no.

23

PORTADA 23 ING:PORTADA 19 ING 25/04/13 18:48 Pgina 1

9 771886 446008

00023

no. 23

www.euromodelismo.com

BIMOnTHLY

62 AfrikaKorpsING_62 ES Suscrip.qxd 21/04/13 18:22 Pgina 62

New Monographic, Now On Sale!

19
New monographic dedicated to the Afrika Korps. 88 pages in which you can find the latest
techniques employed by the authors showed step by step. A perfect reference to learn how to paint
those effects produced in desert conditions. Techniques that will inspire you to build your desert
models.

Accion press
C/Ezequiel Solana, 16 bajo, 28017 Madrid, Spain
www.euromodelismo.com/shop suscripciones@euromodelismo.com

Historex Agents
Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ
www.historexagents.com

ING INDICE:ESP.NDICE 25/04/13 18:51 Pgina 3

Whippet Mk. A
Wonderful recreation of an armoured vehicle from the Great War in action. With an
exquisite paint job and a careful setting, this is one of the best works that have been
published in our magazine. The article includes a reportage of a specimen kept at
Aberdeen.

AEC Mk. 1
Also known as the tank on wheels, this kit has been painted with such an unparalleled realism
that it seems that it was extracted from an old documentary.

17

KV-1 (mod. 1941)

An impressive Soviet heavy tank. The author decided to apply a winter camouflage using
hyper realistic weathering effects. Other camouflage options are shown in a series of 9
colour profiles.

Sd.Kfz. 234 (P)

The result of the transforming two German eight-wheel armoured vehicles,
these two prototypes can be considered as rarities. These are unique models
that will enhance any collection.

32
62

50

44

Generalfeldmarschall
An excellent figure depicting the Desert Fox at the peak of his career. This is a must read if you are interested in
this important figure, as an extensive period photographic collection is included in the article.

MODELLING LESSONS: Vehicle weathering with mud

This interesting article shows us a step-by-step method of adding mud to military vehicles.

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:56 Pgina 2

By: Javier Redondo Jimnez

Photographs by the author and Rodrigo
Hernndez Cabos

Accurate Armour

1/35

The Medium A
Whippet AFV was
designed by the British
engineer William
Tritton after the battle
of the Somme, in 1916.
The design was based
in the combat
experience of the Mark
I in its male and female
versions. The first
prototype was built by
the Foster &
Metropolitan Carriage
and Wagon Company,
full-scale production
began in 1917.

he tank had a weight of 14

tons and was powered by
two petrol engines placed
in a forward compartment. Its on-road
maximum speed was of 13,5 Km/h
and 9 Km/h cross-country. The armament consisted of four Hotchkiss 7,92
machineguns, placed in the four sides
of the turret, each covering one direction.
Whippets were assigned to three
brigades, specifically to the 3rd and
6th battalions of each brigade. The
tank saw action for the first time in
March, 1918 in the Battle of Amiens,
having an outstanding performance.
Some Whippets were sent to Ireland
after the Armistice as par t of the
British occupation forces. Seventeen
units were also sent to the post-Czar
Russia to help the white Russians in
their civil war. The red army captured
twelve, using them until the thirties.
They fitted at least one vehicle with a
French 37 mm Puteaux gun. Russians
called them Tyeilor as a misnomer,
assuming the name of the engine was
Taylor instead of Tylor. A few
were also exported to Japan, being

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:56 Pgina 3

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:56 Pgina 4

The tracks were submerged in hot water. They became flexible and allowed an easy adaptation to the road
wheels.

the first to serve the Emperors Army.

A single vehicle was sent to South
Africa destined to the Armour College
in Pretoria.

The surviving units can be seen at

the Bovington Tank Museum at
Aberdeen, CFB Borden and the Muse
de lArme of Brussels.

A S S E M B L Y
As a modeller, I have always felt
attracted to the Great War. I was
looking forward to working on a vehicle from this period of History, especially this model. Until recently there
was not much to choose from regarding armoured vehicles from the First
World War, but fortunately brands are
now launching models regularly, so
there are a fair amount of references
to choose from.

Defective rivets have been

replaced with other taken from
and old kit.
The
machineguns were
replaced with others
scratch-built with
metal rods.

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:56 Pgina 5

KITS USED
- British Light Tank Whippet Mk.
A, Accurate Armour ref. 358,
1/35 scale.

The chosen kit was a 1/35 scale

model from the Accur ate Ar mour
brand, comprising resin, plastic, white
metal and photo etched parts. The
assembly is quite straightforward, the
general profile of the tank consists of
four pieces.
Being a 20 year old kit, the resin
shows some porous areas in places
where the rivets should have been present. To cover these defects, I spread
a coat of Tamiya putty that was previously diluted with industrial acetone
throughout the kit. I later extracted
several plastic rivets from an old
model and fixed them

The larger parts have been glued with two-component glue, while superglue
was used for the smaller ones.

one by one on the Whippet with small

drops of glossy varnish using a fine
tipped paintbrush. The varnish offers a
correct adherence and
enough time

to fix the rivets in the correct position.

It is a tedious work, but an absolute
necessity.
The tracks are made of several resin
sections, and I had to apply heat to
soften them before they were fixed in
the cor rect position. This can be
achieved using two different methods:
The first is to use a hair dryer with the
maximum heat possible. The second is
to submerge them in a bowl of very
hot water. I prefer the second option.
When submerging the track sections
in hot water (always use tweezers or
else you will suffer extremely painful
sensations) they immediately become

The white, red and white

national identification bands
were painted with the help
of masking tape.

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:56 Pgina 6

flexible and can be adapted to the

wheels, keeping the shape with the
fingers for a few seconds until they
cool down.
Regarding the general detailing, I
must say I basically did an out-of-thebox assembly. I only had to rebuild
the oversized white metal machineguns with others made of tin tubes
and cylinders. The photo etched side
hooks are flat, so I had to replace
them with others made of copper wire
and placed some nuts taken from an
old injection moulded kit. I finally
added the exhaust pipes protective
cover, which was really a thick rope
rolled-up in the tubes, using sewing
thread.

PA I N T WO R K
The base colour of the Whippet
raises some controversy. Different
sources indicate that British WWI
tanks were painted in a greyish green,
dark brown or khaki colour, even
though the exact colour is unknown.
I decided for the second option, using
a mixture of olive drab (80%) and dark

green (20%), and later adding dark

yellow for the first highlights. The
same mixture was used in those areas
with more light exposure, adding buff
as diluter. I used masking tape to
paint the identification bands, using
red and f lat white paints. I then
applied a general shading with a mixture of flat black and red brown. This
process was made with an airbrush
and Tamiya acrylic paints. For numbers and plates, I used Decadry brand
decals. After placing them, they were
varnished; This was done both to fix
them and to protect them from the
enamel solvent I was going to use in
the next painting phases.
A new world of weathering and
aging possibilities now begins.
While working in the assembly
process, I stumbled across a construction site in which a tracked bulldozer
was working in ear th e xtr action
duties. The sides were similar to the
Whippet, and showed a multitude of
mud effects that were per fect to
reproduce in the kit. I went back to
the construction site with my digital
camera and started making photos of

The filth runs that appear in the spaces between

the side plates were made with glossy varnish,
which was previously soiled with a bit of black
smoke pigment.

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:57 Pgina 7

The trees were made with split thyme branches that were fixed to the terrain with wire
bolts. The barb wire is a Verlinden Productions ref. 51, held to stakes that were built
with wire.

the vehicle, the driver looking at

me as if I was a loony or a disturbed
paparazzo.
With these and other references, I
st ar ted the aging and weathering
process. First I spread a number of filters using The Filter
brown and t an enamels,

After they dried, I started working area

by area, blending oil paints, f irst
applying Humbrol thinner in the
desired areas and then adding small
amounts of paint. The more colour
variety, the better the results will be. I
applied Bess green, ochre yellow, titanium white, transparent golden ochre,
cadmium yellow, burnt sienna and
burnt umber. Oils are blended with a
clean paintbr ush, dampened with
Humbrol thinner; in ver tical areas
starting from above and using an up
and down sweeping motion while in
horizontal areas in a circular motion.
When the oils were dry, I added a
subtle outlining on rivets, turns and
bends using a very diluted mixture of
burnt sienna and black oil paints. To
further enhance and add the desired
volume to rivets and edges, I used
the dry brush technique using a mix-

ture of khaki drill and French artillery

green Humbrol enamels.
Next I started to work on the final
effects, starting with the mud. I mixed
plaster with dark mud, Russian earth
and light dust Mig Production pigments in a small bowl, adding some
drops of water and chocolate brown
and buff Model Color acrylic paints. I
stirred the ingredients until I obtained
a thick and dense mixture, adding
water sparingly. The tone of the mixture must be very dark, as it gets much
lighter when it dries. I used an old
hard-bristle paintbrush to apply the
mixture, pecking the surfaces I wanted
to cover with mud. If the mixture has
the correct consistency, the mud will
stay in position and keep the shape
smeared with the paintbrush. Once
the mud dried, I added tonal richness
using beach sand and Europe dust pig-

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:57 Pgina 8

COLOUR CHART
TAMIYA (acrylics)

THE FILTER (enamels)

MIG PRODUCTIONS (pigments)

XF-1 flat black

XF-2 flat white
XF-7 red
XF-57 buff
XF-60 dark yellow
XF-61 dark green
XF-62 olive drab
XF-64 red brown

P245 brown
P242 tan

P023 black smoke

P024 light rust
P025 standard rust
P027 light dust
P028 Europe dust
P030 beach sand
P033 dark mud
P034 Russian earth

WINSOR & NEWTON

(oils)

2 burnt sienna
8 cadmium yellow
35 titanium white
44 ochre yellow

MODEL COLOR (acrylics)

872 chocolate brown

976 buff
HUMBROL (enamels)

62 leather
72 khaki drill
179 French artillery green

ments, dry brushing them with a softbristle paintbrush.

