1,000 Roadwheels - 2009

No idea, but someone once told me they are important

Wait a minute... I thought the name of this Group Build was 1000 ROADWHEELS....  Did someone pull a fast one on me and require tracks.... awwwww, nuts..........

Mike: I love your StuG! Nice camo, and great weathering!

Boyd: Nice work on your Moblewagen. It's really starting to come together! Are you going to display it with the gun elevated like I see in the pic?

Nate

Thanks Nate,

The gun will be elevated, but I don't know how high.  Even with the RB barrel, it is so heavy that the gun mechanism cannot support the weight, so I either have to glue it, find a convenient balance point, or accept that it is going to sag...

I see what you mean. My Jagdtiger has an RB Models barrel, and it's so heavy that after a few days, it ends up drooping quite a bit! I'll probably end up gluing it in the position I want.

Nate

I made it!

I'll get a better picture tomorrow out in the sun, but I just finished up and couldn't resist.

Here's the final dio- looks like I get my +1 badge

Mine's not looking half as good as yours Thunderbolt and you don't even have the wheels! Can't wait to see it

Thanks, Nate and Chris -- it's always great to get a pat on the back from modellers of accomplishment such as yourselves!

I'm working up the exterior fittings today for the three I'm building simultaneously, I just wash detailed all the jacks and fire extinguishers in one go. Onto dirty metal tools next!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Congratulations Chris! Looks real good.

Nate

Nice work Chris.  Can't wait to see a few more pics.  Looks good from what you got.

Dupes -- getting back re your question about the generic zim sheets.

I measured up each area and cut summetrical pieces from the sheet with a knife and rule, then trimmed them close while dry fitting. On the superstructure, I used a knife blade to trim them to their final shape after attaching them (exploiting the rightangle contours), while for the lower hull I shaped them fully before attaching. Basically, I cut a symmetrical piece for the area, then used scissors to make it irregular, and chipped the edges with a knife to roughen it up further.

Using the generic material in a way feels 'safer' than using the sets, as if you mess up a piece, simply cut some more: the whole area of the sheet is usable zim, rather than a one-shot preformed piece for each facet of the hull.

I've been working on the tools this evening, I'll be mounting them tomorrow.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

hey Marc, can I add my first stripe now?? for finishing the  Ausf G?

Ausf J, tracks are glued, just need paint, tools are on... adding some resin stowage.. then weathering.. hopefully done soon..

Nate, bbrowniii

Thank you very much! My first GB I've finished, let alone on time.

I'm going to go make some lunch then I'll be posting some detail shots, stay tuned.

Mike, looking forward to the tools tomorrow

Psstoff - great finish! Certainly worthy of that stripe on your shoulderboard. Looking forward to your additional pics.

Boyd - niiiiice! Glad to see official progress. Going to squeeeze this guy in before the end of the year?

Chris - absolutely, add stripe number one. That reminds me, I have some stuff to add to my little GB movie...

T-Bolt - interesting. I suppose there's plenty of zim on that sheet to do the rough cut/trim in place method without any troubles. Hmmmmm. Do you think there's enough on there to do 2 full vehicles? Especially with something a little smaller, like a StuG III?

For some reason I can't get onto my Hotmail account today (at least from this computer), so no update pics from me yet. Going into town later this afternoon, hopefully can get one out then. All of the cav zim and most of the Tamiya photoetch is on, now to the meat of the plastic parts.

Marc: will do,, Ps.. dumb question.. what do you mean your GB movie?

dupes

Boyd - niiiiice! Glad to see official progress. Going to squeeeze this guy in before the end of the year?

Yeah, I expect so.  All I really need it to put the tracks on and then one good long session with the airbrush...  I think I'll be able to cram it in...

p38jl

Marc: will do,, Ps.. dumb question.. what do you mean your GB movie?

I mean the rotating movie file in my sig with all of the different GB badges...I have about 4 to add.

Here's the pic - took this guy with my phone, so it's not very sharp. Gives you a decent idea, anyway.

I foresee about 6 hours of build time in my future this evening. Wooooo!

