#5 Italeri M24 Chaffee- COMPLETED!

I like the blue better (on my monitor at least) but it really comes down to which one best represents the model as you actually finished it.

Since you are using a Canon (good brand, my personal favorite in terms of camera lines), check and see if it has a "Custom" WB setting option. If it does, then you can use that to get a more accurate WB setting than using one of the default settings. To use the "Custom" setting, set a white object against the blue background with the same lighting, take a photo, then set that photo to be the reference for your WB settings. It will make a difference as it will help your camera better "see" the color references against the background. Periodically you may have to re-shoot the WB setting if your lighting set-up changes and/or you change the backdrop or see a problem with the colors not presenting correctly (i.e. Allied scheme vs. 3-tone German, etc). The macro-setting is also producing a sharp result as well, welcome to the wonderful world of playing around with digital photography!

wbill76

Really outstanding piece of work Andy! Agree with Karl, the blue isn't working with your camera and the tonal qualities of the olive drab. White is probably going to provide you the best end result in terms of "true" representation given what I can see from your camera's "reactions" and current settings. Monitor settings vary of course so only you can truly say which one is accurate vs the "in hand" model.

Bill- Good news, finally got it figured out with my new Canon camera .  Adjusted the white balance setting and it had the wrong lighting setting too based on fluorescent lighting. 

I think the pictures came out much better... it looks like light blue works better now and I tried to use white but I think it didn't come out too good.  See the differences here...

Another look...

I set my camera to Super Macro which has helped too.  Which results did you like the best?  Thanks for bearing with me while I am learning how to use the new camera. 

terry35

Andy that is stunning work. the wood finishes the overall vehicle and the fig's all just brilliant.

Terry.

Thank you Terry stopping by!  Sorry to hear about your Marder... that was beautiful one too.

Thanks for that Andy . I would like to see a new model of the Duster also , i built the old Tamiya kit of it ...............man that thing is an antiique ! A new release by AFV ,DML or Academy would be very welcome !

Looking forward to your next build .

Andy that is stunning work. the wood finishes the overall vehicle and the fig's all just brilliant.

Terry.

Carl-  My Chaffee is nothing compared to your 234... I am still in awe about your latest build.   Thank you for the compliment!   I have been always a big fan of Chaffee since the day my father-in-law told me that he drove it and M42 Duster when he was in the Army after the Korea War.  I hope an updated Duster kit comes out soon!!!

Roy- Maybe I can do two trips this time.  Thanks for the encouragement.  Looking forward to this... I understand that you will not be too busy this time so we can exchange war stories.  Wait a minute... I never served in the armed forces because they won't let me...

Buckeye- Thank you for the nice words!

Mike- Light blue worked well with my German armors in the past but not with this Chaffee because of OD and my BlackBerry don't get along, weird?  I plan to use my best camera and give it another shot over the weekend.  Thank you for stopping by... always good hearing from you. 

Nate- Glad you stopped by.  Thanks like always.  Looking forward to the Pz III GB! 

Excellent job Andy. Your figures look particularly nice!

Nate

Very nice....love the figures and details like the tools.

As for the photo, I use a light sky blue and have not have problems but whit balance needs to be checked.

Rounds Complete!!

Awesome work there all around!

By all means, enter it!   All you need to do is get it registered that morning.  Once it gets put out on the display tables, it's already been judged.

Even if you can't stay until the awards are announced you can make arrangements.

Andy , she's a beaut ! I never thought the M24 to be a very interesting tank , but you brought this little guy to life !!!! Beautifully done Andy !!!

John- Always good hearin from my Hoosier friend!  Thanks for looking. 

Roy- Glad you liked it!  Thanks for the compliment.   Not too sure if I should enter it at AMPS in Auburn.  Do I have to be there for whole three days of the event?  Was planning to go up on Saturday like I did last time and believe it or not I have started saving $$$ for this.

this is good for me:  it pushes me along with my Korean war version.  I'm stuck because I'm scratchbuilding the roof mounted MG pintle.

Nice work Andy!  I'm sure I'll see it live next April.  Hopefully I can have mine out there as well.

That sure is some very fine work Andy! It sure looks great!

Kevin- Thank you for the great words.  I promised myself while I was working on Chaffee that I should build more American armors because I enjoyed the American GIs the most. 

Bill- Thank you buddy!  I agree... I am going to try white next as soon as I return home from KY.  That's moonshine... plenty of here where I am now.   It would be awesome if you can build a M24 Chaffee if Dragon is going to release one... you could use a nice break from those panzer grey and dunky colors.

the doog

Andy,

This came out stunningly nice! (Watch for the new Dragon AND Trumpeter release now any day! lol!) It really captures a "mood" of a wet morning out on some Belgian road somewhere.....hmmmm. Got a base?

LOL!  Thanks Doog... it will be great if they release new kit soon!   At least I had fun building this old kit.  Thank you for following my WIP.  Bill already got here before I could hit him up for suggestions.   Yes, I am planning to build a base later this summer as soon as I finish my Panzer IV for a GB.

You all settled in NC yet?  Bet you are loving the humidity... lived there for 8 years and I didn't like the summer part there. 

Really outstanding piece of work Andy! Agree with Karl, the blue isn't working with your camera and the tonal qualities of the olive drab. White is probably going to provide you the best end result in terms of "true" representation given what I can see from your camera's "reactions" and current settings. Monitor settings vary of course so only you can truly say which one is accurate vs the "in hand" model.

Wonderful build there Andy... just supurb all around!! The figures really add to this... they are probably the best 1/35th figures that I've ever seen! Having a soft spot in my heart for the Infantry, well... these guys are just top notch!

OUTSTANDING!

