Achtraden! 8x8 Group Build '09-'10

Ha ha, I think the field was a bit thin that day. :)

I'll add that in -- it's the second model from that build to win a prize!

Many thanks, M

Thanks Mike, I forgot to mention that it took 3rd in the Vignettes category at the 2011 Sydney Scale Model Show. Not bad considering it was my first ever comp entry. Unfortunately my other entries didn't do so well..

Cheers,

Brett T

Brett, that is absolutely superb work! It's marvelous to see it at last, and I'll update p1 of this build to reflect the finished job!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Beautiful work Bertt!!!  Better late than never.  I had so much fun with this GB especially it was my first.  

G'day, I know this is very late but I have finally sorted myself out that I can finally post some pics of my build. This was completed in time for the deadline but I never put these images up due to a move, sale of a house, a divorce, two more moves, a marriage and an overseas deployment. Whew a lot has gone on that's for sure.

Anyway enjoy these and if you have y feedback then feel free.

Cheers,

Bertt

Thanks Mike, well she was ready at the last upload but just mounting on the base and a bit of tweeking here and there..

Thanks again,

Terry.

Hi Terry,

What a fantastic job, and well deserving of that competition recognition! Incidentally, that's a feather in the cap of this build I had not expected when I started it -- thankyou so much!

I'm just uploading your final pic to the roll of honour -- do you have a date for final completion? Was trhe model substantially done at your last upload, or was there anything still to go?

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Hi Mike sorry for being so late getting the beauty shots in to you. Well here we go.

Going with this one.

I was preparing for the annual show of the Irish Model Soldier Society and got a silver.

I have had a great time on this one, and you deserve a big thanks for hosting. Hope we cross tracks or eight wheels soon.

Regards,

Terry Burke.

Man...tons of good work you guys. Wish I had gotten in on this one earlier. Looks like there'll be a second run-through, though. So keep me updated and I can fill that pesky 234/4 slot next time!

What the heck, guys, I decided to get the new gallery shots of the corrected model tonight. The leaderboard shot is up, and here are some new ones against pure white to compare the tonality to those taken against blue background:

Cheers, guys, thanks for looking and thanks for taking part in a great build!

Mike/TB379

No probs, Andy, and yes, six months at least before we revisit the theme!

Okay, here's my mods/corrections on the Stryker. The tools were completed in a combination of enamels and acrylics and attached with superglue, then lightly dusted:

The weapon station was removed and modified, the handle was clipped away and the stubs filed and painted. I can't believe I got the MG upside down! I teased it away, cleaned up the attachments, turned it over and glued it in place again, then repainted what needed it:

It's come out with a down-angle on the gun, which I'm not happy about, but I'm not going to mess with it any more. This round managed to break some PE again and I'm done making work for myself! The jerry cans can wait until I get some Echelon decals for them, and give them some filling and a respray.

I'll look at getting a new gallery shot for the leader board tomorrow.

Cheers, looking forward to whatever else may come down the pipeline,

Mike/TB379

TB- Count me in if we are going to have another 8X8 GB.  Not too soon... maybe we can shoot for same start date which is December 1st or something like that.  I would love to build DML 234/2 Puma because I already have it UNLESS nobody signs up for 234/4 again.  I will just explain my wife that I have no choice but to run to the hobby store to buy a 234/4 kit to save the world... I am sure she will understand.

Thank you for doing this GB! 

Hi all,

Has it really been six months? I can safely say it's been a fun and learning experience, and we've seen some great models built here. Of 21 proposed builds at the outset at least twelve have been completed, and that's a good return. Six are SdKfz 234s of various marks, mostly Pumas, and I think we ended up with a pretty good armoured recon group!

I'll make the final mods to the Stryker before taking a last few shots and choosing one of those for the honour wall; likewise we're just waiting on Terry's final shots of the Centauro, and of course anyone who wants to keep on going is more than welcome to post their build when it's ready and collect a badge.

I'd like to post a gallery collection to the Armor Forum -- does anyone have any particular shots they would like me to use, or are you happy to leave it to my discretion?

I guess it's pertinent to ask -- would Achtraden II be of interest at some point? There are plenty more vehicles to look at, BTRs and Pirhana and Stryker variants, and the SdKfz 234/4 didn't appear in this one. Let me know your thoughts and I'll keep another eight-leggers GB at the back of my mind.

For the second half of 2010 I'm kicking around ideas for fresh builds: would anybody be up for a Self-Propelled Artillery GB? "Have Gun, Will Travel!" I'd be in with either a Trumpeter AS-90 or the Revell-Germany Panzerhaubitzer 2000. Partial builds would be most welcome too, and that would give me a great opportunity to complete an Italeri M110 that's been hanging around unfinished for many years.

Once again, let me know what you think and if there's interest I'll float it on the armour forum with a preliminary thread, aiming for a start at midyear (or even June 1st if there's enthusiasm!)

Cheers, and many thanks all for being part of this most enjoyable process -- you guys have made my first group build as host a resounding success!

Mike/TB379

I still haven't got any photos taken yet but I will as soon as the weather picks up , hopefully during the week.

Terry.

ARGH! You're right, of course, Terry -- why couldn't I spot that in my reference pics??? I kept trying to fit the 50 the other way up so the handle would be in the right place for other vehicles, but it shouldn't be there at all... The easiest solution is simply to clip it and touch up the stubs. I notice my gunmetal isn't dark enough either... I'd wash it with black, but the contrast detailing is Promodeler pigment, which would wash away. If it was still separate I'd fully rework it, but with it attached I can correct the handle and maybe contrast detail the rear grips. GRRR! Well, I needed to do the pioneer tools anyway, so this thing isn't quite finished!

By all means, keep going, we want to see builds!