Later I greased the wheels axles
and bearings with asphalt oil paint

MARABU (varnishes)
TITAN (oils)

69 bess green
80 asphalt
78 burnt umber
94 transparent golden ochre

mixed with enamel thinner. Polished

metal on the edges and tracks were
represented with a graphite pencil.
The f ilth r uns on the sides were

1106 clear
TALENS (watercolours)

234 raw sienna

409 burnt umber
411 burnt sienna

copied exactly from the bulldozer photos, using Marabu glossy varnish,
slightly soiled with pigments and
diluted with Humbrol thinner. I paint-

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:57 Pgina 9

The terrain was modelled with a

mixture of plaster, white glue, sand,
watercolours and water. Sandbags
were modelled with Magic Sculpt,
cans were made with tin
strips and evergreen rods.

ed each r un with the paintbr ush,

allowing a drying time between each
application to obtain different intensities and gradations.
I Finally painted the exhaust pipes
with Humbrol leather paint and
applied several washings: first
using burnt sienna oil paint and
later using black, light rust
and standard rust pigments.

THE

BASE

The best par t of World War I

sceneries is the way of using all the
elements that were present in the battlefields. The bogs, the lunar landscape caused by artillery shells or the
labyrinth of trenches and barbed wire
offer amazing possibilities when building a base.
I had a clear idea of the landscape
to place the tank as soon as I decided

to build it. I used a piece of polifoam,

giving a basic, sloped shape with a
sharp blade. The material is light and
manageable, quite easy to work with.
Once I had defined the volumes, a
generous amount of black acrylic paint
was used to apply a base coat, protecting it from the solvents I was later
going to use to paint the terrain.
I modelled the terrain using a mixture of plaster, white glue (to increase
the adherence and delay the drying
time), burnt umber, burnt sienna and
raw sienna watercolours, fine sand

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:57 Pgina 10

Dry leaves
(Hudson &
Allen Studio
ref. 9704)
were fixed to
the ground
with white
glue.

and a bit of water, stirring the elements until a consistent mixture was
obtained. You must have a clear view
of the places where the paste will be
located, as you must spread it relatively fast. To simulate the tracks left
by the 14 ton tank I placed the model
on the base and carefully pressed it
against the surface.
After painting all the elements, I
applied several Mig Production pigments that were fixed in place with a
few drops of Humbrol Thinner. The
last effect consisted in filling the
crater with resin which was tinted
with sever al drops of olive dr ab
acr ylic paint. I also spread several
Hudson & Allen leaves on the terrain.

ING 2-11 Whippet:PzI.F 25/04/13 18:57 Pgina 11

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- SOLARZ, Jacek. British Tanks
1914-1918, in Militaria n 30,
Wydawnictwo Militaria, Warsaw,
1996.
- WHITE, B. T. British Tank
Markings and Names, Arms &
Armour Press, London, 1978.
- HOGG, Ian V. and WEEKS, John.

The illustrated encyclopedia of

Military Vehicles, New Burlington
Books, London, 1980.
- DEZ CMARA, Octavio.
Whippet, in Todo Modelismo n
27 (October 1994), Ediciones
Gnesis, Madrid, pages 60-63.

The trench was lined with naval modelling

strips made of balsa wood which were
textured with sandpaper. After using the
sandpaper, a candle light was used to
eliminate surface fluff, being careful not to
burn the wood.

I finally added the only living creature of the scene: a rat, so common in
the trenches and called to inherit our
world if we maintain the current predating pace. I took it from my spare
parts drawer, so I cant tell you the
brand or reference number.

ING 12-16 REP-Whippet:Renault UE REP 25/04/13 19:02 Pgina 12

Photographs by Octavio Dez Cmara made in the Bovington Tank Museum, Aberdeen.

The Medium Tank Mark A was 6,08 m long, 2,61 m wide and 2,75 m high and had a weight of 14.200 kg.
Known as Whippet (small hound), it could cross 2,10 m wide ditches, pass through 80 cm obstacles
and climb 40% slopes.

Close up of
the right
hand side
tension
adjuster.

Each track was formed by 67 links

which were standard to all British
fighting vehicles.

12

ING 12-16 REP-Whippet:Renault UE REP 25/04/13 19:02 Pgina 13

The side holes,

with a sloped
surface, helped to
dislodge the mud
that accumulated
while the tank
was in motion.

Even though the low

profile design of the
wheels was an
advanced feature, the
tank was very difficult
to drive, as it was
necessary to constantly
use the clutch for
steering.

The track bogies

were protected
and hidden
between two
armoured plates.

13

ING 12-16 REP-Whippet:Renault UE REP 25/04/13 19:02 Pgina 14

Hatches to access
the two Tylor 4
cylinder, 45 HP
petrol engines
(identical to the
ones used by
London
busses).The
engines drive one
track each.

The crew consisted

of three men,
although it was not
uncommon to have
four members. The
driver was seated
on the left side of
the turret.

The rear access was

equipped with a ball
mount for one of the
four 7,92 mm
Hotchkiss
machineguns. The
tank could carry 5.400
rounds of
ammunition.

14

ING 12-16 REP-Whippet:Renault UE REP 25/04/13 19:02 Pgina 15

Even though the prototypes were designed with a revolving turret, a fixed square turret was
finally installed to the 200 specimens that were built.

The peepholes have a sliding closing plate located inside the vehicle. Each of the pistol firing
apertures was protected by a rotating cover.

15

ING 12-16 REP-Whippet:Renault UE REP 25/04/13 19:02 Pgina 16

Engine
ventilation
holes are
visible at both
sides of the
nose, just
above the
tracks.

The armour was 14mm thick in areas such as the front, and 5mm in the belly and roof.

16

Pub_ModelLaboratory3_ING_P-51 Allison 07/06/13 18:08 Pgina 63

NOW aVaILaBLe
Model Laboratory 3
pz.Kpfw. VI
Tiger I 313 s. pz.abt. 505

6
36 pages

In this third issue we face to Tiger I

step by step process which explains various tricks and
techniques: performing various types of impact,
chipping, hairspray techinque, dusting, painting
tracks, oils ...

ACCION PRESS, S.A.

C/Ezequiel Solana, 16 bajo, 28017 MADRID - ESPAA
Tel: +34 913 675 708 Fax: +34 914 085 841
www.euromodelismo.com
e-mail: web@euromodelismo.com

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 18

By: Abilio Pieiro Grajera

Photographs: Basilio Tante Daz
Colour profiles: Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo

Trumpeter

1/35

Ever since the

Chinese brand
Trumpeter launched
a series of injection
moulded plastic kits
of the KV series, a
new avenue for the
fans of soviet combat
tanks was opened, as
it offered a wide
range of faithful
models with an
acceptable detail
reproduction at a
good price.

18

he parts are wonderful, making the assembly a simple yet

delightful process for any
modeller. Fittings are superb, there is no
real need to use putty, having used it
just to give the armour plates a more
even appearance and in the point where
the chassis joins the cover of the engine
rear air intakes.
Trumpeter allows you to use either
some very nice vinyl tracks or others
made of injection moulded plastic, with
individual links. I would like to point out
that if they are not placed before assembling the mudguards, it will be very hard
to put them in place without braking any
part. The final result will be perfect, no
matter if you want an out-of-the-box
assembly or if you pretend to make a
super-detailed model using one of the
many sets available in the market. Nevertheless, a higher level or realism can be
achieved by simply adding the grills to
the rear engine ventilation extractors and
replacing the gun barrel with an aluminium turned version.
The model comes with two versions
of the engine cover and additional
armour for the turret ring, representing a
later version. The only modification I

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 19

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 20

KITS USED
Model:

Figure:

- Russian KV-1 model 1942 Simplified Turret, Trumpeter ref. 358, 1/35
scale.

