Nashorn / Hornisse

I have bought this dragon kit from another modeller in the first year when I was back to the hobby. It had the full package: dragon kit, metal barrel and Verlinden aftermarket stuff and the whole lot was for a reasinable price. I started the build back then, however after the lower hull and the tracks I stopped. I don't remember now why I did not complete it, most probably I thought this was above my skillset. Then, I forgot about it and let the kit collect the dust for several years.

I have recently bought a Takom Panther with full interior, so I thought this open tank destroyer would be a good exercise as a preparation for that build. It was promising good fun, especially that the tracks were already made, which is my least favourite part of every build, to be frank.

The first challenge was to get rid of the dust that stuck on the model over the years.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I started to clean it gently with some rubbing alcohol. That seemed to do the job, although I wasn't sure how effective it was in the hidden places that were rather hard to reach. Especially, as the colour of the surface has changed here and there. Due to all this uncertainity I was quite keen to get to the stage of applying the primer to see if it worth the effort at all.

The build seem to be straight-forward although a bit tedious with the really nicely detailed main gun.

When I finally applied the primer, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the result. Not a single issue with the paintwork at all anywhere on the vehicle. Just like if I started it from scratch that day.

After some pre-shading with black I have sprayed the main colour which is the usual Tamiya xf-60 dark yellow.

Then, I gently applied the winter overcoat with Tamiya xf-2 Flat white. I have also started the chipping and some enamel dark wash on the main gun. As this was my first open vehicle I was rather careful with the next steps as I did not have the routine with such vehicles.

This was followed by painting the details. While I was doing this I always got back to the main model and adjusted the weathering with applying washes here and there.

Before applying the pigments I have added all the details to the model so as I can create the feeling of realistic dirt and weathering.

As a last touch I have made some tarp by mixing white glue with water and soak a small piece of paper tissue in it. I usually try to find something similar shape to the final location of the tarp, cover it with cling film and let the tarp dry on it first. For example, I used a pencil for the one on the barrel. Now I am sorry I didn't take photos for that, but hopefully this explanation is still clear. Once it dried, I paint it with its main colour and put it to it's final place. After the paint dried fully, I finish it off with some light dust pigments.

Overall, I really enjoyed the build and it ended up being much more than a preparation for the full interior Panther. It opened the door for me to the world of open AFV's and I have already bought a Tamiya Wespe as my next build. Watch out for that review coming soon.However, in the meantime please have a look at a few pics of the finished Nashorn.

For more photos please visit the Gallery.