Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

[FichtenFoo]

That's a toughie... I suppose it's not much different than a resin upgrade, but then again, he's not making it himself/it's not resin, so this ends up being an almost multi-entrant entry... I say he's fine as long as that's all you do for him for it. Otherwise it might break some ethics-like rules and piss off other entrants. :wink: It's walking the razors edge.

[GlauG]

I think I'll recast it.  Problem solved!  
Seriously though, thanks for the reply.  It was just a silly bit of fun, but I didn't want to rub anyone up the wrong way if he used it since his Kampher's being made for the contest.

[FichtenFoo]

Recasting is never a bad idea as someone else will want one for sire for SOMETHING done in a German style. Problem indeed solved, but thanks for the honesty about it. Much appriciated!

[Trooper Cooper]

So besides GlauG over there taking it upon himself to make the Luger, other work was managed on Day Three. Varnishes were applied to the armour plating before I began application of Germanic tank decals and warning decals. Besides German markings (numbers, warnings etc.) I also added some more personal markings - "ERIKA" on the right leg with an arrow through a heart. Photos to follow :)

I have also sprayed up all the Gun Metal parts, which now look very... Gun... Metal...y... yeah. Unfortunately the next 3 days are night shifts, so no updates for a while - you know, because 12 hour shifts at work can kill any man. When I get back to work, I will be doing a re-assembly, assembling the special desert conversion equipment, and prepping the model for its' final weathering spray.

And now there's this Luger that *really* begs me to make a 'leather' holster out of sculpey.  

[Trooper Cooper]

Aaaand here are the photos:

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

The whole lot. It's really coming together now.

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

The leg markings - ERIKA and a heart and arrow, and markings denoting the unit as Zeonic 126. I tried to get this to correspond with original photos in terms of sides for turret markings and such. I think I did alright.

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

Here you can see the Divisional markings, present on the left chest and the right leg front armour piece. The marking for the Division is a white square with two diagonal lines going from right to left, with the Afrika Korps palm tree in the centre, surrounded by a ring. Centre of both is the white symbol of the Principality. Also visible is the warning notice put on the former thruster assemblies, which are being secconded for use as housings for my filters. The "Abstand 30m" marking is a designation for how far away vehicles should be from the unit, and it appears on both back legs.

Next jobs, as mentioned - basic reassembly, touch ups, filter assembly, and then final spray of light wash to really dust this baby up. Plans are already afoot for the diorama display base as well - got a nice bridge for it :)

[Major Blah]

Looking good, Luger and "ERIKA" and all.  

I like that "ERIKA" decal, looks almost graffiti like.  Are you going to blend the decals into the camo during your weathering stage?

[Trooper Cooper]

That I am. As it stands, all of the markings stand out far too much in comparison to the unit's faded scheme, so I'm planning a very thin wash of the XF-57 Buff (20-80 mix?) to try to complete the evening out of the scheme, markings and so on. :)

[Trooper Cooper]

Wow, my thread dropped DOOOOWN. But look at the viewing figures! Jeez, it seems Erika is popular!  

The reason for the delay in updates? Basically... the legs broke.

When I painted in the Kaempfer frame, it turns out that the loop-style joint at the knees became somewhat... stuck. Sudden free movement in the frame alerted me to the problem, but by then it was too late. The paint had made the joint brittle, and the loop had broken.

Not to despair! The joints were replaced with polycaps, so movement and stability are now quite possible. Painting up the frame will recommence, and more photos are to come! :)

Pete

[Trooper Cooper]

Further update - condensor, chains, piping and back rack have been completed! Pictures to follow :3

[Trooper Cooper]

Photos of the condensor assembly, carriage frame and scrim net!

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

The frame was attached to the mount for the central back thruster, which I have ungraciously removed - pinned with brass rod and glued into place. The main piece of it was taken from an old Dragon anti-aircraft mount for MG42s and MG34s. The telescopic legs were removed, and may end up being used with something else. Clear plastic rod was used to make the mounting bar, which slotted in nicely into the locking arms of the machine gun mount.

