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British Army Group Build 2020

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  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Goteborg / Sverige
Posted by Svenne Duva on Thursday, October 1, 2020 9:49 AM

Hello again Sergeant,

That Matador is just waiiiting for you to sort that compressor!

I have a cheap DIY style thing myself, details can be found here if you are interested (you might need to scroll down to the end)...

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference_materials/f/18/t/184994.aspx

Looking forward to see that Bofors coming along as well!

Design was done by Bofors in Karlskoga, my birth place.

Short update on the Chevvy and a problem were I am reaching out for help...

The main assembly of the chassis is completed, detail level was OK'ish considering the the 55 years the kit has been around but flash was massiv and mold seams had to be cleaned up everywere.

Now to my problem, I am using Vallejo Surface Primer, in this case 73.69 4BO and usually I can spray that straight as is without cutting it with thinner.

But today I had a weird problem, the airbrush only worked when holding it very close to the object, and only with very precise manipulation of the trigger.

When I pushed back the needle to far and airflow at max I only had air blowing through.

When I released the trigger slightly, thats both air and needle, I had a few seconds of spray and then nothing again.

I thinned down the primer to milk but still no joy.

This is with an Airmax 0,3 mm at 25 PSI, the thing is equipped with a tank so I have a constant airflow.

Anyway,
Managed to get some Aluminium and Gunmetal on the Triumph enginblock as well, more to that later. 

Best Regards

 Svenne

 

sic transit gloria mundi

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 2:11 PM

Thank you Svenne and Bish. I started the Matador as a stand-along model to be part of the British Army Group Build. I also wanted one of those cool British Army badges. I have always liked classic military vehicles and the AEC Matador is one of my favorites. I added a British Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun to be completed over the Christmas holiday and thinking about adding a gun crew later.

This morning I finished the truck cab but left it so I can take the cab apart to paint the interior. I left off a few delicate parts until I finish painting because I always seem to break something when handling the model very much. I am ready to start painting, but I may put this project on the shelf for a couple of weeks to decide on a new air compressor.

Harold

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 6:33 AM

Harold, i am really impressed with that truck, looking very nice.

I have only built 2 AFRV Club kits so far, both 251's, though i have recentluy started adding otehr subjects to the stash. I did notice rather large pour stubs on both kits. Though they were out of site, they had to be removed as some of them were so big they stopped the hull floor from fitting at all. I'll be branching to to other AFV Club kits soon, the Scimitor and Centurian are both lined up for the bench, so will have to see what they are like.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Goteborg / Sverige
Posted by Svenne Duva on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 5:32 AM

Hi Sergeant,

That Matador is coming along nicely!

Allways liked the laid back look of that truck - as if it is leaning back preparing for a giant leap forward :)

Nice referens pictures - looks like a lefty but I guess the layout of the controls would be the same just on the right hand side.

I will join you with a chevvy gun tractor if thats OK.

Bought it second hand (two big macs) and it did come with a pot of plastic cement - luckely not from the days when the kit came out back in the 70s.

@Gamera 
Thanks for thinking of the deadline and the bike being a smaller challenge, it is actually Eski's old 1/9, that is the headlight (bit blury) behind the chasis.

@Bish
Nice bust! 
Blackbasing - interesting technique, will look out for this one for sure.
(And for an other GB, in a distant future; Meet Otto, he will be riding Esci's BMW):

Stay safe, stay sane and happy modeling!
Svenne

...udated after getting my glasses back on...

sic transit gloria mundi

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 3:27 PM

Gamera

That looks great Harold, almost ready for painting! 

And when refered to injection pin holes I mostly meant the circle like depressions like #4 in your photo. I'm not sure it's the right term. The ones that stand out like #1 I can clip off and sand down. The depressions if filled with putty always want to chip if I sand the putty. 

And I'm not complaining that much, I really do like AFV Club kits. For years they were the only company that did a lot of Allied subjects. Dragon, though I love 'em seemed to be mostly German stuff. 

 

Thank you, Cliff. I agree AFV Club does have a lot of ejector pin marks, or whatever the correct term is for the stuff on the back. I have never had a Dragon kit, but I do hear good things about them in the Forum.

