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Logistics, The Rolling Stock Completed April 18th, 2020

bob letterman said:
I've began to weather the K5 E Railway gun. I base coated it five years ago, so the finish is about as hard as it is gonna get! Iron Mike, (Mike Trent), had built a Panzer 3 in dunkelgelb and I liked the finish a lot! So, I asked him what colors he used to weather it. He gave them to me and so I'm using them plus a few more. I still weather with old school methods because,...... well, I'm old school! :)

I started with the two trucks, front and rear, on which the massive gun is carried from place to place pulled by a locomotive or one of the small diesels the Germans used for lighter jobs. I began with my old raw umber artists oil and rectified turpentine wash. It is a process, especially on a yellow base coat, in which you have to close your eyes, grit your teeth and just do it. It never ceases to put the fear of God in you. It goes on and looks just terrible. But, have faith and pull up all the patience you can manage and here we go.

Then I place on a coated sheet of cardboard, (If not coated, the liquid will soak into the cardboard and dry very quickly), . a strip of the paint about an inch long and then, using a wide filbert brush, (a number 8 or 10, I mix it on the cardboard pallet thoroughly until it is the consistency of whole milk. Then, using that brush, paint it on an area about 2 inches square, more or less, at a time. That's the scary part. It will look like you just painted it an ugly brown color that is not even translucent.


View attachment 22

Here it is a bit closer.

View attachment 23

Then, using a clean T-shirt, I begin blotting, (Not rubbing), the raw umber mixture until it only remains in the recesses. The raised parts will be a bit darker yellow, but, after a few hours, it will lighten as well as flatten out, leaving a much more pleasing contrast between the raised and recessed areas.

Here I have done three of the wheels and housings. As I said, looks scary, doesn't it? :)

View attachment 25

Here I have washed and finished the entire rear half of the truck. I get all I can using my finger underneath the cloth, changing places frequently, as I blot, then after It is mostly blotted so there is a thin coat of the raw umber mixture left, I use a Q-tip under the cloth to get at the more recessed areas. Using it alone will leave unwanted lint.

But, after the T-shirt is finished with it, it doesn't look so bad, and, it will look even better left overnight to fry.

View attachment 24

Another view.

View attachment 26

Then, I finished the entire truck.

View attachment 31

The other side.

View attachment 32

Compared to the unwashed truck. You can see the washed one is several shades darker. That's the object!

View attachment 33

Another view.

View attachment 34

Tomorrow, I'll begin some dry brushing, and post as I move along. Then pastels, chipping and rusting. This vehicle sat in the weather under the bombed out Train shed for months so it would have extensive rusting.

Thanks for looking in!

Bob
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Guess I'm on bump detail again, looking awesome Mr L.!
 
Thanks Mike!

During this quarantine, I'm on a roll. I went to the rear truck after the wash of the front one. I decided to go all the way with it and finish it.

Now, Some of the K-5 E Rail guns were Panzer gray and some were Dark Yellow, (Dunkelgelb). According to reference there were either 25 or 27 of the K5 Es built. Only two still exist. Leopold from Italy as well as Robert were taken to America, (Robert was used for spare parts for Leopold which had some damage). There is another one on the channel coast of France in a military museum. The Leopold we have does not have the electrical generator as the one in France does. I have heard that there was one other that was named. Gneisenau, like the WW I Battleship, named after August von Gneisenau, a Prussian Field Marshall from the 18th century. I have heard there was a K5 Enamed that, but, so far I haven't been able to confirm it.

Believe it or not, the last time I weathered German yellow was a Tiger II Porsche Turret back in 1983. A few years ago! :) I asked Iron Mike if he would tell me the colors he used to weather his Panzer III and, of course, he did! I have to say that the colors Mike gave me, worked great! I really like the way this turned out. It looks exactly how I wanted it to look! Mike Trent deserves a round of applause!! Thanks Mike! I really appreciate it!
I did tone down the fading a bit as the rail guns mostly sat in train yards under cover.

Here is the rear truck. It has the electrical generator mounted directly behind the gun deck! I left the various covers open so the gauges, instruments and controls are visible. The generator will be under the shed area that is still intact so, not much if any damage.

bottom to top.JPG


Then, here is a photo of it with less lighting than the first photo.

direct side.JPG


A lot of PE was used on the generator. The dual exhausts had PE covers, both horizontally along the bottom and then the round vertical covers on top.

Side from rear.JPG


The rear truck with stenciled data.

Low from side.JPG


A photo slightly from the rear! The top of the generator cabin served as the loading crane and shell trolley.

to the front.JPG


Side view.

side view.JPG


Both front and rear trucks. The front one has only been washed. I still have more weathering to do on it. I always do the difficult parts first and in this kit, the gun and carriage that rides on these trucks are much less complicated detail wise. The gun and carriage are huge, but.... they have not nearly as much detail and therefore easier to weather.

Here you can see the difference in the fully weathers and detailed Rear Truck and the, "Washed only" front truck.

both trucks.JPG


Both from overhead.

both from top.JPG


Now, on to the carriage and gun. I have divided this Logistics diorama into five parts. I'm looking forward to finishing up this RR gun because it will be the first of the five Logistics thread to wrap up, then only four more to go!!!

