E-75 tank destroyer

I actually primed this last year using matt black from the new AK Real paint but it got pushed to the back of the queue due to losing interest, however after the nightmare with the Airfix P-51 finish I decided to get this one on the bench again just to prove to myself that I can actually spray stuff without it going wrong.
The base coat was again from the AK range using RC061 Dunkelgelb Ausgabe 44 and pretty much straight after spraying that the camo was applied freehand using a Badger 100 and Mr Hobby H405 Olivegrun lightened with Tamiya XF-3 Yellow;

So far so good! The next step is to apply a coat of gloss varnish to get it ready for any decals I might apply and the start of the weathering process.
I also need to spray the exhausts in various shades of brown and orange, coat them with hairspray decanted from the tin and when dry spray them in the basecoat. After this they will be chipped using a hard brush and warm water.
I like the AK Real paints but a couple of things I've learned is not to spray them OVER Tamiya paint thinned with their own thinner or IPA (I found that out with the Mustang), also when thinning the paint do it in a jar rather than the paint cup on the airbrush as I found it difficult to get the paint flowing

E-75 'Eber' tank destroyer

Some more progress has been made on the model as I've added the kit-supplied etched grenade screens, tools and engine compartment cover. Also to add some interest to the engine deck I cut off the breather pipes that were moulded on and replaced them with styrene rod with the etch bits coming from the Voyager detail set, I also added a couple at the front of the deck.
One problem I had with the resin superstructure was that on one side there was quite a noticeable 'indent' on the edge and even trying to pack it out when gluing the superstructure to the hull didn't make much difference. Although it's a moulding fault I should have inspected the part better before I bought the conversion set as I could have swapped it there and then. Anyway looking at the model it was bugging me;

To hide it I came up with the idea of making a tube for the gun cleaning rods as found on Panthers and Jagdpanthers so I cut some 5mm diameter tube to a length of 58mm, made some end caps and added a handle either end from sheet brass bent to shape;

That hides the defect quite nicely! Here are some more progress shots, I'm waiting on the Hobbyboss King Tiger tracks to arrive so in the meantime I'm doing what I can to the model;

I've added grab handles to the engine bay doors and hatches on the superstructure, the brass tool clamps are from the kit as I couldn't face using the Voyager ones LOL. On my days off I'll make a start on the rear hull.

E-75 'Eber' tank destroyer

Some good progress has been made on this so far but rather boringly I have to stop as I'm working this weekend. The wheels are just fitted for show as the tracks will be glue onto them and when set the whole lot will be taken off as sub assemblies.
I masked off the engine deck and roof today and sprayed the interior black, which is something I really should have done BEFORE I glued the superstructure to the hull.

It's worth pointing out on the Trumpeter kit the slight sink mark either side of the rear hull that needs filling, I did this after filling all the location holes for the tools;

This is where I am so far;

I do like these 'what-ifs' as they give you freedom from historical accuracy which I need from time to time as I can get bogged down in research.

E-75 'Eber' tank destroyer

I was at Scale Model World recently and one of my purchases was the Paper Panzer Productions E-50/E-75 'Eber' conversion. This is a TOTAL 'what-if' so if this genre doesn't appeal to you then look away now.....for the rest of you who are still interested this depicts a tank destroyer with a superstructure bolted to the hull in a similar fashion to the Sturmtiger. The conversion set has a new superstructure, gun mantlet, commanders cupola, aluminium barrel, various vision devices including periscopes, a brass aerial and copper wire. No instructions are included but it's simple enough to work out where the parts go.
I got the Trumpeter E-75 kit out of the stash just to see how the superstructure fits to the hull;

Then I started to clean up a couple of parts (just for a look you understand) but then after a couple of hours I seem to have glued the hull together.....oops!

