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

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!

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 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.

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.

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...

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.

Aggieman wrote:

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.

This one, Steven?

Update:

Finished removing 20 tie downs from the turret.  Replaced them with .010" brass wire, filled the Dremel holes with Mr. Surfacer and a toothpick.  The netting for the bins sucked.  Home Depot has a 21 sq. ft. roll of fiberglass insect screening that Tenax treats just like regular plastic. $5.49 for it, and it'll last quite a while.  The mesh is just a tiny bit larger than the Tamiya cloth screen provided.  It wouldn't work for engine mesh, but for this it worked just fine.

well its good to be back in the states again! so im resuming work on my 1/35 BRDM. i was playing around with the weathering to see what kind of color i wanted. i got the diorama on ebay, and it had fake bushes on it but while i was in iraq my dog ate them off, so i replaced them with the tops of some fake flower stuff from Michaels, and it doesnt look that bad. ill be marking it as an iraqi vehicle. i also came home to the 1/35 Hind i got on ebay as well. ill be ordering the Bush War Hinds Part 2 decal set from Linden Hill for the iraqi markings, as well as the Big Ed set. 

Hey, there's someone else here from Katy??!!!!!!!!

Small world, huh?  We're in Cinco.

Trying something new here.  I've seen in figures where you prime the figure in a flat black to emphasize shadows.  Well, why not armor?  Unfortunately, my NATO Black was old, clumpy, and I ran out prior to finishing the upper hull and I didn't even get the lower hull & suspension, as well as some spots on the turret... and managed to clog both my Badger 175 and Paasche H in the process.  Score one for the learning curve for me...and I'll get it right tomorrow...

Aggieman wrote:

Hey, there's someone else here from Katy??!!!!!!!! Small world, huh?  We're in Cinco.

Up the north end of Fry, here.

Hey all, here's a link to my build blog. Check out the Iraqi T-55 for this GB, and the old Lindberg BMP that I built out in Iraqi colors. No tracks yet, but the're on the way:

http://panzerpantry.blogspot.com/

~J

Well, the jury is still out on my "all black then paint" theory.  I did like how the grills turned out, along with some of the detail from the frontal armor, etc.

Still have to do the local pin washes after letting this dry and clear coating tomorrow.  And getting the barrel painted up, adding antenna, etc.  Oh, and painting the tank commander (cringe).

Thanks for looking.

BigSmitty - rather than hitting the entire hull, have you ever tried just emphasizing the places that need shadows or depth (panel lines, etc) with the black paint? I'm not saying that priming is wrong, but if you're trying to generate shadows, it would be much more effective. Shoot, let me try to find a pic somewhere of what I'm trying to say.

dupes wrote:

BigSmitty - rather than hitting the entire hull, have you ever tried just emphasizing the places that need shadows or depth (panel lines, etc) with the black paint? I'm not saying that priming is wrong, but if you're trying to generate shadows, it would be much more effective. Shoot, let me try to find a pic somewhere of what I'm trying to say.

This was the first time trying anything like this.  Based on the amount of British Gulf War Sand I had to use to cover the black, it will be the last time I undercoat EVERYTHING in black, especially on something this size.  It would have been much easier to just hit the grill area, and maybe some of the lower hull with the black, much like doing single panel lines or small areas on an aircraft.

Here we go (aircraft, sorry!) Before and after pics of a black panel shading.

Yeah, dupes, that's what I'm doing from now on, if I do it at all on armor...  I blew almost an entire bottle of MM Acryl British Gulf War Sand trying to cover that, and it was just an initial coat.

EDIT: Wow... I just realized how pronounced the seams on the fuel tanks are.  Whoops.

Progress this afternoon on the F-15.  I have installed a brass support tube in what I hope is the center of gravity area, masked and installed the canopy and put in the tiny little A&M "flag".  Pictures won't show the flag yet as it is sitting underneath the canopy masking.

here is my BRDM-3 from DML, its not completely operational yet, still have to finish the weathering and the missiles up top, also i have to comb the carpet for a light that i lost off the front. the silly arms that hold up the plate in the front, two arms broke so its kinda just hanging there. i also still have to put on some markings, ill probably free hand some arabic. this is my first completed model in....probably YEARS so be gentle. :-D 

Weekend update...not with Dennis Miller.

Well, I got the yellow down, finally.  Let it dry until last night, then sealed it with two coats of Future about 2 hours apart.  Tonight, I decalled it (Few markings for mine, even from the references of the same vehicle on Wikipedia) and gave it a first thick coat of a pigmented homebrew wash.  Might have been overkill, but I'm planning on hitting it with some lightened misted coats tomorrow with the airbrush.  And knocking down the shine with some dullcoat.  The skirts and road wheels will be getting a pass of lightened Buff for desert dust.

Lots of good looking work, guys. Keep it coming!

BigSmitty - those screens came out really well.

The home stretch...

Well, not really sure what else should be done to this beast...

I still have the TC to do, do the tracks (they are just taped in place right now) and make some stowage (tarps, etc) as well as the fuel/water cans along the skirts, rear hull and rear turret, and final flat coat.  I don't have a base suitable, but I have a couple of wood plaques ($1 bin at Michael's) that would fit if I kept the barrel in the travel lock.  Would it be better to keep the lightened Buff "desert dust" off if I'm not planning on doing anything with the base?

Thoughts and constructive feedback ALWAYS appreciated.

I really like what you've done with that barrel. What techniques did you use to get that effect?

Any chance your next pics can be up against some sort of solid background? Very hard to pick out details against the desk backdrop.  

Looks great!

dupes wrote:

I really like what you've done with that barrel. What techniques did you use to get that effect? Any chance your next pics can be up against some sort of solid background? Very hard to pick out details against the desk backdrop.   Looks great!

The barrel?  Um, originally I added a VERY dark and VERY thick acrylic wash.  I didn't like it, so I took a Q-Tip dipped in Windex and started to swipe it down the barrel.  It took of some of the wash, looked OK to me, so I left it that way.

About the background, here are a few I took last night with a white box behind it, on top of the washing machine (my bench/work area shares the laundry room).

BigSmitty - definitely easier in front of the solid color background. Had this link passed on to me a while back (I think by WBill). Try whipping one of these up - makes taking pics a LOT easier!

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html