They're something different for sure from the usual run of Shermans and Tigers. 

Have you gotten any work done on your 12.8mm monster yet or did I miss your post? 

Edit: Whoops- meant to say 128mm, 12.8 wouldn't be all that large 

I always liked WWII Japanese tanks, but I never get around to buying any for some reason.

Thanks Bish, and yeah it seems the Japanese figured out the idea of building it bigger to get a better gun and decent armour but were still running years behind Europe and everyone else design-wise.

gamera, thats really coming on well. One tying that is clear is that the Japanese didn't enbrace the idea of slopped armour.

Some great info shareing here as well guys, as always, its great to see how people are prepare to help others.

Hey thanks guys!

Bruce: And big thanks to you, I'm going to try to get the interior set up and was ready to paint it white, should be easy enough to mix up some light grey instead.

Cliff, 

Your Type 5 looking good, looking forward to what you come up with for an interior. And I wondered the same thing about the 37MM in the hull. Seems a anti-personnel gun would have been a better choice. 

Thanks for showing me the colors, this helps out tremendously! 

Well anyway this is what I've gotten done over the last week, so far fit is excellent:

The kit includes a breach and the entire 37mm gun for the hull front (why put a secondary 37mm gun in the hull when you have a 75mm in the turret I dunno- kinda a M3 Lee/Grant in reverse) but no other parts for the interior so I dunno how you're supposed to show the inner gun parts. I think I'm going to mock up seats and some simple interior stuff. Still working on the complete 75mm gun for the turret:

Bruce this is the Gunze Sangyo paint set. I brushed some on an index card but it's so dark I'm not sure you can make out the colours.

Thanks Bruce, I didn't know or wasn't sure about some of that. And I've got that book, guess I should have pulled it out and checked! I've got a couple newer books on the subject and didn't even think to check with this one. 

Cliff, no need to be sorry! I've pulled some information from the internet and was just trying to confirm with you. From what I have read,  the parched grass color was a rust preventative paint that was even used on the tracks. This was in 1942 when they tried to standardize their camouflage colors.

Interior colors were a very light grey, but some were painted silver.

This comes from Japanese Tanks 1939-1945 from Osprey Publishing. You can see here

Only one thing so far I'm not pleased with in this kit is the rubber band tracks, and no aftermarket offering that I have found yet.

Thanks again for your help, hope to have some pictures posted soon.

hogfanfs

Thanks for the information, Cliff! The primer is the parched grass color, correct? So, I'm guessing it was a primer and base coat all in one?

Also, I read the interior colors were a light grey, correct?

Thanks for your help!

 

Bruce: Actually the parched grass is the base coat of paint like the mustard yellow used by the Germans. I'm not sure what the Japanese used as primer underneath it, probably the same red oxide everyone used but I'm not sure. Vallejo uses the term primer here as the first coat of paint a modeler would apply, unless of course you're using red primer underneath to expose for chips and scratches. Sorry if I was a bit confusing there.

I think the interior should be white, though I've seen instructions calling for light grey too, again I'm not sure one way or the other- sorry.  

Looking forward to seeing that Colin.

For sure, I'll post up some designs once I have them complete.

Bish

Now i never thougt of that, building your own A-Bomb would certainly be somthing to boast about. There are two main reasons i picked that one. Firstly, the small thin one is to small, its described as a suicide bomb. I saw an image of one on a Bf 109. Second, of the 3 larger bombs, this one fits the bomb bay. Always a handy idea. I was hoping i could use both the Kora one and the one i have. One being winched up, the other being moved into position. But the 555 can omnly just carry one of them, so i will have to come up with somthing else to use those Antares bombs on.

If you decide to build your own and need some dimensions, let me know.

 

Thanks for the information, Cliff! The primer is the parched grass color, correct? So, I'm guessing it was a primer and base coat all in one?

Also, I read the interior colors were a light grey, correct?

Thanks for your help!

Hey Bruce, the instructions and box top painting with your Type 4 should fill you in pretty well. I'll try to add to them and explain a little more here. 

The standard colour of Japanese tanks near the end of the war was kare kusa iro or parched grass, a khaki colour. I use a brand made by AK Interactive but regular khaki should work.

Like the Germans they used a stripe or blotchly pattern of green and brown consisting of:

kusa iro- grass: a medium green

tochi iro - earth: a dark brown

I use a set by Gunze Sanyo Mr. Colour that has all three. It is laquer which I really don't like using but haven't seen anyone make them in acrylic. I do use the Vallejo kare kusa iro acrylic under it as a primer. I ordered mine though Sprue Brothers but they don't seem to have it now. I took a photo of the box but didn't bring the cable to connect my phone to the office PC- I'll try to get it posted tonight. Any green and dark brown should work however. 

Btw: iro means colour of and can be paired with a word for a colour:

mizu (water) iro (colour) -water colour- light blue

kusa (grass) iro (colour) -grass colour- grass green

tochi (earth) iro (colour) -earth colour- earth brown

greentracker98

Bish wrote the following post 5 hours ago:

Thanks Lost, and indeed, it will be very interestign to watch this. I did once buy a vac kit but never even started it, no idea where it went.

I too bought a vac kit. only because I didn't know their wasn't really anything but the hull. It was the USS Ward. I should have sent it back, I just shoved it back into a closet and forgot about it. I don't even remember what it cost. I was only about 15 then. What was yours Bish?

