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Cheerio! 1/48 Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II ~Finished~

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  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Cheerio! 1/48 Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II ~Finished~
Posted by mg.mikael on Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:11 PM

This is Tamiyas 1/48 Universal Carrier Mk.II, built for the 1/48 Armor GB. I'm impressed with  how well this kit went together!!!Thumbs Up [tup] Overall I recommend this kit to anyone with a few kits under their belt(but their's alot of masking), the only major problem with this build is the toylike tracks which come in one piece with the roadwheels. Thus that's where the masking dillema is, but that was fixed with silly putty masking that took almost four hours for each side of the tracks! 

The scratch parts include the tow cable, all the suspension coils/springs, foot pedals, wiring for the headlight/signal lights, and the map of Paris. Modified parts include the tarp(scratched straps) and bag in rear which were given more texture. Not to mention the main headlight which was drilled out and filled in with Testor's Clear Parts Cement & Window Maker for the lens.

First of all, the decals put the Bren in service with the Queens Royal regiment, 7th Armored Division, Northwest Europe. There are four decal options, (the decals are all top-quality with a decal for the water can even included!) The weathering includes a heavy burnt umber wash on the lower hull. Then a lighter burnt umber wash on the sides of the hull, frontal armor, and the fenders. For the interior I first layed down a grime wash. After that dryed, I applied a burnt umber/burnt sienna wash over that.  After pastel work, I finished off the interior with a small map of Paris on the gunners seat. Then for the final touches I went over some areas with a graphite pencil. All comments and questions are welcome!Smile [:)]

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:24 PM
Very nice work for such a small scale,Ilove the 1/48 stuff and you did this one justice,I like the weathering and the stowage.

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:30 PM

WOW, I woulda thought that this was 1/35--beautiful job.

The only critique I would strongly recommend would be to tone down those orangy rifle parts with a good raw umber wash. They're definitely too "orange". Wink [;)]

The rest of it though looks perfect! Big Smile [:D]

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Texas
Posted by wbill76 on Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:50 PM
Lots of details packed into this one which is small when it's 1/35, nevermind in 1/48. The added details on the coil springs makes a difference. Very nice. Thumbs Up [tup]
  • Member since
    March 2006
Posted by TD4438 on Thursday, April 9, 2009 5:52 PM
Worth the wait.Nice attention to detail.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Kristiansund, Norway
Posted by Huxy on Thursday, April 9, 2009 6:55 PM

Peeked a little in the GB when this was still a WIP. Glad to see it done!

 

But as Karl already said, tone down those rifles.. Those are just too orange!!

 

And the springs do really add to it.

Awsome work all in all! Smile [:)]

"Every War Starts And Ends With An Invasion".

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Thursday, April 9, 2009 9:25 PM

anthony2779- Thanks so much for the kind comments!Smile [:)]

doog- Glad it impressed! Hmmm..... I think your right about the orange. In person it doesn't seem that bad, but now that I look at the pics more, it does look a bit orange. So I'll be toning down the orange tommorrow. Might even make a wood base if I feel adventurous.Big Smile [:D]

wbill76- Thanks for noticing the scratch suspension springs. Believe it or not, I found these small springs after realizing their's some in the tumbler of a lock!Shock [:O] How's that for a world of scratch?

TD4438- Glad to hear the it was worth the wait! It seemed the build time was doubling week after week, probably due to adding one scratch detail after another.Wink [;)]

Huxy- Glad you like the finished product and scratch springs. No worries, I'll be getting around to darkening the wood color of the guns.

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    October 2007
  • From: N.H.
Posted by panzerguy on Thursday, April 9, 2009 9:46 PM

   A beautiful piece of work Mg.

   The fact that this little guy could easily fool someone into thinking that its 1/35 is a testament to the attention to detail that you've put into it.

   Also another good source of springs are the one's under the flints in disposable bic lighter's

"Happiness is a belt fed weapon"

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: Grand Bay, New Brunswick ,Canada
Posted by MECHTECH on Friday, April 10, 2009 6:44 AM
Worked with a guy who drove these. He said it was a little spitfire for speed with a six cylinder engine, and could turn so fast that it could toss out someone not holding on. Evidently the tracks did the turn by curving? not braking somehow.
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, April 10, 2009 7:06 AM

Very fine work, mg - love the subtle variations in shading on the vehicle itself. A couple of points. First, why the need for lots of masking? Couldn't you just brush-paint the detail bits after you've done the main paint job?

Second, like the other guys hae said - those rifles! Stocks unlike any Lee Enfield or Bren I've ever seen (and I've seen a few, when I joined up, reserve units were still using them, and many Regulars preferred the Lee Enfield to the SLR for it's greater accuracy at distance). I use Citadel Bestial Brown for the base colour for the wooden bits of British personal weapons. I wouldn't try to reproduce wood effect on a rifle in 1/48, though.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, April 10, 2009 7:16 AM

Evidently the tracks did the turn by curving? not braking somehow.

