Well first up I've sprayed the Sherman with a good base coat of olive drab using Mr hobby H304. I will be adding some fading soon using flat flesh mixed with the OD to start off the weathering and give some interesting effects.
Next the truck has had a coat of primer, I used black primer for the chassis and grey everywhere else. I can now just satin varnish the chassis and it's good to go without the need to spray another shade of black on. I'll give this a couple of days to cure so I can mull over the main colour for the truck.
I've also received a very generous donation to this build from Paul at Red Zebra Models in the form of a very nice block wall, figure and a selection of heads and an assortment of packs and general stowage.
The block wall will make a perfect backdrop to the model I think and also give me somewhere to build up some rubbish and general detritus. These types of walls are very common in the middle east so are perfect for this model.
The figure is Red Zebra's Syria/Iraq tanker and as such comes with a very nice head wearing a soviet tankers helmet. The pose is perfect as is the casing. I've changed the head for another of Paul's sculpts which looks great as well.
I particularly like the fact the figure has training shoes on and not standard military boots. Painting this should also be fun as you can paint a mixture of civilian and military clothing, whatever takes your fancy.
I also have a selection of bags and stowage and some very nice heads featuring various subjects. The heads with the sunglasses are particularly nice and could be easily adapted to wear any headgear you want. The final present is a small length of wire for re bar. Very handy for any middle eastern diorama or building.
So a massive thanks to Paul for supplying me with this smashing little package. As ever the sculpting and casting is first class. You can find the full range at his web site, www.redzebramodels.uk
Finally I've also added to the stash with some figures, the Alpine one will probably go with the sherman and the Valkyrie British tank crew with something one day!
I've now sorted the rear cowlings out with some soldering, not my best work as I do need to practise here but I managed to get them together. They look a bit rough but that will be in keeping with the scenario and vehicle hopefully!
The final bits & pieces have also been built such as the rocket transport boxes, one open with rockets inside and one closed up. You also get some tiny cassette tapes perfect for furnishing the cab and a separate Mitsubishi badge for the front. So this is now ready for a wash before primer.
The sherman has now had a good coat of primer so will be ready for some OD in a couple of days and the male tank base has had the groundwork added as well. I again used VMS smart mud for the earth which I find works really well for churned up mud or fields. It's easy to use and work with and has an excellent appearance once cured.
More on the truck now and I've been working on the rocket launchers and the mounting frame. You get two types of front cone in the box, one with some rockets loaded and one without as well as two types of rear cowling. I found it tricky to form correctly as I've never attempted anything like this before but managed to get it circular without too much trouble. I'm going to attempt to solder the cowling together as well for a stronger joint and also because I will need to finish rounding off of rear portion of the cowling once done for a good fit.
Not much more to work on now so it's getting very close to primer already! Due to the compact size of the model I can make up a nice little dio for it without taking up much space. I'll be using some of the Red Zebra Models stuff I have as well as their nice concrete block wall and one of their figures to go with the scene.
I've now really cracked on with this kit and am very impressed with the details and the speed of construction. Probably helped by an almost full day at the bench I might add! On first look there seems to be a lot of parts to this model but once you get started it very quickly takes shape. The plastic is slightly soft and some of the smaller parts do bend quite alarmingly during clean up. Also the kit suffers from some overly large attachment points on the sprues. But by being careful you can avoid any disasters.
It's also easy to build this up in sub assemblies for ease of painting later and the fit of parts is excellent. With just a few dabs of filler needed on the cab flour and the rear of the seats requiring filling with plastic card it soon builds up into a recognisable vehicle. I particularly like the tyres which have a great tread pattern and the very fine tie down hooks on the sides of the rear bed.
I also liked the fact that Diopark give you the option of a left or right handed vehicle with the inclusion of two types of dashboard and three different steering setups for straight on, left or right turning front wheels.
Well my plan to put this aside was foiled by the early arrival of the parts I had ordered yesterday. So I finished off the building by adding some Askua periscope cages and handles from lead wire before finishing off with a selection of stowage from the spares pile. With the model done and off for a wash I also found a nice standing figure to go with it once finished which should arrive soon.
My Tamiya bases also arrived so I prepared one for the male tank by priming the edges and then used oils to give it a wood effect. This now needs to dry for a few days before I can start on the groundwork.
Never one to hang about I've also decided on my next project which is the very nice Diopark civilian truck with w/UB-32 rocket launchers. I've had this one a while but have been thinking about building it for some time. The potential for weathering is huge and I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to paint as well.
I've now almost finished the building of the model with just some handles to add and some periscopes and cages as well. These two are on the way to me so I'll be putting this aside for a short time until they arrive.
The base for the male tank also arrived this week so I sprayed the edges in primer then used oils to give it a wood effect. This now needs to dry out before I can tackle the groundwork.
The gaps on the armour plates have now been filled and textured which came out really well and the missing weld beads on the hull sides have been added using Mr surfacer. Gun barrel & mantlet are also on and the tools have been fitted. I'm really enjoying this!
