Can't say if there's anything you should watch out for, but I'll definitely be watching this build Karl. Good start so far.

I built the M107 kit (175mm gun on the same chasis) about 25 years ago or so, but I can not remember any pitfalls to watch for. But replacing the tracks is very very wise Karl. How much do those tracks run?

Built that for a friend 'bout 10 years ago.

   I'll be watching.

Great start my friend!

Regards!
Rodolfo

Well, Karl, I'm not going to let this one pass this time :-)) I plan to build an A-nothing and a cherry picker (M578) out of this kit and I also have the Eduard PE and PerfectScale tracks, so I'm watching you closely! Good luck with this build and have fun!

Paweł

Ohhhh.....artillery for big boys!! Nice work so far. Resin tracks....you have guts....the kit tracks are junk. What is your thought for the finish?

Well...."aiming point identified" .... I will be watching

Rounds Complete!!

Cool beans, Josiah! Thanks for riding along! You too, Steve and Rodolfo!

Pawel--that sounds like an ambitious project! But what is an "A-nothing"?!

Carlos--the tracks run about $21-22.00, depending on the strength of the Euro on any given day. They're actually really nice, and not too hard to manage! You can get them HERE

Mike, I'm going to do the MEDRC "Winter" scheme, as it's on the vehicle in the museum. Let me know if there are any cool wiring diagrams or things I can use on it! I tried looking for your WIP here, but it's gone, apparently? I couldn't find it.

Howdy, Karl!

A-nothing - that's how folks describe the straight M110, before it got modified to A1, A2 and stuff - with short barrel and no muzzle brake, like it fought in Vietnam. Have a nice day!

Paweł

 Karl, I sympathize with you for the scraping, sanding, cutting and grinding with that Eduard PE. I've been working on the little Tamiya Willys MB for about a month now, trying to give it the full PE treatment. It's nuts the stuff that needs to be modified for such a small model. I'm sure that you will give it the usual doog meticulous treatment. Enjoy!

That's awesome Karl, esp with the Eduard detail set. Looking forward to following this!

Not sure where you'll get a 1/35th squirrel though!

(For those who haven't visited the Danville museum they placed a stuffed squirrel on top of the muzzle brake as a rather strange gag - you can see it in Karl's photo at the top) 

Coming along nicely.  It looks like you have almost all the goodies for it.  There is also a very nice metal barrel from Barrel Depot you might want to add.  It would really finish it off.

Cool project Karl! Nothing like a big gun to get you up in the morning!

Pawel,

I didn't know that! But I've got one of those too--the one that's named "Blood, Sweat, and Tears". I'm sure you'll do an incredible job bring that old dog back up to standard, as you did with your Duster!

Carlos, yes, "PE hell" is an accurate way to describe it. I like to think of it as "two chances to royally screw things up", lol. Once, by scraping the details off, the second time putting the PE together and attaching it correctly. It kills me how they don't really show you the proper placement or positioning of half these parts!

Gamera--I didn't even see the stiffed squirrel, lol! Thanks for pointing that out!!

Gino, thanks for looking in and for the tip on the barrel. I've started forming and dressing the plastic kit pieces already--I tend to not go for the metal barrels if I can get away with carefully dressing the plastic. It'll take a few days of patient sanding and appraising, but at least I know there's a substitute if I screw it up! Thanks again, and please follow along and call anything out that you see!

Bill, I hear ya--as long as it's not being fired outside my window, lol!

Update soon, guys! Thanks again for looking in!!!

I think I've got enough tools...

No you don't... none of us do

Lookin' pretty darn sweet as usual doog.

Hey guys,

Lest you all think I gave up on this pig, I thought I should post an update!

Been busy with some recording and practicing, but I've managed to wrestle around the photo-etch enough to make some progress. It's fought me all the way, lol. I've done some judicious detailing as well.

First thing I'd show is the weld seams which have to be added to the hull here--

I did 'em using the Squadron putty and masking tape trick.

Next, because the seat broke off on me three times, I decided to add brass "legs" to it. I drilled into the hull and sanded down the "tubing" around the seat and mated the brass rods with a drilled-out piece of plastic rod. I built up the area where it entered the hull with plastic, and built new brackets to attach the seat.

The front got PE straps and buckles and a chain from the Eduard set. Note too, the tool box lid assembly on the rear. THAT was a minor project in itself to get it to fit after cutting the previous molded on blob out.

There was quite a bit of soldering to do---I used some of Adam Wilder's fabulous new soldering flux liquid to help out.Man, does this stuff do the job and make it easy! I'm also using non-electrical solder.

Just paint some on....

...and add solder. The solder just flows where it's meant to go!

VOILA! I can't recommend it highly enough!

I was really rather irritated by the spade assembly as far as the PE went. Eduard has some fanciful arrangement of pieces that bear little resemblance to the real thing. I assembled half of it, soldering some small pieces, and then really studied the reference photos and said "Huh?!" Sigh......so I de-glued it, and re-worked it in plastic. I made the two little cradles out of 20 tiny pieces of plastic each and then made two little blocks on each side of the final PE "stop". I added a "chain" made from 20 small pieces of rod cut to exact length and then stuck to masking tape ala' indy tracks method, and glued them, waited for them to set, and then curved them as I saw on reference pics.  I also added two better-looking round adjusting wheels from the spares box, and then made some spare tracks mounts out of styrene. Hopefully you can see the details here:

Another annoying thing--the PE cradles don't actually reach the proper length that they should be--they should extend OUT beyond the blade on top, but there's no way to really extend them. Poop.

And a question for you redlegs out there---what is this rectangular PE thing on the hull? I see it on some, but not all, M110 hulls. I haven't glued it down yet, as I haven't decided if I'm going to use it or not. Any help would be appreciated!

That's it for now, guys! See anything I've really overlooked? Call it out!!

