LeonAdler | 01 Nov 2015 1:54 p.m. PST |
First off I should apologise for this being a bit pic heavy but apart from discussing the whole 234 series and including Hasegawas and Rodens offerings I'm a bit of an achtrad loonie ( holder of the golden anorak 1st Class). Took the opportunity to do a review of some of the 234's out there when adding to my Lehr recon battalion.
Roden and Hasegawa versions comparison.
I wont go into the details of the kit construction, both makes are pretty straightforward the only time consuming part being the suspension. The Hasegawa 234/1 has solid, textured, moulded anti grenade screens the roden offering has the anti grenade screen as an open frame a piece of plastic mesh is provided. This is to be cut into panels and then glued into the inside of the frame.
Roden with out of box screens
Hasegawa with out of box screens. The mesh provided is a bit coarse for my liking. I replaced it with some finer stuff. On my versions Ive used some scratch biult ones. PART of Poland do an etched version which will fit both kits. The Hasegawa Puma's gun is a little on the small side, replaced here with one from RB.
The stumel is basically straight out of the box, with an added ammo box added ( havent fitted the MG 42 on this one yet).
Apart from a little detailing and battle damage thats about it. On the whole the Hasegawa kits are a bit sharper in detail but both scrub up really well I reckon and the Roden are a fair bit cheaper. Haven't see the Roden Puma, reviews suggest its turret is a bit large but I will have to get one just to check. I have a Roden 232 and the PAK wagon will put some pics of these when done. Next time more Luchs. L |
wrgmr1 | 01 Nov 2015 3:17 p.m. PST |
Nice work, great painting and weathering, would love to know what paints, washes you used? Nice comparison. |
john lacour | 01 Nov 2015 7:52 p.m. PST |
love those 8 rad! i would love to know what the stumel, pak40 and puma actully did, tho. mean to say, i wonder if, say,any of the pak40 8 wheelers destroyed any tanks? or, how often did the stumel come and support an infantry attack? i have read many, many books on the battle of berlin, and its mentioned that there was a counter attack by the ss nordlands heavy recon unit, which had about 25 of these 8 wheelers(they never mention what they were armed with, just that they where "heavily armed".)againt the oder bridge head. they were thrown back "with heavy lose", but i'd like to read an account of the fighting. |
LeonAdler | 01 Nov 2015 11:30 p.m. PST |
Tim, Thanks the suspension is conveted to make the wheels steerable for no good reason than I wanted to see if it would work. They will need basing before use thats for sure. I gloss spray varnish over the base of Life colour acrylics before washing. Oil washes ( artists oil paint mixed with Humbrol thinners) flow the best I reckon. Other washes, dust etc are Humbrol and artist pastels. A bit of Tamiya Weathering Master used as well. john lacour, Lots of stuff in Scouts Out by Robert J. Edwards. |
LeonAdler | 02 Nov 2015 12:45 a.m. PST |
Well ink/acrylic washes rather took over the miniatures scene a while back, never quite sure why as they are much harder to use than oil ones, ditto the black primer technique. Maybe its the disjoint between modellers and Wargamers thats happened as generations of kids have gone straight into GW stuff rather than taking the modelling route. Enamels/oils are still very current for modellers in the larger scales. Using oil washes cant be simpler really. Using enamel thinners means it dries quicker then using turps ( still loads of time for corrections ). Just need a few oils ( often can be found in discount bins in art shops as stock get cycled) and a average artists tube lasts years……..I have a Mars brown that must be 20 years old and still going). Burnt sienna, black, dark green and Mars brown the most used. Modern acrylics needs to be varnished before washing ( enamels dont need this) as otherwise things can get a little 'muddy' the acrylic has a surface like sandpaper. The point about storing washes is well made in the article, they can be ( airbrush screw top jars) but for figures best to use freshish ones. The pigment tends to reform a bit after a while in store. Not used the MIG ones much so far but plan to pick some up at Crisis show. wrgmr1 more detail here: TMP link L |
LeonAdler | 02 Nov 2015 8:07 a.m. PST |
Hello Tim, Everything Ive heard about it suggests it would do the job nicely and if the IMPS guys use it gotta be kosher. L |
