hey trabi

that looks likie a fun build

Welcome aboard Trabi, nice looking build. Have added you to the roster.

With all the discussions about the invasion stripes. I thought I should post this video I just found on You Tube about it. They actually show what it was like to paint the stripes. The only problem I have with this video is It's not long enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtf2iE5d40

Here's another one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUCmgsKiRNs

Thank You Bish! Thank You Waynec!

"Hobart's Funnies"

At quick look it looks just "shake ´n bake" kit, but when you start to build it you find fitting problems, inaccuracies and lack of details. Some details are even better in old Airfix kit, however it´s different model (MK VII, Matchbox is MK III or MK IV). Best details I found from old Esci kit (MK III). Sadly that one is quite hard to get and it looks that hull is ~1 cm too long - even for 1/72 scale. Still width is more like 1/76

But let´s stay in this kit.

"Framing" of bridge looks bit too bulky compared to pictures. I decided to ignore that, because to modify that means, that I had to scratch build it totally.

I propably adopt another bridge from other kit. I saw somewhere picture where AVRE was hauling another bridge as a trailer.

Because suspension of Churchill is quite visible I decided to cut off plastic coil springs and replace those with metal ones.

Stay tuned...

More with A.V.R.E.

Petard mortar lacked details that much, that I scratch build it totally. Also turret is for MK IV and I want to make from this MK III which is modified to AVRE.

I found from pictures several bit different looking "MK III AVRE" turrets. Some have more round edges and location of burr is either in the middle or in 1/4 from down. I choosed round edged with mid burr.

Little bit scribing and Rock´n Roll with Dremell + drip of putty. I´m going to make resin copys from this, that I can modify several Airfix kits to AVREs.

To be continue...

I don't blame you for leaving the bridge as is, that would be some challenge. Looking good so far.

Looks great Trabi, guess I'm lucky my AVRE was buildable right outta-the-box without much in the way of corrections.

Not sure there's much you could do to get the spans on the bridge in scale without a nightmare of PE parts.

Thanks Bish! Ignorance is bliss.

Gamera

Looks great Trabi, guess I'm lucky my AVRE was buildable right outta-the-box without much in the way of corrections.

Not sure there's much you could do to get the spans on the bridge in scale without a nightmare of PE parts.

Thanks Gamera! I´m that old, that I like more scratch building than am parts. That also can be some sort of masochism...

When I started to put hull together I noticed, that if side parts are built like shows in instructions those don´t fit in place. First I thought that I mixed parts for left and right, but after I checked from anothere kit I found, that numbering is wrong. In both, old Matchbox and in Revell release. Parts 5 and 6, suspesion "thingies", are bit wider from other side. Instructions states that narrow side comes inwards. If you do so, bottom doesn´t fit on it´s place and leaves huge gap between sides and hull.

Also those side parts are too narrow, so when placing track guards those tilts outwards. That red line shows how it should be. (Notice that warped front armor)

I solved that problem by adding some styrene strip between side panel and suspension.

Atleast to me it looks better now.

Some comparison how to execute sprocket by injection molding. However both are wrong shape.

Old Airfix from early sixties:

And Matchbox (Revell) from eighties:

Which one you think I like more and why?

That's looking good, I like the springs.

Now those sprue attachments look well thought out and easy to deal with.

Yeah. talk about great engineering! Tamiya could learn a few things from that kit...

Your work is fascinating Trabi, keep up the updates please. I never built a Churchill, but built most of the others in the Airfix and Matchbox ranges.

Cheers

Tony

Well I have started a 1/48 C-47 diorama. Got the plane together, still cool to join? Do have progress shots if that helps.

Trabi: Hmmm, looks almost like the kit was warped in the box maybe??? Nice job there on getting everything straightened out.

B-17, ye, defiantly good to join, look forward to seeing those pics.

Not sure why your not on the roster, did I miss your post. Adding you now. Which C-47 kit is it.

Wow, four months since I signed up and I haven't done a bit of work on my Sherman.   Happily, I did get back to it last weekend while the NFL games were on, so I figured I'd post a quick pic of where I am currently.

I was expecting to have problems with the bogies, but they went together very nicely. I just picked up my first air compressor, so I'm hoping to lay down a coat of OD this weekend or maybe next.

Don't worry Raven, I haven't even opened my kit yet. Look forward o seeing some paint on there, looking good

Bish- I just found the GB a little bit ago, so I wasn't a part of the initial sign ups. Thanks for the add! It's the 1/48 Monogram kit.

No problem, its been so hectic with GB's, I can't remember who has signed for for what, where and when.

Boy I had not checked in here for a bit and missed some stuff. Trabi, that is some great work you are pulling off on that AVRE.

I know the feeling Stik. I keep losing track of the GB's I am signed up for, especially the ones I am not currently building for.

Bish

No problem, its been so hectic with GB's, I can't remember who has signed for for what, where and when.

i set up a spreadsheet to keeep track of mine. that is scary

I have a word document with my planned builds on it, with those in GB's at the top, all in order of those that end next so I know which order I need to build them in.

Anyone would think GB's were addictive.

I picked up some brass rods at my LHS today to replace a few rods on the suspension bogies of my halftrack. As I was looking through the armor kits they had in stock this little bugger caught my eye:

The Flakpanzer I has to be the "cutest" (if you can say that about a tank ) AA vehicle ever built, so I simply had to get me one of them. As the most important part of this tank, the gun, is rather poorly detailed I decided to buy one of the excellent Adlers Nest barrels as well:

The detailing on this kit is very good,, but the molding is kinda inconsistent. Some parts have no flash at all and only minor mold lines, but some of them (even if they are on the same sprue) show a noticeable amount of flash (the plates for the lower hull for example).

