I started this kit around 2015, so it was nice to get back and work on this build. Luckily all the constructed parts were stored safely in a plastic tub and the instructions marked to show the steps and parts that were already completed. This is the only plastic version available and it is an excellent rendition of an exceedingly rare military vehicle. Unfortunately, no examples survived the war. The moulding is sharp, the fit is exemplary and although the chassis and running gear is complex it all fits like a glove.
Chassis, running gear, wheels, and engine.
I decided to go with the medivac example without the tilt and with the stretcher bars. The load compartment components all fit well so now I have five sub-assemblies plus wheels all separate to aid painting. Tiny balls of Blu-tack were used to cover any attachment points and the windows will be added with white glue after painting.
The hardest part of completing an open top soft skin is figuring how to handle and jig all the sub-assemblies safely for painting. It can be quite a task figuring where to hold the parts to necessitate a good overall covering of paint. For this task I used a combination of third hands, homemade jigs, plastic clips, and the wonderfully versatile cocktail stick.
Primer Coat
All the metal parts were covered in Tamiya Red Oxide Fine Primer and the wooden load compartment primed in grey. A few wood colour acrylic mixes were made up and would form an undercoat for the wooden components of the vehicle and sections would be ‘uncovered’ after laying down hairspray before the base coat. I also hand painted all the metal components in various red oxide shades on all the metal components of the load compartment. Once completed all the sub-assemblies received two light coats of hairspray
Base Coat
Although many ETO Skoda’s appeared in a field applied tritonal camo I chose to paint mine in standard overall Dunkelgelb. The colours I used were mixed from the Tamiya acrylic range as I always find they achieve the best chipping results over hairspray. Like my previous Sd.Kfz.7/2 Flak build, various mixes were used to achieve a slight modulation in colour. As the load bed would cover most of the chassis, I also decided to hand paint the exhaust at this time.
Chipping
My first step was to lightly agitate the hairspray over a few selected areas of the metalwork to show light wear and chips exposing the undercoat. I made sure the effects were kept subtle but in these early stages they do look stark and exaggerated. The surface also looks very 'dry and scratchy' Further steps will soften the transitions.
Raised details were highlighted with Abtieling 502 Buff oils. As some of the components such as the wheels are extremely large and prominent using oils allowed me to feather in the colour to avoid any marked contrast that painting with acrylic could give me. I also decided to add a few light-coloured streaks at this time. This blending technique improves the overall look compared to the results of the previous step and already gives the model much better visual interest.
As there are only a few decals to apply to this version (number plates, speed restriction, load stencils and dash dials) these were applied over a coat of X-35 Semi-gloss clear. The decals were then sealed with another coat of airbrushed clear. The pin wash was completed with Abt 502 oil colours Dark Umber and Wash Brown diluted in white spirit. All the details were outlined, and certain areas treated with a more diluted mix to simulate a more worn appearance. The earlier highlights now give the overall appearance more depth
Once happy with the appearance a Tamiya X-24 Clear Yellow/Levelling Fluid mix was airbrushed over to seal work so far.
Further work with oils highlighted raised areas, tinted flat surfaces and added shadows to reccessed areas of the metal work. Oil filters were also added to the wooden loadbed.
