{"id":746,"date":"2013-11-19T15:47:29","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T23:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/?p=746"},"modified":"2014-01-13T06:33:35","modified_gmt":"2014-01-13T14:33:35","slug":"opel-blitz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/2013\/11\/19\/opel-blitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Opel Blitz – Snow Plow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the 3-ton (or medium) of transport trucks the major and most successful design was the Opel Blitz. This was a 1938 design from Opel (the German subsidiary then, as now, of General Motors) and was quite conventional in layout. The Opel Model S3.6-36, to give its maker\u2019s designation, was a 4\u00d72 vehicle with pressed steel cab and bonnet. Suspension was by conventional leaf springs. During its war production run, there were many special purpose variants produced; over 100 different types were recorded.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Most important of these featured a house-type body (Einheitskofferansbau) which could be fitted as a workshop, laundry, laboratory, command caravan, radio van, cipher office, ambulance, or for dozens of other purposes. The box-like house body was made of wood and compressed card, partly for ease of production and to save metal. Late in the Blitz\u2019s production life it was similarly fitted with the famous \u2018ersatz\u2019 cab, a wood and pressed card structure know as the \u2018einheitsfahrerhaus\u2019, again as a major economy measure when steel became short.Getting straight to it, construction begins with the lower chassis which I assembled per the Tamiya instructions with only a small deviation to replace the stowage boxes with a new set of Aber brass. Tamiya\u00a0has reproduced\u00a0the double leaf spring suspension\u00a0found on later production vehicles, though provided the early bolt patterned wheels.\u00a0 If\u00a0you are using the kit wheels then the upper leaf spring should be removed.\u00a0\u00a0 However, I found that the MIG Productions wheel set shows the later bolt design thus eliminating the need for modifications to the body.\u00a0 The MIG replacement wheels feature very crisp molding and make for a nice improvement over the kit parts; however the mounting holes are very shallow.\u00a0 The quick fix is to drill out the holes and\/or shortened the axle ends to achieve the proper fit.\u00a0 I chose to also insert a section of brass rod for added strength. Continuing along with the construction I moved to the crew cab.\u00a0 Here again the basic Tamiya instruction are clear and assembly is straightforward.\u00a0 Deviating once again from the basic instructions I spent quite a bit of time dressing the cab with Aber brass, while Royal Models resin\u00a0replaced the kit\u2019s headlights.\u00a0 I also choose to replace the kit\u2019s pioneer tools with some better detailed DML tools I had in my extra parts box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Moving forward, the impressive snow plow is from Plus Model.\u00a0 I approached this particular part of the construction, the plow, with some apprehension as it appeared very complex from the box top photos.\u00a0 Opening the box to take a peak at the minimalist instructions inside (line drawings) did little to boost my confidence.\u00a0 Once begun, however, I was pleasantly impressed by the logical sequence and sure fit of the parts.\u00a0 The only issue I found was that the Plus Model conversion is designed for the Italeri Mercedes L 3000 kit which required a little fudging on some of the bracket mounting.\u00a0 Nothing too drastic:\u00a0 Only requiring a little sanding here or a replacement bolt head there.\u00a0 The familiar Tamiya rear cargo bed features nice wood grain texture and some very inconvenient sink holes.\u00a0 Be prepared to spend a relaxing evening of puttying, sanding and re-scribing of the wood grain texture. \u00a0Here again, the rear cargo area is supplemented with bits and pieces of Aber brass.<\/p>\n