Good project Karl . I am a bit surprised to see you building this one though . I assembled 3 of these many moons ago . Never painted them . There's about 15 yrs worth of dust on them now . I used Verlinden's resin conversion to build the M110 A1 and A2 versions .Like Mike said the kit tracks are junk but going with those resin tracks was an option I didn't use back when I built mine so I used the kit tracks .

Thanks, Carl---yeah, this is a stinker of a kit when you compare it to today's standards. I had that conversion kit at one point--I think I sold it in a lot years ago on ebay.  I wouldn't even think of using the kit tracks---Italeri had the worst tracks in the industry until Trumpeter came along, lol. Might STILL be, although you CAN get them to stick together using super glue, unlike Trumpeter's weird material!

Thanks for looking in, bud!

Very good!

So much details!.

So is a soldering unit now part of scalemodeling tools?

Wow!

I remember some years ago.. (like 30 years  ) where all we had was glue and paint...probably a knife...

What will be in the next 30 years??, for sure 3D printing and laser stamping and oven baked paints...

THanks, garzohn--soldering was a thing that I tried to put off using for a long time, just because it's such a tedious process sometimes. But on certain PE pieces, it really works so much better than glue. And that new Liquid Flux has made it so much easier.

There's an article in the new FSM magazine about 3D print-out model manufacturing. It's fascinating.

Love your attention to detail Karl! Looking great!

the doog

There's an article in the new FSM magazine about 3D print-out model manufacturing. It's fascinating.

Scary...

Nice to see some progress on the beast Karl! Looks like you're getting the work out in the detail department.

Thanks, Eric...slow but steady on this one! Man, the age sure shows! hanks for looking in and leaving a comment!

Thanks, Bill. More like the "frustration department", lol. It's a good exercise to do one of these oldies and remind yourself of how spoiled we are nowadays with these newfangled, fancy kits we can buy today. Molded zimmerit, "Magic" tracks, included PE--- thinking back to when this kit came out, man, did we EVER envision how much we would take for granted as being a "good kit"? It's good to remind yourself once in a while by resurrecting one of these old kits!

garzonh

the doog

There's an article in the new FSM magazine about 3D print-out model manufacturing. It's fascinating.

Yes, I read it.

I think this will become a HUGE issue in some years. When 3D printing becomes household available and feasible, and trust it me it will.... what will prevent anyone from printing "pirated" objects.

Just imagine I buy a model, 3D scanning and then just uploading the file to the web, where anyone will be able to print the model, without paying a dime... and the same applies, for tools, spare parts, etc.

We have seen this happening since Beta recorders were sold, VHS, cassetes, DVD, BluRay,etc... anything is pirated...

Scary...

25 years ago, this kit was 'state of the art'. Seriously though it is not a bad kit, and Karl, you are making it even better here. AM of course helps, but in the end, it is the modeler who makes it work and shine.

i have "built" models in 3D, JGPZ-IV, PZ-II, GALLOPING GOOSE, EINDEKKER, for example and you just don't buy a kit and scan it in and reproduce it. right now folks will take a jeep wheel from a kit, use it as a form to make a mould and cast extra ones for their own use, which i believe is legit if they bought the kit. i used the tamiya PZ-II to build my 3D model and it took quite a while. i do not think 3D kit pirating will be that big a deal for quite a while. when time, learning curve, hardware, software, and materials come into play it is just cheaper and easier to buy the kit. 3D printing for unique items is quite feasable. if you have to scratchbuild a pattern anyway to make a mould, with not much more time (assuming you know 3D graphics etc.....) you can create a very detailed 3D "mould". also once you create the pattern in 1/35, all it takes is scaling to create a 1/32, 1/48/ 1/72 pattern. so if i spen 8 hours building a pattern i can creat 3 more in 30 minutes.

a legal question. if i buy the kit and use a roadwheel from it to take all the measurements i need to build an accurate 3D pattern and than sell the road wheel pattern i created is that piracy? i would argue it is but if i worked from a scale drawing or a photograph it would not be piracy.

Wayne,

I'm no expert on trademark law, et al, but I believe that that would fall under the title of "creating a derivative work". The problem for any legal contestant of your originality would be proving that you copied THEIR wheel, hatch, etc,...unless the part itself had some indisputably individualistic characteristic which identified it beyond a doubt, you could probably get away with it.

These kinds of cases are tough to prosecute and not a big risk for pirates because the claimant would have to spend a LOT of money proportional to the possible reimbursement for monetary damages if the case were decided in their favor. In fact, the whole case wold more likely rest upon "principle" because usually a cottage industry producing a few pirated pieces wouldn't have a profit margin worth going after wen you would get done paying for lawyers fees and everything else. Who's willing to do that, these days?

In the case of artistic works like songs or other "artistic" works like films, etc, it's a little bit different because of the possible long-term profit possible on a "hit" song or movie, due to publishing and performance royalties, residuals, reruns, video or CD sales, etc.. In that case, a person who rips of a song will most likely see themselves sued because the potential for generated income extends way into the future.

Wayne,

For now 3D printing may be too expensive, but some years down the road it wont. They said the same about copying a DVD, the first DVD burners were in the hundred of dollars and the virgin DVD was in the dozens of dollars. Not too long ago, 1997, first DVD players had a price of $1,000 USD!! And the DVD burner just came in 2001, for $600. So it was cheaper to buy a movie.

How much does a Bluray/DVD burner costs?, $60 or less...

So, trust me, as technology evolves...you may be able to get a 3D printer for $100 USD, from which you can make "n" number of models.

What would it cost to produce a model?, basically just the raw material. 1Kg of ABS filament is just merely $48 USD; and prices will come down, probably you will be able to get them for $9.99., which can produce a lot of models...

As for the accuracy, they are already 100 microns (0.1 mm) resolution...and surely will improve.

