Service&Supply GB 6/15/08-1/15/09

 Hello Luftwoller, When I first purchased this kit, I did a search over on Amorama and found an excellent "How To" to build real rope bumpers on the Model Shipwright Forum. I really liked the results the author of the article had achieved, however with my limited abilities I might soon have taken on too much and began floundering? Anyway I attended AMPS Nationals this spring at Auburn,IN and remembered a vendor with a display of cargo nets, rope bumpers, embarkation nets. Techweave Products. Went to their website and really liked the looks of the finished bumpers, so I purchased these. I believe I won't be dissapointed. I've seen several reviews and they look stunning. The LWS set also includes rope to secure the anchor and mooring lines. Really looking forward to seeing these up close.

 I did manage a little today,

 Finished up step 17: replaced the anchor securing brackets with strip styrene w/hexagon styrene for the bolts. Also added cast texture to the anchor with Mr Surfacer.

 Will be adding earth tone pastels to nooks/crannies and to the non travelled floor areas,  a few spills in the cargo area, too. Added a couple of extra cans of fuel in the cargo hold. Always a good idea to have extra fuel for a boat outing,

 Thanks for the comments and suggestions,

 Mobious

Wow, Mobious. This is seriously shaping up into a quality build, my friend. Your efforts on the floor have reaped benefits for sure. You could if you wanted add some earth colours in there as well. That would give the floor some contrast to the dark colouring. Dont forget in the area where the stowage is you can add some random stains on the floor. This can be done by adding a drop of brown to some Klear or Tamiya clear and then randomly paint a few dots or patches here and there. I did similar with the famo in the rear bed. I liked the results.

The tarps came out very nice. Ive not tried that yet. How did you make them? I think rope is a 'Given'. All boats have coils of rope here and there. Have you thought about the rope fenders around the whole boat? Theres a guy at our local model club who bought some AM fenders for the lws that looked fantastic. They were resin but the mouldings were great.

Great job, keep the piccys coming.

...Guy

 Thanks panzerguy, The Warriors figures are really nicely done and I love the goggles the drivers wearing. Thought I'd paint the figures after getting some paint on the outside of the LWS first. January 15 is ever so close and I got involved with the WeekEnd Madness GB.

 Did some rearranging of the "cargo". I haven't done to many tissue paper tarps, but I thought I would give it another go considering the tarps will be under roof. Added a couple DML Gen2 helmets for the crew.

 Also added a crewmember's equipment belt. Thinking about adding a bundle of rope.

 Back to the LWS. Step 16 is attaching the upper cabin to the hull which I plan on skipping until after paint.

 Step: 17 has 4 subassemblies that make up both drivers/RO hatches, the "cargo" hatcth, the 2 piece horn and the really nicely molded spot light. The spot light was flash free with no seam lines and all of the hatches had no pin marks. Nice job Bronco. All the subassemblies are attached along with tools, the anchor, and the anchor rope "reel".

 The OBT's were replaced by items from the spares box, along with adding Griffon tool holders. Had to remove all the moldy holders from the tools. The kit tools are ok, but not that great on the detail considering the level of detail in the kit so far. There were some nasty locating holes for the tools that had to be puttied shut. Thanks Bondo.

 Best Regards,

 Mobious

  Mobious nice job on the floor. Those figs look like they'll add just the right touch to you'r build.  

 Hello,

 I applied "Panzergrau" pastles with water to the high traffic areas. Loftwoller your right, a little goes a long way. The pastels were diluted to nearly a wash then applied, and even then had to go back and remove some. The pastel wash was allowed to dry before proceeding. Next, a "little" Ebony Jet Black graphite was added dry with a stiff brush to give the areas a steel sheen. Went back over certain areas with a pin wash of burnt umber to redifine the shadows.

 Here are the results of dabbling in the world of the pastels/graphite...

 Ordered the  Warriors LSW Crew form Squadron. This is my first look at figures from this company. The resin castings look excellent and the pour tabs are located smartly in easy to reach areas for removal. The facial detail is generally what I look at in figures and these did NOT dissapoint. Very well detailed and top notch expressions along with "Bubble" free castings should make for easy work with the crew. Thanks Warriors a job well done!

