Italeri 234/4 [Archive]

Driver

08-04-2007, 08:55 PM

Hello folks.

Here we are again, another thread, another corpse.
This time I decided to finish another leftover that has been lurking in the stash for some years, a 234/4 from Italeri. This 234 is so simple compared with the new offering from DML that you might be wondering why I don’t commit it to the trash bin and buy the DML one, right? Well, the answer is simple; for me it is more fun to scratch build what is missing and get it closer to the DML standards. (Not to mention that I love a challenge.) But enough of that, lets build!!

I’ll be using these as my reference as well as a set from Eduard.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/Reference.jpg

The first thing I did was to make one tie rod that was missing from the suspension, so with various pieces of rods and plastic and my chopper the part was replaced in no time.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000699.jpg

Here is a close up…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000700.jpg

Having fixed that, I started working on the interior where most of the work will be required. First I used a chisel to remove all the moldings from the floor. Here you can see, to the left, how it was (terrible) and to the right how it is now (much better).
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000701.jpg

Then I proceeded to the details, the first one was the flange that holds the tail of the car attached to the body of the car. Interestingly, DML didn’t include this in their 234s. Here the tops still need to be trimmed.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000706.jpg

I also added the bolts to the other side. The bolts are pieces of a 0.5mm hexagonal rod.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000705.jpg

Continuing with the interior I started to work in the rear firewall and what I think is part of the fuel tank/transmission cover. I made the parts with .010 plastic sheet.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000707.jpg

Next; the transmission housing. For this I used .040 plastic sheet and some other shapes from Plastruct.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000708.jpg

Here you can see the whole assembly being dry fitted to check that it is square. You can also see the support bracket that goes at the end of the tranny.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000709.jpg

More details added in the form of nuts and bolts, another part on top and what I guess if the fuel cap. Have you ever wondered where these cars have their fuel tanks?
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000710.jpg
A side shot so you can see the details better.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000711.jpg

From the Eduard set I added that ventilation grate (access door?) and instrument panel to the firewall. The dials are printed in a piece of paper meant to be glued to the back of the PE panel but I inserted a piece of .010 clear styrene to represent the glass in the dials.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000718.jpg

Here is a close up.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000719.jpg

Next, from the Eduard set, the floor for the driver was built and glued in place. It still need some work but I think it coming along nicely.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000722.jpg

And here it is inside the body while checking for clearances.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000721.jpg

Thanks for viewing, comments are welcome.
Ruben

Sticky

08-04-2007, 09:17 PM

Well its super! Man u are brave!

RickLawler

08-04-2007, 10:04 PM

Holy Smokes! Everyone take notice...this is modeling! This is great Ruben. One word of advice...I didn't see any Lego's, so you'd better get them out cuz your going to need all the help you can get!

Fantastic work so far...

Rick

Sheeds

08-04-2007, 11:10 PM

Great progress thus far Ruben. I admire the fact you are resurrecting an old kit, rather than taking the easy way out (like I did!) and buying the DML /4. Bravo. :thumb:

Striker

08-05-2007, 04:17 AM

holmerz

08-05-2007, 04:45 AM

Nice detailing Ruben :thumb:. As Rick said, this is modelling.

\Erik

Flak

08-05-2007, 08:42 AM

Hi Ruben,

Great to see you are working on this "OLD" kit... keep it up!!!:thumb: :thumb:

Gopher

08-05-2007, 09:30 AM

nice start!
i'll be watching your build - maybe it'll inspired me to make my Italery Puma.
By the way, does anybody know any photos of Pumas on Eastern front?

FireflyRK

08-05-2007, 01:33 PM

Wow Ruben, I love watching you take these older models and make them look as good if not better than some of the new superkits

keep up the great work

Jan Peters

08-05-2007, 02:01 PM

Way to go Ruben! :thumb:
Jan :)

lquah

08-05-2007, 03:03 PM

Ruben

It's very admirable that you are taking on the challenge of updating an old kit. That is what modelling is all about. Good show :thumb:

Lawrence

lquah

08-05-2007, 04:10 PM

Ruben

These books have some nice pics of the 234/4. The Kagero book along with AFV Modeller Issue 30 have photos of the interior that will be useful for your build.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/lquah/Misc%20-%20Planet%20Armor/P1018466.jpg

Lawrence

Panzergrenadier

08-05-2007, 07:36 PM

Good job so far and a very noble cause. I am sure it will be a ''killer''!:thumb:

Larry Bates

08-05-2007, 11:39 PM

Awesome work so far Ruben!

As the others have said already, love to watch you rebuild the oldies :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I need a "chopper" :p

Laz

Driver

08-11-2007, 09:35 PM

Well its super! Man u are brave!

Thanks Sticky but maybe INSANE is a better word! :p

Holy Smokes! Everyone take notice...this is modeling! This is great Ruben. One word of advice...I didn't see any Lego's, so you'd better get them out cuz your going to need all the help you can get!

Fantastic work so far...

Rick

Rick, thanks for your kind words. BTW the Lego's has been there since the begining as you can see here. http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000730.jpg
It's just that they are a shy bunch. :D

Great progress thus far Ruben. I admire the fact you are resurrecting an old kit, rather than taking the easy way out (like I did!) and buying the DML /4. Bravo. :thumb:

Well, my next 234 will be one from DML, maybe the /3.

Very good start on this kit :thumb:

But where did you find your information about the interior of the 234 ? Some time ago, i want to do exactly the same work and rework the good old italeri Puma but find just 2 pictures about the interior http://www.planetarmor.com/forums/images/icons/icon9.gif

Striker, The interior pictures are from the "In Detail" book and from the papers that are between the books. Those papers were downloaded from the site "AFV Interiors" which no longer exist. It has pictures from the 234/4 of the Patton Museum.

Nice detailing Ruben :thumb:. As Rick said, this is modelling.

\Erik

Hi Ruben,

Great to see you are working on this "OLD" kit... keep it up!!!:thumb: :thumb:

Thanks Holmerz and Flak, just trying to bring it up to the new standards.

nice start!
i'll be watching your build - maybe it'll inspired me to make my Italery Puma.
By the way, does anybody know any photos of Pumas on Eastern front?

Come on Gopher, dust it off and start it after all, unless you are planning on building the interiors, you'll finish first. BTW I have seen only one photo of a Puma in Russia and it is traveling down a road.

Wow Ruben, I love watching you take these older models and make them look as good if not better than some of the new superkits

keep up the great work

Thanks FireflyRK, I'm only trying!

Way to go Ruben! :thumb:
Jan :)

Thanks to you for viewing. :)

Ruben

It's very admirable that you are taking on the challenge of updating an old kit. That is what modelling is all about. Good show :thumb:

Lawrence

Good job so far and a very noble cause. I am sure it will be a ''killer''!:thumb:

Gee!! Such praise!! :D

Ruben

These books have some nice pics of the 234/4. The Kagero book along with AFV Modeller Issue 30 have photos of the interior that will be useful for your build.

Lawrence

Thanks Lawrence, as soon as I saw them I tried to order them but was able to order the one from Pegaz-Bis only. The one from Kagero I tried to order it from Kagero publishing but due to an error on their server it was imposible to place the order. Do you know of any other site that carry Kagero Books?

Awesome work so far Ruben!

As the others have said already, love to watch you rebuild the oldies :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I need a "chopper" :p

Laz

Thanks Laz, about the "chopper"; it is a great help! How can you live without one? :p

Driver

08-11-2007, 11:18 PM

Hello again Planeteers!! I’m glad you are here reading this again so lets continue!!

