Semper Fi War in the Pacific

Bill  , dont know what to say right now in response .....................................

Shellback

Eric , how you doin ? Good to see you here . Thank you for your comment . Sorry i havent visited your Italian G.B. yet my friend . I will .

Yeah it was kind of low-key. No problems, but I expect you to get into it when you finish up your Jeepers (as my wife calls her Liberty)

No worries Carl,,,,         

Eric , after the "jeepers" i'm building a "Shermie" .

Bill , one hell of a complement my friend !!!

I got this much accomplished today .

Amazing work on the jeep. Im priming the sherman right now. I probably wont get to painting the OD until next weekend.

Hey guys, sorry for being MIA work has really picked up after the holidays.  Great looking work in here!

SKI - Love the Sherman so far.  The concrete and wood really makes it pop and grabs the attention.  Your already making me want to pull my M4A2 out.  Really look forward to more.

CARL - Great work   Gages, interior, seats, and the rear - NICE details.  Still, love how you blend your colors!!  You are the master with the pastels making a beautiful finish

WW2 - Primer

Was able to put some bench time in late last night and here are the results.

Return rollers before any mod

The kit, the rollers support arms are high almost to the center of the roller.  They were also thick.  This is probably accurate but this would not let the Friuls sit down onto them.  So thinning out the arms had to be done.  This could have probably been done better if they were still in pieces.

Here is how the the track link now sits.  The roller now fits into the track.

Bit more cleaning and this is now the new roller assembly.  Not the prettiest but the top section will be covered by the track.

For those of you that use Friuls on these, As said the assembly itself had to be thinned and top section taken out.  The wheel itself had to be trimmed also.  The part of the wheel needed cut off was the hub / axle section which would have been no problem to do if done before assembled.

Moving on, here have added the weld bead that joined the two pontoon armored plates.  This is in the middle of the pontoon.  Can also see the addition / modification on the fuel drain.

One side of the hull has been attached and started work on the interior details.  Has both some added and deleted details.  There will be a few more additions to go in here a little later on.

Finally the other half of the hull has been attached.  Interior details still need to be added which will be done today.

One thing to watch for here when putting on the pontoons is the idler wheel.  The holes for the idler do not line up properly making the idler sit crocked.  Had to dry fit the pontoon onto the side hull plate and drill the hole out (further down) in order to have them line up.  They are still not perfectly straight but could not go any lower with the hole without coming off of the idler mount.  Think the way it is now will work out fine.

There were small problems trying to get ll the hull pieces to line up correctly, care must be taken when putting the pieces together.  There were some very small gaps in the cargo bay which have already and easily filled with a little Squadron Putty.  I concentrated on lining up the top sections of the hull thinking they would be the more visible areas and for the most part the fit came out smooth.  The bottom section of the hull is where there are some gaps.  They are nothing bad and not even worth taking a picture of but there will be some filling and sanding to do on the bottom side.  One thing to watch for BEFORE gluing all the hull pieces together is to make sure the deck section is nice and straight.  I say this because the deck is two pieces, the bottom (outside actual bottom of LVT) and a top section (the deck seen in the cargo bay).  When these two pieces are together, there is a difference in the width of the two.  Had to sand the two flush with each other and keep dry fitting the hull sides on to ensure a nice straight fit.

Took this last pic to try to show the size of this beast.  Have thrown in the fig for a little reference.  Still remember the top and track still need to be added once again giving it some more height.

I call em like I see em Carl..........

Rob,,   glad to see you back at the bench..   also glad you were able to leap those few glitches too...   And, agreed, that is one big boy!         Great progress!

WW2 thanks for the complement .

Rob , the chalks are a lot of fun , thanks . Looks like the Fruils presented a few fit problems but your modifications to get them to fit wont be seen after the tracks are on . Gotta do what you gotta do . Nice work on getting the fit kinks taken care of and the added scratch details came out nice also .

Bill , yes you do !

Here's a pic of this mornings adventure into the world of modeling .............a world of conflicting emotions ...............highs and lows .................to trash it or continue ...............you've been there .

Anyway i masked the windshield and over sprayed it with a dull coat . Bill i used a white glue to hold the windshield in . It toook 2 attempts . I dont know of a better method though . I painted the edge of the windshield black before glueing it in place , thinking that this would cut down on the reflectivety of the edge and yet simulate the sealant that holds the glass in .

Can you see the finger marks in the windshield dust on the edges ?

Carl,,    I use the white glue method too.  troublesome at times, i know....      I do see the print marks, but they are not that pronounced, in my opinion.       Couple of ways to combat or tone down....   a bit of a mud splatter,,,  some dusting pastels,,,  if the jeep is to be in a calm setting, a little rag hanging down covering the area,,   or (a tricky method),,, a bit of thinner on a dampened brush, and gently streak the area. You would also have to gently streak a few other areas to make it look uniform so to speak.

To be honest, it really doesn't look all that bad as is.            But, I have the feeling you are like me, and it will jump out at you everytime you see it.

Best of luck (don't scrap!)

