Artful69

Gotta raise party funds somehow ... probably hard to do with aryan passengers only ... Rog

I remember watching the Firefox movie ... Clint Eastwood - should have stuck with spaghetti westerns lol ... I've thought about collecting the concept note for all of the ZM kits ... what it like? Rog

Crap!!! Missed it ... sorry Harv!!! ... many belated Happies mate!!! Rog

Doesn't the site have sponsors?? ... I thought that there were several?? Rog

I gotta say ... I'm surprised that ANY sort of AM is required for a Tamiya prop kit ... I mean ... I'd always go with a set of Master turned metal barrels anyway ... but resin detailing?? ... Tamiyas IM product is usually so well detailed anyway. Who knew?? Rog

Nice work lads ... whoever said that a '32 scale of this kite couldn't be kitted because of lack of available visuals on details was kidding themselves ... I was just prepared to go grab my new Classics book ... and then all this info showed up. Lovely .... Rog

This is the way! Rog

Gazz ... I've been eying off the Pz.III M Neo kit for a while now ... so will follow this one!!! My favourite all purpose AFV chassis ... I don't think that they ever tried to "overdevelop" the Pz.III ... Apart from suffering in the dreadfully boggy terrain of the Middle-Ages styled roads of the Soviet Union it was always a solid performer ... and, fittingly, it eventually swapped roles with the Pz.IV (which was more easily up-gunned). Don't be fooled by the high velocity (L60) 50mm main gun of the J-M variants either ... it was much easier to load, aim and fire than it's Soviet 76mm counterpart ... had a higher kinetic impact over a longer range and was stunningly accurate!! ... In other words the EXACT opposite of the Soviet 76mm - which the Marder crews ditched all too willingly when a German 75mm replacement was available!! Rog

Weekends have been busy ... and I still haven't decided which one to start on yet. Sometimes I'd really like to start on the Panther G ... then I look at the 38(t) ... Then the Tiger should be a simple build... Rog

WOW! ... This is 3D print stuff huh? ... Mike is certainly good with design work!! Looks like a gorgeous little A/C Rog

A couple of sets arrived for the 2 Classy Hobby "Luchs" tanks ... the 20mm and an Mg.34 ... x2 Rog

Ok so ... I was struggling to work out how, exactly, a fresh pair of beige coloured pants was getting so dirty around the calf/ankle area in a half days wear as if I'd been riding a push bike with an oily chain ... and then it dawned on me that there was a nice clean patch on the ute side skirts where I was climbing in and out of the thing!! ... So ... my most recent purchase: an all original set of moulded mud guards!! ... Which look great and should do the job nicely! They were, however a mongrel to fit ... Nothing can ever be easy right? ... I had to get the jack out and put it back afterward (no mean feat in these things!) ... jack 4 corners up (each time I fit one!) and remove the rear wheels to do the job. Rog

Congratulations ... 1/16 is the perfect LSM for a Tank ... Waiting for some more metal barrelled goodness to arrive here before deciding on a WIP with some of the gear I've got so far ... No contest ... Those Polish virgins look like a definite scam to me ... go get 'em Harv!! Rog

More GUP ... Das Finale 3 roll on!! Rog

This has happened to me a couple of times - usually with Revell kits from UK (to Australia). Since the retailer should know the product they are about to ship (and therefore it’s susceptibility to damage), it is therefore, their responsibility to ensure packaging is befitting the product and the journey it is about to take. I’ve torn retailers a new one and had 3 entire model kits replaced by retailers for failing to take due diligence in packaging their product. The double cost of product AND shipping (not to mention the time wasted with customer complaint etc) should teach them to focus more on “Do it once, do it right” ... don’t let them get away with it!!! - Plastic unharmed or no - if you were a collector, the packaging is everything!! Rog

The last box of the recent spate of orders arrived today ... A small one ... With a massive turned metal barrel (for the Tiger) and bits to put it together. ... and a couple of turned metal machine gun barrels for the Pz.38(t) Now I have to pick a kit for a WIP I can't build the Luch's because they don't come with the metal barrel and I can't find anywhere with 2 in stock at the moment So that leaves the Pz.IV.H, the Tiger, the Panther and the Pz.38(t) ... decisions, decisions! Rog

I've had a look thanks!! ... There's a fair asking price for a lot of that stuff ... and that set costs way more than the tank itself. Don't get me wrong - I might just jump at a couple of figurines ... If I can find out how to buy!! ... Jeff Shiu's web page advertises prices ... but there's no cart?? Rog

Today my next BIG Tank arrived ... Supplied by Gazza via trade ... If anyone seeks to trade with him at any point - do so with confidence ... the way this thing was packaged, it would've survived Hiroshima!! This discontinued Pz.38(t) by Panda could have probably had the tooling maximised by creating an early war boxing (Ausf.B) ... or the later Panzerjäger 38(t) 'Hetzer'. And ... of course there's the customary turret shot Rog

Oooooh ... what's this like?? ... I have the older smart kit with Magic Track ... Rog

On the weekend, I picked up a couple of books I had on backorder at my local ... And then today ... this big box arrived ... It's my BIG 1/16 Panther Ausf.G Late ... And for scale ... the customary turret shot ... I have another BIG Tank inbound ... and some metal barrels ... and then I'll decide which of these suckers I'm going to try to build. Rog

Nice work to date Harv Rog

My goodness ... How the hell did I miss this one too!! Belated Happy Birthday Carl!! Rog

Happy Birthday!! Rog

Oh its scenic all right!! ... Especially if you come off at certain points. It's one of the most complex and gruelling enduro race circuits in the world. Every year we get drivers from competitions around the world try to score a ride with one of the teams ... during the Group-A era there were international teams that showed up to race here - just at that circuit. Here's our best ever winner, Peter Brock (9 Times) ... in 1986 talking you through a lap in his VK 5.0L Commodore. This one earned the main driver a new nickname ... They called him "Lightning Larry Perkins". From outright last ... to winner in 1995 ... I remember watching this one all day Rog

Most of our stuff in the late 60's through early 80's was developed with racing in mind - as it came from the factory ... or close to... most specifically the annual Bathurst enduro where the phrase "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" held true for us. That race track is it's own piece of Australian legend ... and winning it is Australian Motorsports greatest prize. Different manufacturers took different approaches ... a very unique type of Holden designed with Bathurst firmly in view was the Torana ... originally a straight 6 cylinder, Holden realised as the 70's wore on that they would have to upgrade to a V8 if they were to compete effectively with Ford ... The 1977 LX SL/R 5000 (308ci or 5.0L V8) at only 4.5m x 1.7m is an awesome piece of kit!! Bear in mind these are unmodified factory releases complete with scoops, spoilers and wheel arch flares!! The JDM stuff comes with its own version of "Muscle Car" type history ... The Nissan R32 GT-R Skyline was developed as a Group-A racer, where very few modifications were allowed for track racing and so the basic chassis/power train is almost entirely the same as what you get out on the track ... and when Group-A became a part of Australian Motorsport for a season, they dominated. Subaru WRX's, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO's, Toyota Celica GR-4's were all bred for rally work ... engines designed for high rev ranges, turbos, short gearing, all wheel drive systems etc etc ... Rog