- Pegaso Models Platoon series ref.

PT009.
Accessories:

- Street lamp, Miniart ref. 35005.

made was to add a small cable simulating the front headlamps cable. The tank
is a perfect model to enjoy both the
assembly and painting phases.

PA I N T WO R K
I chose to paint a white winter camouflage over the standard Russian green
coat because it allowed me a wide range
of possibilities when representing the
multitude of wear effects that take place
in an operational vehicle. When deciding
to reproduce the desired effects, you
must have a clear picture of what you

want and make a great deal of reflection

on the logical and natural way of adjusting them to this scale.
Right after leaving the manufacturing
chain, the tanks were usually given, when
available, a priming coat of green
paint, and then
sent directly to the
front. After a period of operational
service, wear and
tear in the form of
brushings
and

The white paint areas scattered throughout the tank

were made with white acrylic paint, using a n 1
paintbrush. Zinc white oil paint, diluted
in Humbrol thinner, was used in some
areas to soften the effect.

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 21

scratches appeared in the paintwork,

apart from the usual splattering, filth
blotches and grease stains. If the tank
was lucky to survive until the following
winter, the crew would apply a coat of
white paint as soon as the first snow
flakes would have fallen. Considering
that the white coat of paint was used in
a specific time of the year, it was made
to be easily removed, which meant that
the paint was more subject to damage
and wear than normal camouflage paint.
I tried to reproduce this effect in my kit.
This time I started with a base coat of
Tamiya flat brown, which would help to
create a pre-shadow effect after applying
highlights. I must recognize that I didnt
like the initial appearance, but at the
end it helped to highlight the effects
that I wanted to achieve in a perfect
manner. After the base coat, I applied
a general highlight with a mixture of
olive drab (40%), flat green (40%)
and flat yellow (20%). I covered the
whole model, more consistently in
some areas, and allowed the brown
colour to show through in places
like the undersides and those

The rear headlamp is made of

red clear plastic and is also
included in the model.

Trumpeter supplies a length of

copper wire for the tow cables.

21

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 22

Optical tools have been painted using Panzer Aces

periscopes colour.

The Trumpeter kit includes

the glass fitting of the front
headlamp, made of clear
plastic.

The scratches in the

box have been
painted using a n 1
paintbrush and
desert yellow acrylic
paint.

The tracks have been painted with several washings of

flat brown acrylic paint and ivory black with burnt sienna
oil paints.

22

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 23

Some edges have been painted

with a mixture of burnt sienna,
ivory black and yellow ochre oil
paints to represent
brushings.

The cobbles were made by the

now extinct Alvic Models brand. They
are made of resin, and have been
decorated with a base of dark grey and later
several washings of buff and flat earth. The
finishing touches were made with pigments
that were fixed with Humbrol thinner.

The exhaust pipes have light dust

and black smoke pigments.

23

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 24

COLOUR CHART
TAMIYA (acrylics)
XF-3 flat yellow
XF-5 flat green
XF-10 flat brown
XF-24 dark grey
XF-52 flat earth
XF-57 buff
XF-62 olive drab
XF-63 German grey
PANZER ACES (acrylics)

309 periscopes
MODEL COLOR (acrylics)

900 french mirage blue

902 azure
950 black
951 white
977 desert Yellow
981 orange brown
984 flat brown
24

HUMBROL (enamels)

34 flat white
THE FILTER (enamels)

P245 brown
P246 grey
TITAN (oils)

6 zinc white
82 ivory black
88 yellow ochre
96 burnt sienna
MIG PRODUCTIONS
(pigments)

P023 black smoke

P024 light rust
P027 light dust
P028 Europe dust
P029 brick dust

areas especially prone to wear and tear.

Then I proceeded to illuminate the central area of the upper armour plates
with the same greenish mixture adding
a 20% buff dilution. I refrained to use
white colour, as I did not want to
obtain a pale tone. All colour used for
this process were Tamiya acrylics.
The next phase consisted in airbrushing the different areas of the tank
with Humbrol white enamel mixed
with thinner. I chose this paint to prevent spoiling the former acrylic base.
After a drying time of approximately 10
minutes, I carefully scraped the paint in
some areas. To do it, I used a N 6 hard
bristle paintbrush dampened in Humbrol thinner, using top to bottom
strokes the sides and vertical areas and
circular brushings in the horizontal
areas.
Then I painted a multitude of small
areas of white paint throughout the
tank in a realistic manner, using Model
Color white acrylic paint. During this
painting process, the kit was somewhat
lacking in charm, but at the same time

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 25

The
scattered
tree leaves
are from a
Hudson &
Allen die-cut
paper Ref.
9704. They
have been
fixed with
white glue.

it was showing a great deal of blends. To

further highlight these effects, I applied a
couple of grey and brown filters of The
Filter range. They are easy to apply, apart
from drying very fast and having a very
resistant flat finish. Once I was satisfied
with the general appearance, I started
making peels and scratches with a mixture of Model Color black and flat
brown, having in mind that they had to
be small, yet aesthetically correct and
realistic.

The earthy appearance of the links

was made by adding several filters
of pigments that were bound with
enamel thinner. The polished
metal effect was made with a
pencil.

The well designed

injection moulded
Miniart street lamp
has a German grey
base coat. Several
peels and chipped
areas have been
reproduced using a
mixture of flat
green and flat
yellow. Dirt has
been represented
with brick dust
pigments.

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 26

The Pegaso figure is made of

resin. It has been painted with
acrylics using the known
overhead lighting technique.

Finally, I distributed a mixture of

black, burnt umber and ochre yellow
oil paints to those surfaces with
intense rub contact, like the turrets
roof, the mudguards, around the
hatches, the toolbox, and the transit
areas of the crew members. Before

26

the paint dried, I rubbed with a cotton swab, the finger can also be used
to obtain an interesting steely effect.
As a final touch I applied graphite
from a pencil in those areas where
the continuous contact leaves the
metal uncovered, fixing it in place
with a drop of Humbrol thinner.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- DE DIEGO VAQUERIZO, Carlos y
VERGARA DURN, Cristobal,
Carros en Rusia II, in Monogrfico
n 11, Accin Press, Madrid, 2002.

- SEVERAL AUTHORS, Military

Vehicles of WW II (2), i n Ground
Power n 41, Delta Publishing Co.,
Tokyo, 1997.
- SEVERAL AUTHORS, Soviet Heavy
Tanks (1), i n Ground Power n 75,
Delta Publishing Co., Tokyo, 2000.

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 27

The holster was painted in flat

brown and highlighted with
orange brown acrylic paint.

The trousers were painted

with a mixture of azure and
French mirage blue.

The leather coat has a black base colour, being

highlighted with orange brown and desert
yellow acrylic paint.

27

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 28

KV-1E (mod. 1940),

104th Armoured Division,
Yelnya, July 1941.

KV-1E (mod. 1940),

unidentified unit, U.S.S.R.,
October 1941.

Pz.Kpfw. KW-IA 753(r),

1. Pz.Div.?, Eastern front,
winter 1941-42.

28

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 29

Pz.Kpfw. KW-IA 753(r),

Pz.Rgt. 10, 8. Pz.Div, Eastern
front, spring 1942-42.

KV-1 (mod. 1941),

6th Guards Armoured Brigade,
South-eastern front, May 1942.

KV-1 (mod. 1941),

116th Armoured Brigade,
U.S.S.R., April 1942.

29

ING 18-30 KV-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:07 Pgina 30

KV-1 (mod. 1942),

135th Armoured Brigade, North
Caucasus front , July 1942.

KV-1 (mod. 1942), 52nd Red Banner

Armoured Brigade, North Caucasus
front , September 1942.

KV-1 (mod. 1941), 51st

Independent Armoured Battalion?,
Leningrad front, August 1944.