I use MM Clear Parts Cement & Window Maker.  Basicly whit glue but it alows you to pull the glue say for like a headlight, and make the glass part out of the glue.

DONT THROW - CONTINUE!  I really think it looks good as is.  When I first saw it, it gave me the impression that the driver grabed the edge of the windshield to get out of the jeep, something most jeep owners would get PO about.  I really like the painted black edge.  Have not seen that before and really like the effect it gives.

Great stuff Carl.

Another good point Rob,, I agree,,  grabbing to exit the vehicle.         Don't toss,,,  no way!

Rob-  Great process on the LVT!  Always wanted to build one.  Someday I will... You are on roll here. 

Carl-  Nice work on the windshield!!!  Can't wait to see your next update master...

Thanks my friends for your comments , and i mean that ! You guys are my friends !BillRobEricAndy

      right back atcha!!!

Guys , i'm kind of embarassed about how i got things confused with my post about the finger marks . What i should of made clear was that i was having trouble with another part of the model , not the marks on the windshield . Actually i used thin strips of masking tape to make the finger marks . I should of said hand marks . I was thinking like Rob that a Marine would naturally grab the edge og the windshield when entering the the jeep .I masked the passenger side also but it does not show up that well in the pic .

The problem i had was that the steering wheel enterferred with windshield frame when said windshield was put in the upright position , due to the weapons holder i made . I removed the steering wheel but it also removed the dashboard with it ........................then the gas can came off ! Thats why i got close to the trash casn with this model. All is ok now , i have shimmed the steering wheel and re attached everything else .

Thanks again my friends . Bill thanks for your suggestions .........i may use them yet on this build my friend ......but i hope not !

Always welcome Carl,,,,,,,      and                    glad all is ok with the "bugs".......   

I think of you as my friend too Carl   It's good to have friends like you, Thanks

Good to hear everything worked out and look forward to more of your work  I have often had problems such as you described but a little determination and patience seems to be what gets some of these builds through.  In the end It seems to make the finished model that much more appealing to me, even if I am the only one that knows of the struggles with it.  The really good stuff usually doesn't come easy.

ANDY  - Thanks   Would like to see you build one of the LVT's.  Just think of all the figures you could then paint.  These things would carry 30 in the back and then you had the crew also.

Small LVT update

Quick fix for the night.  Had small problem with mounting the front sprockets.  If I did not use the Friulmodel tracks and used the kit supplied, the kit sprocket was missing the end part of the shaft.  This is the part that would have protruded through the hull enabling one to attach the retaining ring thus holding the sprocket on.  This would not have been much of a problem because I would have just glued the kit sprocket on permanently because the sprocket shaft was long enough to initially go into the beginning of the hole and just would have not used the retaining ring.

The real problem, because I'm using the Friulmodel tracks I must also use the Friul sprocket.  The Friul sprockets entire shaft is a smaller diameter then the kit supplied one.  It does have the extended section of the shaft and does protrude through the hole like it is suppose to.  But because the shaft is smaller it is to lose and the retaining ring will not hold the sprocket shaft firmly enough allowing the sprocket to sag.  Looks bad, looks like the sprocket is about to fall off.  To fix this, decided to use a piece of brass tubing and cut to length making a one piece axle.  Had to drill the mounting hole out on the inside of the LVT because this part is actually pretty small and was originally designed to just accept the pin for the retaining ring to attach to.  This works out to my advantage because it allows me to drill the hole to the size of the copper tubing which is 5/64.  Once the holes where drilled and the tube cut to the correct length and inserted into position I then had to slightly file down the diameter of the Friul sprocket mounting pins in order to fit inside of the tubing.  This did not take much filing to achieve the correct diameter.

Next simply push the two sprockets into place.

This is now a much tighter fit and it is straight and strong.  This is the end result.

Have also finished putting and sanding all the seems / gaps, mostly on the bottom.  Have added the track tensioning guard, and installed the interior to the right side completing all the interior until the top goes on.

My next big project on this is to decide if I should reposition the co-drivers hatch?  The best way I see to do this is to make a mold of the hatch before cutting it off and then cast a new one .  Once the new one is cast cut off the old hatch, fill in the cut and then add the new hatch.  I have never done any casting but am thinking about ordering a starter set from Micro Mark.  Any suggestions on casting material from Micro Mark or a better way to fix the hatch?  I have done foundry work and I imagine this is basically the same thing.  Would just have to learn how to use the new medium.

Rob,,,    that is a bucketfull of work you are doing on your LVT,,,  wow. Great work on the Friul / conversion aspect(s).  Very nice innovation indeed. Your efforts sure seems to have paid off....      now, repositioning the co-dr-hatch           (another wow)          I remember when you pointed it out, that it was off-set.      Again, I would not have known unless I studied photos or specs....   BUT, I know you will dive in and rectify the innacuracies.      I cannot offer any casting alternatives my friend...  but I know you will do a smashing job on it and I wish you the very best.           Always an adventure dipping into new ponds, so to speak.      I will absolutely be watching for updates.

