2014 BRAILLE SCALE (UPDATE)

I like NMF very much, but I wanted something a little different on this model.

Theuns

Great choice, Ed!

Nice choice Ed - i have Fujimi's 1/72nd in the to-do shortlist at the moment.

How is the detail on that one?  Looks like you're making good progress.

thought i'd try another quick build before going back to SS-25. this is the trumpeter BTR-80 which will be a good security escort vehicle for the SS-25 and will be a good size comparison vehicle. i don't do planes and the SS-25 was first really get into 1/72 so the BTR seems lacking in parts but is probably a normal amount for a modern armored warwheel.not a lot of truck frame work and not a lot of tracked roadwheel stuff.

Wayne, you're in for a treat with that BTR. I built one and it was quite fun.

Ed, looking good. It's great how a good primer coat can give you all the imperfections so you can fix them. Looking forward to seeing more.

Duke Maddog

Wayne, you're in for a treat with that BTR. I built one and it was quite fun.

Ed, looking good. It's great how a good primer coat can give you all the imperfections so you can fix them. Looking forward to seeing more.

i use testors silver for checking specific seams and fills prior to priming. priming does catch little boggers that can be missed in construction.

BTR is ready to prime.primed and drying. to this point took maybe 3 hours which included fiddling with the rear panel seam which probably would have looked fine anyway. used white glue under the hull overhang but no one will see it anyway. right you are DUKE this was fun. just a tad of flash on side rails easy to fix, parts cut off spreu cleanly and great fit. will wash tires in engine gray DONE and probably do a sand and dark green camo with a light wash. this will be a state security vehicle for my SS-25 so it will be in good shape.

i have a pair of JGSDF tanks and there are more parts. opened up my BM-21 GRAD and lots of suspension there too plus every bundeswehr truck and all 3 SA-10/S-300 vehicles. i seem to be flirting with the dark side. THE HORROR.

Swift progress Wayne!

Looks like a very nice kit - the surface detail looks very nice.

Can't wait to see this with the progress.

Ed, the Fujimi kit looks ok in the box and appears to have good detail, however, the proof is in construction. Not sure when I'll get around to it though.

Ed - primed up and ready to go..love a Hornet. Wayne..what an amazing idea to pose that BTR with the SS-25...I`d love to see a something like a UAZ-469 parked nearby to really showcase it`s mammoth size!!

Rob Sherman

Wayne..what an amazing idea to pose that BTR with the SS-25...I`d love to see a something like a UAZ-469 parked nearby to really showcase it`s mammoth size!!

i have a 1/72 KUBELWAGON which is tiny i am planning to park next to DORA if i ever built that. picked up tamiya dark green and buff for the 2 tone camo. taniya airbrushes quite nicely but brush painting with it is awful. 

waynec

Duke Maddog

Wayne, you're in for a treat with that BTR. I built one and it was quite fun.

Ed, looking good. It's great how a good primer coat can give you all the imperfections so you can fix them. Looking forward to seeing more.

i use testors silver for checking specific seams and fills prior to priming. priming does catch little boggers that can be missed in construction.

BTR is ready to prime.primed and drying. to this point took maybe 3 hours which included fiddling with the rear panel seam which probably would have looked fine anyway. used white glue under the hull overhang but no one will see it anyway. right you are DUKE this was fun. just a tad of flash on side rails easy to fix, parts cut off spreu cleanly and great fit. will wash tires in engine gray DONE and probably do a sand and dark green camo with a light wash. this will be a state security vehicle for my SS-25 so it will be in good shape.

i have a pair of JGSDF tanks and there are more parts. opened up my BM-21 GRAD and lots of suspension there too plus every bundeswehr truck and all 3 SA-10/S-300 vehicles. i seem to be flirting with the dark side. THE HORROR.

Very nice looking! Well done Wayne!

I also have a Japanese Type 10 I just finished last year, and I also had built  a BM-21 Grad some years ago.  I have also completed two of the three SA-10/S-300 vehicles; for some reason, I cannot find the third one in my stash! I look forward to seeing how yours turn out.

waynec

Rob Sherman

Wayne..what an amazing idea to pose that BTR with the SS-25...I`d love to see a something like a UAZ-469 parked nearby to really showcase it`s mammoth size!!

i have a 1/72 KUBELWAGON which is tiny i am planning to park next to DORA if i ever built that. picked up tamiya dark green and buff for the 2 tone camo. tamiya airbrushes quite nicely but brush painting with it is awful. 

I parked a bus next to my Dora for most of the pics I took, but in one case I did park a 1/72 scale 1939 Cabriolet staff car next to it for the size reference. I think it was done during construction. Maybe when I bring her out again, I'll also bring a Kubewlwagen along to pose next to her.

I agree about brush painting with Tamiya paints. It isn't formulated for brushes, only airbrushes.  I do like using enamels myself. They tend to go on nice and smooth.

Keep plugging Wayne, I'm watching all these with interest.

i wanted to use TAMIYA for this so i am using BUFF and JA GREEN. i am using MMA SAND and DARK GREEN on SS-25. as is my tell i will blend the colors to the tire hubs so it looks like 4 green and 4 buff wheels.

that went quite well. had to really thin the paint and up the psi a bit and still had some drying on the needle (SOLTAR fine). GOOD NEWS is it forced me to paint in layers so i didn't have runs so lesson reinforced. have a bit of brush touch up under the fenders but the lines look crisp.

also made a better base for ww1 tank. the ground is a mixture of coffree grounds and charcoal ash.

screwed up the number decals and i don't have a decal stash of them so this is a state icbm security vehicle and doesn't do id numbers. all 8 wheels touch the ground. first wash is a medium gray to tone everything down a bit.  not sure what's next maybe a blue or a yellow. probably do a light dust at the end either airbrush or powder. not going to rust up the mufflers either. again strategic missile force vehicle.