 

I think mine was a MiG 9 kit, can't recall what the kit make was.

@Ken,

I apologize, I missed mentioning your build! I'm looking forward to when you start the Duece and a half! What are your plans for this build? Are you going to make a diorama?

Bish wrote the following post 5 hours ago:

@Bish,

Nice start on the Arado, and I'm looking forward to seeing your take a Nuclear bomb!

@GAF,

Nice start on the Corsair, and the Mossie! Also, you are semi correct on the Type 5 and Panther. The Type 5 is about 5 feet longer than the Panther, but, the Panther is slightly wider and is 44 tons vs. 37 tons. The panther has better armor.

@JayW,

Nice start on the Leopard, very curiuos to see how it's size matches up with the other German tanks. I almost purchased the Amusing Hobby version of the this tank.

@Joe Rix,

Nice to have a ship in this GB, and the Richelieu to boot! I've been looking at getting a 1/350 version of the this ship!

@Steve,

Nice to have a second ship in this GB. I will be really keeping an eye on this build, I've been wanting to purchase this kit for some time now.

@lostagain,

An intering plane and a very interesting media to build with! You have my full attention, looking forward to seeing the MB5 built!

@Gamera,

I have more research to do on the Type 4, but, I'm going to run some questions by you on the paint colors of japanese tanks. Hope you don't mind.

Thanks Lost, and indeed, it will be very interestign to watch this. I did once buy a vac kit but never even started it, no idea where it went.

Thanks guys, The Deuce and a Half always looked cool to me. I'm glad to have the chance to do it.

Ken and Steve those look cool, Lostagain- whoa I've always been afraid of vacform kits- this is going to be interesting! 

MC: I am amped to to see you build up the Prinz Eugen. Looks to be a beaut of a kit. I will be curious to see how your wood deck works out. I had considered the one for the Richilieu but after some research I found that overall many ship builders were not happy with at all. As far as Richilieu is concerned, it didn't matter, as the deck is painted a dark gray. So, an AM wood deck would not work.

Ken: I like that you are doing the Deuce and a Half. It will be fun to watch you build that up.

Lost: Wow. A vacuform kit? Now this will be very exciting to watch. can't say as I'm overly familiar with that aircraft. Appears to be based on the P-51 airframe. Is that a safe assessment?

Not much is going to happen on my front through the weekend. We're taking my mother to Las Vegas to celebrate her 90th birthday with our entire family and friends. Looking forward to it. Not to mention I'll need to wager a few $$ on my Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl.

Bish, you really are straight into it. Good detail work.

Lots of good looking models out there - looking forward to following it all.

Here is the the MB5 vacform: one sheet of plastic! The cockpit detail is to the right of the page - stick the cockpit fold out to a sheet of styrene - fold it up - and there you are...

Also got some Barracuda cast wheels and exhausts to adapt in - a Spitfire cockpit set will lend some pieces to the interior too (stick, quadrants etc) But there will be a lot of scratching.

So far the grand total work is filling the front spinner with Milliput to stabilise its shape.

Nothing will happen for another month - work and play getting in the way.

Steve, Ken, nice to see you have your kits. Looking forward to those.

Okay. I got the Duece and a Half today. I think it will wait a bit (But will I?) untill I get a couple of other things finished up

MC The Eugen looks like a great kit. Do you know you can see it on Google Maps/satellite veiw?

Anyway, Here are my pics

Those all look great guys! 

Gary: Not sure what I'll do with all the figures yet, I just like having them there in case I do decide to use them. I'd like at least one infantryman or tanker standing on the ground to indicate the size of the tank. 

Better do some catching up:

No further work on the F4U so far as (uncommon for me)
I have 4 projects ongoing.  Perhaps I'll get a bit more done tonight,
but that will be clean up work.

Joe:  That looks like a nice project!  Isn't it always the norm that
the paint scheme you think is perfect for the build turns out to be
problematical?

As for the Academy F4U-4B, it is not the best kit on the market.
It's not a bad kit, but the over-wide fuselage is difficult to correct.
There are other F4U-4s on the market, and one of the others
might be a better bet.  They seem to ALL have problems.
The Mosquito is not for this build, of course.  Just a project I'm
working on.

Bish:  I would hate to be the guy in back who has to ride 3000
miles with an A-Bomb between his legs!  Nice work so far.
Yeah!  Go ahead and build an A-Bomb!  It should probably
resemble "Thin Man"

Gamera:  I think "Chee-Ree" is correct.  I just have an urge to pronounce it the other way.  That is quite the collection of infantry!  Are you doing a dio?

hogfanfs:  The hulls certainly give a size comparison for each AFV.
To my eyes, the Type 5 looks larger than the Panther.  May be just
the camera distortion.

Gary

Now i never thougt of that, building your own A-Bomb would certainly be somthing to boast about. There are two main reasons i picked that one. Firstly, the small thin one is to small, its described as a suicide bomb. I saw an image of one on a Bf 109. Second, of the 3 larger bombs, this one fits the bomb bay. Always a handy idea. I was hoping i could use both the Kora one and the one i have. One being winched up, the other being moved into position. But the 555 can omnly just carry one of them, so i will have to come up with somthing else to use those Antares bombs on.

If you decide to build your own and need some dimensions, let me know.