To resume, in 10 years, you will be able to "replicate" a scale model for $4?, $5 USD. Surely beats any model price out there...

Remember that the price of the model compounds of so many things that you would be not paying,  research, designing, production, packaging materials, shipping, distribution, reseller, etc.

Just google 3D printer, there are already some great devices out there.

hey garzonh and doog

i agree the printing costs will comedown but there is still the expense and time for learning the software and creating the part. for some AM companies this will be feasible if they have a 3D guy on staff or contract it out. for the individual, even if they need a specific item not commercially produced, it still may not be feasible. for example i created railings to be photoetched for a friend. cost him nothing for the layout, probably would have charged min $60 graphics time but, because we had to outsource it, the cost just for that was in 3 figures. there are companies now that will print 3D but you still have to create the product. i believe you are right that prices, even for the graphics, will come down but i do not think, much like PE and resin casting, it will be viable for most weekend model builders. just my opinion.

as for copyright, if i didn't say anything no one would know i used a tamiya model as a guide since any "watermark" printed on a part does not have to be replicated. so no way to prove. it will be interesting to see how this pans out. NOTE: i built the kit and the 3D model for me, not for profit.

SO HOW 'BOUT THAT M110A2?

Now that's a B I G  G U N  Karl

Killer dude

Tony lee

Thanks for looking in, Tony!

This thing looks like it is overcompensating for something!!!!

It appears we are in for the usual good show from El Doogie.

Brian

Lest you all think I gave up on this pig,

Give up?  You?  Nah!

Looking good doog.  

Is this a little single battery roto-tool?  and if so, where'd ya git it?

wing_nut

Lest you all think I gave up on this pig,

Give up?  You?  Nah!

Looking good doog.  

Is this a little single battery roto-tool?  and if so, where'd ya git it?

 That's what it looks like.

 When not using my dremel, I use my $.50 battery powered thrift store special.

Works perfect!

Marc and Brian,

Thanks, guys!!

Marc, that's not motorized---it's just a tool with a three kinds of routing bits that you can use to enlarge holes or use as a sort of rasp. The other two tips are long and thin, and all are coated with something like a resin diamond dust. You put them in the hole you want to enlarge and use them like saws, ya know? I think I got it from Micromark, but I can't remember what it's called?

disastermaster

Karl, its great watching you reffine a kit as you go along. You have such an eye for the essence of whatever you build. This one looks to be right on target.

Thanks for the heads up on the battery powered dremel. I have been meaning to get a dremel for the last 10 years and now I can cross that one off my list of options!

Keep it coming.

the doog

disastermaster

Hey, that's pretty cool, Steve! I gotta see if I can find me one of those---that looks really convenient instead of dragging out the Dremel for small, quick shaves? I'll bet it doesn't hold a charge long though, does it? I have one of those battery-powered Dremel mini's,and that ain't worth the plastic case that surrounds it for doing anything more than shaving a dimple off of styrene, and you're back on "charge" for three hours..

The good news about those finger nail tools is they are light and small enough to reach in small places, and they spin at slow enough speed that you don't burn through the plastic. 

The bad news is they are small  and slow and will take forever on medium size jobs and a long time on small jobs.

But it will beat hand sanding in many cases, just don't be in a hurry; oh and rechargeable batteries are good to save on costs

Duster, thanks for your input on the mini-Dremels!

Narayan, hey, good to hear from you, man! Thanks for looking in and for saying hello! Whatcha working on lately??

Ready for paint!

Well, I've finally gotten to the point where I think I"m, ready to paint this beast. It's not going to be easy! Man, the holes, reverse angles, and complexity of the pieces is going to make it a real PITA! It's hard to get that gun out of there and almost impossible to get the "turret" out once it's in there--the pieces around the gun hit the side seat. Gonna have to figure something out...?

Having said that, the gun cradle is a nice little piece--infinitely better than the blob kit piece! This picture is really even more impressive when you realize that I originally built this entire assembly backwards---on the wrong side of the styrene kit piece, and then had to disassemble it carefully and put it all back together, lol.

Here's the whole thing, minus the tracks of course

I have to say, the PE set REALLY adds to the detail that this kit really does need--but now, I don't think I can build my other two versions without it, and man, there's a lot of complex PE pieces in this!

The most annoying thing about this old kit is the wealth of seam lines that you have to sand carefully away. THAT took more time than anything, except the PE!.

HELP!! The more I've looked at this photo, I've realized that this vehicle is NOT in MERDC scheme, but 3-color. Maybe some of you vets can tell me though---does this look like an incomplete MERDC scheme in MERDC colors? I know that sometimes they didn't quite do the "full Monty" on all vehicles. Or does this appear to be standard NATO 3-color? 

Thanks for looking in, guys, and if anyone has any opinion on the color, please speak out!!!

If the field artillery painted their guns the way we painted our tanks, even though there was a pattern, it was transferred using the Mk. I Eyeball and regular blackboard chalk. Neatness depended on the person who was chalking it out and how good a copy of the pattern he was working off of.

Once NATO 3-color came along, all we did on many of the previously MERDC was delete the small sand squiggle, make the black squiggle a little larger and use the NATO brown instead of that tan colored brown shown on the gun tube above.

No two tracks looked alike back then.

Even before the NATO tri colors came along, some units deleted the sand color highlights and either covered them with black, or one if the adjoining field drab/forest green colors. I saw this on 8th Mech Division AFVs in Germany in 1984 REFORGER.

i don't recall having sand in the pattern when we got new M60A2s in august '75. they were od until we got back from training at hohenfels and than all were painted IDENTICALLY usong a number of volunteers and 2 bn maint bays. our bn cdr was somewhat detailed oriented and had a cow when he noticed the 3rd left road wheel on one tank was the incorrect color.

prior to that my 4 A1s and 2 M-60s were still desert camo. 3-33AR/3AD.

