Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

[Trooper Cooper]

Sorry about the placeholder, hope I didn't piss too many of you off

So some of my friends have been keeping me up to date on this for a month now, ever since the first progress threads kicked off - though it was only now I felt confident to join up (and promptly broke the rules - sorry again ). I had been considering doing a custom Kaempfer for a fairly long time as it is a personal favourite mobile suit ever since I first saw a model magazine with it featured, and had my eyes set on a WW2-style combat unit, having owned the kit ever since the Big Toys'R'Us sale of yore. I am very fond of Germanic Zeon custom units, and with my fascination with desert camouflage schemes and desert warfare (both ground and aerial), a desert custom was a natural choice for me.

I looked particularly to British SAS and LRDG vehicles for inspiration on this one, which as an aside is only my third Gundam kit (all of which have in some way been customised... I really ought to try the basics first). Classic images of dented water condensers on the front of trucks, specially camouflaged Bedfords with scrim netting and tarpaulines and weapons-laden jeeps filled my eyes with glee. I started pulling out tubing, canisters, gauze, wire, my bits box, a plastic bag... lots of things to model these fun little details.

Then I thought about it a bit more - why the hell was I concentrating solely on customised British vehicles if the damn thing was supposed to be a German mecha? So, back to the drawing board... and it was with some hesitation and a whole lot of worry that I bought a tube of Squadron Green putty and plotted the creation of a Kondo-esque zimmerit monster!

Then I figured there was little actual need to cover an entire MS in zimmerit... with the stresses of the vehicle most of it would come off, and even then only certain parts of the vehicle had to be coated in it for 90% of all potential magnetic mine attacks to be prevented (feet, lower legs, cockpit/lower torso, shoulders, head). I started with the feet, which were my big testing ground, and then went on to the head, shoulders, and then the legs and torso. I wasn't very happy with it at some points, but then I remembered that zimmerit was a tricky beast at best with the real stuff, and that there were an awful lot of patterns that were used.

I don't really know if this classifies as a light or heavy mod, but I will list the intended changes here:
Zimmerit application using Squadron Green putty.
Removal of thrusters for the back, replaced by sand filters and fluid condensors.
Addition of scrim nets (in racks and tied down) and MMP-80 magazines.
Custom weapon (scoped MMP-80, using a Dom MMP-80, the scope of a Gelgoog beam machinegun, and a rudimentary spare-bits kitbashed mount)
Replacement of backpack rocket launchers with Panzerfausts.

My chosen camouflage will be a wavy tan/brown camouflage scheme I've seen on several German halftrack models (as well as a couple of photos of the real thing). I will then try a suitable weathering job over it. With any luck it will come out with a nicely used look :)

Some WiP shots - unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of it in the preliminary zimmeriting stages, and I only remembered to photograph the bits as I was priming them - closeups provided of the zimmerit-ed feet, leg armour (one with scrim net in rack) and of the customised MMP-80:





Yes, I know they don't show much, and my shaky hands don't help the fact  

I've since given the white armour pieces a coat of Tamiya XF-59, which I will be lightening up with a light coat of XF-57 tomorrow. The internals and weapons will eventually be done in a Tamiya Gunmetal spray, which will then be worn for that dusty desert vibe.

Sorry again for starting the thread without any info/images... too eager  

EDIT: Also forgot to mention. Current plans are for a base to be made for display which may or may not feature a trashed 1/100 scale Supermarine Spitfire. I'm giving it some thought... feedback would be nice :)

[Marc]

Don't post a wip without any pics or any kind of information, please, just don't.
Thread locked. Will be unlocked when you have some updates.

[FichtenFoo]

Yeah, definitely read through the site posting and image guidelines. If you first thread gets locked by a mod, that's not a good start. :wink: I'll unlock this so you can give us actual info and not spam, but remember... "no in-prog threads should be started without images".

Posting Guidelines:
http://fichtenfoo.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=328

Image Posting:
http://fichtenfoo.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=293

[Trooper Cooper]

Sorry about that guys... a sucky start I know. At any rate, new information added about the unit - hope that is an improvement on my opening performance  

[Major Blah]

Seems like you are well on the way on your build.  I think that shows you're a serious modeler (and not some random n00b), so don't worry about breaking the rules in the first place, we all make a little boo-boo once awhile.

Okay, the zimmerit is an interesting concept for the K.  I agree with you that it does not need to cover the entire MS, but why the head then?  If you are thinking of mine attack near ground then I don't see a reason for the head to have the zimmerit.  From what I can see in your picture it looks pretty nicely done though (a tedious process).  I would suggest giving the rest of the Kampfer some casted-iron texture.  It would blend better with the zimmerit.

Looking forward to seeing more from you.

[Trooper Cooper]

Well, if a magnetic mine hit an MS head, would you really want it to go off? The head is pretty intrinsic to early UC combat, so really it's a measure to try to protect a fairly important (and very protruding) part of the suit :)

[clee-cm]

My question is would Zimmerit be relavent in the UC? If this were a Zaku the I could see the point of putting Zimmerit paste onto the legs of the MS, but the Kampfer is a hit hard and run  fast MS.

Yes, I am familiar with the German Panzer forces use of Zimmerit on Tanks...

[Trooper Cooper]

With usage in space or in colonies I would imagine zimmerit wouldn't be very relevant to the UC. On Earth it becomes a different matter as the problems of explosive usage (in respect to colonies) are removed and total war had been experienced there for a fair stretch. It could equally be argued that zimmerit could have become completely outdated by UC0079 and that magnetic mines would have such powerful magnets that it would have no effect.

