Luft46's Blog

I have finished the first KV2 with just a simple conversion with a Panther turret. No major changes apart from using four steel pins cut from guitar strings to help give the tracks some sag. This idea was from a friend and the strings courtesy of my wife. The sag is not perfect but it certainly helps. I am now doing the same on the rest of the damned rubber band tracks. Did a bit of weathering too , mostly 1.35 techniques on a more subdued scale.

Next up is the Panther AA flak gun turret left over from another project. But that still needs paint and tow ropes.

So here is the main part. I have been doing just some basic weathering, putting a few scratch marks in as well as standard things like a dark green wash on the body etc, mostly techniques from 1.35 modelling but writ much much smaller and less is definitely more. A lot will not show in the photos but in real life are there.

Yesterday wasnt too bad but 45 degrees Celsius is a bit much with no modelling today.

Here’s where I am up to on the first of the KV2’s approaching completion.

From bottom to top. This is after the rubber band tracks were first painted with Tamiya rattle can Matt Black. Lacquer paints will at least adhere to rubber band tracks. This was following by a track colour and 4 or 5 rust colours from AK and Mig

The next photo is me stirring a bottle of AK rust. These all require stirring but dry in an hour. The MIG stuff is well mixed but requires a day between coats.

I put these on in random patterns all over the tracks to try for the right appearance.

The next photo shows all the paints with the MIG tracks pigment jar at the front.

The last photo shows the MIG pigment fixer that you apply after putting the track pigment on. You just use a brush to flow it on and leave. With the pigment on it covers over much of the rust making it look less stark. Next stop is the dirt pigment.

Not able to do much modelling when you are moving stuff around to tidy up the garage you model in and it is blocking your access. The architrave is to go on tomorrow, it is just resting there.

Below is a rough order of my modelling over the last few weeks with descriptions where appropriate.

Bookshop oddity – very technical

Poppies in my garden on Remembrance day. Also Me109G-6 from the Australian War Museum

The boxes on the left are 1.72 tow chains for my KV2s. The item on the right is a large set of rust stain decals 

September disappeared in work with a change of software. Any modelling was only on weekends in what was a busy month that included a very short trip to Melbourne to see my team win a final. 
The trip included a visit to Metro Hobbies only store now the city one has been closed down. It’s quite a good looking store but nothing for me except some mud for dioramas.

 Its now only Hearns left in the CBD which is sad. The whole block was resumed for a new train station.

I also met Eisa from the TV show “The Chase”, very nice guy.

Before I left for my latest jaunt to melb via Adelaide I got 3 more KV2S and a detailing set for the Meng D9 dozer to reproduce the pistons in metal rather than trying to replicate these in plastic as well as another Model Collect kit

After some of the usual winter ills I have been doing some modelling again. I haven’t been doing any painting so there’s a buildup of incomplete kits. Lets do a quick review.

Me 262 Schnellbomber. This one has had some Tamiya rattle can RLM76 applied and now needs the camo airbrushed on. I have an Eduard vinyl paint mask ready for this

Next up is the  Modellcollect E100 withV1 launcher. This is up to needing a first coat of  Tamiya rattle can yellow. The tracks were a bit of a wrestle with some major issues in getting clearance around the front drive sprocket which needed some teeth removed to get the tracks to fit. The tracks and wheels have been pre painted ready for masking off when I begin the major painting. The tracks are Dragon style cream rubber band style. At least they glue ok unlike old style black rubber ones and they are a bit more solid. Individual track links are great until you have to glue a hundred odd of the bastards. Link and length if not too long are often the best bet in 1.72.

Next are a few Russian KV2S. You are going to see a few of these in the next few months. These are the Trumpeter kits. I have a plan involving using 3 of these but unfortunately ordered the wrong type of turret, one type is sloped at the front and the other is vertical. I ordered the sloped sort in error and I am expecting the right ones in about a month from HobbyEasy. In the meantime I am doing one as an ordinary KV2 , another’s as a 120 mm Stug with a spare plastic gun from a Modellcollect that also has a brass one and the third with a Pz IV turret I have spare. 

For the next batch I have one planned as a rocket weapons carrier and I have yet to come up with an idea for the last one.

 You will note the Stug gun in the middle has been broken by accident which was done when I was adding the etched brass gun brake. The major fault with the turret is the steps which are solid and will be replaced by wire.

Last up is 2 kits that I ordered with the KV2s. One is the E100 stug And the other is a very detailed E50 kit, hard to believe it is only 1.72 given the detail including brass . More on these later.