagus fern. I glued them into the holes with
white glue. Final step for the trees was
airbrushing the branches with several tones of
green. The snow is made of potato starch and
the icy snow is from the Scale-Line. Before
sprinkling the snow I added some grass tufts by
MiniNature, a German company that makes
outstanding foliage, grass and other stuff to
spice up your diorama.
For this diorama I wanted a simple straight
base and I ordered mine from Jade Bases. The
base is custom made for me and is actual oak
wood. I wrapped everything up by adding a
name tag to the base. This name tag is the
finishing touch every time and I always get mine
from Name-it in the UK.
ConcIusion
I have worked at this diorama with lots of
pleasure. I have looked particularly at the
expression on the faces to create the right
atmosphere. It should look like a tragedy of the
faithful.
4,*69602&37
147
4,*69602&37
148
Now the painting begins! I always start with the figures.
I have used artist`s oils for both the uniforms and
faces. If you paint with oils, you have to first add a
base coat with acrylic or enamel paints. For me it
works best to use a base coat in the colour near to the
final result, so skin tone for faces, white for winter
clothing etc.
I let the base coat dry for at least one day before I
continue with oils. Let`s take the Unterscharfhrer with
the dark beige parka, for example. I first painted the
parka with a medium beige colour followed by a layer
of artist`s oils in a resembling beige tone. As there's
always too much oil paint at first, that I wipe the excess
off again with a dry, flat brush. I repeat this until the
primer is almost visible. Then I apply the shades, in
this case with Van Dyke brown. The undersides of the
arms are always painted darker than the upper parts
that receive more natural light. Next I apply the
highlights by mixing the initial oil colour with some
white. The next step is to carefully blend the oils from
light to dark.
One of the nice qualities of artists oils is that you can
make nice dirty uniforms, e.g. at the knee and lower
parts of the trousers. I use Van Dyck brown or Raw
Umber blending it carefully into the base colour. The
advantage of artist`s oil is that the extended drying
time allows long manipulation, giving you ample time
to achieve the required effect.
The extended drying time has a slight disadvantage.
You must wait a few days before the straps, buttons
etc. can be painted. After the entire figure is painted, I
let it dry for a few weeks, and then I put a layer of
matte varnish, sometimes because artists oils tend to
leave a glossy appearance.
The SS-patches I used are Verlinden Productions
decals. (I do not know if they are still in the collection!).
I wrapped up the figure painting process by adding
some mud splashes with Mig pigments on the lower
parts of the trousers. The helmets also received some
pigments,
Painting the OpeI MauItier
Before I start spray painting the vehicle it is important
that you remove any dust residue. I always do this by
rinsing it in clean water and then again with an
airbrush, only using air. Just to check everything one
more time.
I prime my vehicles black. I feel comfortable with black
as primer colour and has the advantage of being less
annoying if you cannot reach the deepest nook or
cranny with your paint. I spray on a second layer with
dark sand and spray this at an angle from above and
thus a first shadow effect is shown. Then I spray a
lighter sand colour which may further emphasize the
lighting.
The tarp received several shades of field grey in the
same manner. Finally I give the whole vehicle a layer
of gloss varnish and let it dry for a few days.
Next step is the weathering. I start with pin wash using
a mix of Indigo, Van Dyke brown and Alizarin Crimson,
which gives a beautiful deep colour of the lines. Seams
and lines are done with Van Dyke brown only.
For chipping I always use acrylic paint heavily diluted
with water. This enables me to paint very thin lines. I
think chipping of a vehicle is essential, but you should
never exaggerate: I just add lighter shades of the base
colour here and there on the parts that receive more
light. I use a mixture of artist`s oils for this.
The tires and road wheels are painted with a mix of
black and flesh tone, and are then treated with
pigments.
The tracks are first painted Panzer Grey, and are also
treated with pigments. Dry brushing with some black
finishes this part of the process.The last bit of
weathering is done by adding some mud splashes of
with diluted artists oils, Raw Umber and Van Dyke
brown.
The base
To bring more depth into this diorama I added
some height by putting a couple of trees onto it.
First I have made a stem out of round balsa
wood. With sandpaper I shaped the stem to a
point. After that I made the stem rougher with
Tamiya putty mixed with some sand. Next, I
used a needle to make holes in the stem in
places where the branches were supposed to
be placed.
The branches were made from branches of
asparagus fern. I glued them into the holes with
white glue. Final step for the trees was
airbrushing the branches with several tones of
green. The snow is made of potato starch and
the icy snow is from the Scale-Line. Before
sprinkling the snow I added some grass tufts by
MiniNature, a German company that makes
outstanding foliage, grass and other stuff to
spice up your diorama.
