While making this model, I wanted to add detail to the interior. I started by using some sheet plastic with a diamond tread pattern for the floor of the chimera. I then made benches out of sheet plastic, and glued these to the new floor. These benches run the length of the interior compartment. While making the benches, I had to make sure that there was sufficient room for the rear door to close, and that the top portion of the hull would fit onto the bottom hull. When the interior was finished, I did not glue the upper and lower hulls together yet, as I wanted to paint the interior first.

The next step to detailing the chimera was to get the rear doors to function. The model was designed to allow the rear door to fold down, but not the rear inner door (middle photo above) to open and close. First, I wanted to improve the way the rear door was attached to the hull. I did this by drilling holes into the attach points, and inserting a long brass rod through the two contact points. I also added a piece of aluminum tube between the contact points to better protect the brass rod, as well as to better fit the appearance of the original contact points.

Next, I wanted the inner rear door to function as well. Once again I used a pin vise and drill bit to drill small holes into both the hinges molded into the inner door and on the outer door. I then inserted a very fine brass rod thought all the holes, and I now had a functioning hinge. However, one problem remained; the inner door's shape was designed to fit snugly into the outer door. This prevented the door from opening and closing. I used a hobby knife and a file to remove plastic from both the inner door and the door frame until the door was able to open and close freely.

I did not glue on the treads at this time, as I wanted to paint them and the vehicle separately.

Once the model was complete, it was time to paint it. I wanted a camouflage pattern, and I choose one similar to that used by the German Army during the later portions of W.W.II. Using an airbrush, I started by painting the interior of the two hull pieces an off white (Model Master's Panzer Interior). I let this dry, and then glued the two hulls together. Once this was dry, using the airbrush I painted the entire hull in a yellow color (Dunkelgelb). Next, I applied a series of wavy lines in a thinned down brown (Braune), followed by more thin lines of a thinned dark green (Olivgrun).

I let this dry, and then applied a clear coat of matte sealant. This not only protects the model, it aids in the application of decals. I let this dry, and then applied the decals. Once these were finished, I applied another coat of matte sealant to protect the decals.

At this point, the model looked good, but lacked any shading & highlights, and weathering. I began by applying a wash of dark brown (sepia extra) oil paint for depth. Let dry for several days. Highlights were applied by dry brushing oil paints mixed first to the base yellow color, and then gradually lightened until eventually I was using pure white. These highlights not only picked up the detail, but also had the effect of weathering the decals and model.

The final step was to paint and add the tracks. In order to make painting the tracks easier, I left them on the sprue. First, I painted them a flat black. I then dry brushed them with several shades of gunmetal and silver. They needed some weathering at this point, so I applied a wash of a flat earth color. Once dry, I removed the tracks from the sprue and glued them to the chimera with super glue. Once these were dry, I touched up any areas affected by the super glue. I applied yet another coat of matte sealer to protect and unify the entire paint scheme.

For more information on painting W.W.II German camoflage patterns on tanks, I suggest reading the excellent book by Tony Greenland, Panzer Modelling Masterclass.

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