Nick, those tracks look great! Beav That's a lot of parts.

There's some nice work here, I've been keeping tabs until I got around to my second build, which is now.

I started on the PT-76, bypassing the wheels and tracks and staring on the hull.

I am seeing some good builds out there, hope I can keep up with you guys.(speedwise, skillwise, etc) Like the paint job on the hull, Nick. I have started the ICM T35 last night by putting some track links together. Doing them in batches of 15, stopping each night at 45, to keep my sanity. Not too bad but 350 is 350. Should get some work done this weekend because according to some weather experts "we" should be expecting "Super, Ultra, Megastorm 2018" others say 2-4 inches. Here are the sprues...sans the links. 750 parts count, but because this tank is a monster the parts are BIG! Enjoy.

wow there are so any nice builds here ! out standing to every one. here is what I have on the T-62.I did paint the hull with tamiya dark green have one side of the road wheels in place and my I attept with friulmodel tracks I have to say it was relaxing through the process.

Ernest,

Good work on those sponsons!
Dont understand why they did not shut those in the first place but all good now.

Kicking of the next one while the primer dryes on the SU.
Trumpeters BTR80A, starts with the tracks and running gear road wheel suspension system.



Will try to give the stearing wheels a bit of a tilt.

Hi Wayne

Tamiya is all about mixing until you get it right, and I have quite a few of their stuff.
So I have been hesitating to go for Vallejo since I have been thinking I can not mix them with the Tamiya. But I will give it a try - I have the Vallejo Primers and today I bought some Vallejo 4BO.

Tamiyas recomendation for he base color of the SU is FX-61 Dark Green. That is very dark green and I have seen noone else recomeding that as a match to 4BO.

Here is a comparsion I did today:

Tracks do seem to be the most tedious part of building armor.  Sticking with the rubber bands on the KV-1.  I will be getting a better kit at some point, and the upgrade would cost more than this kit...by a lot.

I used Kaizen workable tracks on a T-34 I recently finished, and really liked them.  Little clean up, and after figuring out how to get them together (that particular set uses pins similar to Friuls), they went together quickly.  They were a huge upgrade.

Have not tried link and length or ModelKasten or Friuls....yet.  Friuls are fantastic, but do take a bite out of the wallet.

I remember when rubber bands were the only option.  Now we have many options to upgrade the tracks, and while it can be tedious, I guess we should be happy to have those options. 

KV-1 is black based, so the base color will go down as soon as I can get my butt down to the basement.  Will be using Mission Models paint on this one.

Wayne & Ernest: Those look good guys! 

Sackgasse - cutting acrylics with Chardonnay? hmmm......never tried that!

Wayne - BTR-70 looking good.  Are you building it for this GB?

Not much of an update here.  Completed the scratchbuilt sponsons using sheet styrene:

The lower hull also had a gap on each side just behind the idler.  Shored those up with little fillets of styrene.

Still working on the MK links......

Sackgasse  When you say mix are you saying mixing a Tamiya color WITH a Vallejo color or using say Vallejo for the base color and Tamiya for one of the camo colors? I have used different paints on the same model with no issues. 

Still experimenting with Vallejo surface primer so no results to report right now. I know i have at NO problems with sanding issues or  lifting when masking with silly putty or tape when the primer is rattle can ACE Hardware NOW.

 Suspension. the front 4 wheels turn. I assume there are some internal tierods so all four turn at the same angle.

BTR-70 SUSPENSION by bravow01, on Flickr

Hi Waynec,
Some time ago I decided to go with Tamiya's acrylics since they seem to be available almost everywhere (was travelling a lot at the time). Hesitating to start mixing with Vallejo - although the brand seems to come very strong.
I am experimenting with a mix of Tamiya XF60 Dark Yellow and XF61 Dark Green 25/75%. Looks OK'ish.
Looking forward to your next update!

