Referring to works by Juliano (thank you for making the first Berndt back in the 2003!) and Bryan Krueger, I soon realize I have all parts needed sparse on my workbench so.. no engine and a very simplified interior to stay focussed on painting.
Base colors: Humbrol Matt 80 Grass Green and Matt 186 Brown enamels; Vallejo Ivory White acrylic for the ID bands.
Decals are hand-repainted and I choose this figure bust for the irreverent expression. The figure painting is from a friend of mine: Aleksander Michelotti; he is a semi-professional figure painter, very talented in my opinion.
Classic washes with oils: Cassel Earth, Vandyke Brown, Raw and Burn Umber with Winsor&Newton Artists' White Spirit.
But washes are only one step: I paint dark shadows using drybrush with oils and filters with acrylics like Tamiya Nato Black and Vallejo US Olive Drab.
For a smooth transition and looking for some visual interest, this time I addmany little dots of corresponding camo colour in the transition zone of the shadow areas.
I use the same technique (mottling?) to give some light to the red-brown camo colour.
The little plant in the left corner is a root with parsley roots. The other in the right corner is made with oregano; the rest is natural moss.
Everything, including the suit with the ground, is glued with MIG Acrylic Resin and the wet effect is MIG Wet Effects and Damp Earth Mixture.
For the muddy ground, I use Coarse Acrylic Pumice mixed with Vallejo acrylic Raw Umber and small roots plus tea leaves for the "organic" look, then I spread the mixture on the base with a brush; the rock is a piece of laminated bark.
Building your "Berndt"
The P.K.A. Ausf. B is a fan design that fits into Maschinen Krieger 1/20 scale World. You need body and laser arm from a Gustav suit; claw arm, legs and engine come from a P.K.A. Ausf.H
The only design difference between mine and other builds is the chest area:
Juliano preserved the PKA HO bi-optic camera and mount, placed on top of the suit;
Bryan opted for retaining the bi-optic camera into a mount similar to the Gustav chest sensor;
I preferred no sensor at all but didn't like the smooth front: it makes legs look short, so I added the extra armor lip, down on the torso front, to break this surface and maintained the Gustav fold down panel line, too.
The casting texture was achieved with Mr Surfacer 500 and an old brush; weld beads and joints covers are sculpted with Aves Apoxie Sculpt.
Take your time shaping the laser arm: it is an important part of this design.
The "Berndt" in the past
Juliano Redigolo Original Model
Bryan Krueger Model
This is my interpretation of an original design built back in 2003 by Juliano Redigolo from Brazil.
In 2008 it was reinterpreted by another skilful modeller: Bryan Krueger.
Having all the parts left over from previous builds lying on my workbench, it was my time to confront with this design.
Coarse Acrylic Pumice
Coarse Acrylic Pumice is an acrylic paste you can color directly mixing it with pigments or acrylic colors. It looks like a grey gel with some grain sand in it.
There are different grains or you can buy only the gel (it is like the MIG Acrylic Resin) then add your preferred sand. I use the medium grain.
You don't need to add glue at all because it sticks very well and dry fast, hard as a rock.