Next in the interior details department was the levers; the shift lever, the reduction box lever and some other ones that I don’t know it’s use but are included in the real one so I’ll include them in my “real“ one.

The first step was to make them because Italeri only provide two levers and the others are up to you. I cut little pieces of floral wire and with the soldering iron applied a drop of solder to the end of the wire. Then I put the wire in my rotary tool and with a file “sculpted” the ball.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000726.jpg
I made five levers this way; three for the rear and two for the front.

Here you can see the first two levers in place in the rear driving position.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000731.jpg

In this view you can see the “parking brake lever”. (I don’t know if that’s what it is but it surely look like one.) Also you can see the foot pedals.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000732.jpg

And here is the third lever for this position.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000745.jpg
Why so many levers you ask? I know the big one is for shifting gears, the small one on the floor is for the reduction gears and the bent one in top of the tranny is for…. Ahhh….. Let’s go to the front area! :D

Ok, let’s see what Italeri gave us here…..not much! :mad: First of all, that block to the right of the driver shouldn’t be that wide so I’ll remove it from there and build one to the correct dimensions.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000739.jpg

Here is the floor after some passes of my saw. The rest of the details up to the black line will be removed also.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000740.jpg

At the right you can see the reworked block and at the front center the new base for the pedals and steering column.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000741.jpg

At the left side the storage box with a holder for spare glass blocks at the rear and a breathing tube below it.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000742.jpg

Here is a view from the front.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000743.jpg

This is the assembly of the front pedals, the leftmost one is for headlights (low beam/high beam), next to it is the clutch, then the brake and the accelerator.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000738.jpg

A shot of the reworked front driving position. I didn’t make a new steering column because it won’t be seen when the vehicle is completed. I also made part of the support for the leaf springs of the front suspension. That’s the half round behind the driver.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000744.jpg

Here is everything back in place to check how everything fit together, I also glued the seat rails to the floor. http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000747.jpg

The rear ones were glued also.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000746.jpg

That’s all for now, thanks for viewing.
Ruben

sharkmouth

08-11-2007, 11:37 PM

¡Chévere!

tamigawa

08-11-2007, 11:59 PM

missed the start of this one, great work Ruben, this is REAL modeling :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

lquah

08-12-2007, 12:51 AM

:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb: Top stuff Ruben

holmerz

08-12-2007, 04:20 AM

Great progress Ruben :thumb:. The levers really have turned out nice. I really admire the precision and accuracy you put into this model.

\Erik

Gopher

08-12-2007, 05:16 AM

Nice interior work Ruben! Keep it up!

>>BTW I have seen only one photo of a Puma in Russia and it is traveling down a road.

Can you post it?

RickLawler

08-12-2007, 08:31 AM

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k200/RickLawler/images22.jpg

Larry Bates

08-12-2007, 10:48 AM

Great stuff Ruben, :thumb:

Rick, ball markers? :D

Laz

Panzergrenadier

08-12-2007, 10:56 AM

Impressive, I wish you strength to continue.:thumb:

RickLawler

08-12-2007, 01:56 PM

Rick, ball markers? :D

Laz

Them be 3 LEGO"S-UP :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Fledermaus

08-12-2007, 06:12 PM

Excellent!!:thumb: hungry to see more :p another corps comes out of the grave back to life ;) ;)

Driver

08-15-2007, 11:12 PM

Saul, Fletcher, Lawrence, Erik, Andrey, Rick, Larry, Siim, Abdin and everyone that has been following this thread, thanks for your comments and support, that’s what keeps me going. BTW Andrey, here is the photo of the Puma.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/Sdkfz234-2.jpg

Now, back to the build!

After the rails were done I turned my attention to the seats, the one that comes with the models are totally incorrect. Is that a surprise to anyone? So I decided to use the seats from DML’s 251, after all that is what those extra bits from Dragon are for, aren’t they? I made the legs with pieces of wire.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000748.jpg

Then it was time for some interior details from the Eduard kits so first thing were the side hatches. Here’s the right one….
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000749.jpg

…and the left one.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000750.jpg

I also deconstructed ‘cause I had to remove the rest of the boxes from the walls to replace them with Eduard’s. Here you can see the new storage box and the new radio in its mount. BTW, the radio isn’t glued yet. On top of the door is the MP 40 bracket.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000751.jpg

Next came the turn of the battery. I used the one that comes in the Tamiya mechanics set but cut about 4mm from the bottom to give it the correct height. Then I made the wooden box with .010 styrene. The wires are pieces of solder.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000752.jpg

Then the ammo bin was reinstalled. I used .040 styrene sheet to increase the thickness and made the hinges with .010 sheet. This was done when I started the model for the first time.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000753.jpg

Two gas mask canisters were next; one in the front by the drivers pedals…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000755.jpg

…and one in the back in the left wall.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000756.jpg

Here is an overall view of the interior from the front of the vehicle. It’s getting very busy inside, isn’t it? The empty spaces will be filled with personal equipment.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000758.jpg

Now it’s time to work on the gun, so I’ll start making a new base for it. Do I have to tell you how good the original one is? The only piece I kept was the original turntable and started from there. First, new supports were done with square and round styrene tubing. Then, some styrene sheet to complete the anchor points. Here’s the result.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000759.jpg

A view of the downside.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000760.jpg

And here is the complete mount; the cross member is a piece of 3.2 mm channel, the bolts are .5mm diameter rod and the side plates are .010 sheet, all styrene.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000761.jpg

And that’s all for today. Thanks for viewing. :thumb:
Ruben

Gopher

08-16-2007, 03:27 AM

nice progress Ruben!
Thanks for photo. If i'm right it's overall dark yellow without any camo.

holmerz

08-16-2007, 03:33 AM

You crazy Ruben, but in a good way :thumb:. I can't wait to see the Puma finished.

\Erik

RickLawler

08-16-2007, 08:34 AM

Ruben, this is pretty unbelievable work. I'm really in awe of this type scratch work, I wouldn't know were to begin. Fantastic.

May the Lego's Be With You!

Rikc

Striker

08-16-2007, 02:35 PM

amazing work :thumb:

lquah

08-16-2007, 02:56 PM

Ruben

Very nice :thumb: It's builds like yours, Dave's and Abdin's in resurrecting old kits that are truly inspirational. Keep up the good work guys :D :thumb:

LQ

Flak

08-17-2007, 08:33 AM

Looks awesome...Ruben :thumb:

Totenhosen

08-17-2007, 09:03 AM

Sweet...love it

Panzergrenadier

08-17-2007, 07:19 PM

It is shaping well and with good speed. Keep it up!:thumb:

tamigawa

08-18-2007, 03:47 PM

excellent scratch work Ruben :thumb::thumb:

Driver

08-19-2007, 10:09 PM

nice progress Ruben!
Thanks for photo. If i'm right it's overall dark yellow without any camo.

Andrey,

If you look closely you will notice that there is a darker area in the front of the vehicle. (You can see it better under the shoes of the tanker.) There is also a darker area in the side of the turret and in the fenders. I think this particular Puma has camo painted and judging by the dust cloud I think the photo was taken in summer so I'm betting it is green camo. But who knows, it could be redbrown.

BTW, the first unit to receive the Pumas was the 2nd panzer division in the eastern front.

Ruben

Sheeds

08-19-2007, 11:06 PM

Hi Ruben.

