ASLAV-PC Construction Almost Done

With the weather so crap here in the UK so far this Easter weekend I've now finished off the construction of the model apart from wheels and figures. The remote weapons station looks really good perched on the commanders hatch assembly as do all the etched tie downs on the hull. These took a steady hand to fit but really add a lot to the finished model.

I can now start thinking about paint once the primer is on and sorting out a couple of figures too.

ASLAV Progress

Lots done on the model and a few improvements and alterations made. The rear door is now in place & new fuel cans and frames have been added plus all the water cans have been sorted out. On the front of the hull lots of work has been done on the light units, smoke dischargers and the IED detectors. I've also added loads of cabling for the lights etc. 

I've also been playing around with the periscopes trying to get the distinctive purple/pink shade to the anti laser glass by mixing clear tamiya colours then once dry painting them with chrome paint. Hopefully once the main colours are on they will look ok.

ASLAV-PC & Lanchester Updates

The ASLAV is coming on well although I have hit a couple of snags. The most annoying is the lack of headlights on the sprues. As I was assembling the tricky front headlight unit I searched in vain for the light units, could I find them on the sprues, could I bugger! Turns out they were missing, funny that as the kit had all the parts sealed in plastic bags. I can only assume that they were never molded in the first place.

So a major rummage through the spares stash resulted in a couple of replacements. Next the turn indicator that trumpeter supplies is way over scale and has no detail for the lenses, again the spares helped out luckily and I found  some that have better detail. Back to the question of wheels now and the kit wheels I thought would work are in fact meant for the older thinner tyres, not the XL tyres fitted to this version. The kit does supply the correct width hubs but the detail is bloody awful.

They are much too deep in the hub surround and have really poor bolt detail. I experimented with adding punched plastic bolts but to be honest the wheels and tyres have bothered me and I was just not happy with them. So after a bit of digging around I found that there where a few replacement sets out there. First was a set from maple leaf models, just the job but no longer in production or available. Second, mouse house & armour corps used to do sets, again not available. 

Finally I found that hobby fan do a set and managed to track a set down so they are on the plane from Hong Kong. This means I can still crack on with the build, which I'm really enjoying. 

No such problems with the Lanchester which has now had it's matt coat sprayed on. Again I've used the VMS matt varnish and it's performed flawlessly. I will leave this for a few days as the longer you leave it the stronger it gets. Final weathering will be pretty light so as not to lose the lovely colour scheme or swamp all those smashing rivets!

ASLAV-PC Getting Stuck In

The model is now starting to take shape with all the parts going onto the hull. I've used fine wire for tie downs around the front of the hull and added a missing bulge on the commanders station. The rear propeller guards are tricky to assemble using as they do three parts for each guard. Clean up of seam lines is best done on the sprues before careful removal and fitting. I found it best to add the two rudders after the guards were in place.

More study of my references has thrown up an issue with my choice of wheels. The DEF set is actually not suitable for ASLAV having  an outer ring of bolts. The trumpeter hubs have the correct pattern so I will use the kit wheels instead. Shame as the DEF ones are smashing.

Trumpeter ASLAV-PC The Start

Work has now started on the ASLAV with my main focus being getting the hull built up & the anti-slip added. As usual I used rustoleum for the anti slip after a very long masking session. The results as ever look excellent. The DEF wheels fit well and have excellent detail too. 

I'm probably going to build a vehicle in Australia as the kit from the box has some details missing for say an Iraqi or Afghanistan based vehicle. I could do a Timor one but need to do some more digging. 

Lanchester Ready For Matt Coat

I've now added a slightly darker pin wash and added some staining and streaks. I've kept it very subtle as with such a small model & the light colour less is more. The headlight surrounds and spare wheel holders have had a bit of bling added with some brass paint. This will be toned down once the matt coat goes on which will be in keeping with a operational vehicle I think.

Lanchester Chipping & Pin Wash

The lanchester has now had some chipping added using sponge & a fine brush. I kept it to a minimum as I felt too much would look unrealistic with such a light main colour. I've then added a first pin wash using true earth neutral ageing thinned with water. After a few minutes I then went over the model with a slightly moist flat brush to blend in the wash. This really helps eliminate any tide marks around details. 

Next Project

After a protracted rummage through the stash, and a bit of a stash clear out I've decided to have a crack at the trumpeter ASLAV-PC phase 3 kit. As you can see I've got some resin wheels & stowage to chuck into the mix as well. The kit looks to be very detailed so I'm not expecting much in the way of additions to be made, just a fun simple build. I'll also make up a couple of figures to go with it which again should be relatively easy to do.

Lanchester Decals

I've now added the decals to the model and very nice they are too. They went down with no issues at all. I've also test fitted the bucket & un-ditching boards to check all fits as it should. The figure has also had his boots painted brown instead of black, thanks to Brian for that as I was not sure of the correct colour.

Lanchester Tommy

A pleasant day was spent yesterday painting the tommy to go with the lanchester. I also knocked up some WW1 era rations to go with him. I found lots of info regarding rations on the Internet as there are firms that produce reproduction rations and packaging for re-enactors. Very handy for us modellers.

For the figure I used vallejo panzer aces 317 British tank crew & 321 highlight British tank crew for the uniform as well as a spot of black for the shadows. He painted up really well and the sculpting of the figure really pops once painted. Rations include a tin of corned beef, jam and biscuits as well as a tommy cooker. Essential for that cup of char!