BUILDING THE TANK
I used the excellent Ryefield Models Panzer IV Ausf J with interior (No. 5043). While most of the hatches will be posed open, I did not add all of the interior details, focusing instead on the those that can be seen through the open hatches, 17.
I drilled two holes through the firewall, 18, to accommodate two LEDs from a Bandai lighting set, 19. The engine was omitted to make room for the wires and lights. Other alterations inside include a scratchbuilt commander’s seat back more accurate than the kit part, and omission of the transmission as the full-size tank didn’t have one.
I painted the interior in steps, starting with a primer coat of Tamiya Flat Black (No. XF-1), 20, followed by Royal Light Gray (No. XF-80), 21, and Flat White (No. XF-2), 22. The gray and white layers were applied only to the highlights, and then more white was misted on to blend it all together.
I painted the main floor with Tamiya Hull Red (No. XF-9) to simulate red oxide primer and then hand-painted details with Vallejo acrylics.
Other details, such as the seats, were hand-painted with Vallejo colors in varying shades of brown.
The details that “keep the viewer’s eye on your model” included the German Signal magazine discarded on the crew seat and a crewman’s wrench left on the floor, 23.
A wash of Winsor & Newton raw umber artist oil and light dry-brushing of white oil paint finished the weathering. Don’t forget to include dirt and mud where the crew would track it from outside, 24.
The tank in the photo is a “hybrid” with a Panzer IV Ausf H hull and an Ausf J turret. Rather than combining two expensive kits, I backdated components as follows, 25:
Turret
• Removed the splash guard over the mantlet’s left telescopic
sighting hole.
• Added partially worn away Zimmerit on the left side of the
mantlet.
• Replaced the side doors with Tamiya Panzer III turret side doors
from my spares box with hatch vision slots. They fit perfectly! • Added broken mounting brackets for the missing rear stowage
bin.
Hull
• Drilled out the locating holes for only four return-rollers as
indicated in kit instructions.
• Added brake cooling air-intake guards on the brake access
hatches.
• Relocated splash guards around the hull hatches with styrene
strip.
• Omitted all running gear, drive sprockets, idlers, wheels, and
return-rollers.
• Made extra 30mm frontal armor with 1mm styrene held in place
with Tichy Models hex-bolts (No. 8080).
• Omitted all rear hull detail, including the exhaust.
• Removed all of the fenders (Parts G1 and G2), leaving only the parts attached directly to the hull, and added L-shaped brackets on either side to replicate brackets
• Replaced rear tow hook with an earlier version supplied in the kit. • Added hull-side vision slots and rivets.
• Applied styrene rod to simulate welded-over vision slots.
• Cut and bent kit photo-etched metal side engine grilles and
posed them at odd angles to match photo.
Painting the panzer
After masking the open hatches, I airbrushed a primer coat of flat black followed by random patterns and squiggles of white, 26. This provides a modulated effect when I lightly layered subsequent colors over it and added interest to the finish.
For the camouflage, I used AK Interactive 1945 German Late War Colors (No. AK554). This set’s acrylics airbrush nicely out of the bottle with no thinning. They look vibrant when applied — maybe too vibrant — but weathering washes and filters muted the contrast for a realistic finish.
After applying an overall raw umber wash, I layered on weathering products including artist oils, dry pigments, filters, and various stain and spill effects. I didn’t follow a specific sequence, instead layering and re-layering these products until I got the look I wanted. Since this was a static, non-moving tank, I added debris on the vehicle but little mud underneath, 27. Oil and grease stains were concentrated on the engine deck using Wilder and Mig engine weathering products, 28.
I used a white Prismacolor pencil to replicate the manufacturer’s number stamps on the hull, 29.