War in the Desert - African campaign GB - 12/9/07 to 5/13/08

The parts have been prepped and I'm working on filling in openings in the hull underside (yes, this is the ancient Tamiya kit  ).  There are a couple of tools molded onto the hull.  My first instinct was to cut them off, however they are molded in with the diamond plate pattern of the upper hull.  Don't think I can do it without causing damage to the delicate diamond plate.

Ha haaa! Espins, that was actually my first armor kit...ever! I want to pick up another one to see if I can do something decent with it after looking at what I did the first time...heh.

Alrighty, got a couple of pics, took several WIP photos over the course of the day, but they were mostly crap. I do have one of the ceremonial box-opening:

And one I took before closing up shop for the day:

No problems so far, the sparse interior is about finished - won't be able to see much anyway, with the screens closed - first order of business tomorrow is to seal up the 2 hull halves. After that, some exterior parts still to be added, and then it's onto the first coat of Panzer Gray! 

Wow Espins! ....I love that old kit! ...its the 1st Tamiya kit I ever built! ..and I have one in my stash right now !

Looking good Dupes!

Here's what I'm working on...it's a little older kit from Dragon but...I like it. Just pulled it outta the stash and opened the box!

<sigh> Despite the fact I don't have time to work on two builds at the same time much less have room for two on the bench, I went ahead and started.

All I've done is wash the parts, but it's something.  This is the AMtech P-40K which is basically their P-40E with a Black Box resin replacement tail included in the kit.  Apparently these kits were only offered at Hobby Lobby?  Don't know if that's true but that's where I picked it up on sale.

Considering the last 5, 6 or 10 builds I've completed have had some level of AMS, I'm building this one completely OOB.  No extra nothing.  Nada, zip, zilch, zero.  It'll be kinda nice.

Hey guys, looks like a great beginning. I got a little done today, too. I did paw thru all the sprues and the instructions last week for an in box review, but I don't count that as starting. Today I did some cutting and glueing and general messing up 

Started with the tranny and lower hull..........

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And on to the lower interior, pretty tight in there

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Hey Guys, looks like some good progress is being made .  I had a little bench time last night & at least got a start on my Tamiya 1/48 Pz.III Ausf.N.  Here's what I've done so far.

Hope to get some more done today, but have some Xmas Shopping to do.  Hope I don't get too frazzled by the Mall Animals.

Regards,  Rick

Dupes, man you're on a roll!  You're cranking out the builds.    And nice to see so much progress from the gang on the first day!

If I remember correctly the Pz II I'm building was the first armor kit I ever built as a kid.  My Dad brought kits home from one of his trips for my brother and me.  I got the Pz II and my brother got a StuG III.  I think I was like 10 or 12.  It is still a pretty nice kit, especially considering its age, although I could do without the molded on tools. 

I'm just about done fixing up the lower hull.  I cut out panels of sheet styrene which I glued inside the hull over the backside of the holes to provide a good base for the putty. I used squadron white putty, gave it about an hour to dry then started sanding away.  I have just a little more sanding to smooth everything out, and a few passes of my polishing still will be in order.  There were also two little sink marks on the lower front hull plate that required fixing.

espins1 wrote:

Dupes, man you're on a roll!  You're cranking out the builds.

You know it! With all of the snow around here, there isn't much else to do...and god knows when it's nice and sunny out I'm going to be riding. Heh.

Hey, where's HERMES? Your GB is ON!

arki30 wrote:

Wow, so many targets to chose from !

Achtung!!  Jabo!!!!  

Great looking progress from everybody and we're only a few hours into the build

I had a good bash at the bench last night as well and managed to turn out some decent progress although the Tamiya kit sure does help.  Btw I'm using the Voyager upgrade set on this kit as well.

Sorry for the quality of the photos but they were taken late last night without much prep. 

Looking good Darren.  You're way ahead of me.

Regards,  Rick

Darson - I just had some sort of epiphany looking at your pics - I'm assuming you're using the tape to hold your indy tracks in place while you glue them?

INGENIOUS!

Have no idea whatsoever how I never thought of that.

Rick the road wheels and tracks are where I usually get bored when making a tank so I try to start on them while I’m still enthusiastic so the kit doesn't end up in the "I'll finish it later" pile.

Dupes yes you are correct, I use Tamiya tape to hold sections of link 'n' length tracks together while they dry.  I wish I could take credit for the technique but it is something I saw/read somewhere years ago and it works really well.

dupes wrote:

espins1 wrote: Dupes, man you're on a roll!  You're cranking out the builds.    You know it! With all of the snow around here, there isn't much else to do...and god knows when it's nice and sunny out I'm going to be riding. Heh. Hey, where's HERMES? Your GB is ON!

I'm around....don't worry....I started the M2 today but didn't get enough done to justify cleaning off my photo booth

I have the first LionRoar detail set for it (NOT the $90 3000-piece one!) and metal barrels for the MG's. So it'll be closer to an OOB build than most of my recent ones...

