King Tiger Ausf. B Henschel Turret I Zvezda l 1/72

After finishing one King Tiger, I decided to move straight on to the other one. I had a Zvezda kit in my stash. Since I had finished the previous King Tiger in camouflage, I wanted to build this one in a single-color scheme. I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, but I decided to paint the tank in German yellow. As always, I started with the assembly stage.

The assembly actually started off quite well. Even though it was a snap-kit, I still used glue in most areas. The details on the tank were not molded directly onto the hull either, which is definitely a positive feature for a kit. But once I got to the tracks, things became complicated. I had a very difficult time fitting the one-piece hard plastic tracks into place. At that point, I started losing my enthusiasm for the kit.

I built the tank straight from the box without adding anything extra. Once the assembly stage was complete, I primed the entire model using Tamiya Fine Primer (L) TA-87160 Red Oxide. I generally prefer using this primer color on German vehicles that I plan to paint yellow. 

Since I was planning a single-color finish, I decided to begin with a darker shade of the main color. For this, I used Vallejo Model Air 71025 Dunkelgelb RAL7028 Dark Yellow. I first painted the entire tank with this color.

In the second stage, I tried to break up the monotony of the single-color finish by modulating the tone with Mission Models MMP-011 Dunkelgelb RAL 7028. To be honest, the result wasn’t particularly impressive, but because of the problems with the tracks, I had already lost some interest in the model. So I didn’t spend too much time on it. I also lightened the yellow paint I had with Mission Models MMP-001 White and dry-brushed the corners.

Once the main painting stage was complete, I moved on to the details as usual. I painted the tracks, again as usual, with Revell Aqua Color 36183 Rust. I then dry-brushed the rust-colored tracks with Revell Aqua Color 36199 Aluminium. 

I also painted the spare track links and metal tools on the turret and hull with Revell Aqua Color 36183 Rust. Since I assumed some items would not be rusty, I painted parts such as the machine gun barrel with Revell Aqua Color 36109 Anthracite and then dry-brushed them with Revell Aqua Color 36199 Aluminium.

I painted the exhausts at the rear of the tank with Revell Aqua Color 36183 Rust. I then painted the wooden parts of the tools on the hull with Revell Aqua Color 36314 Beige, completing the entire painting stage.

Once all painting, including the details, was completely finished, I varnished the whole model using Vallejo 70522 Acrylic Resin Satin Varnish. After using the decals from the kit in a rather mixed arrangement, I sealed the tank again with the same varnish. The decal arrangement was actually completely inaccurate and unrealistic, but for this particular model I didn’t care too much about historical accuracy.

Once the varnish had dried, I first applied a pin wash, using Humbrol AV0201 Black Enamel Wash as usual. After washing the tracks with AK Interactive AK083 Enamel Track Wash, I moved on to the oil-paint stage. For filtering the overall model, I used Winsor & Newton products. I applied general filters using Winton Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, and Yellow Ochre in sequence. Once the filtering was complete, I sealed the model with Vallejo 26518 Matt Acrylic Varnish.

After the matte varnish dried, I created streaking effects on the sloped surfaces at the front and sides of the tank using Winsor & Newton Titanium White. For some reason, I like using white streaks on light-colored vehicles. Once the oils had dried, I mixed various pigments I had on hand with Cadence thinner and applied them to the wheels and side surfaces. After they dried, I removed the excess pigment from the tank using thinner again.

I then brushed AK Interactive AK4062 Light Dust Deposite mixed with thinner over the flat surfaces of the tank. For some reason, things got a little out of control at this stage. I mixed several different pigments I had and used them as a wash on the model. The overall color became far too dark. Meanwhile, I used Humbrol AV0014 Weathering Powder Smoke on areas where soot would naturally collect, such as the gun barrel and exhausts, to create a black soot effect.

I dabbed AK Interactive AK711 Chipping Color onto the edges of the tank with a sponge to create a worn appearance. When this product blends with the varnish, it creates a very natural metallic effect.

Once all the weathering stages were complete, I rubbed graphite pencil lead onto the edges to give the model a metallic appearance. I then used a graffiti pencil across the surfaces to strengthen this metallic effect. After completing all the weathering, I photographed my two Tigers together and placed them in the display cabinet.

