56

The dash and front bench. Note the Dragon water bottle and MG ammo case.

The Warriors pith helmet was painted in a light green as they were delivered to

North Afrika in both tan and greenA close up of the cab area

57

Afrika Korps FamoBy Rhodes A Williams

I won the Tamiya kit, sans trailer, in a modeling contest with an ABM spade and both of

the Aber photo-etched sets. In addition to this I purchased the Tamiya spade, which is a

different version to the ABM resin kit, and the Royal Model details set, which includes

some very nicely cast resin including a pair of useful fire-extinguishers, a folded down

canvas covered windscreen and a canvas top. The photo-etched fret is in some respects

a duplication of the Aber parts, however the windscreen is much simpler to construct and

also includes a nicely rendered set of ignition keys. Lastly, I acquired Decalstar’s partially

folded back canvas top in resin.

References on the Famo have improved greatly with the release of the Tamiya Famo, and

I really feel sorry for those who tackled the DES Famo with its tricky instructions.

Fortunately Nuts & Bolts released a marvellous manual on the Famo and its variants

which includes a complete walk around in detail of Kevin Wheatcroft’s brilliantly restored

After spending years

building German vehicles

for Western and Eastern

Front dioramas, I decided

it was due time to get

cracking on an Afrika

Korps themed AFV. When

Tamiya released their

Famo I knew I had found

my vehicle.

A close up of the stowage compartment and a slung Dragon gasmask

canister. The running rust is seen to good effect here. Also note the

excellent Aber chains across the crew compartment doors.

58

late variant Famo. The Tamiya instruction booklet is adequate for

construction out-of-the-box. However, should you wish to execute

any sort of super-detailing then the Nuts & Bolts book is a must.

I shall not bother you with a complete blow-by-blow of the

construction as it has been done to death and by better modelers

than I. However, I shall highlight where I stepped off of the beaten

path to add some bits and bobs.

I wished to beat up my Famo and a good place to begin was the

beautifully rendered Tamiya roadwheels. Firstly I placed a steel

brush accessories disc into a Ryobi motor tool set at low. This disc

was designed for cleaning and polishing metal surfaces and

removing rust and corrosion. I find it chews up the edges of the

rubber roadwheels and gives tank hulls and turrets a nice cast

appearance. Rubber rimmed roadwheels frequently got nicked

and beaten up on tough terrain and caused an increasingly

uncomfortable ride when not replaced. After all the wheels were

roughened up, I went back over them with an Exacto blade to

clean away the excess plastic.

Construction then went ahead per the Tamiya instructions building

up the kit in sub-assemblies of the frame and wheels, engine

compartment, crew compartment, cargo bed and spade.

Whilst inspecting the Aber photo-etched set I noted a good deal

of gearbox details and other sub-carriage bits which once

assembled would be utterly invisible. In some cases I decided to

leave them off, but in the case of the gearbox housing, I had the

idea to add them to the kit and cut away the rear center

treadplate access panel as Aber thoughtfully included the tread

patterned flooring. To my eye the Tamiya flooring was as good so I

left it in place except for the access hatch to the gearbox. This

would have to be cut away so as to reveal the intricate Aber

photo-etch beneath it.

A very clean cut is difficult to achieve by scribing with an Exacto

blade. In this case, I cut a hole into the Tamiya panel and then

with a length of unwaxed dental floss cut cleanly around the

panel. Now this process may seem odd, but it works brilliantly,

leaving a clean edge as you cut around the access hatch using

the same sort of movement as you would when gripping a wire

garrote. Make sure to use unwaxed floss as the waxed variety

tends to shed the wax on the plastic. Once the panel was cut

away I cleaned it up with the most minimal of sanding. The Aber

part is a perfect fit, but in my case need not be as the hatch rests

on the rear bench seat. Save the Tamiya part as you will need to

remove the grab handles and attach them underneath the

openings in the Aber photo-etched panel.

In the desert, keeping a motor cool is as vital as keeping the

human body hydrated. As well as the articulating air vents in the

hood of the Famo, the engine access covers on either side were

often left off to maximize air circulation. Leaving these off meant I

had to detail the engine compartment and Aber gives plenty of

opportunity for that. Unfortunately, even with the engine covers off,

most of the really splendid wiring and plumbing is not visible.