For this diorama I wanted a simple straight
base and I ordered mine from Jade Bases. The
base is custom made for me and is actual oak
wood. I wrapped everything up by adding a
name tag to the base. This name tag is the
finishing touch every time and I always get mine
from Name-it in the UK.
ConcIusion
I have worked at this diorama with lots of
pleasure. I have looked particularly at the
expression on the faces to create the right
atmosphere. It should look like a tragedy of the
faithful.
4=(-96,*67
150
4=(-96,*67
149
4=(-96,*67
Born 9 January, 1968
Horn, The Netherlands.
The past.
As with so many, my first modelling
experience was with the Matchbox
series. Those small 1/76 tanks with
'diorama` potential really got things
started. When I was 12 I got my first
Tamiya Horch in 1/35. From that
'historic` moment on I was really
hooked! I remember going to the city
on my bicycle every week to visit the
local modelling shop. They had a huge
inventory stacked to the ceiling. I could
stare at it for hours before I could make
a decision on which tank to spend my
Sunday allowance. I'd worked my
fingers to the bone with models until
girls and mopeds became more
important. Unfortunately, most models
ended up in a box in the attic, never to
be found again, or became the victim
of fireworks 'experiments`.
The present.
Modelling went into a long hibernation
till about 10 years ago. Not knowing
better I basically continued where I left
off, using my Revell paint and reindeer
moss.
That was until the internet and
modelling shows opened my eyes and
took the game to a whole new level.
Initially I worked on my techniques and
later on I tried to push the limit in
concept. My work as an art director in
advertising sure comes in handy, giving
models and dioramas a different
approach in terms of layout and idea.
The future.
In my opinion the internet has saved
our fine hobby. Despite the fact that it
was also killing our conventional
modelling stores, the amount of
information and possibilities are
overwhelming. A true modeller however
has to keep his eye on modelling
instead of on an overkill of research.
Modelling will always be a part of my
life as it has always been. Maybe not
necessarily in AFV or diorama but
since I have an infinite interest in WW2
since childhood, I will probably stick to
this theme for quite a while.
Regardless of the subject my main
focus is trying to be original and
keeping it simple. To me it is more
about the idea then about the size, but
mostly it is about the fun and being
able to share it!
4=(-96,*67
150
4=(-96,*67
149
4=(-96,*67
Born 9 January, 1968
Horn, The Netherlands.
The past.
As with so many, my first modelling
experience was with the Matchbox
series. Those small 1/76 tanks with
'diorama` potential really got things
started. When I was 12 I got my first
Tamiya Horch in 1/35. From that
'historic` moment on I was really
hooked! I remember going to the city
on my bicycle every week to visit the
local modelling shop. They had a huge
inventory stacked to the ceiling. I could
stare at it for hours before I could make
a decision on which tank to spend my
Sunday allowance. I'd worked my
fingers to the bone with models until
girls and mopeds became more
important. Unfortunately, most models
ended up in a box in the attic, never to
be found again, or became the victim
of fireworks 'experiments`.
The present.
Modelling went into a long hibernation
till about 10 years ago. Not knowing
better I basically continued where I left
off, using my Revell paint and reindeer
moss.
That was until the internet and
modelling shows opened my eyes and
took the game to a whole new level.
Initially I worked on my techniques and
later on I tried to push the limit in
concept. My work as an art director in
advertising sure comes in handy, giving
models and dioramas a different
approach in terms of layout and idea.
The future.
In my opinion the internet has saved
our fine hobby. Despite the fact that it
was also killing our conventional
modelling stores, the amount of
information and possibilities are
overwhelming. A true modeller however
has to keep his eye on modelling
instead of on an overkill of research.
Modelling will always be a part of my
life as it has always been. Maybe not
necessarily in AFV or diorama but
since I have an infinite interest in WW2
since childhood, I will probably stick to
this theme for quite a while.
Regardless of the subject my main
focus is trying to be original and
keeping it simple. To me it is more
about the idea then about the size, but
mostly it is about the fun and being
able to share it!
Roy Schurgers
152
Roy Schurgers
151
A Labour
of Love
The inspiration for this little vignette
came from the information that the
Kettenkrad sometimes was used as
farming equipment after the war.
The story behind the scene is that
the Ukrainian farmer upgraded a left
behind Kettenkrad into a handy tool.
The idea was basic so now it was
time to fill in the details and try to
add some more depth to the story.
Surfing the net I came across two inspiring pictures.
First there was one of a Kettenkrad painted red which
was in use after the war by fire-fighters. Then there
was this funny picture of a relaxed man walking up hill
smoking a cigarette followed by his wife carrying a
large pile of brush wood on her back. Combining the
two led to 'A Labour of Love`.