Ernest and DasBeav,
I am with you – if it wasn’t for those tracks…
Managed to glue my second track run to the jig provided to crate sag.
Plenty of warnings in the instructions NOT to do that but there you go...need to stop cutting the acrylics with Chardonnay.
Link and length seems a good compromise, but I understand that the improved impression is worth it – just don’t have the eyes and the patience.

Yepp Gamera,
next one is going to be a BTR80 

DasBeav: Good luck, I hate cleaning up tracks. Although if I can turn on the TV or YouTube and just get into a groove while doing it they aren't too bad. 

Wayne has a really good point there about building wheeled vehicles. 

ManCityFan

Ernest....sink marks in every link?  Someone needs to be publicly flogged for that one!

Yep!  I with you on that one Dwayne!  I'm still cleaning up those pin marks after three days!

Dasbeav, cleaning up and assembling indy link tracks are typically one of the most tedious parts of building tank kits, but in the end they usually turn out quite nice.  I almost always prefer them to vinyl tracks, with a few exceptions.

Very little progress on the JS-3.  As I mentioned, I'm still working on the MK links, but I did decide to scratchbuild sponsons for the upper hull.  I'll post some pics in a day or two.

Thanks for the encouragement, Griff. Always wanted to build this monster. It will be my first go with links. I will be watching lots of YouTube videos! Waynec, rubber treads are usually the determining factor for what tank model I will build. In my small tank stash, half are link or track and link. Strangely, they have been in the stash the longest. I wonder why?

DasBeav

...And so it begins. I am building a ICM T35. Last night I spent about 2 mind-numbing hours "cleaning up" track links. Luckily, no sink marks! This kit has 750 parts and here are 350 0f them...

DasBeav

...And so it begins. I am building a ICM T35. Last night I spent about 2 mind-numbing hours "cleaning up" track links. Luckily, no sink marks! This kit has 750 parts and here are 350 0f them...

 

and this is why i do warwheels. sriously, this is why. or modern tanks with side skirts and rubber band tracks in case i break one i can wire it under the skirts. though i did pick up a British WW1 WHIPPET as it has decals for Red Army, White Army and Freikorps which works with the Russian Civil War class i am working on to teach in April

Holy mackerel. I'm cheering you on bud. I found building the friul tracks, similar to these, was actually relaxing. Kind of like knitting. 

...And so it begins. I am building a ICM T35. Last night I spent about 2 mind-numbing hours "cleaning up" track links. Luckily, no sink marks! This kit has 750 parts and here are 350 0f them...

Ernest....sink marks in every link?  Someone needs to be publicly flogged for that one!

Sackgasse

Hi waynec,
Interessting, that suspension and drivetrain looks very much the same as the GAZ-AAA.
Cant advice on the green with any kind of authority but i agree with you - I would want to get the color closer to molded color of those BA-6's.
Coming along fine though!

i found some lighter Vallejo Russian Green. i think i will overspray the top and sides but leave wheel wells and suspension the darker color.

getting ready to start a Dragon Ukranian BTR-70 for Februeary club contest. may do it in UN if i can find some 1/35 Aftermarket UN decals. Interesting the UN on the Ukranian BTR ar sans serif like Arial and the ones for the Pakistani BTR are serif like Times Roman. They are old so trying to bleach them.

Looking good Ernest. Those injection marks in the track links though, I've done that before and it cost me a good chunk of what little hair I have left... 

Sackgasse - looks like you're figured out the gap issue and are moving along!  Not too sure how you deal with -5 temps though!!  Lowest its been in my town is 35!!

Wayne -  the BA-10 is looking good.  Love the intricate suspension of the kit!

Not much to post for a weekend's worth of work, but bench time was cut short due to working on a faulty washing machine (which still isn't working ).  Still, I did get some assembly done:

Lower hull/suspension is done.  Everthing went together quite well, but I'm suprised this Tamiya kit only has poly caps for the sprockets.  The rest of the roadwheels have to be glued.

Looking at the upper hull I noticed that it doesn't have any sponsons......  Ernest no likey! To scratchbuild or not to scratchbuild, that is the question!

I also spent some time on the MK tracks.  Every link has ejector pin marks on the inside face....Oh the horror!!

