Rolls Royce Armored Car ~ 1920

This is the 1/35 scale MENG kit that came out a few years ago. Fit and details are good. Beware of the 4 different versions. Be sure to follow all of the parts options for the version you want to build before starting. 

After taking these photos I realized the headlamps were too clean.  That has since been corrected. 

The markings on the top of the turret were a 3 piece decal. 

The kit comes with two types of wheels and tires.  The 1914 initial versions were plastic multi part with photo etched wire inserts.  Yuck.  I built those very carefully then realized that I needed the full rubber wheels and solid hubs, much easier, for the later versions.

Painted with enamels, oils and pigment powders. 

Vince B.  Aug 1,  2020

Haunebu II in 1/144 scale

This is the Pegasus kit. One of the last thinks I bought at Hobby Town. Not a great fit or lots of detail. 

It also needed some extra decals from my spares. 

There aren't too many parts but the rounded bridge sections do not fit together and leave a slot between them.  I managed to make use of that defect and included in the lighting effects.

The machine gun barrels were solid and not well detailed so I just replaced them with stainless steel tubes so I could feed fiber optics through them. The fibers are run to a single LED which is powered by a flashing circuit in the base. The interior is lit with strip LEDs.

I created a U-Tube short to illustrate the full effect. Look for  Pegasus 1/144 scale model of Haunebu II

Vince B. 8-1-20

Sd.Kfz 231 6 Rad

This is the 1/35th scale Italieri kit of the German WWII 6-wheeled Sd.Kfz. 232. I left off the radio arials, which converts it into a Sd.Kfz. 231. The commander figure is from the Miniart "German Tank Crew (France 1940)" set. Despite this, it represents a vehicle used in the invasion of Poland. The bucket is from Armand Biardi with a wire handle.

The vehicle is painted with Tamiya German Gray and Flat Brown. The camo was airbrushed freehand. The figure is hand painted with various acrylics. Weathering was done with oil washes and PanPastels. (Yes, I finally broke open one of the sets I got from Amazon a couple of years ago.) It is only lightly weathered as they seem to be pretty clean in most of the photos I've seen. I was going for more of a dust than mud effect.

Ground cover is railroad grass over Vellejo Brown Earth paste. The plants are autumn goldenrod from Scenic Express.

This is my Jon Baker Build entry.

IDF - SHO'T Meteor

This is the AFV 1/35 scale kit of the Australian Centurion made to look like an early Israeli SHO'T (Meteor vs. KAL).  I approached this Project with the following goals (1) I would spend no money for any aspect of the build.  (2) the subject had to come from the Shelf of Doom (3) It could not be any shade of green.

I had won the kit at a club raffle about a year ago and had started the following night.  I finished the running gear and hull and then it migrated to the Shelf of Doom.  I have been wanting to build a SHO'T so I thought I'd take some artistic licence and have some fun trying to make this look like an IDF tank.

The AFV kit is vintage 2006 and if you have been building Takom, RFM, Tamiya or even Trumpeter  this one will be an eye opener as too how much the kits have improved over the last 10 to 15 years for you

I hit my spares box for many components and used plastic card for the skirts.  Ammo by MIG acrylic paints were used as well as enamel filters and washes.  I think I used Faded Sinai Sand (A.MIG-006) for the base color and proceed to lighten it for the follow-on coats

I had previously ordered some VMS Smart Chipping paint but had never used it.  It comes in multiple colors and if you follow their instructions you will get a pleasing representations of rubs, chips and rust.  I went a little light with it on this Project because the application is kind of scary, but it  worked just like it's YouTube video and I was happy with the outcome.

I am still in progress of making a base, as shown below.  It is kind of bland but there isn't really much out there in the desert to show 

It took me about two weeks to finish up to this point.  Normally it would have taken longer but I don't have much to do being at home waiting to go back to work.

Thanks for Looking - George

Real Life Mad Max Vehicle - in Bosnia

OK, I build cars and armor models, so I found this interesting. A US special forces officer built an armored Camaro to help get supplies to people in Bosnia.
Article on the Hagerty web site.

Covid - 19 Response Team

This was just for fun.... and I was experimenting with making my own decals. It was easier that I thought and this old decal paper I had been saving actually worked.  I will leave this open to interpretation by the viewer.

Of course this is the BANDAI 1/48 scale Imperial Walker AT-ST... but everyone has done on of those. So I did something different. Of course the kit was near perfect on its own. 

I found all of these COVID signs on line and just copied them for the decal sheet. 

I did spend some time detailing out the interior, of course not being able to see it all when it is together, and leaving the hatch open is dumb without the figures. 

I decided to paint it up in more of a forest pattern with the light green, light brown and gray. 

Maybe they were hunting Bats instead of Ewoks. 

And of course they needed to wear masks in case I bring it to a meeting.  Happy 4th of July. 

Vince B.  7-4-2019 

P-300 MARS (Mobile Armored Repair Station)

Another cool Modelcollect kit collection with room for improvement.  The P-300 has various optional armament, plus the fact that other kits fit the same options so mix and match.There are also opportunities to improvise.

Since this was meant for war gaming, the top would be removable allowing access to the 4 one man walkers being stored inside.  Well, I had other plans. I managed to detail out the interior as a repair shop. I made benches, work tables etc. This includes wench with tow cables and chains, welding tanks, fuel station, various spare parts and ammo. I used various Preiser figures, etc.