Once the engine bay was completed, I went to work on the

portions of the gearbox visible through the opened floor board.

The engine detailed with Aber photo-etch, various

diameters of brass and lead wire, and Minimeca

tubing for the control arms leading to the gearbox

The completed and unpainted crew compartment.

Note the Aber photo-etched dash and acetate

instruments

59

These were installed per the Aber instructions, which,

unfortunately, are a bit murky here. The Nuts & Bolts book on the

Famo comes in very handy in these instances as there are few

places on Kevin Wheatcroft’s restored Famo not photographed.

With the gearbox complete, I added a few details to the trailer

coupling. I have to date not seen photographic evidence of the

spade in North Africa. However, having said that, the date of

introduction of the spade to the Famo does not preclude them

either. Still, resupply was a real problem for the Afrika Korps, so

chances are slim, that any Famos utilized them. Unfortunately for

me, the diorama I am planning for this Famo necessitates the

spade. So, as I intended to use the spade, the rope clamp guide

has to be relocated from the left rear frame to its centre, which

eliminates also the ability to store the spare tyre in its rack

underneath the bed.

The spade went together without any problems and was set aside

for painting later. The cargo bed also went together without any

headaches. Aber includes the option of replacing the kit locker

doors with ones made of photo-etch, however in this instance the

Tamiya part is suitably detailed. I did sand off all the grab rings and

replace them with the Aber parts as the level of detail is far superior.

I also detailed both the inside and outside of the door for the bed

and left it loose for painting.

Beginning work in earnest on the crew compartment soon ran into

my first major Aber versus Royal Model dilemma - the windscreen.

Tamiya’s is far inferior to the photo-etched options. Of the two,

Royal Model’s is far simpler to construct and the results just as

appealing. The Royal Model set includes the latch pins for

unlocking the opening window on the driver’s side as well as all

the detail on the swing arms. Very nice.

I also elected to use the Royal Model Fire extinguishers as they are

superior to the kit included extinguishers and as nicely detailed as

the Aber parts with none of the work. A job well done by Royal

Model for including resin in their detail sets. I utilized the Aber

dash and acetate instrument dials. This was topped off with an oft

overlooked set of ignition keys, thoughtfully provided by Royal

Model. Aber includes a nice selection of chains, some of which

were used to secure the crew from, I assume, toppling out. These

are better left off until all the painting is done as they will just get

knocked off time and time again.

The Decalstar tarp is cast in one piece resin and crisp overall, with

minimal cleanup. It fits a bit tight so some sanding is needed

before painting and gluing in place.

The kit included tracks are quite lovely and when properly

assembled remain workable. When painted they are just as good

as those available from Fruil and Modelkasten.

I kept the Famo in ten sub-assemblies for ease of painting: Frame

with Maybach mounted, wheel wells and grill, hood, tyres,

The Royal Model photo-etched windscreen.

Note the thoughtfully included resin spotlight.

The locking pins and wingnuts are an

especially nice touch.

The cargo bed received a heavier selection of sand as it was prone to

being loaded and off loaded with heavy equipment in the field. Also note

the spare tyre dumped unceremoniously when the spade is fitted.

The hood and lift bed, each detailed

with Aber photo-etch and kept

separate for painting.

60

windscreen, dash, crew compartment, cargo bed, spade, and

tracks. The small components such as the windscreen were

mounted on wooden blocks.

With the construction complete I moved along to painting. As this

is an “Afrika” Famo I departed from the usual as I wished to use a

heavily chipped desert overspray. I prefer using the pre-shading

method as I can achieve the type of panel fade I desire with much

more control.

To begin with I mixed Humbrol Brown (No.160) 70% with 15%

Humbrol black (No.33) and 15% red (No.153), thinning it with Eco-

House thinner at a ratio of 40% paint to 60% thinner. A bit on the

thin side but I like to work in two thin coats rather then one thick

glop. This was blown through an Iwata Micron at a psi setting of

18. The entire model including tracks gets this treatment until an

even flat coat of dark primer covers all the exposed area. I chose

this color treatment as it creates a nice dark base for the lighter

colours to come, and also resembles, ever so slightly, a mixture of

grime and exposed primer. A note here. The windscreen was

handpainted as it is just too time consuming to mask off the

acetate windscreen.