Impressive build there mate. :thumb:

If I may make a suggestion, you could add the second battery and the associated fuse box & isolator switch.

Also, the wiring placement/routing is incorrect on the battery that is there. If you look at the shots in the museum ordnance special on the 234, you can make out how they ran the wiring.

The addition of the wooden battery box is a great touch though.

Sheeds.

Gopher

08-20-2007, 03:14 AM

Andrey,

If you look closely you will notice that there is a darker area in the front of the vehicle. (You can see it better under the shoes of the tanker.) There is also a darker area in the side of the turret and in the fenders. I think this particular Puma has camo painted and judging by the dust cloud I think the photo was taken in summer so I'm betting it is green camo. But who knows, it could be redbrown.

BTW, the first unit to receive the Pumas was the 2nd panzer division in the eastern front.

Ruben

Thanks for info, Ruben!
I'm looking for Puma photos on eastern front for many months, but it's very hard to confirm that it's eastern front.
If you find one more eastern front photo please tell me.

Driver

08-20-2007, 08:40 PM

Thanks for your suggestion Sheeds.

The wires for the battery were placed that way just to have an anchor point for them. After all, you normally don't see it that way. :)

Right now I'm thinking about the second battery, the fuse box, the isolator switch and the wiring; I don't think that they will be visible after I close the body. Even the parts already done won't be visible after I close the body. I made all that interior parts due to my sense of completeness. Right now I'm working on the gun to really see how much will be visible after it is in place.

After that I will make my decision; If you can see the area I'll build the equipment.

Again, thanks for your comments, always welcome!

Ruben

Driver

08-20-2007, 08:41 PM

Andrey, if I find more photos I'll let you know.

Ruben

Driver

09-09-2007, 07:49 PM

Hello again guys. Sorry for the long delay in posting but even thou I wasn’t posting as fast as I like I was still building the model in my free time. So, let’s not waste more time and proceed…

After building the gun platform I continued making more interior details that I’m not sure that will be seen but, what the heck, there they are! First were the inside of the vision ports,
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000763.jpg

Then a simple simulation of the hinges and the handle of the escape hatch.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000765.jpg

Next I decided to work in the gun itself. I needed a complete gun to check for clearances! So arming myself with my solder I attacked the gun shield and build it. It wasn’t easy, it took me about one hour to solder the front and rear plate to each other.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000767.jpg

Next the gun cradle, here is the gunner’s shield. The hardest part is not to solder it but to make it stay put in place having only two points of attachment.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000768.jpg

Here is the loader’ side, the only modification is the MG mount.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000769.jpg

Then it was the turn of the gun itself and I have to admit that I started to think seriously about retirement at this time. HAHAHAHA!! :D:p No, seriously, the gun is so bad that I spent about 4 hours in correcting the breech area! But after some chanting to the gods, some brass, plastic rod, plastic sheet and some heavy filing the damage was repaired. Here you can see some of the new parts that I made.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000770.jpg

Another modification was the removal of the muzzle brake. I will replace it with a Dragon one.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000771.jpg

Here are three views of the rebuilt gun.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000773.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000774.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000775.jpg

And the new muzzle brake.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000776.jpg

My attention was next focused on the engine deck. The first order of business was to remove all the engine louvers so I took my hand saw and off they went.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000777.jpg

I installed pieces of plastic channel to better support the PE louvers as the attachment points are very small.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000778.jpg

Then the louvers were put in place. The hinges for the hatches were also replaced.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000779.jpg

Driver

09-09-2007, 07:51 PM

The rear shields were next in line.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000780.jpg

I used one of the visors of the Dragon Panzer I DAK version to complete the rear one. After all, the Panzer won’t need it and it saves me time. :thumb:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000781.jpg

While the shield dries up I made the front instrument panel and glued it in place. Here you can see how difficult is to see to the front of the vehicle even with the gun out.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000782.jpg

When everything was dry I applied 0.5mm rod to make the weld seams between body and shields, inside and out.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000783.jpg

And that’s it for now, next time I hope to get the interior finished to give it a coat of primer and start painting the insides. See you soon.

Ruben

James Tainton

09-09-2007, 08:19 PM

I installed pieces of plastic channel to better support the PE louvers as the attachment points are very small.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000778.jpg

Then the louvers were put in place. The hinges for the hatches were also replaced.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000779.jpg

Nice effort Driver. But I wonder if you really needed to replace the hinges. I think the original kit parts look better. Sometime blind replacement of kit details with PE is really not the way to improve a model. Specially when it comes to Eduard stuff. It is too flat in many many cases. Perhaps try and see for the future if the PE is really an improvement or not before using it. :thumb:

Sturmmann

09-09-2007, 08:35 PM

Outstanding work Ruben!

I have to admit that is some of the best work I have seen in a 234/4. Your soldering of the gun shield is amazing, it is smooth with neary no flux residue left.

It looks better than some of the new superkits flying around the market. :thumb:

Keep it comming!!

Dave

Flak

09-10-2007, 08:41 AM

Great work...Ruben :thumb:

RickLawler

09-10-2007, 08:52 AM

Ummmm! Wow Ruben, you took away my words....I think that your slightly "touched", your work on these older kits is insane!

Gopher

09-10-2007, 10:26 AM

Great work!

james84

09-11-2007, 02:39 AM

Good progress!
Did you use Eduard PE?

Fledermaus

09-11-2007, 07:31 AM

Ruben, great work :thumb:. I think it is coming along very nice ;) and at the end it will be another FINISHED example of what can be done to bring this lesser quality but still nice kits to the same or over the level of todays kits .:cool:

Larry Bates

09-11-2007, 10:47 AM

Well Ruben,

I have to agree with James, I think the kit hinges look better. It was always one thing that I disliked about edward pe, that it seemed they filled there sets up with stuff that is flat in detail and many times not as good as the kit detail.

That being said, your scratch work is as always insane, and uh, like Ricky said, I believe you might be "touched" :p

Keep it up. :thumb:

Laz

Driver

09-11-2007, 01:49 PM

James, Dave, Marco, Rick, Andrey, Giacomo, Abdin and Larry. Thanks for your comments, they are really appreciated. :thumb:

Giacomo, yes, the PE is from Eduard.

About the offending hinges; they were removed from the model and the original ones glued in place again. Yes, I might be crazy but if I weren't there wouldn't be much fun in this. Don't you think? :p:D:rolleyes:

I'll post some photos soon.

Ruben

sharkmouth

09-11-2007, 01:58 PM

Hola Ruben,

If it is not too late, add a tight screen from underneath to replicate the real thing and help block the view into the engine compartment. Look at the latest Aber sets for inspiration. no need to buy the set but to get an idea of what to do...

Regards,

FJCabeza

09-12-2007, 06:02 AM

I would replace the rear armor plate also. There were no vision ports there, instead the plate could be folded by means of two hinges.
I supose italeri used Munster´s "restored" 234/4 as source...
Cheers

Panzergrenadier

09-12-2007, 03:10 PM

It really is amazing how you have the will power to add so much to the old old kit.:thumb:

Are you planning on a base too?

Torben Nielsen

09-12-2007, 05:20 PM

Hi

I hate myself for saying this, but you have the rear drivers area quite wrong. First of all, there is no dashboard what so ever there, second the small vent screen to the right of the rear drivers position is from the old sdkfz 231. Also, you have the radio set and the box it stands on wrong too. I know, it is not very polite of me to tell you this at this point in your build, but I just couldnt help it - sorry.
The rest of your build is very impressing. As for the battery area, the only thing we know for sure is that there where two batteries, but how they where located, side by side or end to end we do not know for sure. Personally I believe they where end to end.