It looks like a very faded NATO 30color camo to me.

Not that I can give some advice...but, are you also going to put the small squirrel on top of the mufller?? LOL

Thanks for all the input and personal experiences with finishes, etc. I appreciate it, guys!

I just realized that the barrel has some kind of lighter brown than the rest of the vehicle. I wonder if the barrel is a replacement? (Did someone point this out along the way? Sorry if I didn't catch that sooner!)

I think I'm going to go with a 3-color finish in old MERDC colors. I'm seeing a lot of 3-color finishes, but with a brown color that's more yellowish than chocolate NATO brown. Thanks again for your input, al!

garzohn.....I think I'll leave the squirrel for the museum. :)

Ok, this is what my eyes see in that photo- the hull and up to the gun cradle are in NATO 3 Color, but the barrel itself is in a variation of MERDC winter verdent without the sand color. Look closely and it appears to be in faded versions of Forest Green 34079, Field Drab 30118, (both noticably different than NATO/CARC Green and NATO/CARC Brown) and Black. Seeing as how this is in a museum, it is quite likely that the barrel came from a seperate source than the rest of the vehicle.

Stikpusher...WOW..you can see all that in a picture??

I'm afraid for asking feedback with a critical judge eye....ever!...

The barrel is definitely a different pattern than the rest of the vehicle. Many of the coded out barrels ended their lives as MOABs and the older barrel was probably added from a vehicle that was sent to the cann point but still had life left in the tube.

As far as road wheels went, other than the base color of green, we never bothered to paint them; we changed out road wheels so often it wouldn't matter anyway. Your battalion commander sounds like one of the paper tigers soldiers and the lieutenant mafia often ridiculed.

LOL! Garzon I really enjoy looking at photos of equipment and looking for all the small things. Like all the other vets on here I pass on my 2 cents about something I have some personal knowledge of when it can help a fellow member here. I sure don't want to scare anyone not to ask for input though.

Great "catch" on that color combo, Carlos; I can't believe it took me this long to see that!

It makes sense too, with what Rob has posted as well. Thanks for the info on the wheel color, too, Rob!

Thanks again for weighing in and giving me your knowledgeable opinions!!

Really impressive so far Karl,looking forward to your paint and weathering

Thanks, Tojo! I'm a'primering her right now!

OK, I had to go back and look at the picture you posted Karl, and while I am impressed that Stik noticed the barrel color difference I am surprised no one mentioned anything about the SQUIRREL sitting on the muzzle break!!!!!!!

Brian

*EDIT*  Never mind, I see now Gamera has sharp eyes!

Oooh nice work on all the shiny bits there Karl! Looking forward to seeing it under paint.

Thanks, Bill--you know PE is not my favorite thing to do, but on this kit at least it was a necessity with all the soft detail. I wish  they'd repop this line. It could really use it!

Brian, I still haven't figured out if that squirrel is stuffed or real!

I am betting the museum folks put it there just to see how many people would notice.....that or the squirrel is indeed real and the incarnate soul of George Patton.

Brian

Brain, lol----you're probably right about the museum owner putting it up there. He was quite the eccentric ol' man. Really quite a trip to talk to, honestly. Nice guy too!

Karl - Sorry I have not been here sooner to help out. You can beat me with a stick later. The M110A2 would have been in 3 color NATO camo or those that went to ODS, painted ODS Sand Color. If you paint 3 color NATO don't worry about the exact pattern....mostly green, then black and a touch of brown. NATO camo normally did not have a hard edge so a bit of over spray or fuzzy edge is fine.Keep all the road wheels green.

I will try to keep my eye out for you.... I am back on the OP, observing

Rounds Complete!!

Mike, thanks a TON!!--that's great advice! I was just about to paint the camo tomorrow after a busy weekend. I'm relieved to know that I didn't have to do a hard-edge pattern---it would've been murder over all that PE and delicate detail!

Just one question---what's "ODS"?! You're talkin' to a civilian here, Mike!

ODS- Operation Desert Storm, AKA Gulf War I. 1991.

Thanks, Carlos!!!

Anytime Karl

Thanks Stick for cover fire.....sorry Karl...force of habit

Good luck with with the airbrush

Rounds Complete!!

MIke, not a problem---I appreciate you looking in when you can!

Anyhoo, here's the painting update; pretty standard stuff here....painted with Tamiya acrylics.

I actually primed with Model Master acrylic Gray Primer. This stuff worked pretty good, actually. Of course, we need that for the PE..

Followed that up with a bottle called "Forest Green" that I mixed up to match Testor's Forest Green a while ago. I forget the mixture, sorry guys.This was for an undercoat/pre-shade type effect.

Tracks got a mix of Brown/Black...

I then used NATO Green for a main, but also highlight color. On top of the darker Forest Green, it adds some depth to the model.

And then I painted the camo like you'd expect--3-color NATO. I did mix a new "NATO Brown" though, by adding in some Buff and Black---it looked way too reddish for me out of the can.

See how that Fores Green under the hull looks darker? It's a good effect....

Painting was done freehand with my ol' Badger 150.

That's it for now. It shouldn't be too long for this one---I'm not going to weather it harshly. YIKES! I'm actually going for more of a clean (but only slightly "dusty") look!

Stay tuned!

No advice, but I am learning a lot following the forums. Looks great!

Question: you mentioned needing to use an acrylic primer because of the PE parts. Is this a MUST do? I'll be getting into the PE parts on my M1 in the near future (IF work calms down!).  I planned on using Model Master grey primer, but only because it sprayed so nicely on my Enterprise kit and would have been just blind luck that I'm using it again.

Looking great Karl.  The paint job looks really nice.

"Question: you mentioned needing to use an acrylic primer because of the PE parts. Is this a MUST do?"