Andy,

This came out stunningly nice! (Watch for the new Dragon AND Trumpeter release now any day! lol!) It really captures a "mood" of a wet morning out on some Belgian road somewhere.....hmmmm. Got a base?

I think that without a doubt, the blue background DOESN"T work. Black is much better than the gray, but I think you'll find that white is best. You have to make sure that your white balance on your camera that you're using is correct though. Hit up wbill for suggestions on how to do that--he's the guru of white balance! Bill!)

Guys, finally I am calling this M24 Chaffee done.  Before I can post final pictures, I am doing an experiment here to determine which posters work best as a backdrop.  This time I am using light blue, black and gray posters. 

LIGHT BLUE POSTER:

It made OD look brownish like Doog noticed... I don't think I will use it again except for German armors with Dunky paint.

BLACK POSTER:

Not too sure about this black poster... it looks like it is causing the light to bounce back to the camera?

GRAY POSTER:

I think I like gray better than light blue and black posters.  Will try white and darker blue when I have the chance... what do you think, guys?

Shellback

You took these pictures with your blackberry ? 

And here i thought i needed to buy a Nikon !

Sweet looking M-24 !!!

Carl- Yes, with my beloved BlackBerry Tour device. LOL   I have tried iPhone, iTouch, HTC EVO and Samsung Epic earlier and none of them could take good pictures at close range like my BB Tour.  I find it alot quicker to upload pictures to Photobucket directly from my BB.   Sorry for the late response!  

deafpanzer

Don't ask me how Mike (Redleg12) came up with this number... here's quick update.

The wood handles of all tools are finally finished!  Used W&N Burnt Umber paint on top of MM enamel Wood paint.  

"Close Encounter of Third Tools"...

Tracks have been dry brushed with MM enamel Steel.  Light application of MIG pigment is next... hopefully tonight if I am not too tired after all day trip to Fort Wayne to visit a brother-in-law who we have seen only once for last 15 years. 

 

Have very exciting news to share... the tank commander and my Chaffee have met for the first time and I think they are getting along very good... will let you know when they set a wedding date.

Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome! 

 

deafpanzer

Don't ask me how Mike (Redleg12) came up with this number... here's quick update.

The wood handles of all tools are finally finished!  Used W&N Burnt Umber paint on top of MM enamel Wood paint.  

"Close Encounter of Third Tools"...

Tracks have been dry brushed with MM enamel Steel.  Light application of MIG pigment is next... hopefully tonight if I am not too tired after all day trip to Fort Wayne to visit a brother-in-law who we have seen only once for last 15 years. 

 

Have very exciting news to share... the tank commander and my Chaffee have met for the first time and I think they are getting along very good... will let you know when they set a wedding date.

Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome! 

 

You took these pictures with your blackberry ? 

And here i thought i needed to buy a Nikon !

Sweet looking M-24 !!!

Beautiful work Andy. Definitely one to be proud of.

Anthony- Thanks buddy!   Always good hearing from you and I am looking forward to our Pz III GB. 

Greg & Tim- Great information about the patches.  This is something we should bring up in Korea War GB if you are cool with that.  Loved that Korea War patch... this is something I would love to include on the diomara base! 

beautiful work Andy,great job on that OD.

                                         Thanks Iraqiwildman,just read a short unit history myself.Seems they distinguished themselves as highly skilled nightfighters in the advance into Germany's Roer area.some great stuff from a distinguished unit.

                                                                     Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Wolf patch is the 104th Infantry Division.

                                      Andy, I came across these items while dumpster diving so to speak. Actually a little event called pickin days,where people can put old appliances and stuff they don't want out on the curb for pick-up. Just thought they would fit in with you're Korean war G.B.. I'll scrounge up you're address and get them out to ya.

                                   I do not know which unit used the Wolf badge,and the wife says she likes that so I may have to keep that one. But the Korean War patch I'm sending to you.

                                                          Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Greg- Thanks buddy!  Already have an idea what to do with the base.  I will holler for help if things go bad.

                              And now for the groundwork eh,I'm certain with your abilities a scratchbuilt base is soon to follow. Seems that that little 99 44/100 came from the country western tune with the title "PURE LOVE" .by perhaps Conway Twitty? Have a good day my friend.

                                                           Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

TD- You got to be kidding me!  You got the talent too... I never forget your work in 8 Wheels GB.  Thanks for stopping by.  I showed your post about your wife and she laughed...

Dude!

I am very jealous of your talents!

Looks fantastic!

Tank commander looks right at home Andy and those tools are looking pretty sharp as well.

Pics on your Blackberry? That's a pretty good point-and-shoot lens/sensor and macro ability it's got if that's the case...however I doubt it's going to do much for you in the white balance/color matching category since it's not really designed for that type of photography and that's what is causing your color shifting in response to the lighting/background issue. The camera is "seeing" different tones based on the environment and unless you can "tell" it to stabilize on one interpretation via the WB settings, it's always going to vary from one shot to the next.

Nate-  Always happy to have you stop by... next time I will make sure to have enough  for us. 

Doog- Again, thanks for taking your time to look at my work.  Your comment made my day! 

I agree about my camera issues.  Believe it or not, I have been using my BlackBerry camera so I guess it may be sensitive to lighting and color blue may not be the best choice.  I have a better camera that I use for the final shots and it takes forever to transfer pics.  With my BlackBerry I just upload pics directly to Photobucket in a heartbeat... so will try white and black posters next time. 

Ben- Thanks for the nice words.  I am afraid Marder II will always be my favorite but you never know.   Four weeks break? I DOUBT IT!  I still need to paint the figures for the Marder II and finish this very old Tamiya kit Panzer IV Ausf H for the Ostfront GB.   Here it is...