Of course it needed to be lit to see all of these interior details. The Mobile Station includes a one man walker to protect the vehicle while loading and unloading from the bay.

I did have fun with the overall paint scheme and performed a kind of Tie Die effect masking to create random dot patterns. As if it needed to be camouflaged as it rips down trees. I did the same on the King Tiger and the BLM-100 Walker.

I chose to have the vehicle crushing its way through the forest to retrieve the King Tiger. The tracks are individual link snap together... well mostly. There were sufficient amount of defects to use as spare tracks to mount on the front.

Vince B.  7-1-20

SdKfz 553/A Vierbeiniger Panzerzerstörer

This is the Modelcollect 1/35 scale Four Legged Tank Destroyer.. Well... they called it something different. This is a pretty cool kit, but as with all Modelcollect 'Fist of War' Series kits, they leave room for added details... like Jerry Cans, tools, additional armor plating, lift hooks,  machine gun, and of course Bucket. So I raided my bin of Panzer parts and added stuff from PZ IIIs and PZ IV dragon kits.

All of the legs joints have pose-ability if you don't glue the hydraulics. The main joints have a locking ratchet pin which you may want to sand down before selecting positions. The problem here is that with all joints being loose, it wont stand on its own, so eventually you do need to chose the pose and glue the joints. The same goes with the positioning of the independent guns.  The catch they use is a little loose.

You may also want to add some hydraulic cabling under the leg assemblies to help with realism. I just used the insulation from old telephone cables. 

Once I finished the main assembly, I had decided to check my spare decals for DAK markings and YES, I had some. So I proceeded with a desert color and various fading and chipping techniques.

I had fun with it as well as planning the groundwork.  This is officially my first July completion build and I have a few more for later this month.

Vince B.  July 1, 2020

Need Jon Baker Build Idea?

Still in need of an idea of what to do for the Jon Baker Build? How about this:

More info on the "real" gun(s) at Tanks-Encyclopedia.com

M3 LEE (early)

This is the Takom M3 LEE kit in 1/35 scale.  I have built it pretty much straight from the box except for stowage which came from Value Gear.

I used Ammo by MIG acrylic paints with pre-shading done with darker colors and some modulation with both lighter shades of the base color and oils.

This project went smoothly (for a change). My weakest skill set is weathering.  It kind of scares me at times.  I consider my self a decent fabricator as well as an OK painter.  When it gets to weathering I freeze-up.  On this kit I decided to just let go and try a bunch of different products and techniques.  In the pics I see the warts and some stuff I got to fix, but I'm happy with the end result.

I'm working on a base with a few figures (another weak spot in my skills - but getting a bit better). 

I read an article in an art magazine that stressed the importance of creative people finishing projects even if there are warts and mistakes.  I have to admit it does feel good to claim something (the kit) as done.

Thanks for looking
George

TAMIYA MERKAVA MK I

 This is Tamiya's Merkava MK I in 1/35.

 Kit was built right out of the box with the addition of a Legends IDF Stowage set, and donated chain.

 Vehicle was painted with Vallejo Sinai Grey. It was given a pin wash and weathered with Vallejo pigments.

 The figure came with the kit.

 I built this model back in the early 2000's and gave it away, so I decided to get a new one and give it another shot.

 The kit was typical Tamiya, and it is possible to build in a few days. The detail is nice, but it could use some enhancements.

All in all, I am pleased with the way she came out. Building Tamiya kits is a pleasure and this one was no different.

Trumpeter BMP-2D

This the Trumpeter BMP-2D in 1/35. Back when I was getting into this hobby in the 1980's, there was a distinct lack of mid and late Cold War subjects to model. This is no longer the case, so I was excited to acquire and build this piece as it was one of my favorite vehicles.

 This kit is finely molded with plenty of details and a complete interior. I decided to only build the interiors at the Drivers position, and the turret since this would require minimal effort. This kit contains 470+ parts, and many of them are quite small.

 The Driver figure is from Verlinden and was painted with Vallejo acryllics.

The model was painted with Tamiya acryllics, and weathered with Vallejo pigments and a pin wash, with the addition of some Vallejo thick Brown mud.

The antennas are from RB models and worked out quite nicely.

Here is a quick view of the turret interior. I have yet to "weather" it, but will probably do so in the next couple of days.

Syrian T-55A

Well, the hits keep coming. Here is a quick build.  I needed a break from the scratch build projects, so of course I go to my Tamiya shelf.  Finished this one in 2 weeks, not that I was trying, just that there wasn't a stopping point. It all worked out so well. The kit I bought used and included a completed set of Fruil tracks. I only needed to cut off the pin heads. This really gave it some weight.

Though the kit was intended to be Russian version, I wanted to make it 60's Syrian so tried to use the options provided for the various configurations. It didn't matter much as the vids I found on these tanks were so beat up, I could have done just about anything to it.

The camo pattern was custom mixed Modelmaster enamels. I certainly didn't beat up the tank, but allowed for enough wear and tear without ripping off the stowage bars or fenders.  I did need to add in the fuel lines and light cables as well as some appropriate stowage. I also had some leftover decals that were appropriate.

Well that makes 27 completed projects this year, 20 of them Armor related. 

Vince B.  6-11-20