Flakpanzer IV Ausf G "Wirbelwind" Dragon #6342

Here we have Dragon's 2011 kit #6342. This features an Ausf G early hull without zimmerit.

This was built out of the box in around 2018. Damage was inflicted to track guards and a few items from the spares box added to improve on kit parts.

Primed in Tamiya rattle can red oxide

 

 

Pre shaded with Tamiya lacquer red brown and base coated with Tamiya lacquer Dunkelgelb 

 

Free hand airbrushed camo with Tamiya lacquer dark Green 2 and red brown 2 over hairspray. Tyres brush painted in Vallejo dark rubber. AK Diorama acrylic light earth texture paste added to the running gear. Camo colours chipped and scuffed

Exhaust muffler base coated in Vallejo track primer with Dunkelgelb airbrushed over hairspray and chipped back. Stipple effects with the two darkest shades of the Life color rust set.

 

 

Chipping effects on the engine deck

Brush painted tonal variation of Dunkelgelb over the base coated Flak gun

AK light mud texture paste

 

Light and dark acrylic dust tones airbrushed over hairspray layer to create dust layers

Spare tracks base coated in Vallejo track primer, base coated in Dunkelgelb and camo colours over hairspray to create subtle chips to the overpainted tracks.

Multiple dust layers on the front plates

 

Acrylic dust layers scrubbed back to create worn areas on the running gear and tyres

 

Mud texture and two acrylic mud tone layers added

Hull and running gear ready for some oil and enamel pin washes

I felt I overcooked the pin wash application using MIG neutral wash. It slightly muddied the effect I was going for. Fortunately, as it was enamel based, I dialled it back with white spirit and just left the initial darker layer in selected areas. 

To add another contrasting layer a selective pin wash with a lighter mud tone (AK splatter effects) was added. As this has a little texture it was also added over an application of chopped seagrass which had been fixed with VMS ballast freeze onto the running gear, glacis plate and track guards. This does unfortunately leave a few glossy tidemarks, but another round of airbrushed dusting will fix that.

The turret received a much lighter application of airbrushed dust, a very small pin wash of the lighter AK splatter effects and some seagrass was added and fixed in place onto the horizontal surfaces of the interior

As I really liked how the previous airbrushed dust layers were shaping up, I plan to adopt the same technique but with a slight tonal variation to unify these new effects together on both hull and turret. I think if that all goes to plan, I should be able to move on to some OPR type stuff.