After the Humbrol was set, I mixed Humbrol Grey (No.111) 30%

paint to 70% thinner and began filling the panel lines. Always

keeping in mind enough of the base coat should show through at

the edges of a panel creating depth to the model. I used grey as

so many vehicles were rushed to North Africa in their European

livery and then hurriedly overpainted either at Bizerte or in the

field. Either way, lots of imperfections. This grey was lightened

with a bit of Humbrol Off-White (No.28) and sprayed again within

the previous grey zones for a stronger fading between the most

washed out grey and the exposed undercoat.

Left to dry for a good 24 hours, I was ready to apply the mask so

integral to the chipping process. There are several types of mask

on the market especially for military modelers. These work fine,

however if you are on a budget there are two alternatives. The

first, Grumbacher “Miskit”, is an orange coloured liquid friskit

designed for masking watercolours. I prefer this for several

reasons. Firstly, it is a horrid orange and hard to miss when it

Primed and assembled. I primed the entire model

mixing Humbrol colours until I got a brownish,

primer red colour.

Sun bleached German RAL gray pre-shaded over

the primer colour

Crew compartment after application of the gray

coat. Note the instrument faces have been

covered with masking tape

The Maybach motor from the left side. Note how the exhaust manifold has

discoloured from being subjected to continual heat

The engine bay filled with Aber photo-etch. The wiring is various

diameters of lead wire. The impact of the pastel wash is used to good

effect here. Note how the interior of the engine bay remains in its original

colours. A nice transition.

61

comes time to remove it. Secondly, it comes off without much

effort. The second economic route is to use regular office supply

rubber-cement. This also works very well, but is much more

difficult and time consuming to remove. Both are applied with a

well worn paint brush, one about ready for the bin with its bristles

well split and frayed is best. Dipping the brush into the liquid mask

I then dab it here and there where I wish to have the undercoat

remain visible. Apply it heavily. If too thin it can be difficult to

remove.

Be aware of those fiddly photo-etch bits as they are ruined if you

get liquid mask on them. Work around them and then if you wish

hand paint them later on. I prefer to work around them as they are

already painted with the undercoats. I then touch them with

desert tan later on. Both Miskit and rubber cement dry quickly and

you can begin spraying the next coat within a few minutes.

To create a suitable Sandgelb I mixed 60% Humbrol No.84 with

10% No.94 to which I added 30% Humbrol No.103. Some suggest

that Sandgelb was exactly the same as Dunklegelb nach Muster

(RAL 7028), but for the purpose of this article I shall refer to it as

Sandgelb. This was heavily thinned 25% paint to 75% thinners. The

colour need not be exact, after all what is exact with regards to

German RAL colours? Desert tan, dunkelgelb and its derivatives

came from varied stocks, at varied times and were applied with

water, petrol, urine, you name it. This color was all subject to the

extremes of desert warfare: heat, sun, cold, duststorms, so many

extremes that the original colour at times faded entirely to reveal

the undercoat. For my Famo it needed to be extensively chipped

and patches faded to reveal both the Dunklegrau (dark grey—RAL

7021), and the primer red underneath.

Adjusting the pressure on my compressor to a psi setting of 8, I

began spraying a thin coat of Sandgelb over the mask. Again, pay

keen attention to not step outside the panel fade of the grey

undercoat. This takes time, but the results come quickly and look

quite nice. With a low psi on the compressor, even very small

areas on the spade can be faded. Whilst this coat set up, I added

a bit of Humbrol No.28 Off-White to the original mix and

highlighted the centre of the just applied desert tan.