I am just about ready to start painting. Before I do, I would like to have a new air compressor. I have my eye on an Iwata IS850 Smart Jet, but I am still doing some research and comparing prices.

Harold

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 11:41 AM

That looks great Harold, almost ready for painting! 

And when refered to injection pin holes I mostly meant the circle like depressions like #4 in your photo. I'm not sure it's the right term. The ones that stand out like #1 I can clip off and sand down. The depressions if filled with putty always want to chip if I sand the putty. 

And I'm not complaining that much, I really do like AFV Club kits. For years they were the only company that did a lot of Allied subjects. Dragon, though I love 'em seemed to be mostly German stuff. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Monday, September 28, 2020 11:46 PM

I completed the interior cab assembly today and tomorrow I hope to finish the exterior cab assembly. I need to paint the interior before I can put the cab, bed, canopy, and chassis together.

I made a few mistakes today, because I was rushing to finish as much as possible. I lost one of the pedals, a clutch pedal, I think but I made a new one out styrene, so it was not a major issue.

The control levelers on the floor seem to be in the way of the gas pedal, so I did a little research and found out the levelers lay over the wheel wells allowing access to the gas pedal. I am not sure what the levers do, but they are in the right place. Please see photographs #3 and #4 below. I also found pictures of a finished AFV Club Matador, #5 and #6 that confirm how the manufacture intended the levers to look.

Harold

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Sunday, September 27, 2020 6:03 PM

Gamera

 

Sergeant

 

Gamera

Harold: That looks really good, you're making excellent progress. Looks like you're about halfway there on construction. Odd about the jerry cans and their rack though. Never encountered any weird features like that myself in AFV Club kits- just zillions of injection pin holes everywhere that need to be filled. Don't get me wrong, I love their kits but it is a pain to fill and sand so many holes. 

Thanks Cliff... Regarding the injection pin holes you mentioned, where do you find them? I have three AFV Club models in various stages of assembly that I'm planning to paint in a couple of weeks and I haven't seen any pin holes on the paintable surface, but maybe I'm not looking at the right place?

 

Harold

 

Guess I should have specified on the reverse side from the outside surface. Which can be a pain in something like a M10 or M36 where you can see the inside of the turret. There weren't any pin holes on the inside of your Matador's cab?

 

Cliff I am not sure we are talking about the same thing? Below is a photograph I took today of a sprue from an AFV Club M109A2 kit. There are five different type of marks on the plastic, are any of these what you are talking about?

 

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Sunday, September 27, 2020 5:14 PM

Bish

Likeing the look of that Harold, building up nicely.

 

Thank you Bish. I completed assembly of the canopy this morning and I am ready to start assembly of the truck cab interior. The canopy will not be glued to the truck bed until the interior is painted.

I ordered Eureka XXL braider metal wire rope in .40mm diameter to replace the copper wire cables stowed on the tail gate. I have used the Eureka wire rope before and it is easy to use, realistic looking material. I also ordered AFV Club styrene British fuel cans to replace the resin ones that came in the kit.

Harold

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, September 27, 2020 4:44 PM

Bish: That looks really cool! I've done some larger scale figures but no busts as yet. And I've tried blackbasing but never really liked the looks of it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this goes. Please keep us updated.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, September 27, 2020 4:41 PM

Sergeant

 

 
Gamera

Harold: That looks really good, you're making excellent progress. Looks like you're about halfway there on construction. Odd about the jerry cans and their rack though. Never encountered any weird features like that myself in AFV Club kits- just zillions of injection pin holes everywhere that need to be filled. Don't get me wrong, I love their kits but it is a pain to fill and sand so many holes.

 

 

 

Thanks Cliff... Regarding the injection pin holes you mentioned, where do you find them? I have three AFV Club models in various stages of assembly that I'm planning to paint in a couple of weeks and I haven't seen any pin holes on the paintable surface, but maybe I'm not looking at the right place?

 

Harold

 

Guess I should have specified on the reverse side from the outside surface. Which can be a pain in something like a M10 or M36 where you can see the inside of the turret. There weren't any pin holes on the inside of your Matador's cab?

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Sunday, September 27, 2020 3:47 AM

Been working on my bust here and there over the past few months and figured it wastime to post some pics.