BTR-80 is done for now. there will be some environment later when i pair it up w/ SS-25 but haven't decided on a season yet though i am leaning toward a winter scene w/ an SS-25 bunker. i jazzed up the mufflers a bit with light rust, metallic gray and nato black washes. washed the whole vehicle with a prussian blue and medium gray mixed wash. you can see the color blue. just curious as i did a yellow and green on MK-1. besides the blue with the snow may better convey cold. now how to capture diesel exhaust fumes so i can have a smell attached to the visual.

oh and i picked up a MK-1 MALE and a T-55 w/ mine roller today. that may be syrian with sand bags over the fender fuel tanks. really getting into this scale.

Looks great Wayne. Nice subtle hints of rust on the exhausts. Good call. Looking forward to seeing it parked next to that beast!!

Right on Wayne! That really looks the part. Congrats on the Male and the T-55; I also built one of those T-55's with a mine roller too. Good model!

Can't wait to see more, keep them coming!

hey DUKE

i'm getting into this scale, i have every Bundeswehr wheel except the BOXER, an LAV and a pair of JGSDF tanks. i believe AOSHIMA is coming out with a tank transporter with a TYPE-74 and also a PATRIOT III. how are their kits. i've been looking at some of the JGSDF trucks.

ROB thanks i wanted to add a bit of color without overdoing it. tried some clear smoke but it was too shiney so washed over that with the nato black.

Wow Waynec - you're churning through these builds!

Sounds like you've also developed a small addiction to the Braille scale :)

Here is the Lightning so far. Final satin/gloss coat on, now need to do the final bits like UN, pitot tube ect.

I will be glad when this build is complete......

It is a fun scale isn't it? I also have every wheeled Bundeswehr vehicle except the Boxer; I just completed my most recent one about four years ago. I do need to get a boxer.

I sure hope to get that tank transporter and the Patriot III, I always wonder why small scale model manufacturers will let that be released in the Japanese forces before the US Army, where it was originally issued! I'm hoping to get a second Patriot to see how I can make it a US Army one too.

Aoshima makes some fine kits that fir together very well. There is excellent detail without the over-engineering of Revell/Germany. The plastic is a bit stiff though, so separation from the sprues needs some care when it comes to the smallest pieces. I just picked up another Japanese truck that I'll be starting soon. I'll see if I can enter it here so you can see it built.I had already built their truck with the kitchen and water trailers and it was a breeze to build! Let me knwo if you want to see some pics.

Theuns, excellent work on that Lightning. Fantastic! Keep up the great work!

hey DUKE i have a friend who only does 1/72. we have a breakfast group that meets next to the LHS and he snagged thw new BOXER before i got there so i bought the 1/35. i have seen some of those and would like to see pics. i was staring at the new bdw 4x4 (not the UNIMOG) and a FENNIK since that was given to me and i have a 2d one in the tank transporter box. i really need to finish the 6 1/35 in the works but.... maybe i'll do the TYPE 61 for japanese 3 GB as well and make a 1/72 godzilla footprint for a base.

THEUNS the LIGHTENING looks nice. i leave all the mirrors off my trucks until after painting too because i will break them.

Wayne,

Nice job on the BTR!  Looking forward to seeing the SOKOL finished as well.

Theuns,

The Lightning is looking good.  Can't wait to get one in the stash.

Started the Hobby Boss P-38.  If you've never built a HB kit before, they go together a little differently than most kits.  The fuselage is split along the horizontal rather than the vertical.  I like this because you're sanding a relatively flat surface.  This solves a possible alignment problem as the wings, engine booms, and horizontal stabilizer are molded as one piece.  The lower fuselage and inner wing section, along with the bottom halves of the booms comprise the lower fuselage half.  There is a multi piece cockpit which is trapped between the fuselage halves and forms the top of the nose landing gear bay.  A decal is provided for the IP.  The fit is pretty good, but there will be seams to clean up.  The vertical stabilizers are separate pieces and their fit is not very good.  There are a couple of spots on the upper and lower wings that need to bee cleaned up.  It looks like this is where the plastic entered the mold and the gate didn't close all the way.  Sandpaper took care of it, but the panel lines are very fine and shallow and some detail was lost.  I'll have to visit the local sporting goods store for some fishing weights, fortunately the instructions tell you how much you need.  She'll be od  over gray and wear the markings of "Journey's End" flown by Lt. Col. Joseph Meyers of the 38th FS/55th FG 9th AF.  Don't normally hang ordinance, but I'm tempted to steal the five hundred pounders out of my Academy kit.  Pics tomorrow.

Theuns..lookin great!! Added this kit to my stash recently and it looks like a great kit for sure

Theuns - that looks terrific. I really like the demarcation on the underside of the wing.

have my friend casting a roadwheel for my JGSDF TYPE 61. after that it's tracks, fortunately rubber band, and some decals and light weathering. seems GODZILLA grew as the tokyo skyline grew so scaling a footprint is fun.

hey THEUNS are you doing a HURRICANE I in another GB?

Hi Wayne, yes the Hurri is also in the WW2 GB. Can I post it here?

Theuns

Theuns

Hi Wayne, yes the Hurri is also in the WW2 GB. Can I post it here?

Theuns

yes. i have builds in multiple GBs too.