Trumpeter - Heuschrecke IVb "Grasshopper" 1/35

[rm6239]

Carlos

Great work mate, scratching such a little part. Glad you haven't given up in disgust, I think the finished kit is going to be a great testament to your perserverence and building skills and will result in a very unique model.

cheers

Rossco

[HWGuderian23]

Hey Carlos - sorry for the late comment mate (I'm short of time at the moment )!
But anyways ... awesome progress on your Heuschrecke! I'm really impressed with the whole build and especially with the scratch work you've done on it my friend! Looking forward to your next updates ...

[longlance67]

Carlos my friend you have done an amazing job on this kit mate,

just sorry I missed so much of your progress mate


Shane

[reelmesh]

Carlos, you did a wonderful work at scratch building the missing parts!
I like this kit a lot! You also have great PE skills!
Keep up the good work buddy

Thank you Frans!

Don't buy this one, it's cheap but frankly lacking in detail, I would go for the dragon kit. I comes with an interior and believe me that makes the difference... Unless you want to build the interior from scratch...

My PE skills are slim Obi Wan, I'll have to practice more...

Fantastic progress Carlos and another genius piece of scratch building!

Love all that PE and its all so clean; this is turning out to be another masterpiece!!

With regards to the tool placement - it's your build, you can put them where you like and anyways, I prefer how you've done it!

Thanks Alex!

I wouldn't say genius mate, I would rather say "Necessity is the mother of scratch building"!

Regarding the tools, I don't know how accurate they are mate, after stumbling upon three different layouts I had to choose and once committed I accept them as they are.
Maybe if I buy another kit of this vehicle I'll revisit that dilemma, for now I just want to have fun painting it!

Superb work Carlos, great stuff mate

Thanks Paul, I appreciate it!

you really are cracking on with this build and doing a very good job as well looks a real nice clean build and like your scratch building top stuff

Thanks Tiger!

I'm going a bit slower then I would like but I'm having fun now.

Carlos

Great work mate, scratching such a little part. Glad you haven't given up in disgust, I think the finished kit is going to be a great testament to your perserverence and building skills and will result in a very unique model.

cheers

Rossco

Thanks Rossco!

I wasn't going to give up but I did have to put aside for a few days, otherwise I would "accidentally" step on it...

I agree that it can result in a very unique model as I paint it I have begun to feel that way about it.

Hey Carlos - sorry for the late comment mate (I'm short of time at the moment )!
But anyways ... awesome progress on your Heuschrecke! I'm really impressed with the whole build and especially with the scratch work you've done on it my friend! Looking forward to your next updates ...

Thanks Markus!

Please, no need to apologize my friend, I know the feeling exactly. I've been having the same problem lately.

Carlos my friend you have done an amazing job on this kit mate,

just sorry I missed so much of your progress mate


Shane

Thanks Shane!

Don't be sorry my friend, there are more important things.

I miss your video updates and I am very curious about your build my friend!

All the best!



On with the update!

Finally I'm painting!!!!

I really love this part of model building as I can finally get to use some creativity on my model.

The video update:

[youtube]zpQmr3NApoY[/youtube]

I started by priming the model with Vallejo Surface primers, German yellow for the hull, turret and subassemblies and Panzer grey for the wheels and tracks.



I waited 24 hours for it to cure and to my dismay I discovered a few areas with burring that had previously escaped my scrutiny...

Well, after cursing a bit and some deep breaths I sanded them down gently with a very fine sanding stick.



Re-primed that area and waited 12 hours before the next stage.

I then mixed Vallejo's Model Air Tank Dark Yellow (71081) and Radome Tan (71074) in 1:2 ratio and with the help of some masking tape shaded the whole model, breaking the main surfaces with lighter tones.



While that step was curing I took the gun cradle sub assemblies and sprayed them using 3 colours from AK's Red Primer modulation set.

These paints behaved very well after a few tweaks, I had to lower the pressure of my compressor and really shake them well, that last step is of the utmost importance.



I then mixed Vallejo Model Color Buff (70976) and White (70951) in 1:2 ratio and painted highlights on the raised details of the model.



Following that I painted the tools and various details with an assortment of Vallejo Model Color and Panzer Aces ranges.



I also painted the front hull spare track links in Tamiya XF-10 though I forgot to take an individual photo for that.

And this is how it was looking by then:













I then sealed the paintwork with a light coat of VAllejo Model Air Satin varnish and waited about 6 hours for it to fully dry.

Next I mixed AK's Africa Korps Filter (AK-065) and Sin Industries Tan for Tritonal Camo (P242) in equal parts and applied uniformly to the whole model, after that had dried I went back and applied the mix again in the areas that still needed further integration.

I'm not posting photos of this specific step because though the effect is quite visible in the naked eye, in the photos I snapped I couldn't perceive any difference, so why pass the redundancy...

After it dried thoroughly I applied a pin wash to the details on the entire model using AK's enamel Wash for German Vehicles in Dark Yellow (AK-300). In some surfaces I moistened the area with white spirit and then dropped the wash with a fine brush for precision, the moistened surface aids in the flow of the wash into the details.

