3 fun questions for all you armor lovers..........

1.    none

2.    I can't say,I have had more problems with planes then armor

3.    Yes Vallejo Model Color is great for brush painting as well as spraying,and the Model Air line has   lots of colors and sprays real well.

1: FV433 Abbot SP, 1/160th scale my dads' ride, for my dad.

2: Revell 1/40-ish M48 AVLB, fum but older than the hills, lotta work!

3: Yes, & maybe!

   Vallejo Polyeurethane primers are brill,

   ModelAir needs own thinner & tip retarder is usefull, needs to go on  over an undercoat,  

   ModelColor is nice to brush paint & can be a/b'ed if thinned.  

1. Academy M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle

2. Zvezdz T-60 Soviet light tank

3. no

1.) Armor no, but a Tamiya 1:48 Spitfire MkVb for British colleague in retirement. A gift for my mentor.

2.) Dragons 1:35 Greif Sd.Kfz. 250D. Impossible to fit the upper and lower hull, radio and transmission.
Worst ever is Lindberg Models 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster. 

3.) No, but I have the acrylic primers on orders and will post a comment

1. I have not yet done an armor build for commision, although I will be doing an AFV/Club LVTP5A as a "gift build" (sort of) soon here.

2. My most challenging kit build yet was the 1/35 Maquette T-34/76 STZ production. although in the end it turned out very nice!

3. Yes I have tried Vallejo paints, and in my experience, they are a LONG way from being "all that". I have seen others get great results with them, but I have not...

I have built many models for gifts, but never a tank. The last thing I built for someone was the General Lee Charger for my fiancee's brother for a surprise BD present.

The most miserable TANK kit? Hmmm....lets see. One of the only ones I ever "trashed" was a 1/72 ACE models Waffentrager. Just horrible engineering, detail, and fit. I usually steer clear of ones that have bad reputations. And of course, almost all Dragon models have bad directions somewhere.

I've used Vallejo. I can't say they impressed me enough to remark one way or the other on them.

I forgot the Airfix Churchill Bridgelayer in Braille... the bridge was fine, the rest was trash!

My sons usually appropriate what I build.

The only kit I remember putting away in frustration was Italeri's Autoblinda.

I swear by Vallejo, primers, Panzer Aces, varnishes, all of it. The only knock I had on them was being hard to shake. I adapted an old bandsaw into a shaker and never looked back. A while back I used Tamiya acrylics, but once my sons started ABing, I wanted them to use true acrylics, not ether based, so Vallejo and Reaper it is.

I use them on a lot of RC tanks that plow through obstables, when applied right, it's as tough as any finish I've come across.

If you're painting figures and use a wet pallete, you can keep them fresh for a week or so.

1. I'm currently building a Sheridan for my old high school buddy that went into the service with me on the buddy plan.

2. I tried to build the ESCI BMP-1 and it wound up in the trash. Poor fit, lousy instructions and the plastic was not compatible with any of my plastic cements. Oh yeah, and the tracks must have come from some other kit, no way they'd fit.

3. I've used Vallejo colors for brush painting and they're great. I haven't used their air brush line.

1:  1/72 waterborne AAVP7A1 as a gift for a buddy when he PCS'ed to PMAAV shop (Program Manager Amphibious Assault Vehicle) in Quantico.

2:  Toss up - Modelcraft's 1/35 LVT(A)5 has horrible detail, the track in no way resembles the real thing and they even managed to swap the driver and a-driver positions.  The other option is Ace's 1/72 BMP-1, short run kit that is poor fitting and covered with flash.

3:  Haven't used Vallejo paints, Pollyscale and Testors Acryl being my preferences.

1. Tamiya 1/35th Panther back in 1984. It is the only kit that I have ever built & given to someone.

2. Ark 1/35th T34 /85. Individual link tracks with every link needing a lot of cleaning & really bad shrink & flash on all road wheels. Got it together in the end & treated it to a PE set & a turned aluminium barrel.

3. No.

1. Monogram F16 for my dad, he worked for GD in Ft Worth.

2. Lindberg T55. Horrible kit.

3. Yes, good stuff.

KAYSEE88

• Which tank model did you last build for a friend as a gift, or for a nice little commission?

Stridsvagn 103 (Strv 103), also known as the “S-Tank” (silly, “Stridsvagn” means “tank” in Swedish), 1:12 scale, 100% mahogany made for one my colonels, like:  

Wish I had a photo.

1. None

2. Klara recovery vehicle by Mirage. The fitting was so poor I don't think that there was a piece that didn't require trimming, trimming and more trimming and the bloody piece still didn't fit.

3. No

1. M40 gun motor carriage for dad. Half done.

2. Tamiya easy 8 maybe...

3., not yet

I'm surprised by the negative responses to the Vallejo paints! They are Definitly my first choice. I have tried most brands and they have been excellent so far. Clean-up is remarkably simple and they store well due to the bottle design. I recommend them to all fans of acrylics. I personally will not put enamels or oils into my Iwata's.

1. M1 Abrams for my first C.O. on his retirement.

2. Dragon 1/35 M4A3E8 Sherman, alot of fit problems, flash and sub-par detail for the brand.

3. have not tried them yet

1.  I've given away ships and aircraft, kept the armor.

2.  Trumpeter's Bruckenleger. Horrible fit all around, bad instructions and warpage which is really important with a kit like this.

3.  I've had some issues with Model Air so I use Tamiya on almost everything.