Semper Fi War in the Pacific

Thanks tonka,,,  I may just leave them as is,,,  I am thinking about adding another Marine who does have the unbloused trousers and no spats...  perhaps putting this correct figure in a more prominent visual setting will distract from the other two....      hopefully once complete I won't get beat up too much for the inconsistencies.                           Good one on the shirt thing too,, ha!    shirt shirt .......

Shellback - Nice look on the trans cover.

Bill- easiest method I have found is to just scrape the spats starp off with a hobby knife, and use putty (I use miliput) to make the unbloused trousers,,,eitehr way they still look good !

i never even got the S H I R T thing...duh on me..shirt shirt shirt

Bill and Andy , glad you likey . Mr. Surfacer would be o.k. but i think it puts down a non- random rough texture . If you get what i mean . My finished surface may be overly textured according to some exsperts but i like the look .

Carlos- Great result... this is something I haven't attempted.  I would have used Mr Surfacer 500 but it is way too messy.  I should try this one day... don't be surprised if I holler for your help.

Yeah had sinus infection a month ago.  Now stomach virus but it is going away and I will return to work tomorrow.  I think my son has it now...

Wow,,  great job Carl,,,      

I did some work on the transmision cover . Its a cast piece on the Sherman and i didnt like the smooth look of the Tamiya kit part .

I used a stiff bristle brush dipped into lacquer thinnner to soften the plastic and then "stippled " the surface .

After the plastic rehardened ( using lacquer thinner cuts down on the hardening time versus liquid glue ) i sanded off most of the raised "stippled" surface .

Then appied a fast brushed coat of lacquer thinner to smooth the surface . I puttied areas that were overly deep .

Then a coat of primer to see how it looked .

I dont get it with the spelling of shirt either ........................

Andy , glad the zombie helped

you know , you cant type *** here either , thats s c h m u c k

Yup,,,     three "shirts" on each side with one    sh*t    in the middle

Hmph,,,   so I DID originally mistype the word,,    fumble fingers I guess.....

shirt shirt shirt *** shirt shirt shirt

Greetings and Welcome Poliakarpov,,,    glad to have you with us. Will be watching for your build.

Thanks for the compliments on the figures guys,,,  they will still need a bit of work before completion.

Tonka,,  y'know,, I didn't even think about the spats and unblousing the legs,,  ARRGhhhh....  I will think about it and let you know...   not sure how much it will take to correct.    Appreciate the heads-up though.

Andy,,  yowza,, sick again? You have been battling off and on for a while now....  glad you're doing better.

Now,, an experiment,,   I noticed Tonka got censored too for the word    s h i r t   ....    so, I am going to type it right here - -    shirt    - -     And see if it gets censored.....    

Posting and be right back to check......

Shellback

 

 

Carl- LMAO!  That was a good one!  I needed it... out sick with tummy bug.  Rough night but starting to feel better now.

Tonka- Nice figure... like I said I will be following your work with interest.  I have few 1:16 figures and started one last year but couldn't finish it because those guys.

PM- aboard!  Hope you have plenty of tequila to share with us?

Bill --- Fig looks great! Nice details on removing the right *** pocket. Are you planning on converting the trousers also? Unblousing and removing the 'spats' ? I'm sure you know but Marines didn't typically blouse in WW2 and I have never seen a pic with spats in the field.

The skin tones and uniform color look great!  Really like how the new head came out!

Semper Fi

Hello Panzerwaffe,

I can contribute with an M4A2 Tarawa Sherman. It's the Dragon 1/72 model. It is completely new. No part has been cut from the sprues.

Greetings from Mexico,

Poliakarpov Mesteño

Bill , very well done alterations and the skin tone looks great !

deafpanzer

Rob- Dig that color green!!!

Bill- I am glad you got rid of that face... we don't need any of those 'zombie' Marines!  Watching our fav show now... "The Walking Dead".   Nice work on the figure... can't wait to see it with new head next.  That means five from me...

 

 

Carl,,, Nah,,,  he is not PO'd,,  he is actually smiling,,  and I cannot believe that my post of   s h i r t   pocket got squelched...  unless I spelled it wrong,,, which I doubt ,,,      I will now desgniate it as a blouse,, sheesh...

Thanks Andy,,  yeah, I agree,, the original heads / faces are a bit much   ( but I do like the show,,  The Walking Dead )

The next figure needed a bit more help....    It is a stand up figure and my original idea is to have him pushing the jeep....     I needed to bend the knees more and alter the feet into a pushing position.

First cut a wedge out of the leg(s) and heat it / them up and bend into place. (cargo pockets will be removed)

The feet too....

Didn't like his head either,,,  OFF WITH IT,,,,, 

I chose a Jaguar head for this figure....

So,,  some torso repositioning, legwork, footwork, head adjustment,,,    - -

Cargo pockets removed and repaired...

All the gaps / holes and cuts were filled, sanded, filled, buffed, inspected and primed with Mr Surfacer just to make sure.

I also changed out the arms and one of the hands,,,,  anticipating how I wanted this figure posed....