King Tiger Henschel turret w/Zimmerit I Trumpeter I 1/72

After finishing the Marder III, I decided to build the two different King Tiger kits I had in my stash. The first one was Trumpeter’s Zimmerit-coated kit with the so-called Henschel turret. In reality, there is no such thing as a “Henschel” or “Porsche” turret—both turret types were actually manufactured by Krupp. But those names have become so widely used that people still refer to them that way.

As always, I started by assembling the kit parts. Trumpeter kits are usually not extremely detailed, but they also don’t wear you out during the build. The biggest issue with this kit was the details molded directly onto the hull. They were so poorly detailed that during painting I kept thinking I should have scraped them off completely. Of course, doing that would probably have damaged the Zimmerit texture badly. I also decided not to use the side skirts included in the kit and instead made my own from a soda can.

I decided to recreate the “octopus camouflage” seen in the reference photo above. At 1/72 scale, I honestly had no idea how I was going to paint those tiny octopus-like spots. In the end, I came up with the idea of dipping the tip of an empty ballpoint pen refill into paint and stamping the shapes onto the model.

For the main camouflage colors, I used Mission Models paints. First, I painted the entire tank in German yellow using Mission Models MMP-011 Dunkelgelb RAL 7028. Then I created camouflage masks using Uhu Patafix. After that, I sprayed the green camouflage using Mission Models MMP-004 Green. 

Once the main camouflage was finished, I dipped the ballpoint pen tip into paint and pressed it onto the tank. It didn’t fully paint the shapes, but it created the general outlines of the octopus spots. Afterwards, I used a brush to fill in and refine the marked areas, trying to make them resemble octopus suckers. 

After finishing the hull camouflage, I moved on to the tracks and painted them with Revell Aqua Color 36183 Rust. I then dry-brushed the tracks using Revell Aqua Color 36199 Aluminium. The spare track links on the turret and the metallic equipment on the hull were first painted with Revell Aqua Color 36109 Anthracite, followed by dry brushing with Revell Aqua Color 36199 Aluminium.

For the exposed areas beneath the damaged side skirts, I used Mission Models MMP-004 Red Oxide Primer almost like a regular paint color. It was actually a difficult process, but I managed it. I painted the exhausts at the rear of the tank with Revell Aqua Color 36183 Rust. The wooden parts of the tools were painted with Revell Aqua Color 36314 Beige, completing the entire painting stage. 

Once the painting stage was complete, I varnished the entire model using Vallejo 70522 Acrylic Resin Satin Varnish. After applying the decals included in the kit, I sealed the model again with the same varnish and, once everything had dried, moved on to weathering. First, I applied a pin wash using Humbrol AV0201 Black Enamel Wash. After washing the tracks with AK Interactive AK083 Enamel Track Wash, I proceeded to the oil paint stage.

For filtering the overall model, I used Winsor & Newton oils. I applied general filters using Winton Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, and Sap Green. Once the filtering stage was complete, I sealed the model with Vallejo 26518 Matt Acrylic Varnish.

After the matte varnish dried, I created streaking effects on the sloped surfaces at the front and sides of the tank using Winsor & Newton Raw Umber. Once the oils had dried, I mixed various pigments I had with Cadence thinner and applied them to the wheels and side surfaces. After everything dried, I removed the excess pigments from the tank using thinner again.

I also brushed AK Interactive AK4062 Light Dust Deposite mixed with thinner over the flat surfaces of the tank. On areas where soot would naturally accumulate—such as the gun barrel and exhausts—I used Humbrol AV0014 Weathering Powder Smoke to create black soot effects.

For areas prone to wear, I dabbed AK Interactive AK711 Chipping Color onto the surfaces with a sponge to create a realistic worn appearance. Once sealed with varnish, this color gives a very natural metallic effect, which is why I enjoy using it.

Finally, to enhance the metallic appearance of the vehicle, I rubbed graphite pencil lead along the edges. Afterwards, I applied a graffiti pencil across the surfaces to strengthen the metallic effect even further. With that final step, the model was completed and placed in the display cabinet.