I s'pose you can safely say this is my next project then! I'll be putting aftermarket tracks on this as the kit ones are crap (and too short) but after looking at the prices of Fruil, Spade Ace, Modelkasten etc I'll use the Hobbyboss ones for a King Tiger that I put on my E-50 with the radar turret as they are good and very cheap. I'll use Paper Panzer Productions roadwheels and exhausts as I already have them in stock. I also have an etch set somewhere but I'm buggered if I can find it at the moment.
Anyway back to the conversion and the superstructure needed a minimal clean up, mainly around the front where it sits on top of the Trumpeter hull. The hole for the commanders cupola was opened up but already I've made a boob as I should have really sprayed the interior black first before gluing it all together. I've had to pack the mantlet underneath with filler as there was a gap between it and the Trumpeter hull, also I'll coat the whole thing with Mr Surfacer to add texture to it.
I'm a bit naughty really as I have other things on the go but when you feel the need to build something you have to go with the flow.

Trumpeter E-50 with Heimdall turret finished

YAY! The first model of the year finished (yeah I know it was started in July 2016).

For this model I used Paper Panzer Productions E-50/75 exhausts, wheels and of course their Heimdall turret. The idea behind this particular vehicle is that it would be a radar and rangefinder for a battery of E-50 Flakpanzers in case you were wondering.
I've tried adding some visual interest with the rusty panels over the engine intakes and the MG post on the engine deck painted in the lighter shade of dunkelgelb as though it was taken from another vehicle. I decided on a splinter scheme early on but the two greens just did'nt look 'right' to me so I went for a white winter finish scheme in a splinter pattern to match.
I'm not THAT keen on the amount of dirt on it but I keep getting told off for not weathering my tanks enough :o)

Different is'nt it? I know some people out there HATE the whole 'what-if/ paper panzer/ 1946' thing and at one point that included me but these days I just like the freedom that the subject brings as I don't get bogged down in researching a particular vehicle built on a Friday afternoon that was missing a bolt on the third roadwheel.

Trumpeter E-50 with Heimdall turret

Since the last update I tweaked the model a bit by removing the front mudguards altogether, adding spare track links to the turret side and scratch building an anti-aircraft gun mount and adding it to the engine deck.
I managed to get a coat of black primer on the model so with a bit of luck the painting and weathering can start soon;

Just to add a personal touch to the model I left off the thinner cable on the right hull but added the cable mounts (cut from the cable ends), the gun cleaning rods were left off (cos there is no point of them being there) and the jack and wooden block were left of and the holes for them filled in. This added some realism to the model as these were actually deleted on later builds of King Tigers.

Trumpeter E-50

After fitting the Heimdall turret it soon became apparent that with the mods done to the engine deck the turret would'nt turn completely...BUGGER!
SO the two plates over the front grills needed altering for a start and this was done using a compass cutter, making a mark where the turret collided with the plates beforehand. The grab handle I added had to be moved to the other side of the engine access panel and the holes filled in and finally the armoured cover for the air cleaner had to be cut back. NOW the bleedin' turret turns!

I'm in the process of scratch building a mount for an anti-aircraft gun to be fitted on the rear deck, just because I can so some pics will follow soon.

Edit; I've added the AA gun mount now (with apologies for the quality of the pic)

Trumpeter E-50 with Heimdall turret

The construction is now finished apart from adding the tow cables and this will be done after painting, a lesson learned after the E-25 as I managed to get metallic powder all over the sides of the model and it was a bugger to remove. Anyway the E-50 will get a clean down in preparation for painting;

The four air intakes did'nt look that good on the kit so I hid them with styrene sheets mounted on rods 2mm above the grills. This was actually done on panzers late on in the war to protect the engine from air attack as those big intakes were vulnerable to shell and splinter damage.
The pictures show the front mudguards in place which I actually spent an hour or two cutting down and enhancing the hinge detail, however looking at it this morning I decided the model did'nt look right with them so off they came. The exhausts are temporarily in place for photographic purposes and will be painted separately.