All the best and good luck with the rest of the project. If you need any reference, send me a mail off group and I may be able to help you. BTW, the Kagero Photosniper is by far the best reference book when it comes to pictures.

Torben Nielsen

James Tainton

09-12-2007, 07:25 PM

Hi
I know, it is not very polite of me to tell you this at this point in your build, but I just couldnt help it - sorry.

You know I really wonder sometimes... aren't we posting our work here to share with others the process. And as I can attest , sometimes we learn from other people's mistakes. I really think that worrying about hurt feelings(not saying this about you Driver, you took my suggestion well:)) while a noble ideal shouldn't take precedence for actually getting it right. I really am not one of these poly-anna dogooders that will pat someone on the back and say everything is great when it isn't. About the nicest I can be is just to not say anything if it seems beyond the pale or if the person is not open to honest constructive criticisms. We all learn way more from mistakes than if we get it right all the time. I think there is plenty of room at planetArmor for honest , respectful open discussion about peoples posted work. I mean we all take our chances when posting progress shots and if one is only looking for accolades and "Atta boy"s perhaps pA is not the place for you. I for one appreciate the errors that you,Torben, and others, have pointed out , it helps me be aware of things that I may not have been aware of.:thumb:

Driver

09-12-2007, 10:51 PM

Thanks Siim. And yes, I'm already building a base for it.

I would replace the rear armor plate also. There were no vision ports there, instead the plate could be folded by means of two hinges.
I supose italeri used Munster´s "restored" 234/4 as source...
Cheers

Well FJ, you made me go over some of my references with a magnifying glass and I noticed that you are right so I will redo the rear armor plate. (Can you send me a photo where I can see the hinges?) I was using this photo as a reference in which you can see the rear visor in the plate.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/sdkfz234_4.jpg
But now that you mention it I think that this is the Munster's vehicle.

Hi

I hate myself for saying this, but you have the rear drivers area quite wrong. First of all, there is no dashboard what so ever there, second the small vent screen to the right of the rear drivers position is from the old sdkfz 231. Also, you have the radio set and the box it stands on wrong too. I know, it is not very polite of me to tell you this at this point in your build, but I just couldnt help it - sorry.
The rest of your build is very impressing. As for the battery area, the only thing we know for sure is that there where two batteries, but how they where located, side by side or end to end we do not know for sure. Personally I believe they where end to end.

All the best and good luck with the rest of the project. If you need any reference, send me a mail off group and I may be able to help you. BTW, the Kagero Photosniper is by far the best reference book when it comes to pictures.

Torben Nielsen

Well Torben due to the little reference I have about the interior is not surprising that I committed some errors in the construction. About the dashboard and the vent screen I trusted the instructions of the Eduard PE; after all they mention two book as references for the kit as you can see here so I thought they were ok.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/scan0002.jpg
I won't be so trusty in the future.

About the radio and the box I don't know what you mean by wrong. (Position, orientation, style? In the posted photo the radio is not glued yet.) But I can show you my reference.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/Radio234.jpg
This is a photo of the 234/4 at the Patton Museum. Sorry about the quality but this is a scan of a page I printed long ago. Here you can see the radio arrangement.

I tried to buy the Kagero book but couldn't find anywhere, if you know where I can find it let me know, after all this won't be the last 234 that I'll build so the more reference the better.

And thanks for pointing out those mistakes guys; now I can do a better job. :D

Ruben.

RickLawler

09-12-2007, 11:55 PM

I guess this is what makes working on these older kits so "special"....keep on swinging Ruben, you can do it!

Rick

Torben Nielsen

09-13-2007, 02:21 PM

Aloha

The sdkfz 234 is, at least to me, the most interesting armored german vehicle. I have been interested in it for years and spend a lot of time digging for research material. I have quite a lot of pictures from all three survivors and have to tell you, that the Munster vehicle is incorrect in many ways, so dont use it for external references. For instance they mounted the air intake on the enginedeck upside down and the fenders are a rebuild and mounted wrong. The Patton vehicle, though in a poor shape, will provide you with a lot of interesting details, eg the only remaining seat and the only original muffler.
The 234/4 differs from the other 3 variants in the fact that it dosnt have the same fuel capacity. The main fuel tank was removed to make space for the 75 mm gun. This means that the 234/4 is limited to the two secondary fuel tanks located along the (in)sides of the engine compartment, containing 70L each. The missing tank make some details come to light that was mostly covered when the fueltank is in place. This include the two levers that open and closes the armored covers of the air intakes, but also what I believe to be an auxillary fuel pump that was located in the corner to the left of the rear drivers position. You can see both details in the picture below.
As for the radio mount, I couldnt see that it wasnt gueld in place, but the small cabinet it is standing on isnt correct. I dont have a picture that clearly shows this cabinet as it is mostly hidden by the gun mount. What you see below is what I got (Dragon got the cabinet completely right in their kit). Right behind the radio rack, there is the mounting plate for the transformer, laying flat ontop of the cabinet.
The left side door dosnt have a handle. Why this is so I have no idea, but it is a detail present on all three survivors. It is simply a bar that runs across the door.
Another small detail, missed by Italeri and on many scale drawing are the fact that the rearmost hinges on the two engine hatches on the deck isnt located directly opposite to each other. Again, there seems to be no logical reason for this and it means you have to produce two different hatches instead of just flipping on to the side it was needed...
When you get to the painting stage you should notice that all 234/4 where factory painted, and to make it easy all vehicles had the same camo scheeme. In fact all of the late war vehicles, sdkfz 234/1, /3 and /4 where painted with the same scheeme. there are slight differences but the shape of the patterns are close to being identical. Try and compare pictures that shows these late war vehicles (identifyed by the late style fenders) and you will know what I am talking about.

Ok, that will be all from me for now. If you have any questions just ask :o)

Torben Nielsen

I SUPPOSED THIS IS WHERE THE PICTURES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT I AM UNABLE TO UPLOAD ANY OF THEM. IF ANYBODY CAN TELL ME WHY THIS IS SO, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO KNOW

skeletondude

09-13-2007, 02:26 PM

Nice work Ruben!:thumb:

James Tainton

09-13-2007, 09:22 PM

I SUPPOSED THIS IS WHERE THE PICTURES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT I AM UNABLE TO UPLOAD ANY OF THEM. IF ANYBODY CAN TELL ME WHY THIS IS SO, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO KNOW

Could be a sizing issue or...? Maybe send an message to Gordy- in the mean time send them to james.tainton@planetarmor.com and I 'll get them up for ya:thumb:

James Tainton

09-16-2007, 03:09 PM

Here are the pics....
http://panzerfaust.sslpowered.com/planetArmor/General/Picture1.jpg

http://panzerfaust.sslpowered.com/planetArmor/General/Picture%202.jpg

http://panzerfaust.sslpowered.com/planetArmor/General/Picture%203.jpg

http://panzerfaust.sslpowered.com/planetArmor/General/Picture%204.jpg

http://panzerfaust.sslpowered.com/planetArmor/General/Picture%205.jpg

Larry Bates

09-16-2007, 05:01 PM

Awesome pics Torben, and thanks to James for posting them. :thumb:

Driver

09-16-2007, 06:00 PM

Now we're talking!! I'll begin to make those details right away.
And thanks Torben and James for the photos, they are very helpful. :)

Ruben

Driver

09-19-2007, 11:00 PM

Hello guys! Here’s another small update of my Italeri 234/4. I have to let you know that the first 6 photos in this post were already taken before the controversy of the wrong details arose. (Sometimes my posting speed is slower than my building speed.) :D So having clarified that lets proceed…

After doing the welding seams I made the missing pieces of flange that join the rear and the front shields. (The two vertical white bars.) Then temporarily attached the lower and upper hull halves to install the gun support in the I-beams. Here you can see it glued in place.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000785.jpg

Here is the gun in place to check the fit of the assembly. Luckily I got it nailed in the first try.
Here’s an upper front view…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000786.jpg

…and a side view.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000788.jpg

Then the lower hull received a coat of red primer on the inside.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000799.jpg

And the upper hull was next. First the inside.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000802.jpg

Then part of the outside. (I still need to apply the outside details.)
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000803.jpg

At this point James, FJCabeza and Torben pointed out what was wrong in the model, so after re-checking my references and the ones that Torben posted I replaced the wrong details with new ones.

