Wumm

Something like this? But in all seriousness... Look into custom acrylic Ernie. Such as Aquarium businesses local to you, that manufacture custom fish tanks and the like. Acrylic is much lighter than glass, and they can do much thinner sheeting than usual for a 300 - 500 gallon tank, as it doesn't need to hold any water.

Thank you Phil... Still on preliminary cleanup and basic assemblies as time permits. The buzz is certainly alive with it though. It is as you say - with my normal staple of Bf-109 and Fw-190 kits, I know the airframes so well that they tend to go together in logical steps, and the assembly stages become almost second-nature. This kit is something completely different. There are no less than 11 parts to the Front suspension assembly (but strangely no steering rack!), And again there's a part not mentioned. The triangular suspension wishbone is meant to fit into a recess in part 72, which should attach to the bottom centre of the tub. It's shown in-situ on the instructions, but isn't highlighted on the sheet. The detail on this tiny part is even moulded on the reverse side to the sprue numbers - blink, and you'll miss it. I have decided to remove the Tristar kit from this build altogether. The gun assemblies are a little too disimilar to be able to swap like-for-like on the gun chassis'. I attempted to source some matching tread plate to fashion my own gun deck, but wasn't able to find anything suitable. Griffin do a p/e deck sized for this kit, but the holes are already cut out of the plate to fit the Dragon parts so it's not suitable for the Tristar gun. But as it turns out, the Dragon Sd.Kfz.251/17 kit in my stash includes a sprue (marked not for use) for the gun limber for the Flak 38, which is happily identical to that used by the Sd.Ah.51 trailer! So I'll make a trailer box from Evergreen sheet to fit it for this build, and use the Tristar gun and trailer some other time.

It is the age-old dilemma... Taking what one sees in the Mind's eye, and re-creating in actual form. Practice makes perfect Gaz, that's the only advice I can offer. FWIW, I detest p/e too. S

This made my day just now... Nose drooped when he stopped... A little torque when he launched. Not stiff at all, or dumped into the weeds like you see with most Car Guys lately. Looked really fun to drive. Lucky Bastard!

This obviously a spurious claim... How would you get that gut behind a VW steering wheel?

This looks to be a little stunner! I like the separate box to house the bodywork, and presumably the space allocated for it inside the larger box... This is a very nice touch to keep the fragile body pillars straight, as they are often found bent in 1/24th scale Auto kits. Some progressive thought and details put into this release.

This is great progress Rob... It's these little details and techniques that give your built that something extra. I found this as well, and so chose black craft paper as my background as it helps make the subject stand out a little better. But I still struggle with Macro and focus issues as I'm only using a Cell Phone... Your exhaust is a little out of focus here, but still gives a good feel.

Lovely work Rob, Great preparation is really paying dividends here.

FWIW Mike, Brach Model also do a Sd.Kfz.135 (15cm on Lorraine chassis) http://www.brachmodel.it/cataloghi.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=227&category_id=1 Thank you Martin for the Wochenshau clip, it gives a good impression of uniforms and equipment from the time period.

Looks stunning against the black backdrop... Very well done!

Looks every bit the part Mike... Very sharp, the way the weathering blends into the Camo work.

FWIW Gaz... You can add the missing details with Grandt Line resin bolts. They come in a variety of sizes. Look to Model Train sites locally if you need them urgently. Otherwise, you will find them at Vendors at the QMHE show in late August, if you can wait that long. S

Harsh... But fair? Perhaps... But where's the fun in that? Especially when the RFM kit is over the $100 mark here.

It's seems strange that they won't back the product, or that eBay won't step in given that it's a Business listing. The fuselage parts are clearly sub-standard both in casting fidelity and warpage, and are clearly not fit for purpose. Perhaps they are at the end of the Mould life? Jerry Rutman's master work is usually first rate, so if they still hold those, as Graham says above it should be no great shakes to re-pop some new fuselage halves for you. Warpage does and can happen. Just look to Harv's ZM Horton conversion build elsewhere on this site. I've had it happen with parts on an MDC all resin kit, so it's not just the smaller Garage producers but also the larger specialist makers where you find the isolated warpage or undershot parts. But they still should back up what they sell though...

Mosquito for me.

And on your Birthday too... Tsk tsk tsk

And then a Moderator posts straight afterwards without correction, making the behaviour acceptable. It's so hypocritical that it's laughable!

Happy Birthday Ernie! FWIW, I think you've discovered the Fountain of Youth... Having asked for your Trojan review to be removed from TOS, apparently you've regressed somewhat are now Infantile! Eat your heart out, Benjamin Button!

Mine was the Revell 1/48 Showtime 100 in the early 80's... With the see-thru intakes. I put a battery and a couple of wheat bulbs in the back end, backed up with crumpled foil. Ah, kids... !

No actually I am quite serious. My former Partner had MS-like symptoms, that occurred just after an MRI to pinpoint the exact position of her Breast Cancer. She had a severe reaction to the Gadolinium dye used in the scan; as this was just a day or two before her surgery, the lines were blurred as to which caused what when her symptoms started to appear. She initially experienced the Lymphoedema expected in Breast Cancer patients in the left arm after surgery; but this soon extended to swelling in all limbs, face and torso, vision problems, trouble swallowing, numbness and trembling, and SEVERE nerve pain all over her body including headaches. There were 3 schools of thought so far as what was happening... It was either sudden onset of MS, from a result of poisoning from the MRI dye, or Conversion Disorder. MS couldn't be proven as she was now deemed to be allergic to MRI dye and regular scans do not show the MS brain lesions. The Hospital that administered the MRI denied all liability as she had signed the usual waiver before the procedure and they claimed that such an adverse reaction had never happened at the facility before or since. Conversion Disorder was not officially recognised in Australia at that time. The theory is that it's a Neurological condition in otherwise healthy Individuals that manifests after a significant trauma... Such as being told you have Cancer, or having a chemical dye injected into your body that gives you a small Heart attack. It's symptoms often mimic those similar to Multiple Sclerosis. There are 3 Optho-Neurologists in Brisbane, she saw two at her own cost who gave her different opinions, MS and CD. Her Insurance denied looking at CD because it wasn't recognised, and wouldn't cover MS because it couldn't be proven because they couldn't use the dye to show whether the lesions were present. And they weren't interested in pursuing the Hospital, and Karen could no longer work so it wasn't an option for us either. Conversion Disorder is now recognised here as a real condition, as it has been for some time now Stateside. Please have your Medical people at least look into it at your next visit Harvey. S

Yes, that's good... But more joy... Perhaps a Madame with the old Man? Or with a hand on his shoulder, clutching the Tricolour to her bosom.

Speaking of conversion Harv... Next time you're at the Doctor or especially the Neurologist, ask them about the possibility of Conversion Disorder. It is a real condition that often mimics some of the symptoms you are displaying, that cannot be readily diagnosed through an actual cause or event. S

Huh? You buy your Green Tea out of a store in Kentucky?

Or simple gratitude... From the sublime To the ridiculous Or somewhere inbetween.

We have Cocker Spaniels, so there's hair on everything already. There's a cute Calico on our daily walk route; my Wife's Girl thinks she's a Dog like her, and I let her go off-lead and they both roll around on the ground together! Such an awesome Cat, so full of personality.