No, I never prime anything and have no issues with paint adhesion or color variation, or anything else.  I don't see the need for it.  I use straight paint over plastic, resin, PE, filler putty, etc., etc., etc...

Very nice paint progress there Karl. Camo pattern looks good and that top-down shot really shows it off.

Thanks, Ktkrow, glad you're following along!

You know, the primer thing is a personal choice. Honestly, I think I used to do like HeavyArty did, just spraying on the paint and not priming--and I still do, from time to time if I don't have PE on the model. I read somewhere that it provide a more "neutral" base for the paint to go onto, so that you don't get different surfaces for the paint to lay on. But I don't know if it's really a necessity? I tend to to do it with PE just to assure that all that brass is covered. Primer is slightly different, chemically, than pure paint, and so lays down differently, It tends to adhere better to various media. So I guess that by laying down over primer, the paint is then ALL laying on the same surface? I also tend to do it more so now after doing a bunch of muscle car models--you need to prime car models because of the rigors of making a shiny finish, and the slick surfaces of the plastic used by model car companies.

That's the best explanation I can give for it. :)

Thanks a lot, Gino---I know I'm on the right track when you give me a thumbs-up! ('cuz I know you'd tell me if it weren't up to snuff!) I appreciate you weighing in.

The whole "primer" thing is still an enigma for me--I do it almost as a superstition over PE and resin parts, but honestly, a lot of times I don't use it over just straight plastic. As I told the previous poster, I definitely do it more after building some muscle cars and having issues with the paint adhesion on those slick car bodies. It's always good to hear from others' experiences.

Thanks, Bill! Very kind of you to say, Sir!

karl the camo looks really nice

i tend to prime everything. helps show seams that need to be repaired. i use ace hardware NOW for armor. it's a lot cheaper than model primer though not as fine. something to be careful off when buying paint jars of primer. some will be actual primer others will say primer gray which IS NOT a primer but a paint with the color of gray primer.

Just want to add my compliments to the pile. Excellent work, Karl.

Lee

 As with anything you do Karl, this will be a super rendition of a classic. I've been watching your progress and will continue to do so just as I always have but my future comments here will be somewhat limited for an undetermined amount of time. 

 In recent months I have been dealing with some very serious problems with my Mom who is nearly 89 (the greatest generation). My activities are now more focused on her hospitalization, comfort and end of life care.

 I don't want this to appear as a attempt to hijack your thread doog but you are very popular here (as you are with me) and I felt this was the best way to explain my inactivity with the very best chance of exposure to everyone.

Steve

Bis dann.

Wayne, thanks buddy!

I didn't know about that primer. Good info!

Lee, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I appreciate it!

disastermaster

 As with anything you do Karl, this will be a super rendition of a classic. I've been watching your progress and will continue to do so just as I always have but my future comments here will be somewhat limited for an undetermined amount of time. 

 In recent months I have been dealing with some very serious problems with my Mom who is nearly 89 (the greatest generation). My activities are now more focused on her hospitalization, comfort and end of life care.

 I don't want this to appear as a attempt to hijack your thread doog but you are very popular here (as you are with me) and I felt this was the best way to explain my inactivity with the very best chance of exposure to everyone.

Steve

Bis dann.

Hey man, don't worry about it at all--I'm just sorry to hear that something like that is happening at all with your mom, but we'll all get there, won't we? I hope that you're able to take care of what has to be done to your -- and her --complete satisfaction, and hope that her eventual passing is painless and quick. Though it's hard to wait for the inevitable, at least it's not a surprise, and you're able to make your peace and say goodbye in a meaningful way.

I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that your presence here is indeed missed, but that we're all pulling for you and for your mom.

I'm no expert by any means but I think you nailed that camo Karl, looks great!!!

Ahhh...very nice...freehand is always the best for NATO camo. Lookiing great. You may want to wash with a light  grey style wash or I prefer AK NATO Rainmarks to give a chalky effect, then you can get to dirt!!

Rounds Complete!!

Karl the Grille 10 is this big

The devil made me do it,sorry

Thanks, Eric!! I appreciate that!

Mike, thanks alot for that suggestion---that's great advice. I don't have the AK stuff, but I have some MIG and Wilder stuff that is meant for that. A gray wash sounds intriguing too. I"ll have to consider if it'll work with where I'm going with this model. I was actually thinking of keeping it rather clean?

Pvt Mutt

Karl the Grille 10 is this big

The devil made me do it,sorry

Tony lee

Hi all,

 Forgive me, but I"m up in NY again, "working", and haven' been able to post an update or get on the forum much this week. I took these photos before I left though and am able to find a couple minutes at the day's end here to give an update.

I gave the model a preliminary pin wash of Black,

I put a light coat of stippled "Buff" oil paint on the bottom and behind the wheels. Note the yellow decals--I didn't really like the look of these, so I rubbed them off. I'm going to look in the spares box for something more current.

Wheels got a wash of Black-green oil and a tiny bit of rust in the rims.

The resin tracks, painted and weathered, I used AK Metallic powder to make the track where the wheels would run. The tracks were painted Tamiya Brown/Black mix, washed wit rust oil, and drybrushed with steel.

The tracks look MUCH better than those awful Italeri rubber bands!

So far....where I stopped before leaving for New York...

Still have a bit to do yet in terms of detail painting and weathering the spade. That'll be fun. I'm hoping to be back in Charlotte by next weekend so I should be back at this before too long.

Call out anything you see that needs attention, guys! I'd appreciate it!

tony now i definitely have to get a GRILLE.

and the 110 is looking good doog.

Love that camo!

Very good indeed!

Hopefully mine will come out as nice as yours......

I also have to use the same scheme and free hand....first cammo I will make.

Will you be weathering it?... a little?...too much?...damages?