Thanks for looking in!!

Bob
 
Looking great, Bob! I was glad to help and flattered that you liked my StuG so much, but I suspect my input was just affirmation. Colors? Dark pin wash, rust colored chips, dust and mud colored pigments. There's more to learn here than from me.
 
Thing is while they were used and banged around a bit, there wouldn't be much more than a little rust or very big chips. It would be weathered a bit, but no salt or much in the way of corrosive stuff on these. Wear and tear, but that is about all.
 
Iron Mike said:
Looking great, Bob! I was glad to help and flattered that you liked my StuG so much, but I suspect my input was just affirmation. Colors? Dark pin wash, rust colored chips, dust and mud colored pigments. There's more to learn here than from me.
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Thanks Mike. More than just affirmation! I knew I would likely not use the same technique to apply those colors, I'm old school. but, the most important information I received from you was not only the colors to use to get the finish I wanted, but, just as importantly to me, were the colors NOT to use! It had been so long since I weathered that color, I didn't want to screw up a big project like the RR Gun!

Bob
 
Heavens Eagle said:
Thing is while they were used and banged around a bit, there wouldn't be much more than a little rust or very big chips. It would be weathered a bit, but no salt or much in the way of corrosive stuff on these. Wear and tear, but that is about all.
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Hey Paul,

I've done quite a bit of research on these rail guns and mostly they were parked in either a bomb shelter, a tunnel or covered with canvasses an then topped with camouflage. So, you're right! They also would not have the fading as would military vehicles that were in the elements 24/7

Bob
 
Brokeneagle said:
Looks great Bob......yeah what are those colors you mentioned.
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Thanks Ian,

The colors Mike gave me to use on a Dunkelgelb base coat were; a Dark pin wash, rust colored chips, dust and mud colored pigments. I used all those colors but, in a different way. Regardless of how you apply the colors, they're still the same colors! Right? I used a raw umber artist's oil and rectified turpentine wash, which is the exact color of natural dirt, dust and mud. I used raw umber and burnt umber pastel sticks, ground into powder. Pretty much the same as pigments. Instead of a pin wash, I used two dark ink pens, Black and dark brown in the seams and creases. (I use the numbers .01 and .005 pens available in art stores). Then I used artist's oil Burnt Sienna, (The color of rust), for the rusting, with a bit of Burnt Sienna pastels to finish off the rusting.

Basically the same colors that Mike used, only different in the application and mediums. Actually, these are the same colors I use for Panzer Gray, Olive Drab, Camouflage gray and other military base coats. I had forgotten due to the length of time since I worked on that color. Hey, I'm old! :)

A rose by any other name is still a rose! :)

Bob
 
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bob letterman said:
Thanks Ian,

The colors Mike gave me to use on a Dunkelgelb base coat were; a Dark pin wash, rust colored chips, dust and mud colored pigments. I used all those colors but, in a different way. Regardless of how you apply the colors, they're still the same colors! Right? I used a raw umber artist's oil and rectified turpentine wash, which is the exact color of natural dirt, dust and mud. I used raw umber and burnt umber pastel sticks, ground into powder. Pretty much the same as pigments. Instead of a pin wash, I used two dark ink pens, Black and dark brown in the seams and creases. (I use the numbers .01 and .005 pens available in art stores). Then I used artist's oil Burnt Sienna, (The color of rust), for the rusting, with a bit of Burnt Sienna pastels to finish off the rusting.

Basically the same colors that Mike used, only different in the application and mediums. Actually, these are the same colors I use for Panzer Gray, Olive Drab, Camouflage gray and other military base coats. I had forgotten due to the length of time since I worked on that color. Hey, I'm old! :)

A rose by any other name is still a rose! :)

Bob
Click to expand...
Thanks Bob, always nice to expand on techniques. I especially like the ink pen idea do you have a picture of the pens/aplicators?
 
Brokeneagle said:
Thanks Bob, always nice to expand on techniques. I especially like the ink pen idea do you have a picture of the pens/aplicators?
Click to expand...

Sure. I've been using them for almost a year now and I like them better every day. When I first posted on them, somebody, I think it was Paul Schafer, (Heavens Angel), said he heard the pens faded over time. So far they are holding up great. I believe these pens are new to the market, at least I've never seen them before and I'm in art stores as much or more than hobby shops. The brand name is Pigma Micro. They are waterproof and Fade proof, or so they say on the pens. I believe they are made in France?? Not sure though. Here are photos of them. the bottoms indicate the color and the tops give you the thickness of the point.
0~12.JPG


This is an .01 point compared to a Winsor Newton No. 7 sable double 00 brush. They make one smaller, an .005. I have some of them. but.... they are almost too fine. It makes a line so thin you can barely see it.

00~15.JPG


Hope this helps you Ian, They're, for me at least, a lot easier and faster than a pin wash and just as effective.

Bob
 
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Thanks Bob, appreciate that. I have a few black ones but it never occurred to me to use them in this way or even look into some browns and other weathering colors.

Ian.
 
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