1/72 Hornisse

stage 8

This short stage details the construction and fitting of the glacis plate, the travel lock for the gun and the union between vehicle and gun, along with fitting small details such as Bosch headlights etc.

Finishing

I was not sure my usual methods of painting would work for this scale, but decided to deal with any problems this might throw up as they came. The kit was totally finished, all parts attached, then given a base coat of dark grey. Over this I misted a coat of Tamiya Nato green which had been lightened slightly with some flesh. I used Nato brown for irregular patches, and then brush painted the centres in Tamiya dark yellow. Over this I the applied a misting of the original green to tone everything down and tie it all in together.

I then touched up all the details including the tracks with Vallejo acrylics, before giving the model an all over coat of gloss acrylic. This then allowed me to proceed immediately with a pin wash of burnt umber in turpentine, followed by a dry brush of Humbrol matt black.

I then began to apply a fairly liberal dusting of Mig pigments European dust, and then with a wet brush I streaked the hull in a downwards direction. The final touch was to rub some powdered graphite over the tracks and various bits and pieces such as the traverse and elevation wheels of the gun, and the compartment floor.

Conclusion

I am not really a 1/72 scale modeller. If this kit is an indication of what is out there in this scale, I may well become one. The detail and fit amazed me. From all accounts it’s accurate too. I enjoyed building and finishing this model much more than I thought I would, and I intend to build more. If 1/35th is your ‘thing’, then give this a try. I think you would enjoy it too. In my opinion, it’s another winner from Dragon.

My thanks to Dragon for the review kit.