ARMOR - British/Commonwealth Group Build (9/17/04 to 12/31/04)

Well, it's getting me really motivated seeing finished builds allready.
I've decided to change my entry. Instead of the Chally II, I'll be building a 1/35 Modelcraft Centurion Mk.3
Got the kit for cheap recently, and I can see why. It'll take some work to get this one to look decent, but it looks like a simple build.
It'll be straight OOB, with some scratched (very few) improvements, some camo netting etc, and hopefully somethind decent will come out in the end.

woooooohoooooooo got that link thing to work. Thanks for the advice Pete

Buff, the Churchill is close to 25- 30 years old. It was originally issued as the Crocodile Flamethrower with the armoured trailer, but Tamiya re-issued it as the standard Tank and added the figure sprue (and upped the price). About time someone did an update, maybe an earlier version too.

If memory serves me correct, one of the Tamiya decal options is "Iceni", Troop 2 tank of A Squadron of the 9 RTR (the winter camo is not essential, the standard Bronze green is okay for that vehicle too). If you are interested in a little history, this site has some personal accounts from guys in 9RTR:
http://www.9thrtr.com

and also the complete text from Peter Beale's book "Tank Tracks" which is a light history, and amusing read, of 9 RTR.
http://www.9thrtr.com/TT/CONTENTS.HTM
Appendix IV has a list of many of the Tank names used by 9 RTR, although only a few were mark VII's. (I have the complete book with other pics not on the site).

Looking good Rich. That sink hole in the back of the forward cargo wall, behind where the driver goes, is not covered by the stowage, so you might like to fill and sand it before you do anything more in there - I know this from experience!

T34, that Braille scale Bren takes me back about 30 years. I built that when I was a kid. Not too sure about the poor guy in the back holding the 6 pounder round though, must have been tiring! The pics show it is a bit shiny, or is that just the camera flash? Nice job anyway.

Zokissma, good luck with the Modelcraft kit, I think you will need it!

As to the Centaur, fenders built, skirts next. Took me a few hours to work out the measurements right for the fenders. I usually make a template from thin card stock so that I can easily trim it to shape, then stick that down on a sheet of brass using clear Contact film (book covering). Using an old scalpel I then cut the brass with several cuts with the blade. When finished this leaves the template intact, so I just turn that over and stick that down on the brass, to make the fender for the other side. That way they are identical in shape. Hope to be finished these soon, so I can post pics.

Keep up the good work

hey feldgrau23, What base color did you use?

looks good t3488g

For now I have been using Tamiya's Dark Green TS-2 but I found Tamiya's Deep Green XF-28 that I may see if it might look ok.

Thanks for the Tip Peter. You know I had seen it to begin with and sanded it down because mine appeared to be raised a little. Funny,, sanding it worked on one side but not the other,, go figure.

I havent seen that color, Ill have to look. Thanks

Thanks for the tips, Peter. I'll look up the references when I get home. I was using "Churchill Infantry Tank 1941-1951" as my reference. Always nice to have more!

I have had to change my subject to the SAS pink panther land rover, as the Rover Ambulance was out of stock in the LHS.
I have not started yet due to commitments in another GB, but I am well ahead in that build so will spend some time on this one over the coming weekend. If anyone can help, I am looking for a "pink" colour for this kit, I can get either Humbrol or Tamiya paints, the instructions are vague on the colour.
Any help appreciated.

To those how have waited here are pics of the Centurion MK 13.I will post some later pics that will be better as soon as the sun comes out.These were taken indoors because I could not wait.My fade job came out great and I am well pleased with this kit. So enjoy untill I can get better pictures of this tank.Digger
P.S.The markings is that of the 5th Royal Dragoon regiment











Here comes the sun finially.

Buff, the site is more for reading than reference, although a few pics of the crew in front of the tanks are there.

Not prob Rich, just speaking from experience (I didn't do it on mine!).

Dave. Most pinks on the market are gloss and bright. The SAS Landrover was flat and more white than red. Tamiya Pink with added white will be okay, but use a flat topcoat over that. See this pic of a repro vehicle for the idea:

Ok, well, I took a detailed look at the Modelcraft Centurion kit, and it doesn't look like I'll be able to start construction this weekend, as I'm in dire need of wire, styrene stock, filler putty, and super glue. This is going to take some work. So far I've just planed things out. All grab handles will be removed, as the moulded on ones are just plain wrong! All tools will be removed and new ones fashioned, while new clips and straps for additional 'track-link-armor' need to be made.
This will be my first foray into such modifications, so if anyone has any useful advice, please feel free as I'm all ears

Well, an update on my 2-pdr en portee.

Got some great pix of a 2-pdr en portee at the Melbourne Tank Museum from Cliff Wignell. These specifically give me the solution to how the portee sat on the bed without the legs hanging over (see prev post) -- they were folded part way !!! No other photo I have shows that !!!

Anyway, with these pix & the ones I got earlier, I have about all the detail info I need & can proceed without anymore information gaps (I hope).

I have been working on further modifying the cab & floor to get the right sant to the doors; just using the TA FAT cab as is, leaves things a bit to squarish. I'm also working on correcting/detailing the engine.

I'm getting a bit too wrapped up in the details & loosing sight of my oroiginal goal, which is a slightly shot-up vehicle in a diorama, but that's OK ...

PS: RebelRenactor / John
Saw great bumper sticker yesterday "I'd rather be shooting Yankees" -- you weren't down my way were you ???

