AMPS East Theme WIP; Zvezda BA3 Armored Car /update 7/21 Tracks on

I remember you posting about the rivets, I missed the middle part, but this is a awesome build, really, those headlights are something else.

Very very very nice.

Wonderful build. I look forward to seeing this in person this September.

That reminds me, anyone know where I can get images of a Japanese Type 97 in 1939 colors? 

panzerguy wrote:

...I dropped the cab!

I feel your pain Steve...  I snapped off the darn width indicators, on one side or the other on my 251 at least, no joke...EIGHT TIMES!!! I was so darn careful too!  On my next build I'm going to leave off ALL the finicky details prone to breaking off until the VERY end!

panzerguy wrote:

Earlier I commented on this truck being an ugly beast, but this photo makes her look OK.  You're doing a bang-up job too, no pun intended!  The scratchwork is great...and very creative!  How are you going to display her?..simple base, dio?...???

This one slipped by me somehow Steve, glad to hear you were able to repair the drop damage...you'd never know by looking at the photos.

The head lamp idea is a neat one, would never have thought of that approach to create the pattern! Have to file that one away for future reference.

    Thanks all! 

 Well since my only web access since last week has been with a Playstation PSP I haven't been able to post an update till now.

    On Saturday night and Sunday I was able to finish the painting and after giving it a coat of Future apply the decals. Next came the washes using some burnt umber oils. After the washes had dried it was highlighted using the base color that was lightened with some MM interior buff.  

   So without further ado,

   Still have to add some stowage and do some more weathering to the under carriage and wheels but that will wait till I decide on the type of terrain it will be in. I'm also in the process of scratching the tracks for the rear wheels. I just have to decide if I want them mounted on the wheels or stowed on the rear fenders. 

  Once its on the base I'll post some more pics till then thanks for looking in and all the great comments

        Steve

Steve - Very nice, I love the look of the headlights. Can't wait to see it with luggage!!!

Rounds Complete!!

This model and the Rolls are my favorites. Great job sir,looking forward to the finish.

Tony the Mutt

Steve: This one is really coming together great!  All the extra work has definately paid off!  You mentioned the pin washes being completed but they seem a bit understated IMO.  Those rivets would pop even more with another wash or two...maybe even a streak or two would be in order.  Either way, she's a real looker...make sure you bring those in-progress scratch build shots so the judges see all the extra effort.

BTW: Did you add those weld seams or were those part of the molding?

Amazing build!  I am in awe of all the scratchbuilding modifications!  If I may ask, what color did you use for your base coat?

  Mike  Marc  Michael  Jim  Andy  White  Tony and Steve

         Thanks for all the kind words guy's.

     Andy I've become a big armored car fan and already have plans of adding more to the stash. I plan on picking up another one of these since they're pretty cheap and as long as you don't drop it they build up pretty nice with a little TLC.

   White, glad that the tip was helpful to you guys. I even submitted it to FSM, who knows maybe they'll be impressed also.

SMJmodeler wrote:

Steve: This one is really coming together great!  All the extra work has definately paid off!  You mentioned the pin washes being completed but they seem a bit understated IMO.  Those rivets would pop even more with another wash or two...maybe even a streak or two would be in order.  Either way, she's a real looker...make sure you bring those in-progress scratch build shots so the judges see all the extra effort. BTW: Did you add those weld seams or were those part of the molding?

   Steve some of the details just did'nt show up to well in the pics. When you see it in person the pin washes and streaking will be more apparent. And yes I did the weld seams with a soldering iron.    

Killjoy wrote:

Amazing build!  I am in awe of all the scratchbuilding modifications!  If I may ask, what color did you use for your base coat?

   Chris thank you.

  It was first primed with flat black and then given a coat of Model Master dark green. I lightened the base color with some buff and used that to highlight.  

panzerguy wrote:

SMJmodeler wrote: Steve: This one is really coming together great!  All the extra work has definately paid off!  You mentioned the pin washes being completed but they seem a bit understated IMO.  Those rivets would pop even more with another wash or two...maybe even a streak or two would be in order.  Either way, she's a real looker...make sure you bring those in-progress scratch build shots so the judges see all the extra effort. BTW: Did you add those weld seams or were those part of the molding?    Steve some of the details just did'nt show up to well in the pics. When you see it in person the pin washes and streaking will be more apparent. And yes I did the weld seams with a soldering iron.

Pictures sometimes don't tell the story...I can't wait to see it in-person Steve!  Top-notch work on those weld seams!

Steve,

This one somehow sneaked by me, love the look of the finished item. Best of luck at AMPS!

  Steve thanks friend and I can't wait to see yours and the other guy's stuff either

  Bill thanks also and I know you've been busy so I'll forgive you

  I've been working on the tracks and I should have some pics of the wip on those later this evening. Stay tuned.

   So after some trial and error I managed to get the tracks going.

   Started out by cutting some strips of .20 Evergreen plastic 1/8 wide and cutting those into pieces a 1/4 in. long. By stacking seven or eight at a time I was able to sand them all to the desired shape rather quickly.

 Once I had twenty done I laid them out on some electrical tape using some plastic strip to line them up. Round plastic rod was shaved down on one side with a #11 blade. This was then glue to the links and allowed to dry over night.

  The links were now cut apart and the edges were sanded with an emery board.

   Now comes the fun part, each one was drilled out with a pin vise drill to allow the cable to pass through. In this case the ‘cable' was some heavy-duty thread.

   I tried counting the links from some pics and drawings and it looked like there should have been 18 but when I wrapped it around the wheels I realized I was going to need 21.

   Still have to do a little more sanding to round off the edges and then it's on to painting and the base.

    Steve

    Thanks guys

  F Matthews I'm becoming a big fan of early armored stuff myself and have been picking up a few early German and Russian kits.

 Michael At first I was going to just have them strapped to the fenders but after seeing a few pics with them on the wheels I knew that's the way I had to go.

wbill76 wrote:

Never realised this one had tracks...but it makes sense I guess given the weight of the turret and the need for decreasing the overall ground pressure on the rear. Nice work on scratch-building your own Steve!

  Bill that's the great thing about this place even the most knowledgeable of the members can come across something that's new to them.

 Steve, beautiful build! Your attention to detail is very much to be desired. This looks to be a show stopper in every aspect.

                                                                        doc

panzerguy wrote:

Great photo panzerguy and I love the scratchwork!  You're sure pullin' out all the stops on this one.  Any chance of making your build into a dio' depicting this photo?!

  Doc thanks for the kind words it's much appreciated.

   Marc thanks as always. September is coming up fast and I'm so looking forward to seeing everybody and their newest builds.

SMJmodeler wrote:

panzerguy wrote: Great photo panzerguy and I love the scratchwork!  You're sure pullin' out all the stops on this one.  Any chance of making your build into a dio' depicting this photo?!

   Steve, funny you should mention that. I found this picture along with some great shots of the interior after I had already begun this build. I've become such a fan of these Russian buggies that one of my goals for next year is to build this same kit with a scratched interior and it will be depicting this photo.

panzerguy wrote:

...one of my goals for next year is to build this same kit with a scratched interior and it will be depicting this photo.

panzerguy: Cool!  So that's a Russian vehicle "borrowed" by the Germans, huh?  It would help the dio', to pull that hill closer..as a backdrop.  What's your tentative start/finish date?

Stve this is going from strenght to strenght, simply astounding work. I really hope all this work pays off, which I'm sure it will.

Terry.