Liberation of Western Europe GB

Chris - looks pretty good. just a couple of things. I'd wrap the end of the camo net a little tighter - something like that could concieveably snag something and possibly damage the gun tube (if this were the real thing of course!). As the Tiger II has steel road wheels, I'd also drybrush some Steel color paint on the road wheels, idler and drive sprockets where they would contact the track. Your track problem is terrible . Who made that kit?? Assuming of course you have each track on the proper side, (the two rows of guide teeth go towards the hull), you can try and tie the track down with thread looped thru the track and around the roadwheel axles or you can try the expensive route - order a set of Fruilmodel tracks. In this case, I think you'd be quite pleased with the end result.

ww2 modeler - please add me to the builders list as TBD (to be determined). I'm trying to get my hands on an M-16 Quad .50. But, the best laid plans of mice and men....I see you're going to start Tamiya's M-26 Pershing. It's a really good kit. I'll take pictures and post them tommorow,if you'd like to see mine. I can also post some "motivational" photos of my M-18 Hellcat. It's a metal monster- I added way too much AM . It's easily the heaviest kit in my collection; at least until I get the Tiger I with full interior built.

TTFN

-John

HI John, that would be great if you could post some pics of the Hellcat and the Pershing. Any tips or advice on the Pershing would be great to. Welcome to the build! When you get your kit, just tell me and I'll edit the main page.

David

Here are a couple of updates on my Greyhound:

The interior with the visible pin marks cleaned up.  The interior is kinda sparse, but I committed to build this one OOTB 

The undercarriage with the complete suspension.  Missing is the exhaust which I will paint and weather individually.

So far, this is a great kit.  It has gone together with minimal effort and alignment is near perfect.  I'll paint and weather the interior over the weekend and post pics and details soon.

You all need more airplanes. Put me in with a Lockheed Lodestar, Special Hobbies. I'll post the boxtop tomorrow. I'm open to creative ideas abt markings, otherwise I'll probably do RAF.

Just finished a couple that fit the bill:

a C-47, and a C-46:

Bondoman

Looking good circuitrider, I agree with you about the interior but the suspension looks awesome. Keep us posted on your progress.

bondoman, welcome to the build. Your C-47 and C-46 look really good, what kits did you use? Also, did you use an airbrush or spray paint for them. Great work and again, welcome to the build.

circuitrider - looking good . Can't wait to see the finished product.

bondoman - . I'm not really a "plane" guy, but I sure can appreciate the fine work on your C-46 Commando. Excellent work .

David - sorry I'm running behind. It been chaotic as of late. My mother in-law had foot surgery 4 days ago and I've been running back and forth and back and forth...

But, I promised some photos didn't I. I"ll start with the M-26 Pershing. I built this one as a USMC Korean War version (B41) and I still have to weather the suspension and dullcote it. I built it pretty much OOB. I did add Fruil tracks and a Verlinden Pershing stowage set along with bits from my "boneyard" and I also added lots of MG ammo cans also from Verlinden. The main gun tube is scratchbuilt from aluminum tubing with the kit's muzzle brake. The "racks" for the extra MG ammo are scratchbuilt from stiff wire. I dispensed with the kit's wimpy looking tow cable and hangers and built my own using twine, aluminum sheet (from a soda can), and the kit supplied tow cable ends. I also relocated the .50cal MG to forward of the TC's cupola, as this was sometimes done to provide a better field of fire and added an Eduard Zoom PE MG box, ammo can holder and PE ammo belt. I also drilled out the headlights and added Kristal Kleer to simulate lenses. The kit has a workable suspension- and I originally built it as workable- but, I found that it will sag and makes the model "sit" funny. I don't know if this is because of the extra weight from the Fruil tracks or not. I finally decided that I wasn't going to build a diorama with it and glued most of the suspension arms in place. As you can see by the track sag in the last photo I still need to "tighten" up the idler wheel arms .

