RBaer: You are making some serious progress there!

I got a little done last night, tools and turret details.....

Getting closer to primer time.....

Terry: Looks fantastic so far, looking forward to seeing how everything works out once you've got everything nailed down.

Shiv sorry I misread your post and responded about the wrong figure, I'm an idiot.

The guys left arm in front of the turret is supposed to rest on the cover just in front of him. I need to turn him a little further towards the rear but the problem is that the hatch opening restricts much wiggle room. I tried putting this guy in without legs but that didn't work, so i'll figure out something still working on that.  I may have to add something like a backpack or something to rest his arm on if I can't get him moved. But the guy standing in the fore ground will have a M1 carbine laying on the turret. I'm still working on finished positions but getting close, I really need to finish off painting and weathering them, maybe today if i get some time.

I'm still undecided on the MiniArt Buildings, I'll decide in a couple days if its worth the time to try and put that together. I'm leaning towards trying it because I've came so far with it but no more vacuum form buildings for me.  

Shiv I have a carbine that I'm going to place there that his hands on. I just wanted to get them in place to see how they all fit, I still have a lot of shading to do, facial stuff and all the rest. I keep referring to my original photos and the guy your talking about is walking up, looks like he's talking with a guy up front so I took some creative liberties and turned him a bit and added a weapon. I don't think these were very far from one and I can't see any in the pics. I can't seem to add the picture in this post, I'll do it right below. 

that looks great Jibber. You're right about figures, they are the bain of my model building. I have a box full that I have been practicing on and they look like they have been in a train wreck. Yours look really nice though and I like the positioning you did on them.

The one you have closest to the front of the turret. I see his arm out leaning on something but don't see what he is leaning on. Is there something else you going to put there or does the angle of the picture not show it?

I like them, and I agree on the figs......   it's tough for me to get them where I'm happy with them, but I really like to have one at least on/in my models, sometimes just to give a sense of scale.

[/URL[URL=http://s1346.photobucket.com/user/kingtiger11/media/King%20Tiger%20-%20FSM/DSC00815_zps81aff6ca.jpg.html]

Just a quick update. I just test fitted the figures in their positions, I'm still painting and finishing them up but after all the slicing and dicing arms and legs, I think they're finally in a good place. I don't know about other Armor guys, but its a lot easier building tanks than having to deal with figures? Terry

Terry, you're right, Mr Surfacer 500 is my friend.

Mods, you guys are funny.....    I'm thinking this will be the first build I've done since puberty that took less than 6 months. I have shelf queens that I started more than 10 years ago, and I just know I'll finish them all one day.

Thanks Bish, I had to make some decisions on how to copy them, but I think I'm close to how they marked the Tiger.

Rbaer I must have missed it but what are you using for texture on your Sherman. It looks like Mr Surfacer 500?

Terry

Terry, that is looking awesome. I hadn't realised the star were added like that, I had assumed they were just painted direct on the tank, nice touch.

RBaer, that's coming along really nicely, looking really good.

Tim Kidwell

Ralph Waldo Emerson, New Age philosophiz-y-er.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, New Age philosophiz-y-er.

Tim Kidwell

Aaron Skinner

Tim Kidwell

RBaer

This Sherman is turning into something of a "speed build" ...

The notion of a speed build is completely foreign to me. I am more of a turtle- or slug-paced builder. It's the journey, right? 

"It's the journey." The motto of procrastinators everywhere, Tim.

Riiiiiiiight. So, where are you with your build? The same place you were the last time you posted back in August? It's been so long since I've seen a pic I don't remember what you're working on anymore.

Aaron Skinner

Tim Kidwell

RBaer

This Sherman is turning into something of a "speed build" ...

The notion of a speed build is completely foreign to me. I am more of a turtle- or slug-paced builder. It's the journey, right? 

"It's the journey." The motto of procrastinators everywhere, Tim.