This comes from a small one man outfit based on Guernsey (Sarnia is the old Roman name for the island). So while its not Youngs Miniatures standard, but its still nivce and good to see subjects from this largely overlooked conflict.

It needed a little filler around the collar where the head fitted to the body, and quite a bit of clean up.

And after black primer, some paint all with Vallejo.

I am rathyer pleased with hosw the wood on the musket came out, and still need to finish off the red leather glove.

More to follow.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Sunday, September 27, 2020 2:55 AM

Likeing the look of that Harold, building up nicely.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Sunday, September 27, 2020 12:24 AM

Gamera

Harold: That looks really good, you're making excellent progress. Looks like you're about halfway there on construction. Odd about the jerry cans and their rack though. Never encountered any weird features like that myself in AFV Club kits- just zillions of injection pin holes everywhere that need to be filled. Don't get me wrong, I love their kits but it is a pain to fill and sand so many holes.

 

Thanks Cliff... Regarding the injection pin holes you mentioned, where do you find them? I have three AFV Club models in various stages of assembly that I'm planning to paint in a couple of weeks and I haven't seen any pin holes on the paintable surface, but maybe I'm not looking at the right place?

Harold

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Saturday, September 26, 2020 7:43 PM

Brandon: I'm not sure anything I do can be called a 'masterpiece' but thanks nonetheless!!!

Harold: That looks really good, you're making excellent progress. Looks like you're about halfway there on construction. Odd about the jerry cans and their rack though. Never encountered any weird features like that myself in AFV Club kits- just zillions of injection pin holes everywhere that need to be filled. Don't get me wrong, I love their kits but it is a pain to fill and sand so many holes.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Saturday, September 26, 2020 7:12 PM

Gamera

Thanks Harold! They weren't in service that long so I didn't see much point in much weathering.

And thanks for the offer, I like the plague but not sure it needs one.

 

Thank you Lostagain. A random thought: I would love to do a 'walk-about' in Australia, from what little I know it is a fascinating place to visit.

Cliff, I agree a plaque is not necessary unless you want to give your diorama a theme or say something about the scene you created.

I completed steps 10 through 18 out of 28 which is the truck bed, seating, and accessories. There were a few problems in these steps starting with resin gas cans that came with the kit. Why AFV Club chose to have resin gas cans when their styrene cans are perfect, I have no idea. However, the main problem was the styrene storage rack for these gas cans that is located under the truck bed. The storage rack was incomplete according to the number of parts in the instructions. Anyway I ended up making a storage rack out of styrene strips which is a little different than the original, but it looks similar to an actual rack I had fabricated out of angle iron, so I know it will work.

There were also a few other problems with the instructions, but I was able to work around those without too much difficulty. Step 19 is assembly of the canopy and then steps 20 through 27 is the cab interior. The cab interior will need to be hand-painted before final assembly and painting.

Harold

 

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Saturday, September 26, 2020 4:30 PM

Excellent work, Gamera. A true masterpiece. It looks truly amazing.

BK

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Saturday, September 26, 2020 4:22 PM

Thanks Harold! They weren't in service that long so I didn't see much point in much weathering.

And thanks for the offer, I like the plague but not sure it needs one.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    September 2018
  • From: Vancouver, Washington USA
Posted by Sergeant on Friday, September 25, 2020 1:12 PM

Gamera

Cliff, I love it... Ever bit of it is British. I especially like the weathering, just enough to look real, but not overdone. This is excellent workmanship, you did a first class job on the entire project. If you decide to add a brass plaque to the base, let me know and I will give you the contact information I used on the Ontos.

Outstanding work!

Harold

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Friday, September 25, 2020 7:34 AM

Thanks Bish! I'm not sure about brillant but I'm pretty happy how she came out. And I'm overjoyed at having something that's been sitting in my stash for the better part of forever finally built. 

I took the model to our IPMS meeting last night- got more comments on the guy's kilt than the tank... Hmm

Bish please use whatever photo you like the best for the front page. 

And thanks again for running a fantastic GB. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Thursday, September 24, 2020 3:35 PM

Thats a brilliantly done build gamera, all round great job.

Going to check that scenic site out for the trees. I have made my own but its a long process.

Thanks for taking part, will update front page at the weekend.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 24, 2020 10:45 AM

Jack: You can do the same with plaster- it's just a lot more fragile than the Durhams.

