My latest project is the newest Dragon Firefly kit. Dragon improves it's kits always. I believe this is their third Firefly. This one
is very nice. The hull has the correct dimensions. The kit comes with a small etched fret (steel, not easy to work with) and two very nice figures.
The tracks are as usual for Dragon kits: single links. Extended connectors are provided. I added some structure to the armor plate, some weld seams
and some extras on the engine deck.
I wanted to put the tank in a diorama. I was looking for a dynamic scene, but nothing elaborate and extremely time consuming. In my opinion composing a
scene is very difficult. Some modelers have excellent skills but their diorama lack that magic touch. I am always inspired by the Japanese modelers. They
are true masters when it comes to this.For the Firefly I decided to depict a battlefield scene. So I wanted a wrecked German vehicle. That was something I
never did before. The wrecked verhicle had to be smaller then the tank. But I wanted something bigger then a Kubelwagen or a small antitank gun. In my huge
pile of unbuilt kits I found an old Tamiya kit of the SdKfz 250/9. This had the right size and the model had a certain amount of interior detail. An
interior is a must for modelling battledamaged vehicles. I know this kit is no longer up todays standards. But since it was my first wreck, I went for
this cheap solution. I wanted a vehicle badly damaged, but not completely torn apart. The 250 has rather thin armor. An armor piercing, explosive projectile
would cause serious damage when penatrating the flank. I started assembling the 250, using lead foil, plastic strip and photo-etched left overs for the
torn and bent metal in the interior. Like I said before, this kit is no longer a little gem. The hull is not well proportioned, the mudguards have some very
crude, cast-on details, and the single linked tracks are way too thin. All in all I can not recommend this kit, even for a damage project like this. It was
a lesson I learned!!.
With the 250 partially built, I went back to the Firefly. I was going to simulate rather soft ground and I wanted the tracks and running wheels to fit well
into the soil. Well let me tell you this: it's party time with these Dragon Sherman tracks!!!!. Each link is built up from a sort of pad and two connectors.
Go for it!!!. I think it took me four evenings to get the dirty job done.
At this stage I started with the layout of the base. I prefer a certain difference in height in my dioramas. It makes a scene more interesting. I started
with a picture frame and plastic card side walls. I filled the terrain with PU isolation foam an cut this to the right shape when it had set.
Then I started painting. That means pre-shading. I spraypainted the models semi gloss black. At that stage the 250 was still partially assembled. I left
the top off for more ease when painting the interior.
I left the black paint to dry for at least two days. Then I started with the groundwork. I covered the base with a thin layer of porion plaster. I carefully placed the models in the still wet plaster. I also stuck the parts, blown away from the 250, in the ground. Then I sprinkled some sand an dirt on to the still wet groundwork. This was left to dry for two days. The porion sets rock hard.
Then I painted the complete scene black. I masked the frame using tape and sprayed the plastic sides too. That may look a bit controversial, but it works well.
Then I gave the vehicles the final coat of paint. I used Tamiya acrylic paint applied with an Evolution airbrush. Of course I apllied local washes, drybrushings and paint chips. The interior of the 250 was finished prior to the exterior. Painting everything while it's already in position in the diorama, caused no problems. Of course, this lay-out made this possible. Particularly the wreck is much easier to paint when it is already fixed to the base.
Finally I sprayed the groundwork earth color. The lower parts of the vehicles received some of this too, to blend them in.
The Firefly crewmembers are stock figures from Ultracast. I painted them in oils and enamels. I love the sophisticated British features of the commander.