 The crew went together pretty easily. Used epoxy to glue the torso's together. Sanded the driver and RO's arshes to get them into the seats a little better. The 3P's will be added to the figures. (Putty,Primer and Paint).

 Thanks for the suggestions and your time helping out.

 Mobious 

That is really starting to look sharp Mobious. As for the high traffic areas, the scratching looks sweet but could do with a little extra. I personally would go with a little dirt coloured pastel and drybrush that around a bit. Remember a little goes a long way. The boxes look great. Ill have to look for some of those. You could always give em a wash of light browns if you want to change the colours a little but i personally wouldnt. They look great as they are.

Love the rifles by the way. My slings were made from lead foil not PE btw.

Keep the pics a coming, big boy.

...Guy

 Hello,

 Panzerguy, I tried drybrushing the high traffic areas with Vallejo panzergray then hit it with a panzer grey oil wash, but it's really light and doesn't show well on this pic. Thought I'd add some pastels to show the wear, maybe graphite would do the trick. Thanks for pointing that one out.

 Finished some of the "Cargo" required by the rules of the GB. Added crates from Greif. Made rope handles for the smaller crates. Painted the crates with Vallejo custom mix wood color, with successive drybrushing adding white after each pass. thinking about going over the larger crates on the bottom, painting them field grey to give more variation to the crates.

 Loftwoller, after seeing your amazing work on the K98's that you did in the 251GB thought I'd better step up a bit and try to improve my rendering of the K98. I didn't add PE slings, just some foil, had to leave it short on top to clear the latches which are attached to the upper cabin.

 Thanks for the comments and taking the time to view.

 Mobious

  Mobious she's looking good with some paint down. One thing, you might want to have some wear on the floor showing high traffic areas.

 Hey Luftwoller,

 I was working on the supplies for the LWS and had just finished on the washes when I seen your post. The first thing I did was to "Scratch" that white paint all up! That's fun 

 The "FBI" won't be lifting any prints off of this cabin, did lose a few rivets on the panels, but the anchor rope should cover the affected area...

 Having fun on this build, thanks for checking in.

 Mobious

Mobious, that is looking mighty fine fella. Now the inside has some paint on it, it really looks like its taking shape. If it were me, id go chipping crazy on the thing.

Great pics and good save on the fingerprints LOL.

...Guy

 Hello,

 Step 14: Assembles the cabin and installs the glass. Opted not to install the glass at this time. Trimmed out the turn indicators for a type B before assembly of the cabin began, the instructions call out for this to be done in step 16 which is attaching the fully assembled cabin to the hull. Picked that little tip up from a fellow AMPS member, who had just completed an LWS. Still managed to nearly have a major FUBAR. The side walls of the cabin were a little warped, got most of the warp out.

 When I began attaching them to the cabin roof, I had planned on setting them with Tenax 7 for a quick and strong bond as I aligned them. Wrong. The Tenax had seeped under the roof seam and before I could set everything down I had fingerprints on both port and starboard sides that would have made the FBI proud! Fortunately they were between panels and managed to sand them out without losing any rivet detail. But during all the excitement the cabin sides had fixed themsleves pretty good in a bad way. I had to break the starboard side loose to realign it. I think it will be OK. Anyway that whole episode cost me nearly a weeks progress, a countless number of hairs lost and a paycheck in the swear jar.

 The lesson learned. Careful with the solvents when working with different plastics. This plastic is really soft compared to something like Tamiya's compounds. 

 I had planned on building an instrument panel. With the limited view of the interior I felt it would have easily been overlooked. Save the decals for an open top.

 Step 15 finishes the cabin iterior with forward wall braces and misc. small items. Noteworthy in step 15  is the porthole screws...

 and the boogie board. Those Krazy Kriegsmariners. The detail of the wingnut is what caught my attention.

 Did manage to get the interior in paint.

 Planning on leaving the cabin removable until after all painting and weathering is done. Hope I don't forget to install all those little round windows first.