First in the list were the hinges of the engine deck. (BTW Torben, Italeri put them in the right place. If you look at the photo with the PE ones you’ll see that the rearmost hinges are not directly opposite to each other.) Then I took out the rear shield and made a new one and its hinges with styrene. Here you can see both.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000804.jpg

In this inside view you can see the latches for the rear shield.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000805.jpg

Then the details of the rear driving station were corrected. I removed the instrument panel and made a new intake screen for the engine. Also a new access plate.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000806.jpg

I also removed the box were the radio sits in and made a new one from styrene sheet. The latch was taken from the Eduard box that I removed what proves that not all PE from Eduard is useless. :D The closing bar for the escape hatch was also installed.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000810.jpg

Next step, the radio and the rest of the details.

Thanks for viewing,
Ruben

RickLawler

09-19-2007, 11:58 PM

Words cannot express my fasination and admiration for you and these builds of yours. I looked at the photos and only see a jumble of stuff, you somehow unravel it all and reproduce it in 1/35th....remarkable.

Hats off Ruben,
Rick

Jan Peters

09-20-2007, 12:14 AM

I fully agree with Rick... great work Ruben! :thumb:
Jan :)

Larry Bates

09-20-2007, 01:09 AM

Yup I'm with those two guys, great stuff Ruben. :thumb:

Fledermaus

09-21-2007, 07:52 AM

Ruben, you did a great job fixing it, with so little reference some times its hard to get things right without mistakes, but you didn't gave up and thats the difference. keep it coming :cool::D:D

Gopher

09-21-2007, 03:15 PM

great work!
keep it up!

Striker

09-22-2007, 01:32 PM

great !

Panzergrenadier

09-25-2007, 04:19 AM

Nice work!:thumb:

One note, the floor near the sides seems to have something like a wood texture so maybe add a little bit of putty to even it out.;)

FAUST

09-26-2007, 06:15 PM

Ola Ruben

Great job so far in turning this old kit into something really good. What I like very much is seeing everything in their own color Kit parts, scratchbuiult parts and such and then how nice it comes all together when it is painted primerred. Very good work. I'm looking forward to the end product

Driver

10-06-2007, 09:44 PM

Hello every one. Thanks for your comments; those are what keep me going forward.

... I looked at the photos and only see a jumble of stuff, you somehow unravel it all and reproduce it in 1/35th....remarkable.

It's not so difficult Rick, you start gluing bits of plastic toghether untill you see in the model the same jumble that you see in the photo. :D:p

Well, it’s time for another update. Here I’ll show you the rest of the details that I made for the interior of the 234.

I started to work in the auxiliary fuel pump; first I drilled the hole to pass the wires thru the firewall then I took some rod and sheet styrene and proceeded to build the assembly. Here you can see part of the pump with its bracket. You can also see the canister for another breathing tube affixed to the wall.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000829.jpg

Then I added the selector switch to the assembly (The little part to the left.) and the lines and wires to each part. I made the opening levers for the engine louvers and glued them to the top of the hull.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000832.jpg

Another little improvement was to put a nut in the center of each steering wheel. I used some nut from the Verlinden set. Here is the result.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000836.jpg

Here is the steering wheel in place to see if everything falls in place without interference.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000833.jpg

Next step was to make the tie downs. For that I used copper wire inserted in little holes drilled thru the plastic. Here you have the rear shield…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000830.jpg

…and one of the sides.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000831.jpg

As Saul suggested I made the screens under the louvers. For this I used some leftover mesh from my King Tiger.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000835.jpg

After that it was time for another coat of primer to see how it looks.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000834.jpg

Then the first coat of paint was applied. I used Poly S German Dark Yellow.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000837.jpg

Here is a shot of the full interior.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000838.jpg

I got so carried away with the other details that I forgot to take a picture of the radio so I’ll show it the next time.

Thanks for viewing.
Ruben

RickLawler

10-07-2007, 10:53 AM

Fabulous! Simply Fabulous!

Good eye for the details, great scratchwork.

rick

Larry Bates

10-07-2007, 11:40 AM

Nice stuff Ruben :thumb:

Panzergrenadier

10-07-2007, 03:32 PM

I know I keep saying this, but it really is a very nice build you have going on.:thumb:

Gopher

10-07-2007, 03:35 PM

Amazing work Ruben!

Instructorrob

10-07-2007, 04:23 PM

Hi Ruben,

this is getting along nicely.
I like those interior details.

Robert

Sturmmann

10-07-2007, 05:34 PM

Nice work Ruben.

I really like the aux pump you made. I do have one observation regarding the interior color. Maybe it could be the lighting but it seems a little greenish to me. I know this is just the first coat and the tone may change with the next coats. Did you use the Poly S color straight from the bottle?? :confused:

Dave

Jan Peters

10-08-2007, 12:05 AM

Cool stuff :cool:
Keep going!
Jan :)

Fledermaus

10-08-2007, 06:44 AM

Ruben Excellent work :thumb:, the interior is looking very nice :cool:

holmerz

10-08-2007, 07:15 AM

Superb work Ruben :thumb:.

\Erik

Flak

10-08-2007, 09:00 AM

Great work...Ruben :thumb:

Driver

10-12-2007, 09:07 PM

Hello Planeteers, it’s time for another update. But first of all, Rick, Larry, Siim, Andrey, Robert, Jan, Abdin, Erik and Marco thanks for your comments.

Nice work Ruben.

I really like the aux pump you made. I do have one observation regarding the interior color. Maybe it could be the lighting but it seems a little greenish to me. I know this is just the first coat and the tone may change with the next coats. Did you use the Poly S color straight from the bottle?? :confused:

Dave

Dave, the color looks a little greenish but that photo was taken inmediately after painting. In fact, the paint was still wet! And yes, the paint was used straight from the bottle; no thining was necesary. For the second coat I used a little water/alcohol to thin it.

Ok, the first order of business was to make the interior a well used one. I started to do this by applying Vallejo German Gray to simulate the chipping and weathering. Here you can see the rear driving station.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000841.jpg

Here is a view to the front. I applied facial tissue to the seats to simulate the cloth and give some texture to them.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000842.jpg

After the chipping I gave a little dry brushing to the floor in the areas of more traffic, then using a pencil I rubbed a little graphite to the areas to give them a shiny effect. I also used the pencil to make the scratches in the escape hatches.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000844.jpg

Here is a better view of the front area.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000845.jpg

Next, using a magnifying glass I painted the radio dials and buttons. I tried to make an exact copy of the radio support frame but due to space limitations it was impossible. (Actually I did it but it won’t fit in the space available; the radio is too wide.) So I settled for a more simple representation.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000843.jpg

Well, that’s all for now. Thank for viewing

Ruben

FAUST

10-13-2007, 08:54 AM

RickLawler

10-13-2007, 11:09 AM

Well done Ruben.

