Have Gun Will Travel: SP Artillery GB 2011

Tony -- you forgot to post the pics! Yep, Tamiya paints I have found don't brush worth a damn, but they're sooo good through the AB!

Aaron, glad to have you round the armour workshops, I'm happy to have the old M8 SP howitzer put in an appearance! Page 1 is updated, you're clear to slit the shrinkwrap!

Progress on the M110, she's in the spraybay right now!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

I was finally able to get my hands on the 1/35 Tamiya M8 75mm HMC (SP howitzer based on the M3 light tank), if that counts as SP artillery I'd like to join in with it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howitzer_Motor_Carriage_M8

Yep, Tamiya has formulated their paint to be airbrushed--which is a godsend for what I'm attempting, but I'd bet it wouldn't be that difficult to do it with a brush either.

Wow that is some effort. It will be rewarding when it's done.

Here's some progress shots of the Sturmtiger. It looks pretty much how it did last time, except that this time I have used enamels rather than Tamiya Acrylics., and it has squiggly pencil lines drawn on it to guide the hard edged camo.There don't seem to be many plan view photos of Sturmtigers, so I think I'm going to have to freelance on the roof camo pattern.

This time, I will brush paint the camo with Vallejo Panzer colors, I was unhappy with the result I managed using Tamiya acrylics last time. By thinning, and adding some Future to the paint, I was able to eliminate nearly all of the brush strokes, but I think that Tamiya Acrylic is probably the most difficult paint to brush paint that I've found. I know I can get there without brush strokes with enamels, but a friend of mine did a super job on a 1/35 kit with Vallejo, and I've been keen to try it ever since.

Cheers

Tony

Alright, almost done with the first layer of masks.  Oddly enough the few bits that I've laid on the gun section have adhered much better than those on the flat sections.  I'm using a few basic shapes to do this with more or less laid down at random.  I'm trying to line them up on the axis of the tank so it appears square but there isn't really a way to guarantee this until I remove all the masks.  I tried at the beginning to cut one large complex shape, but its just easier to do 1x2, 1x4, 2x2, and 1x1s to get what I want.  Each 'square' is .5mm and is cut on my tamiya cutting board.  The tape is thin enough that you can see the grids underneath it.  And you can transfer the grids to the model by tracing with a pencil before cutting.

Well, I've given up and brought the airbrush inside.  I've decided that since I live in an apartment which is a quad unit with three of the rooms vacant (and I don't technically have the keys to them) I can spray in there (and nobody will know! haha...)  Best to use only acrylics while doing this...

That is great work with the etch Tony, I couldn't come close to that.

Cheers

Tony

Pvt Mutt -- no, but looking at your work makes me wish I had! Damn, that's beautiful!

M/TB379

Nice work with all that brass Pvt. Mutt 

No sheet metal for me, but I did take small engine mechanics; that was a blast.  Maybe if I get motivated I can spray another coat onto the beast today and mask some more.  I hate being tied down by temperature.  In the meantime I've started something I always wanted to do: Dragons SS-1c Scud B launcher, bit of an old kit, but its fun and I'm taking my time for once and filling all the pin and ejector marks.

Greetings

Anyone else take sheet metal shop in school? Sure brings back memories of the good old days.

Still makin bacon

Tony Lee

The kit was the Hobbyboss one..it was a ztz99 B . awesome kit....I purchased the voyager super detail set, and only installed a small portion of it.  It was going to wear the same digi camo, and white walls!   Our kitten flipped it, and it was a total loss.

I've been trying to build something from every nation. Chally 2, Korean KI-A1,  T-72 M-1, Stryker ESV, and waiting for the Hobbyboss Dana. Love the reviews of the Trumpeter AS-90 though.

Jeff

Hi All,

I'd started on the camo for the Sturmtiger, but didn't like the result I was getting. It's just drying out now after a nice warm Omo bath. It's back to primer now ready to re-load and go again.

I should have thought to take a photo prior to stripping the paint, but didn't think of it. Anyway, no harm done, I think. I've just set it back to where it was four days ago.

Cheers

Tony

Jeff, Thanks, I can't wait to get started on the pods, but I think the rest of the vehicle needs another coat of the tan to get around raised detail.  Was that ZTZ99 the Bronco one?  I'd like to build one...but I finding myself building a disturbing amount of Chinese subjects, I've got a small Jeep w/105 Recoiless waiting for paint, another of these MRLs that I want to convert into something else, and a APC rolling around somewhere that needs to be built...

nice start on the digi camo beav!!  The compound curves of the rocket pod looks tough!!  I had the ztz 99b till our new kitten found my hobby shelf...bad ending to a really nice kit.

