# 1/72 scale armor from Agentsmith?



## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Yes, for the first time in decades I will try to build an armor kit, in this case its the 1/72 scale Hasegawa Flakpanzer 'Ostwind'. The last armor kit I built was back in 1979 or 1980.
This is not a bad kit overall, the tracks included seem to be the worst part of it and am not too sure just how badly they will effect the look of the finished model.

Here is the box top and the two sprues that have all those tiny road wheels that need painting....after starting on this kit I quickly realized 1/72 scale is a rather poor choice to get back into armor models.









Here is what the kit looked like just before I gave it a coat of Future and an oil wash to bring out some of the molded in detail.

















After the model was given its oil wash the paint darkened on me more than expected which I did not like at first but combined with the paint chipping I already did gave it a grimey well used look.
When I paint the exterior I will lighten the paints to compensate for the oil washes to come.

Since this is a very tiny model I won't waste too much time and effort on the weathering, so I started a 1/35 scale Italeri Opel Blitz truck and will be using that as a weathering test subject for ground vehicles.


Agentsmith


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

...and more progress on the little Ostwind.


























Agentsmith


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## Sgthawker (Apr 20, 2012)

Am I in the right place? Armor? Agentsmith? How did this happen? ROFL. 

Looks great, nice detail for the scale inside that turret.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thats looking good so far. I always liked the Ostwind. Hopefully someone will do a 1/72 kit of the production tank not the prototype.


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks guys!

This older Hasegawa kit may not be the most accurate but I am having fun with this build, after getting the tracks put on everything else is easy.
When I can afford to do so I want to build an Ostwind in a larger scale.


Agentsmith


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The Hasegawa wheels and tracks are probably the poorest part of the kit. the tracks date back to their early 70s Munitionspanzer that came in their old Karlgerat kit. But, the kit makes up pretty nice. 

For a 1/35 kit, the only way to go is the new Dragon Ostwind. The Itlaleri kit is a lackluster model of the prototype and the CMK kit is just plain bad.


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## surfsup (Apr 19, 2009)

I don't believe what my Eyes are telling me. An Armour Kit from yourself..!! Seriously though you have done a great job on this one considering her size.....Cheers mark


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you Mark!

I will start painting this tiny terror sometime later today, if this model is a success I could see myself building a few more armor models on a regular basis.

The camo and markings will be more along the lines of a what-if instead of trying to model a specific Ostwind prototype.


Agentsmith


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I think there was only one (?) prototype. It is the well photographed example based on a rebuilt Panzer IV G with zimmerit.

There are around 3 photos of the actual production vehicle which has a somewhat different shaped turret. Here is one of them


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks for posting that picture djnick66!

The past few days I had been searching the net for photographs of the Ostwind, there are plenty of pictures of models of this vehicle but few photographs of the full size machine.

One model that I came across that looked sort of cool was an Ostwind model in the disc style of camouflage, I know it was unlikely any of the Ostwinds built used this type of camouflage pattern but since my Ostwind is more what-if than anything else the disc camo pattern would look at home on it.


Agentsmith


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The photos of the actual production tanks are very rare and have only surfaced somewhat recently. There are a couple other views of a different tank. I think both vehicles pictured were from Czechoslovakia in 1945. 

Dragon just put out an interesting 1/35 kit which is the Ostwind turret fitted on an old, rebuilt, Panzer III hull. Supposedly that was a planned conversion intended to use leftover chassis that were no longer useful as gun tanks.

The little 1/72 kit will be neat. I'm sure the paint job will be cool.


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

The basic painting of the camouflage is done, the entire tank was airbrushed freehanded including the disc camouflage pattern on the turret. 
I know the disc camo should be hard edged but I wanted to have a go at airbrushing it, in 1/72 scale the result is not the best but I think in the larger scale of 1/35th airbrushing the disc camouflage could be done successfully.








I have already given the model a coat of Future and when that is dry I will give the model some oil washes to bring out the surface detail.


Agentsmith


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

I added some weathering to the Ostwind today, I will be doing the detail painting of the tools mounted on the hull next.











Agentsmith


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## Sgthawker (Apr 20, 2012)

Looking good. It has an interesting looking turret, very unique.


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks Sgthawker,
The Germans lost the military war but they WON in the style of their Armor designs, they had some of the best looking war machines of any era.

More work done on the Ostwind, this time I did the detail painting of all the molded on tools on the hull.


















Agentsmith


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

Looks good. Will this be protecting the Aerodrome?


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you Mike!
And yes it will, if the Mustangs and Thunderbolts try to attack my airfield now they will pay a price for doing so.:tongue:


Agentsmith


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

That looks great, superb weathering and metal effects, hard to believe it's 1/72nd.


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## agentsmith (Mar 27, 2005)

Thank you Cro-Magnon Man!

I will be posting pics of the finished model soon, the pictures will not be as lame as those of my Me 262 Nightfighter.


Agentsmith


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