Dupes -- the generic material is very economical, about Aus $20 for a set but there were two sheets in the pack and doing this model used barely half of one sheet -- so about $5 to zim this model. I also saved all the offcuts from trimming the symmetrical pieces to size, as they'll cut down further for getting small swatches into tight corners or among detail. I would expect to get anywhere up to five Pz. III based vehicles from a pack (assuming two sheets)!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Quick update -- and yes, I'm modelling on Christmas Eve in this hemisphere!

The tools are mostly on now, just a few to go (well, about five), and some of them involve creating new locators by cutting carefully into the zim.

I've unmasked all axles, the return rollers are on, and I've added the drives and idlers to see how she looks/feels.

I need to drybrush the drives for bare metal on the teeth. The return rollers were wash detailed, then the resilient steel was scrubbed with graphite to hopefully make them look worn and metallic.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Mike, I LOVE how your STuG is coming out! Each time I see it, it looks better, and better! In this pic, I can really see the washes now, and they look great. I also like how you replicated the metal portion of your tools.....very convincing. I can't wait to see it finished!

Marc, your Pz IV is coming along nicely also. Do you think it'll be finished by the New Year?

Nate

Thanks, Nate! I'm very pleased with it myself, it's a project I've thought about a lot over the years, and really studied that old article in detail to recreate the sort of overall feel Glen Philips created in his original. It's not an exact copy, of course, there's a lot of artistic variation, but overall it "feels" right to me. I'm glad the washes and drybrushing stand out properly. I've production-lined three models lately, working the same round of techniques on each and then moving on.

Not far to go now, this evening I'm decaling my Puma for Achtraden, and getting the wheels under my BTR for No More Excuses, so they should all be finished in a few days. Then I must go all-out and get my F-84 done for NMF as well.

It's Christmas Day tomorrow in this hemisphere, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done, but there'll be some positive progress for sure.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thunderbolt379

Dupes -- I would expect to get anywhere up to five Pz. III based vehicles from a pack (assuming two sheets)!

Ho hooooo! I shook my pack, and sure enough, there is a second complete sheet of waffle-pattern zim back there. Took a good look at it, and I think you may be right...5 complete vehicles looks doable with proper planning.

Your StuG looks excellent, btw. Can't wait for the finish!

Nate - I will indeed have the J done by New Year's. Hope to spray the dunkelgelb in the next 2-3 days!

HEY!!!  You posted this two minutes ago, so I know that you are alive...I thought maybe the hamsters that provid you with electricity had gotten eaten by wolves..... will you call me you stinkin' bast%^d???!!!..........

bbrowniii

HEY!!!  You posted this two minutes ago, so I know that you are alive...I thought maybe the hamsters that provid you with electricity had gotten eaten by wolves..... will you call me you stinkin' bast%^d???!!!..........

Oh, right.... you sent me an e-mail...  I'm a jerk....

Thanks, Dupes -- not bad for a kit I got for less than $10, ten years ago!

I'm eager to do more with zimmerit, too, I have the Cavalier set for the Tamiya King TIger (Porsche) so that one is whispering softly to me as well. Maybe if Big Cats II comes along...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Alright fellas, don't think I'll be able to get on the forum tomorrow, so have a good Christmas! Hope you get some plastic from under the tree!

Everyone here is my update on the F-2 G. Hope to start painting Saturday evening.

Bushi

Lookin' good, Bushi! You're brave to tackle a Dragon so close to the end!

I got the roadwheels sprayed today for my StuG -- i used a set of PE templates, which gave a better fit than the old plastic circles. Not perfect, it turned out this kit was not one the sheet was specifically for, so I used the nearest fit i could find. Now I need to clean them up, assemble them, spot in the sprue attachments, wash and drybrush them, and then I can mount them. I'll assemble the spares tonight to see how they look before weathering.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Didn't think I'd be able to get online again today, so I didn't think to snap a picture of the J. Construction is moving along well, should be spraying dunkelgelb sometime tomorrow.

Where the heck has bufflehead been???  Sick for a couple of weeks, Xmas stuff and work, BUT I have been working on the Ausf. A and hopefully it will hit the paint booth tomorrow!  The major work (more like REwork) is one and all I'm doing now is adding the little tools.  Photos late tonight or early tomorrow!

BTW, everyone's doing great work!!