Builds looking great so far, guys! Funny for many of us to start building desert vehicles just as the snow hits

Hermesminiatures wrote:

Funny for many of us to start building desert vehicles just as the snow hits

Wishful thinking

winter

arki30 wrote:

Hermesminiatures wrote: Funny for many of us to start building desert vehicles just as the snow hits Wishful thinking winter

Yes it is Iroic isn't it!!!

WOW, some of you have hit the ground running on this GB.  I'm looking forward to this one but won't be starting till mid January. 

Wow!  Looks like this GB's off to a fantastic start! 

Scott, great choice with the venerable Tamiya PZ II!  I never built that one, but I recently got one for the stash...wanted to compare it with the new Cyber Hobby PZ II F that I picked up at the 2007 Nats (probably no comparison, but what the heck...the Tamiya was cheap!)

dupes, I can't believe you're already almost done with the assembly of your Sd.Kfz.222!  What a speedster! Looking good so far!

joe, I can't wait to see your PZ III G all done up in the DAK scheme!  I've got the DML Ausf H in the stash and I'm tempted to build it for the Deutsche side of this GB!

arki30, I'm not a wingy thingy guy, but I sure appreciate that P-40 being on the side of my Sherman!!

RandW, is that the Tristar PZ I?  If so, another great choice!  Can't wait to see it all done up in a desert scheme!

Rick, darson...Fantastische!  TWO PZ IIIs and both in 1/48!  Sweeet!  Those are nice looking kits!

OK, here's my entry in this GB:  Dragon's M4A1 Sherman tentatively to be built as a vehicle in the 1st Armored Division in Tunisia circa 1943.  Not sure exactly what markings it will have, but I'm modifying it slightly to better represent an early M4A1 during that time.   Here are the goodies I'm adding to it...a whole bunch of Formations resin parts including the M3 suspension, AFV Club T-51 rubber tracks and some Aber and Eduard PE.

This is ALL I've done so far....

Hermesminiatures wrote:

Builds looking great so far, guys! Funny for many of us to start building desert vehicles just as the snow hits

Gads man are you joking , the average daily temp here at the moment is 30 degrees C, which is a nice and cosy 86 Fahrenheit, although the really warm weather won't hit us for about a month or so yet.  Ahhh, there's nothing like Christmas sitting around the BBQ with a cold beer in your hand sweating like a pig .

darson wrote:

Ahhh, there's nothing like Christmas sitting around the BBQ with a cold beer in your hand sweating like a pig .Cheers

Hermesminiatures wrote:

I have the first LionRoar detail set for it (NOT the $90 3000-piece one!) and metal barrels for the MG's. So it'll be closer to an OOB build than most of my recent ones... Builds looking great so far, guys! Funny for many of us to start building desert vehicles just as the snow hits

I've seen that "big" PE set for that kit...looks like it ends up with more brass than styrene by the time you're done! Just got that M2 in the mail yesterday...interested to see how yours turns out!

*Warning! Group-build cross-pollination alert!*
Uhhh...for those of you that DO happen to have hankering for something snow-related after you've banged out at least one of your WitD builds...there IS a "Winter Warriors" GB starting on the 1st of January...or so I hear.

bufflehead wrote:

dupes, I can't believe you're already almost done with the assembly of your Sd.Kfz.222!  What a speedster! Looking good so far!

Actually...it's a bit more than almost:

Other than tools and the PE screen that I already painted, she's ready for the spray booth tonight! The whole gun assembly is removable, so that will come out and it's "panzer gray" time!

Bufflehead - that's an AWFUL lot of resin! Wow! 

Well, looks like winter kicked it up a notch in Wisconsin today.  That ice storm that has been going through the country swung up here.  So I took the day off of work and I'm planning on starting my Panzer today.  I now get one less day off around Christmas, but I'd rather not have our family vehicle wrapped around something at an un-natural angle.

 So glue on! 

Leaadas wrote:

Does anyone know what RLM is used for the interiors of German planes in WW2? I tried the IPMS Stockholm site and they only list the camoflauge colors and not the interior. I am mainly looking for office and wheel well colors.

The interior colors are listed as well.

The interior color from the 30s through the middle of the war was RLM02

From mid war on the cockpit interior was RLM66, however the interior of the wheel wells etc remained RLM02.

dupes wrote:

bufflehead wrote: dupes, I can't believe you're already almost done with the assembly of your Sd.Kfz.222!  What a speedster! Looking good so far! Actually...it's a bit more than almost: Other than tools and the PE screen that I already painted, she's ready for the spray booth tonight! The whole gun assembly is removable, so that will come out and it's "panzer gray" time! Bufflehead - that's an AWFUL lot of resin! Wow!

Whoa!!  Talk about going at warp speed!!  All I've managed to do is build one of the Sherman bogie assemblies....I feel like I'm on a tricycle next to your racing bike!!  Are you going to cover up the gray with a desert yellow or brown coat?

Actually I have more resin but I think they are in another box.  Last Christmas I got a bonus from work and used it for all for modelling goodies and Formations got a hefty chunk of that bonus!!  The resin and M4A1 kit have been ready to go since January!