To fix this I used Mr. Hobby Dissolved Putty.....

I luv this stuff for filling in pin marks and other small places that standard putty is hard to use.  I simply put a small dollop of the dissolved putty on each pin mark with an old, small brush.

I like to let it dry overnight before sanding it down smooth.  Sometimes I find that a second application of the putty is needed on a few links.

I was worried that there might not be enough links in the MK set, so I checked teh kit vinyl tracks.  Each track has 82 links per side, but they are a bit larger than the MK links so I estimate the JS-3 will need 85-86 MK links per side.  I counted 176 MK links so that allows 88 links per side....just enough with a few to spare!!  Whew!

Well, in order to make sure I don't leave anyone out great work all around guys!!!

- 5 in Gothenburg but a beautiful day. Need to get out!
I hear they had -38 on Mount Washington, New Hamshire... would not go out there...

The issue with the gap is sorted, the front plate is supposed to protrude and the gap - well it is a Tamiya and when dryfitting the sideplate it is a 100 % fit.
So my take is that it should be there. 

Hi waynec,
Interessting, that suspension and drivetrain looks very much the same as the GAZ-AAA.
Cant advice on the green with any kind of authority but i agree with you - I would want to get the color closer to molded color of those BA-6's.
Coming along fine though!

BA-10. Suspension system is not as robust as modern warwheels which is to be exoected. i think the paint is too dark so, even though that is the base coat, i am going to hit the outside, but not the chassis or under the fenders, with a lighter green.

HOBBYBOSS BA-10 BOXART by bravow01, on Flickr

HOBBYBOSS BA-10 CHASSIS (3) by bravow01, on Flickr

HOBBYBOSS BA-10 CHASSIS (1) by bravow01, on Flickr

HOBBYBOSS BA-10 TURRET PAINTED by bravow01, on Flickr

HOBBYBOSS BA-10 BASECOAT by bravow01, on Flickr

Found these from Pegasus . they are BA-6s and i have a 1/35 BA-6 which will be done in Soanish Civil War Republican colors. just goofing and trying stuffwith these.

PEGASUS 1-72 BA-6 SMALL by bravow01, on Flickr

Hey Sackgasse, welcome to the GB!  

Not sure about those gaps.  Hopefully someone else can chime in.

Lots of great work going on here!  Got to get back to my bench.  0 degrees here, and my bench is in the basement.  Brrr.

Hmm,
Making slow progress on the track links and started on the hull.
Breaking out off build sequence moving from step 3 to step 15 I get a bit nervous:
Is the gap between the upward armor plate and the engine deck OK?

bufflehead

One more update for the evening:

I wanted to see if those Model Kasten SK-9 tracks would fit the JS-3 sprockets so I cleaned up and assembled a few of them.  They are a very close match to the kit vinyl tracks, just a wee bit smaller:

Do they fit the JS-3 sprockets?  You betcha!!  I couldn't ask for a better fit!

With that question answered its time to start building it!

 

 

 

Glad to see they fit so nice. That's a relief. Look forward to seeing the progress. That JS-3 was a beast. I read a couple articles on it after seeing your posts. 

Thanks for the wellcome!
Slight change of plans:
I have lost the drawings to the Meng Terminator so can't start that one quite yet.
And one A-sprue has gone missing in the BTR-80A, don't know if that was me or Trumpeter - working on a solution tohether with my LHS.

So - stop gap is going to be the Tamiya SU-76M in 1/35:

Did not check the kit at all before the purchase - but I remember reading some positive reviews when the kit came out in 2016.

If I would have known that the tracks where mad up by 128 parts I would have hesitated - gave up on the MiniArt offering for that exact reason.

Anyway - built a small jig for the tracks assembly and am ready to start now:

great job on those builds so far all you guys! this is what i have so far I bought those metal tracks from friulmodel and its not as bad as i thought. The tank is comming together well so I got the tamiya T-55A its a step up from this old T-62A but Im still going to finish this T-62.