The Calm Before the Storm ...

o.k. so model...y couldnt ya just make a few of those up 4 me for my dio?? see it helps to know the 2-day stuff rather than by pics only!!! looks great with all the scratch!!!

That looks awesome! My dad was in Iraq not too long ago and saw a lot of the up armored HMMVs like the one you're building. He asked me to keep an eye out for a kit of one, and now that you're scratching one I'm sure a major manufacturer will produce a kit of it lol. I can't wait to see this one completed.

 

 

Erik

Well, I thought about it camo, but three was just too many... HAHAHAHA!!! Besides your's looks awesome!

Thanks for the compliments Geist. If you've got any reference pictures you'd like to share, PLEASE do. I find things that I initially forgot in almost every picture I look at.

Geist wrote:

and now that you're scratching one I'm sure a major manufacturer will produce a kit of it lol.

... that's not funny. :)

yeah maybe so but no one remembers the "original hummer" anymore. all they see are these frankenstein creation now-a-days! oh well. nice work with the springs btw. see thats more work than i want to do although i suppose if i was building it uparmored like yours it be more than fitting!

Man, that is rockn! Fantastic work!!! Great scratch building! Will be looking forward to more! How is Team Infidel doing? Thanks again for putting it on the line!

Thanks Stern, I'm glad you like it.

I've been thinking on the name. I'm bad about letting a name influence the build instead of the other way around ... funny, I know. So, anyway, ... "the calm before the storm", to me, sounds more like the crew should be preparing to roll. You know the Team leader briefing from a map off the hood ... a gunner and asst. gunner setting the headspace and timing ... stuff like that, instead of the crew posing for a picture. That would mean a lot more scratch work, but I think it would fit the name .... OR .... I could just change the name ..... Hmmm.

We'll have to think on that one.

I'm about done with the jerry cans that I needed to work on. The tamiya jerry cans that I have .... well, that kit is crap, and I think we all know it. So, I did some digging in my stash and found jerry cans from a 1/32 Forces of Valor kit I had. They're actually not that much bigger than the 1/35 cans and they're going to be much easier to work with. I've already finished the carriers we built from sheet steel to hold the cans to the rear bumper. I fit 4x cans together and glued them together using small spacers inbtwn. I'm getting ready to cast a copy of them for the second truck. After casting the second set, I'm going to add on the handles. (THANKS again Hans for the mini-write-up.)

I'm getting to a stopping point waiting for the PE set to get here .... so I might start on the base ...

Thanks again all for the encouragement.

modelchasm, check your PMs. I sent you some pics that you may like.

 

 

Erik

 OHH MY GOSSHHH! that has to be the best scratch building that i have ever seen. where do u get the dimensions of the doors, they look excellent! i shocked at the amazing work youve done. what are you modifying on the tamiya m1025 to make it into a m1114. ive been dying to build one of these , but i dont know where to start. well great work !

Thanks Geist, I'll take a look ....

Ng, I took some demension measurements on my truck before I came home b/c I knew I wanted to do this build sometime. Unfortunately, I never found my notebook where I wrote them down, so I basically went off memory and pictures.

The Tamiya 1025 kit is good, but not great. However, it's probably the best kit out there. I also used MIGs 1114 update along with Eduards 35 629 PE kit fr detail. Other than that ... its got to be scratch built.

The biggest piece of advice that I can give if you plan to start this project is to make sure you have formulas down to keep all your conversions tight. As long as your paying attention to the scale scratch building is a sinch.

Anyway ... glad you guys like the build thus far. I'll try to post some more update pics soon.

I was wondering when you’d go back to your birdcage HMMWV, didn’t know you had two. This sounds like a great diorama, regardless of the title, I kind of like the idea of the calm before the storm being the group picture at the beginning of the whole tour, the storm being the tour itself as opposed to an individual mission. But that’s your call, your dio, your title, I’m sure you’ll make it for yourself in the end.

I know you said this one particular part was done, but if you need any ref. shots of those Rhino IED devices let me know, I think I can find you some from when my step dad was over there. All I remember was they were mostly made up of a giant warning label about radio frequency etc. or something...

But I’m definitely on board for this one, looks like great ref. for my HMMWV (don’t you know I have one of those half built too?? That’s the thing with my stash, I get a new kit, build anywhere from 25% to 80% of it and then never can pull through to get it done.)

I really think the paint job on these two will pull it together real nice. Anyway that I could get some rough 1:1 dimensions of that brass gun-shield? I might be able to pull that off in styrene...

No rush, way future build on my part, you know the mess that’s my bench. Thanks for sharing, and hope that write up turns out soon! I’m sure it’s worth my subscription.

Thanks psst .... check your PM btw.

Also thanks to Geist for the reference photos .... can't have too many of those.

I'm finding that IOT do this build's paint job right .... there needs to be A LOT of prior planning. There's going to be a lot of little sub-assembles to paint.

i figured that was where you were going model but i guess mine is alot simplier than yours. you may need the sub assy's to get 'er done i didnt. good luck though and i cant wait to see it painted!

Part of my problem is that I want to model the dio in the motorpool. In our team, if the trucks were parked at least two of the doors were opened to help vent and keep the truck cool ... well cooler. However, I know what this means .... detail.