The Sd.Kfz.2 Kleines Kettenkrad is from Dragon. I first
assembled the old Tamiya kit but the tracks and road
wheels were moulded as one piece. Well. at least I
had a good test model.
The Dragon kit was pretty much the only decent
alternative. The only upgrades were some minor
modifications and the panel instrument faces by
Archer.
Painting a vehicle red was pretty new to me. When
highlighting red to simulate a worn effect one must be
careful not to get a pink colour. I found a solution by
using a lot of dusty pigments. The plough was scratch
built using balsa wood, evergreen and some photo-
etch leftovers.
The farmer driving the Kettenkrad is built from spare
parts with a sculpted jacket and a Hornet head. It was
important to make him lean to the left as a counter-
weight for the Kettenkrad which is leaning to the right.
His wife is a well done figure from Mig Productions. I
gave her a new pair of arms and an extra apron made
from a piece of latex surgeon gloves. The apron on the
original figure was stuck to her skirt. Because she is
leaning forward pushing the plough the apron needed
to hang vertical due to gravity.
Ukra|ne 1968
Roy Schurgers
152
Roy Schurgers
151
A Labour
of Love
The inspiration for this little vignette
came from the information that the
Kettenkrad sometimes was used as
farming equipment after the war.
The story behind the scene is that
the Ukrainian farmer upgraded a left
behind Kettenkrad into a handy tool.
The idea was basic so now it was
time to fill in the details and try to
add some more depth to the story.
Surfing the net I came across two inspiring pictures.
First there was one of a Kettenkrad painted red which
was in use after the war by fire-fighters. Then there
was this funny picture of a relaxed man walking up hill
smoking a cigarette followed by his wife carrying a
large pile of brush wood on her back. Combining the
two led to 'A Labour of Love`.
The Sd.Kfz.2 Kleines Kettenkrad is from Dragon. I first
assembled the old Tamiya kit but the tracks and road
wheels were moulded as one piece. Well. at least I
had a good test model.
The Dragon kit was pretty much the only decent
alternative. The only upgrades were some minor
modifications and the panel instrument faces by
Archer.
Painting a vehicle red was pretty new to me. When
highlighting red to simulate a worn effect one must be
careful not to get a pink colour. I found a solution by
using a lot of dusty pigments. The plough was scratch
built using balsa wood, evergreen and some photo-
etch leftovers.
The farmer driving the Kettenkrad is built from spare
parts with a sculpted jacket and a Hornet head. It was
important to make him lean to the left as a counter-
weight for the Kettenkrad which is leaning to the right.
His wife is a well done figure from Mig Productions. I
gave her a new pair of arms and an extra apron made
from a piece of latex surgeon gloves. The apron on the
original figure was stuck to her skirt. Because she is
leaning forward pushing the plough the apron needed
to hang vertical due to gravity.
Ukra|ne 1968
4=(-96,*67
154
4=(-96,*67
153
Initially my idea was to make a bigger diorama with a
destroyed AFV rusting in the field. This was based on
a picture of a destroyed Ferdinand with farmers
working the field in the background. Later on, I came
to the conclusion that the idea would be stronger if I
would just stick to the main scene.
I finished this little vignette in autumn. I had a lot of
inspiration from the freshly ploughed fields in my
surroundings. The cornfield is made from roadside
weeds. The ground work consists of different types of
sand and small roots.
4=(-96,*67
154
4=(-96,*67
153
Initially my idea was to make a bigger diorama with a
destroyed AFV rusting in the field. This was based on
a picture of a destroyed Ferdinand with farmers
working the field in the background. Later on, I came
to the conclusion that the idea would be stronger if I
would just stick to the main scene.
I finished this little vignette in autumn. I had a lot of
inspiration from the freshly ploughed fields in my
surroundings. The cornfield is made from roadside
weeds. The ground work consists of different types of
sand and small roots.
Roy Schurgers
156
Roy Schurgers
155
Most dioramas have a classic '3-
step' build up. There is a base
(foreground), an AFV (centre) and a
building or tree (background). In this
case however I added a fourth level
by making the underground
staircase, thus creating (literally)
even more depth.
To further emphasize this depth I choose a small base
and a high building for the background. The diorama
would have been fine without the building because the
idea would still stand. Only this time I was thinking of
creating multiple levels and more height for a change.
I did a lot of testing for how I would position the panzer
in the hole. The end result was my second attempt
after getting stuck with the first layout which was as
good as finished, but because the small base and
multiple levels were so important to me, all elements
just had to be in the right place.