Aesthetically it gives the suit a very German appearance. Relevant to the UC? Not necessarily, considering potential military developments. Considering the Germanic roots of the Principality, I like the idea that zimmerit could have been used on MS the same way many armoured assault vehicles were during WW2, and if not during the war then by Zeon remnants looking to make the best use of limited supplies. :)

[FichtenFoo]

I tend to lean towards the aestetic more than the functional, so I like this so far. As for magnetic mines, the Kampfer carries them. And given what was done to the Alex's outter armor, I'd say some sort of Zimmerit wouldn't be a bad idea.

Besides if I was going to use magnetic anything against an MS from a non-MS ground trooper standpoint, I'd not want it to be something I had to run up and throw on. It'd be something launched from a distance with a magnet powerful enough to correct for a slight miss. (say a yard or 2)

If it was a run up and attach on thing...

A: the K is too fast
B: I wouldn't wanna get stepped on
C: It'd probably have to get placed UNDER the armor to make critical damage if it's something small that a human can carry which in that case see B.

[mtomczek]

Speaking of Zimmerit:

http://fichtenfoo.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1811

[gamerabaenre]

I toyed with the idea of adding zimmerit.  Aesthetically because it ties in the WWII german tank theme with a lot of zeon suits.  Functionally, because the K actually carries such a weapon.

My line of thinking for potential magnetic weapon employment would be projectile weapons that used a magnetic device similar to a heatseeking weapon.  Ie, launch the projectile from a bazooka or other method, then within an allotted time from launch, the projectile's magnetic guidance system arms itself.  Or even a much more fun means of attaching a mine:  A GM or random Feddy suit runs up to the K and "tags" it with a mine; then quickly runs away.  Imagine the fun of trying to remove the sticky mine before it explodes, with the mine on your back and the maneuverability of the suit restricts if from pulling the item off itself.

Another note would be changes to the design of the kampfer in our customization.  For example, I removed about 18 thrusters off my kampfer, then added the weight of additional weapon systems and propellant tanks - which effectively altered it's modus operandi and turned it from a fast in quick attack weapon to a slow moving patrol/support unit.

[Trooper Cooper]

Out of interest guys... judging on the list of mods, would you say it's a heavy or light customisation category model?

[gamerabaenre]

My guess would be light.  I didn't see mention of any mobility modifications.  The cosmetic modifications are not really too extensive - seems like most of the parts are plug and play type changes.  This is only guessing from the pictures and what you posted.

Now if you did some considerable scratch building for weapon systems, or a lot of cosmetic modifications to change the general look and structure of things, then we'd run towards the heavy modifications.

I make the comparison since I consider my own modifications to my kampfer light customization.  For all intents and purposes, it(mine) still looks very much like your standard out of the box kampfer.  Taking a look at DasPhule's kampefer and his plans, that's what I would consider heavy customization.

[FichtenFoo]

We'll have to see it when it's done for the light/heavy determination. Light is going to be minor cosmetic changes. Heavy is going to be more extensive changes. You seem to be on the cusp so it's a wait and see. But if you do everything you're planning it'll probably be heavy. Maybe make a new weapon... something that looks German. Like a railroad cannon mounted to its back or a small leuger (sp?).

[Trooper Cooper]

So, here I am into day 2 of my model painting spree.

Having perused some model magazines while I was at the model shop, I found a really nice model example in  featuring the colour scheme I was going for.



I figured that, with the photo reference there, my attempt to emulate the pattern on a mecha would turn out right. I am currently very pleased with the method I used, which I will now elaborate on!  



The base primer for the armour was a pure white, onto which I sprayed an even coat of Tamiya XF-59 Desert Yellow. As I was later proven, it was a bit too bright as a base colour, but I don't think it detracted much at all from the colour scheme. Onto that I sprayed the camouflage pattern, which was a mix of XF-64 Red Brown, XF-9 Hull Red and X-20A (wort wort wort, Strike Freedom) Tamiya Thinners at a mix of approximately 10-15-75. My layers were initially thin and built up so as my work went on, the contrast between the yellow and the red became more striking. This would be dulled later on.





Side and back of the right foot, completed above.



The whole thing without the preliminary weathering. Now comes the fun part!

Thanks to the thin layers for the camouflage, I was confident that the dulling down could be done with the spare hour I had before I had to travel home for some delicious mac and cheese. For this I used Tamiya XF-57 Buff, which I mixed at about 25-75, and proceeded to coat all of the armour plating in it with a nice light wash.





Again the torso and legs shown seperate. You can really see the contrast, and it looks so much more worn in and dusty now. I was really pleased.



The whole thing!  

Next jorb, do the internal frame, weapons and specialist deserty bits before final reassembly, mods and weathering. I'll hopefully get the internal frame done tomorrow, and maybe some 'muddying' up of the feet. :)

[Major Blah]

I was going to comment on the camo being too distinct or strong before seeing your final dulling process.  Looks much better after that's done.

You're really quick.  And I really see a strong WWII germany influence on this!

[FichtenFoo]

Looks decent enough. I think that the gray parts should be darker to contrast the camo though. That'll help the look of the camo.

[Trooper Cooper]

As it currently stands, the grey is being sprayed in Tamiya TS-38 Gunmetal, and then worn in with a similar method to the rest of the armour (using a thin wash of the XF-57), and then the whole suit would get a bit of a weathering. Reckon bare metal would be better than dusty metal?

[FichtenFoo]

I think darker bare would give it better contrast. Right now it just looks flat gray. Gunmetal + black would work well.

[GlauG]

I was laughing about the idea of scratchbuilding a Gundam-sized Luger for Coops when he told me about it, but for some dumb reason we headed down to our local hobby store, bought some aluminium pipe and styrene, and I built one. >_>;  Would he be okay to use this for his Kampher or would it violate the competition rules?  It's no different from him using a resin option set or anything in one sense, I guess...