I assume that you'll build a WW II Pershing from the Zebra Mission. All the photos I've seen of these early Pershings (technically still T26E3's) show the side skirts in place and not a whole lot of external storage like my Korean War version.You'll need to drill out parts H4 and H25 as these were used as anchor points for a turret mounted jib used for maintenance, (like the early King Tiger). These were eventually removed from later models. Also, the bulge between the driver and bow gunner is a Roto-clone blower. The kit has two slots on each side of the housing denoting a 1000 cfm blower (used in later models). You will need to fill these slots and scribe a single slot down each side to depict the 400 cfm version on the early Pershings. The Army also added turnbuckles to the rear fenders to keep them from sagging - which the kit leaves out. Sadly, I couldn't figure an easy way to replicate these and just added stowage to the rear fenders to cover this. I also didn't add a gun mantle cover or the mounting points for it.

I will recommend Squadron/Signal's Pershing/Patton in action; ISBN#0-89747-442-2. This covers the T26/M26/M46 and M47 Patton. I used this book quite a bit along with The M26 Pershing and variants (T26E3/M26/M26A1/M45 and M46/M46A1); ISBN#0-7643-1544-7. They both have a good deal of photos of the Zebra Mission Pershings. The M26 Pershing and variants has a very good "up close and personal" sequence of photos of a Pershing stalking, then killing a Panther tank near the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne Germany. Sometimes you can catch this famous action on History channel - I know I've seen the gunner and TC (SGT Bob Early) interviewed.

Hope this helps some. I'll add my M-18 Hellcat "motivational" photos and a build description in a later post this evening....

TTFN

-John

Wow, the Pershing looks really good and thanks for the tips and advice on the build. What color did you use for the upper hull. Again, looks really good. I'll be starting mine as soon as I'm done with my P-38.

David

David- Thanks for the compliments . The base coat is an old standby - Model Master Olive Drab Enamel in a spray can, followed by a wash of MM Dark Green enamel (jar) and finally drybrushed with MM Dark Tan (jar). I've also drybrushed a little MM Steel here and there to simulate crew entry/egress etc. Please remember that I still haven't flat coated the drybrush coat yet. Once I finish with the suspension, I'll do that - saves on materials that way.

If you want or need reference photos, I'll try and help out - the photos will come from the books previously mentioned.

-John

Well thanks guys, I'm glad to join. The C-46 is a 1/72 Williams Bros. kit that I think they are going to reissue. I did a little research and came up with the markings from the "..in action" book. The kit decals aren't any good, so I had to find alternates, but the markings are pretty sparse so it's ok. One thing I'd like to find is the Air transport Service insignia.

The antenna array is pretty complicated and still need to be strung, the exhausts are missing etc but I'm getting there. The C-47 is the Italeri DC-3  with Eagle Strike decals that are very nice. The kit has canyon sized recessed panel lines which made painting and masking the invasion stripes a bear. Both are painted with modelmaster acrylics thru an Aztek airbrush, which I like a lot because it is maintenance free- no field stripping it in the heat of combat!!

Here is a picture of the Lodestar kit. It looks like fun to build.

Bondoman

do we have a badge?

Wow bondoman, the kit looks really nice. The GB banner that I mad eis on the first page but if you don't like it you are welcome to make your own or ask me to make a different one.

David

Alright. I 'll try and keep it short. I built this about 4 years ago when I went thru my "experimental" stage. I just wanted to see how far I could go. I was fascinated with the Hellcat - I mean it was the fastest thing on tracks to serve in WW II and built by...Buick (think of your grannie's car) . I have no idea how exactly much $ or time I sank into it....I'm not sure I want too  , but it was a bunch and not only in parts -I bought a book or two for research.

AM: Jordi Rubio aluminum gun barrel, Fruilmodel tracks, Eduard Exterior PE Detail (I used the tool clamps, hatch details, engine screens,driver's foul weather hood storage (the things the fuel cans are in), track holder on turret rear and MG mount), and added a Verlinden M4 Sherman Radial Engine.