Setting the Famo aside overnight allowed the paint to cure. It is best

not to rush into removing the mask until the paint has completely

dried. If not you might get a sticky mess. Once it dried well enough, I

pulled on a surgical rubber glove, the advantage of wearing rubber

gloves is that it pulls up the mask quickly and cleanly. If you prefer

you can use you bare finger, however it takes a good deal of rubbing

to ball up the mask and the friction heats up the skin, so I’d advise

against it. Once all the mask is removed the undercoat of

Dunklegrau and primer red will appear where the mask was pulled

up leaving convincing chips and wear marks all over the vehicle—just

like the 1.1 scale counterpart. I hand painted the windscreen and

hand chipped the paint with an 18.0 spotter brush.

For wear marks I prefer to drybrush with darker colours rather

than lighter. In this case I have a home concocted flat black for

these purposes. A few years back I mixed some flat black onto an

62

index card and delivered it to my local household paint shop with

its computerized paint matching system. They scanned the card

and mixed me a gallon of interior latex paint in flat black. It should

last a lifetime. It is as flat as I’ve ever seen and I find I use it

frequently for those jobs requiring the flattest of flat blacks. In this

case I mixed a little Vallejo grey into it so as to have a shade a

touch darker than then chipped Dunklegrau paint elsewhere on

the Famo. This mix was drybrushed onto all the edges to bring out

details of contrast and generally give the vehicle a grungy lived-in-

the-field look. I also used this color for the rubber rims on the road

wheels, the tyres and the track pads. Time consuming but fun.

With the appropriate amounts of chipping done I painted the

engine, engine bay and crew compartment. All of these were

already primed and panel faded using the Humbrol Grey. These

were not oversprayed with Sandgelb as this would have only been

applied to the exterior. The engine and engine bay received a bit

of Testors steel drybrushing to create the effect of casted iron and

steel.

The crew compartment received the same worn treatment. I

airbrushed the seats with progressively lighter shades of Burnt

Sienna acrylic paint to simulate the constant use and exposure.

The rip in the front of the driver’s seat is worth mentioning here. I

thinned out the Tamiya seat where I wished the stuffing to be

exposed with an Exacto, and then draped glue soaked Kleenex

over the Tamiya part and folded back the torn material. The

stuffing was painted with an acrylic color called Pigskin, which is

incidentally a fine match for the base color of rifle stocks. At this

point I grained the steering wheel and added the red line to the

instrument cluster with a Loew-Cornell 18.0 liner brush. These are

available at finer art supply shops, and I cannot recommend them

enough for detail work as the quill is longer than standard and

holds a lot of paint to a very fine tip. Perfect for modeling work. All

of the wood grains were also painted at this time using Pigskin as

a base followed by a wash of Burnt Sienna oils.

Before carrying on, I assembled all the principal sub-assemblies

and put on the tracks. The windscreen was attached and I

constructed the side view mirror. There are several variations of

the side view mirror mounted on the left ‘driver knows’. The kit

part and Aber part did not interest me as much as the mirror

assembly on Kevin Wheatcroft’s Famo seen in the Nuts & Bolts

reference. I constructed mine from a piece of brass Minemica

tubing. The mirror itself was punched from a piece of doll house

Mylar using a Waldron Punch. This was mounted and hand

painted.

With the Famo assembled and well dry I began the pin washes.

As opposed to a general wash, the pin wash is a bit less thinned

and applied with the 18.0 liner brush, mentioned previously. This

type of wash is time consuming and best not rushed. I mixed Raw

Umber with a touch of Flat Black oils at a ratio of 20% oil paint to

80% Eco-Thinner. I prefer this over Humbrol as it is not nearly as

damaging to the enamel undercoats. Well mixed, this wash is

touched into all crevices, panel lines, and raised bolt detail. Using

capillary action, the oil paint will be pulled from the brush and run

into the recessed lines and grab around bolt and other raised

details. Mind you, it takes a long time, especially when you

consider I painted around every bolt on each roadwheel.

Next I applied the rust spots. These were applied with straight

Burnt Sienna oil paint. Applied to the palette I thinned the oil 80%

paint to 20% thinner. The oil should still be thick but manageable

enough for that 18.0 liner. I applied the streaks in thin fine lines

wherever rust streaks would commonly appear. Letting the oil set

for about fifteen minutes I took a fresh brush and dipped it into

Eco-thinner. Gently running the brush over the damp oils they

A Verlinden tool case was sourced from the parts bin and works perfectly hereA detail of the well worn drivers seat

63

dispersed down the length of the run. Once dry they diffuse

nicely giving the model a convincing rust streak.

