Zvezda: Nice work on that tiny model!

Jack: You achieved a perfect finish as always! I'm really looking forward to seeing your figures!

Dan: Looking very good!

udel: I love the look of your Matilda!

Some more pictures...

Udel90  - good work on the Matilda, a fine example of this 'Queen of the battlefield'.

Thanks for posting a second set of photos.  Is this Tamiya's original kit or their new tooled boxing?

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Dan - liking how the Tiger is coming along, and look forwards to more.

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Dan, Bish, Gamera, udel90, and Schatten - glad to know you guys like how the Italian light tank has turned out.  

Started work  on the cavalry officer, and after having thrown some paint at his face, noticed something funky going on with the eyes.  After looking at a blowed up photo, noticed his right eye is very much closed compared to the other.   Will try to carve out a better shape so they are more of a match.

Also ended up making some decals for the collar patches.  The 'flame' like insignia was already sculpted, but only had two tails.  For a cavalry unit as I'm depicting, it needs three, and it was difficult to paint  over this.  Decals look more successful, I think, though the trade off is loosing the raised star.

regards,

Jack

Udel90: Thanks for the photos- she looks good from every angle!

Jack: Nicely molded figure, seems odd they'd mess up his right eye considering how well the rest of the face is molded. Maybe he's squinting because he has some sand in it??? 

hi Gamera ... yes, it's an Alpine figure, but looking at the box art it doesn't seem to look this way, so maybe something happened during the casting.  

Like you say, it could be passed off as him squinting one eye.   Also people, as they get older, tend to have one eye closed more than the other - but at this scale I think it's safer to keep them near even.  It appears it's the 'bagginess' under the suspect eye that is the cause.  Time for some plastic surgery, lol ...

regards,

Jack

Jack - It is Tamiya's original offering.  My Dad had purchased it years ago and it just sat in the collection.  It would have sat in my collection as well if it were not for this group build!

udel, that looks really nice. Shows what can be done even with an old kit. Nice work.

Jack, wow, that's some work going into those figures.

Udel your result is great, I like the painting result a lot.

A small update in the tiny Pz. III

Sanding was completed, hull and turret parts installed.

For the exhausts Revell provided a cover that did not seem right, and because the only reference I have for the tank is the awesome build of Bish (one of the most natural and realistic dioramas I have seen), I decided to make it look like that (copying makes the world go round )

I used a spare PE mesh from a still unbuilt T-34, cut it in 2, glued and cut the halves to the exhaust's dimensions as best as I could but the final result is not so nice (I overdid it with the CA glue).

After that, the launchers of the turret were drilled out, all wheels were cut and cleaned and then everything received a coat of primer and left to dry. 

Looking forward to getting to the painting of the 2 tone camo.

Also I am wondering how the am I going to assemble these tracks in a realistic manner!!!

Cheers to all

Zvezda, that looks really nice. When you say exhausts, I assume you mean the rectangular box's on each side of the rear hull (I think they are air in takes, will have to check), it looks like you have those spot on (and thank you for the complement, feel free to copy away) just a shame about the glue, but that's easily done.

Zvezda: YIKES! Separate wheels and track links at that scale!?! You must have the sight and hands of a surgeon- I'd lose half the parts to something that small!!!

Great work everyone - Jack's Alpine figure, Udd90's Matilda, Dan's Tiger and a very very small Pz III.

Installing tools and equipment to Panzer IV fender mix of molded and PE clasps and fasteners. Attempted to fasten a working hinger to the access panels, however couldn't get the thin wire to work. Armor86

Coming on nicely Dan, looking good.

Bish yes,these are cooling air intakes indeed .

The referenced covers are some kind of protection used in some tanks (see pic of a build I found online).

The PE grilles scratch turned out to be a failure. I tried to wipe the CA excess with acetone but the glue has passed and settled through the grilles and has filled the tiny mesh holes and that cannot be corrected .

I found at least one African Pz.III profile with the protective covers on (see below pics), so I decided to install them on top of the intake grills in order to hide the mess.

Normally the tank would be painted first color today, but due to this air intakes mess, it is now drying off a second layer of primer.

Gamera, I am surely not a surgeon and I hope the tiny patient doesn't end up it a tank cemetery.

Nice move on making good the intakes. Some sort of grill/cover would be vital to stop debris getting drawn in, they could give the crew a really bad day.

Dug out my Squadron publication on the Panzer III.  Those covers on the side mounted intakes was introduced with the M series.   These were  factory supplied and were part of the deep wading system.   They had to be closed manually from the outside before entering water (a maximum of 4 1/2 feet).   Once back on dry ground, they could be re-opened from inside, as a release cable was provided for this.