As coincidence would have it while working on this project I had been re-reading one of my favorite books, “The Forgotten Soldier”.\u00a0 This is a gritty account, which in part recounts the extreme conditions encountered by the supply troops of the Rollbahn serving on the Eastern Front.\u00a0 The descriptions of hardship, wear and fatigue provided me with ample inspiration for the painting of my workhorse Blitz. I recently read an article where the argument was being made that the bluish tones often associated with German Grey may be a misconception, as the color is actually based upon brown, or reddish brown hues.\u00a0 I decided to give this theory a try and added brown color into the Tamiya German Grey base color.\u00a0 The result is a very pleasing \u2013 warm shade of grey.\u00a0 And, although in real life the entire vehicle would have been initially painted with the same color I figured that especially over time the different materials of the trucks body (metal cab v. wooden bed) would weather and fade to slightly different colors.\u00a0 To create this distinction I added slightly more brown color to the mix while painting the cargo bed to get a slightly different base tone. Of course any respectable \u201cSnow Blitz” would need proper camouflage; a rough winter white wash.\u00a0 I relied upon the “hairspray method” while also incorporating a kitchen pad to mask the pattern\u2019s edges for a rougher, hand-painted look.\u00a0\u00a0 The hairspray process is well documented and very simple.\u00a0 Briefly, over the base grey color and a protective coating of Johnson\u2019s Future floor polish I misted a layer of hairspray.\u00a0 After letting the hairspray dry for about 1 hour I went about adding the rough, white stripes over top the layer of hair spray.\u00a0 Finally, again after about one hours drying time I used a small brush and water to scrape away flakes of the white camouflage paint.\u00a0 Finally, I went back over the white with a fine brush and white Vallejo paint and re-applied, or color mapped some of the chipped areas to add refine some detail in the flaked off areas. I followed with some localized chipping and scratches to the cab\u2019s running boards and fenders using rusty brown colors and a scouring pad.\u00a0 Next came a few very light acrylic color washes over the entire surfaces to unify the colors.\u00a0 I wanted to continue to accentuate the different color tones between the cab and wooden cargo area so on the cab my filters consisted of brown and cream colors, while the cargo bed was filtered using a little touch of green in the color mix. The next phase of the weathering process is the familiar back-n-forth process of adding detail and depth to the finish.\u00a0 MIG Productions 502 Abteilung artist\u2019s oils were used to add depth, define details, and additional color tones to the finish.\u00a0 Here again I tried to vary my color choices to emphasis the subtle color variation between the metal and wooden surfaces.\u00a0 Through-out the process my bottle of Vallejo white continued to be used to refresh the white camouflaged areas if they became too discolored by the oils. For a little added color (and have some fun) I decided to paint the mounting brackets for the snow plow in rusty metal colors.\u00a0 Base colors were applied using Tamiya and Vallejo colors with the finishing touches being made using MIG Productions 502 Abteilung artist\u2019s oils and pigments.\u00a0 The business side of the snow plow blade was first painted using Model Master Metalizer Stainless Steel to achieve a nice, polished steel finish.\u00a0\u00a0 To weather the metal finish I first moistened the blade with tap water and then applied a fairly heavy layer of salt, especially over the lower blade.\u00a0 To the upper areas I sprayed light areas of brownish rust colors to replicate surface blemishes and stains.\u00a0 Finally, I applied light \u201cwashes\u201d of MIG pigments dissolved with thinner to further discolor the surface. Finally, I decided to try and replicate some light snow build-up on some of the more exposed areas of the vehicle; wheels, plow bracket, front bumper and tarpaulin.\u00a0 For this I used MIG Productions Ashes White pigment mixed with MIG Productions acrylic resin as the basis and then added glass spheres \u2013 or micro balloons \u2013 for a topical sparkle.\u00a0 In certain areas I muddied-up the snow by applying thin washes of earthen artist\u2019s oil colors over the snow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Somewhere in the shuffle of all of the aftermarket extras there is the Tamiya Opel Blitz. My impression of the kit is much like that of the Blitz itself; nothing too fancy but it servers it\u2019s intended purpose well.\u00a0 Adding the Plus Model snow plow certainly makes the \u201cordinary\u201d Blitz into something quite unique, and impressive.\u00a0 The images in your mind created though reading can invoke emotions often not felt by simply studying photographs; attempting to capture these emotions in your work brings new challenges \u2013 and opportunities.<\/p>\n