Driver

10-13-2007, 03:12 PM

Ola Ruben

Lovely weathered interior you have made in this 234. Nice chipping everywhere and the grafite pencil surely adds up to the realism. Great job. I have a question about the front of your radio. Were radio's on board painted in the same colors as the interior of the vehicle?
You might know this site already but it is a great reference when looking for information about German radio's
http://www.laud.no/ww2/

Great work so far can't wait to see it finished.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Hola Robert

Thanks for your kind words about the weathering of the 234.

About your question concerning the radio I'm using that same site as a reference for the colors. If you look at his collection of Torn E.b radios you'll see them in six different color including red. (I'd like to know were the Germans used red radios.) Anyway, in the top row, to the right, is a radio in yellow color and that is why mine is painted like the rest of the vehicle.

Here is the photo:
http://www.laud.no/ww2/torneb/index.htm

Regards

Ruben

GROBER

10-13-2007, 03:45 PM

Really you made a great work, what I can say because I built myself this Italeri kit and know how much work it needs.
You made the gunner shield as PE part and it is too flat now. I guess it would be much better if you used the wire - it would be 3D then :)
And your barrel doesn't seem to be as round as it is supposed to be; are you planning to correct that anyhow? I would advise to replace it with any other barrel, because Italeri one is terrible.
Anyway, I'm watching the progress and can't wait to see the final photos.

Robert

Panzergrenadier

10-14-2007, 08:35 AM

Very nice again!:thumb:

Although.... I think the yellow is more like brown, but that could be due to the white balance in the shots.....

Larry Bates

10-14-2007, 11:49 AM

Looks great. I think the color of the cutting mat is throwing off the white balance. Since the mat is SO yellow, and the dunklgelb is browner, the hues are exagerated by the eye. In other words, cause it's browner :rolleyes::D :p

Laz

tamigawa

10-14-2007, 01:16 PM

nice work ruben :thumb:

Flak

10-15-2007, 07:48 AM

Great work...can't wait next update :)

RickLawler

10-15-2007, 11:13 AM

The Mojo is good!

Rick

MartinD

10-15-2007, 02:09 PM

Ruben,

Looking very good, and nice to see you're working on an older kit here! Perhaps just a few small pinwashes with a dust colour (Humbrol72) in the interior?

Keep going mate!

MartinD

Driver

10-15-2007, 09:13 PM

Once again thanks for your comments guys; they are helping a lot. Now let me answer some of your wuestions.

Really you made a great work, what I can say because I built myself this Italeri kit and know how much work it needs.
You made the gunner shield as PE part and it is too flat now. I guess it would be much better if you used the wire - it would be 3D then :)
And your barrel doesn't seem to be as round as it is supposed to be; are you planning to correct that anyhow? I would advise to replace it with any other barrel, because Italeri one is terrible.
Anyway, I'm watching the progress and can't wait to see the final photos.

Robert

Robert, I used the PE gunner shield 'cause the inserts are thinner than the original one. true that the border is not round but I considered it isn't something so noticeable. Concerning the gun barrel, it is round, believe me I checked.

Looks great. I think the color of the cutting mat is throwing off the white balance. Since the mat is SO yellow, and the dunklgelb is browner, the hues are exagerated by the eye. In other words, cause it's browner :rolleyes::D :p

Laz

Laz, you are 100% correct, the mat is so yellow that I have to adjust the levels with Photoshop before posting them.

Ruben,

Looking very good, and nice to see you're working on an older kit here! Perhaps just a few small pinwashes with a dust colour (Humbrol72) in the interior?

Keep going mate!

MartinD

Martin, I'm planning to weather the inside at the same time that the outside. But be assured that it will be dirty in the interior like my Tamiya M8.

BTW I already closed the body and attached the fenders, Photos coming soon. :D

Driver

10-16-2007, 09:49 PM

Hi everyone. As promised, here are the photos of the 234 with the upper and lower hull glued together plus fenders. Now I can start working in the exterior details.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000852.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000853.jpg

And speaking of details the first one is the storage box as the one included in the kit is for the 234/1, 234/2 and 234/3 models but not for this one. (Does that surprise anybody?) I made it from .010 and .020 styrene. It still needs some adjustments but is getting there.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000862.jpg

Until next time

Ruben

Larry Bates

10-17-2007, 01:00 AM

Looking good Ruben. :thumb:

Jan Peters

10-17-2007, 02:32 PM

Looking great! :thumb:
Jan :)

RickLawler

10-17-2007, 02:49 PM

the storage box as the one included in the kit is for the 234/1, 234/2 and 234/3 models but not for this one. (Does that surprise anybody?)

Is there any justice? :D:D:D You got to see the humor in it all!

Rick

GROBER

10-17-2007, 04:37 PM

Gopher

10-18-2007, 04:24 AM

love it!

Driver

10-18-2007, 11:28 AM

I'm sorry to notice, but the storage box in this version is supposed to have its front a bit lower. It is seen well here (this is the manual (http://www.aber.net.pl/store/cataloque_parts/_35_manuals/35141.pdf)for Aber's set designing by me).
Watching you ;)

Robert

Robert, thanks for the reference; it is very helpful. Don't worry, the tool box isn't finished yet; in fact, it wasn't glued to the car when I took the photo. I still need to trim the top and cut the real lid for it and add the latches but as I said, it is getting there.

Ruben

FJCabeza

10-19-2007, 06:35 AM

Muy bonito trabajo yo lo intenté hace años y desistí :( . Ruben , are you going to do the big ammo stowage box that is placed under the gun mount? You could use Dragon´s one as a template...By the way, be care when doing the gun cleaning rod, I can see that is depicted too short in both Dragon and Aber´s manuals.
Ups I can see now that they both haven´t included the two jerrycans behind the stowage box on the right fender...
I think this thread could be of some interest:
http://www.planetarmor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1798
Robert: are you going to design the new set for Dragon´s 234/3? If so what are you planning to do with ammo stowage bins?

Driver

11-16-2007, 12:40 PM

… it’s time to continue! But first let me say thanks for your comments and answer some questions.

Ruben , are you going to do the big ammo stowage box that is placed under the gun mount? You could use Dragon´s one as a template...By the way, be care when doing the gun cleaning rod, I can see that is depicted too short in both Dragon and Aber´s manuals.
Ups I can see now that they both haven´t included the two jerrycans behind the stowage box on the right fender...

Well FJ according to my references the ammo bin under the gun is a field modification so I won't do it. For the cleaning rod I will use the one from the Tamiya accesory set but it won't be in its rack. I'm using the plans from the Kagero Photosniper book to place the tools on the car not the Dragon nor Aber's manuals. By the way, the plans don't show any jerry cans in the right fender so I think it's a matter of what photoreference you have in hand at the moment.

