A prelude to Kursk

La batalla de Kursk, se dio a raíz de la ofensiva alemana "Operacion Zitadelle" en la región Rusa del mismo nombre, contra la Unión Soviética durante el verano de 1943. Esta batalla, años después, sigue considerándose el mayor y más violento choque de blindados de la história.

 He querido representar una pequeña parte de aquella historia y paradójica-mente no he utilizado ningún carro de combate. La acción se desarrolla en alguna carretera rusa alrededor de Kursk, poco antes del inicio de la operación Ciudadela durante el verano de 1943. Un soldado de caballería bromea con unos soldados de una unidad de reconocimiento de la división Grossdeutschland acerca de su pinchazo, preludio de lo que sera el pinchazo alemán en la ofensiva del este e inicio inexorable del final de la segunda guerra mundial.

The Battle of Kursk, are the clashes that follow the German offensive "Operation Zitadelle" in the Russian region of the same name, against the Soviet Union during the summer of 1943. This battle, years later, still considered the largest and most violent armoured clash of the history.

  I wanted to represent a small part of that history and paradoxically I have not used any tank. The action takes place in a Russian road near Kursk, shortly before the start of the Citadel operation during the summer of 1943. A trooper jokes with soldiers of a recognition unit of the Grossdeutschland division about his flat tie, a prelude to what will be the German offensive prick, and the inexorable beginning of the World War II end.

Salut!
Jose

Kubelwagen in Kursk, 1943

Este vehiculo estaria situado en Rusia, concretamente en el area de Kursk, a principios del verano de 1943, durante los preparativos de la operacion Ciudadela. El Kubel pertenece a una compañia motorizada de reconocimiento de la famosa división Grossdeutschland.
Lo integraré en el próximo diorama. 

This vehicle is situated at Kursk area in Russia at the beginning of the summer of 1943 during the preparations for the operation citadel. The kubel belongs to a reconnaisance motorized company of the Großdeutschland division.
It will be integrated in the next diorama.

Espero que os guste!

I hope you like it!

Salut,

Jose

Kubelwagen WIP II

After apply a generous layer of air spray, I applied an irregular layer of dark yellow over all the external parts of the kubel. After wait some minutes I removed the yellow paint in the most exposed parts of the vehicle, mainly the three doors and mudguards. The next step was the decals apply. After wait two days, I did some effects with different tones of oils, and a general wash with a dark brown enamel paint. Finally, I painted the cloth parts and other details. 

Now, the model is ready to be dirtied with dust and dried mud:

I've to thank Javi Gaweda for his help to detail the driving mirror. It looks so real!

I've taken a black&whyte photo where you can compare the model with the picture of reference. 

   I thought about repainting the vehicle. From my point of view the result, in the whole is like the real one, but I think I have exceeded pickling the irregular layer of dark yellow (your comments are welcomed). This is because some days after the air spray aplication, I applied a small washing with acrilic. This wash  pickled more dark yellow paint than my original idea!

Anyway checking a lot of photos of vehicles in Kursk before operation Zitadelle, I've checked that it was normal to find vehicles with the painting so worn, during this stage of the WWII, so finally I decided not to repaint the vehicle. I hope to dilute a little bit this effect after the powder aplication with pigments. 

The Kubel hood looks too new. My plan is to apply pigments to get an older cloth.

Salut,

Jose

Kubelwagen WIP

This is the current status of the kubelwagen which I'm doing for the next diorama.

The Kubel is situated at Kursk area in russia at the beginning of the summer of 1943. This year the new vehicles began to be painted in dark yellow from factory. The new colour was distributed to the troops in the front who repainted the old dark grey vehicles. In most cases the new colour arrived in small amounts and the result is the uneven paint layer. It was common for the german troops in the east front.

I want to represent a vehicle with an extensive sprayed pattern of dark yellow over the dark gray.

A schwimmwagen in Russia. This is the model which I've taken as reference to paint the Kubelwagen.

 

My idea for the next step is to apply an irregular layer of Tamiya dark yellow over all the vehicle. I'm planning to reproduce the rubbed painting in the corners (See the schwimmwagen photo) and exposed parts with the air spray method.

After a Tamiya layer of grey surface primer, I've applied a dark gray mixed with flat white base. I used for this base the Tamiya colors XF63 and XF2.
I've painted the position marks, the tactical symbol of the Reconnaissance motorized company and the Grossdeutschland divisional symbol with flat white.


I've done some small chipping in the whole vehicle, specially in the most exposed areas. I've painted more than the usual because the most part of the vehicle will be overpainted in yellow and I want to conserve this effect. Anyway, this vehicle could be a veteran kubel with a russian winter behind it. For the chipping I've used a mixture of browns and black from Vallejo model color aplied with a sponge. I've highlighted some of the chipping points with a very light gray.

I've painted the wooden slats of the floor with Citadel brown tones. 

Grossdeutschland divisional symbol painted by hand

Reconnaissance motorized company symbol painted by hand

I will post more advances soon!

Salut,

Jose

Comenzamos

Siempre he pensado que un estreno debe tener algo de especial. Ahora tengo la oportunidad de estrenar mi propio blog y no se me ocurre como hacerlo, así que os explicaré la historia de mi pasión por pintar soldaditos y montar tanques.

