Liberation of Western Europe GB

WW2M -

Put me down for Academy M10

Thanks

Scott

bump

Hi,

I've got a Spitfire Mk IX I can contribute. 

I've also got a Tamiya Centaur, but I'm really trying to finish it before the end of April, so I guess it won't qualify. I might post a picture later on anyway.

 Cheers

Tony 

I have decided upon the AFV Club M18 Hellcat. It'll be pretty much OTB with Friul tracks and some resin stowage sets. Last week I was on a business trip and took the trqck set along with me. They are pretty much complete except for fit testing. The fit of the track over the main sprocket is like a glove! Work on the kit itself has gone well. I find it a bit fiddly, but its over 75% done already

Maybe I should also include my M8 HMC. I have the old Tamiya kit with Verlinden upgrades. The track and running gear are from AFV Club. Its been sitting on my shelf over 75% done, I should finish it off and make room for a new project.

Pictures will follow soon.

Mike T.

I'll get us kicked off!  Here's the project...it'll be an OOB build with the good, the bad, and the ugly documented. 

Here's the obligatory bath in warm water with a little diswashing detergent to break the mold releasing agents.

I'll let it dry overnight, and barring unforseen circumstances, tomorrow the plastic will begin to fly! 

The GB kicks off today!

Looking good circuitrider. Keep us posted with progress.

David

uh oh. i think i might have jumped the gun a little and i have been working on mine for about a week now. totally forgot all about the GB start time. i made the plans on what i was going to do, the king tiger from the 503d, and did all my research, and totally started the kit without thinking about what i was doing. and since i have a bad habit of working kinda fast, (i am able to do some of my kits while i'm at work, i know, i know, lucky me), i'm already 90% finished with the building stage, and i have the base paint on it already. i'll leave WWIImodeler to determine how many lashings i get. if this is unacceptable of a good little modeler, i did just happen to buy the DML elephant at 0% progress, and i can use that one instead. but i have to admit, i'm not sure if this even participated in the liberation of western europe. anyway, if the king tiger is too far completed for the GB, and the elephant cannot be used, guess that gives me more reason to visit the LHS again . at least that's what i'll tell the wife. (and that i'm buying this for HER). so sorry guys for jumping the gun while all of you so patiently waited for this date to start the GB. WWII, let me know ok?

chris

Well, I think that a way to compromise. Finish the King Tiger and then start the Elephant, if you don't finish then I will just count the King Tiger but finish that first and then try to finish the Elephant by the deadline. BTW, post some pics of the King Tiger please. This Gb is not supposed to be strict thing, just some motivation to build that kit in the back of the closet and share our thoughts, ideas, tips, questions, and anything else.

Good Luck,

David

hehe, i'm in security Jmcmenamin. and i know how it sounds. tigerman is already interested enough. i work nights and graveyard shifts, so all i really do is sit back and let the cameras, alarms, and surveliance equipment do its job. those days of the big fat security officer walking around with a big ring of keys jingling around his waist while smoking are over. its more like the computers doing all the work, and if something happens, little ole' me, has to tell the smart computers what to do next. lol. so i used to watch movies on my little DVD player, until i had the bright idea of working on my kits. i can as long as its late t night, and no one else sees me.  we're talking applications

WWII, you got it. unfortunatly all the freedom i have here at work late at night, i can't access my photobucket or look see photobucket pics on the work computer.  i'll be sure to get some pics up when i get home. and i am also pretty sure that i will finish both of these kits relatively fast. like i said i can go through them really fast. so i guess i'll do a double whammy. the kingtiger from the 503d in normandy, and an elephant from the s.Pz Abt. 653 in italy in '44. whoo hoo! ok see you soon guys

chris

Circuitrider, detailfreak and roosterpelo, you guys are quick!!  I'm glad you've got a good jump on this GB and are keeping us updated!  Sorry to say I probably won't get a start on my kit for at least a couple of months.  I have 4 other kits in the queue and I need to finish them up first.  Fortunately whichever kit I choose (M4A3 or Panther G) is 100% ready to go, all AM parts already purchased!  

Oh ho, another GB to get in on. Should be wrapping up my contribution to the Italeri GB Part 2 in the next week or so, then I can start cranking out something for this one! I'll root through the stash tonight and see what I have that qualifies.

This GB thing is really pretty addictive. Heh.

Alrighty, got out all of my non-soviet armor from the closet, it looks something like this:

After going through all of the instructions looking for marking info, it appears that the only ones that qualify are the Firefly and the King Tiger - everything else builds into eastern front units. That is, unless anyone can identify the units in these markings from the Italeri 234 kits (no unit info provided).