The building, pavement and U-Bahn
entrance were made from scratch. The
basic material I used here is blue high
density Styrofoam which can be
purchased in many thicknesses. It is
extremely easy to use as a lightweight
building material. Just make sure that
when you get to the painting process,
you seal it off with a non aggressive
coat before further painting. I only did
some 'minor` damage to the building.
Just a chunk from the side seemed
original. You don`t always have to use
a destroyed building to display a
battle zone.
The tile wall is a simple pre-
engraved sheet of Evergreen. The
angel ornaments and street sign
details were added to
the scene and are
from Reality in Scale.
The fences and U-
Bahn sign post are
from MiniArt.
End Stat|on
Roy Schurgers
156
Roy Schurgers
155
Most dioramas have a classic '3-
step' build up. There is a base
(foreground), an AFV (centre) and a
building or tree (background). In this
case however I added a fourth level
by making the underground
staircase, thus creating (literally)
even more depth.
To further emphasize this depth I choose a small base
and a high building for the background. The diorama
would have been fine without the building because the
idea would still stand. Only this time I was thinking of
creating multiple levels and more height for a change.
I did a lot of testing for how I would position the panzer
in the hole. The end result was my second attempt
after getting stuck with the first layout which was as
good as finished, but because the small base and
multiple levels were so important to me, all elements
just had to be in the right place.
The building, pavement and U-Bahn
entrance were made from scratch. The
basic material I used here is blue high
density Styrofoam which can be
purchased in many thicknesses. It is
extremely easy to use as a lightweight
building material. Just make sure that
when you get to the painting process,
you seal it off with a non aggressive
coat before further painting. I only did
some 'minor` damage to the building.
Just a chunk from the side seemed
original. You don`t always have to use
a destroyed building to display a
battle zone.
The tile wall is a simple pre-
engraved sheet of Evergreen. The
angel ornaments and street sign
details were added to
the scene and are
from Reality in Scale.
The fences and U-
Bahn sign post are
from MiniArt.
End Stat|on
4=(-96,*67
157
4=(-96,*67
158
The centre of the viewers attention is on the Panzer IV.
The sad looking German Volkssturmer (Jaguar with a
Hornet head) staring down on the wreck emphasizes
the centre point. It was more logical to me, to let the
tank go down the steps instead of up. It also
symbolises downfall and creates even more depth.
The trick in this diorama (and basically in any diorama)
is to make the separate elements like base, figure,
AFV and building connect with each other. Of course,
a building is connected to the street and the tank rests
on the stairs, but what I really mean is that there
should be a natural flow between the separate
elements. Loose tracks connect the stairs with the
panzer, the bicycle connects the building to the
pavement etc.
4=(-96,*67
157
4=(-96,*67
158
The centre of the viewers attention is on the Panzer IV.
The sad looking German Volkssturmer (Jaguar with a
Hornet head) staring down on the wreck emphasizes
the centre point. It was more logical to me, to let the
tank go down the steps instead of up. It also
symbolises downfall and creates even more depth.
The trick in this diorama (and basically in any diorama)
is to make the separate elements like base, figure,
AFV and building connect with each other. Of course,
a building is connected to the street and the tank rests
on the stairs, but what I really mean is that there
should be a natural flow between the separate
elements. Loose tracks connect the stairs with the
panzer, the bicycle connects the building to the
pavement etc.
Roy Schurgers
160
Roy Schurgers
159
'Goodbye
Len|n'
This one took a while to finish.
Not that it was extremely hard but
the idea changed two times along
the way. I started out with the
Lenin Statue from
Verlinden Productions.
I filled up some holes
with Magic Sculp
since I did not like the
over excessive damage that
was inflicted to the original statue.
For the paint job a lot of visual research to the
oxidation of bronze statues was needed. Basically
I concluded that the bronze turns to a matt black
with greenish oxidation on top. For that matter I
used the 'hairspray technique` partly revealing the
black underneath the green oxidation. Of course
painting bird poop was a detail not to be missed.
The initial idea was to let the original pedestal
work as a figure base, carrying the statue and
some German soldiers posing as victors. Because
I had a hard time finding the right figures I started
thinking in other directions. I wanted to pull the
statue from its pedestal by a German halftrack.
These events occurred frequently during the
Blitzkrieg as an act of humiliation towards the
Russian defenders and bronze of course was
always a valuable resource for the German war
industry.
After almost completing the whole scene except
from the figures I changed my mind (again). It
would take me a lot of figures to turn it into a
spectacular scene since pulling down a statue is
not a one man job. But I was looking for something
more simple.
Finally I got new inspiration by the title 'Goodbye
Lenin`, a German drama/comedy about the fall of
the DDR. At that time I just bought the Tamiya
Opel Blitz so one thing led to another.