Riiiiiiiight. So, where are you with your build? The same place you were the last time you posted back in August? It's been so long since I've seen a pic I don't remember what you're working on anymore.

Tim Kidwell

RBaer

This Sherman is turning into something of a "speed build" ...

The notion of a speed build is completely foreign to me. I am more of a turtle- or slug-paced builder. It's the journey, right? 

RBaer

This Sherman is turning into something of a "speed build" ...

The notion of a speed build is completely foreign to me. I am more of a turtle- or slug-paced builder. It's the journey, right? 

jibber

Heck yeah! Now that's exciting! Gotta love the idea of a few Americans riding around in a Tiger. Terry, my hat's off to you. Can't wait to see it finished.

garzonh

Tim Kidwell

Garzonh - Have to say that all that PE is paying off. 

Thanks Tim, coming from you this compliment is like getting the Medal of Congress. 

You pay me to much honor, sir. I'm the one who is in awe with every one of these group builds. Honestly, great work.

This Sherman is turning into something of a "speed build", maybe I should make a commitment to do something simple like this at least once a year.

Anyway, I had some quality time with a model last night....

I'm sticking with kit parts as much as possible, partly because I am "etch-challenged" in a major way, and partly because I like the look of thinned plastic brush guards more than the same in etch.

Garzonh: What I've been using has an alcohol base and I've not had any problems with it so far. I've used it over both Alclad and acrylic paint though I don't remember if I clearcoated the latter or not.

Thanks all, I have some catching up to do here. I thought I saw a nicely casted Sherman turret and a metal monster Hummell up there somewhere...

OK, so...update time....

I have look around all Walmarts, convenience stores, drug stores and cannot find a water based hairspray. They are all alcohol based, I tried it on spare parts...and let me tell you....nooooot goooood...

So, do you have to put on a varnish prior to the hairspray?...anyway I will not do that on this model, too many intricate detais is going to be impossible to "wash" it off as I want to depict the tank. So I will use..MAYBE... salt but definitely will use my trusty Abteilung liquid mask for chipping...

Also, I have not built the tracks...these are the individual links, but Im still figuring it out how they glue together and make them workable, to contour and sag realistically <--- is this spelled correctly?, looks/sounds weird.

Anyway, work has been a nigthmare this month....so I cannot progress. Specially with all the detail I wanted to give it.  

Im so jealous of Tim....you truly have a dream "job". I would work for free in any of the hobby related activities.....

Have a nice day! 

Terry!! 

Shut the front door!... that is so nicely painted Tiger...and I mean nicely as perfectly done. hope one day I can paint cammo like that, mine always look like I used a ketchup bottle instead of an airbrush.

The colors look real, details and the flags definitely provide realism.

Im truly impressed.

SchattenSpartan

Garzonh: The amount of details you crammed into that Hummel is amazing! It looks exactly like a small version of the real vehicle!

Hi my friend, yes, and I skipped a lot of parts...some of the parts are just ridiculous to try bending them...you need neurosurgeon  equipment and microscope....but...not bad.. now I have to figure out how to glue everything.....sigh.... 

shivinigh

Nice work on the Hummel. With the primer on you can't even tell it is mostly PE. Looks awesome.

Thanks, although....not sure if its a compliment.... 

Will all the time spent on it....last thing you want people to thing is that the kit was just like this...

Just kidding....LOL...thanks again.

Rbaer.

Nice Shernans!!..to bad one of them is not going to grow to be a big boy... 

But Im so anxious to see this one, grow. I have to build a Sherman,,,someday...

In my stash I have Merkava, FT-17 and a Jagd....definitely work for the next 4 to 5 months at my geological pace.... 

Tim Kidwell

Garzonh - Have to say that all that PE is paying off. 

Thanks Tim, coming from you this compliment is like getting the Medal of Congress. 

Gamera

Garzonh: Very cool! Looking forward to your results, I tried some salt chipping on a cheap old Soviet assault gun and wasn't that pleased with the results, hoping to learn something from you.