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2014 BRAILLE SCALE (UPDATE)

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: San Francisco Bay Area
Posted by bufflehead on Saturday, June 28, 2014 11:06 PM

OK, here's the M4A3E8 update:

Most of the limited time I had this week was working on the suspension and tracks.  Dragon's HVSS bogies gave me fits.  They just don't want to sit straight and the mounting points aren't very strong so they keep breaking their bond and wobbling around.  I tried re-gluing a few times and managed to get a couple to straighten out and remain solid.  Still not happy with them though so I might keep working at it.

The tracks were a bit of a disappointment.  Although they are made of the new DS styrene and have pretty good detail, I feel they are too thick for the scale.  Worse, they are about two links too long.  Unlike many German and Soviet tanks that have tracks that sag, U.S. tanks typically had very tight track...here's a wartime pic of an Easy Eight.

  As you can see here, the tracks out of the box are too long.

Simply gluing the tracks down to the return rollers wouldn't be much help so I decided to shorten the tracks by one link. This involved carefully slicing one link off the outer track surface, trimming the extra link off the end and then punching new holes for the locating nubs so that they new surface could have a better grip when glued.  Here's a pic of the process:

Here's the modified track next to the unaltered track.  As you can see its one link shorter.  I COULD have made it two links shorter, but I was concerned that it might be too tight and the tension would bend the suspension even worse! 

And here she is with the modified tracks.  The tracks are a little tighter and will probably look better with paint on.   Not perfect, but I don't want to spend any more time on it, so it will do!

As you can see I also added more parts to the turret and the add-on front armor on the hull.  Now all that's left are the little parts which I like to leave for last, cuz otherwise I'll just break them all off!!

I think this guy needs a partner, or better, an adversary.  So lets add this to the build list!

I did a little research and determined that StuG IVs were used in Belgium and Germany in 1945 against US forces, although I could not determine any units they were attached to.  I think its reasonable to assume that an Easy Eight might have encountered a dug in or camouflaged Stug IV in the closing stages of the war.  And if not, well its still Braille Scale!!


Ernest

Last Armor Build - 1/35 Dragon M-26A1, 1/35 Emhar Mk.IV Female

     

Last Aircraft Builds - Hobby Boss 1/72 F4F Wildcat & FW-190A8

     

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Virginia
Posted by ygmodeler4 on Saturday, June 28, 2014 11:26 PM

Thanks for the compliments on my eurofighter Ernest...if your jets are half as good as your armor it'll turn out amazing. Great job so far, I agree that the track looks a little thick...other than the tracks, it's really hard to tell its 1/72 and like you said, I'm sure they'll look better with some paint on them.

I look forward to seeing how this one ends up and what you do with the StuG

-Josiah

  • Member since
    April 2010
Posted by Theuns on Sunday, June 29, 2014 2:11 AM

Hi Guys, here is my 1/72 Airfix Lightning.

I will not go mad with the cockpit detail, although nice I plan to have the canopy closed and then visibility inside the office is very limited.

Theuns

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Sunday, June 29, 2014 12:47 PM

waynec

cml

Cheers, thanks Rob.

I always tend to have 2-3 builds on the go at any one time. I've also got a 1/35 Panther on the go too. I find there is too much down time when i just do one at a time.

only 2-3 at a time. right now i have about 10 in various stages. of coourse as soon as i get through my painting block i will have a bunch done.

a lot are at the paint or camo stage. looked at my BIBER BdW AVLB. seriously length and link tracks in 1/72. swell.

looks like another partially prime and paint decision on the SS-25. will prime and base coat around the windows in the cab before assy to make it easier to mask. helo builder taught me that one. sand and dark green MMA . 

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: New Port Richey
Posted by deattilio on Sunday, June 29, 2014 4:11 PM

Every area I have applied tape for masking has lifted the paint upon removal.  Nearly the entire underside lifted away with tape, and after the same occurring to my prop after painting the yellow tips I had to find a new way to mask before ruining the OD topside.  This has proven a most aggravating little build, although the paint has to be something on my part it didn’t help my mood toward this build.  The only savior from this thing being placed on the deck and axe stomped with size-11 boots is its enrollment in this GB.

