Build Complete: #11 Tamiya Chevy 30 CWT LRDG Truck (Scorpion Conversion) WIP

Ed, Like Citadelgrad said, you have to add some kukris. Looking awsome brother

Jim:  AgentG and I were talking about you over the Christmas vacation and he stated that you are a great young man which confirms what I have suspected for quite sometime!  Thanks you as always for your kind comments and enthusiasm.

Adam:  Thanks for the Pic Indy that is going into the reference pic vault!  I will have to figure out what it would look like before over sixty years of aging.

Bill: Thanks Bill and yes various knives will be present I am still working out the effects.  I have to do something since Indy took away my Sten Gun!! 

Chuck:  That would be too cool!  I really liked the look without the cargo bed on it.  Glad you like Chuck!

Wayne:  Lot and lot's of styrene!!

Bob:  Thanks Bob!

I felt guilty not posting a response to you guys I was trying to wait until I was finished painting and weathering the stowage so here is where I am at which is about 1\2 way through painting stowage.  The larger piece is a one piece Resicast piece that I had picked up for my Sherman kit and they always give you enough for two vehicles.

I tried to approach each piece as it''s own entity  The Hair spray method was used for the chipping effect on the fuel drum and flimsy cans.

Enjoy!

I like the wear on the fuel drums.

Mmmmmm, stowage.  Nicely done rifles.  Am I correct in guessing SMLE's?  I'm still learning British equipment.

Cheers

Dave

Thanks Wayne, Dave and Eric for your support and here is your reward.

I read this great article on MilMod by Mark Bannerman on how to improve your digital photos and here you guys go:

http://www.militarymodelling.com/news/article.asp?a=5881

I made some of the change s he recommended and look at this with a manual setting no less!

!ED! You told them about the Ghurka knives! I thought it was gunna be a suprise Oh well, no big.

~Dave~ That's a NO. The SMLE rifle is the later #4 rifle and although it did exist at the time was not sent to the N. African theatre.  Edmund has gone to legnths to include the correct Mk.III Lee-Enfield originally fielded in 1889 and carried throughout WWI and was still very servicable over 50 years later and carried by Commonwealth troops worldwide. By time the Brits hit the Euro-continent, they we're issued the SMLE in huge numbers. Yes, I admit I've researched this a bit Happy New Year!

LOL!  I didn't tell them Bill did in an earlier post today.  He betrayed my confidence!!  Just teasing no worries. 

Dave:  I had to purchase Dragon's Allied Assault Monte Cassino 1944 kit to get the correct rifles and Bren MG.

The Turban heads included are the best plastic heads I have yet seen.

Wayne you crack me up buddy.

Ed that looks awesome dude, this has got to be the best you've built to date. I love all the attention to detail that you put into this, and all your models. Thank for the link on the lighting, I have to redo my photo set up now. Keep those up dates coming, I enjoy reading them as much as hearing from you on the phone.

Rob

I've been away for a while. Not far though... just over in the GB section.  Got some catching up to do as I can clearly see in the progress here.  Fine progress I should say.  The stowage looks great.

Indy,

Thank you for the schooling on the SMLE and Lee-Enfield.  This will be another one of the bits of info where my wife will ask "Where do you get this stuff?".  She is proud of her geek.

Ed,

Keep 'em coming.

Cheers and Happy New Year

Dave

Stowage is looking good Edmund! Lighting and working with manual camera settings are always the twin pillars for getting good detail photos, no question about it!

AHK!

Sorry, guys, I'm operating at less than full capacity this week.  Indy, as you know, I talk to Ed a lot.  I knew about them (that shall not be mentioned) and we talked about some cool possible ways to do that(that is still not to be mentioned).  I got the idea that the uses would be a cool surprise (not to be mentioned), but I did not appreciate that THAT should not be mentioned.

Adam, Ed, my sincere apple polly logies if I floated one in the punch bowl.  That was not my intention.

Adam, we still need to make contact, I have had a faily hectic couple of weeks, but anticipate slower work after the New Year.

Again, Sorry,

Bill   

*INDY

Schnobs:

 I think the patrol raided a Gap Store.

 

Yeah, or maybe a Banana Republic !    Anyways I'm thinkin the drivers suposed to be wearing one a these :

Another bit of old 1st World War gear they just loved to keep wearing.         Fight, Die, look good doing it!

 

This is top-shelf work...very nice effort on the Tamiya re-pop...bravo...

LMAO....Manny that was great

Bob

Rob:  Thanks Rob I really like how this has turned out so far as well.  I am glad you like the link glad to help with anything that will help you show your beautiful work to the world!

Marc:  I have missed you Marc glad you are on board and Happy New Year to you and everyone!

Dave:  Thanks again for the support Dave and get those guys done I want to see your Kitty completed!

Bill:  Thanks Bill that is high praise coming from you!

Bill:  No Worries Bill and thanks for looking!

Manny:  There you are man I was hoping you were following this and thanks for the compliment!

Stowage update:

I finished most of everything except for the helmets, water bottles, the knives, and remounting the Enfields on the front cab rifle mounts.  I set up a mock up of the stowage and I like this orientation.  What do you guys think?

