Tools

 I thought I would do a post on some of my most used tools.

Having a trade background, I have to say I'm definitely a tool nut and have spent a small fortune on tools over the years. 

So, if you're a tool nut as well, hopefully this may be interesting.

The cutters and pliers I use are mostly Tsunoda brand

I rarely use files so these are my go to sanding tools. The jig is made by Wave from Japan, it's small and handy for squaring up small parts and plastic rod etc. The others are home made with the sandpaper stuck on with double sided tape or superglue so it's easy replaced when it's worn and you can make a specific size to fit tight spaces

I probably have too many drills 

For a lot of the drilling I do I use these round burrs. Especially for enlarging holes and drilling out exhaust's where you can get a feather edge without damaging the plastic

I especially like these sets, they go from 0.1mm up to 3.0 in 0.1 steps, they also come in 0.05 mm steps as well.

I've recently bought some bulk packs in the smaller sizes because I've broken a few of the smaller ones

For sawing I like this Japanese pull saw, I have some Xacto razor saws but this has a 0.15mm blade so a very fine kerf

 
These etched blades are only 0.1mm but not sure of the brand

For tweezers I go for swiss made, and the self locking ones are from Minishema Japan.

I thought I would try these chinese made stone tweezers, but unfortunately they're not comparable to the swiss made ones, too much pressure on the part and they flex and twist. Ok they're cheap

Sturmpanzer IV update

 A small update with construction almost complete. That last 5% of a build is always the hardest to get over the line.

So far the only aftermarket I've used are the suspension dampers from Bitzkrieg. I use these on all of my Pz IV builds.

The schurzen rails are a bit thick but I'll leave them as they are, I will just replace the hooks with something thinner. The ends should have a small horizontal section for the last hook to fit on, so I need to address that as well

s.I.G 33 auf Fgst. Pz.Kpfw III - weathering update

 An update on the weathering, almost finished with some minor stuff left to complete.

For the mud I used the enamel products from MIG. I'm not entirely happy with the result because the enamels level out when they cure, they need a bit more bulk to keep the texture when they dry so I might revisit the mud on the wheels in particular.

Sturmpanzer IV

 This is another build I recently started on, Dragon's early Sturmpanzer IV from the battle of Kursk anniversary boxing #6992.

I'm generally not interested with doing interiors but decided to add some basic weathering to this one. I think the gun details are quite nice so I'll leave a hatch or two open. I haven't bothered with adding any extra detail, just using what is included in the kit, I didn't even fill the join in the gun breech.

Painted with Gaia lacquer - interior color.

s.I.G 33 auf Fgst. Pz.Kpfw III - base color

 Some pictures of the model in it's base colors.

Painted in Gaia lacquers, the same as used on the stug III.

I've attempted to match the camouflage pattern where it can be identified from pictures, the rest is just my imagination. After these pic were taken I did repaint a few areas to better match the pattern.

The tyres were hand painted in a mix of Humbrol black/brown enamels

s.I.G 33 auf Fgst. Pz.Kpfw III - build up

 This is Dragon's kit of the s.I.G 33 built as gun #4 during operation Citadel.

Some of the aftermarket items I've used are as follows:

Aber intake screens

Elefant Fire extinguisher & cable clamps

Tracks are from Quicktracks

front tow points are 3D prints designed by Eelke Warrink

The wicker ammo containers are the Dragon DS parts from the gun kit

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