While back on page 14 I posted new pics of my Centurion.The sun came out today so ya'll can see the real deal.Digger

QUOTE: PS: RebelRenactor / John Saw great bumper sticker yesterday "I'd rather be shooting Yankees" -- you weren't down my way were you ???

Lol!
nope, thats a good one!

OK, altho' it's not much, here's the progress report on the
build i'm doing (Revell Challenger I in 1/72):
the beastie has been base coated in Desert Sand
the lower hull tub has been assembled...
plastic, paint & glue have all met,
project officially underway !
T3488g, nice 2 see the airfix carrier & 6pdr...
that is one small kit !
digger, great job ! & u r already done, congrats !!!

frosty

Frosty,done with the Centurion but have bought a Valentine tank a week ago and will do this one too.Digger

Zokissma. Scratch building is a test of patience. You need to make sure all the pieces are set before going on. Break down the pieces you want to make into basic shapes (square, triangle, circle etc) and you will find it much easier.

Determining the size is always the hardest bit, but good reference pics will sort that out.

Lastly, don't try and replicate every bit of detail. Some stuff will just be too small to make, and won't be seen anyway. Good luck.

Fender skirts and supports manufactured from brass sheet and styrene. Rivet detail added. Turret basket floor and supports made, as I think you will see down past the loader when the white paint goes in. Just a few more details to add and the Centaur will be ready for paint. Will post pics Monday or Tuesday. Have fun over the weekend guys and girls.

very nice Digger ...very nice indeed

1:72 Revell Challenger 1

Frosty are you building your Chally OOB ? There are some really nice PE turret baskets on the market for the Chally. Gives it quite a nice finish. Although as I think I said before its already a nice kit to build OOB.

Oh, update on my RAF Regt Scorpion CVR(T) - Haven't started[:0]

Well I guess that I will start on the Valentine tomorrow.Digger

Well, I am back. Now for my progress report-
I have nearly completed the building stage of the model. All I have left are 3 parts to put together. Then ASAP I will paint it in Dark Green.
And because I love them so much, I will be putting it in a dio with one fig or none. It'll depend on whether I can find a good one or not.
well, hope to be done by the end of the month.

Jeff Gunn:
nice looking chally there !
i'm definitely leaning towards OOB on this one, the kit doesn't look as if it
needs much in the way of added parts... but who makes the p/e turret baskets ?

Digger: good luck w/ round 2 !

Zokissima:
when i scratchbuild a part, i mite have 2 make it 2 or 3 times before i
have a piece that looks rite... don't b afraid 2 try again !
best of luck 2 u also !

frosty

Okay Pic time.

Here is the Tamiya Centaur ready for paint. The outer road and idler wheels are not attached yet, so I can paint the insides. This is also why the tracks look a little warped. A few other items are still misssing (turret lift rings need to be added after the huge turret decals are affixed, and the pads for the inside of the turret hatches will be added after being painted separately). All the detail is scratch built from brass sheet, copper wire, fuse wire and styrene stock. The tow cables are picture frame wire and the kits loop ends. The blue you see on the fenders and skirts is 'Blu-Tak' putty. The skirts are just tacked in place for these pics. The white stuff is oxidised cyano. My bottle is getting a little old and I find it hazes badly when getting stale.

Well, I finally decided to get something started on the Centurion. And boy, do I have a lot of work ahead of me. The construction started with the gun barrel and mantlet. I chose the non-canvas covered variant. The barrel is another matter altogether. First, the half-tubes are warped, so it took some force to straighten them. Still not perfect, so I'll see what I can do. It took about half an hour to clean and glue, and sand them to get anything remotely cylidrical. Still have some filling and sanding to go. Next, I removed all of the moulded on tools on the upper hull. I'm waiting for the weekend to get some styrene sheets so that I can start on the side skirts.
And therin is my progress so far.
One request, if anyone has any Centurion pics, technical pics, etc, please please contact me.

Zokissma. Try here for a choice of versions:
http://tanxheaven.com/referencepictures.htm
and here - 2 options:
http://www.seedwiki.com/page.cfm?doc=Vehicle%20Picture%20List&wikiid=92&vehiclename=Centurion_Ken_Tyler_MMSN&typefolder=tanks&nationalfolder=english

http://www.seedwiki.com/page.cfm?doc=Vehicle%20Picture%20List&wikiid=92&vehiclename=MMSN_Centurion&typefolder=tanks&nationalfolder=english

Here for some info and pics on Aussie Centurians:
http://www.mheaust.com.au/Aust/Austindex.htm

Failing all that, I have the full download from the old AFV Interiors site as a Microsoft Word doc. If you want that drop me an email.

Cheers

Petbat if you keep going we will have to ask,"Is it real or is it memorix."Keep it up on the work and can't wait to see it finished.Digger

Petbat, Looks great man. Is that a PE tow cable though?

I am going to the store to get some dio supplies an some MM dark green. These are the figs I want to use.



I hope to get my digital cam back from my sister really soon. Sorry about that.

Well Gang my Carrier has come to a temporary stop due to a problem that has arisen and I am not sure how to fix but I will over come,,,, think I may have to take it apart. Part of the Engine is up to high. as a consequence some of the equipment and Radios that go in that area will not fit properly. Oh well I will overcome. Oh and hey this is my 500 post as well. nothing compared to those with 5000 but hey a small milestone none the less.

feldgrau23 congratulations on your 500th post

Ok progress, well i'm up to the painting stage so as soon as i buy the exterior colours i can get going......
Anyway here's a pic.......J.S..

Is it too late to get in on this one? I might just have to give it a try for my first GB if
i can find a suitable subject!