Cheers, M/TB379

Andy Mike and Bob thanks for the kind comments. Yeah as I type I think I would like this GB to continue its been enjoyable and got me off my keester and building.

Mike Love what you have done with the Stryker, painting and finishing progress are superb but and its olny a comment but,

The .50cal machine guns on the Stryker RWS ( remote weapons station for those not familiar) dont normally have the handle on the barrel and the on on yours is upside down. The RWS on the Trumpeter kits are realy bad, maybe it would be worth considering the AFV club variant or if the budget permitted the Voyager one, I got theh voyager one and I crapped myself turned brass smoke dischargers and etch resin two types of weapon its expensive but stunning all the same it would really make a difference to this build.

Terry.

TB- What a beauty!   I am very glad that this was my first GB and I will definitely do it again.  Thanks for taking your time to do this for us glue sniffing addicts! 

Okay, guys, as promised, here she is!

Trumpeter #00375, M1126 Stryker in 1:35th scale:

This has been a very enjoyable kit, it's well engineered and goes together well, my only criticisms would be of the very small parts such as grab handles which are particularly fragile, as are the photoetched parts (five parts simply fell off and had to be reattached at the end, including PE that snapped away), and the way-too-tiny decals. I can hardly credit that I struggled with 32 decals for the serial/ID stencils, when by all sane standards four were quite sufficient. I considered leaving them off and making some custom decals next time I was making a sheet. The lights went on a bit crooked, and were difficult to paint: separate lenses would be a nice touch in future.

The base paint is Tamiya acrylic, she's washed with oils, drybrushed with enamels and dusted with pigments (which, as you can see, adhered very nicely to the vinyl tires). I've left the jerrycans off at the moment, as the water cans need painting and it may be that Trumpeter mixed up their ID is to which is which, I'm certainly getting that impression from research photos. I'll sort that out at a later date, and maybe get some of those cool decals that Echelon makes for cans.

For the moment, I'm calling this one done and off the bench. I hope it meets with the approval of the very fine builders I've had the honour of working with on this most enjoyable GB!

The build officially closes at midnight, April 30th, but if anyone (Berttt included!) is still going, please take your time and finish your projects -- we'd love to see them, I'm sure!

I'll post a tie-up message as we cross the finishline.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

PS: Of course, I've just realised I forgot the pioneer tools... Ah well, there's an extra job to do!

No problemo, Berttt -- take as long as you need, I understand how real life can mess up your hobby schedule!

As for myself, I'm finishing the Stryker right now, I just need to mount the antennae and touch up their bases, then I'll shoot the gallery images and upload them. Hopefully I'll have them up in an hour or two.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

I am done - thing is I have been busy with work and selling our house and need a couple of extra days to get a chance to take some pics and post em.

What are the chances?

Cheers,

Berttt

TB- Your Stryker is looking great especially its wash!

Terry- Loved the picture where you placed your beast next to Stryker!   I am not really into modern military but it is starting to catch up on me since I joined this GB.  Hope we get to do GB again one day. 

Thanks, Bob. I'm painting still and fiddling with the microscopic serial number decals Trumpeter featured -- they thought they were being clever providing separate letters and numbers so you can model any specific vehicle, but frankly they're a pain in the fender... Still, she'll be done soon!

M/TB379

Mike - looks just fine from where Im sitting.

Terry - looks awesome buddy.

Bob

Superb work, Terry! You make me really want to add this one to my stash! When you get your beauty shots ready I'll add this build to the leaderboard.

I'm working on the Stryker at this time, the highlight and bare metal drybrushing rounds are on and I'm now decaling. Painting the lights and adding the dust coat come next.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

That was well worth the wait Mike, she really is looking sharp. Well done with the progress, I don't think it's looking rusty at all.

Well heres my report.

Well I'm calling this one finished with the exception of just a little cleaning here and there.

I need to get some beauty shots in better lighting. I based the final weathering on the strykers I've seen in books in Iraq, very dusty vehicles. I think any vehicle on manouvers will end up in the same condition.

I will be doing a STRYKER soon and just took this shot of the STRYKER hull up against this beast to give a sense of scale.

Thanks for looking and as always all comments welcome.

I'm of to claim my badge, I'll post the shots for the leader board ASAP.

Terry.

Hi all,

I made some progress on the Stryker at last. When last heard from, the model was painted using Tamiya NATO Green, with fade and shade coats applied. Last night I managed to make a start on wash weathering, applying black artists' oils, but found something a little odd, the black doesn't seem to generate the all-important capillary action that the dark brown does... With some hesitation I switched to brown and completed the wash, but she came out looking a bit rustier than intended. Here she is:

I might ameliorate the "dirtiness" a bit, if I can, and the drybrushing in the next round will lighten things up, as will the dust coat. At the moment she's a well-used vehicle in a temperate climate, thus the NATO green.

The observant will note that the forward PE wire-cutter fell off as soon as it was breathed on, so superglue will have to save the day.

More soon, Cheers, Mike/TB379

Hi all,

The leaderboard is updated with Bondo's and Deafpanzer's builds, and copious appologies to Chris Hall whose fantastic 234 Puma with articulated steering was finished in February but somehow got missed off the hall of fame listing -- that is now rectified! There are now ten finished projects on the list, from a proposed 21 projects on the members' list, and there are a few more to come. I look forward to adding Terry's amazing Centauro, and I swear I'll finish my Stryker asap too! There may be one or two more in the works, I believe.

We're down to just under a fortnight to the scheduled close of this GB, however if anyone is still going then I'm more than happy to leave it open, the more fnished models the better!

I can promise an exciting new armour GB coming soon -- with the end of my PhD and working at one of the university labs I had not noticed time going by, and I need to field some new ideas as this build enters its final days!

Cheers, Mike/TB379