30

43 Colores nuevosING_IN Suscrip. pg. 49 18/06/12 15:26 Pgina 36

W
E
N

COLORS OF
CAMOUFLAGE
All

FOR PAINTING
THE GERMAN UNIFORMS

Vignette painted by Jose Manuel Flores

Price

32
for subscribers

29
(Shipment not included)

Camouflage patterns

Oak-Leaf Pattern

Plane Tree Pattern

Italian Pattern

Pea Pattern

16colors
that match the tones used
in the uniforms of the

waffen ss
You can order at:
Acci n press, s.a.
C/ ezequiel solana, 16
28017 madrid - SPAIN
www.euromodelismo.com

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 32

By: Agustn Pacheco Fernndez

Photographs: Basilio Tante Daz

Andrea Miniatures

1/35

Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel was not only

one of the best WWII generals, but had the
rare priviledge to having earned popularity by
his countrymen and and the respect of his
enemies.
32

ommel was born in 1891 in

a Wrttemberg family with
no militar y tradition, his
father and grandfather were school
teachers. In 1910 he started a successful militar y career that would
make him the youngest Field Marshall of the German army in the summer of 1942, as well as one of the
geniuses of armoured warfare.
After obtaining the highest German
decoration, the Pour le Mrite, for
his actions in the First World War,
Rommel became military instructor in
several military academies during the
inter-war years.
He was appointed commander of
Hitlers personal protection battalion,
a duty that continued during the polish campaign. He earned Hitler s
praise and admiration for his professional spirit, even though he wasnt
member of the Nazi Party.
On February 6, 1940 he was given
command of the 7. Panzerdivision,
which spearheaded the German offensive in Belgium and northern France
of May. From the first day of the
attack, Rommel leaded his men from
the front lines, a rare case in the German Army. His successes and leadership were exploited by the German
propaganda machine, and Rommel
became one of Germanys most popular generals.
On May 27, he received both the
Knights Cross of the Iron Cross and
the command of the 5. Panzerdivision. He captured the Por t of St.
Valry on June 11, accepting the surrender of 2 French gener als and
42.000 soldiers. Rommel fought his
last battle of French campaign in the
Cherbourg-St. Nazaire area, making
30.000 British prisoners, including
the admiral in charge of the fleet and
4 other high ranking officers.

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 33

Generalfeldmarschall Rommel. S. Guilln

The 7. Panzerdivision was nicknamed the ghost Division due to the

speed and surprise it achieved, to the
point that even the German Command
lost track of where it was. It is said
that Rommel deliberately cut communications during the battle, to avoid
receiving orders to deviate or halt his
advance.
For his brilliant performance in the
1940 French campaign, where he

showed a special ability to exploit to

the new tactical possibilities offered by
the armoured vehicles and mobile
artillery as offensive weapons, plus the
admiration that Hitler felt for his general, Rommel was appointed commander of the Deutsches Afrikakorps
in February 1941. This unit had been
formed in a hurry to aid the demoralized Italian troops in Lybia, facing a
disastrous military situation.

The conditions of the north African

desert landscape allowed Rommel to
fully develop his tactical genius in
tank warfare. For more than a year and
a half, the Desert Fox managed to
keep the British forces on a defensive
position, even though his forces were
never sufficiently strong. His daring
and clean way of fighting earned
him respect from the confronting
allied forces.
Rommel captured the city of Tobruk
on June 21, taking 32.000 prisoners,
including 5 generals, as well as a huge
bounty of vehicles and petrol. The
next day, he was appointed the highest German r ank, becoming the
youngest Generalfeldmarschall (Field
Marshall) of the entire German Army,
at the age of 50. He would later say: I
would rather have a fresh armoured
division than the Field Marshalls
baton.
After the summer of 1942, Rommel
advanced with the Italio-German army
to El-Alamein, a few kilometres away
from Alexandria, threatening the most
impor t ant bastion of the British
Empire in the Near East: Egypt. But
this was the High point for Rommel:
with the much needed reinforcements
being engulfed by the Russian front,
the enemy forces growing to an
advantage of two-to-one in tanks,
artillery and men and five-to-one in
aircraft, he was defeated in October
1942 during the second battle of ElAlamein. A few days later the US
forces disembarked in Casablanca,
Oran and Algiers, opening a second
front behind his lines. This was the
beginning of the end for the Afrikakorps. The fate was sealed and the final
defeat was just a question of time,
finally arriving in May, 1943 with the
fall of Tunis.
In 1944, Hitler ordered Rommel the
command of the German Atlantic
Wall defences in Fr ance and the
Netherlands, the place where the
allied forces would attempt an assault
to the continent. Rommel was also
successful in this task, so different
from the tank warfare, helping to consolidate a wall that prevented the
allies from attacking Europe for some
months.
Never theless, the Marshall was
already convinced that the war was

33

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 34

The Desert Fox with his General Staff in Sollum,

April 1941. A. Press.

Generalmajor Erwin Rommel was

named commander of the
Deutsches Afrikakorps by Hitler in
January 1941.
Archivo General de la Administracin
(AGA). F-3755.

34

lost and saw the need to hold peace

talkswith the western Allies to prevent
a disaster. He had refused to join a
group of disenchanted generals on
several occasions, but on July 1944,
after being wounded during a British
air attack while inspecting the front
lines in Normandy, he apparently
accepted to join the conspirators that
were in favour to open peace talks
with the Allies. Even though Rommel
was not informed of the attempt
against Hitlers life, his relation with
the group came to light after the failure of the coup. Hitler prevented the
name of Rommel to be related with
the plot, being such a popular character. Two generals visited the Field Marshal in his home with an ultimatum

and a bottle of poison. On the 14th of

October, Erwin Rommel said goodbye
to his wife and son and committed
suicide. Berlin never mentioned his
role in the conspiracy and buried him
as a hero.
The military genius had ceased to
exist, but became an immortal character inthe History books.

The Marshall speaking with

his troops on board his
famous half-track GREIF.
AGA. F-3755.

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 35

Erwin Rommel
(November
15, 1891
October 14,
1944) will be
remembered
by his military
feats and his
chivalry.
A. Press.

Rommel in his Horch Kfz. 15 during the Cyrenaica campaign of

1941. AGA. F-3755.

Planning operation with the Italian allies.

AGA. F-3755.

35

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 36

Visiting a French hospital, 1943.

AGA. F-3755.

Field marshals Erwin Rommel and Albert Kesselring in

August, 1942. AGA. F-3755.

Rommel reinforced the construction of the

Atlantikwall defences in 1944. AGA. F-3755.

36

The German propaganda created the myth of the

Festung (Fortress) Europe, using Rommels prestige.
AGA. F-3755.

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 37

Just visible under the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds is the highest Prussian
military decoration, the order Pour le Mrite. S. Guilln.

37

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 38

KITS USED
Figure:

- Andrea Miniaturas ref. S5-F45,

1/32 scale.
Model:

- German Sd.Kfz. 250/3 GREIF,

Tamiya, ref. 35113, 1/35 scale.
Accesories:

- Saddle drum magazines,

German Infantry Weapons Set,
Tamiya, ref. 35111.

The white metal figure was polished with an

aluminium wool pad. The figure was given a
Tamiya deck tan priming coat using the airbrush,
to allow the other paints to hold up correctly.

Trousers were painted with a

mixture of German uniform,
black, flesh tone and beige
colours. Highlights were made by
adding a larger amount flesh tone
and beige paints, shadows were
made by adding black paint.

T H E

S C E N E

My predilection for Spanish subjects

in my modelling works is known by
most people. As a matter of fact, this
is my first work on the Second World
War in more than 15 years of modelling.
Considering that I was going to
write an article for Panzer Aces/Armor
Model magazine, I decided to honour

the title by making a small vignette of

one of the aces of panzer warfare
during the last world war, field marshall Rommel. Inevitably linked to the
north African campaign, I decided to
portray this extraordinary military man
at the peak of his career: the capture
of Tobruk, close to the vehicle he used
in this campaign, the Sd.Kfz. 250/3
half-track that we have all seen in
many period photographs.

COLOUR CHART (Figure)

TAMIYA (acrylics)

XF-55 deck tan

MODEL COLOR
(acrylics)

815 flesh tone

820 off white
828 wood grain
851 deep orange
860 medium flesh tone
877 gold brown

917 beige
918 ivory
920 German uniform
945 magenta
947 red
950 black
953 flat yellow
ANDREA COLOR (acrylics)

AC-2 English khaki

AC-22 Prussian blue

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 39

This model was used by other German generals, but what made this
specimen famous was the name written on the sides: GREIF (griffin), the
mythological winged animal with an
eagle head and a lion body.

The skin has a mixture of medium

flesh tone, English khaki, flat
yellow and magenta to which
small amounts of wood grain,
black, flesh tone and ivory were
added until the desired tanned
skin tone was obtained.

F I G U R E
This figure belongs to the Spanish
Andrea Miniatures brand, ref. Rommel, August 1942. It is cast in a high
quality white metal. The author of the
excellent modelling is ngel Terol. It
is possible to assemble two versions
of the figure, thanks to the extra
pieces included in the kit, one with
short trousers and another with M
1940 Cavalry breeches.
I decided to paint the figure using
Model Color and Andrea Color paints,
applying the overhead lighting technique, widely shown in previous articles published by this magazine.
The different paint mixtures I used
are shown in the accompanying footnotes.

For highlights, the skin colour base

was successively mixed with flesh
tone and beige paints, while for the
shadows it was progressively
darkened with black paint.

The tunic has a very light base colour,

made with a mixture of beige and
medium flesh tone, plus smaller
amounts of black and off white paints.

The braids were painted in gold

brown that was slightly darkened
with English khaki and black paints
while beige was added for the
highlights. Ivory paint was used those
areas affected by maximum light.