The Blitz was a clean build in Tamiya tradition. I
added some scratch work like the support beams
for the tarp. The 'Opel Bliz` logo on the grill was
sadly enough missing in the Tamiya kit so I had to
cut it off an old Italeri Blitz.
In my opinion an unexpected cargo is always fun
to look at. Still I needed some usual cargo stuff
around the statue to fill the gaps and preventing
the statue from sliding during the ride.
The driver was a conversion of spare parts and a
Hornet head. I had to 'scalp` his head to fit the
figure under the roof.
The building was made from scratch. The main
material used was 1mm thick balsa wood.
With balsa you don`t have to simulate wood.
because it is wood and it is also easy to work with.
The groundwork consists of different types of
sand, roots and leaves. The grass is an excellent
'ready to go` product from Grey Funnel Line.
Available in many colours and lengths. In
groundwork it is essential to have a great variety in
materials, shapes and colours. This makes it less
flat and more natural.
Mar|upo|, October 1941
Roy Schurgers
160
Roy Schurgers
159
'Goodbye
Len|n'
This one took a while to finish.
Not that it was extremely hard but
the idea changed two times along
the way. I started out with the
Lenin Statue from
Verlinden Productions.
I filled up some holes
with Magic Sculp
since I did not like the
over excessive damage that
was inflicted to the original statue.
For the paint job a lot of visual research to the
oxidation of bronze statues was needed. Basically
I concluded that the bronze turns to a matt black
with greenish oxidation on top. For that matter I
used the 'hairspray technique` partly revealing the
black underneath the green oxidation. Of course
painting bird poop was a detail not to be missed.
The initial idea was to let the original pedestal
work as a figure base, carrying the statue and
some German soldiers posing as victors. Because
I had a hard time finding the right figures I started
thinking in other directions. I wanted to pull the
statue from its pedestal by a German halftrack.
These events occurred frequently during the
Blitzkrieg as an act of humiliation towards the
Russian defenders and bronze of course was
always a valuable resource for the German war
industry.
After almost completing the whole scene except
from the figures I changed my mind (again). It
would take me a lot of figures to turn it into a
spectacular scene since pulling down a statue is
not a one man job. But I was looking for something
more simple.
Finally I got new inspiration by the title 'Goodbye
Lenin`, a German drama/comedy about the fall of
the DDR. At that time I just bought the Tamiya
Opel Blitz so one thing led to another.
The Blitz was a clean build in Tamiya tradition. I
added some scratch work like the support beams
for the tarp. The 'Opel Bliz` logo on the grill was
sadly enough missing in the Tamiya kit so I had to
cut it off an old Italeri Blitz.
In my opinion an unexpected cargo is always fun
to look at. Still I needed some usual cargo stuff
around the statue to fill the gaps and preventing
the statue from sliding during the ride.
The driver was a conversion of spare parts and a
Hornet head. I had to 'scalp` his head to fit the
figure under the roof.
The building was made from scratch. The main
material used was 1mm thick balsa wood.
With balsa you don`t have to simulate wood.
because it is wood and it is also easy to work with.
The groundwork consists of different types of
sand, roots and leaves. The grass is an excellent
'ready to go` product from Grey Funnel Line.
Available in many colours and lengths. In
groundwork it is essential to have a great variety in
materials, shapes and colours. This makes it less
flat and more natural.
Mar|upo|, October 1941
4=(-96,*67
162
4=(-96,*67
161
4=(-96,*67
162
4=(-96,*67
161
Rocket Man
Roy Schurgers
164
Roy Schurgers
163
I have always been fascinated by
the Sturmtiger. Not only it`s massive
body and brute power, but even
more, its mystique is very intriguing.
Allied troops that came across
(often abandoned) Sturmtigers were
astounded by it`s impressive mortar.
There`s a picture with a GI posing inside the 38 cm
barrel. This was the immediate inspiration for this little
vignette. I did not want to copy the picture because I
did not like the camouflage scheme on the portrayed
Sturmtiger. Copying a picture maybe fun but it also
limits your creative freedom. On top of that it can be
frustrating since most world war II reference photo
material is limited and of poor quality.
Sawing a model in half is not just a decision based on
doing something different or because it fits a specific
layout. The reason I sawed the model in half is
because I wanted to fully focus on the weird barrel and
its 'passenger`. If I would have left the Sturmtiger in
one piece the balance just would not be right.
Because this was the first time I had to put a saw
into a model I choose an inexpensive model
from Revell, which was basically a
good kit. In preparation to sawing I
had to make sure all parts
were glued firmly. I even
put some
reinforcements on
the inside like a roll
bar inside a rally car. This
prevented the outer panels
from too much movement
during the 'surgery`.
The weathering of the vehicle was kept to a
minimum regarding the fact that these monsters
only saw action for a short time.