wrgmr1 | 02 Nov 2015 11:10 a.m. PST |
Leon, thanks so much for your Panther link, I missed that one. Superb work! I love how you did the Zimmeritt. I just painted 10 vehicles, Marders, trucks etc. I used a dark yellow mixed by myself and then washed with minwax. Wow they look bright yellow compared to yours. Not sure how to tone them down other than repainting. Future models, I'll take your sage advice. Cheers, Thomas |
LeonAdler | 02 Nov 2015 11:32 a.m. PST |
wrgmr1, Oh that dunkel gelb is a very dodgy colour to get right. And its less 'sage advice' than 'oh dear I've made another ' over nearly 50 years lol Often looks different on a vehicle than it deos in a pallet/bottle. It varied a heck of a lot in reality depending on what the base coat was and how concentrated the yellow. It was also a bit darker in the early period I think. If they sealed you can always try some washes ( very gently better to use thin ones repeatedly rather than one to heavy) and this is where oil washes are much better as they stay 'active' much longer. So if it looks wrong you can just reactivate an oil wash within about 4-5 hours ( or longer). Just add more thinners lightly agitate with a brush and then soak up with kitchen towel. If you can get a bottle of the Life colour one even if you never use it its the best reference colour Ive seen ( I bet there are other good ones). L |
number4 | 02 Nov 2015 10:47 p.m. PST |
i would love to know what the stumel, pak40 and puma actually did The same things that their towed counterparts did. They were in the 'heavy' (support) company of the recon battalion and were used to help the halftrack and light armored car units to either punch through or stave off opposition. That said, with Germany on the defensive late war, there was not a lot of punching through done by German reconnaissance units….. |
wrgmr1 | 03 Nov 2015 12:26 p.m. PST |
I seem to recall late in the war German recon units were used as a very mobile reserve to bring firepower to threatened areas. |
Gunner Dunbar | 03 Nov 2015 4:00 p.m. PST |
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wrgmr1 | 28 Nov 2015 2:29 p.m. PST |
Leon, one more question. What do you use for dust? Thanks in advance. |
LeonAdler | 28 Nov 2015 4:29 p.m. PST |
wrgmr1, Use pigments (Humbrol or MIG/Ammo) mixed with decal fix and/or Humbrol dust wash for low lying dust,(the decal fix enables you to reactivate it when its drying) artists pastels and Tamiya weather Master for raised area dust. All depends which I can find in the chaos around here lol L |
wrgmr1 | 28 Nov 2015 4:48 p.m. PST |
Great thanks Leon! Cheers Thomas |
Simo Hayha | 28 Nov 2015 6:01 p.m. PST |
I mix my pigments or chalk pastels with a small bit of oil. can also mix them with a matte varnish. |
LeonAdler | 29 Nov 2015 2:18 a.m. PST |
Simo Hayha, Interesting you mix with oil, can I ask what sort? L |
Aristonicus | 01 Dec 2015 4:41 a.m. PST |
i have read many, many books on the battle of berlin, and its mentioned that there was a counter attack by the ss nordlands heavy recon unit, which had about 25 of these 8 wheelers(they never mention what they were armed with, just that they where "heavily armed".)againt the oder bridge head. they were thrown back "with heavy lose", but i'd like to read an account of the fighting. AFAIK no heavy Sd.kfz 234 of any type was ever issued to SS Pz. A. A. 11 – at least there is no record of it. See this thread on Feldgrau: feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21678&start=150 PzSpKp "M" / PzD "Müncheberg" did receive 4 x Sd.kfz 234/4 and 4 x Sd.kfz 234/1; perhaps some of which survived the battle of the Seelow Heights to serve in Berlin. |
Murvihill | 02 Dec 2015 10:36 a.m. PST |
(going off on a tangent here) Sometimes when I have an idle moment (often while driving) I wonder what is the most overrepresented AFV from WW2, basically comparing the number actually produced to the number of models produced over the years. While I suspect the Tiger 2 would win the grand prize, I think the 234 would probably get an honorable mention, especially if you throw in the abominable Airfix model with the long 75 and separate mudguards. |
Lion in the Stars | 02 Dec 2015 2:20 p.m. PST |
Sometimes when I have an idle moment (often while driving) I wonder what is the most overrepresented AFV from WW2, basically comparing the number actually produced to the number of models produced over the years. Yeah, I'd have to put the Puma on that list. But I bet the list is Tiger 2, Sturmtiger, Jagdtiger, Jagdpanther, Tiger, then Puma. |