Lightings were achieved by adding

ivory and off white in successive
glazings. To shade the wrinkles, a
mixture of black and English khaki
was used to progressively darken
the base colour.
The boots were painted black and
soiled with wood grain, deep
orange and black. Highlights were
made by adding more of the last
two colours while shadows were
done by adding black colour to the
mixture.

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 40

Dusting
effects were
made with
several
washings of
cream enamel
and wood
grain, beige
and ivory
acrylic paints.
The final
effect was
made with
beach sand
pigment.

V E H I C L E
The vehicle is a German Sd.Kfz.
250/3 GREIF kit made by the Japanese
Tamiya brand. This version has been
improved by the Dragon kit, but con-

sidering I only wanted to show part of

the vehicle, it would have been a pity
to destroy a good kit for such a job.
When I spoke to Carlos de Diego
Vaquerizo about the project, he kindly
handed me the Tamiya kit after searching in that bottomless trunk all modellers have, full of kits that well never
have time to assemble, even if we had
three lives to live. Thank you ver y
much.
Once I had the kit in my
hands, I only had to join
the main parts and saw the
vehicle, later sanding the
edges with wet sandpaper
to obtain straight, even surfaces.
I made some improvements using stretched
plastic rods (upper and
side antennas), copper
wire (back lamp cable
and inside door lock)
and plastic strips
(outer door handle). I
also added saddle
drum magazines for
the MG from a
Tamiya weapons
set.
As a guide for
painting the half
track, I used the
article by Fernando
Gonzlez Snchez about

The vehicles base colour is a

mixture of desert yellow (60%),
dark yellow (30%) and white
(10%) that was later highlighted
adding 50% of white colour.

COLOUR CHART
(Sd.Kfz.250/3)
TAMIYA (acrylics)

XF-2 flat white

XF-59 desert yellow
XF-60 dark yellow
XF-63 German grey
PANZER ACES
(acrylics)

308 green tail light

MODEL COLOR
(acrylics)

828 woodgrain
851 deep orange
917 beige
918 ivory
950 black
HUMBROL (enamels)

103 cream
MIG PRODUCTIONS
(pigments)

P030 beach sand

ING 32-41 ROMEL:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:12 Pgina 41

The German grey

factory colour is
visible in some areas.
The plastic film edges
of the decals were
stripped out with a
blade. They were
fixed with the help
of Micro Set and
Micro Sol setting
solutions.

The rust in both the metallic

areas of the tracks and the
places were the peels have
made the steel visible have
been painted using a mixture of
wood grain and deep orange.
The links shoes and wheel
bands, made of rubber, were
painted black.

the Afrikakorps Panzer III Ausf. G published in Panzer Aces/Armor Model n

9. I used different techniques for painting vehicles in the deser t, using
Tamiya and Model Color acrylics, and
simulated dust effects with Humbrol
cream enamel and beach sand pigment
from Mig Productions. No oil paints
were used in the kit, using pencil
graphite to imitate shining metal.

T H E

B A S E

To obtain a desert flat terrain, I

fixed a Magic Sculpt "cake to the

base, spread white glue that was diluted with water and dusted the surface
with fine sand and railroad modelling
small pebbles. To have the prints
marked in the surface, I placed the
vehicle on the base and pressed
against the surface. The same method
was used with the generals footprints.
I decorated the terrain using Tamiya
paints that were diluted with alcohol,
using an airbrush. For the final painting phase I used Model Color and
Andrea Color acrylics, using the dry
brush technique and several washings
(see Modelling lessons in Panzer Aces
/Armor Model N 13) as well as Mig
Production pigments that were drypainted.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

If I was asked about the right person to make a diorama or a figure

depicting the German Army during the
Second World War, I would say, without a doubt, that Jos Manuel Flores

The trousers strips were painted red, highlights were made with
deep orange and flesh tone. Shades were made with a mixture of
red and Prussian blue. The effect of polished metal in the field
glasses was made with pencil graphite.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- THOMAS, Nigel and ANDREW,
Stephen. THOMAS, Nigel and ANDREW,
Stephen, El Ejrcito alemn 1939-1945
(II), in Carros de combate n 48, Osprey
Military/RBA, Barcelona, 1999.
- BUFFETAUT, Yves. La guerre du
desert (I), Bir-Hakeim, in Militaria
Magazine Hors Serie n 3, Histoire &
Collections, Paris, 1991.

- BUFFETAUT, Yves. La guerre du

desert (II), Toboruk, in Militaria
Magazine Hors Serie n 6, Histoire &
Collections, Paris, 1992.
- GONZLEZ SNCHEZ, Fernando.
Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. G Panzer Aces n 9
(October-November 2005), Accin
Press, Madrid, pages. 2-21.

Prez is the man. You have seen many

of his works in this magazine.
This good old man is exclusively
dedicated to his Germans. And I
dont only mean good because of his
originality, excellent compositions,
meticulous settings and a very good
painting technique, but because he is a
kind and str aightfor ward person,
always willing to help or solve any
doubt you might have. Cheer up, pal,
and keep delighting us with your creations.

ING 44-48 SDKFZ 234:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:18 Pgina 44

By: Agustn Lagartos Castellano

Photographs by Basilio Tante Daz

Conversion/Italeri

1/35

In 1942, the Germans began a design study for a

wheeled armoured vehicle to replace the Sd.Kfz.
221, Sd.Kfz. 222, Sd.Kfz. 260 and Sd.Kfz. 261
family of light, four-wheeled reconnaissance
vehicles.

here is very little information

and just a few photographs
available concerning this
vehicle. Also, the resultant vehicle never
passed the prototype stage. The mechanical components were identical to the
8x8Sd.Kfz. 234 series, although installed
on a shorter chassis. The power plant
used was a reliable Tatra 6 cylinder, aircooled, 200hp diesel engine producing a
top speed of 85 km/h. It weighed 7 tons.
It appears that the project was to concentrate on two versions. The first one
was to be armed with a Flak 30 20mm
main armament and a coaxial 7.92 mm
MG 34 installed in the same hexagonal
turret as that used for the Sd.Kfz. 222.
The second version was to be equipped
with a KwK 39 L/60 50 main armament,
identical to that used on the Panzer III
Ausf. J/L, with the addition of a muzzle
brake, and a MG 34. This latter version
was to be equipped with a closed turret
and additional armour weighing an extra
ton that caused a small reduction in
maximum speed. Both versions would
have had a crew of four.

ing the chassis and body in the

correct places. When I was
ready, I armed myself
with a saw and,
with great

care, proceeded
to cut the model. After
sanding both ends, I joined them
and applied a generous layer of putty
where necessary.

KIT USED
A S S E M B L Y

44

I used the Italeri Sd.Kfz. 234/1 and

Sd.Kfz. 234/2 kits as a basis for building
the two versions. It should, perhaps, be
mentioned that Dragon now has excellent kits of the 8x8 series that can also
be used. In addition, I used a conversion
kit from Azimut Productions of France
with the polygonal turret of the Sd.Kfz.
140/1, identical to that of the Sd.Kfz.
234/1, combining pieces of resin, photoetched brass and white metal. The next
task was to steel myself for the task of
correcting the biggest problem, shorten-

Model:

Photoetchs:

- Sd.Kfz. 234/1, Italeri ref. 294, 1/35

scale.
- Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma, Italeri ref.
202, 1/35 scale.

- Sd.Kfz. 234. Euromodelismo ref. 9.

Accesories:

- Jerrycans, Italeri ref. 402.

- Bosch light, Modelkasten ref. M-7.

Barrels:

- German 2 cm KwK 38, Jordi Rubio

ref. TG-22.
Conversin kit:

- Aufkl. Pz. 140/1 conversion set,

Azimut Productions ref. 35108.

Figures:

- Different pieces of Azimut

Productions ref. 35540 and Dragon
ref. 6029 with Hornet head ref
HGH1.

ING 44-48 SDKFZ 234:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:18 Pgina 45

45

ING 44-48 SDKFZ 234:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:19 Pgina 46

Sd.Kfz. 234 Ausf. 1. The hull

upper plate was made from
1mm Plasticard.

The reconstruction process of both

models can be seen in the accompanying photographs. However, I will summarize the main differences
between them. In the
case of the vehicle

with the hexagonal turret, after building

the engine cover sides from 0.5mm Plasticard, I used several items from my
spare parts
store to scratch
build a new 20mm

The Italeri plastic turret was

completed with Azimut resin,
photo-etched and brass parts.

The figure was made up of Azimut

and Dragon parts and a Hornet head.
It was painted with German uniform
acrylic and oil paints.

The model was

completed using Euromodelismos
photo-etch set, Italeri jerry cans and
Modelkasten headlights.

