And the only thing remaining...
Added 2024-07-16 17:38:29 +0000 UTC... is the photo-etch! My friends, the build has progressed steadily, and all the important details are in place.
The Friul tracks were the usual ordeal, but I didn't have to drill out anything. A set of firm tweezers and pliers was enough to do the job and push the 0.4mm copper wire through the openings. It took a good few hours, but still, they feel and look good on the model!
The remaining details from the kit were glued in place as well. The hatches on the roof are just as bad as the entire engine deck. The model reminds me of the early Hobby Boss kits where it seemed that they added the terrible hatches on purpose, forcing you to keep them open. Now I wish I kept them open as well!
I also added and replaced some of the details, such as the grab handles and a ladder made from wire. A bunch of parts made from plastic rod were also included, and I managed to replace the terrible antenna mount with a drilled-out plastic rod!
The gun barrel problem has been solved as well. I simply replaced the metal barrel with the original plastic part, which comes in one piece, thank goodness, and added the remaining Panzer Art details to it. Now it fits much better in the travel lock!
So now I have to add the Eduard PE. I hope that will be a much better experience! If the PE fenders turn out to be a pain in the butthole, I'll just slap on the original plastic parts :D After all, there's not much damage you can add on a factory fresh tank!
Overall, I hope the paint job will make up for this build experience. I already have a gnawing thought in the back of my mind, wishing for some kind of redemption build in the future. Maybe, just maybe, I would add an Elefant to my collection as well. But if that ever happens, I'll definitely go with the Tamiya kit, thank you very much! :D
Comments
oh i didn't even know they're different 😅
Joxar
2024-07-19 05:53:06 +0000 UTCWe are getting closer to the good part.
mike garcia
2024-07-18 16:59:20 +0000 UTCTamiya only makes the Elefant, so if you want a Ferdinand, it's either Amusing Hobby or the old (but gold) Dragon :)
Night Shift
2024-07-18 15:24:49 +0000 UTCI'm betting on the paint and subtle weathering to do the trick!
Night Shift
2024-07-18 15:24:22 +0000 UTCLooks like this last produced Ferdinand was a bit specific as it lacks some parts and has others that weren't usually seen on Ferdinands, so it's still the best kit for this specific vehicle. But if it were an Elefant, I'd definitely go with Tamiya or one of the legendary Dragon kits!
Night Shift
2024-07-18 15:23:58 +0000 UTCIt's hard to guess the amount of layers because I tend to stipple the whole plate with the first layer, and then keep adding more in places where the putty looks translucent. Then I focus on other areas which seem too smooth, etc :) The zimmerit was applied on top of the red primer :)
Night Shift
2024-07-18 15:22:15 +0000 UTCIsn't it a new kit released in 2012? I know Tamiya likes to re-box some Italeri stuff, such as the Semovente
Night Shift
2024-07-18 15:21:13 +0000 UTCBeautiful model dear Martin!
Luis Francisco Soto
2024-07-18 04:36:52 +0000 UTCas you've had so many issues with this kit, would you recommend tamiya instead?
Joxar
2024-07-18 00:22:51 +0000 UTCLooks good from my house, especially the welds and such. The hatches truly look like plastic-not-metal; not much you can do about that except scratch-build replacements, and it seems like you've already put more than enough time into this not-fun kit. But the tank itself is so impressive that paint and factory chalk marks should save the day!
Mike A.
2024-07-17 21:51:36 +0000 UTCConsidering the issues you have had with this one, she looks well. I may have to add one of these but will be going with the Tamiya as it's the later version if my memory serves me right.
Paul Garrity
2024-07-17 16:15:06 +0000 UTCNice, it looks great so far! Good luck with the PE (Ik it can be tricky sometimes), and I can’t wait to see how this model ends up looking!
Quintin Paparella
2024-07-17 15:51:26 +0000 UTCLove the build always amazes me the constant you always seem to achieve on each build almost machine metric . Always learning thank you my friend 🙏🏻
John Ratcliff
2024-07-17 08:41:53 +0000 UTCAt least your work is looking great, sorry to hear of all the disappointing model issues, you would think the manufacturers would have all the details as accurate as possible. Guess it turns into making a buck as fast as you can.
Charlie phillips
2024-07-17 03:49:50 +0000 UTCLove the grab handle welds. They look spot on. My eyes are too old, and fingers to shaky to do that sort of detail.
Cushionbelly
2024-07-16 19:40:06 +0000 UTCLooking good! I'm impressed with your steel texturing without any paint. I apply the same method but I must not be using the same number of layers as my texturing doesn't look as good until I paint the primer coat. How many layers of putty do you apply to achieve these results? Also, I'm looking to paint a prototype Jagdtiger in primer red but it has molded on zimmerit. I don't think there was any primer coat put on the zimmerit before it was painted in yellow. Is that accurate?
RelentlesStorm
2024-07-16 19:11:59 +0000 UTCMore great details than a barrel of Monkees! Looks great Martin! If you get the Elephant from Tamiya, know that it is the 80s kit from Italeri, which is a great kit with movable suspension. They have decent vinyl tracks and Italeri needed to find a way to keep them close to the road wheels to give them a realistic sag, so they put plastic half-disks moulded into either the fenders or body. I still have the one I put together in 1981 or so and the tracks are still living unlike the Opel Blitz wheels from back then which melted and ruined the rims. I kept my old Blitz and Blitz Maulter, replaced the front wheels on the Maulter and the tracks are still nice and viable. But my 1980s "safe" glue is not holding well anymore. As for the Blitz, I found some Hussar Opel rims with no tires, so I plan to do a rework of a burned Blitz one day. Friul, if memory serves correctly, found a buyer who was interested in keeping the plant open in its original location because before that, potential buyers were not interested in buying all that manufacturing equipment and then moving it elsewhere. It was a great scare year, Resicast, Tiger Model Designs and Friulmodel announced they were closing but then someone stepped in to keep them open. What is really nice a Friul is that they are so durable once put together and the weight they give the plastic kit is cool! Realistic weight. And they are very easy to weather if you have a rough hand like me!
Cliff Leverette
2024-07-16 18:47:51 +0000 UTCAwesome
Bill Moore
2024-07-16 18:24:48 +0000 UTCAll of the metal track providers seem to have dropped their quality levels (or I've been unlucky) as they generally need a huge amount of drilling and filing to get them into a usable state.
Chris Hedges
2024-07-16 17:58:49 +0000 UTCAh thank you! I'm in the UK and often have trouble getting them (usually eBay), so I'd order direct from them. Since moved onto 3D printed tracks, but they really don't have that heavy metal appeal.
Josh Pepper
2024-07-16 17:47:36 +0000 UTCThey later said that the company would still be running as usual. Not sure if they dropped that direct-to-customer sales model... I found this set on a Czech modeling web store.
Night Shift
2024-07-16 17:44:38 +0000 UTCFriul tracks always look so good, especially before painting. I'd tried to order from them last year and saw that they stopped producing tracks and the company was for sale, did someone take over?
Josh Pepper
2024-07-16 17:41:34 +0000 UTC