Thanks, wayne and Steve!

garzohn, no damage or extreme weathering. I'm going to keep this one rather like a museum piece. I haven't done a "clean" model in ages. I think I'll just do this one "old school". Good luck with your camo!

karl, really sorry I missed this thread, will teach to get out of GB's more often and check the WiP's. Been a while since I have seen one of your builds, and this is looking as good as I remember of your builds. I do like the effect you have got with the AK powder.

Nice update you've sneaked in there Karl! Replacement tracks are a definite improvement, no question about it.

I like it doog, lookin fine.

Confession: When I read your thread title today, with its current update sub title, the first thing that popped into my head was a picture of the doog, with a goofy headband on, waving his hands at a model, saying: "tracks ON, tracks OFF".

Sorry.

Karl that is looking real good so far. As far as those yellow declas, i dont know why Italeri always seems to pull that bonehead move. Bumper codes (thats what those are- unit identification numbers), are usually painted on a sand/tan back ground, or directly onto the vehicle camo color. There are variations to this, but it is usually somewht low visibiliity... NOT ON YELLOW!!! LOL! There are lots of Dry Transfer ordecal letter/symbol/number sets out there to help you correct this goof. Just paint a strip of tan/sand in the appropriate size and place, then apply your decals/dry transfers there to match the kit decal numbers.

Bish and Bill, thanks for the nice comments, guys!

Rbaer, that's easy to see how that would get into your head, lol! Funny!  

stikpusher

Karl that is looking real good so far. As far as those yellow declas, i dont know why Italeri always seems to pull that bonehead move. Bumper codes (thats what those are- unit identification numbers), are usually painted on a sand/tan back ground, or directly onto the vehicle camo color. There are variations to this, but it is usually somewht low visibiliity... NOT ON YELLOW!!! LOL! There are lots of Dry Transfer ordecal letter/symbol/number sets out there to help you correct this goof. Just paint a strip of tan/sand in the appropriate size and place, then apply your decals/dry transfers there to match the kit decal numbers.

IIRC and it has been a few years (39) we never painted a tan back on the tanks, just black on whatever color cisibiliyty be damned. don't think we did on the tracks either, may have on some of the trucks as the numbers were on the bumpers. the tan back could have been a unit thing too.

RBaer

I like it doog, lookin fine.

Confession: When I read your thread title today, with its current update sub title, the first thing that popped into my head was a picture of the doog, with a goofy headband on, waving his hands at a model, saying: "tracks ON, tracks OFF".

Sorry.

 Hey dude,

     time ta step back from those glue fumes.

Karl, I will point you to those once I get home... Out picking up my youngest offspring right now.

Like I said, it is not universal Armywide on dark camo'd vehciles, be it NATO or MERDC. But when done, it is like on this Abrams

or MLRS

but not on this M60A1

anyways companies like: Archer

http://www.archertransfers.com/AR35065B.html

Echelon

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/400450349990?lpid=82

TL Modelbau (look like the best ones I have seen)

http://www.tl-modellbau.de/TL-Decals-1-35/Int-Streitkraefte/US-Army-Bumper-Codes-1-35.html

and Verlinden

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/390243011254?lpid=82

All make what you need. 

Just use the same letter and number combos to  match what the kit decals show for that vehicle/unit.

AWESOME, Carlos! Just what I needed! Thanks so much for the information and the photos!!

I'll be ordering some tonight!

And thanks, too Wayne, for your recollection!!

Glad to be of help my friend ;-)

Karl, looks fantastic. great job on the tracks. Looking at the breech the internal looks dark...the block screw and barrel internal should be a shiny steel. Maybe the picture does not show it well.

Rounds Complete!!

That's what I get for being absent again!!   I almost missed another awesome DOOG build!! 

Hey Karl!  I've been away from the forums for a few months, only popping in every couple of weeks or so, and I totally missed this build until just now!  You're doing your usual fantastic work, but it never ceases to impress and inspire me!  I love your choice too.....that has got to be the biggest SP gun I've ever seen!!  I've never been an artillery fan before, but lately my interest has been piqued and your build is lighting a fire in me!  I'm definitely hanging around to see this one completed!

The tan background on bumper numbers is a later addition, about mid 1980s. Older 4-color MERDC vehicles may or may not have it depending on the year. A vehicle in the later standard NATO 3-color camouflage will definitely have it, unless it is an "unowned" vehicle drawn from a pre-positioned fleet or a training set of vehicles like the ones used by National Guard units at their annual training sites or major training centers like the NTC, JRTC or CMTC.

Often vehicles drawn from the training sites will have temporary bumper numbers applied to 100 mph tape (aka green duct tape) so the numbers can be stenciled on and then removed easily when the vehicles are turned back in.

IIRC the tan background was added about the same time we stopped adding the small tan squiggles to the 4-color scheme.

The yellow bumper backgrounds is an odd mistake they seem to replicate again and again.

Been "popping" in on occasions to take a look, it is looking great so far!

Looking forward to seeing it finished...cheers....Kenny

Mike, thanks for the heads-up on he breech, I didn't even get around to that yet, but I honestly didn't know it. I'll make sure I get it done when I get home.

I ordered some of those "Rain Marks" too, just for fun! :)

Ernest, thanks man--you're always so kind in your comments! I appreciate the enthusiasm, and hope I don't disappoint you!

Rob, you are always a welcomed font of useful information. that's great stuff to know there. I ordered some proper numbers and will have to make some tan rectangles to complete the correct look.

Thank for taking the time to type all that and share your knowledge. It's much appreciated!

That's for dropping in too, Kenny!!

disastermaster

RBaer

I like it doog, lookin fine.

Confession: When I read your thread title today, with its current update sub title, the first thing that popped into my head was a picture of the doog, with a goofy headband on, waving his hands at a model, saying: "tracks ON, tracks OFF".

Sorry.

 Hey dude,

     time ta step back from those glue fumes.

