The Gulf Wars GroupBuild--Operations Desert Storm & Iraqi Freedom (2/8/08- 28/2/09)

I've finally gotten started on my entry to this GB, Revell's 1/48 F-15E Strike Eagle.  To this point I've made good progress for a Saturday in the fall (the state of the Aggies makes it easier than usual).  I've completed the cockpit and installed it complete with pilot and RIO and closed up the forward portion of the fuselage.  I took several photos but most weren't very good.

I used Mike Grant instrument decals for the IPs but my pictures were not in focus, a fact I didn't realize until after I had everything put together.  I'm also not sure if I used those tiny decals correctly, in that I put them on the dial faces that I had already painted black and consequently the decals weren't that visible.

I am using a photograph of an F-15E in flight over Iraq, flown by an A&M alum with an A&M flag spread out over the HUD.  My plan is to build this Eagle with the wheels up and mount it to an acrylic rod with a wooden base on which will be that photograph.  Any one done anything like that before with a big 1/48 aircraft?  What size rod do I need?  I currently have a 1/4" rod but once I got it out of the package, I had some misgivings that it was sufficient to hold up this big model.

First update on the Challenger I.  Great kit, even if it is 15 or so years old.  The upper hull has so much detail as does the other parts.

Road wheels:  Holy cow I forgot how much I detest them, but these are crisp 4 part that literally snap together, good bolt detail, etc.  Same for the idler and drive sprocket.

Here's the rear deck, complete with the gun travel lock:

Lower Hull:

The up-armored side skirts (complete with water can brackets):

Frontal Armor:

A dry fit of the build so far, this thing is one mean looking MBT...

Hey, thanks Townsy! I dig those 3-color schemes.

BigSmitty - can't wait to see the Challenger! If only I had time I'd love to bang out a Chally 2 to go with it.

Hey Dupes your M113 looks great! perfect in my opinion, nice job on the NATO camo especially.

and sounds good BigSmitty, I'll put you on the list.

I know this is already underway, but as a newly returning treadhead, I would like to submit my name and kit for this build:

1/35 Tamiya Challenger I Mk3 - 1st Armoured Division, 4th Mechanized Brigade (was under the command of the US VII Corps during Operation Desert Storm.  Here is a photo of the unit:

Hey Townsy! Good to have you back. Hope everything is squared away. Your GB has been missing you!

Finally wrapped up the M113 - decided to go back and add a bit of strapping to the stowage, those cans especially just didn't look right attached magnetically to the chassis.

Let me know what you think!

Hey Guys,

Sorry I havn't been able to get on here more lately (been almost a month since I last posted) but schools just been driving me insane along with some family problems going on right now it's left me very little time to model, and even less on the site! Fortunately for now those problems have been resolved and I'll be able to chime in more often.

I've updated the list aswell.

Chris/Townsy11

well another gb done this year for me. the avenger hummer is all done. thier was a few mistakes on this one but you cant tell it. and i want tell ya. so here are the finale results of this build.

The Hobby Craft T-59 is actually a Trumpeter T-55, and an old one at that. This kit is full of flash, but I can say that a great amount of attention has been paid to correct placement of locator holes (some of which need to be bored out from the underside of the hull super, according to which version you're doing).

This kits needs a lot of filling and sanding. For one thing, having build the Tammy T-62 and now this, I don't understand the need for kit manufacturers to produce these four-piece fuel drums. The seams take forever to sand down sufficiently, and it's difficult to get them to ever look just right. I started with these, knowing that by the end of the build I might be too frustrated (or tired, or lazy) to pay proper attention to them.

In these kits, the fenders are molded into the one-piece upper hull super, and some of the fender supports are molded in place while others are on the sprue. All are entirely too thick, about two or three times too thick.The real ones are so thin that you can just about buckle them with your boot heel. I cut off all the molded-on supports from my fenders, filled most of the locator holes for the tool boxes and fuel panniers, and also filled in the holes for the pioneer tools (Iraqi tanks seldom carried tools of any kind - in many cases, even the buckles, straps & tie-downs were removed).

The parts that widen the bustle ring need a lot of putty also. Shouldn't be a big fat seam there.

Next came the sanding. Where the turned front & rear ends of the fenders attach to the fenders themselves, a lot of filing and sanding is needed. You shouldn't be able to see any seam at all, and if you want seamless, you have to putty & sand. It's still not where I want it to be, yet.