Then I went back and using a damp brush with clean white spirit and removed any unwanted spillage.



And this is how it looks now:















Well guys, there it is. Next I will work on the chipping and further weathering.

I hope you like it!

[rm6239]

I hope you like it!

Like it I love it mate.

Are you going to leave the lifting rails that colour or put Dark Yellow over and chip back to the base colour? Whichever you do it will look superb.

cheers

Rossco

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

Wow Carlos, some awesome painting and wheathering there mate
I like the way you paint your shades and highlights, something I still need to practice with
you are making the best out of this kit buddy, great job

[Schoof]

Wow. ..... Carlos what a beauty you're making there

[Tiger131]

love it the first colour modulation will help your weathering as we can see top stuff looking forward to seeing more

[alextheblue]

Wow Carlos, that is freaking awesome!!

I'm a big fan of spaying different tones of the base colour and yours is a perfect example of how it should be done, especially after you had applied the filter mix - you can see a subtle difference in the photos.

Great tip about putting some white spirit down first to help the pin wash - will definitely steal that idea!

Can't wait for the next update!

[HWGuderian23]

Wow Carlos ... what a beautiful paint job on your Grasshopper mate !
Love all the shadows and highlights you've added on it! The color modulation brings off all the fine details in a fabulous manner and I'm a huge fan of this technique. Outstanding work so far my friend .
Looking forward to your next update ...

[T3hGuppy]

really liking the work on the paintwork dude.

The modulation came out really nice.

[Jan01]

Looking awesome Carlos.

[conradschmid99]

that looks amazing

[reelmesh]

Hello everyone,

I first would like to apologize to everyone for not being so active in the forum or GB lately, but I've been busy at work, well I guess you guys know what I mean, life gets in the way of modeling many times.

Thank you for your feedback nonetheless.

I hope you like it!

Like it I love it mate.

Are you going to leave the lifting rails that colour or put Dark Yellow over and chip back to the base colour? Whichever you do it will look superb.

cheers

Rossco

Thanks Rossco!

Those are the gun supports that were put together to hold and transport it. I'll leave them in primer color, I want to maybe add some chalk numbers to them as if they were still experimenting with them and ended up by never painting them before they abandoned the vehicle.

Mind you I building this vehicle as a what if vehicle as really there isn't that much information about them.

Wow Carlos, some awesome painting and wheathering there mate
I like the way you paint your shades and highlights, something I still need to practice with
you are making the best out of this kit buddy, great job

Thank you so much Frans!
the best way I found for practicing this technique is to buy some really cheap models, slap them together and try to do the best paintjob possible, that way you won't be afraid of trying new techniques.

Truly it's a very simple and straightforward technique, with your skills, you'll be doing it perfectly in no time and it's a matter of preference as well, your models look beautiful the way you paint them.

Wow. ..... Carlos what a beauty you're making there

Thanks Sebastian!

love it the first colour modulation will help your weathering as we can see top stuff looking forward to seeing more

Thanks mate!
Lets see if I don't screw up everything ahead...

Thanks so much Alex!

I thought it wasn't all that visible but I guess I was wrong...

The white spirit thingy real works well, try it out and tell me what you think.

Wow Carlos ... what a beautiful paint job on your Grasshopper mate !
Love all the shadows and highlights you've added on it! The color modulation brings off all the fine details in a fabulous manner and I'm a huge fan of this technique. Outstanding work so far my friend .
Looking forward to your next update ...

Thank you Markus!

I'm a fan of this technique as well, mainly because I can spend more time painting which is my favorite part of the build!

really liking the work on the paintwork dude.

The modulation came out really nice.

Thanks Guppy! Glad you like it.

Looking awesome Carlos.

Thanks Jan!

that looks amazing

Thanks mate!


Now for the update:

As usual, the video:
[youtube]d6vyZ9vGmz0[/youtube]

Well, like I said I've been very busy so progress has been slow, I was also doing the most time consuming part of the painting, the chipping.

I started with a mix of Vallejo Model Color two parts Buff (70976) and one part White (70951) for the first layer.

I used a scouring pad, a sponge and a very fine paintbrush for this part.

I took a few shots of the turret as a sample for the whole process, layer 1.











Then I used a mix of Vallejo Model Color one part Black (70950), one part Flat Red (70957) and three parts Mahogany Brown (70846).

For this layer I only used the fine brush as I needed more control to add the chips on top of the lighter chips.

Layer 2:









I repeated the process inside the turret:











I then weathered the whole interior with some AK Products, starting with rust streaks and rust washes followed by dust and earth effects on the horizontal surfaces.











The completed affair:





After the chipping was done to the entire model, I started to work at it with oils, doing some fading, filtering and weathering.



I dabbed dots on the surfaces with several colors minding to put different tones according to light and dark. No need to get fussy with this technique, I then used a damp brush to streak and fade the oils on the surface of the model.





The model after the oils:





I then turned my attention to the base for the model. Initially I had thought of making a concrete or asphalt base for it but I decided to do cobblestones instead, I really wanted to try a new technique that I had never tried.

