E-50 Plastic Model Advice

[-RogueStriker- 5]

So I was thinking of getting a model for my desk and came across this while browsing military vehicles.
 

E-50 Model

Now I can be a dirty stat padder IRL. I know some of you have experience with models such as Warhammer and was looking for some general advice.

1. Does this model look decent? IE not to cheap?

2. What kind of glue should I use and any tips for that.

3. This will be the biggest one, advice on painting and maybe a brand to go for.

I know there is a lot of information online but I'm having trouble deciding what to do and would value some peoples actual experience.

Thanks!

[Meplat 262]

1- Trumpeter usually makes a decent product.  But.. If this is your first 1/35 armor kit, I'd set it aside and practice on some junkers/cheaper kits first.

2- the glue in a tube? Yeah, don't use that.  There is a product called "Micro Weld " that is the better choice for solvent bonding plastics, that won't swiss-cheese your liver if you huff too much of the vapors.

For smaller parts or the photoetched/resin details you may want to use a "super-glue" type adhesive. I used to use a product called "Jet CA", there are many others to chose from.

3- THIN YOUR PAINTS... That aside, the stuff you used on those figures will probably work, but you'll want to use an airbrush, unless you're also going to coat the finished model in zimmerit, which will help hide brush marks.  The link you posted is suggesting Tamiya paints, which are very good. (or were when I last used them).

 

The airbrushing is where practicing on old junker kits will help. A box of already assembled kits from a yardsale will be your friend here as it takes a bit of work to get both an even and correct looking camo job, as well as the applicable weathering and wear.

If you get really slick you end up using the decals to make stencils, and painting the markings on with the airbrush. Otherwise you'll want to use a decal solvent as well, then finish with a clearcoat before weathering.

[-RogueStriker- 5]

Exactly what I was looking for! I have done some Warhammer models myself but that was years ago. They have some models on clearance there so I might get one of those for practice. I'll make sure to post some pictures when I work on it. Now to decide on camo/colors to use.

Edited July 3, 2015 by -RogueStriker-

[Sabocat 123]

Vallejo has a full line of paints dedicated to Flames of War, they have all the various WW2 era camouflage colors already mixed perfectly. Plus, they have the awesome dropper bottles which is an added bonus. Also pick up their glaze medium for thinning your paints, it is much better then water.

Glue: Zapagap is what I've used for over a decade. However, you may not like its consistency which is damn close to water. I love it because it fills well, gaps and seams very well. But it's not for everyone.

Since you have some prior experience with mini's I assume that you know about scraping off flash and priming (auto primer for the win). 

If you have any other questions just ask.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Sabocat

[Meplat 262]

Really, yardsales/ fleamarkets/bootsales are great as well. My best score was an appliance box full of old tank and aircraft models for ~$5.00 back when I was a kid.

You can practice detailing and weathering on toys also, many of the waterbased paints will stick to plastic toys well enough to work, but will basically come right off with hot soapy water.  That funky M48 that used to come with the sack-o-green soldiers was a longtime "barbie-head", and I'd just soak it in hot tapwater to "erase" it for reuse.

 

As to camo- It was intended to be a "standardpanzer" so you could finish it in any of the hinterhalt schemes found on a Panther, or you could do that "mustard over red primer" that a lot of late war German tanks carried.

here's a kind of "how to" that I stole from back when I was making my own WT skins/camos.

http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3318

[Cunicularius 4,543]

Too bad it only has the crap schmalturm turret, couldn't you find a 1/35th King Tiger Henschel and borrow its turret?

[-RogueStriker- 5]

Too bad it only has the crap schmalturm turret, couldn't you find a 1/35th King Tiger Henschel and borrow its turret?

Thats a cool idea. I wonder if I could find the part on its own.

[Cunicularius 4,543]

Thats a cool idea. I wonder if I could find the part on its own.

Maybe ask on a dedicated model forum, see if you can arrange it for less than buying a kit?

Maybe they even have a website just for assorted parts somewhere.

[-RogueStriker- 5]

I might just contact the company that makes it, I think they also have a KT model they sell...

