Vintage Armor Kit GB - 5/1/08 - 12/31/08 WIP

hi guys i can get back to the bench now that my fishing fever has died down some due to them not really biting and the heat has really cranked up a lot. i am off for the next 2 weeks. were i work at they have cutt my hours to 0. so i have plenty of time on my hands to get the priest kangaroo done and a few more gb here on fsm. all thats left is to detail the tracks and thats it. the wash has been done to the front like yall suggested and it does look a heck of a lot better. i did leave one box unwashed to make it really stand out so look out for a few pics i hope by tuesday the latest.

by the way doc the pack-40 looks great as do the rest of the builds.

Sweet camo work there on your Pak 40 doc.  That old kit looks like a new release now!

I've pretty much finished all construction work on mine, just need to take some BETTER pictures before they all go together, then paint and then work on why I selected this kit.  The diorama stand. 

The figures are so crude but a file and a blade does wonder on them.  There were alot of sink holes to fill in and the instructions had you put the muzzle piece on wrong.   I'm glad for all the internet references that are available.  Man, they didn't have anything to help a guy out back then. 

Wow!  Nice work on that Pak 40 doc!!  I'm impressed with the paint job and weathering!  I would have never thought this was such an old, vintage kit....you did a great job with it!  Shows that even these older kits can turn into winners with some TLC!

Here's the progress of my Tamiya Pz III Ausf M/N.  Unfortunately it sat stagnant for over a week while I was out of town.  I have a completely free weekend coming up so I hope to get a lot done by next week.

So far its been mostly OOB except for filling gaps with sheet styrene and putty, replacing lost bolt heads with styrene hex rod and adding a scratchbuilt intake screen using sheet styrene and "tulle" netting (still need to do the other side!)

All the parts for the fenders were installed except for the Bosch headlights.   They look kinda delicate and since I'm prone to breaking off parts I decided to wait until the end to install them, but I did plug the holes and sand the undersides smooth.

Once the other intake screen and a few other minor parts are installed the hull will be done and I'll start working on the turret.

Bufflehead - Nice work, love to see some old fashioned scratch building work. You are making the old kit look great.

Rounds Complete!!

as promised lastnight here are the pics of the now done priest-kangaroo. the only thing i may add is the vickers 303 machine anti-tank gun next to the canteen. i guess you can say this is the for runner of the m-113 apc.and now for the pics.

doc-hm3 - very well done doc...  like your weathering, on the spot, not too much.

Panther F - Look forward to your finished pics... I never have any problems with figures... I cut the parts of the sprue, bag them and store them away, no problem!

bufflehead - nice work! I like the tulle netting idea, another thing to look for next time I goto Michaels! lol

GA.modelmaker - great finish to your priest-roo! Great job on the stowage and camo-bushes. cheers!

I am also one of those who came back to modelling 2 years ago, now have a workbench and a (way too) big stash. Wife supports my hobby and pats me in the back and compares me to an elf making toys. No, she is too sweet to be corrected and told they are NOT toys;). Does not help she caught me strafing some armor with my P-51D.

A few more progress pictures.  Either I suck at taking them or I should shop for a new camera.  Anyway, this is what I have before it all goes together and the paint gets thrown on.

Hello all.

Getting near the end for my Puma. I've put the camo on using Lifecolour Olivgrun and Rotbraun, to be honest I'm not to happy with the results, doing camo is not one of my favourite things, still practice makes perfect.

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I've started painting the 3 little figures also, this will be another first for me as I have never attempted anything as small as them.

The dio base is all done, I've added a coating of Javis Tarmac to the road after I checked to make sure it fitted the correct dates. Javis first started producing scatter in the 50's. 

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Next up will be to finish the fig's, add the decals and do some weathering. All being well should have everything done in the next few days.

Panther F, looking forward to seeing your Churchill, one of my all time favourites. 

