Easy Eight Basework

Here's the base all ready to receive some grass and painting. Nothing fancy, just a plain simple bit of groundwork. However as usual a base always sets a model off better I feel and also allows you to tell a story however small or simple that may be. 

Easy Eight Figure & Base Work

My figure for this build arrived the other day so after a bit of cleaning up it was primed and left to cure. Today I've cracked on with it and actually finished it off in an afternoon. The division patch is a decal which luckily enough is for the 4th.

The base has also previously been worked on and again a small picture frame fits the bill nicely. I had to spray it though as the finish was not that good. A suitable badge was also sourced to add to the base. I can now start on the dio and get this one finished!

AS-90 Working Forwards

Here's the next batch of progress pictures and improvements made. The string tow ropes were replaced with better soft wire and the brackets slightly detailed. I've also added some missing weld beads around the front drive housings using stretched sprue. The engine deck exhaust vent needed a massive sinkhole filled on top of each part then a fillet of plastic card was added to the rear for a better fit.

Still lots to do on the front decks and there's quite a few missing details I need to add. 
Moving onto the gun travel lock now and this part (C49) is way too long. However it's easily remedied by removing most of the long section and leaving 2.5mm which can then be glued onto the base of the part. I've also opened up the lock mechanism and will be adding the gubbins inside later.

Lots of clean up is needed on this assembly but it's all worth it as it's a very visible part of the model especially if you have the gun in travel mode.

AS 90 Rear Ends

I've now started adding parts and details to the hull starting at the rear. The missing weld beads were added using plastic strip then textured with a pyrogravure. Putty such as milliput would work just as well too. Actually most of the welds won't be seen with the turret in place so they can be missed out. The welds on the hull sides however really do need to be added as they are very visible on the real thing.

I found the number plate, part C63 fitted as per the instructions would foul the rear door so by using the turret base as a guide I fitted the plates slightly higher up. The lower plate lights were also shortened. Not perfect but close enough. A couple of spare extinguishers, tow shackles and accurate armour padlocks were also added. So that's the rear done, I'll be working my way forwards for now on!

Trumpeter AS 90 More Progress

Both hulls are now on their wheels & tracks after a good session at the bench. I did find that the wheel halves were a very tight fit so I used the tip of my scalpel to scrape the lip of the locating socket on part A2. This sorted out the problem and the two halves popped together nicely.
I also left off part A8, the rear idler arm until I was ready to test fit the tracks. This enabled me to get a tight track run by adjusting the position of the arm then gluing them once in the correct position. 

I'm also using the kit tracks as they are more than adequate and actually look correct and are easy to use. Lots more to do but first I'll start adding missing weld beads to the rear hull roof and around the stowage bins.

AS-90 Making A Start

Here's the start of the build, the lower hulls and suspension. I found that the swinging arms need careful lining up to ensure that the wheels all touch the ground later on. Detail looks pretty good on the kit but I am going to use a couple of RB barrels and eduard etched sets for the turret roof stowage bin. I'll scratch any other details and improvements.

Moving onto the Sherman the figure has now arrived, a very nice Alpine item which is now in primer ready to paint. The base has also been sprayed and gloss varnished as the finish on the photo frame was not that good. I've also found a nice 4th armoured badge which will look great mounted on the base.

Next On The Bench, Double Fun!

As I am waiting for a figure to arrive so I can finish off the Sherman and the chieftain is almost done it's time for the next victim on the bench. This time it's a duel build of Trumpeter's 1/35th AS 90 model. 

Why two I hear you cry? Simple really one's for me and the other is for a work colleague of Mrs Sniper who is in the Royal artillery and has served on them. So my model will probably be finished as a BATUS example and the other will be finished as a Salisbury plain/ Larkhill example, should be fun! 

Under The Radar

My build of the Takom Mk5 Chieftain is almost completed so I thought I'd share a couple of sneaky pictures to whet your appetite! 

Hopefully I can get this finished by the end of next week and send the article and build pictures off for publishing. I've also got another model in print, this time the Hobbyboss ZTZ 99B which I built back in 2014. The model features in the April edition of Military illustrated modeller. 

 

More For The Stash!

Yes I really do have the breaking strain of a damp kitkat! After popping into my local hobby shop today I managed somehow to come away with yet another kit, don't know how that happened! 

I've been looking at the new Tamiya SU-76M for a while and liked the look of it. Also the inclusion of three figures in action poses made me think of a Berlin dio. A quick look in the box reveals yet another quality model with superb detail and sensible construction steps. It also looks to be another simple kit to build.

So watch out for this one sometime this year! LOL.

Easy Eight Almost Done

Thanks to a usual wet bank holiday weekend here in the UK I've almost finished off the Sherman. The model received a couple of filters using Mig neutral filter then a dark pin wash mixed up from oil paints. After that some oil dot fading finished up the weathering adding some nice streaks and stains. 

Once the mat varnish was on and had dried for a day final assembly could commence, here all the lights and periscope lenses were added. Pigments have been added sparingly as I want a slightly cleaner look for this model. Just a little bit more work on the pigments and adding some fuel spills needs to be done I think. Again this will be placed on a small simple base with a suitable figure from Alpine miniatures (which is on the way).