Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Weird Wars => Topic started by: Ballardian on 06 February 2017, 04:05:41 PM
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Finally returned to the Blitzkrieg minis Maus, I've had it for about 18 months & it's had three different paintjobs before this one - I couldn't get something that looked 'right' (first a soft edge three colour Daimler Benz/MAN factory ambush scheme - just looked meh. The second was another three colour MHN ambush with disc overlay - "Arghh...my eyes, my eyes" was the response to that one, it was way too busy on such a slab sided mobile shed of a vehicle. I think I'd started to panic at that point, so tried using a base colour other than Dunklegelb (both Rotbraun & Olivegrun were used towards the wars end). The first stab still didn't work (on a Rotbraun base) but looked better & stopped me taking it out to the woods & shooting it.
It finally dawned on me that, given the Maus's general slabbiness, an angular scheme might look better & this is the result...
I made a few very minor changes to the models turret - adding rangefinder blisters, commanders cupola & blisters around the pistol ports, I wanted to imply that a couple of lmgs were provided for close in defense. I've still got to add a couple of handles & a chain on the rear shell loading /ejection hatch, but it can wait till I've finished the commander figure (WG tanker body with a WestWind SotTR head).
Anyway, I'm not painting the bloody thing again so here it is in all it's preposterous glory.
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That's a very nice camo-scheme you've got there :D Vaguely similar to the Shrewe hypothetical late-wars you linked me, but in different arrangement and very much its own (striking) thing. It certainly looks the part of .. well .. a great big scary-looking propaganda weapon, I'll give it that!
Although something which crossed my mind earlier this evening was whether something akin to Dazzle Camouflage would be appropriate for German monster-tank designs, on the basis that if you can't successfully 'hide' something that size .. then at least you can severely throw their aim off with artificial shadowing etc. Here's an example from the chap Wyrmalla's sourced a few ideas from : http://i.imgur.com/mmxi9G6.jpg
Once again, though - great work. Helps it come 'alive' nad seem less like a "paper panzer" or factory/showroom model and more of an actual fighting machine.
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That is lovely, if you call a tank lovely.
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"Shed of a tank"? Hmn...
(https://i.imgur.com/K4gdZgz.jpg)
That thing came out prettier than anything I'd ever make. Aye, how is that kit for all the small details? It'll never be a Maus II, but I take it that it wasn't missing too significant other than what you mentioned?
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Excellent.
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That looks brilliant Ballardian. Wonderful inventove work and great detailing.
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Lovely paint job :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
Any chance of a picture with a 28 mm figure for scale?
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Many thanks for all the kind comments, as I said, the thing had been looking at me balefully for some time & I was beginning to despair of finding a paintjob that I didn't hate - there were a couple of angular camo schemes in the AK book (1945 German Colours) that provided some inspiration, then it was just googling paper panzers to see how others handled similar schemes.
Wymalla - that is genius lol - nothing will now stop me printing some building textures out & making a farm outbuilding to drop over the top - that has made my day.
As to missing/different bits - you sometimes see Maus's (Meese ?) depicted with a flat metal spar the sits under both the 128 & 75mm guns - maybe a brace since the strain on mantlet & gun trunions would have been huge - (in the Jagdtiger the 128 would regularly shift in its mounting if not in its gun lock when moving, throwing off the sights, one of the reasons Otto Carius didn't like it) so it might stop the guns moving in different directions from one another.
The WG models hatch might be a better interpretation from what I've seen a little smaller & more rounded at the ends, but other than what I've mentioned I think that's it.
Gamer Mac - certainly here's a WG & a Westwind SotTR figure for scale.
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Outstanding work! And a stark reminder that I need to pick up my paints/airbrush/brushes and start painting again :)
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Great job on that tank, looks realy good
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Thats a big boy
Thanks
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Cheers! Though I think Wymalla wins just for finding that bit of genius - you can imagine the conversation, " are you sure this is going to work Hans?"
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Awesome work!
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Nice little mouse!
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It's lovely. Sometimes miniatures need a bit of patience and TLC. This has paid off in spades.
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Love it.
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Many thanks gents, will have some final pics once I've finished the shell loading/spent ejection hatch.
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Must say..That is a lovely paint job on the Maus.
Wolt
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Cracking reminder of the German sense of humour calling their biggest tank a Mouse and their smallest a Goliath.
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IIRC the Maus was originally named the VK 100.01 “Mammut” during its initial prototype phase. Someone else could speak for the name change (I think the thing actually gained weight during its developed, as German tanks were like to do), but it was probably ironic given its original name.:P
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How military kit & ridiculous supertanks got their informal names would make an interesting thread of its own. Indeed, 'Mammut' was the first 'nickname' given to the Pzkpfw VIII, with 'Mauschen' also reputedly preceding 'Maus'. The German military wasn't particularly prone to naming their vehicles at their conception, the Tiger & Panther began as PzKpw V & VI with no nickname (unlike the Brits, who tended to name everything in sight, including other nations vehicles - some of which stuck to the point being adopted by their progenitors - Lee/Grant, Sherman, Honey/Stuart etc) & tended to stick to an alphanumeric nomenclature, rather like the Americans (the Maus being either its VK prototype number or PzKpw VIII). It's quite likely that humourous nicknames were generally given by either the troops using a given piece of kit or the technicians working on their production somewhere down the development line.
Not funny I grant you, but quite interesting.
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I'm more of an early war fan, but this Maus is a wonderful model and painted exceptionally well. Very well done.
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Cartophilus - thanks, once the panic over getting the right camo scheme abated it was quite a simple (with it being so flat/slabby) & fun job.