GA. Modelmaker fantastic Kangaroo

Mark 

That's coming along very nicely mmc. With a little weathering the camo will blend right in. 

Nice work on the base too.

Panther F - looks good! I find that my own sucky pics get a tad better (for theDig Cam I use) if I put a lot of light on the model.

mmc - nice work so far.. did you "free-hand" the camo? Ive never done camo before, there a few tutorials in here (FSM forum), I remember reading one in which it suggested the use of a filter/wash to blend the colors together a bit. I really REALLY like your base! Looking forward to the rest~!

PantherF - You seem to be moving along nicely. As far as the pics, there was an article in FSM on taking digital pics I think last year. It give a bunch of good tips even if you don't have a super camera. most of the stuff with lighting, they show you some easy stuff you can do without spending any money (or maybe a few schekles)

mmc - Nice work. The camo is very nice. The base really looks great. Can't wait to see it all in brought togeather.

jmart - For me, I use silly putty. Depending how you use it you can get sharp lines or overspray blending. There are a couple of discussions and its real easy.

GA - Nice job, I did not comment in the armor area but the veggies....Normally if you put them on a vehicle, you change them daile so they look fresh. with the different colors I'm not sure??

Lichen is nice but look for woodland scienics in your LHS. They have a material for making bushes which is much more realistic than the Lichen. Also that much sticking off the vehicle may be a hazard. Try and look at some old WWII pics of vehicle camo with branches and work form there.

All in all a nice build....hope it was fun for you

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks everyone for the tips on the photos!  I looked back on a GB I did last year and now remembered I DID use a lot of lighting.

And Mark, your dio base is awesome my friend!   Camo's are hard to do (especially that scale) but I think it looks just fine and with it on the base with some weathering it'll all fall into place!

My base is pre-made, so painting and adding details will be more fun than the actual build itself.

Hello all.

Phil H, JMart, Redleg and Panther F thanks for all your kind words, they really mean a lot.

I am really pleased with the way the base came out.

JMart yes I painted the camo free hand, I put 3 thin coats of each colour on. I was thinking about doing a wash, just not sure where to start. 

Thanks again for all you kind words, next up will be to finish the figs and weather the Puma a bit, I was thinking about adding some foliage to the Puma, not sure yet.

Mark 

Hello all.

Well I've finally finished Revell's SdKfz 234/2 Puma. 

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I added some Mig pigments and some Woodland Scenics Foliage. I'm pleased with how the Puma turned out, looking forward to starting my 6 pounder next.

Thanks again for everyones kind words and support .

Mark 

Looks great - the foliage sets it off nicely. It's hard to tell that's 1/76 scale. If I ddin't know otherwise, I might have thought it was larger than that.  

I was wondering the same thing Panther F, it's a shame that only a few of us have stuck with it. I'm very proud that I've taken part in this, my first GB, so much so that I can't wait till the next one. Going to start on my 2nd entrant soon, hopefully the rest of the entrants will be on board soon.

Mark 

That's the way GB's go fellas.  Sometimes the entrants are so busy with other things in their life (like OTHER GBs ) that they can't contribute or participate often or regularly.  I'm sure the others will post when they're ready. 

My Tamiya Panzer III is nearing completion and will be ready for paint soon. I'll post photos in a day or two...as soon as I can clean up the disaster I call a desk/workbench/photo booth!!

GA.modelmaker - Great job on your Kangaroo!  What color/brand did you use for the OD?  I think a couple of figures inside would really complete the look!

mmc - That little Puma is sweeeet!  It's so cool that the kit comes with the base and the figs!  The camo looks very nice and the foliage really adds to the look!  I'd hate to see that Puma coming at me unless I had a bazooka!!

Panther F - Your Churchill is looking good so far!  What scale is it?

Sorry guys there is not as many as you could want. Remember, its quality not quantity.