I was pretty surprised that with all those kits there were no western markings...since I don't think I'm quite ready to tackle zimming that King Tiger, it looks like it's the Firefly for me unless one of those Italeris qualify. (Dang halftrack decals! Wanted to build you next!)

I will put you down for the halftrack. If you really want to build it that much, just take the decals from another kit that you need and put those on it. So it will be a Dragon Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.C. If you don't have any Western Front decals, I guess its an excuse to go get more models.

David

dupes wrote:

After going through all of the instructions looking for marking info, it appears that the only ones that qualify are the Firefly and the King Tiger - everything else builds into eastern front units. That is, unless anyone can identify the units in these markings from the Italeri 234 kits (no unit info provided). I was pretty surprised that with all those kits there were no western markings...since I don't think I'm quite ready to tackle zimming that King Tiger, it looks like it's the Firefly for me unless one of those Italeris qualify. (Dang halftrack decals! Wanted to build you next!)

I've been monitoring this build and will join once I figure out what it is exactly that I'll contribute. But for now I'll just try and be helpful.

dupes - Looks like the unit decals for the Puma (on the left) are for the Hofenstaufen Waffen SS Division. They were right in the thick of it during Operation Market Garden. Chk the reference photo below just to be sure. I don't see any unit markings for the set on the right. But, with all the aftermarket sets available these days, you can build just about anything you like.

I was going to say that you didn't need to "zim" the King Tiger, but I noticed it's a Porsche turret model and they all had Zimmerit finishes.

Hope this helps.

-John

Wow, thanks for the info Postman! That divisional markings sheet is really handy - where'd you pick that up? I did a bunch of research on the Hohenstaufen (9th SS Panzers) and they were highly active in Normandy, which certainly fits the bill.

Sadly, my stash is bigger than what constitutes a "LHS" here in the back woods of Maine...and I just got an order from Great Models so I'm not due again for a while (at least, according to my wife!) so it looks like I'm going to go with the Puma as there are no aftermarket decals in the near future for me. Doesn't look like a real complicated build anyway. So no worries, I'll bang out that halftrack on my own time after this guy.

dupes- You're welcome. It came from Panzer Colors III (Markings of the German Panzer Forces 1939-1945) by Bruce Culver; Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984; ISBN #0-89747-156-3. I can't believe the price they're asking, though  - I paid a quarter of that for my copy a couple of years ago.

I know what you mean by "backwoods Maine". My Granddaddy's people were from Sabbatus. But, if you want the best lobsters in the world...it's the only place to be .

I can also sympathize with the LHS situation. I live near Durham and Raleigh, NC and every LHS I've been to is so "tired". Lots of everything but a good model/AM selection. So just like yourself, I'll order from our friends in Utah or Texas.

If I can help in some other way don't be afraid to rattle my cage.

-John

Yeah, I've had the good fortune of using AFT's for the first time on my latest build. Wanted to create a specific M109A6 Paladin I found a bunch of pics for, their 'generic' modern sets made it real easy. Dry transfers are the way to go. Very quality stuff, will definitely be going that route again in the future.

LHS wise, I honestly think I would have to drive to Boston (5 hours) to find an actual hobby shop - there are none here in Maine (seriously - look at the shop index in the back of FSM). So Great Models essentially is my LHS. Which is fine, but I get no real hands-on looks at anything before I buy it - just makes me more dependent on these forums and all the great review sites to decide what's worth my dough.

Hi there. I've never been involved in a group build but it looks interesting! So if rookies are allowed please give me a bit of guidance and I'm in. I have a stash that takes up, well, the "spare" room and in it I have an Achilles Mk. IIC from AFV that could be used.

 Thanks in advance, Dennis.

Hi bullet21, newbies are allowed so welcome to the build.

David

ok guys, here is the kingtiger that i jumped the gun on. i think it is coming along quite nicely. i still have a few gigs to work out, and the paint job and weathing aren't done yet. so this a WIP. any comments or things i might have missed are welcome. i'm trying to portray the #314 from the 503rd. the camo net i was just goofing around with, so ignore it unless it fits the kit. for the life of me i can't get my road wheels to look right. they look like they are floating over the tracks. its driving me nuts! i think that really the only major thing wrong with the build, but i'm open for comments, suggerstion, info, and corrections. that's why i'm here. thanks for looking guys.

Looking good Chris, I think the camo net looks fine. I can't really critisize because mine are no better. I'm about to start my Tamiya M26.

David