M3A1 Scout Car

Thanks for all the suggestions about improving the undercarriage. I'll be working on those once the top is on it.  I'm currently working on the body and will have to decide on a paint scheme soon.  I haven't been able to find any color pics but I did find a link showing drawings of a couple scout cars in Tunisia. (Link: http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M3_Scout_Car.php) .  This first car is in the standard Olive Drab.  I guess it didn't get desert camo and it looks like an earlier model. The second to the last one is what I think I will go for. My decals, esp. the star, is more in line with the first, but I don't know if that's a big deal or not.  I'm going for something representative. Is this ok with everyone?

BTW.  I'm really impressed with the builds going on here so far. Very nice work everyone.

Wow, this GB has really taken off!  One completed model before the GB is 2 weeks old and "in progress" builds of PzIIIs, a Churchill, Bison, Bishop, L6/40 and several wheeled vehicles.  It will be a challenge to keep current if this pace continues.  Great work all!

I have continued with the PzIIIJ and hope to have new photos in a day or so.

Don

Jester: Very cool, not a vehicle you see that often.

Jack: Gee, I knew those things were small but I didn't think that small! Looking forward to seeing all the aftermarket added.

Eric, No indie tracks for me, the kit comes with vinyl. Nice work on the Bison so far.

Eric, Looking forward to seeing the Panzer III.

Mark, Thank you. And holy cow that L6/40 is small!

David

Dave, nice progress on the Bishop.  It is small, but I'm sort of not far behind size wise even with the 1/35 choice I've made, as you'll see below.

Eric (Jester75), great choice, does this one fall under the category of Rommel's "funnies"?  Interesting how huge it looks on the boxart, even though the chasis is the Pz II light tank.

Eric - looking forward to you Pz IIIH,  I've this one in the stash as well.  

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So officially, I've chosen the Italeri 1/35 scale L6/40 light tank.  Also included will be:

1) - individual metal track links

2) - resin stowage set

3) - resin/PE update set

4) - and you guessed it, another appearance of the blue man group.  These tankers will  be sporting leather jackets  and the black plume of feathers on the side of their helmets.

Even managed to break some sprues, cleaning up the four main pieces of the lower hull, and have some Squadron putty covering the ejector marks ready to sand.  As a scale comparison, on the left side, an old Esci 1/72 Valentine.

regards,

Jack

I'm having problems with my camera, so I'm copying this link to my build.

www.militarymodelling.com/.../8261

Jester75 -- I'll be most interested to follow this build. I have the Alan kit of the same subject, obviously not to anything like Dragon's standard but it has been called an overlooked gem, and I hope to fit this one in too before the end of the year. So I'll be watching yours like a hawk for any aspects which might help me make something decent of the other!

M/TB379

My gosh David that thing is tiny!! You WILL be putting indi working track links on that thing right???

Well, proof that I do plan on participating here.

While I wait for the Magic Tracks to dry on my PzIII, I broke out the hull for the Bison and began trying to decipher the Dragon instructions. Dragon has held themelves to their usual high standards on instructions right off the bat as basically I had to cut all the leaf springs off and just see which ones fit where. The numbering just makes no sense whatsoever. Luckily our own wbill built this kit not too long ago and has a great build log on his website which should help tremendously!

Probably going to jump back to the PzIII tomorrow and lay some primer and paint down in hopes of wrapping it up by the weekend. The Bison here seems like it is going to require my full and undivided attention during the build and especially the finishing process!!

Great work guys! Its getting hard to keep up with everyone. I feel like a really slow builder compared to some of you! And my entry is so dang small!

And Tony really like how your build turned out.

Got the Bishop's gaps filled in on my build.

And one part I'm not looking forward to the road wheels

I think my next armor build is going to be 1/35! At this point my builds ready for a bath and off to the paint shop. I hope that I'll get it painted this weekend.

David

hey jack

thanks. looks like i'm going w/ 22 arm bde/7 AD in the mid '42 battles as april '42 was when the 6ib at gun was introduced. as such, and given this has an "open" cab with a canvas top i am going to assume a factory paint and all sand. i have never tried a preshading with black so maybe i will prime this in black and see what happens. will overspray the inder part of the chassis hull red and washeses but all the outer parts will be sand. i can use the black for some chipping though this will be a fairly new truck so not much damage or wear and tear. almost at the can't do anything until i prime stage and in the early stages of preventing a cold from getting worse so...

Wayne (et al), did some digging around on British colour questions.

There are a variety  of British fuel cans, and could be found finished in any military colour that was in use up that present time.    It is possible to even see the odd civilian colour.  Those painted white were specifically for water.   In reference to the flimsy, these were throw away types and usually left in their original tin colour.  They have no cap, and had to be punctured to pour the contents out, and then thrown away, hence their name.

Primers; for afv I've seen reference to red oxide or red lead.  Since already established auto industries were manufacturing wheeled vehicles, it is likely the standard primer was of baked on black.

Opinions vary, but seems to be that early on, vehicles sent to Africa had their European scheme, and would be repainted at local workshops in the ME theater.   Some have suggested that as the desert campaign became more permanent, vehicles would leave factories in a desert finish, but am waiting if a direct reference source can be quoted for this.    Also to consider, vehicles meant  for the front lines would have precedence at the paint booth.  Enclosed interiors, such as a truck, would likely remain in European scheme (this though is my own logical conclusion).  

regards,

Jack

Tony, you're finished? Seriously? We're barely into this GB two weeks! Grumble, grumble. Ok, kidding aside, nice looking AB. I like that it's weathered, but not overdone.

