Hetzer

I love the excitement of starting a new project! Never know how it will come out.... 

Resin wheels (top) compared to kit's (bottom). The kit wheels have the wrong number of bolts, and no detail on the back. 

Ejector pin marks on the TOP of the fenders 🙁 

These ejector pin marks are shallow, but numerous. I usually fill these with cyanoacrylate glue, so that the glue is even-with or higher than the hole. After it dries good and tight, I shave it down level with a scalpel blade.  

After shaving the pin marks, I'll sand them a little as needed. Here you can see "before" filling the pin marks (top) and "after" (bottom). 

Here's something I have not seen before. A spare antenna holder. My references show 4 posts; 2 solid and 2 hollow. So... 

Replaced the solid posts with wire to make it easier to add spare antennas later (they will slip over the wire). 

Added hinges and wing-nuts to the jack brackets. 

Added a clip to help hold down the wire cutters (just a thin scrap of metal from an old photo-etch tree) 

Just test fitting the wheels and upper hull 

The kit comes with a nice little fret of photo-etch. 

Added guides to the gunner's periscope slider. 

Muffler and grill detail; added a rough texture to the muffler and a wing-nut to the sliding grill cover 

The metal machine gun shields needed some bolts added 

Notek light with wire and fuse added 

Decided to do the Flammpanzer version 

Notice the flame thrower inside the false barrel 

Time to start painting 

Added a scratch built periscope above the gun mantlet. The kit does not supply one. 

I discovered that the rear of the flame suppressor on the muffler should be open (it was solid on the kit part). I removed the piece, hollowed out the back end, extended the muffler to the right length, and scratch built a bracket out of plastic sheet. 

Using Model Master Acryl "Medium Green" as a base coat/primer 

Base colors applied. 

The green was airbrushed, the others are hand brushed. 

Gloss coated and decals added 

Drilling out a few track links to install track pins on the lead link of each set of spares 

Spare track links ready to be painted and installed 

Dry-brushed and ready for weathering and tracks. 

A little blast from a hair dryer softens the glued tracked. They bend like putty, and can be shaped to sag perfectly. 

Finished!