After tinkering with aluminum foil, clear wrap and other failed items I tried rubber bands.  I stapled the rubber bands together to hold them tight against the surface.  Figuring out the proper length before stapling took several attempts but I think they worked well.  Once done painting I simply slipped the scissors between the bands and cut one length, no point in trying to salvage or reuse the rubber bands.  Of course once I completed that I set the model aside to avoid further potential aggravation at this kit.

 

 

WIP:
Trying to get my hobby stuff sorted - just moved and still unpacking.

 

"Gator, Green Catskill....Charlie On Time"
 

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: San Francisco Bay Area
Posted by bufflehead on Sunday, June 29, 2014 4:49 PM

Rubber bands Surprise Very creative deatilio!  I would have never thought of that!  Goes to prove that old saying, 'Necessity is the Mother of Invention"!!  Kudos for sticking with the build and finding a solution to your unsticky problem!!

Ernest

Last Armor Build - 1/35 Dragon M-26A1, 1/35 Emhar Mk.IV Female

     

Last Aircraft Builds - Hobby Boss 1/72 F4F Wildcat & FW-190A8

     

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Sunday, June 29, 2014 4:59 PM

Deatilo...were you using Modelmaster? I always had problems with Modelmaster Acryl paints and lifting while masking.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Sunday, June 29, 2014 5:17 PM

Rob Sherman

Deatilo...were you using Modelmaster? I always had problems with Modelmaster Acryl paints and lifting while masking.

i am starting to feel really odd. i don't add a barrier before doing washes and will sometimes wash with acrylics over acrylics with no problem. i paint with MMA a lot and haven't had problems with paint lifting using low tack tape or silly putty. i do prime ace hardware NOW gray primer instead of model primer. oh and be careful there are some bottles that ARE PRIMER and some bottles, usually mixed in with the rest of the paint rack that are THE PRIMER COLOR BUT AREN'T REAL PRIMER.

and now to look at the foot long missile canister and see how well i did the seams after building all 14 tires.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 7:53 AM

@Ernest - thanks for pointing that out about the Shermans not having sag. I've never built one, but it's on my list (any suggestions as to brand for a 1/35 to add to the stash).

I'll be sure to remember that when i get around to building one.

Good work on adding an adversary too.

@Waynec - great tip on the painting around the windows before assembly. I would never have thought of that. I'll do that next time i do a helo.

@Theuns - good pick. I do like the Lightning. Such a unique engine config.

@Deatillo - i second what Ernest said - very creative solution and one I'd never have thought of.

Chris

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 8:02 AM

Ok, bit of an update, first, the F4U.

Managed to get a gloss coat down over the weekend.

Last night I decaled. Unfortunately, the decals left much to be desired - which really surprised me for a Tamiya kit. The stars come in two sections - one is the white background with red outline. Then, you put the star with white side bars over the top of that.

Hence, the red outline is the primary reason for the first decal, and i assume, to make the white more opaque.

Unfortunately, all of the backgrounds cracked when i put them in water. None so bad that i couldn't still use them, but, unfortunately, some are off centre - particularly noticeable on the port side.

Some other decals also cracked and tore despite my best efforts. 

I've never had this happen to me before, however, i've read about it. I'm just a bit surprised it would happen. 

Anyhow, here it is, as best i can.

Next will be to hit it with some setting solution over the next few days and then panel wash by the weekend (fingers crossed).

Chris

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 8:07 AM

Now for the A-7.

I didn't get anywhere near as much done over the weekend as I had wanted to.

I only managed to lay down the base colour. Due to the light colour of it, the black pre-shading really showed through. I thin acrylics 50/50, which meant for this colour needed many many layers to build up, hence the reason i didn't get much else done.

I'm going to use U-Tack (ie, poster putty i think it's called in the US) to create a hard line and then mask behind the line with a mix of Maskol and Tape (because i'm too tight to use all my Maskol on one model Stick out tongue)

Chris

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 9:53 AM

HAPPY DOMINION DAY to all the Canadians here. we need another Canadian GB in the fall i have a truvk and a couple of 6x6 animals in the NATO stash.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 6:07 PM

the SS-25 is ready for prime time. all 4 outriggers sit flat and i didn't break anything though i tried. lots of delicate pieces as is befitting 1/72 and trying to figure out how to hold and sand. most of the fit was nice and tight the front end had some small gaps filled with white glue. syill have 1 little seam are on the missile that i'm on take 5 of trying to clean up. the missile is just lying there. when done it will be pointed straight up, all 12 inches of it.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Virginia
Posted by ygmodeler4 on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 8:03 PM

Man these builds are shaping up quite nice! All of them are quite phenomenal

-Josiah

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 8:28 PM

waynec

HAPPY DOMINION DAY to all the Canadians here. we need another Canadian GB in the fall i have a truvk and a couple of 6x6 animals in the NATO stash.