I started construction by glueing the big raised floor panel in place and holding it in place with some clamps:

The next task was to clean up the lower plate and the side panels. The transmission is a little model by itself and consists of several small parts that show a lot of nice details. I started assembling the major components of that subassembly as well:

Next I taped all 3 of the large plates together:

The fit isn't as bad as i feared it would be, but it's not perfect either. There were several sprue attachment points on the mating surfaces and a considerable amount of flash didn't help things either:

That's it for now. I'll continue work on this little beauty tomorrow and try to finish the M16's suspension as well.

Cheers, Clemens 

Clemons: Not sure about cute but very cool though! Based on a Panzer I she's going to have to be tiny.

I know what you guys mean, I keep saying I'm going to stop signing up for GBs and just just do something I want to do myself but keep signing on anyway! So far I've resisted signing up for the Light Tank GB and 1944 GB. Gosh they look cool but I can't keep the balls I'm already juggling in the air much less add a few more...

I've committed to a AC/AFV/Ship cycle for this GB - all allied. Time to check in.

I've been modelling for three years now and I've never done a post-1970s Tamiya kit of any kind. Somewhere I picked up the circa mid-90s 1/48 P-51 RAF Mustang (MKIII). I believe it's the same model as the P-51B except that it offers a Malcom Hood. I've seen very good reviews for all of Tamiya's planes done around 2000 with many singling out the P-51B. I think I can see why. Usually the fit has been extremely good and the detail on the fuselage is outstanding. Can't say that it's been a breeze though. The kit is dated 1996 and comes from the PI. Not sure if that is the date of production or not. In any case, the fuselage halves fit poorly (dry fitted alone - the cockpit fit in perfectly) with the joining side on both bottom halves slightly warped inward. A seam line is no trouble, but getting a little valley to look right took some time.

It's together, primed and preshaded. This has been a fun build because I'm using Tamiya paints, of which I have a lot, for the first time in a year. Must say they're a delight. I've done some research and I think the plane should be colored with US colors appropriate to RAF schemes. That means olive drab (not dark green), dark sea gray and sky gray. (The cockpit is my own mixture from Golden and Vallejo Model Color. According to a big article on the IPMS page about US AC interior, export planes were given one of the various shades widely used in the US (made by DuPont) that was a close match to RAF interior green. I'm close enough.

The P51s sent to the RAF in early 44 were used in the very nasty long range war between the RAF, the RN, the LW and the KM for control of Norwegian waters - the 51s range making it ideal. Only two groups got them and Polish squadrons were well represented. That's nice because D-Day was an international affair. Anyway, the RAF 51s were all deployed to Normandy for D-Day. This has me scratching my head about how to paint the thing. A few months doing long range missions over the North Sea is going to wear any aircraft - so this kit will get some wear. The stripes are a problem. The order to put on stripes came the night before D-Day. I just watched a Tempest documentary and one of the pilots said that on June 5th someone brought in "some white and black glop that wasn't really paint." I do know that the stripes came in the night before first flight so they're obviously fresh and laid over a somewhat worn plane. The easy way to handle this is to play it as straight as possible - Tamiya's paints are really nice for low PSI work and we could mask some nice and tidy invasion stripes. From looking at most of the photos, that's what they looked like. But is that what they looked like on June 6 or the days immediately following? Other photos clearly show a very sloppy presentation probably done by hand. Now if the stuff is "glop" and not paint, we've got double trouble.

Any advice on how to handle this? I wonder if the initial batches of the stuff wasn't some kind of odd paint or even whitewash that happened to be available. Can always be tidy, but I wonder if good history doesn't argue that I mess things up a little.

Eric

Clemen's, I still have you down as a TBC for this GB, did I miss a post lol. Interesting choice, I didn't realise these were still around in Normandy. I have the Dragon kit of this on my shopping list, so will be interesting to see what this one is like.

Gamera, I know what you mean. I never get to my build list I just keep bumping up kits for GB's. But I am cutting down, honestly.

Eric, there was a discussion on invasion stripes a few pages back, I think it was for one of the P-38's, either Shiv's or ken's. Theres a post here by Ken which may be of interest, the main bit being this.

In most cases the stripes were painted on by the ground crews; with only a few hours notice, few of the stripes were "masked".[1] As a result, depending on the abilities of the "erks" (RAF nickname for ground crew), the stripes were often far from neat and tidy.

Its about half way down the page.

cs.finescale.com/.../154026.aspx

Eric: Tamiya's P-51B kits are both exactly the same with the decals being the only difference. I have the P-51B with USAAF markings in my stash and it features the malcom hood as well. Looks like you are off to a great start.

Bish: Oops, my bad. wrong GB... I meant to post this in the Duck hunter GB, but it looks like I mixed things up a bit. Sorry 'bout that mate.

My real entry for this one is Tamiya's P-47 Bubbletop built as Maj.General William E. Kepner's bird (with invasion stripes, of course)...

I thought that might have been the case but wasn't sure. No problem, I have done that myself, all gets confusing doesn't it. lol

Bish

Anyone would think GB's were addictive.

They are.... and so many are way too tempting.... 

You lack discipline.