                                       

                                                

HI all,

I'm happy to say that I've finally wrapped this one up. Between traveling and some other distractions, it's been longer than I've wanted, but I"m finally ready to call this one "Done"!

I didn't really take time to document the weathering--it was pretty standard stuff, and  I didn't want to break my pace to have to photograph everything, so sorry about that.

Weathering consisted of these steps after I had applied the decals and painted all details.

1. Oil wash of 502 Abt "Buff" oil. Stippled with a wet brush to diffuse on flat panels

2. A light wash of Adam Wilder's pigment-based solution (Dry Russian Earth + Dark European Terrain)  in mineral spirits. This was mostly removed, leaving traces and areas of "dust"..

3. Sealed with Wilder Pigment Fixer (MM)

4. AIrbrushed AK's "Rainmarks for NATO Vehicles". The technique to use is to spray one side of the vehicle, then use a thinner-wetted brush (NOT soaked in thinner) to pull the color down in streaks. Pretty nice stuff.

5. Added various pinwashes of contrasting colors--grays and browns--from Adam Wilder's "Gunpowder" line.

6. Lightly sealed with acrylic flat.

7. Used WIlder's "Mud Effects" to spatter the hull and tracks after masking the top hull.

8. Added some oil and fuel effects and graphite powder for highlights.

Without further ado, here she is.

Thanks, Carlos, for the ideas about the identifying caps on the 5-gal. cans!

The rear spade was finished by first masking a straight line about 2/5th from the bottom of the blade. This was then sprayed with Tamiya Chrome Silver. I then painted rust and dirt stains with oil paints, and next added pigment washes in the creases. Lastly, acrylic resin was used to mix up a "Dirt" mixture of pigments and real dirt, which as then carefully applied.

Thanks, everyone once again, for the help, interest, comments, and information and critiques that you have either offered or will offer now!

All the "redlegs" out there--please let me know if there's anything that I missed! And thanks to you all following along!

Beautiful work Karl! (as always) ;-) As a 5th ID alumni, I do appreciate your choice in memorializing those redlegs from the bottom of my heart.

Karl....I am feeling the 240lb projectile lift now!! Love the big 8 inch!. Two things, I am having a brain cramp but the Italeri kit should have the screw breech block...it seems to be missing on the model, the breech is open and I see the pin hole for the screw block to fit into.

I can't tell by the pics but the loader tray would be steel from the wear of the projectiles sliding on it into the breech.

Otherwise I am smelling the wolfs pu$$y (muzzle blast). Nice build

Rounds Complete!!

Karl- been following along. Another outstanding build

         Welllll..........I'll be doog-gone.

That's really first rate and you know it.

             SUPER!         

It's about as close to the real thing as you're gonna get.

stikpusher

Beautiful work Karl! (as always) ;-) As a 5th ID alumni, I do appreciate your choice in memorializing those redlegs from the bottom of my heart.

Thanks again for your help in getting this build to the finish line!

redleg12

Karl....I am feeling the 240lb projectile lift now!! Love the big 8 inch!. Two things, I am having a brain cramp but the Italeri kit should have the screw breech block...it seems to be missing on the model, the breech is open and I see the pin hole for the screw block to fit into.

I can't tell by the pics but the loader tray would be steel from the wear of the projectiles sliding on it into the breech.

Otherwise I am smelling the wolfs pu$$y (muzzle blast). Nice build

Rounds Complete!!

Thanks for pointing this omission out! I know what you're saying--I googled the breech, and you're right--it's a big screw, but the kit doesn't have it--not even in the instructions. I"ll have to see if I can fashion the part. It shouldn't be too hard. I DID miss filling that hole in the breech face. AT very least I'll attend to that.

The loader tray is weathered with silver paint, but I will put down some nice graphite powder on it and shine it up with a Q-tip. That's make it shine better! I also noticed that I didn't paint some of the little buttons, like the red firing button.

Thanks again for the critique! Much appreciated, Mike!

Stage-left, and Steve---thanks guys; I do appreciate the cheers!

Very nice.  The paint and weathering came out great.  I was going to mention the breech block as well.  If you can't figure it out, let me know, I have a resin copy of one from another kit (AFV Club M40 I think) that is close enough to look the part.  I can send one if you need it.  

Here is the resin breech block on my M43.

Karl thats a very fine build. The way you attacked every little detail speaks volumes of your skill. Thanks for sharing it.

Hey the doog!

Awesome model!, what else can we say from a Master?

I liked so much!.

I really dont have anyhting to say that could improve it.

Best weathering I have seen in a looooong time.

I would only complain on not having the weathering photos.....you just don want to share the obscure secrets of the business... 

very nice karl.

HeavyArty

Very nice.  The paint and weathering came out great.  I was going to mention the breech block as well.  If you can't figure it out, let me know, I have a resin copy of one from another kit (AFV Club M40 I think) that is close enough to look the part.  I can send one if you need it.  

Here is the resin breech block on my M43.

And thanks for the offer on the breech, but it looks like a simple enough scratchbuild--just a cylinder with a few other styrene additions and some filing for rifling effect. I'm sure I can manage it----I'll post a pic when done. Thanks again!

Thanks, jibber, and waynec, for the kind compliments! I appreciate you taking the time to stop in!

garzonh

I would only complain on not having the weathering photos.....you just don want to share the obscure secrets of the business... 

As far as the weathering photos--usually I'm always very helpful and try to illustrate nearly every aspect of my techniques and the products I use in my builds. However, this model spanned the time period of a lot of stress for me---traveling, recording a record, personal projects on the side, and hunting for a new house. LOTS going on--so when I got a chance to sit down and model, I wanted to indulge myself in it without distraction--and that was a welcomed break for me.

I know that there are indeed some modelers who don't want to share their techniques--I've seen them myself on this very forum--but that's definitely NOT me! You can research some of my other builds here and learn a lot from my models, if you take the time to read through the posts.

great finish Karl,came out real nice.