COLOUR CHART
TAMIYA (acrylics)

XF-1 flat black

XF-2 flat white
XF-4 yellow green
XF-5 flat green
XF-10 flat brown
XF-57 buff
XF-60 dark tellow
XF-64 red brown

46

MODEL COLOR
(acrylics)

952 lemon yellow

957 flat red
400 plastic putty
968 flat green
510 glossy varnish
978 dark yellow
520 matte varnish
982 cavalry brown
822 German cam. black brown 997 silver
871 leather brown
877 goldbrown
MIR (oils)
920 German uniform
4 mixed white
940 saddle brown
7 cadmium yellow deep hue
950 black
32 cadmium red hue
951 white
39 ivory black

41 yellow ochre
45 raw umber
46 burnt umber
REMBRANDT (pastels)

Black
Burnt umber
Yellow ochre
Raw umber
MARABU (varnishes)

1108 matt varnish

ING 44-48 SDKFZ 234:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:19 Pgina 47

The blueing on the

weapons was done
using a mixture of
black and silver
acrylics.

The mud is a mixture of

fine beach sand, white
glue, black and
natural umber
powdered
pastels, plastic
putty and
Model Color
gloss varnish.

The clearance rods were

made from fine pins and
hypodermic needles.

gun, discarding some parts of the Italieri

kit and using others from the Azimut
version, including the photo-etched
mesh. I also replaced the gun barrel with
a aluminium one from the Jordio Rubio
range. Next, I remade the mudguards for
both models.
Once this phase was complete, I proceeded to detail both models: The weld
seams were completed, the headlamps
and cables were placed on their respective bases, clearance rods were made
from fine pins, and several parts added
from the photo-etch included in the
Euromodelismo magazine about the
Sd.Kfz. 234. This photo-etch sheet
includes the spare wheel anchorage, the
support base for the jerry cans and the
toolbox braces.

Before applying the

mud, the model was
first given a coat
of matt varnish to
both eliminate
any shiny
areas and lessen
any contrasts.

PA I N T WO R K
I gave both models a base coat of
Tamiya acrylic dark yellow. For the camouflage, I used both matt green and matt
brown. For the vehicle armed with the
20mm gun, I hand painted blended
green stains, while I airbrushed bigger
and more marked blotches on the other.
After allowing them to dry for about
24 hours, I distributed raw
umber earth oil paint washes onto both models to
highlight the volumes.

The foliage, by Silfor, was

glued on with superglue.

ING 44-48 SDKFZ 234:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:19 Pgina 48

A weld seam made from putty

was added to the mantlet.

The decals were

supplied with the kit
which were fixed using the
Micro Sol system.

Next, I profiled all the details using a

mixture of highly diluted black and burnt
umber earth oils and then waited a further 24 hours. Then, I marked all the
edges by the dry brushing, colour-bycolour, rinsing it very lightly. For this, I
used Model Color brown leather, dark
olive green and camouflage yellow
acrylics, similar to the base colour and
the Tamiya camouflage blotches, but
with a lighter tone. The next phase was
the weathering. First, I painted a fair
amount of scratches and small using
Model Color dark brown. This was followed by blending the paint further and
also creating some vertical semi-transparent dirt runs. I then added small portions

of oils in the usual fashion to create chromatic richness.

After a further wait of 24 hours to
allow the paint to dry, I airbrushed both
models with a coat of Marabu matt varnish. After waiting a couple of hours I
began to add atmosphere to the models. For this, I applied a layer of damp
mud, a mixture of fine beach sand, white
glue, black and natural umber powdered
pastels, plastic putty and Model Color
gloss varnish, to the lower part of the
green camouflaged vehicle
using an old No.4 paint-

The dust on the tyres is powdered yellow ochre pastel

distributed with a No.2 paintbrush.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- SPIELBERGER, Walter J., Die
gepanzerten Radfahrzeuge,
Militrfahrzeuge n 4, Motorbuch
Verlag, Stuttgart, 1991.
- PERRET, Bryan, German armoured
cars and reconnaisance half-tracks
1939- 45, Vanguard n 25. Osprey
Military, London, 1982.
48

brush. A similar mixture of mud

was made for the other vehicle, but
in this case I used matt varnish in order
to make it look as if it had dried out. I
finally added some Silflor leaves to add a
touch of colour, gluing them on with
micro drops of superglue, imitating on
one of them the heavy foliage pattern
that the Germans used to camouflage
their vehicles.

The engine ventilation grills were

outlined with black oil
paint using a fine
brush.

2_Portada_PanteraING_62 ES Suscrip.qxd 21/04/13 19:09 Pgina 62

32

pag

We start a new series of Model Laboratory with a Sd.Kfz.171 Panther and the intention of offer you
an exhaustive step by step of the realization of this model kit, from the building to the painting.
Also you can find some profiles and a gallery with Panthers of several authors.

Accion press
C/Ezequiel Solana, 16 bajo, 28017 Madrid, Spain
www.euromodelismo.com/shop suscripciones@euromodelismo.com

Historex Agents
Wellington House, 157 Snargate Street, Dover, Kent CT17 9BZ
www.historexagents.com

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ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 51

By: Juan Luis Mercadal Pons

Photographs by the author and Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos

Accurate Armour

1/35

In the midst of the north African

campaign, the managers of the
Associated Equipment Company Ltd,
which also manufactured the famous
London buses, received a leaked report
mentioning the inferiority of British
armour against the enemy.

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 52

he report stated that the

armoured vehicle crews
were adding guns on
improvised turrets to increase their
vehicles firepower, which were factory armed with machineguns exclusively. The companys management decided, by own initiative, to develop an
armoured car with a 2 pounder ( 40
mm) gun and a 7,92 coaxially mounted
machinegun, both mounted on a
Valentine tanks turret. The EAC prototype was virtually a wheeled tank, having the same armour, firepower and
weight of a medium tank. Some of the
components included the 105 hp
engine and chassis of the Matador gun
tractor, allowing the 11 ton vehicle a
maximum speed of 58 km/h and a
range of 402 km. The crew consisted
of three men, the dimensions being
The silver coloured inside of the
headlamp has received a black
washing on the upper side and a
white one on the lower one.
Finally, a layer of clear acrylic
was applied.

52

KITS USED
Model:

Accesories:

- AEC Mk. I British WWII Armoured

Car, Accurate Armour ref. K55, 1/35
scale.

- Antennas, Minimeca ref. 3501.

- Military vehicles stowage, Verlinden Productions ref. 1651.
- Parts from the Matilda photoetch,
Eduard ref. 35099.

Weaponry:

- 40 mm gun, Elefant Model Accessories ref. 35.345.

- Besa 7.92, Incomparable Series ref.
B 007.

518 cm length, 255 cm height and 270

cm width. Armours thickness was of 30 mm in
the hull and 65 mm
in the turret.

Figures:

- Warriors ref. 35389.

- Ultracast ref. 35027.

The stor y of its purchase by the

British army is odd: One of the prototypes was painted in bright colours
and placed close to where Winston
Churchill was going to hold a public
event, with the intention of catching
his attention. It worked, production
starting during the autumn of 1941.
After more than one year of production, some improvements were
made to the vehicle. In the following models, Mk. II and Mk.

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 53

All the white metal parts were

fixed together and to the resin
pieces using a fast drying twocomponent glue called Araldit ,
assuring a solid union of all
parts.

The white metal

periscopes are included in
the kit. Rear view mirror
rods are made of steel.

III, the firepower was increased and

the front armour was redesigned. The
production of both models was relatively scarce, the few vehicles arriving
at the front were handed out to
armoured vehicle regiments, trying to
have an AEC for each section to reinforce the Humber y Marmon-Herrington cars, armed only with machineguns. With the addition of the AEC,
British reconnaissance units improved
their operational capacity, depending
in a lesser degree of support weapons.
This giant was lethal against German
and Italian light armoured vehicles,
and was even respected by Panzer II
tanks.

A S S E M B L Y
A word of caution when working
with resin

Resin models have advantages and

inconveniences, raising confronted
feelings between those with
courage enough to work with
them. Some precautionary
measures when working
with resin are:
1. Always cover
your nose and
mouth with a
mask when cutting
or sanding, as the
resin dust is toxic.
Wet sandpaper is
always the best
option.
2. To join
pieces that
must sust ain a great
amount
of

Wheels have been drilled

to allow fixing of the bolts
that will hold the vehicle
to the base.