Being the old F$%t that I am, my stash has numerous kits from the 50s thru the 70s. I collected my memories of days gone by. Most people today are interested in the big tank super kit with all the AM and some to try and build the show stopper. If any of you watch my builds they are usually differnt then the rest. I took the lead on this GB for thos who may be interested in those ideals. For that, you should all be commended.

MMC - OUTSTANDING, Very nice finish. I would post some of the finished pics in the armor section and show off to the general crew.

Panther - Keep heart....I always found it is better to be a leader than a follower. Can't wait to see how you are doing.

Bufflehead - Same for you, hope to see yours soon

Think of it this way, the M113 GB has less replies than this one. You would think that GB would be mobbed.

Rounds Complete!! 

Hello all.

redleg12: Already posted the Puma over in the armour section, met with some mixed review's, but I'm happy with it so I 'm not complaining.

bufflehead: Thanks for the kind words, really enjoyed taking part in my first GB.

Going to start the 6 Pounder today so will post an update later.

Mark 

mmc - very nice job on an oldie...specially at that scale! I would not call your response in the armor section as negative... some great feedback!. My experience has been (as a newbie- hobby re-turnee) that MOSt people in here give you good constructive feedback, in both the aircraft and armor sections. As for ships.... well.......  

Panther F - Mine is next in line at the workbench... still have to finish couple other GBs first (that have an earlier deadline! ;) and a 350 scale ship taking some time away from building targets..

cheers

Thanks JMart, I'm really pleased that some of the great people on here, whose work inspires me to try and improve, took the time to reply and post some feedback, unlike on some other sites.

For my first venture in 1/76 I've been truly humbled by the response.

Mark 

redleg12 wrote:

Sorry guys there is not as many as you could want. Remember, its quality not quantity. Being the old F$%t that I am, my stash has numerous kits from the 50s thru the 70s. I collected my memories of days gone by. Most people today are interested in the big tank super kit with all the AM and some to try and build the show stopper. If any of you watch my builds they are usually differnt then the rest. I took the lead on this GB for thos who may be interested in those ideals. For that, you should all be commended. MMC - OUTSTANDING, Very nice finish. I would post some of the finished pics in the armor section and show off to the general crew. Panther - Keep heart....I always found it is better to be a leader than a follower. Can't wait to see how you are doing. Bufflehead - Same for you, hope to see yours soon Think of it this way, the M113 GB has less replies than this one. You would think that GB would be mobbed. Rounds Complete!!

Just trying to play the part of the motivator!

bufflehead ... the Aurora Churchill is 1/48! 

Hello all.

Made a start on Tamiya's 6 Pounder anti-tank gun today.

Here's the box and contents:

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There seems to be less parts in the kit compared to the Puma, but at least they are bigger .

Started to assemble the gun, it's gone together very nicely.

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Before I add the gun shield, I'm going to paint the gun barrel. Thats all for now, will try and post an update before I go back to work next week.

Mark

Well, here ya are guys....assembly of the Tamiya Panzer III Ausf M is almost complete.  Just need to add the schurzen and its off to the painting booth.  As you can see there was some scratchbuilding done.  I HAD to replace the molded on tow cables....they were pretty lame!!I twisted some copper wire for the cables.  The brackets and holders were made from bits of soda can and sheet plastic.  I got the tow ends from two other vintage Tamiya kits, the Panzer IV D and the Panzer IV H, both circa 1975.  I accidentally spilled liquid glue on the top of the turret stowage box and had to scratchbuild a lid to cover up the boo-boo. Then I added strip styrene to represent the wooden rubbing strips, not realizing that they wouldn't be seen with the turret schurzen on!.  Oh, and I redid all the weld beads with a hot knife and added some missing ones where necessary.

I'll probably have the schurzen on this week, but I'll be out of town on the weekend so painting will have to wait until next week.

WOW what a fantastic build bufflehead, so clean. Look forward to seeing it with the schurzen and some paint. Haven't done any scratchbuilding yet, that's another thing to add to my "to do list".

Mark