Naw, sorry they didn't come out better. For rusty areas I spray them with Krylon textured paint, it has a grit to it and dries to a pebbly surface. Once painted with reddish-brown paint it looks like a rusted out surface to me.

Gamera, nice looking Crusader.  

The white exhaust sections, is that after market items?

regards,

Jack

Tony: Looks great! Yeah the washes turned out fantastic.

Alan: Nice work there too!

The Crusader is together. Sorry I didn't know the photos were this blurry when I took them. Hopefully when I get the whole thing primered up I'll take some more that will turn out better.

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

The color is simply a mix of Tamiya XF-59 Desert Stand and XF-60 Dark yellow, with some matt white added.

I used a filter of Humbrol #83 mid stone just to vary it a little, and then some sand pigment washed on after the pin wash.

Cheers

Tony

Hi AlanF -- your approach is working nicely and I think the 'aircraft' mentality is going to be okay in the long run if progress to date is anything to go by. For grease I would think gloss black would be a good call, my instinct is to thin it to basically tinted thinner, or even use a black oil wash and let capillary action take it into the joints. Also, don't forget the pencil graphite trick for bare metal areas. For the tires, I use Tamiya NATO Black for all rubber areas, and then drybrush with lighter shades and add pigments from there, it's a comfortable off-black that avoids the starkness of a pure black while requiring no mixing.

Cheers, M/TB379

Alan, looking really fine so far, the aircraft mentality is serving you well.  

Just my opinions, I'd go with a burnt iron look for the exhaust - but in the end it will be covered in dust.  Not sure about the black grease idea, maybe someone that works under vehicles would know better?

1.) wait till the end to attach wheels, easier than trying to paint around when doing the body

2.) scrape the tire seams off with a blade, and then finish with sand paper.   Sand in the direction the tires would turn, this ensures the whole surface is sanded together and not just the outer edges.

3.)  you can always mix a dark grey, though many people prefer a dedicated bottle of paint made for rubber tires - nato black was another suggestion I've seen.  Also apply those same dirt washes you had given the body.

regards,

Jack

Thank you Bish, Waynec & Thunderbolt379. I'm experimenting here since I've never built any type of truck or armor.  I'm approaching everything with an "aircraft" mentality.  It's probably going to bite me sooner or later. 

I'm thinking of a mixture of Tamiya Metallic Gray and Silver toned down a bit for the exhaust - not sure yet.  Or maybe some brown and Metallic Gray or Silver to give a burnt iron type look. I'll have to play with it. 

After a flat coat I'm thinking of dry brushing some gloss black around the joints to simulate grease, which is kind of shiny.  Has any tried that or have any suggestions? 

Also a few of questions about the wheels.  

1. On aircraft you usually put the wheels and landing gear on last, even if instructions say otherwise.  What about this truck? Wheels are supposed to be next - wait or go for it?

2. The wheels are pretty big and have a seam down the middle.  What's the best way to remove them without destroying the roundness of the wheels?

3. Flat black doesn't seem the right color for them. Any suggestion for a good tire color?

Thanks again, everyone.

compaered wth tracked armor wheeled armor and trucks are an entirely different animal. maybe a trackk with indy tracks comes close but it;s a different thought process. i still haven't figured out the best way to build a truck.

AlanF -- very attractive work on the least glamorous part of a vehicle! I've never built a vehicle of this sort so never thought about it, but I have a few in my stash awaiting the knife and glue, and I'll remember these techniques when the day comes!

Mike/TB379

that looks nice. i may try that on my truck. you could use cheap non glitter eye shadow for some burnished coloring on the exhaust. a suggestion for the future is to tape off the wheel axle mounts and the mounting holes in the wheels. sometimes the paint will make it too tight.

That's looking nice under there Alan. The exhaust defiantly needs more to make it stand out from the rest.  

M3A1 Scout Car Build - Chassis

I managed to get some work done on the chassis this weekend.  Thanks to the suggestion to use black/brown for the undercarriage.  I sprayed everything with a Tamiya flat black and then followed with an uneven coat of Tamiya flat brown.  I then applied Flory's Black and Dark Dirt washes.  I like the way it is starting to look.  I'm thinking a sand wash and sand pigments might be next.

I'm not sure about the exhaust.  I think it needs to have a more burnt metallic look.

ok i'm either (A) lazy or (B) i am using all the research resources available to use my time efficiently. i pick B. what color were those awful british gas cans? my truck has 6 or them.

what color was the primer?

were a lot of trucks sent to NA army green and repainted  sand (and gray camo in my case)? is so than i will paint it green overpaint it with sand and gray and chip some of that away.

very nice tony. it looks well used but well maintained which like the best unless i am doing a specific vehicle with reference pictures.

i am really into oil washes right now. your washes turned out great.

Have to echo what others have said Tony, your AB41 looks great and I really like the weathering!!

Nice weathering and tones, really nice build.

Tony, great job on the Autoblinda.  

It must have been an enjoyable build, very quick.  It's crazy how lighting can effect the colour, but you can always adjust the camera settings to compensate for this, as well as tweek things in photoshop afterwards.  So which brand and colour did you use for the main body?

regards,

Jack

Excellent looking build, Tony!