Wow.  Excellent finish and imaginative build.

Well, most of what I do is Star Wars related. I take an old toy line called Action Fleet and turn them into models. I have a ton of SW stuff on my website Action Fleet Unlimited, as well as a few military and sci-fi stuff. But, I had a lot of fun with this guy and will probably do more in the future. I think next, I'll get a Dragon kit...more fun bits that way.

Cheers

Is this the first time you've done something like this, or do you have more of these little gems lying around (or perhaps in the works??!!).

Thanks man. I had a slight idea going into the project. I liked how the rear of the vehicle sloped down, which reminded me of a vehicle in a computer game I used to play. So from there, I kept adding and thinking and adding and well, you get the idea.

WOW! That thing is superb! You took a pile of dog poo and turned it into a gem!

Did you have a rough idea of what you were going for from the start, or did you make it up as you went along?

 Thanks. It's kinda fun in a challenging way to try and create something with only what you have on hand. And if you're a sci-fi fan...you'll have plenty of inspiration.

Man, great finish!

I wonder what I've got kicking around the stash that I could turn into something like this. Hmmmmm.

 Thanks guys.

Great looking tank. The paint and weathering as well as the mash-up detailing 

also, glad you're ok 

Amazing.

good to ear all it's ok

tank looks great

Glad you're ok......I've seen the reports from down there and it's scary just to look at.

Fantastic build. Love the approach, and love the result.

Well, I almost didn't finish. My area got hit hard by tornadoes last week and it's taken quite awhile to sit down and actually photograph this thing. Luckily, we're ok, just a few small trees down. As for the tank, I added several filters and weathered it in a "used, but not junked" look.

Enjoy

Wow. That's really cool. 

Can't wait to see the finish!

Amazing!

Finished the painting today.

I also used part of the cardboard box to create strips to hold on the extra fuel cells. It's not photo-etch, but it works just fine.

Everything painted:

Well, the first bit of painting is finished. I opted for a unique "tetris" looking camo pattern, which required a lot of tape. There was a little bleed through in a few areas, but I can easily fix that. I'll probably paint the turret and details tomorrow.

Well, I have about 5 days until the contest, but it's going good so far. I just primed it with my cheapo rattle can grey. Here's a pic moments before. I added a rail and two grab handles out of the 2 staples in the box, and I added a bit more detail bits around the model....nothing that big.

Painting is next!

great looking

actually it seems like.. it 

Alright, so I've been hitting it hard lately trying desperately to hit the painting stage (not yet though). I did finish making the barrel out of a sprue. It's certainly not turned aluminum, but it will work:

And I made an ammo feed belt by splitting the tank tracks and CAing the German ammo drums in between:

Here it is sitting in the feed roller/drum thing (made out of the exhaust and stowage bin):

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Looking perfect so far....Good luck.....

Thanks man. I wouldn't call it on-the-spot though. It's more of a blaming-everything-else, then cooling-off-and-working-through-a-solution engineering.

Anyway, in this update, I've modified the road wheel shock absorbers into hovering things (if you're a Star Wars fan, we can call them "repulsorlifts"). Then I attached them facing inward on the underside of the chassis. When I get it assembled, you'll be able to see the results better.

I like your resourcefulness and on the spot engineering  

I decided to add tinted windows to the cockpit and turret area using the clear bag the parts came in. To do this I mixed future and Polly Scale RLM 83 Light Green and airbrushed it on a large section of the bag. It didn't adhere well, but I covered such a large area that i could cut out the best sections. Then I glued it in place with Future, and later I added some white glue to fully hold it in.

This is a pic of the finished dust filtration system. I still need to do more filling and sanding:

Here's a pic showing off the air flaps. The actuators were made from MP40s.

Finally, I changed the cupola by routering a roadwheel and fitting the hatch to it. I'll glue it later:

Not much new lately, just filling, sanding, smoothing, wash, rinse, repeat. I have started a few smaller assemblies that I will attach later.

First, I've made 2 air brake steering flaps. I cut the top lid of the storage bin in half and fit some leftover turret bits on the opposite sides. I then recut the edges of the lid into a more angular shape:

As part of the covering the center up, I made a dust filtration system (the dust exits through the side ports I already made). I cut one side of the spare track link piece off and then glued several running gear bits to it. These bits were originally molded on:

Finally, I added a scanner/antenna assembly to the front. It is made of the antenna holder with the sledgehammer tool set glued underneath (hammer head removed).

Thanks again for the comments guys. This is a fun little build.

yes, I'm watching this build 

Gee, when I think of kit-bashing it's of adding extra stuff to the kit not using what's in the box. Very cool idea!

Please keep up the updates I wanna see how she comes out.

Well, I've added a bit more over the past few days. I keep banging my head in the wall just wishing I could open my spares boxes. But I'm committed....for now.

I needed to cover up the large opening on the left side, so I took the underside of the turret (the part the allows it to rotate) and saved the angular part off. With a little work and sawing, I cut out the circular inner lining and then glued it to the side.

After a long deliberation with me and myself, I decided to add a dust vent for whatever small particles were sucked into the engines. This consists of a one-piece box that I cut out the inner bits, as well as 4 canteens that will act as dust spouts....sort of.

The box was also given angled cuts on one side of the 3 slats to help with the fit.

I had a fun time trying to drill a hole centered on the top of each canteen when the mold doesn't even seem to be centered.

It's a little rough, but I'm thinking some Mig pigments will enhance the believability.

Next up will probably be the turret. Oh joy...

Cool idea cant wait to see the finished product