 Mobious

 Loftwoller, LOL... I was thinking the same thing. HeHe! Wasn't sure if it was a winch engagement pedal or the flusher!

 panzerguy,  Not sure if I want to tackle the trailer just yet. Might be biting off more than I could handle. But I will be looking into the trailer to see if I can find any axles or tire sets for such a build. Haven't really scratchbuilt anything since turning the Tamiya 1/35 Sturmpanzer(Early) into a late(about a decade before DML offered it in kit form) which was more of a kit bash than anything.

 Thanks for the kind words, encouragement, and viewing

 Mobious

  Mobious This is starting to look really sweet.

     It's like the ultimate party boat! you could fish all day and when you'r ready to call it quit's and hit the local pub you just drive right to the front door.

  I take it that you'll be adding the trailer? Will you be scratch building it? 

Mobious wrote:

Wow Mobious, this is really shaping up into a great build. Dubious abilities, my @rse. As for the small room, over here its refered too as the smallest room and if im not mistaken, in the Navy its called the 'Head' if im not very much mistaken.

In my useless opinion, its a toilet. I thank you.

...Guy

 Hello,

 Another update on the LWS...

 Step 13 is what G. Armstrong said "One GIANT leap" with no less than 4 subassemblies.

 Subassembly 9: Construtcs what looks to be the winch operations station, w/ 18 pcs.

 Subassembly 10: builds the dash and 2 of the 3 crew seats while subassembly 11 assembles the 3rd. I guess because the seat backs for the 3rd seat are from another sprue tree. Each one of the 3 seats are 6 pieces. The dash has been put on hold awaiting instruments.

 Subassembly 12: This subassembly was a bit tricky for me and my limited abilities. The instrutions were not very clear on part locations. And trial fits were nearly impossible because of the pieces that are located on the inside of the intake stack, which is 2 halves. The locating pin and socket for the whole assembly is rather tight. The insrtuction sequence was altered abit so the tower would fit easily into location. Also in this step is the PE floor and rear wall for the "observation deck", a neat PE MP40 holder is also attached to the starboard side of the intake tower. 

 After all the subassemblies are complete, Step 13 begins with attachment of subassemblies 9 thru 12. After the winch staion and the intake tower were installed a double check of clearance and alignment with the cabin roof section was in order...

 As the the LWS begins taking shape, (and because of the size of the trailer) I'm thinking of parking this one next to palm tree.

 Comments and suggestions are always welcome

 Mobious

 I would have to agree that the trailer is huge. the LWS is also huge here is a better comparison shot based on the TII.

 Hello,

 A little up date on the LWS.

 Step 11: Brings us into the cabin adding driver controls. The steering brake levers are subassemblies 4 & 5. Each with 3 pieces. The transmission shift lever tower is worth mentioning too, because of the gate pattern. I thought this was a cool detail not seen in most kits.

 Step 12: Topside with subassemblies 6 & 7 which construct the lights out of 5 pieces w/ options for black out lenses or clear. Hmm, I wonder why one would need blackout lenses while operating a tracked boat on land at night , so no one will see you? Continuing with this step also attaches cleats and what looks to be lifting hooks/rings. Also note worthy in this step is subassembly 8 which is the gun rack w/ nicely detail K98's. Haven't attached the rifles/racks will wait until the cabin has been painted.

 Haven't decided which lenses to go with, but I'm favoring the Blackout lenses. Here's why

 Big Schwimmer/Little Schwimmer.

 Luftwoller, was thinking that the Sd.Ah116 trailer would have most of the needed parts for a scratch build, but it utilizes single tire axles. DarnIt!

 Mobious

Luftwoller wrote:

It doesnt look it but that trailer is huge. Just compare the size to te famo, which in itself, is longer than a Tiger II.

...Guy

Hey Luftwoller,

 Those are great shots. Doesn't look to be alot of rivets on the sides, whew! That had me worried. If it would have been built like the LWS there has to be several hundred rivets on the hull alone. Thanks for the pics.

 Mobious

Heres a couple more of the trailer for you Mobious.

