belugawhaleman

Enjoyed your video. Very nice build! Also....I subscribed to your channel.

Oh wow, John! Nicely done! Thanks; Paul

VERY COOL, love it! Wonderfully interesting subject..... Those big Auto-Union racers... magical!

Yes, of course I agree. The Achilles kit is another Tamiya kit I've been looking at. It looks like an excellent kit, and the subject is kind of cool.....an Anglo-American hybrid.. Of sorts. Not sure, which kit I'll buy next...but it's on my list. I saw the Achilles at a local Ace Hardware for sale...but it was about $10.00 US higher than I can order It online...I'll probably order the Tamiya Sherman Israeli M51 I'm a big admirer of the Israeli State... Cool people. Not politically popular at the moment, but I hold steadfast. Anyway, I'm intrigued by AFV club kits .....their artillery, especially.

I had a carbine... Produced by Inland...mint condition previously owned by the Evanston police dept. Very fun gun to shoot.

Thanks Gary......looking forward to that. Especially decaling....love decals, very satisfying! It won't be the expertly weathered masterpiece that one comes to expect on this forum..but I'm sure it will be an attractive model...done in my own style. I like to think of my models as coffee table-top recognition models. I do like the color modulation thing----I want to start doing that. I have an excellent Iwata airbrush and there's no reason I couldn't do it....at least give it a try. Thanks; Paul

Well, I'd say do give the newer Tamiya kits consideration, they are great!. I rediscovered them about a year ago.....I thought all their kits were old. I love their new tracks and the fit and their excellent instructions. The kits include color plates of of the paint schemes that show multiple views of the subject. I've considered the Dragon kits... They look good. I have their Saladin kit.....but right away i found a mistake in the instructions involving placement of a periscope.....also the lack of inclusion of a turret mounted M1919 mg. I bought a replacement machine gun and will fabricate a mount. The Tamiya kits are...in most cases..reasonably priced and more available. I have a local supplier that gets the kits shipped to me the next day (usually) with shipping under $ 5.00 US. Also... Tamiya is an old company that I've been familiar with most of my life....It's Japanese... I've never been able to understand why the Chinese kits are so expensive with their labor costs. I know their kits are excellent.... I like Takom kits... But why are they always unavailable?. I'll eventually build the Saladin..and perhaps build more Dragon Kits.. But for now, I'm enjoying my Tamiya buying streak....it's fun. I plan to buy their US M40...and after seeing today a video on the Israeli Sherman M51 Sherman, I may buy Tamiya's kit of that. I also plan to build the Tamiya Comet when it comes out.

That's a technique im dying to try out, Rob, only with Silly putty, which I have loads of. I wonder, before applying, if the putty was rolled flat perhaps, if that would stop much of the flow that you describe. I may give this a try. Anyway, great job as i previously said. I'm following your work on your Lancia ....as I follow all your work as I have the same kit. Thanks; Paul

I was thinking the same, the figures are very nice. I've saved some ...but i also tossed some.....mostly the half-torso ones. I'll be saving these, along with those from my other German Tank-Destroyer kits. The Archer kit I got recently has some very nice figures.

Some more progress; been working on the tracks. I got one side done. I had some problems gluing together the tracks....there was a tiny gap i couldn't get together.... It turned out that there was a small chip of plastic between two teeth of the drive sprocket preventing the track to seat correctly on the sprocket. This prevented me getting the needed slack to join the ends. Removing that... Problem solved! The tracks Can be removed now as a complete unit from the tank making it possible to paint the wheels and track separately...... I put them on for the pictures. The front guard on the fender has not been glued on yet...it's there for the pics. Anyway, should be on the final approach soon with this kit.

Got this today; Tower Hobbies, failing in their usual next-day delivery, I got it a day later. Anyway, it's another Tamiya kit. The kit is their Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf.f Sd.Kfz.161 (35374). Released in 2020, this kit uses the lower tub and suspension units from some of Tamiya's earlier models but everything else is new and looks very nice. It features some nice link & length tracks with assembly jigs for the upper track lengths. There's also a new sprue with three figures that look pretty good. Some thread for towing cables and a length some copper wire is also included. Looks like a great kit. I'm still working on the Valentine tank right now so it will be a while before I get to another kit.

Looking great Rob!

I couldn't have said that better myself......... Or, did I ?

The egg planes are probably a fun build.......and cute, but I kind of draw the line at Meng's offering of a cute Titanic..... Kind of in bad taste in my opinion as , in my opinion , major maritime disasters...... Aren't that fun.

Thanks for the review. I remember seeing these vehicles in the 'States as a kid in the 70's.....they were a favorite of mine.

Very nice!

Today, from Tamiya came their British Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun Archer (35356). This vehicle is based on the Valentine tank chassis and uses the 17 pounder gun. The odd thing about this tank destoyer is that the gun faces the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle is driven from a position just opposite the breach of the gun; the driver viewing from a small hatch. The kit is similar to Tamiya's Valentine kit sharing some parts. In the photo you can see the driver peering out of his driver's hatch at what is actually the front of the vehicle. Anyway, it looks like a great kit. Until recently, it's been out of stock at all my usual places. This was ordered from Tower Hobbies.

A shot of the re-textured area of the turret. I stippled Mr. Surfacer on with a brush... I wonder if this can be done with a sponge? Might work better.

Cockpit looks nice John.

A little more progress.....built up the fenders...they are not permanently glued on yet. I added back a little texture on the turret with Mr. Surfacer after sanding a seam (not seen in photos). Next will be building up the link & length tracks. After that I'll see if I can add them to the kit with the fenders in place. In that case, I'll add them last after painting them separately..... Otherwise, things will be a little tricky....I'll have to add the fenders last. Anyway, We'll see..

I've got to hand it to you......I wouldn't even attempt to do this😀

Looking forward to the Ehrhardt from CSM as well. Definitely on my list.

Decided to do the turret tonight......no big problems. Features nice cast texture. Not a fan of the kit's cannon... Two pieces ; the barrel and a muzzle cap. I decided to use it anyway. Again, I'm liking this kit.

I also have one of CSM Lancias. I am admittedly a little intimidated by the CSM kits. How is the fit? Yours is looking great BTW. Glad to see you're building this kit and I'll follow your progress.

Nice work. The suspension on the Tamiya kit went together well...and lines up well. I did place one part on back wards.....but caught it in time.