Both figures are basically from Verlinden
Productions with some minor modifications.
In my opinion a diorama does not end with what
is above ground level. The base, its colour,
shape and material are just as important to
contribute to a total concept. Just as a well
thought of title presented on a decent sign and
printed or engraved in a fitting typography.
Therefore I decided to give the front of the base
the same angle as the sloping front armour of
the Sturmtiger. The title 'Rocketman` was
printed in a circus type to emphasise the title
since these daredevils were a popular attraction
in circus-like events.
Since the scene took place early 1945 the
ground work is a mixture of fallen birch leaves
and dark green Heki wildgrass.
Rocket Man
Roy Schurgers
164
Roy Schurgers
163
I have always been fascinated by
the Sturmtiger. Not only it`s massive
body and brute power, but even
more, its mystique is very intriguing.
Allied troops that came across
(often abandoned) Sturmtigers were
astounded by it`s impressive mortar.
There`s a picture with a GI posing inside the 38 cm
barrel. This was the immediate inspiration for this little
vignette. I did not want to copy the picture because I
did not like the camouflage scheme on the portrayed
Sturmtiger. Copying a picture maybe fun but it also
limits your creative freedom. On top of that it can be
frustrating since most world war II reference photo
material is limited and of poor quality.
Sawing a model in half is not just a decision based on
doing something different or because it fits a specific
layout. The reason I sawed the model in half is
because I wanted to fully focus on the weird barrel and
its 'passenger`. If I would have left the Sturmtiger in
one piece the balance just would not be right.
Because this was the first time I had to put a saw
into a model I choose an inexpensive model
from Revell, which was basically a
good kit. In preparation to sawing I
had to make sure all parts
were glued firmly. I even
put some
reinforcements on
the inside like a roll
bar inside a rally car. This
prevented the outer panels
from too much movement
during the 'surgery`.
The weathering of the vehicle was kept to a
minimum regarding the fact that these monsters
only saw action for a short time.
Both figures are basically from Verlinden
Productions with some minor modifications.
In my opinion a diorama does not end with what
is above ground level. The base, its colour,
shape and material are just as important to
contribute to a total concept. Just as a well
thought of title presented on a decent sign and
printed or engraved in a fitting typography.
Therefore I decided to give the front of the base
the same angle as the sloping front armour of
the Sturmtiger. The title 'Rocketman` was
printed in a circus type to emphasise the title
since these daredevils were a popular attraction
in circus-like events.
Since the scene took place early 1945 the
ground work is a mixture of fallen birch leaves
and dark green Heki wildgrass.
Roy Schurgers
166
Roy Schurgers
165
We|come
to Afr|ca
The more dioramas I build, the more compact they
become. In my opinion it is very important to focus on
a single point without too much distraction
surrounding it. When you add a story to your diorama
it always makes it more interesting. In an ideal
situation all the elements, should in some way be part
of the story.
After the usual research of North African street scenes, I came up with a main
building, a small arch on the left and a piece of wall to the right, suggesting a
packed street downtown facade. In most diorama`s a building is used as a
background. In this case the building plays an important role in the story. It not
only reveals the location but also makes it possible for the women to pour her
pitcher on the panzer commander which is the basic idea. The big arch connects
the foreground with the background thus creating a more coherent and compact
situation. It also suggests that the street is in fact a narrow alley, typical for North
African villages.
The basic material is blue high density Styrofoam. The various details are done
with Evergreen, balsa wood, lead wire and ornaments on sticky paper. After the
basic construction I plastered the walls with a spatula using a thin coat of plaster.
It not only gives the desired real life structure but it also protects the Styrofoam
from further treatments.
To add more dynamics to the scene and to suggest movement of the Panzer, I
put a slightly downward slope to the alley. The paved stones are separate pieces
of blue high density Styrofoam. Creating a small gutter in the middle gives it a bit
more variety.
The Panzer II Ausf. F, is from Dragon/Cyber Hobby build straight from the box
with some minor adjustments. The initial idea was to create an scene in North
Africa, but I wanted to stay away from the obvious Desert Sand colour for the
Panzer II since the fresh arrivals in Africa still had their 'European` colours.
March 1941, Tr|po|| L|bya
Roy Schurgers
166
Roy Schurgers
165
We|come
to Afr|ca
The more dioramas I build, the more compact they
become. In my opinion it is very important to focus on
a single point without too much distraction
surrounding it. When you add a story to your diorama
it always makes it more interesting. In an ideal
situation all the elements, should in some way be part
of the story.
