Jack, welcome aboard, I like the dedication. So if I am looking at that right, the only part from the Tamiya kit is the turret. I have not done a resin armour kit, will be interesting to see this one. I will add you to the roster.

Those finished Steel Cats GB models are unbelievable. Compared to those, my models look like they were built by a hyperactive 6-year-old.

Raven728

Those finished Steel Cats GB models are unbelievable. Compared to those, my models look like they were built by a hyperactive 6-year-old.

Ye, theres some stunning builds over there. But I am sure yours will be just fine.

hey bish

put me down for a german 150mm towed field gun. dark yellow and going to try some freehand A/B camo and also multiple layers of washes as explained in the ARMOR T-62 post

heard from eagle90. he is trying to figure out how to get a SATURN V home from florida.

I just got a message from him as well. Seems he managed to escape Duffy's clutches.

I am assuming the gun is 35th scale, which kit is it.

DOH!!!!! cyberhobby 1/35

O, nice. Looking forward to seeing this. Are you building one from one of the German Div's or is this a part of the fortifications.

field gun. at least some green camo, maybe some brown too. probably not the crew. fixin' to get all the gray painted on the inside and deck of LCVP.

Ohhh very cool Wayne.

Looking forward to seeing more of it wayne.

Bish, yes you are right in that the Tamiya Firefly turret is the largest single piece that will be kept with the build.  I know I will also utilize their tracks, wheels and boogies, and a quick glance  shows the resin hull deck requires the crew hull roof hatches as well.  I've also a couple PE sets from Hauler and Part.  As  seen, I've already  attached the AM barrel from Armorscale.

Today I started cleaning up the resin parts.  The hull floor is a bit wonky,  on one side, the center curves outwards, while the opposite is slightly curved in.   Could be just the nature of the beast, or a quality control issue.

regards,

Jack

Does look like a bit of bad casting there. I've only used small resin pieces so far, from AM sets. Though I do have a couple of resin aircraft to build. But I see no reason for poor casting like that, especially given the cost of resin. So my guess is poor quality control. Looks like it could have been a wonky mould.

Hmm, wonder if it warped during cooling maybe? Looking forward to seeing her come together Jack, I've never really used that much resin in a project.

Jack: You probably won't be able to use the Tamiya tracks from the M4 - the M4A4/Sherman Vc had a longer hull than the others in the M4 series.

Thanks Greg, I wasn't aware of the different lengths until I put the hulls side by side to compare detail. I wondered why the resin set had some extra track links, so hoping the ten they provided will be enough to make up the difference.  If not, what style track links should I shop for?

Four pieces are now glued together.  I didn't bother sanding too much of the 'yaw' shape of the floor as it won't be noticeable.  Another problem area now is one side wall comes up short, (interestingly it is on the convex side of the curved floor edge).

 Dry fitting the transmission housing, it looks it can be corrected by placing a shim in the space.  Next bench session will take a closer look to see if a little more sanding can close the gap, and make sure every angle is perpendicular.

Won't say I've bit off more than I can chew, but this resin set would be more enjoyable to someone such as a shermaholic - lol.

regards,

Jack

Kits with problems like this can be tough at the best of times, but when its not your preferred subject, it can make it a struggle to keep going. But I am sure you can sort this out.

Yeah, the M4A4 had the Chrysler 'Multibank' engine - basically five truck/lorry engines bolted together into a single power unit. Most of these mechanic's nightmares were dumped on our allies... sorry! These engines were longer than the aircraft engines used in the other models forcing a longer hull.

Not sure about the tracks but the areas with poor fit could always be covered with a little mud build-up!  

Waynec, are things any better in your area? I'm seeing some horrific things on national news.

hey jibber

we are fine where we are. up north still getting creamed. also SW colorado around 4 corners and northern new mexico has flooding. the flood waters are as far east as nebraska  border and they are still helo lifting folks out of the canyons. people are starting to return home which usually means guttting the entire interior of a house; drywall, carpet, furniture, freezers assuming they even have a structurally sound house. to add to the difficulties is lack of power, water, sewage and roads. lots of roads and bridges destroyed so you can't even get into towns to start anything or bring in heavy equipment. with winter coming many roads and bridges won't be repaired until next summer. plus the tourist industry in the area and the farming have been decimated. many will never recover. this is hurricane type damages.

Yuck, glad you escaped the worst of it.

I'm really sorry to hear that and our thoughts are with those who need it the most. All the best.

Ok. The last paint I needed to finish my model arrived today. Painted the goggles and here it is. Does it look finished to you guys?

bitbite - looks good to me - if you're happy with it, I'd call it done.  I do notice a sheen on the  turret top, was this photo taken in direct sunlight?  That could be washing out some detailing you have done.

regards,

Jack

Yes, it was.  I'll take a betterr one once I hear from Stik (my advisor).  I was in a hurry yesterday. 

Look finished? Looks perfect to me!

Great job on the storage, the dirt on the running gear, and the commander.

I love the shading and the tracks are perfect. Do you have any close up shots, I'm dying to see more. Bit I think this is a great build for the group.

Well I finally got the paint (and more) I needed to order for my Spitfire. Along with that order, I decided to take a chance on Model Master Black Detail Wash. That being said, I was able to resume builing and painting the cockpit of the P-47 Thunderbolt 'Bubbletop'. I did a test run on how this wash works on an old scrap jet kit (same one I practiced using an airbrushfor the first time) and was pleased somewhat. I thought, "What the heck... let's give it a go on the 'Bolt."

I used the wash on the cockpit, landing gears, wheel hubs (haven't done so yet), wheel wells and gear doors. So far, I didn't think it looked too bad for a first time attempting a wash. I will post pics as soon as I can.

Seeking advice - I'm thinking of painting the Invasion stripes instead of using the decals to give it a more realistic look. Would measuring the invasion stripe decal's overall width by masking the areas white first then split it up by masking where the black stripes would be the way to go? The aircraft fuselage overall color will be bare metal silver.

Also - what would be the best way to create a weathered wash on the white stripes? Would using a Dirty White wash work or simply use a black wash throughout the aircraft?

Knowing decals stick better on a gloss coat, do I need to spray another coat of gloss once the decals on  before doing a wash? I am planning on putting a final finish using a flat clear coat.

** My goal is to order a couple washes by Flory (black soot and either mud and/or dark earth brown).

Any pointers or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Black Sheep - Is your P-47 a tamiya kit? I'm doing the same. bare metal finish and thinking of painting the invasion stripes.

So, i'll have to keep a watch on this question

Yes it is. Doing one with different code numbers

Black Sheep, yes invasion stripes are best painted by doing the white first, masking them off, then painting the black ones.