...Guy

 Thanks for your comments, panzerguy.  The Bronco kit is a very nicely molded kit with loads of detail. A lot of the rivets on the hull aren't really visible. I hope to bring most of that out during paint/weathering. Currently working on the cabin interior. It's gotta a cool shift lever tower with gates. I'll post some more pics when I get alittle further along. When this kit was first released it didn't really draw my attention. Now that I've good start on it Bronco has done a fine job of it.

 Mobious

  Mobious you just keep posting away I'm really interested in this. I've only seen one of these built and that was a pic from a show somewere. And seeing you'r build from start to finish is a joy to watch.

stick man, thanks for your encouraging comments. Hope I'm not posting too much and putting everyone This really has been an enjoyable build for me, only one part went MIA, so far.

 Thanks again to all for your comments, suggestions, and time spent viewing

 Mobious

Thats realy comeing alonge well Mobious great job!

 Luftwoller, Those are some cool pics. I think the first one, if I'm not mistaken, is occupied by members of her royal majesty's armed forces? The LWS sure sets low in the water. That second pic. looks like they're utilizing the winching system. Awesome. I've been looking all over for pics of the trailer. Great shots, thanks a bunch. Let's see, I'll do a quick inventory on things. 1)LWS (Got That) 2) Famo (Got That) 3) Pleny of Sheet styrene (Got That) 4) Yes, I am VERY INTERESTED in the pics you've found. Especially the trailer.

 Mobious

Coo Eeee. Me again. I found a few cool Wasser-schlepper pics for ya. I love the subject so it wasnt too much of an ordeal.

Now these 3 pics are a cracking idea for a dio...The 1st one is one the only that i could find of a LWS actually floating.

These last 2 are of one of the trailers that they dragged throught he water. For the dio im thinking Famo, trail and LWS. Whatcha reckon?

I saved a fair few pics if your interested.

...Guy

Looking great so far Moious. Ill see if i can dig up any pics of the Schlepper and post em up.

...Guy

 Hello,

 Making slow headway with this build.

 Step 6: Is the build up of the guide rollers on the aft deck. This consisted of 6 parts. It would have been nice to see the carrier roller molded as a seperate piece.

 Step 7: Attachment of cabin floor stowage hatches, Ended up using .020" styrene for the handles. It was easier for me than to remove the pieces from the trees. Besides lost one right off.

 Step 8: Is a subassembly of the winch. There are 14 pieces to this subassembly. All are pretty much free from flash and go together to form the 2 rollers in the block portion of the winch.

 Step 9: Mounts the 2 rollers onto a plate which in turn gets mounted to the aft deck.  The PE included with the kit is IMHO very nicely detailed. The intake screens look very well done. Thanks Bronco.

 Step 10: Interior cabin details begin to get assembled. Also noteworthy in Step 10 is subassembly 3 which is the construction of the winch itself. This step again has 16 pieces to make up the winch. Each is crisply molded with little to no flash present. Thanks again Bronco!

 This is where I'm @ on this one. This pic shows the winch and block. Sorry I didn't get the guide rollers in this pic.

 It has been a really nice kit to build so far with no major fit issues. There were a couple of sink marks but none are visible so I've left them alone. One thing I have been looking for is pics of the winch rigged. With the winch itself inside the cabin, the cabin "hatch" would have to be left open in order to rig everthing up.

 I did get a chance to look over the Aber PE set for the schwimmer on their website and I wish I would have seen that before getting the Eduard set. I'll have to get one for the stashed schwimmer.

 I tried the fiberglass resin and the coloration is IMHO way to brown. It didn't appear to be clear enough either. The fumes are another matter for concern! WOW!

 Mobious

Hello,

 Thanks Panzerguy on the heads up. Will be looking into (playing with) the resin and see how much heat is generated. I've heard that it dependes on how much "activator" is added, the quicker the set time the more heat. I've added the legend figures to my shopping cart. Haven't seen any of their products before, will be looking forward to these.

 Luftwoller, That is one coool site, added to my favorites. I was wondering about the larger tires. Does anyone offer a set in 1/35? OBTW, I do remember that nicely detailed 166 tucked in the back of the "Famo". That's a top notch piece!

 Mobious