As a Canadian, thanks Wayne!! I would certainly be up for a Canadian GB!!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 8:29 PM

Chris and Wayne....great to see such progress!! Thanks, Wayne, for posing that beast on the pad with the ruler to show the sheer size of the that vehicle!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: San Francisco Bay Area
Posted by bufflehead on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 1:13 AM

Chris - Nice work on the Corsairs!  Despite the problems with the decals, the F4U is looking pretty good!  I really like the look of that blue shade you used!   As for 1/35 Shermans......wow, there are so many available.  I've built two Italeris and one Tamiya and I would definitely choose Tamiya as the better kits.  Italeris stiff plastic (vinyl?) tracks are just terrible.  However, I do have 3-4 Dragon Shermans in the stash and I must say they look quite nice.  Tasca, although quite pricey, is said to be tops in quality, detail and engineering.  Can't vouch for that because I don't have any Tasca kits.

Wayne - Holy Smokes is that thing really 1/72??  It must be HUGE in real life!!  Working on kit is almost like building a 1/35 scale model!! Stick out tongue

Well, I busted open the Stug IV box and I must say this kit is really nice!  Unlike their M4A3E8, this Dragon kit really hits the mark for 1/72 scale armor.  The details are very sharp, molding is top notch with almost no mold slippage (minimal seam cleanup), and it smartly engineered!  I wish all 1/72 armor kits are like this one!   Here's where I am so far:

The suspension was a breeze!  Dragon smartly put the sprue attachments for the bogies on the bottom where its mostly flat and included some nice keying to line up the bogies to the hull.   The sprockets and idlers, and return rollers were a snap due to really sharp molding.  The lower hull has got nice, sharp detail.

Even the underside is loaded with detail! 

I'll add the wheels later once I've decided how to do the tracks.

The upper hull is also quite nice, but as usual Dragon didn't indicate on the instructions that several holes needed to be drilled out on the fenders for tools to be installed.  Fortunately there are hole locators on the underside of the fenders!  

So far the only downside is that the fenders lack a scale appearance and are quite thick.  Probably I'm the only one who will notice this, but I had to thin out the front and rear fenders to look more in scale.  Here is a pic of the front fenders.  The right front fender has been thinned, but the left hasn't yet.  I used a miniature file and an X-Acto blade to thin out the plastic.

Same thing with the rear fenders except these fenders have a lip around the edge making the thinning process that much more difficult.  Again, at this point I've only done one of the fenders.  Pics below.

That's it for now.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to complete most of the upper hull.

Ernest

Last Armor Build - 1/35 Dragon M-26A1, 1/35 Emhar Mk.IV Female

     

Last Aircraft Builds - Hobby Boss 1/72 F4F Wildcat & FW-190A8

     

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 5:24 AM

Ernest, way to thin out them fenders. I would have done the same for sure. Yup, only you'll know, but, there's that 'scale' satisfaction that goes alone with it. Great progress thus far!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 10:35 AM

here are some detail suspension shots. having compared the 1/72 steam locomotive to the 1/35 locomotive, building one of these in 1/35 would be a blast. have to pull out 1/35 SCUD on 8x8 TEL and look at it. everything is straight and aligned even if it looks curved in the photos.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 1:59 PM

Wayne, building one of those in 1:35 would need it`s own room to store the monster!!

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On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 1:59 PM

That missile can would be almost 2 feet long!!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 8:40 PM

waynec

Rob Sherman

Cml, pre-shading is excellent!! Sponge technique? Let us know how that goes for sure as I'm really not sure what that's all about.

hey rob. i think cml was using the sponges to "mask off" intakes by stuffing them inside. getting some work done on SS-25 and i think i can officially declare i have lost my mind as i just put a hold at LHS on bundeswehr bridgelayer BIBER mit DINGO. so much for saying i don't build 1/72 armor.

So, thanks to you guys, I used the cosmetic sponges for the intakes of my Sci-Fi build...thanks!! They work great!!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Thursday, July 3, 2014 8:57 AM

@Ernest - excellent, thanks for the tips on the Shermans. I'm going to start looking for one to add to the stash.