53

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 54

Close up of the box, built with

different thickness plastic plates.

pieces together. In compensation for

that, some pieces show nice detailing
and a level of perfection that is difficult to find in plastic kits, so we wont
need many accessories to add detail.
Instructions, if they qualify for the
name, are photocopies with a list of
parts, an assembly guide and some
photographs of the finished kit with
the superimposed numbers of each
piece. It is shocking at first, but with a
bit of patience the assembly can be
done without mayor problems. As
always, it is advisable to collect as
much information as possible about
the vehicle. In this particular case, the
information is quite scarce, as you can
see by the meagre bibliography.
Assembly and detailing

The cage for the jerrycans was

reproduced with 1,2 x 0,4 mm
sized Evergreen plastic stripes.

weight or tension, it is advisable to

use epoxy type glue and never superglue, as the latter is not as resistant to
bumps or vibrations that the kit can
suffer during manipulation.
The Accurate Armour kit

The kit include resin, white metal

and photo etched pieces, a tin rod
and a strip of clear plastic. The best
parts are the photo etches, as the resin
pieces show many faults, many burrs
and are extremely fragile. Fittings are
defective, being necessar y to make
many adjustments before fixing the

I will only mention the pieces that

are worth replacing or adding, as the
rest are assembled by just following
the instructions, but remember that
cutting and sanding will be necessary.
Weapons were replaced (see chart),
due to the low quality of the pieces
that come with the kit. The final section of exhaust pipe was replaced by a
tin pipe. The supports of the ammunition boxes around the turret were taken from a Matilda photo etch (see
Panzer Aces /Armor Model n 8). The
handles of the engine covers were
made with wire and the closing levers
with stretched plastic. The headlamp
cables were made with copper wire.
The antenna bases were detailed with
pieces of hypodermic needles and telephone wire protective covers. The
antennas are steel rods; the one
included is not long enough. The radio
equipment No 19 used two antennas,

the main one consisted of three sections of four feet each ( 3 x 3,48 cm
1/35 scale) and the second antenna
was 20 inches long (1,45 cm in 1/35
scale).
Other items, such as the cage for
the jerr ycans and the box that is
located over the rear mudguard, had to
be scratch-built with Evergreen plastic
stripes and sheets. Another typical
piece was the armoured guard near the
turret base. I could not find a plastic
profile to represent this piece, but I
luckily managed to find a steel strip
that had the exact measurements I was
looking for. After cutting it and bending to the appropriate angle, I fixed it
carefully for the correct vertical and
horizontal adjustment. Now I can say
that my AEC is a real armoured car!

CAMOUFLAGE
COLOURS
The manufacturing period of the
AEC Mk.1 was short, from the end of
1941 to the beginning of 1943, the
date when the improved version AEC
Mk.II entered active duty. The 120 cars
that were manufactured arrived on
time to fight with the 8th army in the
middle east and in north Africa with
the 1ST army in Tunisia. Some cars
even made it to Italy.
Even if there was a possibility for
one of the first AEC Mk. Is arriving to
the north African theatre to be painted
in the old Khaki Green G3 factor y
colour, the fact is that by that time
regulations called for a progressive
replacement for a dark khaki brown
called SCC2 Service Colour. NevThe base
colour has a
mixture of
50% white and
50% red brown,
while white
colour was added
for highlights.
The dark preshadowing can be
observed in the
bas-reliefs.

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First washings to imitate dust

were made with buff and desert
yellow.

ertheless, all the vehicles were refurbished for desert service in Egypt and
repainted in Light Stone 61 (clear yellow sand) or Portland Stone 64 (pale
greyish sand). Once the cars arrived
to their units, a second disruptive
colour could be applied, usually Slate
34 (pale greyish green), SCC7 Dark
Green (dark olive drab) or SCC14
Black (bluish black). Many other
colours were used with a multitude of
patterns. The reason was that regulations allowed large units to have a
cer t ain degree of freedom in the
application of the second colour.
Other vehicles remained without any
camouflage, as observed in period
photographs.
Another colour, SCC11b Desert
Pink, was introduced in October
1942. As with Light Stone 61, a second one was to be used as a

The periscopes glass was decorated

first with dark Prussian and later
with clear acrylics.

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ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 56

disruptive camouflage colour. The designated colour was SCC7 Dark Green.
If unavailable, SCC14 Black, SCC1a
Very Dark Brown (chocolate) or Slate
34 could be used. To prevent a camouflage anarchy, specific patterns were
carefully established for each type of
car. Less tactical valued vehicles had
no second colour applied. Regarding
Armoured vehicles, period photos
show specimens with and without
camouflage blotches.
The vehicles that took part in the
Tunisian landings of November 1942
with the 1st army, had a factory SCC2
Service Colour finish. It is also known
that some vehicles were given an
improvised camouflage in the form of a
crude mud application or any available
colour, like CC14 Black or SCC1a Very
Dark Brown during the
Tunisian campaign. AEC Mk. I
cars were present in some of
the units that disembarked in
Tunisia, like the 1st Derbyshire

Rear view mirrors were made

with metallic wrapping
gift paper, fixed with
white glue and given a
buff washing.

Yeomanry, part of the 6th Armoured

Division.
A new regulation of April 1943
called for the use of SCC5 Light Mud
colour as a base tone and SCC14 Black
as a disruptive colour. At least one
unit with AEC Mk. I cars used this
new scheme, as photographs taken in
Syria clearly show.
The few AEC Mk. I that arrived in
Sicily and the Italian mainland kept
their old desert camouflage, like the
rest of the invasion forces. Vehicles
usually remained with this paint unless
they were taken to the rear for repair or
in the case of a unit reorganization.

PA I N T WO R K
I decided to represent a vehicle
belonging to the 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, 4th Lt. Armoured Brigade, 7th
Armoured Division in north Africa at
the end of 1942, painted with SCC11b
Desert Pink.
Priming: I started by adding a sky
grey priming coat to the kit. This allowed
better observation of faults, which were
corrected by sanding and applying putty.
Priming also allowed the following paints
to have a better adherence to the different kits materials.
Pre-shadowing: I first used flat
black to completely cover the grey
colour, paying more attention on the
tyres, being their final colour. Next I
used a highly diluted colour in successive coats, creating transparencies that
allowed the black colour to see
through in places like angles and

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 57

Treatment continues with more

washings and adding light dust
pigments. Filth runs are visible on
the side plates.

bends, adding a natur al shadow

effect. I used a mixture of red brown
and flat earth, which combined neatly
with the base colour. I later took
advantage of this.
Base colour and highlights:
After checking the references and
making several trials, I managed to
obtain the Desert Pink colour quite
easily: I mixed the same amounts of
red brown and white . After spreading
this colour being careful not to cover
the previous shadows, I added white
paint to the mixture for highlights.
The many angles of the kit allowed me
to create nice contr asts, I even
increased the panelling effect in some
places with the help of masking tape.
At first the contrast between the highlights, the base coat and the shadows
seemed too strong, but further treatments helped to obtain a perfect
effect. For the last highlights, the tone
was slightly changed: Adding a small
amount of red brown, I went through
high tr ansit areas, like the zones
around the hatches, while buff was
added to paint those areas with dust
accumulations. Using the latter mixture I added vertical strokes in the
sloped surfaces. All these layers were
painted with highly diluted paint,
using the airbrush. At this point the
model showed interesting blends, volumes, shadows and slight sand and
filth accumulations. This made the
paintbrush phase easier.
Markings: I consider that the best
moment to apply markings is right
before starting with the aging and
weathering processes. British crews
scarcely marked their vehicles in the
African theatre of operations. Many
had only the military numerals. Our
vehicle bears the insignia of the 7th
Armoured Division, the famous desert
rat, a Tamiya decal. The armoured regiment that was part of the Division
during the battle of El Alamein was the

2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, bearing a

black number 76 painted over green
and white rectangles as the tactical
mark. After airbrushing the rectangles
using masking t ape, I f ixed the
Decadry brand transfers. Before fixing
the transfers and decals, I applied clear
acrylic paint on the places were they
would be located, adding a coat of
matte varnish after they were fixed in
place. This was done to protect them
from subsequent treatments.

Dust, dirt, brushes and peels: First

I applied washings of highly diluted buff,
desert yellow acrylics and light dust pigments, making sure they fixed to bends
and around the rivets. Sloped areas were
painted with vertical runs, using colours
alternately, fading the edges and slightly
mounting one run over the other. Rust
runs and filth were painted with red
brown and NATO brown.
I st ar ted removing the previous
effects in horizontal areas and edges,

COLOUR CHART
TAMIYA (acrylics)
X-10 gun metal
X-22 clear
XF-1 flat black
XF-2 flat white
XF-5 flat green
XF-19 sky grey
XF-20 medium grey
XF-49 khaki
XF-52 flat earth
XF-57 buff
XF-59 desert yellow
XF-64 red brown
XF-68 NATO brown

982 cavalry brown

MODEL AIR (acrylics)
059 matte varnish
MIR (oils)
41 yellow ochre
47 raw sienna
48 burnt sienna
MIG PRODUCTIONS
(pigments)
P023 black smoke
P027 light dust
P029 brick dust

MODEL COLOR (acrylics)

899 dark Prussian
57

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more exposed to brushes. I usually use

abrasive tools, like hard-bristle paintbrushes, scourging pads, fibreglass
pencils and r ubber er asers, even
though good results can also be
achieved with a soft paintbr ush,
adding water and a few drops of thinner. Natural looking peels appeared in
the areas where I used the above mentioned tools, and thanks to the colour

range I had applied below the Desert

Pink coat, they looked quite realistic. I
had achieved the kneading appearance in some areas that I was looking
for. At the same time, this treatment
allowed the dust and filth to be placed
in the correct places. I repeated the
painting and erasing operation several
times until I obt ained the desired
effect.