So I used Cork to make the cobblestones, cutting stripes of cork and cutting them to smaller pieces, I then glued them on the base blue styrofoam using PVA glue.





Next I mixed some PVA glue with some plaster and water to make the cobblestone filler. Then I poured it on the base and using paper towels I forced it between the cork and cleaned the top of the excess material.



After that I left it to dry for 12 hours and proceeded to prime it.



Then I used Vallejo Model Colors to paint the base coat.



I then used several other Vallejo Model Colors to paint individual stones to make the whole base more varied and less dull.





When that was dry I mixed some Flat Brown and Flat Black from Tamiya enamels with white spirit to make a wash and applied it to the base.





Then I dry brushed the base with Vallejo Model Color Buff and Blue Grey Pale (70905) mixed in equal parts.



I confess I'm not that happy with the result, I should have had more space between some of the stones and used a darker wash to add a bit more contrast, but hey, next time I'll try to do it better.

That's it for now guys, I hope you like it and forgive me my absence.

Thank you all!

[longlance67]

Carlos

A wonderful update, stunning work my friend and thank you for sharing the steps too mate


stunning work


Shane

[T3hGuppy]

Stunning work on the weathering on this beast.

A masterclass for sure and worth the wait.

Really like the base too.

[Tiger131]

outstanding work on your tank the weathering and chipping effect is second to none top stuff..and then theres your base never thought to use cork works a treat and when its weathering looks even better look forward to seeing more my friend

[generalgrog]

Mazing...this is a clinic is what this is!!!

Bravo

GG

[alextheblue]

paintwork.........
weathering.......
chipping............
streaking........... (not that sort of streaking! )
oil work.............
groundwork.......
cobblestones.....

I'm lost for words, this is amazing work - an absolute masterclass and I feel very privileged that you've taken the time to share everything step by step!

Thank you Carlos!!

[reelmesh]

Carlos

A wonderful update, stunning work my friend and thank you for sharing the steps too mate


stunning work


Shane

Thank you my friend!

Stunning work on the weathering on this beast.

A masterclass for sure and worth the wait.

Really like the base too.

Thank you Guppy! Glad you liked it.

outstanding work on your tank the weathering and chipping effect is second to none top stuff..and then theres your base never thought to use cork works a treat and when its weathering looks even better look forward to seeing more my friend

Thank you mate!
I think cork is a very versatile material for modeling, I'm already having a few other other ideas for it's use, there are also some exquisite tutorials on the web about that.

Mazing...this is a clinic is what this is!!!

Bravo

GG

Thanks mate!

paintwork.........
weathering.......
chipping............
streaking........... (not that sort of streaking! )
oil work.............
groundwork.......
cobblestones.....

I'm lost for words, this is amazing work - an absolute masterclass and I feel very privileged that you've taken the time to share everything step by step!

Thank you Carlos!!

Thank you my friend and you are welcome, it's a pleasure to be a part of this great forum!



This time I don't have an update, just a little add on to the last one.

After talking with Shane (longlance67) I decided to make a video tutorial of the chipping process I used on this model.

It's really boring to watch but if you are interested in seeing the method, here it is:

[youtube]m1OOfCdFIoY[/youtube]

I hope you like it, and it's useful for someone.

I also would like to thank Shane for motivating me to make this video. Thank you my friend!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

You knocked it right out of the park mate!
Awesome build! And I'm loving the base too!
I'm trying the oil work for fading on my Marder next time.

[T3hGuppy]

Thanks for the how to video dude.

Will come in handy

[rm6239]

Carlos

Superb chipping mate, lovely weathering and finally a great looking start on the base.

cheers

Rossco

[reelmesh]

Hello guys,

Thanks to everyone for the support.

Regrettably I was unable to post rest of the progress of the build, I simply lost the photos and then became utterly demotivated.

Nonetheless I feel I owe everyone that followed my build and the forum at least the final reveal photos of the finished model, I feel sad for not completing the thread as well I wished but it is what it is.

Here are the final reveal photos:























Well, that's it, I'll try and do better next time.

I hope you like it.

Thank you all.

[Gav0909]

That my friend is freaking excellent!

Absolutely stunning work there, brilliant!

[reelmesh]

That my friend is freaking excellent!

Absolutely stunning work there, brilliant!

Thank you very much Gav!

[fly1ngdutchm4n]

I agree!
Wonderful work!
I bow to you sir, for presenting a masterpiece to us!
Awesome my friend...

[alextheblue]

Fantastic work Carlos, like Frans said, an absolute masterpiece!

Love every element of this, the painting, chipping, streaking and all the little touches like the chains, oil drums etc. really makes this quite stunning. Personally I think you should be allowed to sneak this in the Final Reveal!!

[hansolo]

Totally awesome!
In every aspect.

cheers

[felisbarcinonensis]

Just Wow!

[robwuk]

I know this is an old thread but tempted by this kit (can't afford the Dragon kit which I know is the better of the 2)... shame it doesn't have an interior to the body