I've already got plans to scratch build the radio racks and BFT screens etc. I also plan to scratch a red igloo cooler to go in btwn the back seats. However, the detail on the cooler will be kept to a minimum as it will only be seen from one side or the other.

Not from one single truck, but rather the whole of the dio, the view should get a good "sum-of-views" idea of what the inside of an 1114 in combat looks like.

Psst ... I also like your take of the title "The Calm Before the Storm". I hadn't thought about it in that way, and its good. Either way, I think that I'll be modeling it in that form .... True to camo's mind-thought .... I'm building this one for me...

modelchasm wrote:

Part of my problem is that I want to model the dio in the motorpool. In our team, if the trucks were parked at least two of the doors were opened to help vent and keep the truck cool ... well cooler. However, I know what this means .... detail.

i thought that meant that was a NO-NO...leaving doors open!! oh sure...its ok 4 you...i see it all now...u just want to sabotage my dio...i get it its ok!! whatever! so long as it works 4 u buddy!!

no no ... doors open in the motorpool .... doors closed on patrol ...

 

yep...whatever man!! people can still be shot in the motor pool!

Hey, you can still open your doors! ...

... don't be a hater ... :)

nah that's ok. i'll keep 'em closed! so when we gonna see more pics? (see last face)

That's some nice scratchbuilding. That's also a lot of extra weight on the suspention, you've captured that perfectly. This is going to be one cool Hummer.

 

Rob

There's already a ton of detail- and what was that you were saying in the helo thread about being better at scratch building figure type equipment??? I bet this detail and these interiors are going to be just as good as your 15+ figures.

Thanks a lot for the PM, you got one coming back

yeeeeessss p.o. we all know how awesome he is...no leave it be!!!

Outstanding scratching going on here...sweet...

Thanks Manstein and scratchmod ... glad you like the progress. Hope you guys will continue to follow .... 

camo junkie wrote:

yeeeeessss p.o. we all know how awesome he is...no leave it be!!!

... All must bow before thee !!!! ... the scratch-building KING!!!! HAHAHAHA!!! Whatever! ... You guys crack me up.

I'll try to get some more update pics up soon/ tonight. There's really not too much to show in addition to the first page. Like you camo, the weather's been nice, and two I'm still waiting on that second PE kit ... not that the second truck will look all that different. But I'll see what I can get done tonight.

hey...understand! actually had 2 days of 83 degree weather. first time in a month! back to lower 70's rest of the week.

anyway, i was under the impression you had both kits guess i was wrong. why dont u just scratch a new one b4 the kit arrives. am i jealous...u bet.

Well, no progress tonight .... just set-backs for tomorrow.

The MIG conversion kit is great, but expensive. However, they should make you pay for it and then immediately give you a 50% refund for it's crappiness that you're going to have to put up with. Don't get me wrong, it has great detail and easily changes the 1025 kit into the 1114. However, the fit .... of almost all the parts are horrible. Let's start at the top.

The kit replaces the whole top with the new armored hardback, to include the new AC vents and new antenna mounts. BUT ... the fit is bad. Borderline ri-donk-ulous (which is WAY worse than ridiculous)! Here I've had to add pins to all four corners of the top piece IOT get it to line up right with the kit's main body. The fit is much better but the resin still does not sit flat to the main body. I shimmed it up with sheet styrene (but I don't have pictures of that loaded yet). Regardless, its very clear that when I get ready to mate the two pieces there's going to be A LOT of glue involved.

I also ran into a problem, which I'll take partial blame for cause I'm retarded ... the MIG wheels attach pretty much like the kit wheels do, BUt for SOME reason ... they don't fit right. (You've got to be kidding me ... I know!) The pins that are supposed to slide into the kit's piece are too big, so you have to VERY carfully sand them down. Now the "my fault" part. When I was reworking the suspension before, I thought that I got the wheel's bearings straight ... nope. I guess you aren't really aware of this if this is the first wheeled vehicle you've done in a long while (this is what happens when you do nothing but build figures .... other things kick your butt.)

Other things now on the "to do" list ...

The MIG wheels have GREAT tread detail (and the correct tread btw), however the outer treads need to be sanded down to show the wear the tires get under the heavy armor. I plan on leaving one or two unsanded to be "new tires".

I'm also trying to figure out how much detail is going to go into the interior ... I do'nt want to miss some, but at the same time, I don't want to go all out and then just shut the doors .... if you know what I mean. (I did that on a B-17 once. The interior is AMAZING ... but you'll have to take my word for it...)

Anyway, I've got a ton of work left to do ... and this is only the FIRST one! Oh well.

Scott, there is no dought you will overcome the kits faults...it looks great from the pics! (fantastic pics btw) Nothing is more frustrating that parts that don't fit...takes away from that imediate saticfaction that I need..and like yourself, I havn't built a kit (save figures) in a while, You have inspired me to dig out one! Your skills are very evident so I think it will be all right..hang in there! can't wait for more!

Thanks Stern0,

I went to bed last night pretty frustrated, but this morning I woke up ALMOST ready to tackle the job.

However, today's our anniversary, so if anything gets done it won't be until tomorrow.

Thanks again all for following. I'll try to get more update pics up again soon.

...lol...j/k happy anniversary!!