In the 3-ton (or medium) category the major and most successful design was the Opel Blitz. This was a 1938 design from Opel (the German subsidiary then, as now, of General Motors) and was quite conventional in layout. The Opel Model S3.6-36, to give its maker\u2019s designation, was a 4\u00d72 vehicle with pressed steel cab and bonnet. Suspension was by conventional leaf springs. During its war production run, there were many special purpose variants produced; over 100 different types were recorded. Most important of these featured a house-type body (Einheitskofferansbau) which could be fitted as a workshop, laundry, laboratory, command caravan, radio van, cipher office, ambulance, or for dozens of other purposes. The box-like house body was made of wood and compressed card, partly for ease of production and to save metal. Late in the Blitz\u2019s production life it was similarly fitted with the famous \u2018ersatz\u2019 cab, a wood and pressed card structure know as the \u2018einheitsfahrerhaus\u2019, again as a major economy measure when steel became short.Getting straight to it, construction begins with the lower chassis which I assembled per the Tamiya instructions with only a small deviation to \"\"<\/a>replace the stowage boxes with a new set of Aber brass. Tamiya\u00a0has reproduced\u00a0the double leaf spring suspension\u00a0found on later production vehicles, though provided the early bolt patterned wheels.\u00a0 If\u00a0you are using the kit wheels then the upper leaf spring should be removed.\u00a0\u00a0 However, I found that the MIG Productions wheel set shows the later bolt design thus eliminating the need for modifications to the body.\u00a0 The MIG replacement wheels feature very crisp molding and make for a nice improvement over the kit parts; however the mounting holes are very shallow.\u00a0 The quick fix is to drill out the holes and\/or shortened the axle ends to achieve the proper fit.\u00a0 I chose to also insert a section of brass rod for added strength. Continuing along with the construction I moved to the crew cab.\u00a0 Here again the basic Tamiya instruction are clear and assembly is straightforward.\u00a0 Deviating once again from the basic instructions I spent quite a bit of time dressing the cab with Aber brass, while Royal Models resin\u00a0replaced the kit\u2019s headlights.\u00a0 I also choose to replace the kit\u2019s pioneer tools with some better detailed DML tools I had in my extra parts box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Moving forward, the impressive snow plow is from Plus Model.\u00a0 I approached this particular part of the construction, the plow, with some apprehension as it appeared very complex from the box top photos.\u00a0 Opening the box to take a peak at the minimalist instructions inside (line drawings) did little to boost my confidence.\u00a0 Once begun, however, I was pleasantly impressed by the logical sequence and sure fit of the parts.\u00a0 The only issue I found was that the Plus Model conversion is designed for the Italeri Mercedes L 3000 kit which required a little fudging on some of the bracket mounting.\u00a0 Nothing too drastic:\u00a0 Only requiring a little sanding here or a replacement bolt head there.\u00a0 The familiar Tamiya rear cargo bed features nice wood grain texture and some very inconvenient sink holes.\u00a0 Be prepared to spend a relaxing evening of puttying, sanding and re-scribing of the wood grain texture. \u00a0Here again, the rear cargo area is supplemented with bits and pieces of Aber brass.<\/p>\n

As coincidence would have it while working on this project I had been re-reading one of my favorite books, “The Forgotten Soldier”.\u00a0 This is a gritty account, which in part recounts the extreme conditions encountered by the supply troops of the Rollbahn serving on the Eastern Front.\u00a0 The descriptions of hardship, wear and fatigue provided me with ample inspiration for the painting of my workhorse Blitz. I recently read an article where the argument was being made that the bluish tones often associated with German Grey may be a misconception, as the color is actually based upon brown, or reddish brown hues.\u00a0 I decided to give this theory a try and added brown color into the Tamiya German Grey base color.\u00a0 The result is a very pleasing \u2013 warm shade of grey.\u00a0 And, although in real life the entire vehicle would have been initially painted with the same color I figured that especially over time the different materials of the trucks body (metal cab v. wooden bed) would weather and fade to slightly different colors.\u00a0 To create this distinction I added slightly more brown color to the mix while painting the cargo bed to get a slightly different base tone. Of course any respectable \u201cSnow Blitz” would need proper camouflage; a rough winter white wash.