GazzaS

Thank you, Peter.

Thanks for your input, Rob. The color of the soil isn't determined as of yet. The stuff I mixed from Sand, paint (very cheap paint), Future, and acrylic putty is just the first layer. It's really too grainy for it's intended purpose of vehicle mud. I'm just kinda fudging my way through it with stuff around the house and trying not to buy those products made for modellers to buy.

The first planking looks great, Rob. I'm sure the second will be even better! Copper bottomed hull?

Anyway... I've decided not to put foliage on this tank. It is something i should have prepared for from the beginning if I were to do it. So today I did the next to last thing on the tank excluding the matte coat. I used paint to simulate the damaged bits of zimmerit paste which is damaged and not painted over. I also worked on the base. Puttying, sanding, and adding some textures to the ground. I'm not sure about the external color of the base. Many use black. But it seems very stark. I have used silver here. What do you guys think? Happy Modelling!

Thank you, Phil. Doing nine guys was a big jump for me. I did 4 and then 5. It's still a bit torturous for me. I separated the two groups inadvertently, but I think since they had so much uniform (clothing) differences, it worked out better. I accept less than perfect results with each one hoping that I learn a little bit with each figure and maybe get a little bit better. Last thing I want is to get bogged down in the search of perfection. I'd look forward to your build as I want to get into artillery builds, too. Artillery is always manpower heavy.

Rob, . The ends of the ship are always the most "fun". It's probably a lot worse when you have to worry about planks that need to show an look good. But never trust your spell check.

This was back in 1987 Rob. I have nothing from that time except for memories. I had to work from pretty lame line drawings in library books. Only to discover that I had a lot of it wrong.

Welcome back, my friends! One of my birthday gifts was a gift certificate for a local art store chain. So today I went and bought some very expensive Windsor and Newton sable brushes. I also went to the LHS and bought some sheet balsa and a few bottles of paint. Perused a few interesting kits... but I wasn't interested in the prices. So, I set about to work on the base. After attaching the first panel with PVA, I realized I didn't have any thumbtacks to hold the balsa to the foam. I clamped the one side, but then realised that it was both a clunky method, and couldn't cover enough points around the perimeter. I sent a hurried text off to the missus who is out having a spa day asking for some tacks... but being impatient as ever I really wanted to have this thing dry in the morning. ... so, I looked about and discovered a had a fair few 3/8" brass wood screws. Here is the newer layout. Happy modelling!

Thank you, my friend!

Thank you fellas. Still more to do... including a base and some minor work on the spots where the Zimmerit has chipped off.

Looks quite sharp, John. Any racers ever have the 'Malcolm' hood?

Nice start, Peter! You have some nice clamps.

That's nice looking work, Rob! I did a scratch build (never completed) of SMS Seydlitz with a meter long hull using balsa. I used plastic-wood for filler... I needed lots of it!

Very nice planking, Rob! Starting to look very ship-like.

Oh Tannenbaum., oh Tannenbaum... Wait... It's not Christmas! It's time for an update. I'll bet y'all thought I'd given up on this one. Anyway... back to the Tannenbaum... A while back, the notion came into my head to create my own pine bough. After a few failed attempts, I came up with something, but it's size needs some explanation. How many of you have harvested a blue spruce for Christmas? Anyone? OK...if you have, you know that the branches at the bottom can be quite long, up to 6 feet for a tree that is only 8-12 feet tall. Well... that is what I tried to make here. It doesn;t look half bad with light coming through it. But with no light coming through, and in an in-scale situation, it looks a bit big. And the bristles... maybe just way too much. If anyone has thoughts on improving it, lemme know. I used static grass for the bristles. Perhaps I should have put a green scotch pad in the food processor? Anyway... pines are common in Europe... so I reckon they would have been used a fair bit since those needles hang on to the branches a lot longer than leaves do. I've also been weathering. I made my own mud and used oils to capture both the wet and dry look. I used enamel washes to darken certain areas of the tank to simulate dirt in some corners and on the surfaces walked on by the crew. I even tried to simulate grime, grease and dirty hand prints around the engine hatch. I also didn't want to forget the burnt exhaust pipes and adjacent metals. And finally a gratuitous picture.... because I noticed the likeable angle earlier and wanted to make a more full-sized shot. Thanks for looking, and thanks for your thoughts! Happy modelling!

is too clean to believe... Where are the butts, twinkie wrappers, and Bud cans? Looks awesome!

Well... if we're gonna make this a bicycle thread...

Always wanted one of these...

Every car needs a good garage and tools.

The Beast?

Thank you Rob. This build is for a group build in my local club. A nostalgic thing for all of the old guys who have tons of old kits lying around. I had to buy this on purpose because I don;t have anything from the early 70's. One of the main rules is "no rigging". Trust me. I want to rig it. But I'll become ineligible for the competition.

Thank you, Peter!

The Hun in the Sun. There are a few fuzzies sitting on the wing... but most of my attempts at shading and weathering came out as planned. Though sometimes harder to see than desired. I didn't do much to the underside... I just wanted the picture from that angle. Aarrrrghh! Fuzzies! I hope they brush off. Looks weird without rigging, eh? But that's a condition of the group build. Thanks for looking, Friends! If you like how the white area came out... lemme know. If you don't like it... tell me, too.