I found an appropriate hand,,  and whacked off the original, replacing it...

I attached and went through the filling, sanding, filling method.....

With these conversions being made, I began painting. I used a custom mix for the uniform color(s) and began the process - - base coat, repeat, wash, lowlights, highlights, etc.

You can see the right blouse pocket has been removed....

Still a bit rough, but the blending will make the uniform look much better. Also painted the belts and straps..

"Flesh" toning is coming.......

Still pretty basic,, but fine tuning is on its way........

I decided to do some work on the heads....  As these heads are bald, I used some putty to sculpt some hair. I wanted to go for a Marine type haircut,,,    here is what I came up with.

The Hornet head is much more clean / detailed than the Jaguar head....   both are nicer than the originals however...

The Jaguar head,, not as clean as the Hornet,,,  but the figure position will help camo the faults...

To be honest,  both heads look better than my crappy desk photography shows.....

I have another good idea for the scene,,,    will let you know if it works out.

As always,,,  comments, suggestions welcome.....

Thanks for viewing

Rob- Dig that color green!!!

Bill- I am glad you got rid of that face... we don't need any of those 'zombie' Marines!  Watching our fav show now... "The Walking Dead".   Nice work on the figure... can't wait to see it with new head next.  That means five from me...

Bill . what ? Another P.O.'d Marine ?!!??

Looking good my friend !

Been a few days since I've tossed anything into the pot....   been a bit busy with some unimportant nonsense (work and such).....

Anyhow,,,

Andy,,, you are right. I will see your two and raise it two for scratchbuilding (      ),,,,   totally agree. I do like your fig choice(s) too,,,   should be very fitting.

Ben,,  I also would think the white numbers would work...  especially after a bit of weathering

Tonka,,  the fig looks very well detailed,,,  the monkey too!

Rob,,  the LVT,,  nice...  You do go crazy with details, don't you?  Great work on the 50's and 30. Will be cool to see the new barrels. Nice extinguisher too,,,   again, more details -- gotta luv it!

AgentG,,, very nice Sherman,,,  I do like that camo scheme,,,,   !

Carl,,   funny vid,, squashing that car,, HA!   And,, I like the 50cal vid too,,   awesome.

Here is a quick update on my Jeep scene.....    The Jeep is getting there. I needed to finish the driver before I could actually complete it.    So, I have been working on some figures as well...

While not exciting,,,  here ya go - - - -

The driver supplied with the kit was,,    ok, but I wanted him leaning forward a bit more. My idea for the scene is to have the Jeep struggling to get out of a creek bed. So I began correcting the figure.

Once I figured out a good angle I took a look at the upper torso and decided I didn't really like his head.

I searched through my Hornet heads and Jaguar heads (among others) and came up with a good rendition of what I wanted to portray. First,,  OFF WITH THIS HEAD....

This is the Hornet head I liked......

Back to the torso,,,  with the angle in mind, I glued in place and backfilled with putty.

Sanded, buffed, filled some more and I always coat these larger filler areas with cryo glue when I am happy with the results. I believe this helps protect the putty from any dings.

A big sink hole in the back needed some help too...

A little Mr Surfacer to smooth things out,,    and I also elimiated the cargo pockets and right *** pocket on this figure,,,    this pic shows the in-progress of cargo pocket elimination.

I will post some addtitional fig-pics tonight if I can......  

Hope you like,,,,     

All comments welcome of course

Rob , thanks for the info . I looked at a website and that was their discription of the handle . I was looking at this video and i see there is a newer style handle for changing out the barrel .........looks like a better set up to me .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b7ynt960-s

DEATTILIO - Thanks for the offer for the pics but I have plenty of the M2HB already.  I was in a Heavy Guns Platoon in the Corps and had an MOS 0352.  Also carried the MOS of 0331.  Plus I still work with the M2's everyday at present.

Shame to hear of the misgivings of your AAVP7A1 but it looks like she is coming along nicely with the work you are doing on her.  She is going to look real nice when complete

This will be the first time using update sets for the MG's so I am looking forward to working with the parts when they arrive.  Was not going to spend the money at first but being that they were the main armament and were highly visible decided to give the update sets a try.

Not sure if you are aware, having trouble clicking on your pictures and opening the window to enlarge them.  When I click on one my computer blocks the window and says that their is a virus attached.  This has just started.

CARL - Yes there was a big difference in the LVT kit receivers and the Dragon receivers.  Believe the Dragon ones was far more accurate.  The barrel on the LVT .50 did not have a flash suppressor on it, it was just molded to wide on the end.  One reason I did not want to use it.  The handles on the barrels were not carry handles they were rather flimsy handles and you would not have a barrel very long if you carried it by the handle.  The handle was there so that you could pull the barrel out of the receiver when it was hot.  Then you could put a new cool barrel back in and continue to fire,  The PE set I ordered comes with handles too but dont think I will use them.  We often never put the handles on our barrels especially if vehicle mounted.  We did use them when on a ground tripod.

The extinguisher was from that Trakz resign set.  The bottle and horn are resign.  Used stretched sprue for the hose and some strip styrene for the bracket.