You are a good man.  I would have done the same for my parents... they are the one who helped us into our hobby when we were young.

the doog

Killer job, Andy. I can say that it really doesn't get any better than that!

Hey Andy - superb work my friend! Probably your best work yet imo!

A big  for Karl by the way!

I do envy your figure work, it really is top notch and improving all the time.

Your previous build was the Marder II 'Coal Thief' which I love because apart from the brilliant work put in I'm a real German SPG fan and it floats my boat big time!

Your work quality is definately moving on in HUGE leaps and bounds and I think you'll be gracing the pages of FSM etc soon if you keep this up! x 10!

So, with the GB start date over 4 weeks away what are you going to do now? Take a break? Bust another kit out the stash?

I'm FINALLY about to start my 1/72 Brummbar this evening. I was going to get started earlier but the folks had roped me into building flat-pack furniture all afternoon 

Great job buddy,

ATVB

Ben

Killer job, Andy. I can say that it really doesn't get any better than that!

Weird thing about your camera's interpretation of the blue background. Sometimes if the lighting is off or too strong, it can affect the way it perceives and translates it. I started using white a while ago and found that to be a good neutral background.

Looking REALLY good Andy!

Nate

Don't ask me how Mike (Redleg12) came up with this number... here's quick update.

The wood handles of all tools are finally finished!  Used W&N Burnt Umber paint on top of MM enamel Wood paint.  

"Close Encounter of Third Tools"...

Tracks have been dry brushed with MM enamel Steel.  Light application of MIG pigment is next... hopefully tonight if I am not too tired after all day trip to Fort Wayne to visit a brother-in-law who we have seen only once for last 15 years. 

Have very exciting news to share... the tank commander and my Chaffee have met for the first time and I think they are getting along very good... will let you know when they set a wedding date.

Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome! 

Bill- Thanks!   Hope you agree with Mike's assessment... 99 44/100%?

Kevin- Loved your diomara... that's what I had in mind as it will be on a dirt road while GIs are standing on the edge taking a break.  I wish my couch was on top of an armor just like one you posted... a flat screen TV is a must.

Did you he metal name plates created at local awards shop or something like that?

DM-  Rocking?  Thanks!  But not as much as your Sherman... I dreamt of your Shermie last night.

Mike- Thank God I didn't have coffee with me when I saw your post or there would be coffee all over the monitor.  Thanks for the friendly reminder NOT TO DROP the soap bar! 

I originally planned to have base for all builds but not too sure now since it is my fifth build and I haven't started doing the bases.  Maybe I will catch the 'Build Your Base' bug this summer...

One step at a time.....say a base is good,,,I like a base under all of my models. Besides keeping fingers off, it sets the scene in my mind soo much better.

 As for the umber...I think you are beginning to reach Ivory soap....99 44/100% complete & perfect

Good thing it floats!  ........  Be kind! ..... Had to post it, sorry Andy

Rounds Complete!!

Yes it DOES!

Some very good looking work here.

Apparently you're a rockin' too!!

deafpanzer

Kevin- Thanks for dropping by!  Tank- Almost completed. Figures- completed!  Diomara- Incomplete... haven't started yet and it will be my first one ever so I am little nervous about this part.

My pleasure Andy. A base for this (or any model) doesn't have to be elabarate... just a simple ground work solution, just large enough to sort of protect the model 'around the edges' and to keep keep judge's (and other's) greasy fingers from picking up your model. Force them to lift the base if they need too. (Of course, permanentaly fixing the model to the groundwork.)

I would rather have the 'damage' on the nameplate... For example...

Making good progress with this one Andy, and yes Raw Umber does rock!

John- Thanks buddy!  You are not going to believe this... we had a major roof leak in one of our baths.  Somebody is coming this week to fix it.  When will you make the rain go away? 

Guys- I love Raw Umber!  Applied thinned oil paint on my Chaffee yesterday...

Washed raw umber helps bring the details out like this...

This time I am using light blue poster and it is not helping... it made olive drab look brownish just like last time. 

Worked on the wood handles of tools and drybrushed MM Steel on the tracks this morning.  Only need to weatherize the tracks and wheels using MIG pigments of course!

Thanks for looking!

Looking great Andy!

Ben- Hey mate!  Jeez, another holiday already?  You british guys have one every week or something like that?  Maybe I should move there so I can finish more kits every year!

Guys- Worked on the tracks and wood handles on the tools last night.  Getting much closer to the finish line.  I am still undecided which MIG pigment I should use on the wheels and tracks.  Know Vietnam was very reddish just like shown on Mike's recent build so should Korea be a mix of red and tan pigments?  I need to find color pictures taken during Korea War.

Hey Andy,

She sure is another superb looking build - can't wait to see her her finished! It's nice to see some 'OD Green' for a change

As for my StuG I'm in the same boat as you: Build completed, the figure is being painted for me by a friend so I'm waiting on that so it won't be long and the base? Well, I have the base and the scenery but I don't want to start it until I get the figure as I need to work out what positioning of the parts will work best. It's only my second ever base so like you I'm also a little nervous!

I'm going to get my 1/72 Dragon Brummbar underway this weekend (we have Monday off in the UK as it's a Bank Holiday)  but I seem to be lacking some motivion though (in as far as getting the Brummbar started), not sure why?

Again, the Chaffee looks great. She'll definately be a beauty!

ATVB

Ben

Rob- Thanks buddy! So far it has been fun but I don't think I want to add alot of stowage to every build.  ADHD and patience don't get along too well.   Am really looking forward to Pz III GB...

Kevin- Thanks for dropping by!  Tank- Almost completed. Figures- completed!  Diomara- Incomplete... haven't started yet and it will be my first one ever so I am little nervous about this part.