@Waynec - great to see everything has lined up. 1/35 of that thing sure would be something!

@Rob - glad i could help :)

Chris

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Thursday, July 3, 2014 9:08 AM

Ok, a bit of an update on the A-7.

I masked it with a mixture of U-Tack for the outline, then filled in the centres with tape as best i could, then used Maskol for the gaps between the tape and the U-Tack. 

Here's how it looked all masked up.

I then sprayed on Gunze Sangyo brown (H310).

After about 30 minutes, I removed all the masking.

Some of the base sand yellow was pulled up by the Maskol and it turns out i didn't quite mask every area 100% - so there is some brown where the shouldn't be.

I'll go back and fix that up later before laying down a gloss coat.

I still have to mask and paint the wheel hatches to match.

The sponge mask worked quite well along the bottom rim of the air intake but the top rim was a bit jagged. I am too lazy to fix that on this build, but will have to come up with a more consistent approach next time i use that method.

Chris

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Thursday, July 3, 2014 10:00 AM

TOO LAZY....Stick out tongue I laughed out loud for sure!! Man, had I a dollar for everytime I had those lazy moments!!! Keep up the aggressive charge on these builds, Chris!!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Thursday, July 3, 2014 5:45 PM

Rob Sherman

waynec

Rob Sherman

Cml, pre-shading is excellent!! Sponge technique? Let us know how that goes for sure as I'm really not sure what that's all about.

hey rob. i think cml was using the sponges to "mask off" intakes by stuffing them inside. getting some work done on SS-25 and i think i can officially declare i have lost my mind as i just put a hold at LHS on bundeswehr bridgelayer BIBER mit DINGO. so much for saying i don't build 1/72 armor.

So, thanks to you guys, I used the cosmetic sponges for the intakes of my Sci-Fi build...thanks!! They work great!!

geez someone who didn't know us might think we are closet cross-dressers.  i have nail files, doiiar store make up kits, brushes, sponges, and pads in my build box.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by waynec on Thursday, July 3, 2014 5:47 PM

Rob Sherman

TOO LAZY....Stick out tongue I laughed out loud for sure!! Man, had I a dollar for everytime I had those lazy moments!!! Keep up the aggressive charge on these builds, Chris!!

is cml canadian chris? if so are you going to host another maple leaf GB?

do you reuse the blue tack? i have some but usually use silly putty which is reusable.

Никто не Забыт    (No one is Forgotten)
Ничто не Забыто  (Nothing is Forgotten)

 

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • From: Toronto
Posted by Rob S. on Thursday, July 3, 2014 9:02 PM

waynec

Rob Sherman

waynec

Rob Sherman

Cml, pre-shading is excellent!! Sponge technique? Let us know how that goes for sure as I'm really not sure what that's all about.

hey rob. i think cml was using the sponges to "mask off" intakes by stuffing them inside. getting some work done on SS-25 and i think i can officially declare i have lost my mind as i just put a hold at LHS on bundeswehr bridgelayer BIBER mit DINGO. so much for saying i don't build 1/72 armor.

So, thanks to you guys, I used the cosmetic sponges for the intakes of my Sci-Fi build...thanks!! They work great!!

geez someone who didn't know us might think we are closet cross-dressers.  i have nail files, doiiar store make up kits, brushes, sponges, and pads in my build box.

Yeah, the girl at the Dollar store always looks up at me when she scans the make up stuff!!

______________________________________________________________________________

 

On the Bench: Nothing on the go ATM

cml
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Brisbane, Australia
Posted by cml on Thursday, July 3, 2014 10:02 PM

Thanks for the encouragement Rob - hoping to try and knuckle down on them over the weekend.

Waynec - no, sorry, not from Canada. I'm from Australia.

I had hoped to re-use the blue tack, due to me being "thrifty" however, it was pretty much done by the time the Maskol had mixed with it. It wasn't possible to separate the two.

I would prefer to use silly putty, but alas, I've not been able to find it here in Australia.

On that note though, i've been looking for it in toy shops.  that's where it would be, right? It's not that i'm simply looking in the wrong places is it?

Chris

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Virginia
Posted by ygmodeler4 on Thursday, July 3, 2014 10:14 PM

I never go in to toy stores anymore...but I find mine at craft stores in the kids crafting sections

-Josiah

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