Rebuilt/Scratchbuilt: Tow cable, Front Track Holder/Step, Headlight/Horn Guards, All tow shackles/lifting eyes, Radio/mount and wiring, Mufflers/Exhaust Piping, Motor Mounts, Fuel Tanks, Engine access hatch cover, Master Fire Control Panel and wiring,  Main Gun Elevation Mechanism and Handwheel, hydraulic lines, Gunner's turret traverse wheel and turret brake/release lever, Gunner's telescope/pad and mount, turret seat mounts, main gun recoil guard, turret equipment tie downs (above the jerrycans), turret main gun/ MG ammo "Ready Rack", exterior grab/hatch handles and turret foul weather cover support (it's the rod that runs across the top of the turret front to back). I had thought about cutting open the Main engine access hatch in the rear hull plate to show more of the engine I put in, but I thought I might be getting a bit carried away  .

I used a lot of aluminum wire, rod, tubing, brass sheet and super glue.

-John

hi david and all, well the kingtiger is cominga slone nicely. i'm still trying to work out the gigs on the track problem. i really find it hard to work with indy tracks, still haven't found my groove yet. fruil tracks cure all this but the price is such a kick in the teeth. so i have everything painted and i'm working on the last stage of the weathering and i'll probably be adding some external tree branches for camoflaulge. the elefant is also coming beautifully. i'm taking my time with this one as this is m second kit  that i am applying homeade zimmerit with, and i'm trying to incorporate my lessons learned with the kingtiger. picutres to come soon. david, question about the badge. on the first post, it looks like a medal, but on some of the people already sporting it, its shrunk down to looking more like a ribbon. is it because the badge is too large? is it possible to be sized down a little so you can see the whole thing? the hellcat looks great postman. keep the pics coming along with the excellent tutorial.

rooster

Hi roosterpelo, I'm working on resizing it as I am writing this. If this fails, it will be a ribbon.

postman, the Hellcat looks really good. I see what you meen by looking at all the AM and scrathbuilt stuff you had listed. Great looking model.

David

Here is the new resized GB banner.

Here is the link so you copy and paste the GB banner into your signature.

http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u214/ww2modeler/

David

I am still working on my M18 Hellcat, but here are pictures of my M8 HMC that's just about completed. The figures are not finished as well.

This is the old Tamiya kit with liberal use of the Verlinden update sets just using the items I wanted. The figures are from various sets. The tarp on the turret is tissue paper soaked in white glue and molded to place. Tracks, runnig gear and transmission cover are from an AFV upgrade set.

This one was a joy to do even with theeventual  problems that came up.

Mike T,

Looking good telsono, I like the figures and stowage on the M8, hope to see it complete and am looking forward to the M18. Happy Building.

David

Thanks for the compliments David - The M8 was always a favorite of mine, too bad there is just the one kit available for it. The antenna bracket is scratch built from a PE fret. I may add some more mud to it. right now I am teaching myself those techniques and don't want to go overboard.

The stowage came out good, Verlinden goes a little overboard with it at times. In this case if you applied all the stowage given you couldn't turn the turret. On pictures of M8's with heavy stowage, they always allowed the turret to turn. I did see on one photo of a M8 with the latter track like i am using that they left one line of grousers on the turret to hang the backpacks from. The grousers weren't used with this track as it had integral grousing.

When I finished the M18 it might be placed together with the M8 and have their crews sharing "liberated" bottles of wine.

Mike T.

Well, I 'accidentally' did a lot of the lower assembly on the Puma this weekend while watching golf on tv...love multitasking that way, makes me feel a lot less like a couch potato. Heh.