Edmund,

I would recommend removing the large fuel drum even though, as an individual piece it looks great. The reason for removing it is the fact that it will severely limit/restrict the use of the Breda. That gun should be able to move at least in a full 180 degree arc uninhibited IMHO for it to be really effective as a weapon. As it stands right now, it's got a very limited traverse available to it. You may also need to rethink the two crates and the Bren gun...remember that the arrangement needs to make sense and you don't want to fall into the infamous "Verlinden trap" of having a bunch of stuff added just for the visual appeal but which defies logic and or the laws of physics!  

Thanks Bill as always I appreciate your insightful and well thought out comments.  In this case i am going to respectfully disagree and I am well armed with facts. 

First of all my research and pictorial evidence indicates that these vehicles were heavily loaded out and right before engagement and often during equipment was dumped overboard in order to prepare for the engagement and that is why the fuel drum is in the rear to facilitate that action. Drop the tailgate shove and your in business.  There are records that the Bofor equipped vehicles were so cramped from the gun and stowage that the crew removed the actual Bofor from the vehicle.

Her is a pic of a Scorpion in transit and you can see how the load would interfere with full traverse of the weapon.

Here is a pic of a Scorpion with minimal to no stowage

Your right about the Bren gun though I plan to add a sling and wrap it around one of the wood stake sides or a rope tying the boxes together.

Final argument the fuel drum and Bren gun just look bitchin! 

Fair enough Edmund in terms of the fact these were heavily loaded and pics support that, but one last thought to throw into the mix...since youv'e got the figures posed in an "action" sequence (including the guy on the running board manning the Lewis gun), perhaps you should consider having some of the stowage "tossed overboard" on the base to add to the sense of action/urgency then? The overall impression that I've got from the figure poses and such is that these guys are literally seconds away from an engagement and aren't just in transit with the full gear you see in some of your pics. Not trying to force you into anything of course, just providing some random thought observations.

Dang you Sir and your infernal logic! 

You are correct they are literally seconds away from noticing they entered a previously occupied Oasis.  The Driver and Lewis gunner are simply on point following stand procedure entering into a potentially high traffic area and see nothing directly in front of the vehicle because there view will be blocked by a rocky outcropping or Palm trees.  The men in the back have just noticed something amiss.  I hope that brings more "light" to the final dio and what picture I am trying to paint. Your opinions and input random or otherwise are always welcome Bill!

Sounds like a good story Edmund, can't wait to see it come to life!

An excellent story, executed excellently I should say. Thing is... to me....... it all makes plenty of sense. It doesn't even have to make perfect sense to be a good Dio...plenty would be enough. I know also  when I take a look at a Dio I want to see alot of little detail items, if they make sense. Sure it's a jumble back there, and it would be tuff to climb around it all, let alone fight from there,

But that's the sort of jumble these guys had to fight in, so no sense having it detail-deprived to look more combat-ready, since it all looks so cool anyways .  I hadn't heard of the" Verlinden trap" though , I gather from your post what it is, Bill. What are the origins of that phrase exactly? Is that where some noobie thinks he has to use every chunk of resin they send him? Seems to me every box I open from near any manufacturer gives me something for the spares box!

Pretty much that's it Adam...that and the impulse in Verlinden sets to have all manner of things strewn about that don't make much sense being where they are other than to be "eye candy". One of my favorite examples is the resin sand bag armor meant for use on an M10 for example...it's got two ammo pouches molded into the top bag just sitting there as well as a canteen sitting in the corner on the bags that go over the fender...the slightest little bump or jolt would cause both to go flying off but they are there to add a little variety I guess to the whole presentation and nothing more.

Hey, that is a very nice looking build. I was right, that looked great without stowage, if possible even better with stowage!! very cool!

     Thanks, Jim

Thanks Jim, Adam and Bill for your continued support and insightful commentary!

Figure Update:

After all the research with a Lotte trepidation due tothe fact that this was my first bearded figure I dove into the Lewis Gunner figure tonight.  I used Vallejo Cork Brown and Dark Sand for the flesh base and then it was frenzy of Vallejo paints and Oil washes after that.

It got kind of crazy in here!

OOO, that is good, I like your flesh tones, I also have discovered the joy of oil washes, I now use them for everything...

      Thanks, Jim

LOL funny Jim!

I completed painting the driver figure today in one marathon session and I checked with my wife and she isn't pursuing a divorce so it worked out okay.  I tried to paint my first older figure and he ended up looking like General Robert E. Lee if you ask me.  I used future on his goggles to simulate clear lenses.  All painting was done with Vallejo "water colors"  and a few finishing oil washes,

That's EASILY your best figgure to date, Edmund.  I am enjoying this build a lot.

Good nnight,

Bill

AgentG, really, you haven't gotten the call yet?

Schnobs, that is very nice, I like your use of future to simulate clear lenses, I also think that your older figure came out nicely, the beard is great!

      Thanks, Jim  

Thanks Bill you have been with me every step of the way and it's appreciated!

Thanks Jim!  I visited with Adam on the phone today about various methods of approaching this and it seemed the best approach was to paint the inside of the lenses the same color as the watch cap and then run a Grey wash in to make it a little opaque and murky and then build up the lenses with Future.  I was going to use Gloss but all I had on hand was Tamiya Clear so I had to get creative!

Glad you like it young man!