The kit's fuel panniers (those rectangular boxes with the rounded corners) are entirely too small. Because I used AM ones on my T-62, I had the T-62 kit panniers available, so I used them here, and they're a beautiful fit. I used an On The Mark PE set to replace those fender supports, and the kit's own tool boxes.

So that's where this project stands at the moment. What do you guys think?

~J

Hi all

I've finally started the C1, below is the right spring and suspension assembly, step 1 and 2 from the instructions.

Hay the Tank and the Humvee look realy good. Ok Townsy I got every thing I need so I must get to work soon even if I'm not done with my WWII projects and my hart is calling for Modern Armor. I jusr ordered an M977 HEMTT Oshkosh cargo truck by Italeri. once I get it in I will tell you all how much I paid and the place to get one or some.

all right this is were i am at with the avenger hummer. i finally got the hummer weathered. and all i need to do now is the housing for the hummer. so i dont thik it looks to bad with the black wash that i put on it, so tell me what yall think of it so far.

Hey, can I gret in on this? I have a Type-59 (Chinese version of T-54/55) that was used by the Iraqi army.

So I'll build two kits: Type-59 (Hobby Craft [a reboxed Trumpeter kit]) and M-113a2 (Tamiya)

~J

rufioizgrreat wrote:

i believe (if memory serves me right), its the DML one. i THINK its the one with the 4 rockets on top. i also just bid on the trumpeter 1/35 HIND on ebay so im hoping to pick that up and start work on it as an iraqi hind as well. where can i find 1/35 iraqi flag decals and arabic script and such? i searched and i guess echelon HAD some but i cant find em anywhere. thanks guys!

Rufio,

If it's the DML kit, the -2 has the turret with the 12.7 mm.  The -3 has the anti tank rockets and the SA-9 is the anti aircraft version.  DML kit should have Iraqi decals, if not let me know as all of mine do.  For weird decals or stuff you can't get in the States try either Hannants at www.hannants.co.uk or Flight Decs www.flightdecs.ca  Have fun with the fiddly arms supporting the fording board. 

Hi all

I'm back from my overseas vacation and should start on the C1 Ariete this week.

The basecoat of NATO green is finished so now I will be moving on the road wheels, drive sprockets and idlers as well as the tracks so that I can cement the upper and lower halves together before I start the camo painting.

Also a question to the group, I'm thinking of painting the metal portions of the tracks in a medium/dark grey as they will be mostly covered in sand pigments anyway, what do you think?

Cheers

Brent welcome back and welcome to the build .

What kit of the BRDM-2 are you doing btw?

Heck no! This GB is running until the end of February.

Welcome back to the States!

i havent been on this site in forever, and i came across this today. im getting back to the states in october and i have a 1/35 BRDM-2 waiting there to start, im doing it up as an iraqi vehicle.

is it too late to join up?  

darson wrote:

lewbud wrote: Darson, Didn't see where he was entering the contest, so I kinda covered myself when I said to ask the head armor judge.  At our contest we allow seatbelts as long as they are made from tape, foil or paper but have no buckles (I think IPMS USA allows the same thing at the Nats, but not sure).  I would think straps to secure stowage could fall under the same ruling, but it would be up to the head judge. Hey lewbud I've got to admit that I kind of jumped to the competition thing all on my own . You're spot on with different comps allowing different things.  At one comp I went to they dumped all the 35th scale armor together and the winner was simply decided by which one the judges liked the best on the day (no references, no nothing ).  Which I got to tell you was a little different to the way we normally do things. Btw, how's your build coming along?

Darson,

Been to a contest like that before, it was a peoples choice event meaning if you paid to get in you got to vote.  A friend of mine won best diorama (over some very nice armor dios) with a KC-135 built out of a 1/700 kit and the pig from Tamiya's farm animal set refeuling a couple of A-10s using the piglets from said set (it was a club build before my time).  About my build, well I've finally picked which variant of the Humvee I'll be building, it's one of the M1998 Gun Trucks from Dragon's 1/72 series.  I haven't started it yet, the only aftermarket will be a set of Mig's resin wheels, maybe some stowage.  Simple paint job NATO Green with NATO Brown side armor.