Up to a point. Steering was by a conventional steering wheel. For small degreees of turn, such as might take place at speed, the idles would turn, in pretty much the same way as a wheeled vehicle. This warped the track in the desired direction of turn, anc caused the front of the vehicle to turn in that direction. In this way, full power could be maintanined on both tracks.

For more radical turns, conventional brake steering was used.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State
Posted by rjkplasticmod on Friday, April 10, 2009 8:14 AM

Beautiful Build Mg Thumbs Up [tup].  I love these 1/48 kits & you certainly did this one justice.

Regards,  Rick

RICK At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: ladner BC Canada
Posted by stick man on Friday, April 10, 2009 10:59 AM

Very nice work MG!! I agree that the springs on the suspention look realy good. 

As said before try puting a darker wash or something on the rifles. Also I think the bags on the back look just a tinny bit shiny but that could just be the picture.

Great build.

Smile [:)] 

I'm 15 and I model I sk8board and I drum what could be better.
  • Member since
    April 2005
  • From: Piscataway, NJ!
Posted by wing_nut on Friday, April 10, 2009 12:10 PM
First rate work there mg.  Looks really nice.Thumbs Up [tup]

Marc  

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Friday, April 10, 2009 1:35 PM

panzerguy- Thanks for the very kind words! Hmm...never thought about using the lighter springs. You should send that tip into FSM.Cool [8D]

MECHTECH- Thanks for checkin' out my build!

chris hall- Well, I'm not doog, but I find that to be a compliment nonetheless.Big Smile [:D] I'll fix thoses gun stocks, and yes their is quite a need for masking. Look at the pics below to see what I mean:

The roadwheels are already attached to the tracks(all one piece), it may make construction easier, but makes painting a real pain.Black Eye [B)]

The mufflers are attached to the hull, so painting them correctly becomes a hellish time due to the time need to mask properly.Evil [}:)]

rjkplasticmod- Thanks for the compliments!

stickman- Thanks for noticing the scratch suspension coils, and yes, I'll be getting around to those wood stocks.Wink [;)]

wing_nut- Thanks for checkin' out the build and for the compliment!

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Syracuse, NY
Posted by lexesbenz on Friday, April 10, 2009 3:17 PM
Excellent job, that came out very nice.........Now lets take it for a spin eh!!
The flying hamster of doom rains coconuts on your pitiful city!!!!
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Friday, April 10, 2009 3:21 PM

chris hall- Well, I'm not doog,

My bad! I still reckon the detail bits could have been brush-painted, especially in 1/48. The exhausts, tracks and tyres here:

(1/35)

here:

(1/72)

and here:

(1/35) were all brush-painted with acrylics after main painting.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Friday, April 10, 2009 3:40 PM

lexesbenz- Thanks for the compliments!Smile [:)]

chris hall- I probably should have explained it a bit better, I did brush-paint the tracks, roadwheels, and pretty much everthing else. However the masking was still quite a necesity.

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    May 2005
  • From: Dublin Rep Of Ireland
Posted by terry35 on Friday, April 10, 2009 5:33 PM

mg.mikael, that looks brilliant, spot on, just great.... I can't think of much more.

Congrats on a beautiful model.

Terry.

  • Member since
    January 2007
Posted by the doog on Friday, April 10, 2009 5:49 PM
Michael--WOW, using SIlly Putty to mask like that around the mufflers is brilliant! I never thought of using it that way--for a few small pieces!
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Friday, April 10, 2009 8:47 PM

terry35- Thanks a million for checkin' out my build and for the compliments!Smile [:)]

doog-  I think you made a slight typo, since I posted the pic of the muffler.Wink [;)] Nevertheless, thanks for the very kind comments.

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Weymouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by chris hall on Saturday, April 11, 2009 4:24 AM

doog-  I think you made a slight typo, since I posted the pic of the muffler

Yup, not me, guv. Silly putty is an excellent masking material, but difficult to find here in the UK. Used to be most every toyshop stocked it, but I've not seen it for at least five years.

Cheers,

Chris.

Cute and cuddly, boys, cute and cuddly!
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: New Jersey
Posted by redleg12 on Saturday, April 11, 2009 6:42 AM

MG - Very nice, just a lot packed into a little package. Very nice weathering....The "florida" rifiles are interesting  Whistling [:-^].

Very nice build...1/35 detail work packed into 1/48 package

Rounds Complete!!

"The Moral High Ground....A Great Place to Emplace Artillery."