Nice you tube video

TONKA - Good deal on getting those MG barrels.  Think the LVT's would make a good candidate for them being that they would be so visible.

G - VERY NICE  A few days ago I came across your build in Armorama by searching for pics.  Did not realize it was you.  She really looks good. like all the extra track.

ANDY - Looks like another interesting fig set  MB is putting out a lot of new interesting figures lately.  Still haven't picked one up but I still plan too...one day.

LVT-4

Base coat on.  Will get it's camo tomorrow.

G, good looking build , i should go to Armorama and check it out .

Andy , those figures look good , well , at least the pic does .

Tonka ............ " I started in P5s then P7s,,actually wrote the manual,,seriously, on USMC mech warfare tactics when I was Infantry rep at 29 Palms in early 80s/late 70s.... YAT YAS "

Thats great

Here's a goofy laugh  ......................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=GgnLv3cEfSA&feature=endscreen

FSM acting up again.  It would not allow me to edit my last post since the picture didn't appear.

Here it is again...

Guys- Great process everybody!  I have been so busy working on my Huey... build is 99% completed so it will be primed and painted soon...

AgentG- Outstanding work!  Nice camo yet not too radical.  Dig the extra tracks!!!

Guys again- Thought you might like to see this... Master Box is going to release this.  I haven't tried one of those MB kits.

Great work guys! T

Rob -The guns are looking great ! Nice detail on the extinguisher also.

 I have a bunch of older brass 30s amd M2s picked up years ago when stationed in Austin (yes Marines were there, I & I duty) ,,Kings Hobby had a closeout and got them cheap,, they are over 20 yrs old and still look way better than any kit guns. Saving them for the right project,,maybe an LVT is it!

Shellback --Cool Pic of Semper Gumby!  That was our motto in one of my Battalions 'back in the day' !

WW2 Psycho - If you need yellow lettering Marine lettering,, look in Model Railroad section of hobby store. They have many dry transfers from woodland scenics in yellow and some very very close to font used.

Deatillo -Good luck on the P7 for the Vets build... I started in P5s then P7s,,actually wrote the manual,,seriously, on USMC mech warfare tactics when I was Infantry rep at 29 Palms in early 80s/late 70s.... YAT YAS 

Beautiful detailing Rob . Should look great with the metal barrels . I see a diff in the 2 .50's . The receivers look different and one has the carrying handle and the barrel looks like it has a flash supressor . Were they both from the same kit ?The fire extinguisher is nicely done , looks like a resin part ?

PANZERWAFFE,  the LVT is looking good.  I have been on the edge about buying replacement weapons for my 1/35 kits, looking forward to see how your finished .50’s look.  If needed, I can snap a couple pictures of some "Ma Deuces" for weather/wear referencing.

I have made limited progress on my LVT4 and LVT(A)4 as I have been devoting time to my unOFFICIAL Veteran’s GB AAVP7A1.  Word of caution – do not waste your money on the MiniHobbyModels kit.  I don’t think there is a joint or part that has not needed plastic and putty.  I am building it as my tractor back in ’97-’99 while at the Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch.

PANZERWAFFE

BEN - Believe the white would be fine  If you want to wait I MAY be able to send some yellow numbers to you?  Not sure how long you will have to wait or if they will be the right size for you?  I ordered a large sheet of several different sizes of numbers and letters in yellow.  Been waiting over 2 weeks for them to arrive and still have no idea when they will get here?

That would be cool, yellow numbers would look good. Theres a decal sheet on ebay ive had saved in my watch list for awhile, different sizes for different scales.

OK guys, this may be a premature update but thought would show what I have been up to.  Still much work to do on these pieces though.

Was looking over the armament for the LVT.  It has two .50 cal and two .30 cals.  The kit supplied ones I thought needed some help.  This is what the kit supplied looked like.

Not happy with this started to try to improve the .50cals.  Used a .50 gun from another dragon kit, thinned down the kit gun pintel (you can see the thinned one on the left and the original piece on the right, in the pic below), and then scratch made an earlier style ammo box.

After doing this I decided to go all out and I ordered some metal barrels and PE update set for the receivers.  Will have to wait for that to get here before completing.  Here is how the modifications I have done look when dry fitted.

Have also been working on some belted ammo so that there would be ammo from the box to the gun.  Plan on having one gun with the feed cover open and the ammo box empty as if it had run out of ammo.  Will have to see how it comes out.

The .30 cals were in poor shape also, they were just to stiff looking and had the wrong mount and no ammo tray.  Went digging through the parts box and come up with these.

Much better I think and has the correct mount.  Have also ordered some metal replacement barrels for these also.  The ammo cans on these were originally molded solid with a lid on top.  It took me about 3 hours per can to drill and carefully carve out and open the cans up.  Also am working on belted ammo to load into these cans and into the guns.  The bottom gun in the picture was the original kit gun, it will not be used.

Have the other .50 cal to work on and then will be waiting for the arrival of the MG parts to be able to finish.

Have also started working on other small details to add.  Here is the fire extinguisher.