Despite this being an old kit ("an oldie but goodie" it's often described as) it's pretty nifty. Can't wait to start firing some paint onto it.

ok guys, here is the DML kingtiger i made for this GB. everything is OOB. the only parts i modified were cutting off some of the side skirts to show wear, and its missing some parts that could easily tear off in battle (fenders etc.) the shrubbery is from woodland scenics. i have learned alot with this kit. this is the first time i have attempted zimmerit on my own. i used the tamiya tool and Aves. tricky along curved portions. this was also my first on indy tracks. i have used fruil before and they are a blessing, but i didn't want to shell out 40 bucks for another set. so, with the magic tracks i learned some valuable lessons on putting them together. hopefully all the lessons learned will pay off on the DML Elephant i'm working on for the other build on this GB. comments and questions are welcome guys.

thanks for looking guys

Hey roosterpelo,

Good looking build. I may have used the kit decals or dry transfers but I like the build.  

ok, now, next up is the elephant. this is the golden child of my learning experience with the king tiger. hopefully i can imply all my lessons learned with it. its still being built up, so that huge gap between the turret and hull, is because its not assembled yet. the tracks on the right side are built up in two sections, hopefully this will work this time. the zimmerit was applied with Aves, and i think i did a 180 degrees from the kingtiger. i'm trying to take my time on this one and make sure my actual vehicle references are correct this time, as well as my building. thanks for looking guys

rooster

King Tiger looks great as does  the start on the Elephant. On the Tiger, what did you make the foliage out of.

David

telsono- love it dude. Amazing what you can do with one of those old Tamiya kits. I especially like the mud & rust on the hull front and down the RH side. How'd you do that? Rustall?? 

dupes - off to a flying start. Looks good from here. I think to myself tho, that it needs an interior with all that space - too bad a turret would hide it. Keep up the excellent work! Is that an M109 I see in the background? 

rooster- A most excellent King Tiger . Love the overall beatup look. Great recovery on the tracks. Your Elefant is looking sharp. I'll bite the bullet one day and attempt some zimmerit myself and guess whose handiwork I'll be studying??

I want to thank all of you for your compliments on my previous works. I think the admiration of my fellow modelers means more to me than the kudos I get from my non-modeler friends and family. You guys know first hand all that goes into a build and can really appreciate another's handiwork.

Concerning foilage -don't be afraid to look in the backyard for materials. I've used pieces (scraps really) of oak branches for unditching beams on Soviet tanks (T34, T55, T72). I just seal them with flat laquer and glue away. I also think that bits of Cedar branch or similiar members of the Pine family could provide some materials. The neat thing about natural material is you can let it wither, (in the case of "leafy" material), before you seal it with laquer.

I'm getting closer to pinning down a specific vehicle for the build. I've built so many tanks lately, that I have a yen for something else  - Halftracks.

I'll throw this out for everyone - I need some help locating reference material on US Halftracks in Italy, Sicily and North Africa...I already have Squadron's US Halftracks in action book. I'm thinking of kitbashing a T19 105mm HMC (M3 halftrack with a M2 105mm howtizer on board). If you own a copy of "Kelly's Heroes" starring Cliint Eastwood, you'll see one in the opening scenes. Historically, tho these vehicles were only used in...Italy, Sicily, and N. Africa, being replaced by the M7 Priest during 1943.

TTFN

-John

Sharp eyes - that definitely is an M109 in the background. Head over to the armor forum and check out the "Italeri Group Build Part 2" for more pics...I'm taking a quick break from that guy to work on this here Puma.

Speaking of quick, this thing throws together really fast. I'll be done with the construction and should have it primed by tonight - then on to painting!

I actually had the same thoughts about the interior - but with only those 2 small hatches, I'm on the fence about going nuts on the inside if no one is ever going to see it. There IS a lot of space in there to do some serious detailing if one were so inclined...If I don't have time before I get back to my Paladin I guess that's what I have the open-topped 234/3 version for.

John;

Thank you for the comments, I have trying to build up my skill level in weathering. Rustall was one of the products that I used. There was a combination of products from oil paints to Mig pastels. Some of the raised mud was made using Mr. Dissolved Putty with Mig pastels mixed together. I was experimenting with techniques I was reading about. My skill level with the weathering is still low, but I am learning.

Seeing some of these other marvelous builds inspires me to work harder on my skill level. There are so many tips thrown about in the forums easy to pick up on.

Rooster - I actually like the markings on the King Tiger. Seeing photo's some had rough markings especially nearing the end of the conflict.

MIke T.