After the usual research of North African street scenes, I came up with a main
building, a small arch on the left and a piece of wall to the right, suggesting a
packed street downtown facade. In most diorama`s a building is used as a
background. In this case the building plays an important role in the story. It not
only reveals the location but also makes it possible for the women to pour her
pitcher on the panzer commander which is the basic idea. The big arch connects
the foreground with the background thus creating a more coherent and compact
situation. It also suggests that the street is in fact a narrow alley, typical for North
African villages.
The basic material is blue high density Styrofoam. The various details are done
with Evergreen, balsa wood, lead wire and ornaments on sticky paper. After the
basic construction I plastered the walls with a spatula using a thin coat of plaster.
It not only gives the desired real life structure but it also protects the Styrofoam
from further treatments.
To add more dynamics to the scene and to suggest movement of the Panzer, I
put a slightly downward slope to the alley. The paved stones are separate pieces
of blue high density Styrofoam. Creating a small gutter in the middle gives it a bit
more variety.
The Panzer II Ausf. F, is from Dragon/Cyber Hobby build straight from the box
with some minor adjustments. The initial idea was to create an scene in North
Africa, but I wanted to stay away from the obvious Desert Sand colour for the
Panzer II since the fresh arrivals in Africa still had their 'European` colours.
March 1941, Tr|po|| L|bya
4=(-96,*67
168
4=(-96,*67
167
The panzer commander is a slightly converted
Alpine figure. For the Arab figures I used two sets
of Verlinden Productions. The woman in the
window has been partly scratched to get the
desired pose. The initial idea was to actually pour
'water` from the women`s pitcher, but I just couldn`t
get that right. And if you are not sure about the
result you better come up with an alternative,
especially when it is such a key element in the
story.
The solution was basically simple. Instead of
making it an 'action` scene the viewer now sees the
moment prior to the action. This also has the
advantage that the viewer can fill in the blanks. It is
never wrong to tickle someone`s imagination,
although it has to has to remain understandable.
4=(-96,*67
168
4=(-96,*67
167
The panzer commander is a slightly converted
Alpine figure. For the Arab figures I used two sets
of Verlinden Productions. The woman in the
window has been partly scratched to get the
desired pose. The initial idea was to actually pour
'water` from the women`s pitcher, but I just couldn`t
get that right. And if you are not sure about the
result you better come up with an alternative,
especially when it is such a key element in the
story.
The solution was basically simple. Instead of
making it an 'action` scene the viewer now sees the
moment prior to the action. This also has the
advantage that the viewer can fill in the blanks. It is
never wrong to tickle someone`s imagination,
although it has to has to remain understandable.
6*).87
169
"Made in HoIIand is an AFV production
Participating modeIIers: Roy Schurgers, Eric Vogel,
Marcel du Long, Roger Hurkmans, Bas Hermsen,
Eelke Warrink, Marcel Zwarts, Luc Klinkers, Marcel
von Hobe, Axel Repping and Robert Crombeecke.
Photography: Peter van der Klink, Marcel von Hobe
Work in progress photography by the respective
authors.
Initial editing and project management: Robert
Crombeecke
The authors wish to thank the following people for their
support:
Eric Jacobs from JADE Bases for his custom
made bases: E-mail - jade.bases@telfort.nl
Olav Smeets from ReaIity In ScaIe, for making
great accessories for dioramas:
www.realityinscale.com
And for their continuous support:
Rob Trommelen from MiIitary ModeIs &
Accessories
www.militarymodelsandaccessories.nl
Ian Hanratty from Friendship ModeIs
www.friendshipmodels.com
Jan Willem de Boer from JW de Boer
ModeIbouw
http://www.jwdeboer.nl
Frank Brechmann from Der SockeIshop
http://www.sockelshop.de
Visit ScaIe ModeI ChaIIenge in Eindhoven, The
Netherlands, every year in October. The military scale
modelling event you cannot afford to miss! Be there
and make the difference!
www.scalemodelfactory.nl
Coning Goon
m4 Ghernen
HHP: 27.96
Wingnut Winge
HHP: 29.96
PLUS MADE IN ENGLAND & DAVID PARKERS 1:16TH KING TIGER
WWW.AFVMODELLER.COM
MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON
For more lnfornetion:
AFV lcoe||er Lto, C|o StaL|es, East lccr, StanninQtcn, lcrpeth, McrthunLer|ano, MEB1 BES
Tel: 01B70 S2SB4S Fex: 01B70 S20274 E-neil: keith@afvncoe||er.ccn
The huQe inpact these kits have hao cn aircraft ncoe||inQ is
shcvcaseo here vith prcjects presenteo Ly Vcr|o rencvneo
ncoe||ers. The fccus is cn hcv tc Qet the Lest frcn these fantastic kits
vhether ycu're a VV aircraft ncvice cr ve|| experienceo, the Quioes
cn paintinQ techniques ano finishes, ano suLjects such as riQQinQ, are
Lackeo Ly aovice cn avai|aL|e afternarket oetai|s ano oeca|s.
