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

56
Afrika
Korps
Famo
By Rhodes A Williams
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.

After spending years 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
building German vehicles
different version to the ABM resin kit, and the Royal Model details set, which includes
for Western and Eastern some very nicely cast resin including a pair of useful fire-extinguishers, a folded down
Front dioramas, I decided 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
it was due time to get
also includes a nicely rendered set of ignition keys. Lastly, I acquired Decalstar’s partially
cracking on an Afrika folded back canvas top in resin.
Korps themed AFV. When
Tamiya released their 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.
Famo I knew I had found
Fortunately Nuts & Bolts released a marvellous manual on the Famo and its variants
my vehicle. which includes a complete walk around in detail of Kevin Wheatcroft’s brilliantly restored

57

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
58
The completed and unpainted crew compartment.
Note the Aber photo-etched dash and acetate
instruments
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
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.
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 The Royal Model photo-etched windscreen. The hood and lift bed, each detailed
eliminates also the ability to store the spare tyre in its rack Note the thoughtfully included resin spotlight. with Aber photo-etch and kept
The locking pins and wingnuts are an separate for painting.
underneath the bed. especially nice touch.

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.
The cargo bed received a heavier selection of sand as it was prone to
I kept the Famo in ten sub-assemblies for ease of painting: Frame being loaded and off loaded with heavy equipment in the field. Also note
with Maybach mounted, wheel wells and grill, hood, tyres, the spare tyre dumped unceremoniously when the spade is fitted.

59
 Primed and assembled. I primed the entire model Sun bleached German RAL gray pre-shaded over
mixing Humbrol colours until I got a brownish, the primer colour
primer red colour.
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
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.
60
Crew compartment after application of the gray
coat. Note the instrument faces have been
covered with masking tape
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
The Maybach motor from the left side. Note how the exhaust manifold has
discoloured from being subjected to continual heat
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
61
 A detail of the well worn drivers seat
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
62
A Verlinden tool case was sourced from the parts bin and works perfectly here
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

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
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
A close up of the dash and instrument cluster. Note how the Envirotex resin
gives the instruments a very realistic glass appearance
63

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
64
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.
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.
 The Aber radiator fan mesh, splendidly etched The weathering process is shown to good effect
to create a woven effect on the hood

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.

65