I am by no means a WW2 armour expert, having only a slightly above-average knowledge of the weapons used in that conflict but my favourite AFV by far is the German Panzer IV. I don't know why but I find the lines of that tank captivating. So it came as no surprise that once I was in modelling mode, I got the urge to dig deep in my war chest and fish out an old Airfix 1:72 scale specimen bought on ebay that had been lying there for years. Having added on extra equipment from Czech company Black Dog, I also decided to try out some weathering and rusting techniques (using very easy-to-apply AK Pigments) on the model and fit it into a diorama base to enhance appearance. I discovered a great Dutch company called Diodump (www.diodump.com) who supply ready made high quality diorama bases. Great service too. Thoroughly recommended!! Found a set of detailed (but expensive) Nikolai resin 20mm Arab civilian figures and got a box of excellent German multipose tank personnel from Preiser and voila'! - a Deutsche Afrika Korps Panzerkampfwagen IV F2 rolling into a North African village looking something like this:
I tried to go for that dry dusty look normally associated with desert terrain, giving particular attention to lay heavy dust on the tank's tracks, wheels, and rollers as well as on the civilians (particularly their lower limbs) and on the building's surfaces. I yellowed the tips of the palm leaves to give them that partly-wilted, thirsty look (a sight we are very much accustomed to in my native Malta). I particularly enjoyed painting in the tiles in alternating colours on the building rooftop giving that distinct Arab look. Thanks for visiting!