A pcrtfc|ic cf thirteen oiverse ncoe||inQ prcjects a|| Laseo cn the O.S.
l4 tank. Ve|| respecteo avaro vinninQ ncoe||ers frcn arcuno the
Vcr|o exp|ain in oetai| the nethcos ano nateria|s useo tc achieve their
stunninQ Shernans. The hiQh qua|ity presentaticn cf the ncoe|s is
further enhanceo Ly archive phctcQraphs ano an up tc oate kit ano
accesscry Quioe.
6*).87
169
"Made in HoIIand is an AFV production
Participating modeIIers: Roy Schurgers, Eric Vogel,
Marcel du Long, Roger Hurkmans, Bas Hermsen,
Eelke Warrink, Marcel Zwarts, Luc Klinkers, Marcel
von Hobe, Axel Repping and Robert Crombeecke.
Photography: Peter van der Klink, Marcel von Hobe
Work in progress photography by the respective
authors.
Initial editing and project management: Robert
Crombeecke
The authors wish to thank the following people for their
support:
Eric Jacobs from JADE Bases for his custom
made bases: E-mail - jade.bases@telfort.nl
Olav Smeets from ReaIity In ScaIe, for making
great accessories for dioramas:
www.realityinscale.com
And for their continuous support:
Rob Trommelen from MiIitary ModeIs &
Accessories
www.militarymodelsandaccessories.nl
Ian Hanratty from Friendship ModeIs
www.friendshipmodels.com
Jan Willem de Boer from JW de Boer
ModeIbouw
http://www.jwdeboer.nl
Frank Brechmann from Der SockeIshop
http://www.sockelshop.de
Visit ScaIe ModeI ChaIIenge in Eindhoven, The
Netherlands, every year in October. The military scale
modelling event you cannot afford to miss! Be there
and make the difference!
www.scalemodelfactory.nl
M4
MODELLI NG THE SHERMAN TANK
WINGNUT WINGS
The Modellers Guide
Coning Goon
m4 Ghernen
HHP: 27.96
Wingnut Winge
HHP: 29.96
PLUS MADE IN ENGLAND & DAVID PARKERS 1:16TH KING TIGER
WWW.AFVMODELLER.COM
MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON
For more lnfornetion:
AFV lcoe||er Lto, C|o StaL|es, East lccr, StanninQtcn, lcrpeth, McrthunLer|ano, MEB1 BES
Tel: 01B70 S2SB4S Fex: 01B70 S20274 E-neil: keith@afvncoe||er.ccn
The huQe inpact these kits have hao cn aircraft ncoe||inQ is
shcvcaseo here vith prcjects presenteo Ly Vcr|o rencvneo
ncoe||ers. The fccus is cn hcv tc Qet the Lest frcn these fantastic kits
vhether ycu're a VV aircraft ncvice cr ve|| experienceo, the Quioes
cn paintinQ techniques ano finishes, ano suLjects such as riQQinQ, are
Lackeo Ly aovice cn avai|aL|e afternarket oetai|s ano oeca|s.
A pcrtfc|ic cf thirteen oiverse ncoe||inQ prcjects a|| Laseo cn the O.S.
l4 tank. Ve|| respecteo avaro vinninQ ncoe||ers frcn arcuno the
Vcr|o exp|ain in oetai| the nethcos ano nateria|s useo tc achieve their
stunninQ Shernans. The hiQh qua|ity presentaticn cf the ncoe|s is
further enhanceo Ly archive phctcQraphs ano an up tc oate kit ano
accesscry Quioe.
M
A
D
E

I
N

H
O
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A
N
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A

P
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R
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F
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Made in Holland - A Portfolio of Dutch
Master Modellers
Showcasing some of the very best Dutch military
vehicle, figure and diorama modellers with high quality
photography and presentation. Each of the authors give
their personal thoughts on the hobby and guide us
through the featured projects offering an insight to the
techniques they use and historical inspiration.
Featuring work from:
Axel Repping
Bas Hermsen
Eelke Warrink
Eric Vogel
Luc Klinkers
Marcel du Long
Marcel von Hobe
Marcel Zwarts
Robert Crombeecke
Roger Hurkmans
Roy Schurgers
UK 24.95
Cover Artwork:Layout 1 23/09/2011 12:57 Page 1

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A P O R T F O L I O O F D U T C H

mede ln Hollend is puL|isheo Ly

I started with the basic layout of the factory first. Using

The vehicle is the old Dragon kit, which needed some

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