Mike- Thank you so much for your seal of approval.  Coffee nearly burst out of my mouth when I first saw the seal. LOL

deafpanzer

Mike- Always great hearing from you!  I hope I have your seal of approval for this build when it is done because it is olive drab.   Thanks for the comment.  A coat of Future before and after the application of decals really helped. 

Rounds Complete!!

Very, very nice! Decals and the stowage painting came out excellent! Looking forward to all of this... figures, weathering and being mounted on a base!

Looking fabulous!  Lot of gear which means a lot of patience to pic all of those details and still leave a beautiful finish on the Chaffee.  Decals also look great.  I love the color you acheived on the tracks after the dry brush of steel believe they will be perfect!  Really looking forward to the weathering.

Bill- Good one!

Mike- Always great hearing from you!  I hope I have your seal of approval for this build when it is done because it is olive drab.   Thanks for the comment.  A coat of Future before and after the application of decals really helped. 

It is now 91.35% completed after a coat of heavily thinned Raw Umber oil paint... will post pictures when I have the chance.

You got it Andy, she's a "stealth panzerhund"!.

Andy - Very nice details and resin tracks....you made a possible PITA look great. The decals also look great.

Now as for Bill's comments, I will agree and disagree......I agree with him, don't give up the number...I will disagree as far as the number...the engineer in me see's 85.725% complete and the artilleryman sees it as right on target 

Rounds Complete!!

Hey Doog!  Trust me... I am not a fan of resin tracks.  I was just glad that I had the chance to deal with it so I can understand why many modelers don't like them anymore.   Next time I post my Chaffee... it will much dirtier for sure. 

Normally I use blue poster as backdrop but it made my Chaffee look brownish like you noticed last time.  So I need to try lighter blue or even white poster to see if it works better... again, thanks for dropping by!

Bill- WOW!  She is one real good looking dog... no wonder you got Doog all excited!  I am trying to understand why she is wearing a pink collar instead of a German three toned camo collar... hmmm?   Oh, pink collars just like the Panzer crews wearing pink trimmed collars... how clever!!!

Andy--the Chafffee looks about as nice as I could imagine it. If you were going for a superb "clean" build, you've nailed it.

I'm surprised that you like resin tracks. I couldn't get them to work for me on my Jagdpanzer Kanone, but those were all indy links.

Anyway, a nice job, for sure! Now get an uncluttered background for the "Finished" pics!

And I just can't resist.....
"HEY DOOG!"

wbill76

 

(She's a cutey, Bill!!)

Brenda's now 6.5 months old, weighs 42 lbs as of this morning, and has been spayed. She's learning how to be out of her crate for the full day with me without getting into trouble (I work from home) and so far we've had no styrene-chomping incidents I'm happy to say! She did stay with me last Sunday when I got some time in on the bench (only an hour or so) and didn't cause any disruptions, so it's baby steps but progress!

Bill- Always great hearing from you my friend.  In some way I am glad I had the chance to use resin tracks so I understand better now what you guys were talking about doing resin tracks long before the fruil and modelkasten tracks came out.

How's our mascot dog?  Hope she didn't chew one of your kits yet... we can not afford to have another Hinksy incident!!!

Sharp work on the details and decals Andy and yes, resin tracks can defintietly be a pain! 85.7% progress speaks to a precision and sounds impressive but then you gave it up by admitting it wasn't "real'!...always better to use round numbers when making things up! Looking forward to the next set of progress pics for sure.

Don't ask me how I came up with the number 85.7%... I just made it up   Decals have been applied after a coat of Future.  Tracks and wheels are on.  It was my first time using resin tracks and I am officially not a big fan of them now.  At least I can say I had the 'experience' dealing with the resin tracks...

A buddy of mine sent me the 'Eagle Claw' decals for my Chaffee as seen often in the pictures during the Korea War... thanks Adam (Indy)!

The tracks were primed with flat black paint from rattle can brought at Walmart I think for $1.25.   Then they were painted with lightly thinned MM Metalizer Gunmetal.  Finally heavily thinned MM Burnt Umber was applied... I still plan to paint some of MM Steel to the edges later.

Chaffee looks so shinnnnnyyyyy.... not for long!

Sprayed couple coats of MM flat clear acyclic to tone down.  Most of detail paintings are completed... it sure took me a while!

I am looking forward to do the weathering stage using thinned Burnt Umber and Raw Umber oil paints.  Then MIG pigments are next... thinking about using new 'Fading Allied Green'. 

Comments and feedbacks are always welcome... thanks for looking!

Terry, thanks for dropping by!  Am afraid there won't be much update this weekend... Mother's Day... I am at mother-in-law place fixing up her house.  Gonna make her happy and of course my wife...

Excellent work Andy, every time I drop by this thread I get a new surprise, the figures look great.

Terry.

Ben- Thank you mate!   Am afraid you will not see much update this weekend... Mother's Day... wife dragged me to spend the weekend at her mother's.  Gonna make all mothers happy. 

Doog- I have all three posters... white, light blue and deep blue.  I will try them all next time I take pictures.  I used MM #1711 Olive Drab so its pretty green for sure.  Keep in mind I used my ol' faithful BlackBerry... LOL  Thanks for the comment.   I enjoy figure paintings as much as building models. 

Andy

everything's looking really well from here--the figures are particularly nicely-painted.

Your OD looks really brown to me on my monitor, but I"m sure  that that's a camera trick. I would suggest to not use that deep blue background. It's pleasing to the eye but I believe that it monkeys with your color resolution and white balance? Try a few shots in the next post with a light blue or white background?

Hi Andy,

Wow, this is looking superb! Simply stunning!