I hand painted the fire extinguishers red and dulled them down

with a wash of Raw Umber oils. A word here. Most

extinguishers were over painted in the base color, however

they were on occasion, used and replaced. Now would they

remain red? It is somewhat unlikely, but sometimes artistic

license takes over and I do like the idea of breaking up the

rather monotone color scheme with a splash of red.

With the washes complete. I subtly rusted out the tracks. This

process was done by grinding up various shades of brown and

rust coloured pastel chalks with a scrap of sandpaper. I prefer

Weber Costello brand “Alphacolour” earth tone pastels, but

that is up to the individual user. Once ground they are mixed in

an old cat food tin and thinned down with Tamiya X-20A

Thinner. You could also use Windex windscreen cleaner, but I

like the fact that Tamiya’s contains glycerin, which adds a

slippery texture to the mix. This was applied to the tracks with

a wide soft brush and allowed to dry. The trick with thinned

pastels is that they tend to apply quite clear, but as the

thinning agent evaporates it leaves the pastels in all the

recesses. It is easy to put it on too heavy, so go easy and let

each wash dry well in between. Once dry the tracks are as

convincing as metal Fruil tracks. Tunisia was quite wet in the

rainy season so even desert vehicles showed the effects of

rusting, just not to the extent of a Famo which had served the

winter on the Eastern Front.

With the rusting complete I prepared to apply the layers of

sand that inevitably fill all the recesses everywhere on a

vehicle in the desert. Firstly I added more significant sand,

small stones and dirt to the spade and cargo bed. The

Tunisian landscape is very much unlike the deep desert of the

Sahara. Parts of Tunisia, at the coast and near wadis and

An overall view of the cab and running gear

The Sandgelb applied after the mask application

The mask removed by rubbing surface with a surgical glove. Note the realistic

chipping effect revealing both the German gray and primer coats underneath.

The chewed up rubber rimmed roadwheels and tracks. Each bolt on each

roadwheel was spot washed with oil paint using capillary action Note the

subtle rusting and how the pastel chalk gets into all the right recesses with

amazing realism

A close up of the dash and instrument cluster. Note how the Envirotex resin

gives the instruments a very realistic glass appearance

64

oases are verdant and the soil quite hardpacked with stones and

other earthy rubbish. I duplicated this by sifting out very fine

garden dirt, until I had a nice pile of very fine soil. To this I added a

few larger stones and a pinch of sand from the beach in Naples,

Florida. I added this by first brushing on thinned white glue and

sprinkling on the earth mixture. This was then airbrushed with

various khaki to sand yellow shades. Washed with thinned Raw

Umber oils it was finally drybrushed with khaki.

Once dry I ground up appropriate pastel sticks until I had a sandy,

light yellow powder. This was mixed again in an old cat food tin

with Tamiya X-20A Thinner at a ratio of 10% pastels to 90% thinner.

Don’t worry if the thinner evaporates, the pastels can be re-

activated with more thinner. Thoroughly mixed, it was applied to

all recesses with the 18.0 liner brush. Again, this is time

consuming, but rather fun too. It is important to remember not to

overdo the application. As the thinner evaporates the pastels

become very strong in color. This mix was applied throughout the

engine, the flooring of the crew compartment, and washed with a

thick flat brush over the tracks, tyres, the soil in the bed and on

the rear of the spade. If it dries too strong, it can be touched with

thinner and some of the pastel soaked up with a soft cloth. The

remaining residue, particularly in the tracks, needs no more

attention.

The same cannot be said of the two front tyres. Once the pastels

dried I drybrushed them with flat black and highlighted them by

adding some grey. This creates the illusion of sand in the treads

without it remaining on the rest of the tyre. The spare, relocated to

the bed, is heavily saturated with dust as it sat exposed and unused.