This one might work. It doesn't have the zimmermit coating like the other ones.

King Tiger

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Meplat 262]

Thats a cool idea. I wonder if I could find the part on its own.

Kitbashing is a highly addictive habit.. It's the gateway drug to full scratchbuilds you know..

[methebest 114]

i'll second Vallejo for paints.

[FlorbFnarb 537]

(1) What's wrong with traditional model glue?

(2) What's the solvent for modern model paint these days?  Paint thinner?

(3) Given how good modern 100% acrylic latex paints are, why has there not been a switch?  Adhesion problems when putting it on plastic?

[Meplat 262]

(1) What's wrong with traditional model glue?

(2) What's the solvent for modern model paint these days?  Paint thinner?

(3) Given how good modern 100% acrylic latex paints are, why has there not been a switch?  Adhesion problems when putting it on plastic?

The goop in a tube is literally toluol/tolulene with some plastic in suspension. It's a much sloppier product to use.

If you don't mind doing a lot of prep (or it's an old/cheap kit) then it's fine. But for a Trumpeter kit it's excessive and will lead to more work than needed.

 

Paint solvents have changed some. There are still plenty of solvent based enamels and lacquers out there, but unless you're replicating bare metal, you're going to be better served with a water based paint.  Tamiya for example offers their own solvent/thinner, but I used to just use distilled water with a skosh of denatured alcohol mixed in.

You're still seeing specialized paints (Testors "Metallizer" is one) where you have to use an aeromatic solvent based carrier to get the finish to work right, and things like oils or the old reliable Humbrol enamels will take a long time to go away because they require far less surface prep than most of the water based paints.

I still have a large stash of 30+ year old Testors and Humbrol paints that are still useable, and some tubes of oils that are older than I am. That's another advantage they have.

 

[FlorbFnarb 537]

Ah, I didn't know water-based paints actually had taken over from oil-based stuff in model building.  Acrylic latex, I assume?

Six months ago or so, ,I was vaguely thinking it would be cool to build a model tank or plane, but I have no time to do it, really.

[Meplat 262]

Acrylic enamel.

And I know what you mean, I hauled the vast majority of my modelbuilding supplies and kits out with me to Arizona ~30 years ago, and now it's getting hauled to Kentucky.

Total number of kits built in that time= zero.  I did go through a lot of the paint and brushes though, repainting instruments and panel markings.

[Covalent 118]

Too bad it only has the crap schmalturm turret, couldn't you find a 1/35th King Tiger Henschel and borrow its turret?

Don't even need to kitbash, Trumpeter also has a 1/35 E-75 you could use as a basis. Just leave off half the wheels, replace the gun, and you're good to go.

It doesn't have the zimmermit coating like the other ones.

If you ever want to try your hands at scratchbuilding/hyperdetailing doing a custom Zimmerit coat is probably one of the best places to start. It doesn't require part mutilation and is a good way to learn how to manipulate parts and maintain details. Plus considering most late war German tanks at some point had Zimmerit it offers a good basis for realism.

[Cunicularius 4,543]

Just leave off half the wheels, replace the gun, and you're good to go.

..would that even work? You'd still have to bash a gun, but can you just leave out a pair of road wheels like that...?

[Meplat 262]

Making guns for 1/35 scale is easy. That telescoping brass tubing works great. it actually looks a hell of a lot more realistic than most of what you get from a kit.

If you look around I bet there is even a resin or white metal/casting alloy gun tube that'd all but drop in.

[Covalent 118]

..would that even work? You'd still have to bash a gun, but can you just leave out a pair of road wheels like that...?

Yeah, the only differences between the E-75 and E-50 kits are the road wheel count, the turret, and the gun Trumpeter has provided. All you need to do with the E-75 kit is to place 6 single wheels on 3 bogies per side as in the E-50 kit rather than the 8 double wheels on 4 bogies for the E-75. The suspension might need to be adjusted as well for the middle bogie (I have the E-75 in my stash, I'll have to check) but otherwise the hulls and chassis of the two kits are interchangeable.