Tony..great work on the PE racks...I've never been able to bend em that neat

I'm thinking I need an AS-90 build just to join in....

Started my first attempt on the camo for this build; here is a quick shot of the simplest piece that I have to mask, which I started, and the most complex piece...which I haven't yet.  If you can't tell, I've got Tamiya Buff down as my light color.

More brass work today: Projectile racks and shell casing lockers under construction.

See Ya Tomorrow

Tony Lee

Well, no progress to report right now, I would have sprayed camo today if I had had a syringe/eye dropper to use to mix paint with...but I don't and hobby lobby is closed on sunday.  That and I was invited to a coworkers house to kill zombies...zombies won.

redleg12

macattack80:

redleg12, I was checking out you WIP thread on the M40.  I noticed that you painted the tracks before assembly.  Do you find that eastier that painting after assembly or was that because the tracks are supposed to be workable?  I never used indy link tracks before. 

 

In the case of the AFV T80 track for my M40, I was trying to make sure all the parts were coated. That may have caused them fall apart.

In general I assemble the track and then paint it. I would do the same for you M40. That is what I did with the replacement DS tracks

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks for the reply sir!  I will assemble them before I paint then.

Tony Lee -- "Stubborn Emil" is starting to look lifelike! Great work!

Tony -- looking good! I lik the way the preshade comes through. I just preshaded my second model and I'm liking the effect very much.

Redleg -- great work on what looks a typical Italeri product -- great subject but engineering that leaves something to be desired. You're bringing it together very well!

Hope to get some paint on the M110 this week...

Cheers, all, M/TB379

macattack80

redleg12, I was checking out you WIP thread on the M40.  I noticed that you painted the tracks before assembly.  Do you find that eastier that painting after assembly or was that because the tracks are supposed to be workable?  I never used indy link tracks before. 

In the case of the AFV T80 track for my M40, I was trying to make sure all the parts were coated. That may have caused them fall apart.

In general I assemble the track and then paint it. I would do the same for you M40. That is what I did with the replacement DS tracks

Rounds Complete!!

redleg12, I was checking out you WIP thread on the M40.  I noticed that you painted the tracks before assembly.  Do you find that eastier that painting after assembly or was that because the tracks are supposed to be workable?  I never used indy link tracks before. 

Nice work guys, they are all looking great. Speaking of the weather, I've been prevented from spraying by abnormally high humidity last week, however finally got a chance yesterday. I'll skip over the preshading photos as I've now got the sand down. It's just a mix of 75% Tamiya HF-60 Dark Sand and 25% XF-2 Flat White.

The tracks are actually matt black at the moment, but the photo was overexposed so they look a little weird.

Cheers

Tony

OK....for those interested, you can see the start of my M108 build here in the Armor section

/forums/t/134859.aspx

All comments are welcome either ere or in the WIP tread

Rounds Complete!!

Well, the forecast is good for tomorrow, which means I will hopefully be spraying (and praying) my basecoat of khaki/tan at the very least.  Today I got a good primer coat of Tamiya Haze Grey down.

Progress report on my Emil goes like this: It looks like the PE fenders are going to work out so I went ahead and removed the plastic fenders. While watching some tv today I assembled the breech of the gun and the gun base.

The kit fit  has been excellent and the flash minimal to this point.

Happy Weekend to you

Tony Lee

redleg12

I should have the start of my M108 up this weekend.

Nice little pop-gun, lol...

Always giggled a ittle when I saw those things (in the museum, that is)...  Lot more room in the turret though...

Kevin . Nice work....looks like you are ready for paint.....3 color camo or sand????

Beav - Looking good, It won't be long for paint for you too!!

I should have the start of my M108 up this weekend.

Rounds Complete!!

Beav -- excellent work. I know what tyou mean about the paucity of interior detauil, it's set up to have the back ramp open but there's almost nothing in there to see... Scratchbuilders' paradise, but researech data might be hard to come by. www.sinodefence.com might be a source... I think that's the URL, I could be wrong.

I'm chasing one of these kits right now and if I score it I might build the Type 83 SPG later in the run of this GB, canibalising the tracks in the new one to complete the others...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Hey Guys, here is my progress mocked up to date...basically all construction is done except for the tracks and roadwheels.

I'm a little disappointed by the crew areas, there simply isn't much, between the main compartment, commander's cupola (weird, but it is not connected to the main area at all) and the driver's area; the only thing I've been given is a chair, an air compressor, and foot pedals.  I don't want to make up stuff to jam in there unfortunately.  I will close all the hatches except the forward engine bay hatch, essentially the only one from which you can see stuff.