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Zvezda - have you tried soaking the grill section in acetone for a few minutes, and then try and pop the PE off and clean them up that way (more soaking)?  Another suggestion I've seen in the past is putting the model in the freezer - that too helps to pop off super glued parts.

It's looking good though, other than that problem area.

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Dan - thanks, and you too continue to do great detail work on your panzer.

regards,

Jack

Jack your information is truly enlightening. Thanks a lot.

I was afraid to apply more acetone in case everything started melting.

The freezer solution might worth a try (it already has primer's 'winter ' camo and a small stop at Leningrad front before Tunis won't bother, he he)

Since this is an 'M' model, Revell was eventually right suggesting to incorporate these - factory installed - covers. I should pay more attention when Germans talk about German armor

Technical Inquiry: Since the covers would be normally open and closed only when a water obstacle was to be crossed, was there any kind of grilles/mesh underneath them to protect the engine from debris and foreign objects?

The machine I intend to replicate is this:

Dan: Looks good, love that transmission in there.

Zvezda: Ouch, that sucks! I've had paint clog up grills but thankfully not superglue. Good luck with getting it out, I have no idea what to do.

Zvezda - I'd say it's likely the intakes did have a screen over them, at least that's what appears to be present on the example at the Muster museum in  Germany.

It looks to have just a remnant of the solid cover still attached.  Apparently this vehicle was in Tunisia, and was brought back home sometime in the 80's.

Dragon's 1/72 kit also include PE screens, step number 6:

regards,

Jack

Pz.IIIs really had those grills fitted to the air inlets. I have a few close-up pics of those grills and I can post them here when I arrive back home on Friday. I'm at the Bovington tank museum tomorrow, so you guys can request pics of certain vehicles if you want to. The last time I'll be able to check the forums before leaving is tomorrow 9:15 local time (in 14 hours).

Wow.......Amazing work fellas!  I can't believe how much I've missed in the last 3 months!  Last time I posted was in late April before I went on several fishing vacations (with some business trips thrown in)!  I need to spend a few days getting caught up on everyone's builds!  

Suffice it to say I haven't done much on the two Pz. Is in the last 3 months, but I hope to change that soon!  If I can get my butt in gear I hope to get both of them kick started in the next week or so.  

Hi guys, long time since I had anything productive to post here, but yesterday I got a major package of goodies in from the States and my Verlinden Panzer details were in it. Here's the set that I'm positive Tony Greenland used 25 years ago for his -D/North Africa, which provides missing elements of the stowage, plus a photoetched jerrycan rack:

And here's the contents:

The item at lower left is a collection of resin bolt heads to shave off and apply. The rack looks fiddly, but I'm game to try. The one thing that's missing right now is my Tony Greenland book -- I looked for it last night but it's not around, I must have shelved it somewhere -- GRRR! Anyway, I'm now clear to get back onto this project, and hopefully bring it to a very appealing conclusion.

Cheers, Mike

Mike: Looks cool! The custom fitted resin storage is more expensive but less work than taking generic stuff and filing it to fit like I've been doing!

Mike, that's looks like a nice set Mike. I hadn't seen that one before.

Thank you all for the tips and info guys.

Especially mighty Dragon's sheet clarified it all.

Covers were installed over the intakes' grilles and all seem OK (no CA clog visible).

First colors applied on the tank (Desert Yellow) and wheels (a mix of Flat Black, Dark Grey and a drop of Brown to represent tire black).

I still feel a bit strange building a tank, I try to figure out where the damn propeller goes , but it is fun.

Cheers for now to all and again thanks for the feedback.

One figure done, one more to go.  Will add some dusting to the boots and what not once attached to the base.

regards,

Jack

Nice looking figure Jack, Zverdal1980 good progress and save.

Some more update photos on my Pz IV 'D' - started the turret main gun and interior details. Armor86

Completed equipment and tools mounted on the side fenders and hull.

Picked up a painting reference book by AK Interactive - DAK Profile Guide with over 170 color plates.

I like that figure Jack, nice work.

That's looking really good Dan.

I have not seen that AK book before, nice looking cover, is it any good.

Awesome job on that figure, Jack!

Dan:Your Pz.IV is looking better each update! Keep up the great work!

Dan, Bish and Shatt - thanks for the comments on the Italian figure.

Dan - still more fine work on the panzer IV, and thanks for introducing that book, something right up my alley.  I've never heard of it, being only released last month.  I've found a review here with some photos:

http://inscale.org/public/?p=9203

regards,

Jack

Really impressive work fellows!