As Meplat also mentioned the gun is arguably the easiest, there's so many aftermarket brass varieties of gun types that it's largely down to finding/constructing the mantlet and ensuring your drill skills are enough to get the tubing to fit into the original kit gun support structure. Was considering doing this for my E-75 personally as that L/100 88 Trumpeter provides you with looks so ungainly on the tank.

[Sabocat 123]

Actually guys, since some of you seem to know more about WW2 tank models then I do. What are the better model producers out there? I've been itching to start a project but Warhammer/40K models just aren't grabbing me right now. I'm a great painter but converting isn't something I'm as skilled with. 

[Meplat 262]

For a first time? hard to beat a good old Tamiya.  Don't get one of their high end kits, just something cheap that you like.

One I used to suggest a lot was their M41, it was an older kit that at one time was set up for motorization, but it still builds into a decent representation of the vehicle.They ran around $7.00 or $8.00 dollars then so it's probably a $12 to $15 dollar kit now.

[Covalent 118]

It really depends on the tank/vehicle you're looking to build IMO, almost all companies now produce to the same standards with the key differences being in accuracy and difficulty of construction. In general though Tamiya is probably one of the best, especially for their older kits. Cheap, easy to build, minimal cleanup of parts, and next to no photoetched brass that often kills most people. Their accuracy is lacking, but for an easy and fun project you can't beat them; the guy who owns one of the shops I visit personally swears by them even for super-detailed diorama builds because of how easy it is to mix and match all the fixings onto the kits.

Modern kits from Dragon (barring their terribly thought out Black Label line at the moment) and Trumpeter are also good, especially for German (Dragon) and Russian (Trumpeter) tanks as both companies as of late offer accurate models without the need for aftermarket modifications. Dragon for example offers the kits to have now for Tigers, Panthers, Panzer IIIs, Panzer IVs, and some of their variants. These kits though can be tedious to build due to the prevalence of small, easily broken parts and the infiltration of greater amounts of PE brass, along with the high price per kit. Both companies also use abundant amounts of single link track in their kits which may or may not invoke rage, depending on your patience.

For stuff to avoid give Revell and Italeri kits a good berth for now, there are some decent ones (including their new offerings), but I know of more than a few with teething issues (parts fitting wrong, poor moldings, part warping, etc.). They may be cheap, but old school Tamiya offers the same without all the frustration during construction.

Best bet though remains to simply Google the tank you most want to build and see what pops up. Perth Military Modelling Site is a website with many excellent reviews of a whole range of 1/35 tank kits, and there's forums such as Armorama's that feature member builds, including any troubles they found while building the kit. Unless it's something rare or modern (I am still waiting for a 1/35 T29 and T-72 Moderna) it's very likely it has found its way into plastic in some form or another.

[-RogueStriker- 5]

Yeah, the only differences between the E-75 and E-50 kits are the road wheel count, the turret, and the gun Trumpeter has provided. All you need to do with the E-75 kit is to place 6 single wheels on 3 bogies per side as in the E-50 kit rather than the 8 double wheels on 4 bogies for the E-75. The suspension might need to be adjusted as well for the middle bogie (I have the E-75 in my stash, I'll have to check) but otherwise the hulls and chassis of the two kits are interchangeable.

As Meplat also mentioned the gun is arguably the easiest, there's so many aftermarket brass varieties of gun types that it's largely down to finding/constructing the mantlet and ensuring your drill skills are enough to get the tubing to fit into the original kit gun support structure. Was considering doing this for my E-75 personally as that L/100 88 Trumpeter provides you with looks so ungainly on the tank.

Wow, I would have never noticed that. I just looked at the pics of both and it is the exact same hull and looks more like the E-50 we see in game with the turret. I'm a bit torn now though, I was looking around and found this.

Cuteness

Thoughts?

[Luna 3,443]

Paint it really dank purple and you've got yourself a deal. :^)))))

[Meplat 262]

* Imagines setting ~$50.00 model kit, and ~$60.00 worth of resin /PE detail bits on the counter, then asking the shop owner where the "dank purple" paint is*