Another trophy piece Karl!

What a STUNNER Karl!!  I'm an arty newb and don't know a darn thing about screwy breech blocks or MERDEC paint schemes or how big a 240 lb artillery shell is, but I do know a BEAUTIFUL model when I see one abd she's got the BIGGEST GUN I've ever seen on tracks!!  Honestly, you did a marvelous job all around, an inspiration for all the forum members!  Assembly, camo, weathering....perfect!  I'm so glad I got back in time to see this one done! 

Another fine effort Karl!  The only thing missing is a 1/35 scale squirrel sitting on the muzzle break.

Brian

Beautiful work all around on this monster Karl!

Tojo, Ibuild48, Ernest, Brian, and Bill, thanks all around, guys! I appreciate you looking in and taking time to leave a nice comment!

Ernest---it's good to have you back here. I"m looking forward to see what new, fantastic build you're going to present!

Brian--if you come across a 1/35 squirrel, you let me know, ok?!

Bill---congrats on another Finescale cover story! Another fine model and you surely must be FSM"s most frequently-published author by now? Good deal!!!

Very nicely done, doog. I like the weathering and grunge a lot.

the doog

Brian--if you come across a 1/35 squirrel, you let me know, ok?!

Well, since you asked............

http://www.milminwh.com/mantis_animals.htm

Second set down, MAN-35009 Animal set 2.  Unfortunately at the moment they are out of stock.

Brian

I'm not well versed in modern equipment, but was certainly  worth taking a gander at -  this really is a great job.  I specially like the  effects on the back blade.

regards,

Jack

the doog

Bill---congrats on another Finescale cover story! Another fine model and you surely must be FSM"s most frequently-published author by now? Good deal!!!

Thanks Karl! I don't know about that, just keep trucking along as usual...don't know how to do it any other way!

Very nice work Karl you've done it again.

Almost missed the finish but better late than never right?

Tony lee

jgeratic

I'm not well versed in modern equipment, but was certainly  worth taking a gander at -  this really is a great job.  I specially like the  effects on the back blade.

regards,

Jack

Tony,

Thanks, buddy. Not a problem with the late look--we know you're busier than any two of us put together here! No one has the output of "The Master"!

Thanks for stopping by and checking in!

RBaer

Very nicely done, doog. I like the weathering and grunge a lot.

New Hampshire

the doog

Brian--if you come across a 1/35 squirrel, you let me know, ok?!

Well, since you asked............

http://www.milminwh.com/mantis_animals.htm

Second set down, MAN-35009 Animal set 2.  Unfortunately at the moment they are out of stock.

Brian

Doog - I know I've said it before, but fantastic work!!!

Are there any recommended or well known scale stencils, primarily for lettering.  Example, I want to spray stencil "NO STEP" on a surface.  My freehand might not be so great.  I suppose I could cut some out, but that is just one more detail job that can consume time.  Any leads are appreciated.

Wonderful work!

Ken

Ktkrow

Are there any recommended or well known scale stencils, primarily for lettering.  Example, I want to spray stencil "NO STEP" on a surface.  My freehand might not be so great.  I suppose I could cut some out, but that is just one more detail job that can consume time.  Any leads are appreciated.

You can buy home computer decal paper and make your own using any graphics or word-type program.  Check here:  http://www.papilio.com/inkjet%20waterslide%20decal%20transfer%20paper%20media.html

You can also check Archer Fine Transfers.  They make some premade stencil and placard sets.  They also have individual letter sets.  http://www.archertransfers.com/

Dry Transfer work great for some stencils, as long as the surface is not too irregular. And no gloss coat is needed in preperation for dry transfers. Verlinden makes some good ones in addition to the Archer ones mentioned.

all the work and paint made a very realistic build. Well done

Really pleased to see the finish. Some very neat painting on all of those detail bits/pieces.

Very steady pair of hand,that's for sure.

I do like 'BIG' guns and that is one big gun...cheers....Kenny  

Ktkrow

Doog - I know I've said it before, but fantastic work!!!

Are there any recommended or well known scale stencils, primarily for lettering.  Example, I want to spray stencil "NO STEP" on a surface.  My freehand might not be so great.  I suppose I could cut some out, but that is just one more detail job that can consume time.  Any leads are appreciated.

Wonderful work!

Ken

Thanks, too, SprueOne!!!

And Kenny too---thanks for looking in and leaving a kind comment!

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Guys,

I have decided to forgo the building of the breech--I figured that it would look rather incomplete with the barrel itself lacking a true "barrel" with its characteristic grooving and reciprocal "screw" parts to match the breech. I also would have had to break off and move the handle if it was open--"down" is "open".---should have thought of it before.

Having thus decided, I realized that I'd missed painting some details, so I added them in--mostly the firing button, stenciling and labels here. It really makes the build "pop" though. Here's two quick photos. This completes the model...

Thanks again guys. Everyone who has weighed in or will from here....I am sincerely grateful for the friendly accolades and comments!

On to the next build!

the doog

Dang, man...that is HOT! I'm going to have to read back to see how you dealt with the resin replacement tracks - just cracked into a Testors (Italeri) M107 and will be using the same ones.

Karl,

That gun is looking good, congratulations on another work of art you've created! Keep 'em babies comin' and have a nice day

Paweł

Another fine build. It's a peach, doog.

dupes

the doog

Dang, man...that is HOT! I'm going to have to read back to see how you dealt with the resin replacement tracks - just cracked into a Testors (Italeri) M107 and will be using the same ones.

ANd no secret to doing the tracks---I just formed a few around the sprockets and then bent the long sections to match up. Really quite easy to work with!

Lee and Pawel,

Thanks, friends! I appreciate the comps!!!

And I think I'm hungry for a peach now....that's like, life-sized!