\u00a0 I relied upon the “hairspray method” while also incorporating a kitchen pad to mask the pattern\u2019s edges for a rougher, hand-painted look.\u00a0\u00a0 The hairspray process is well documented and very simple.\u00a0 Briefly, over the base grey color and a protective coating of Johnson\u2019s Future floor polish I misted a layer of hairspray.\u00a0 After letting the hairspray dry for about 1 hour I went about adding the rough, white stripes over top the layer of hair spray.\u00a0 Finally, again after about one hours drying time I used a small brush and water to scrape away flakes of the white camouflage paint.\u00a0 Finally, I went back over the white with a fine brush and white Vallejo paint and re-applied, or color mapped some of the chipped areas to add refine some detail in the flaked off areas. I followed with some localized chipping and scratches to the cab\u2019s running boards and fenders using rusty brown colors and a scouring pad.\u00a0 Next came a few very light acrylic color washes over the entire surfaces to unify the colors.\u00a0 I wanted to continue to accentuate the different color tones between the cab and wooden cargo area so on the cab my filters consisted of brown and cream colors, while the cargo bed was filtered using a little touch of green in the color mix. The next phase of the weathering process is the familiar back-n-forth process of adding detail and depth to the finish.\u00a0 MIG Productions 502 Abteilung artist\u2019s oils were used to add depth, define details, and additional color tones to the finish.\u00a0 Here again I tried to vary my color choices to emphasis the subtle color variation between the metal and wooden surfaces.\u00a0 Through-out the process my bottle of Vallejo white continued to be used to refresh the white camouflaged areas if they became too discolored by the oils. For a little added color (and have some fun) I decided to paint the mounting brackets for the snow plow in rusty metal colors.\u00a0 Base colors were applied using Tamiya and Vallejo colors with the finishing touches being made using MIG Productions 502 Abteilung artist\u2019s oils and pigments.\u00a0 The business side of the snow plow blade was first painted using Model Master Metalizer Stainless Steel to achieve a nice, polished steel finish.\u00a0\u00a0 To weather the metal finish I first moistened the blade with tap water and then applied a fairly heavy layer of salt, especially over the lower blade.\u00a0 To the upper areas I sprayed light areas of brownish rust colors to replicate surface blemishes and stains.\u00a0 Finally, I applied light \u201cwashes\u201d of MIG pigments dissolved with thinner to further discolor the surface. Finally, I decided to try and replicate some light snow build-up on some of the more exposed areas of the vehicle; wheels, plow bracket, front bumper and tarpaulin.\u00a0 For this I used MIG Productions Ashes White pigment mixed with MIG Productions acrylic resin as the basis and then added glass spheres \u2013 or micro balloons \u2013 for a topical sparkle.\u00a0 In certain areas I muddied-up the snow by applying thin washes of earthen artist\u2019s oil colors over the snow.<\/p>\n

Somewhere in the shuffle of all of the aftermarket extras there is the Tamiya Opel Blitz. My impression of the kit is much like that of the Blitz itself; nothing too fancy but it servers it\u2019s intended purpose well.\u00a0 Adding the Plus Model snow plow certainly makes the \u201cordinary\u201d Blitz into something quite unique, and impressive.\u00a0 The images in your mind created though reading can invoke emotions often not felt by simply studying photographs; attempting to capture these emotions in your work brings new challenges \u2013 and opportunities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 3-ton (or medium) of transport trucks the major and most successful design was the Opel Blitz. This was a 1938 design from Opel (the German subsidiary then, as now, of General Motors) and was quite conventional in layout. The Opel Model S3.6-36, to give its maker\u2019s designation, was a 4\u00d72 vehicle with pressed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[31,28,7,6,24],"class_list":["post-746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rick-lawer-propaganda","tag-aber","tag-opel-blitz","tag-propaganda","tag-rick-lawler","tag-tamiya"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2281,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746\/revisions\/2281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}