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by, Nick Cortese
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Winter whitewash was a water-based paint mixture usually hastily applied to vehicles (both Allied and Axis) during the winter months of the second World War. It was a means of camouflaging the vehicle to the surrounding winter terrain, but because of the harsh climatic conditions and non durability of the wash the paint often wore off quickly, usually looking tattered and worn. Winter whitewash finishes has to be of the most daunting paint schemes for modelers. I wanted to tackle some new techniques and Tamiya's excellent Marder III (kit #35248) was the perfect platform for me to try out these interesting paint techniques.
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General Construction
As per instructions, I started with the lower hull, which consists of 6 parts. Twin suspension and side fenders went on without a problem. I then added all equipment accessories. Wheels were lightly scuffed with a Dremel to give a slight worn appearance. Although they are quite nice representations, I replaced the kit's offerings with after-market, Fruilimodellismo tracks and drive sprockets. Due to the slight variance in track size from the Tamiya offering, both the sprocket and tracks need to be replaced with the Fruilmodel sets. Once the individual links were assembled, they were put aside for painting. At this point the entire lower hull is done and put aside.
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The upper hull is one piece and just falls into place. I would advise that you paint the inside of the lower hull and front of the upper hull (gas mask cases) before assembly. Even with the hatches closed you can still see the interior color. Before attaching the armor side plates, I filled in a number of very small ejector pin marks located on the inner sides of these plates. Once the armor plates were assembled, shell racks and exhausts were placed along with travel lock and front hatches any smaller parts. I assembled and cleaned up the basket with a hobby knife, removing tiny mold seams, and the set it aside for painting. Additionally, both seats were assembled and put aside.
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The impressive Soviet 7.62cm gun barrel, breech and cradle went together smoothly. The carriage assembly was attached along with equilibrator and various smaller parts. Take extra care when attaching the side armor to the front. Both sides should line up perfectly with the cruciform support (part# D29) and snuggly fits into the poly cap encased lower hull. The fighting compartment is excellent.
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Make it Muddy
All sub-assemblies were carefully washed with soapy water and were prepped for painting. To simulate the muddy underside and road wheels, a simple yet effective technique was used. Before the actual painting begins, black pastel chalk was mixed with Tamiya thinner and lightly dabbed onto the areas representing mud. For a good example of this, take a look at the road wheels of the Marder. This technique was also used to simulate the Marder's rusty colored exhaust and tracks.
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To start the process, brush a little Tamiya thinner onto an area where you would like to replicate the appearance of mud. Using a soft brush, gently drop a bit of powered (scrape the side of the pastel stick with a No.11 hobby blade until you get a little pile of powder ) pastel chalk onto the still wet area, carefully blowing away any of the access pastel chalk. Work your way slowly and carefully applying pastel over the entire surface of each item to receive the simulated mud. Wait overnight to allow the thinner to evaporate before painting.
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I use black chalk pastel because it blends right into the pre-shading technique perfectly.
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Step 1
I started with the pre-shading method, which is a fine line of airbrush applied flat black (XF 1) on all panel lines, facets and areas that would cast a shadow. Tamiya acrylics were used throughout. For the base coat, a heavily thinned (80:20) mixture of Dark Grey (XF 63) was airbrushed over the model, leaving the black pre-shade just barely visible. I try to keep it very subtle here, even though I will be adding a "winter wash" later.
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Step 2
The actual "white wash" is a slightly darkened mixture of Flat White (XF2), which is lightly misted on, carefully letting the underlying Gray peek through in corners and edges. I generally try to thin paint as much as possible, keeping the compressor at close to 30psi. I find that this combination lets the paint flow easier and more importantly, giving more airbrush control. This is where a proper airbrush and compressor come into play, slowly building up in layers, until the proper shading is achieved.
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Step 3
Considering markings, I didn't want to gloss-cote the model (generally a requirement for applying decals), thinking that it may change the color too much. Instead, I decided to use Eduard's excellent Express Painting masks. They are surprisingly easy to use and give a realistic touch. XF7 Red and XF1 Black was used for numbers and crosses, respectfully.
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Step 4
After the markings are applied I went back and re-applied a light coat of "whitewash" misted around the markings giving a dusty worn appearance.
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Step 5
I decided not to use an oil wash for this kit, I decided that this scheme would be a good basis to try James Blackwell's "Post shading" technique. Those interesting in learning more about his incredible technique can go to:
http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/german/jbpaint/jbpaint.htm
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A custom mixture of Black (XF1) and Red Brown (XF64) was used to apply the post shading technique, just carefully spraying anywhere where oils washes would normally go, basically enhancing with paint rather than with oils. This softens the visual impact of the paint, giving it an almost "grimy" look to it. Once again, a good airbrush is an absolute must to achieve this, I used Tamiya's HG Super Fine Airbrush (Item: 74514) and would, without hesitation, recommend investing in this airbrush. It is really essential for any serious modeler to consider a high quality airbrush in order to achieve the best results.
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Compared to other brushes on the market, I can attest to the Tamiya HG Superfine's durability and fine line capability, whether it's delicate subtle mottling on a second world war aircraft or general coverage, Tamiya's super fine airbrush will inspire you to try just about anything.
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Smaller parts such as the tools, seats, etc. were carefully picked out with humbrol enamels. The recoil slide and breech got a coat of Humbrol "Metal Cote" to give it a realistic metallic look.
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Step 6
After the tracks are cleaned and prepped, I applied a quick coat of Tamiya primer to the Fruilmodel Tracks, giving a good base for the paint and pastels to adhere to. Tracks were painted German Grey (XF 63) and then heavily weathered with pastels...
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All subassemblies were carefully attached and awaiting pastel weathering. When applying the pastels, specifically to the panels and sides, I used black pastel chalk sparingly, replicating streaks. A final dry brushing of Black oil paint on edges and on the rivets was added, giving a worn look.
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I ended with a quick drybrushing with oils of the interior, inner side panels and the road wheels, trying to keep it subtle as possible. The dust coat, which is a very thinned (70:30 paint to thinner) overcoat of Buff (XF57), started with completely covering the underside, and then very carefully, I crept up the panels and sides of the model, giving the impression of dust and dirt. This works extremely well, but again subtlety and control is the key to achieving proper results.
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I consciously avoided oil washes, chipping and scratches on this kit for the simple reason that I wanted to see how interesting I could make the model without these techniques and concentrate on my airbrushing efforts.
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Conclusion
Tamiya's Marder III is an absolutely splendid kit, which builds into an extremely well detailed model. I hope the text and images will be useful to some of you and that with the right tools and proper planning, a great looking model can be achieved. If you ever wanted to try this type of scheme and thought that it was too difficult, just dust off an old model, clean it up and give it a try.
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I would like to thank Andrew Dextras for the encouragement and for taking the photographs of the model and a special thanks to Dan Oldfield for providing his great step by step colour plates which show each phase of the weathering.
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