Some last details included airbrushing the tarp and handpainting

the leather straps and installing it. I also wished to have a

member of the maintenance crew refilling the radiator with a jerry

can so I left the top off and added an inner plug from the scrap

box. The ring within the radiator opening is from the photo-etch

spares box. The chain is from Aber. Save those extra photo-

etched bits and bobs—they come in handy! The Notek light is a

resin extra from Royal Model whilst the license plates are a brass

item from Elephant models to which I added the Tamiya decals.

The windscreen was misted with the airbrush after I applied

masks cut from masking tape and laid over the clean areas

created by a pass of the wipers.

Decals included the kit supplied water slides and two Afrika Korps

palms from the old Tamiya BMW w/ sidecar sets. These were all

seated with Microsol to minimize silvering.

The Jerrycans are sourced from Italeri, which are nice enough

save for the fact they are actually British “War Department”

knock-offs, Dragon cans, which are just brilliant (I wish they would

release a separate set of these) and a few scrounged up resin

Italian Jerrycans by Model Victoria. These were painted and

weathered in a similar fashion to the Famo. The water bottles are

from Dragon’s “Deutsche Afrika Korps” set and include a nice set

of decals. The upturned helmet with liner is from Jaguar, whilst the

pith helmets with goggles are by Warriors. The Schmeisser is a

Dragon weapon and the most superior available, as are the rifles.

Tamiya spade is an easy build. Note the vast

amount of chipping using the masking method

The rear crew bench seat. Note the lovely Aber

photo-etch gearbox access hatch.

65

The sling is constructed from Tech Star “Lead Foil” with some buckles courtesy of

Verlinden. The beautifully rendered MG-34 is from Collectors Brass and only a bit

superior to the Dragon equivalent. The battered German helmets are from the

spares box and I believe of Tamiya origin. The national emblems were hand

painted. The gasmask tins are from a recent Dragon set, the numbers sometimes

seen on them also hand painted.

The figurines are a mixed bag of currently available Afrika Korps blokes. The fellow

in the jumper and shorts is from the Dragon “Deutsche Afrika Korps” set with a

repositioned arm, resin hand from the parts bin, resin boots from Warriors, and a

bandanna head from Warriors. I clipped off the side-peaked cap and gave him the

dreaded pith helmet with goggles. The Lieutenant standing with an arm against the

windscreen is from the very old Verlinden “Afrika Korps Tankers” set. He received a

couple of new arms from the parts bin. The corporal with the cigar is also an older

Verlinden release, straight from the box. For the first time I painted them almost

entirely in oils, instead of just the fleshtones: and good fun it was. Painting lighter

colours with enamels is difficult as the washes of oils have to be thinned so much

the pigment separates. I found by mixing colours courtesy of a color chart from

Historical Modelers Forum (http://hmforum.com/hmforum/homepage/) any WWII

color can be achieved. With this in hand I went to work and was so pleased with

the superior blending abilities, I plan to almost use them exclusively. Again practice

and lots of patience it required. Detail work on the figures such as webbing and

boots were done with both Humbrol enamels and Vallejo acrylics.

Lastly I mixed equal parts of Envirotex Resin. Make sure the parts are completely

even or the resin will remain tacky for ages. If well mixed it can then be applied

anywhere you wish to simulate glass. I used it on the rear convoy lamp, the

instrument clusters, the glass lenses of the figurines’ goggles and glasses and the

two auxiliary lights on either side of the cab. If applied with the Famo upside down,

the lights will dry convex and are as convincing as anything MV Lenses produces.

You’ll need a good eight hours for the resin to harden.

This was the most enjoyable project I’ve done so far with all the new processes I

entertained. Brilliant detail, typical efficient Tamiya assembly and instructions,

wonderful aftermarket bits and bobs, but with one large price tag. It does give the

modeler a good value, however, to the nature of the assembly, the inclusion of link-

to-link tracks and a nice selection of accessories. Add the spade and it makes for a

very challenging long term project. I started mine in May of 2001 and completed it

in November the same year. Six months all told.

The weathering process is shown to good effect

on the hood

The Aber radiator fan mesh, splendidly etched

to create a woven effect