Wespe

by Stephen Munroe

images by Bob Oehler

Tamiya's 1/35 scale Wespe is available online from Squadron.com

This Tamiya 1/35 Wespe was built in 1996, soon after the kit first came out. I have always found the look of a self-propelled gun to be more interesting than that of a turreted tank. This was a natural as it was probably the best SP gun kit released up to that time.

I wanted this to be a quick build, so I limited myself to minimal (yeah, right) upgrades to the basic kit. These are detailed below.

External additions

a. added brackets for the jack and the spare roadwheel

b. added four bolt heads to the glacis in front of the driver’s port

c. added wire to the Notek lamp

d. modified the spare track stowage bracket on hull front

e. replaced kit treads with Model Kasten individual links

f. replaced grab handle on rear of fighting compartment with wire

g. added radio antenna from brass wire

Internal Details

a. scratchbuilt starter crank

b. added gun shield bracing

c. added wiring for radio/antenna

d. modified ammunition storage box door to display in the open position

e. added 105mm ammunition from the Tamiya set for the StuG III

f. All miscellaneous crew stowage is from the parts box.

 

 

 

All of the basic painting was done with Floquil enamels. The weathering was a mixture of techniques. I sprayed the undersides and the recessed areas flat black, then I airbrushed three different shades of the dark yellow over it. With some careful airbrush work I was able to keep the recessed/underside areas a little darker than the others.

The wheels were all painted with a lightened version of the base yellow to make them pop out a little more. After the base painting was complete I added a raw umber wash, trying to concentrate on the areas that would collect the most dirt, the underside and rear, the suspension/wheels and the tops of the fenders. A little was added to the floor of the interior as well.

I then mixed a few drops of my base color in with some Testors Dullcote and sprayed this mixture over the model. I then ground up some brown and black pastels, and worked them into the lower half of the vehicle. This same mixture, with some yellow and orange mixed in, was added to the treads.

This is probably the most weathered model I have done. I generally am not a fan of heavy weathering (though I do enjoy it on others’ models), and I have never been very satisfied with this model. Other vehicles that I have built since this have gone to a more subtle look. I am glad I did a model this way once, as it was educational.

Thank you to Bob Oehler for the photography, and to Gary Zuercher for the scanning.

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2001 by Stephen Munroe
Images Copyright © 2001 by Bob Oehler
Page Created 22 August, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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