El primer recuerdo que tengo debió ser con 5 o 6 años o antes. Recuerdo quedarme ensimismado delante del escaparate de una tienda, mirando un diorama muy sencillo, donde unos soldados avanzaban por un terreno. Creo incluso recordar que eran alemanes. No creo que fuera una maravilla, pero la impresión que me dio se quedó fijada en mi cabeza.
Desde muy pequeño me impresionaban las miniaturas. Recuerdo escaparme por el barrio hasta el escaparate de una tienda de modelismo y perder horas mirando las cajas de maquetas. Recuerdo los "sobres" de soldaditos y como me entusiasmaba fijarme en los detalles que tenían aquellas pequeñas figuras. Recuerdo los primeros modelos que monté. Fueron un P51 Mustang y un Messerschmitt BF109 que me regaló mi abuela Carmen. Utilicé pegamento Imedio y nunca los pinté, visto hoy quedarían fatal, pero pasé muchas horas apreciando sus detalles. También recuerdo muy bien el primer tanque. Recuerdo que fué un T-72 de Italeri y también recuerdo mi sorpresa al ver que las temperas del colegio no se quedaban enganchadas al plástico.

La primera figura que conseguí pintar. Todavía la guardo. Puede parecer mala, mala, pero fue increíble descubrir las pinturas de Humbrol. El siguiente hito sería el matizador de Tamiya.
The first figure I painted. I Still keep it. It may seem bad, bad, but it was amazing to discover Humbrol paints. The next milestone would be the Tamiya matting base. 

Tras muchas sesiones de prueba y error, destrozando todo lo que pasaba por mis manos, un buen día, metido de lleno en la adolescencia, llegó hasta mi una revista especializada de manos de mi buen amigo Txus y a partir de entonces comenzó una locura al descubrir unas técnicas y unos acabados antes inimaginables. El siguiente paso fue preguntarme una y mil veces como, aquellos modelistas de renombre, conseguían aquellos acabados. De un modo autodidacta el nivel empezó a subir de una manera sustancial y cada vez que mejoraba un poco, más me enganchaba.
Hay que decir que en aquella época mi entrega total al modelismo se vio mermada en gran medida debido al trabajo, los estudios y las montañas, las cuales son otra de mis grandes pasiones, pero sobretodo, y hay que decirlo, las grandes juergas que me corría. Esta época duró mucho, pinté poco pero me lo pasé muy bién.

Sea como sea, el tiempo pasó y un buen día descubrí las miniaturas fantásticas. Durante mucho tiempo me dieron la oportunidad de mejorar la pintura, ampliar los ejércitos de mis hermanos y no desengancharme de esta gran pasión. Con la llegada de Internet todo el conocimiento modelístico se empezó a democratizar, y fue entonces cuando volví a la carga con nuevos conocimientos, con ganas de montarlo todo, pintarlo todo y de mostrárselo a todos los flipados como yo.

Actualmente el poco tiempo que me deja mi pequeña miniatura 1/1 que tengo a medias con mi mujer, lo dedico entre otras pasiones a maquetear, pintar y modelar con entusiasmo, pasión y entrega. Espero que disfrutéis viendo las maquetas que voy a ir mostrando tanto como yo disfruto al hacerlas. Perdón por la chapa y comenzamos...

Starting

I always thought that a debut must be something special. Now I have the chance to release my own blog and I can't think how to do it, so I will explain the history of my passion for painting miniature soldiers and tanks.

The first memory I have is at the age of six or seven, or even younger. I can remember myself to stay engrossed in front of a shop showcase, looking at a simple diorama where some soldiers were moving through terrain. I even believe remember that they were Germans. I don't think it was a great diorama,, but it stuck in my head. Sinces i was a child, the thumbnails have impressed me. I remember my escapades in the neighborhood  to go to the window of a hobby shop and spend hours looking at the boxes of models. I remember the soldiers "envelopes"  and  the way I was stoned observing the details of those little figures. I remember the first models which I made. They were a P51 Mustang and Messerschmitt BF109, both a gift from my grandmother Carmen. I used glue Imedio and I never painted it, seen today would be horrible, but I spent many hours appreciating its details. I also remember very well the first tank . It was a T -72 from Italeri and also remember my surprise to find out that the school "temperas" did not get fixed to the plastic.

After many sessions of trial and error, destroying everything that went through my hands,  one day, in the height of adolescence, I came accross a specialized journal from my good friend Txus. Thereafter it started a crazy time because I began to discover techniques and finishes, previously unimaginable for me. The next step was to ask myself a thousand times how were those renowned modellers getting those finishes. My own level began to rise in a substantial way and each time I improved my technic a little bit, I was more hooked to the modeling.

I must say that at that time my total commitment to modeling was greatly diminished due to work, studies and mountains which are another of my passions , but above all, I must say, my big sprees. This period lasted long. I didn't modelled pretty much but I did enjoyed a lot.

Anyway, time ran it came the ne day I discovered the warhammer miniatures. For a long time they helped me to improve the way of painting, to expand the armies of my brothers and to keep me lively in this great hobby. Internet democratized the modelistic knowledgment and then it was when I came back again to the fray with new knowledge, with a strong need to mount all the models, paint all the figures and show it to all the freaks like me.

Currently the little time that leaves me my little miniature 1/1 -the one i modelled together with my wife-, I dedicat it, apart from to other passions, to painting and modeling with enthusiasm, passion and commitment . I hope you enjoy looking at the models I will be showing as much as I enjoy making them . Sorry for the boring story and let's start ...