Guess as a small company they just don't have any international distribution network. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: ON, Canada
Posted by jgeratic on Thursday, September 24, 2020 9:10 AM

Cliff, thank you for explaining your landscaping methods.   I looked up the Durham putty and found it at Canada's Amazon site, albeit at tripple the price.

 

regards,

Jack

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Thursday, September 24, 2020 7:26 AM

Thanks guys! Ya'll are way too kind. 

Svenne: Both of those sound good! The motorcycle being smaller might be easier to finish by the end date though. 

Jack: Funny, it's my standard quick, cheap, and dirty base. The rough edges are due to the static grass not wanting to stick to the edges of the base. I thought about spreading more glue there and adding more grass and decided to just leave it. 

The base is just Durham's Water Putty, it's like plaster but waaaaayyyyy stronger. It doesn't crack or splinter unless you hit it with a hammer. Shep Paine turned me on to the stuff in his 'How to Build Dioramas' manual. I'm not sure you can get it in Canada, I talked to Bish about it a year or two ago, and they don't sell it in the UK. If you want some and can't get it send me a message and I'll mail you a container. 

http://waterputty.com/

I just press the tank down into the wet putty to leave ruts and then remove it and wash the treads off carefully to get rid of the excess putty. When the base is dry I paint it using cheap 99 cent craft store paint a light earth colour. I then add what's basically a wash of darker earth coloured paint mixed 50/50 with water to settle into the low spots. Then a liberal coating of glue and a good sprinkling of static grass. 

The tree was added due to Shep Paine's manual again- just to balance out the figures on the other side of the dio. It's made from Scenic Express's Super Trees, a dried weed type paint with lots of branches, painted grey and then a coat of glue and sprinked with their Super Leaf product. It's made for railroading but it works fine for larger stuff. 

 http://scenicexpress.com/

 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    April 2014
  • From: Australia
Posted by lostagain on Thursday, September 24, 2020 5:55 AM

 

Grey Snake, nice work on cleaning up the Sherman’s paint job, you’re right the variation will look good in the finished model.

 

Harold, looks like there is great detail in the Matador chassis, it is coming along well.

 

Cliff, love the Scots, those figures look great. Impressed by the kilt! The finished product is fantastic. Great finish, weathering, base and figures, super work.

 

Eric, the Valentine has ended up nice and dusty, really good and you have done a great job on the base for a desert scene.
Svenne, I haven't seen a motorcycle on the forum for a long time...

 

  • Member since
    December 2005
  • From: Goteborg / Sverige
Posted by Svenne Duva on Thursday, September 24, 2020 3:44 AM

Hello and sorry for long time no see.
Good to see this bunch still working their way through these  difficult times!

Lots of great stuff already completed and on the way - will need the rest of today for ketchup :)

With my Staghund and Valentine stil in quarantine in Germany, my W.O.T.8 stalled (to many misstakes) I have now managed to pull together enough motivation to ask if I could re-enter with one out of two new candidates:

#1 Chevrolet "Gun Tractor" 3rd British Infantry Division - Normandy 1944. Italeri 1/35.
https://www.italeri.com/en/product/2334

#2 Triumph 3HW, military motorcycle. Italeri 1/9.
https://www.italeri.com/en/product/2517

As always
Svenne

sic transit gloria mundi

  • Member since
    April 2006
  • From: ON, Canada
Posted by jgeratic on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 9:18 PM

Hello Cliff, that is quite a finish for your Comet - nice one! Yes

I like how the tree adds depth, and the rough edges of the turf gives a sense that it could have been torn from the ground specifically for the base.   What prodructs are these?

 

regards,

Jack

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 8:00 PM

Finished her up Sunday and finally got the photos taken this evening. As usual click on the photo for a bigger picture:

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
Posted by Bish on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 9:05 AM

That is looking very nice harold. And yes, a pity to lose all that detail.

I am a Norfolk man and i glory in being so

 

On the bench: Airfix 1/72nd Harrier GR.3/Fujimi 1/72nd Ju 87D-3

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 7:27 AM

Harold: She's coming along great! A pity all that detail won't be seen unless you pick up the model and hold her upside down. 

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

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