The build is brilliant but your work on them figures is just perfect. I must practice!

Keep us posted, I can't wait to see this Chaffee complete!

ATVB

Ben

Thanks Rob!  It took me forever to paint those... lost nearly three weeks of valuable GB time but I think it will be worth it when everything is completed.  I like the crewman's uniform but I liked the face job of GI holding a cigarette by hand. 

ANDY- Your figures look GREAT!  The crewman is my favorite.  All of the gear is coming out nice and it really adds to the vehicle, bet it was fun picking all of that stuff out.

Mike- Thank you!   I noticed more time and patience on the figures helped.  I never spent so much time on the figures I would say at least two weeks.  Now I can get back to my Chaffee and finish it...

Bill- Thanks for stopping by!  Maybe it will lure you into building an Allied armor? Only kidding but you never know!  

Guys- For sure I am calling American GIs done... they are armed and dangerous now.

This is probably my favorite shot...

I applied base coats on all details for last two nights... a coat of Future is next so I can apply decals over the weekend.

Comments are always welcome.  Thanks for looking... have a great weekend!

Really nice work on the figs Andy, they are going to make a huge difference in the overall finish on this one for sure.

Andy- Outstanding job on the figs...you have really brought them to life.

Rounds Complete!!

Rick- LOL!  Thanks... I will make sure there is no seam!  Thanks for looking... please make the rain go away!

Guys-  For sure I am done with the tank commander.  Painting the eyes were much harder than previous American GIs because its plastic head didn't have much details.  Now I can finish my Chaffee...

Thanks for looking.  Please quit sending the rain over here... we Hoosiers have had enough.

Lookin' great, Andy!  Make sure you don't leave any seams on those rifle barrels.  Rick.

Guys, I think my GIs are completed.  I am working on the rifles now so hope I can call this done soon. 

Have a great weekend!

Kevin-  Thanks for dropping by.   Hope you will like the results...

Bill- Always good hearing from you.  Bad news... no storm predicted over the weekend.  But I think we have had enough... April was fourth wettest month ever for Indiana topping nine inches of rain.

Ben- A lot of practice and learning experience really helps.  I think they are my 14th & 15th figure since my return to the hobby three years ago.  Many great toots were very helpful especially from Adam (Indy) recently.  Did you see his Russian tankers? 

Hey Andy,

Wow! Great work. You truly are knocking out some superb stuff at the minute - this could AT LEAST be on par with the 'Coal Thief' maybe even better!

I am very impressed with your figures. I must try and practice on some as I have loads in the spares box - I never use them as I find them so hard! I've got some good dooks and magazine articles to help me. I just need to learn how to add life to them and to stop them looking so flat and '2D'!

Obviously I need to learn the skills of shading and highlighting on figures!

Top stuff - keep us posted!

ATVB

Ben

Figs are starting to come to life Andy, it's an odd situation where you find that you actually WANT more storms in order to get benchtime!

all around Andy! Looking real good! Keeping an eye out on this topic.

Thanks my friends.  Just a quick update... 3 hours just to highlight the GIs uniforms and gears last night.  Thanks for making my life hell... nah, I am loving it.  Still long way to go... darker wash is next.

Expecting another major storm  tonight so I have a good excuse to keep family in the basement where my work bench is...

Looking fine, Andy. The figures look nicely-started!

                            Fine looking work Andy,glad to see you are nearing the finish.Only do not do it until THREE AM. Jus got home a short time ago so I had to check it out. Will be back soon,gnite.

                                                               Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Thanks Mike!  Always good hearing from you.  I will holler if I ever need artillery support with details painting...

So far it hasn't been bad.  Because I used enamel paint for the base coat, I have been using acrylic paint for most of stowage so it was easy to wipe off paint in places where I didn't want it to be.  A buddy here sent me a suggestion using those Post-It notes to protect the tank... I will definitely try that during the washing stage later this week.

Nice work Andy. The shading looks good. I like to use two different shades of OD (Poly Scale OD and Tamiya OD) but the traditional method works great also.

The detail items may be a bit of a PITA....interested to see how you approach them!

Rounds Complete!!

Rob & Terry- Thanks guys!  Glad you stopped by. 

Bill- No Worries!  Figured Brenda was keeping you busy.  Glad to see your update tonight and it is looking great!

My weekend was GREAT!  No wife, no boys and weather sucked so I spent nearly two days at my workbench.  I have been busy painting the figures to go with Chaffee and finally started painting the stowage and tools.  Like Doog warned me, it will take me forever... I actually am enjoying this.

Sneak preview of the tank commander which is about 90% completed obviously eyes are not my favorite part then dark washes at the end.   

 Two American GIs... still long way to go.  50% completed... light & dark washes are next.

That's what my Chaffee looks right now... painted base coats on stowage & tools only.  Still a long way to go...

Hope y'all had a great Easter Day....

Andy,

The painting update slipped by me while I was away last week...looking super, can't wait to see more!

Beautiful work there Andy.

Terry.

Great progress Andy! Ecellent paint job.  Look forward too see more of this one.

John- Thanks!  Did you hear that AMPS is coming to Auburn next year?

Anthony & Ben- Thanks for stopping by.... it was fun!  Ben, it will look good on your next build. 

Very nice paint work Andy!

That is one nice paintjob Andy

Hey Andy,

What a great build and what a STUNNING paint job! That pre-shade has worked beautifully

I'm especially loving that .50cal!

I'm glad my next build is my Dragon Firefly as I want to see what I can do with some shades of green and shading etc too.

Looking forwards to more!

ATVB

Ben  

Hey Rick!  Roscoe Turner Show?  What about AMPS Show as it is coming to Auburn, IN again next year... it is a huge show but for armors only and you will love it.  Of course I will go to BOTH.  Always good hearing from you my friend.