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

The condensor was kitbashed from a Dragon MG42/MG34 ammunition can, a 1:35 scale oil drum, 1:35 ammunition box, and a 1:35 self-heating cooking can. Wrapping tarpaulins were made from a notably plastic bag (a brainwave I had a little while back for making canvas tarps), though I may also make a third one to wrap the two items, which would be made out of an old tube of putty.Tubing from the waist of the Kaempfer will be channelled together, heatshrinked at one end so as to appear as a single tube, run through the cooking can, and then down out the bottom of the oil drum, probably routing into the Kaempfer's back through one of the dust filters I have made.

In the first photo you can also see the large scrim net, which I will probably stow on the carriage mount on the Kaempfer's back.

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

And here it is hanging on the mount, by jewelry chain which was cut to size as needed. Hangs quite nicely I think - very pleased with the aesthetic of it. It'll look even better once primed and painted... though I'm not sure if I want to paint it in gunmetal or straight-up desert tan.

[fulcy]

If I could make a suggestion - The mounting of the condensor seems, well, just there - we'll just hang it on this bar.  If the Kampfer had to move at all, the chains would slip, slide off the bar, and bye bye condensor.  What I would suggest - make two tear drop looking flanges out of some thin sheet material, one end the same diameter as the acrylic rod, and the other end a smaller diameter, with a hole in it.  Cut the chain you have, into four equal lengths, attaching one end to the condensor, the other end to the hole in the smaller end of the flange.  Glue the flanges to the ends of the acrylic rod, with the holes for the chain in the downward orientation, and viola!  You could even add some bolt detail - like there's a huge bolt going through the flange into the acrylic rod, holding the whole thing together - or, as opposed to what I just said, make the one end of the flange larger in diameter than the acrylic rod, glue it to the end of the acrylic rod, and then in the corner that is left between the flange and the acrylic rod, add a weld bead.

[Trooper Cooper]

Good idea. What isn't really visible is the saw cut I tried to make in the clear acrylic rod, which unfortunately wasn't deep enough to take all the chain.

As an adaption of your idea what I may do is also add hanging rungs on to the condensor to secure the chain, then add the pieces to the rod. Thanks for the advice!

[fulcy]

Not a problem - that's what us Engineers are here for

[Trooper Cooper]

Work got in the way, which is disappointing, as this is by far my best model to date

Mounting rings have been added to the condensor and the backpack. We're into the final stage! Final painting and weathering begins!

Pictures to follow in the next week or so.

[Trooper Cooper]

Just a preview, as all the top-notch pics need editing and I'm exhausted (this is just a quick photo to wet the appetite... excuse the flash). However... Erika really wants to meet you all...

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

[Trooper Cooper]

FINALLY! IT IS OVER!

"Zeonic Afrika Korps unit 126 reporting for duty on the Egyptian border checkpoint..."

Making this kit has been a long hard slog. Lots of new things tried, a ton of heartbreak along the way as parts broke or messed up, decals didn't stick, paint went in all the wrong places, and so on and so forth. However, the zimmerit came out well, the decals look good, the painting really shaped up by the end, and all in all - I am really, really pleased.

So enough of me, and lets get on with the good stuff. Ladies, gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Erika. 

Amusingly, she arrived back home with me last night in this box:

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

"Don't worry, sir! I'm from the internet!"

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

A nice shot of the mounted condensor:

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

"Roger control, MS confirmed as friendly..."

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

The checkpoint:

Erika!! Kaempfer Tropen - FINISHED WITH PICS!!

And the links to all of the Erika final photos:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0449.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0452.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0453.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0454.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0455.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0456.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0457.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0459.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0460.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0461.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0462.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0463.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0464.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/troopercooper/102_0465.jpg


So, whaddaya think?

And just a quickie - is it okay to cross-link this to the Completed Models forum?

[FichtenFoo]

Looks good! No cross-links though. People will see it here.

[Trooper Cooper]

Thank you very much 

Fair cop. As an aside, any feedback would be happily accepted!

[oteebzo]

I am just wondering. What is the pack for? It seems out of place and just there.

[Trooper Cooper]

The pack on the back is a fluid condenser, used to take evaporated fluids from within the machine and make it back into fluids, so they can be reused to keep it cool. The pipes run from the waist, unite behind it, and run into the condenser, before going back in :)