Tim, Aaron, thanks for sponsoring such a cool subject to build from. Really enjoyed it.

Terry

Tim Aaron,

I have to echo what everyone else is saying.  Many thanks for hosting such great GB's!  They are great for learning new tricks and for me the last 2 have been in a genre I had not really done before!  I like the stretching!  Keep up the great work in ALL the areas you guys do!

Eagle90

Hii to all,

Thanks for hosting this awesome GB!.

As many have already said, this has been a great opportunity to find some of the builds and their authors, free great advice and pushing our skills in a good nice environment.

I would had never thought of building a kit with 80% PE and building a base for it.

Thanks again to everybody!

Well Garzon you did that. I am kind of blown away.

Everyone, wonderful stuff about a pretty off the wall subject.

Tim whats next and don't say ship please. My studio is full of the things.

I wouldn't mind a ship but that would need a two year GB for me.

How about Helicopters you dont see that many builds but not sure what the theme could be, Rescue ones maybe??

Phil

Hi to all,

I have to concur with Phil, helicopters sound a nice category and not too many builds. Ships are OK, but I dont have space for construction and for display...

Cool! I have about four in the stash, but haven't built one in a very long time.

Finally finished a base for this 1/72 KVII.  Added ditch w/ water (Melting snow).  Also added some winter German Troops.

Played w/ antique photo editing options.  Kinda fun!

Looks really cool Cody. And I love those antique photos- if I squint just a teeny bit I'd swear they were the real thing.  

Gamera

Looks really cool Cody. And I love those antique photos- if I squint just a teeny bit I'd swear they were the real thing.  

they are fun to do. a pic or two from a person kneeling and some PS effects can fool a lot of folks.

Thats cool Cody.

Now that's nice Cody and those B&W pics look real good.

I know I am past the due date on this GB, but I am starting to chug along on this project again...

Today I finished up the interior and glued it in place

I have the openings masked up from the inside in preparation for the exterior paint. I have the top now glued on and it is starting to look like a track. More photos to come soon...

And the rest of my work for this evening before I call it a night here...

top deck and front plates on

Future and dirt added to suspension for mud texture

link and length tracks on... I'm getting better at these damned things...

Now it looks like a track!

Tomorrow I think I will get the last parts on needed before a nice base coat of OD...

Looks good SP, glad to see you still moving forward on this.

Stik you really do some incredible work, you've really knocked that interior out perfectly.

Thanks guys! Gamera, it's good to have this one going again and nearing the finish line finally. Jibber, you are too kind! That interior work kinda slowed me up a good bit on this build. And there was really no good reason for that on my part.

I'll have the basic build done by evening here and it will then be ready for paint! Yay!

All basic construction now completed!

The Revell Germany/Italeri pioneer tools are too petite, or some missing altogether, so with a bit of help from my spares bins, here we go...

no shovel in the kit, so one from the bin added to the proper storage place on the glacis. I also added a tripod for the .50 and since I only have one radio inside, I blanked off one of the antenna mount spots with a blanking plate from spares... all those parts are Academy

the kit comes with the later type of "half' shrouds, instead of the original full width type that was used in Vietnam. Fortunately I had a pair that I had not used from my old Tamiya 113 that Ihad not used on one of those builds

I drilled a hole for the missing bilge pump drain near the driver's position using my pin vise and a micro bit

I added the , lifting rings, rear lights, brush guards, rear bilge pump drain pipe and hollowed out the end for that

hollowed out the heater exhaust pipe and added that in place

salvaged or spare Academy and Tamiya pioneer tools to replace the kit parts, stowed in their proper positions

drivers side headlights, lift ring and brush guard installed... the blackout drive lamp had the projection hood molded upside down (in reality would project light skyward instead of groundward- Doh!) so I had to slice that off and glue it back on properly oriented

spare track shoes with some shave off Academy retaining bolts & washers to keep them there

and the overall track now ready for paint

but now it is time to prep up the BBQ for a nice evening meal of ribs here...

Those replacement parts look really good SP!

Thanks Gamera! I'm working on the painting now, but I've only had enough time to do one color per day before work and not enough time to get photos uploaded... Soon though...

Three days work progress...

day 1, a base coat overall of Gunze Olive Drab (US Armor version)

day 2: I air brushed on a camo pattern of Polly Scale Brown FS# 30117... I accidentally used the wrong stuff to thin it, which caused me delays with tip drying and such, but thankfully nothing worse than that...

day 3: I went back with the Gunze OD to clean up Red Brown overspray and fine tune the camo pattern

I'll let it dry and cure overnite, then tomorrow I can airbrush on a coat of Future and get it ready for decals and detail item painting...

Really like that camo SP, much more interesting than straight olive drab of a US vehicle.

That it does. The early ARVN tracks had some nice multi color camo schemes like this. Later they went to the monotone Dark OD scheme.

So here is my 113 as of now...

gloss coat on...

decals on (don't blink or you might miss them... ARVN markings are minimal)

and some close ups of the markings in case you did blink and miss them...

like I said... minimal...

SP: Lol didn't expect to see much in the way of decals so I'm not disappointed. Almost done now, looking forward to seeing her all finished up.

Great model for Ap Bac. I have a H-21C that will also be camouflaged, one of the last Army helicopters so painted.

My first boss George C. went over, Us marines in 1965. They had Garands as well.

Thanks GM. I would love to see a H-21 in 48th that I could afford. I do like those early war camo schemes on them.

Me too. Mine are 1/72.

I am still chugging along with little bits of work here and there on my project. I have a wash on and have continued with detail painting of items on my 113

Continues to look good SP!