Andy, you're too modest.  The problem will be to store this beauty for nearly a year until the Roscoe Turner Show.  Rick

deafpanzer

 

Doog- Thank you... your comment made my day after sleeping for only four hours!   Some idiot stayed up very late working on a Chaffee til 3am and he has to be at work in the morning but it was FUN!  I can not remember but I think I learned about pre-shading from one of your articles or WIPs... it was two years ago.    It took me at least three builds to this right. 

 

You really nailed the post-shading effect. If I helped in any way, it makes me feel all the better!

I can't wait to see what you do with the weathering!

                    Snow? You bet we got it,and more on the way.  Thursday night int Fri. up to two inches. But it just turns into mud. LOL

                                                             Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Disasterman- Thanks, all of those smileys really helped me improve.  And of course everybody's WIPs and toots.  Owe y'all !!!

Iraqiwildman- Roy is correct.  It was the article... for enamel paints, MM #1711 was a good choice. 

Roy- Thanks again!  My wife is looking for you... told her about the Achtung Panzer books.

Greg- I will not call myself a Grand Master until I hit my 100th build.  Still a long way to go!  Safe to say I will be around for a long time if you allow me.  You got snow in Minnesota recently?!?!

Doog- Thank you... your comment made my day after sleeping for only four hours!   Some idiot stayed up very late working on a Chaffee til 3am and he has to be at work in the morning but it was FUN!  I can not remember but I think I learned about pre-shading from one of your articles or WIPs... it was two years ago.    It took me at least three builds to this right. 

deafpanzer, your shading job is AWWWWWWESOMMMME!

Well-freakin'-done!!! Now THAT'S the way to paint a model!

                         Keep up the great work Andy and before you know it you'll be a Grand Master. Definitly looking forward to the grand finale.

                                                        Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Zaloga article

http://www.militarymodelling.com/news/article.asp?a=4536

Was that the Steve Zaloga article on Olive Drab?

You're sure getting better at this.....

  you've made a lot of progress since your first entry.

My Chaffee has gone thru pre-shading and painting stages and I am very pleased with the result. 

Remember I use MM enamel exclusively for armor painting and I found a great article about choices of Olive Drab paints.  It was recommended that I use MM Olive Drab #1711.  Weathering will definitely make it look little darker afterward.  The base paint was thinned as much as 50/50 to allow pre-shades show thru if possible. 

I don't think I need to do any post-shading and move on to the next stage chipping the Chaffee.  Or maybe detail painting... thanks for looking!

Doog- I may have to agree with you that it will take me longer to paint the accessories.  It is only my fifth build and I gave alot of thought on this if I should paint them first or not.  Like you said, most of them already have straps so it may look nicer if glued first and painted on.  I did tools on Marder II and it wasn't that bad but it did take me little longer.  Am planning to use Tamiya masking tapes around the stowage if possible. 

Safe to say I am planning ahead to take a break from 'excessive' detail painting because my next build will be pretty OOB with no stowage!   I might apply zimmerit... its Tamiya Panzer IV Ausf H and I understand all Ausf H have zimmerit so I can't get away without zimmerit this time. 

Roy- I am way ahead of you.  Already came up with plans to convince my wife to come with me.  There's huge Vera Bradley outlet not far in Fort Wayne and her brother lives there too so I will remind her it is overdue for a visit to her brother. 

deafpanzer, I have to be honest with you. I think it's going to be a lot harder to paint and weather the stowage and whatnot on the model. Next time, try mounting them on rods of some sort and paint them separately. Then you can position them where you want. Trust me--I've tried it both ways, and it's way more easy to do them OFF the model.

I realize the use of the straps probably figured into your decision, but even they could have been painted AFTER putting them on. It would have been less painting-on-the-model.

Well, anyway; it's done now. It looks great. I just hope you don't get sick of the detail painting!

I use Tamiya OD as my basecoat.  As they were all built before the war's end, I wouldn't re-paint it a darker hue.    As for the kids, has your family checked out the other Auburn museums?  The ACD museum is suh-weet -- and I'm not even a car guy.

Kevin- Boy, I hope my Chaffee comes out as good as yours!  Loved your work especially the stowage and base.  Thanks for sharing the link... always could use more.  

Wildiraqman- Thanks buddy!  I normally paint the tools and stowage before I attach to the vehicle but this time with so many stowage I think I am going to try this approach.  That way I don't have to worry about running out of wood sticks and toothpicks Wish me luck! 

I use MM enamel paints pretty much for vehicles.  Any chance which green paint do you recommend?  I haven't gotten to the point to decide which paint I will use.  According to the pictures, Chaffee had darker green color during the Korea War than WWII Chaffees or pictures are misleading us especially with our old eyes? 

Roy, your Chaffee plan sounds great and I look forward to see it in person!  Hope you will do a WIP here or are you going to keep it as a surprise until AMPS show?  No worries, I am already working on my wife to make her come with me again but not sure about the boys.  They had fun last time but don't think I want to bring them because they will want to leave after only 2-3 hours not allowing me to stay for the whole day.

The Chaffee is looking really good and I like all the stowage. I will have to watch how you paint the stowage already on the tank. I usually add all this after painting, but I think your way will save a lot of time.

Looks awesome so far! The correct tracks and your added stowage will certainly add to this! I too built this kit (a long time ago) and I recall having a lot of fun with it despite the kit's issues. I added a few 'issues' too.

Not to swipe your thread, but here's mine (built 3/88)...

http://www.mortarsinminiature.com/images/Other%20Models/US%20M24-2.jpg

http://www.mortarsinminiature.com/images/Other%20Models/US%20M24-1.jpg

Looking forward to seeing this one finished!