It might seem a chaotic way of

painting, but it allows a high degree of
control and causes only slight alteration to the base colour, an important
issue for me. This method lets you
paint, model and add texture at the
same time. Rubbed-out zones have a
shiny appearance and dust accumulations present realistic volumes. Scrapes
and peels made with a blade show a

An eraser and a
hard bristle
paintbrush were
used to remove
the dust from
bends and
curves. The
undersides
received a mud
treatment using
a mixture of
brick dust and
light dust
pigments.

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natural texture. Pigment dust effects

are surprising, as they dont always
hold to all surfaces in a n even manner. As an example, the light dust
colour is easily removed, while the
black smoke pigment, even if dr y
applied, has a perfect adherence. It is
thus important to make small trials
and add a bit of matte varnish to those
pigments that have low adherence.
Next I highlighted the previous
effects by painting bends and peels
with some of the colours I had used
except black, because this last colour
produces a strong contrast in such a
light painted vehicle. I dry-brushed the
tyres with medium grey to highlight
the wheel patterns. Petrol stains on
the engine area were painted with
diluted brown and a few drops of clear
acrylic paints In places were continuous rubbing and brushing has left
areas of exposed metal, I used pencil
graphite to imitate the effect.
Element and equipment painting: I
painted elements and equipments in
different colours, just like in photos of

The inside of the hatches

were painted with flat earth
while a mixture of clear and
NATO brown paints was used
for the pads.

INFORMATION ON THE NET

- STARMER, Mike and COOPER,
Mike, British AFV Camouflage
1939/1945. M.A.V.F.A.
http://www.mafva.org.uk/Tankette.asp

real life vehicles. The most commonly

used were Stone, Bronze Green, or
Dunkelgrau. I used a piece of khaki
dressing to represent a camouflage net,
and an aluminium strip to imitate canvas. A chain and a naval modelling
rope were enough to complete the decoration. All the different elements were
placed in a logical manner, those

- Flames Of War, British Armoured

Car Squadrons.
http://fow.flamesofwar.com

that couldnt be stored safely had to be

tied or soldered to the vehicle.

F I G U R E S
After carefully checking the figures
in my drawer, I decided for the three
that were better adapted to the
armoured car. The figures in the

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:23 Pgina 60

turret are from the Warrior brand,

while the driver is an Ultracast brand
figure. All of them are highly detailed,
which makes painting much easier. I
only had to modify the turret figures,
changing the arms and hands posi-

tions to adapt them to the kit. I added

the radio operators headphone band
using a copper strip; the headphone
cables and the revolvers lanyard were
made with sewing thread. They were
painted using Model Color acr ylics

with the usual highlight and shadow

technique.

T H E

B A S E

The terrain is a simple plywood

base, a layer of Das Pronto was spread
on the surface to add volume. I fixed
fine sand and pebbles before it dried. It
was painted with a mixture of buff and

BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Several authors.
Contribution to Victory, The
Associated Equipment Co.
Southall, .
- Several authors. British
Armoured Cars, in Ground
Power n 42, Delta
Publishing Co. Tokyo, 1997.
60

The terrain was modelled with Das Pronto; fine sand and small pebbles were
fixed with water diluted white glue.

ING 50-61 MK-1:PzI.F 25/04/13 19:24 Pgina 61

After
airbrushing a
couple of coats
with a mixture
of buff and
white, several
glazings were
applied with
highly diluted
oil paints. The
pebbles were
highlighted
using the dry
brush
technique.

white, adding textures with selective

washings of burnt sienna, yellow
ochre and raw umber. To finish, I
applied a mixture of desert yellow and
white with the dry brush technique.
The last touch consisted in adding
some vegetation.

The exhaust pipe was painted first

with cavalry brown and later with
black smoke pigment.
The machinegun was painted with
gun metal acrylic paint and later
profiled with highly diluted black.
Bends and curbs were rubbed
with graphite.

Acknowledgements

I want to thank Daniel Pomar for

handing me the kit and part of the
information needed to complete it.

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MODELLING LESSONS

By: Javier Redondo Jimnez

Photographs by the author

Vehicle weathering with mud

There is still a wide
sector of modellers
who think that the
creation of extreme
wear effects are done
with the sole purpose
of hiding mistakes
Hence the reason
some decide to do
immaculate, tidy
finishes for their
vehicles, as if they
just came out of the
production line.

62

oth concepts, either the

heavy filth and staining or
the clean finish are valid. I
personally prefer the first option,
because it allows the model to
achieve a nice visual presence, apart
from hiding assembly mistakes. We
must always remember when assembling and painting a kit that realism
must be balanced with visual
appeal. One of the most fashionable
weathering effects is creating mud,
a technique developed time ago by
Miguel Jimnez.
I usually follow the steps shown
in the accompanying photos when I
simulate mud. The process is
explained in the footnotes. The
tones obviously change depending
on the type of terrain, and both
resin and gloss varnishes can be
added to the basic mud mixture if
the intention is to represent wet or
caked mud.

Plaster (fine filtered

plaster can also be
used), pigments,
white glue and a
container to mix the
ingredients.

The powdered
pigments are placed
in the container
together with the
plaster and mixed.

After adding a few

drops of water, some
Model Color 872 Brown
chocolate acrylic paint
and some white glue to
retard the drying
process and add
adherence, the mixture
is stirred with a fine
arts spatula, until a
thick consistent paste is
achieved.

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In order to achieve an
uneven appearance, a
hard-bristle paintbrush
can be used to peck the
surface. If the mixtures
consistency is correct
(without too much
water), it will remain in
place when dry.

Apply the paste in a rational way

to the undersides of the vehicle
using the spatula, especially in
those areas prone to mud
accumulation.

Dont worry if
the mixture
seems a little
dark at the
beginning, as it
clears up
considerably
when it dries.

Dust pigments are then added with the help of a soft-bristle

paintbrush. Dark tones are placed on the sides, while lighter
ones are painted on the centre, softly spreading them with
the paintbrush.

To fix the pigments to the area where they were

applied, a few drops of Humbrol enamel solvent
will be enough.

The final effect

can be seen after
the solvent has
dried. More
pigments can be
added if you are
not satisfied with
the results,
adding solvent to
fix them in place.
This process can
be repeated as
many times as
necessary.

63

ING STAFF:ESP STAFF 25/04/13 19:31 Pgina 64

Publishing Manager
Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos
Executive Director
Ricardo Recio Cardona
Editor in Chief
Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo
Translated by
Gustavo Cano Muoz
Edited by
Ian Parsons
Have collaborated in this issue:
Javier Redondo Jimnez
Octavio Dez Cmara
Abilio Pieiro Grajera
Agustn Pacheco Fernndez
Agustn Lagartos Castellano
Juan Luis Mercadal Pons
Photographers
Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos
Basilio Tante Daz

editorial
GREAT CONTRASTS
In our continuous effort to offer modelling contrasts to our readers, we have managed
to prepare an issue with a mixture of rare and classic models. Oddly enough, the first
article is neither of them. Of all the scarce range of World War II tank kits, the Whippet is,
without a doubt, an interesting piece both because its size and features, as Javier Redondo
shows us with his hyper realistic modelling work on this rare pioneer vehicle.
Nowadays, when is seems that detailing is an absolute necessity, a sudden feel for
assembling a kit like the classic KV-1 arises. This out-of-the-box assembly was made by
Abilio Pieiro and includes a very realistic painting. We are certain that this article will
satisfy those impatient modellers who like to build their kits as soon as possible.
Rommel was the military man that took the concept of Alexandrian war, developed
by Alexander the Great, to new levels. He obtained spectacular results in all the battles
that he fought, especially considering the small amount of equipment and scare supplies
at his disposal. However, just as Alexander in India, he had to retreat due to the
impossibility of defeating a much bigger army opposing him. Agustin Pacheco Fernndez
has made a homage to this German military man with a figure, whose excellent painting
job is explained in the article.
Now lets deal with the rarities. Its about two versions of the reconnaissance Sd.Kfz.
234 prototype that never made it to the to the factory, due to the manufacture of similar
vehicles that were better adapted to the needs of the German Army. They were made by
Agustn Lagartos. Rarely seen kits are always refreshing.
Another rarity is the AEC Mk. 1, the most effective armoured car of the allied arsenal
during World War II. The scarce production has made this vehicle less appealing to
modellers. Not to Juan Luis Mercadal, who has made an excellent and interesting model.
The closing article is about the frequently used but hardly well executed mud
weathering. We hope you like this atypical issue and that you enjoy the variations.

Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos

Illustrations
Carlos de Diego Vaquerizo
Lay Out
KOMMAD S.L.
Juanita Bags Villaneda
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64