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Commonwealth of Virginia
Posted by USArmyFAO on Saturday, April 11, 2009 9:34 AM

Awesome.  I too love the 1/48th range as I can keep my armor kits in the same scale as my aircraft kits...  You have really shown what can be accomplished in this scale!  I love it!

Cheers, Matt

"If we increase the size of the penguin until it is the same height as the man and then compare the relative brain size, we now find that the penguin's brain is still smaller. But, and this is the point, it is larger than it *was*."

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Saturday, April 11, 2009 10:20 AM

redleg12- Yep, I'll get around to fixin' those rifles wood stocks......soon.Wink [;)] Thanks for the comments!

USArmyFAO- Thanks for admiring my build and for the comments!Smile [:)]

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: RI
Posted by TheNakedModeler on Friday, May 1, 2009 9:54 PM
These are brush painted!  you can't even tell no tell tale brush lines very nice work. Do you thin out the paint to make it flow better as you paint or just very light brush strokes ?
I am a einherjar on midgard preparing for the events of Ragnarök. Then to Asgard and into Valhöllfor some mead with odin.
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Saturday, May 2, 2009 10:00 AM

 TheNakedModeler wrote:
These are brush painted!  you can't even tell no tell tale brush lines very nice work. Do you thin out the paint to make it flow better as you paint or just very light brush strokes ?

Glad to see you used the link and thanks for the kind comments, TheNakedModeler!Smile [:)] To answer your question, no I don't thin my paints(but for airbrushing you have to). I found after trial and error that I like ModelMaster Acrylics the best, since they flow nicely and evenly(light brush strokes or not), and it's easy to fix problems. Plus it's hard to get brush strokes if you know when to apply the paint, ex: not applying a new layer of paint when one is starting to dry. I can work with enamels pretty well, but you have to have skill inorder to prevent the infamous brush-strokes. As for my brushes, I use Golden Taklon brushes(never the synthetic fibers), their a bit pricey(about $3.69 each), but I wait till their on sale. Hope this answers your questions.Cool [8D]

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: RI
Posted by TheNakedModeler on Sunday, May 3, 2009 11:32 AM
 mg.mikael wrote:

 TheNakedModeler wrote:
These are brush painted!  you can't even tell no tell tale brush lines very nice work. Do you thin out the paint to make it flow better as you paint or just very light brush strokes ?

Glad to see you used the link and thanks for the kind comments, TheNakedModeler!Smile [:)] To answer your question, no I don't thin my paints(but for airbrushing you have to). I found after trial and error that I like ModelMaster Acrylics the best, since they flow nicely and evenly(light brush strokes or not), and it's easy to fix problems. Plus it's hard to get brush strokes if you know when to apply the paint, ex: not applying a new layer of paint when one is starting to dry. I can work with enamels pretty well, but you have to have skill inorder to prevent the infamous brush-strokes. As for my brushes, I use Golden Taklon brushes(never the synthetic fibers), their a bit pricey(about $3.69 each), but I wait till their on sale. Hope this answers your questions.Cool [8D]

 

 

Thats good information just straight paint and very high end brushes they do make or break a good paint job.

I am a einherjar on midgard preparing for the events of Ragnarök. Then to Asgard and into Valhöllfor some mead with odin.
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Bridgeview, Illinois
Posted by mg.mikael on Sunday, May 3, 2009 11:54 AM
 TheNakedModeler wrote:
 mg.mikael wrote:

 TheNakedModeler wrote:
These are brush painted!  you can't even tell no tell tale brush lines very nice work. Do you thin out the paint to make it flow better as you paint or just very light brush strokes ?

Glad to see you used the link and thanks for the kind comments, TheNakedModeler!Smile [:)] To answer your question, no I don't thin my paints(but for airbrushing you have to). I found after trial and error that I like ModelMaster Acrylics the best, since they flow nicely and evenly(light brush strokes or not), and it's easy to fix problems. Plus it's hard to get brush strokes if you know when to apply the paint, ex: not applying a new layer of paint when one is starting to dry. I can work with enamels pretty well, but you have to have skill inorder to prevent the infamous brush-strokes. As for my brushes, I use Golden Taklon brushes(never the synthetic fibers), their a bit pricey(about $3.69 each), but I wait till their on sale. Hope this answers your questions.Cool [8D]

Thats good information just straight paint and very high end brushes they do make or break a good paint job.

Glad I could help, and I hope this encourages you to start painting your builds.Cool [8D]

"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan next week." - George S. Patton

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  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Sunday, May 3, 2009 2:23 PM

I'll bet it's better detailed then the older 1/35. Nicely done. Does it come with the link-and-length tracks?

I'd like to see them redo the older 1/35 myself.

   http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/PANZERJAGERGB.jpg

 Eric 

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