My scheme will be a yellow faced M24 used in Operation Ripper, the March 1951 push upwards that re-took Seoul from the Communist forces and re-established the 38th parallel.  Photos of these M24s can be seen in the Squadron Signal book, Zaloga's book on Korean War armor and a few other places.  It'll be pretty gaudy and you won't miss it.  I'm using the Formations upgrade, Fruilmodel tracks, and tons of scratchbuilding.  I hope your family will join you again at the show.

Bill- Thank you always for dropping by.  Can't wait to do the next stage of painting.  I was too tired to do anything last night after all day of yard work...

Roy- Always good hearing from you... thank you for breaking the great news about AMPS coming back to Auburn.  You made my day and YES, I WILL BE THERE!!!  Looking forward to see your Chaffee... B-U-T how are you going to find Korea War markings?  I looked everywhere but no luck.  Wanted to add the name 'Eagle Claw' marking to my Chaffee turret as shown in my favorite picture if possible.

Thanks for the tip about the stowage.  I am glad I removed some because the picture on Verlinden box was pretty excessive especially in the front.  It is too late to remove that tarp placed in the front on the fender.  Your comment makes sense to me now that we don't want anything to block the driver's view or hatch.  I assumed it was low enough not to be blocked. Consider this as a learning experience for me so it will not happen again...

My plan... the tanker and couple of GIs stopped to discuss their next plan while taking a little break... the tanker took out his map bag and binocular since they are trying to figure out where they are going.  Hope this helps...

Nice stuff Andy: I'm building one for the 2012 AMPS in your neighborhood again.  Can I make a few suggestions?  1) I'm glad you omitted some of the stowage you had atop the turret.  When you were dry placing them, several items would have severely blocked the vision of the commander if he was buttoned up.  No one would knowingly place items that do that.  2) if you see in wartime pics, the fender area immediately outside the drivers' hatches have very low stowage or none at all.  Why?  Because when the hatches were swung out, the periscopes had to have room above the fender.  You have two rolled tarps or something.  As is, they would interfere with the opened hatches.  Look at period photos and you'll see what I mean.

Hope this helps.  (my version is going to be in Korean War markings)

Moving right along with this one Andy, can't wait to see it with the paint on, the primer is too much of a tease!

John- Thanks for dropping by!  Sorry it took me long... needed a break from Indiana weather you know. 

Karl & Ben- Always good hearing from you guys. 

Update on my Chaffee... All stowage has been secured using PE straps.  I loved the PE set from "Alliance Model Works' I bought at recent show and I thought I'd share with you guys...

Then I added straps to all packs and canteens handing on the side of turret to make it look more realistic instead of being glued on. 

Chaffee has been primed with Mr. Surfacer 1200.  I DON'T MISS the ugly dark green anymore...

The figures have been primed too...

I hope to do pre-shading tonight if I am not too tired.  My beloved wife made me work outside all day but the yard is looking real good.  She should have wore red & yellow camo outfit...

Hey Andy,

Great work!

I must say that your work has really taken off lately - the Marder II was a stunner and this looks set to be the same.

PE and resin stowage eh? I'm just getting to grips with the fine art of small scale PE at the minute and I've got a selection of resin stowage for my Dragon Sherman IC Hybrid Firefly which is in the stash and due for assembly later this year following completion of my Marder and StuG III B.

Keep us posted!

ATVB

Ben

Hey Andy; that's looking fine. Glad to have given you some ideas!

And make sure you wear your sunscreen when you're out there wooing all the girls!

That's some mighty fine looking work Andy!

Bill- Nice for dropping by.  Always a pleasure hearing from you friend. 

Greg-  Nice looking Stuart!  I have 'Honey' Stuart from Academy in stash and I think it will be my next 'Allied' build.

Little update... added stowage set to Chaffee... dry fitting only!  Stikpusher has been a big help with feedback such as not leaving a pistol on top of turret because it is a highly prized item among soldiers and some stuff that were not widely used for tanks, etc. 

Doog posted a great picture of his Chaffee and it gave me better idea how to hang the bags on the turret.  I added a brass wire on the left side.  Thank you Karl!

There will be no update for a while.  My boys spring break starts on Friday  taking my family to Florida  for a week.  I will try to take pictures of bikinis on the beach for you guys...

deafpanzer

Disastermaster- I recall Sprue Brothers is selling just the white metal sprockets for $12.  It is a Friulmodel even tho but it looks just like mine.  Thanks for the nice note!  Looking forward to your next update on M4.  I it... great WIP!

Marc- Thanks buddy!  3 hours on just the Ma Deuce... crazy but loving it.

Greg-  Sounds like I need to send you one of American armor I have... LOL 

Ron-  Thanks for looking.  Am afraid I scared Roy, did I?

Rick-  Sounds like a good plan only if you can enter your builds too. My wife is still talking about taking that knitting lessons from your wife.  You may be hearing from us about this.  She really NEEDS a hobby!

 

                                    And I also have a Shermie that I need some idler wheel mounts for. Lets just say that a mis-reading in the instructions resulted in them being subsequentally pryed off,destroying the mount. Could have happened to anyone right! Well keep up the great work on the Chaffee and give us an update soon.

                                                                         Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

Some very nice work you've got going on with this one Andy. You've also discovered the "AM Curse" when it comes to dressing up an older kit but it's well worth it in the end! Looks like you've done a good job sourcing your stuff on a cost-effective basis though. Total cost of $63 for a build is definitely within reason when you compare to your cost-per-hour of enjoyment in the hobby.