Now, let me show you what I have been doing this week. First I made all the brackets for the tools from the Eduard set and in the process reconstructed some of the tools. Here you can see all the tools with the brackets attached and the new handles for the shovels, and fire extinguishers. I finished the lid of the tool box with a piece of 0.5mm styrene sheet. The jack is from the Tamiya accessory set. I'll replace the wire cutter also.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000900a.jpg

Next I focused my attention on the rear of the vehicle and after a quick look at my references I did the hinges of the rear engine hatch. I also made the starter hole cover and the mounts for the external starter.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000909.jpg

On the front, the bolts for the bumper were missing so I made them from 0.8mm hex rod and glued in place.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000910.jpg

Then it was time to affix all the tools to the fenders. Here is the toolbox with its fire extinguisher on top…

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000911.jpg

… in front of that the shovel and the axe. You can also see one end of the bumper and it’s PE support.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000912.jpg

In the left side we have the jerry cans, the jack, the fire extinguisher and the mount for the cleaning rods.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000913.jpg

Here is a complete view of the bumper and the PE end supports.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000914.jpg

Another detail that was overlooked in the Eduard set is this bolt that fixes the bracket to the fender so I made one with a 0.8mm hex rod.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000915.jpg

Another thing I started was a base for the car. This is how it is at the moment. It needs more work but I think it will do nicely.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000901a.jpg

More to come and thanks for your time.
Ruben

RickLawler

11-16-2007, 01:06 PM

I sit in amazement watching you do your voodoo...super cool Ruben.

Rick

Flak

11-16-2007, 09:35 PM

I'm glad to seeing...you are working on it again :) Great work always...Ruben :thumb:

Sticky

11-16-2007, 09:50 PM

you are a braver man than I! Good Progress!

Larry Bates

11-16-2007, 10:26 PM

Ruben man,

I love your bases. They're so full of life. Not to mention your models rock also. Nice work.

Laz

FJCabeza

11-17-2007, 11:55 AM

Sorry to say there are still some issues: No one knows so far if the ammo box is a field mod or a standard equipment (We have only a complete 234/4 so we cannot compare), Kagero´s book plans are correct but it looks like you´re not following them (look at the blueprints, please: Two shovels on the front left fender, pick and axe on the left front fender, fire extiguisher and wire cutter on the front part of the stowage box); I have at least three pictures showing the straps (Or their remains) for two jerrycans behind the right fender stowage box so I trend to believe this was a standard fitting and finally the rear rack for the cleaning rod should be behind the hull lifting hook or instead the cleaning rod wouldn´t fit or it should be too short for a L48 (the Kagero plans are plainly wrong here)...See the picture below for the last:
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/1016/milmodmage9pv.jpg
by the way, you´ll have a problem with stowage, Italeri´s fenders are too narrow and it won´t fit easily.
Siento que parezca que pongo pegas, pero después del magnífico trabajo del interior me parecería una pena que te equivocaras en el exterior

Driver

11-17-2007, 09:28 PM

Rick, Marco, John, Laz and FJ; thanks for your comments and suggestions, they are always welcome. Now I'm going to answer the issues.

Sorry to say there are still some issues: No one knows so far if the ammo box is a field mod or a standard equipment (We have only a complete 234/4 so we cannot compare), Kagero´s book plans are correct but it looks like you´re not following them (look at the blueprints, please: Two shovels on the front left fender, pick and axe on the left front fender, fire extinguisher and wire cutter on the front part of the stowage box); I have at least three pictures showing the straps (Or their remains) for two jerry cans behind the right fender stowage box so I trend to believe this was a standard fitting and finally the rear rack for the cleaning rod should be behind the hull lifting hook or instead the cleaning rod wouldn’t fit or it should be too short for a L48 (the Kagero plans are plainly wrong here)...by the way, you´ll have a problem with stowage, Italeri´s fenders are too narrow and it won´t fit easily.
Siento que parezca que pongo pegas, pero después del magnífico trabajo del interior me parecería una pena que te equivocaras en el exterior

FJ, as you already said: "No one knows so far if the ammo box is a field mod or a standard equipment." According to the Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two the amount of ammo carried in the car was 12 rounds. That's what makes me think that the ammo box was a field modification. Concerning the shovels I tried to follow the blueprints but as you stated "Italeri´s fenders are too narrow and it won’t fit easily." I tried to put the two shovels in one fender but there was no way for them to fit in there. So I ended gluing it to the other fender; Look at it as a field modification. :D As for the jerry cans, I already have two with their brackets ready to be glued on the right fender because even if the blueprints doesn't show them the area looks too plain. And as you might know every bit of space that could be used was used. I'm going to check some other references for the cleaning rod before changing its position.

No te preocupes, yo se que tu intención es ayudarme a hacer un mejor modelo.

Now to the model...

I was about to install the headlights in the fenders when I realized that the ones that comes with the models are terrible so I decided to make new ones from brass. The base is from the Eduard set. Here’s the result.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/Lights.jpg

And here they are glued to the fender as well as the horn.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000919.jpg

I also put the wire cutter in its place above the tool box. Thanks to Dave for lending the clamp for this project.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000920.jpg

That’s all for now. Thanks for viewing.
Ruben

FJCabeza

11-18-2007, 04:25 AM

Cuando hice mi "aborto" me encontré el mismo problema y lo solucioné dejándolo sin algunas herramientas, sólo los enganches...Que por cierto eran de la época de "antes de los fotograbados"; por eso aprecio tu sistema de construcción, creo que se ha perdido la diversión del "hazlo tú mismo" así que dale fuerte y acaba este modelo que es toda una lección de modelismo puro.
When I did my failed attempt i simply left off some of the tools leaving only the clamps...It was a converted 234/3, as I started it BEFORE Italeri´s 234/4 was released ...And never was finished

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6551/p1010223dl2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6551/p1010223dl2.356137a236.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=522&i=p1010223dl2.jpg)

Gopher

11-18-2007, 05:40 AM

Looks great Ruben!

Flak

11-18-2007, 07:20 AM

Great brass headlight...Ruben :)

Panzergrenadier

11-18-2007, 05:55 PM

I like what I see!:thumb:

lupanzer

11-18-2007, 07:06 PM

It looks impressive!

Regards!

Luiz.

Larry Bates

11-19-2007, 12:58 AM

Great Job on the bosche lights Ruben. :thumb:

Laz

holmerz

11-19-2007, 03:41 AM

Greta work as always Ruben :thumb:.

\Erik

Driver

11-23-2007, 10:12 PM

FJ, Andrey, Marco, Siim, Luiz, Laz and Erik, thanks for your comments. I’m glad you like it.

FJ, why don’t you finish yours? Seeing how far you have come with it I think it’s a shame to leave it unfinished! :confused:

Well, after my last update I changed the position of the rear cleaning rod holder as shown in the photo that FJ provided. (Sorry that I forgot to take a photo.)

Next the second part of the fun began: Painting. First, the primer. Right side….
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000927.jpg

Left side….
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000928.jpg

Then the paint itself. I used Polly S Panzer Dark Yellow for the base coat and Forest Green and Burnt Sienna from Plaid, with a little cream color added, for the cammo stripes. Again, right side…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000932.jpg

And left….
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000931.jpg

Here you can see it with the gun and wheels in place.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000933.jpg

And a top view.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000934.jpg

Now, the weathering begins!

Thanks, and see you soon.
Ruben

DOJO

11-23-2007, 10:53 PM

Driver

11-23-2007, 11:28 PM

Looking great. I find it very interesting when some one is re working the old kits even if there's a new kit on the market. You spend so much time re working so many htings when some one wont even bother with because they will just buy a new kits. I'm not saying they are wrong as it's a personal choice what you want to do with your time and money.