Trumpeter E-50 and Paper Panzer Productions Heimdall turret

After I received the Heimdall turret from Paper Panzer Productions a Trumpeter E-50 miraculously turned up via Evil Bay at more or less the same time (coincidences eh?). Even though I have other stuff on the go I thought "bugger it lets build this one" so it's all on the bench.

The turret goes together very well with just a couple of moulding lugs to get rid of via a razor saw and the detail is great. I added a few grab handles on the hatches and turret rear as I figured with the height of it the crew would require a few to clamber up onto the roof. Three turret lifting rings were added using the wire supplied in the kit.
Here's the progress so far;

The Trumpeter hull fits very well although there are a couple of sink marks at the rear on both sides that need filling. The two large boxes in the foreground will sit on the rear hull, the idea behind them is that the Heimdall turreted E-50 would be relaying height and range information to a battery of E-50 Flakpanzers and these would be connected via cable to these boxes on the Heimdall to provide co-ordinated fire on the target.
Again this is well into the 'What-if' category and never existed, for me it's just a bit of fun to lighten my modelling mood.

Paper Panzer Productions (part 2)

As well as the Heimdall turret I ordered a set of wheels for the E-50 (PPP35003) as the Trumpeter ones are not brilliant plus new exhausts (PPP35002);

 Although the set is aimed at the E-50 and E-75 the exhausts can be used on King Tigers as well (apart from the flammenwerfer bits).
Paper Panzer Productions are doing some great stuff so if you are into the 'what-if' genre they are well worth looking at to 'pimp' your paper panzers :o)
Find the wheels and exhausts here;

http://www.paperpanzer.com/

http://www.paperpanzer.com/paper-panzer-productions/ppp35003-e-50-wheel-set/

http://www.paperpanzer.com/paper-panzer-productions/ppp35002-exhaust-set-kingjagdtiger-e-5075100/

Paper Panzer Productions

I've been naughty again! In recent months Paper Panzer Productions had announced PPP35025 Radar und KDO040 Turm Heimdall (turret) to fit the E-50 or E-75 chassis and seeing it made we want to build a 'what-if' again. Last week the set was finally released and by Friday it was in my possession along with a set of wheels (PPP35003) and new exhausts (PPP35002) to replace those in the Trumpeter E-50 kit.
The quality of the parts is VERY good indeed, detailing is crisp and I am seriously impressed, being resin they need a clean up but it will be nothing too taxing and should'nt take long at all.
The idea behind it is a TOTAL 'what-if' and here's what Paper Panzer Productions say about it;

'As the war progressed the Germans realized that their air defences were put to an increasingly difficult task. The massive deployment of allied fast fighter-bombers forced them to create a barrage. Barrage fire by multiple weapons had to be coordinated by complicated mechnical calculators. The KDO Gerät 40 (range finder) was widely used, but both equipment and crew were very vulnerable in the open. Therefore it was decided to incorporate this big device in an armored turret. The 5,5cm Flakturm offered enough space for the device and a four-man crew. The cooling of the aggregate was done by an external cooling unit. The large optical device (4,2m) was built in so that underneath a large space for the calculator was available. The maximum range of the complex system was 18.000m. The target coordinates could be transmitted to four Flak vehicles. The timelapse between detecting a target and the first shot was only 30 seconds.
Data was transmitted over a cable. A novelty device was built in the turret, the FUG240 Berlin radar. The device had a range of about 9.000m which was more than enough at night and in bad weather conditions. The device had a bakelite cover for protection. The detection systems could be used in sync or separately.'

Personally I love it! Anyway onto the pictures;

The 2m antenna shown is not in the kit by the way. I've ordered a Trumpeter E-50 via Ebay plus some Hobbyboss King Tiger tracks (because they were cheap) so when it all turns up the bench may be cleared to make way for this project. 
Find the turret and other interesting bits here;

http://www.paperpanzer.com/

http://www.paperpanzer.com/paper-panzer-productions/ppp35025-radar-und-kdo40-turm-heimdall/