Ibuild148- LOL No kidding! I haven't done that much during my first four builds.  I normally replace with better barrels and tracks if necessary.  It is a good thing I don't have many old kits.  This Italeri kit was one of 18-20 kits package I bought via eBay for only $130.  I had to find out why and learned that the daughter of deceased father was selling his stash.  Here's what I have spent so far for this...

Italeri M24-                                 $7

Verlinden Detail set-               $18

Verlinden Stowage set-          $10

RB Model 75mm barrel-           $4

RB Model .50 Cal-                      $6

RB Model .30 Browning (2)-     $8

Resin tracks & metal wheels-  $10

Total:                                              $63

Not too bad?  A new released model kits loaded with PE stuff can cost that much.   I have been waiting for new release M24 kit but it looks like it is not happening soon.

Doog, thanks again!  Have fun in Sweden and Portugal.  Trust me you don't want to eat those 'Swedish' meatballs.  It was horrible in Sweden... it was served with either grape jam or relish.  No kidding!  I took my family there for few days during our trip to Denmark last summer.  Coopenhagen is probably my favorite city in Europe so far...

Later

Andy, glad you found something helpful in it. Always my intention!

I always put tracks on separately, the better to more properly and fully finish them. You can't really paint guide horns too well when there's wheels in the way.

I think that I put that gunk all over them to hide the inevitable joints though--unfortunately, you won't be able to effect a seamless joint like you get by melting them together with styrene glue. Maybe some judicious work with superglue could hide it,. but you'll have to decide what would satisfy you.

I'll try to catch it when you update, but I'm not going to guarantee that the internet is going to let me in Sweden or Portugal!?

Disastermaster- I recall Sprue Brothers is selling just the white metal sprockets for $12.  It is a Friulmodel even tho but it looks just like mine.  Thanks for the nice note!  Looking forward to your next update on M4.  I it... great WIP!

Marc- Thanks buddy!  3 hours on just the Ma Deuce... crazy but loving it.

Greg-  Sounds like I need to send you one of American armor I have... LOL 

Ron-  Thanks for looking.  Am afraid I scared Roy, did I?

Rick-  Sounds like a good plan only if you can enter your builds too. My wife is still talking about taking that knitting lessons from your wife.  You may be hearing from us about this.  She really NEEDS a hobby!

Hey Andy,

You have more in AM add-ons than the cost of the kit. I'll have to watch how this turns out. Its going to be a butte!

Holy cow!  Outstanding work on your Chaffee, Doog.  Thank you for the toot on how to assemble the resin tracks.  It doesn't sound that hard.  When should I add the tracks... before or after the painting stage?  Right now I am thinking it would to paint the wheels first then add the tracks to be painted separately?

Doog, thank you for posting the picture!  Why? You just showed me a better way to hang the bags on the turret.  It didn't feel right to glue bags and stuff right on the turret per instructions or shown on the pictures.  I have brass sticks that I can run it from the loop to the other. 

deafpanzer,

Looking good!---I did the same tank years and years ago, basically, with those tracks. You can see them in the pic here...

Here's what to do--do you have a microwave? Put some water in a deep coffee cup, heat it up for a minute, and use a tweezer to dip the track in the water for like, 5-8 seconds. Take out the track and test its pliability, and then slowly form it around the wheels. You may need to either dip it a second time or even heat the water up more. Be careful!!--the water dripping off the track will burn you if it's really hot! When you have the track bent as you wish it to be, blow lightly for five seconds or so on the track to cool and "set" it.

You should also try immersing the track in the water for slightly longer if it proves resistant to bending. All in all, it doesn't take a lot of work to form these around the wheels. Just make sure that the ends mate up.

Good luck! This is a great little kit, and an attractive tank. The way you're dressing it up, it should kick some butt!

Now you're talking, Andy.  One of those US armored you've been threatening!  I see a Roscoe Turner trophy in your future.  Rick.

                         Great work on the Chaffee Andy.The extra detail will go a long way. I suppose there will be a Chaffee at the next model show Looking forward to seeing the end results. The last piece of american armor I built was a Grant or Lee I don't recall which.Anyway you keep the pics updated my friend ,and often as you know how much we love them.

                                                                    Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

very nice love the pics.nice to know that roy makes house calls.

Ron

  Any idea where to find a new set of those white metal sprockets by theirselves?

Some really good information here and some really serious progress too.

Good work.

Verty cool and nice work.  The 50 cal looks kick a$$

Roy, I agree with you.  It is funny I see rubber chevron tracks on all M4s & M26s in Korea War according to my reference books and websites while Chaffees were still using steel tracks despite the fact they made late appearance in WWII.  Wish me luck to get those resin tracks together.  If it doesn't work out, I will just give you a call for help... you are only three hours drive way if I am correct.  Chicago? 

I am not ready to cough up $40 for Friulmodel tracks yet...

The rubber chevron tracks were in common use by Korea.  You see them on M24s and M19 40mm GMCs in wartime photos. What you don't see are them in use during WW2...

Guys, Thanks for comments! 

Steve, it looks like I have to try this track.  If it doesn't work out., I will have to order tracks from Friulmodel (ATL-39)  I did some digging this morning to confirm that Chaffee used metal tracks in Korea.  Look at this great picture... all steel tracks.

So it means I can not order  those MK tracks because they have rubbers which widely used after WWII and Korea War. 

Looks great.  I continue to be gobsmacked by the super-detailing accomplished with PE material.  Lookimg forward to seeing the finished product.

Looks really great. I've got a similar set of track for kit, but I haven't used them yet. Just a little intimidated by them. I'll be waiting to see how yours turn out.

Yes, I peeked in on this kit in the GB. By the time your finished, it will be less Testors then a whole new kit via kitbash.