Marder IIIM...It's what I do

[fusilier1944]

I've been away from the hobby for a while and haven't posted anything in years. Other things in life have taken priority and I lacked the passion to touch anything for quite some time. It's taken a couple years working on and off, but I am finally at a point where I'm about ready to apply paint. Figured I'd post before pics before I begin that process.

Last things to deal with beyond paint are the chair pads and ammo. Lots of ammo. 27 rounds/vehicle! These were the last of the "prototype" kits. There were a few pieces missing and other flaws to deal with. I sold pretty much all of my vehicles years ago, these ones I'm keeping for myself. I've still got an Armor Hobbies 250 and a Desimone Sherman to get to eventually. Eventually. Thanks for looking.

 

[Sixth Vanguard]

Great to see you back at it Carey
Your Marders always look so nice. Will be great to see this pair all painted up

 

[egonzinc]

These look fantastic. These open vehicles are a lot of work, but a lot of fun.

 

[Hammer's Africaners]

Those look awesome

 

[pangaloss]

Beautiful. So much detail I could spend hours admiring these two. They're going to be amazing when you've painted them.

 

[fusilier1944]

Thanks folks. Not sure when I'll have time to paint (or supplies) but it has been about 7 years since I picked up an airbrush. We'll see how that goes. I probably have to buy paint. I don't think I have any that's still good. I hope my airbrushes still work too. That could get expensive. Especially if my compressor died.

 

[T.H.A.W.]

Outstanding detail and craftsmanship!...cant wait to see them finished.

 

[egonzinc]

Don't give up on your old paints! I have used Tamiya for many years. Once they go dry, they are gone, but if you open the bottle and there is still solvent there, there is hope!

 

[panzerallan]

looking good
i have allways loved your work,have a few of your builds in my collection.

great to see you back
cory

 

[Panzercommander HOH]

Your Marders look great! They'll look even better when they are finished!

Dick will be envious as he only has one, for now...

Well done!

Fred

 

[pzrwest]

Beautiful work there. I have a question about how does one paint the interior of open crew compartments. Is the vehicle glued or screwed together and if so how do you go about painting all the items you can see inside? Always baffles me how the painting is done. I know all of the interior and components are not all one color. Regardless how it is painted they still amaze me with the amount of detailing done that makes one scratch their heads trying to tell if they are real or 1/6th.... Harold

 

[panzeriv]

Fantastic, an insane amount of work and it looks 99% scratchbuilt.

All loaded with crews they will be unstoppable.

Scott

 

[Hammer Six]

Oh man! As Fred said I'm so jealous. Cary those are out of this world. Outfreakingstanding and KUDOS!

Also very glad to see your back....have always loved your work.

 

[fusilier1944]

Thanks guys. It's taken a long time to get to this point. I'm starting to enjoy my hobbies again. All about time & money. When I sold off vehicles I had a couple damaged during shipping and that sucked big time. Glad to see the same "faces" still around!

Eduardo: I'm one of the adopters of using latex paint from Home Depot. Custom color matched quart for $20 vs an unimaginable amount for model paint? I'll buy the homer's paint & thin with windex! Only problem is it can rot in the can over the years. Usually a bit of bleach can save it. But not always.

Harold: painting the interior is a pain in the butt! In these vehicle I can remove and disassemble the gun/cradle/mantel. The ammo racks are loose for now. They will be attached after painting. Small details like the chairs are removable. The thing I'm kicking myself over is that the radios are glued in! Thankfully with all the rest removed I have a good amount of working room for painting.

 

[egonzinc]

Oh well, if it is latex, then all bets are off! Jaha! I woukd stay away from bleach for sure!
Looking forward to seeing these painted!

 

[Hammer Six]

Cary...an easy way to mask off the radios is to use 'Press and Seal'

 

[loic]

actually, I have a question for those who use Home Depot Latex paint. I use it for my Dunkelgelb on all FOA vehicles and I found that Windex thinner seems to create some type of "rough pattern" drying on some surface.

So I'm not using Windex anymore but straight water with no problem. Anyone with similar experience with Windex thinner?

Loic

 

[Hammer Six]

Loic...never tried the Windex...but have used water and also got a very smooth finish. Always use HD paints. I buy the sample size and when using all 'dunkle' can get two to three vehicles painted with a water mix (am not talking about large vehicles but like 250's, Marders, Grille's etc).

 

[fusilier1944]

I've always used dollar store glass cleaner so it's probably mostly water anyway. The trick is to get the right consistency. For the Testors Aztec and knockoff Badger airbrushes I use (if they still work) I've had luck with mixing to somewhere between a soapy and a milky consistency. It has to feel right between your fingers. It's also important to have a good primer that has had plenty of time to off-gas any solvents before putting latex over it. Lately I've been buying Ace brand red oxide since it's affordable and works well for the other uses I've had.

I also paint in my garage so everything gets grimy and dirty anyway. But I think we make things too perfect as it is. Just look at real vehicles. The welds look like garbage & paint was often hastily applied.

 

[Squidley]

When I first opened this page, I thought those were rusty marders at aberdeen proving ground. A lot of the stuff there had that same look.

Beautiful armor!