I bought some Poly paint and yet to try it, how do you like it and can you compare it to other paints?

Thanks Ruslan. For me it is a matter of looking at the finished model and say "I did all that". Apart of being fun it's a great satisfaction. But I also build some of the new kits from time to time.

About the Polly paints I will say that I like them very much. The consistency is so "right on the spot" that I can use it direct from the bottle in my airbrush without even thining it a bit. The other paint I have used is Testors Acrylic but it was so thick that you really had to thin it to use it. The Plaid ones are useful even if they were not meant for this, the problem is that they clog the airbrush too frequently.

Ruben

Larry Bates

11-24-2007, 12:52 AM

Looking good Ruben

Laz

RickLawler

11-24-2007, 01:33 AM

Thanks Ruslan. For me it is a matter of looking at the finished model and say "I did all that". Apart of being fun it's a great satisfaction.

Some see problems, you see potential....that's a great gift Ruben.

I had missed the headlight update, boy that was a special treat, and now your clicking right along with the paint...well done all around my friend.

Rick

Torben Nielsen

11-24-2007, 05:11 AM

I have to say that I am very impressed with your scratchbuilding skills. You make it look so easy. The only problem is, that it also makes me feel like a fool with 10 thumbs.
Amazing headhughts too, but ....... you only had to make one. Sdkfz 234/2 was the only one with two headlights (at least until somebody finds a proof that says otherwise).
I will indeed be looking forward to see your next project.
This project is what modelling is all about.

Greetings from Denmark
Torben Nielsen

Flak

11-24-2007, 07:51 AM

Looks good...Ruben.

skeletondude

11-24-2007, 09:43 AM

Awesome work Ruben! :thumb:

DOJO

11-24-2007, 12:31 PM

Some new kits are better detailed, so it's very hard to not to buy them ;)

Thanks for the information on the paints, as I use testors acrylic and thin it but wasn't so happy with there pigment.

Fledermaus

12-07-2007, 07:14 AM

Ruben, this build it is almost finished and looking great:thumb: , all that work is well worth it as the final product is something to be proud of;):cool:.keep it up cant wait to see it finished:D

Driver

12-14-2007, 09:25 PM

Larry, Rick, Torben, Marco, Marek, Ruslan and Abdin; thanks for your support.

Now lets continue....

While the paint dried in the car I decided to work on the wheels. First a wash of raw umber oil was applied to the wheels, followed by a dry brushing with PollyS yellow and then yellow plus sandstone for highlights. For the tires I used a mix of 5 parts Black two parts sandstone for the base coat then added a little more sandstone for the highlights. Here are the wheels in the car and the spare.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000940.jpg

After that, decals were applied. I choose to used the ones from the Kagero book instead of the Italeri ones. I glued the jerry cans to the fenders also.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000944.jpg

To add a little interest I decided to substitute one of them for an American one.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000945.jpg

The mufflers were next. To them I applied several coats of paint and baby powder to give them some texture.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000948.jpg

I started working on the figures that will “populate” the base. Here you can see them in position.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000952.jpg

Then, to take a break from the car I started to paint the figures. Here’s the commander.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000962.jpg

I also added some beams and boards to the “garage”.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000957.jpg

The gun was the next recipient of a session of paint scratches. I used Payne’s Gray to give the gun carriage a wash to simulate grease in the area.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000964.jpg

After that it was the moment of the dust coating so using my airbrush I sprayed some diluted coats of earth colors around the vehicle. Here you can see the front of the car. You can also see the reworked handles of the travel lock. I little pieces of styrene rod and half rounds to make them.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000966.jpg

Here is a side view. At this stage I also installed the antenna mount in the shield…
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000967.jpg

… and painted the handles of the wire cutters.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000968.jpg

In this close up you can see the new position of the cleaning rod holders, I move the rear one further back.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000970.jpg

Then came the turn of the pigments. First, a little dose to the interior to dirty it up a little.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000972.jpg

Then with a brush I applied a little pigment to the wheels.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000974.jpg

I make the strap for the commander’s binoculars using a strip of lead sheet and placed them in the gun.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1000975.jpg

Again, thanks for your time.
Ruben

Larry Bates

12-14-2007, 09:47 PM

:thumb: Nice touches Ruben!:thumb:

MikkoH

12-15-2007, 02:35 AM

Looks good so far!! Great job on this baby. Somehow I think base could be more populated. Figures or something else. But most probably you have planned to do it.:D

Panzergrenadier

12-15-2007, 07:25 AM

Cool stuff !:cool:

Flak

12-15-2007, 09:24 AM

Looks good...Ruben

RickLawler

12-15-2007, 12:41 PM

Baby powder....must keep that one in mind. The boys are right, the little touches are really setting this one apart...I like the US gas can.

Rick

Driver

01-06-2008, 07:38 PM

Hello again guys! It’s been a while since I posted some progress in here so let me show you how things went at the end of the year. And thanks to all of you that took the time to view this thread

Looks good so far!! Great job on this baby. Somehow I think base could be more populated. Figures or something else. But most probably you have planned to do it.:D

Thinking about what Mikko said, I decided to fill the base a little more so I made some things that you would find in any farm. First I made a water pump and a wood trough, tall grass to put in random places and a wagon wheel from Tamiya. Here’s a close up of the pump and trough.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010057a.jpg

Then I started gluing everything to the base. Once the car was in place I glued the antenna to its base. (BTW I used an antenna base from a DML Stug since the Italeri one looks like a rubber boot from a shifter.) Then the figures, the guy assembling the cleaning rod is looking upward so I painted a little cat from Tamiya and put it in one of the beams in front of him. Here are the photos.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010053a.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010054a.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010055a.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010062a.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010066-1.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010056.jpg

I think I can declare this project finished, but if you have any suggestions don’t hesitate to tell me.

Flak

01-07-2008, 09:43 AM

Looks nice...Ruben

Sticky

01-07-2008, 11:06 AM

I like the pump, its a great improvement!

RickLawler

01-07-2008, 11:42 AM

Ruben, do you have any closer shots of the wooden planks on the "carport"? It looks like you've got some nice color and weathering going on with those. The pump is nice- do you feel adventurous ???? Perhaps a little standing water in the water trough (sp?) --- the wooded thing!!! --- :confused:

Gopher

01-07-2008, 12:43 PM

Looks nice Ruben!

I agree with Rick about water. And two more things - what about adding some more high grass near the walls and two or three water jerrycans near the pump?

PS someone talk about planet zoo... geese, pigeon, now I can see a cat :))
next one will be a puppy near my 251 :))

Driver

01-08-2008, 06:28 PM

Thanks for your suggestions guys; I'll work on them and post the results later. I'll also take some close up photos of the carport.

Driver

01-09-2008, 07:26 PM

Well Rick, you asked for it so here it is; a close up of the roof planks. They are balsa wood with washes of brown, gray and blue. (I was following your method for making weathered wood.)

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010102.jpg

Next I did the water for the trough using Enviro Tech Light, a clear resin for varnishing wood. Andrey suggested two or three jerry cans near the pump but this being Europe I though that one is more than enough. So I ended up with one jerry can and two canteens by the fence.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010101.jpg

Another thing I did was to rework the vegetation on the base. I cut shorter the tall grass and added some Caspia branches to give more variety to the scene. Here are three overall photos.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010097.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010098.jpg

Another thing I added was a little map besides the commander, you can see it by its foot on the fence.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/rdlopez65/234-4%20Italeri/P1010100.jpg

Thanks again for viewing.