Primer is on the tank, Im going to wait a few days for the enamel paint to try before painting the OD on it. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

Rob , to bad you are having to do these mods but so far they are turning out great . its not only Italeri kits that are not correct on details . I was looking at a review of a newer DML kit nd couldnt believe the inaccuracies in it .

So far as casting i have not tried it either . Lokks like you are going to be letting us kno how it goes .

Good luck my friend .

BILL - Thanks Buddy.  Now I may have to take some time to figure what to do with the hatch.  There is plenty more details to do but they are all waiting for the top to go on.  If I'm going to attempt to fix the hatch, I need to do it before the top goes on.   Going to look into the different casting sets and see what I come up with and then go from there.  While I sit, think, and research I can always start cleaning all the track links   Stay tuned and I'll let you know what happens when I finish swimming in this pond

It's funny that this hatch is different then all the other LVT variants.  It seems only the late WWII model LVT-4 had the hatches in line with each other if there was not a cab mounted MG.  Early LVT-4's and all other variants (1-4 and (A)'s ) had them off set like the kit comes.

WW2 - Sounds good.  Look forward to seeing the pictures.  Did you get those decals in the end?

CARL - I think you had said it before, a lot of these kits aren't perfect but thats one of the things that makes them fun.  Overall, I think most companies do a pretty good job of replicating and making models.  They have defiantly come a long way from what they used to be.  A few corrections here and there don't bother me.  It's just when the majority of the kit is incorrect and I lose interest in them especially if they are pricey.

Which kit was it that you were looking at?

I did some more weathering with the chalks today . When i think i'm done i end up redoing it ....now i'm thinking its time to put it down for a while and get the tools done .

The tweaked body from the rear is hiudden by the rear seat back now but the front bumper is still crooked ..............dont know yet if i'll do anything about it . Like Bill said this is something that will happen on actual vehicles .

Rob it was the DML RSO with 75 mm , kit 6640 . Seams this kit has seats from a M113 ! There are also inaccuracies in the frame and the running gear is not completely accurate . It doesnt come with a metal barrel .................for $26.99 at Spru Bro. its not a bad price though . I see Sprue Bro. has the DML M4A2 back in stock ...............something like $40 now though .

Really NICE  I say it a lot but the colors / chalks look great.  You had motivated me to get a set of chalks and I have now acquired some small jars from my wife to keep all the ground stuff in.  Also have now acquired a mortise and pestle......wonder were those came from   Anyway like seeing how yours comes out and I try a little more with the chalks every time I use them now.

All the extra details look wonderful.  The engine and compartment, light wiring, weapon rack.  All looks great.  It's simple but one of my favorites is the black around the windshield, never saw that before.

The rear could never tell anything was off or not straight.  The front bumper is very minor and do not believe anyone would pick up on it unless you pointed it out.  As you and Bill have said it is very normal to have the bumpers bent up a little on jeeps.  Wish I had a picture of my jeep I had in AK, it was a 69.  If you saw how beat up it was.......well we will just leave it at that.  It did not make it out of AK alive or in one piece.

Never looked into the DML RSO.  Had some interest in it but I already have the older Italeri RSO in the stash.  Have not really looked over it and probably will not until I can find some tracks for it.  I'm hopping to find some magic tracks that I can use on it.  The nice thing is believe only paid like $10 - $12 for it.  Don't really remember but know it wasn't much.

Don't know what to say about that Sherman.  Could always spoil yourself and try out a DML kit.  You said you have not built a DML kit correct?

Rob , sounds like a good idea on bottling the chalks . I use the stick chalks and grind what i need with a aluminum tube on the chalk stick . I dip the brush into water to make a thicker application and brush off the excee with a dry brush . Lighter colors will disappear with a coat of of matt clear . I've read were dipping the brush into thinner helps the chalk adhere better.

I have some of those Italeri RSO also and have thought about mounting my own 75 mm on it. Its not a bad RSO kit but the tracks stink . The DML kit comes with magic track and read that the are well detailed but very fidly and time consuming to assemble .

Rob , i've about 10 DML kits so fsr and have many more in my stash . What i havent built so far is a Trumpeter or Hobby Boss kit .

Thanks again for complement .

Think I worded my question wrong about the DML kits.  Remember very well your Pz III, one of the best Pz III ever!  Should of asked if you ever built one of there newer smart kits?  Not all but find many contain much sharper detail and the fit is usually really good, they are among my favorite kits.

Have never myself tried Hobby Boss and only one Trumpeter.  The Trumpeter was the worst kit I,ve ever built.  It was the Pz H39 Belehlapanzer and getting it to go together was horrible.  Trumpeter and this kit left a very bad taste in my mouth and have not bought one since.  In there defense I now read that this was a bad kit but many of there other ones are quite good.  Maybe one day will give them another try.

Thanks for the tips with the chalks, will give the water a try.  Have only used dullcoat over the top of them so far and have found that the color will disappear, like you have said, or change hue usually to a darker tone.  That has been my experience so far anyway but have not worked with them enough to really know.