ChrisITA

Always is on here Chris! Nice work on the dustiness and correction of the major kit errors. A nice little build

Sorry guys, for some reason I don't get notifications on this thread Paul; the primer does have more 'grip' and adheres better to etched parts and metal parts such as AM barrels. I would recomment getting a bottle, or a rattlecan of their primer, or a similary good one. A lot of people recommend Games Workshop primers. I would avoid auto primers as some I have used eat plastic (very scary when that happens!) and some have a sort of 'filler' content designed to fill micro bumps in your car bodywork and give a smooth finish. Unfortunately this erdicates details on models very nicely! BB, if all this is too much, just take a couple of techniques and try those. Its best to work on getting one right then build on that. If you try a load of new stuff at once it can go very wrong very quickly. The most essential ingredient to all this is patience. For that reason I always have around three projects on the go, all at different stages of build or completion. That way I can do a bit on the oils on something like the above project, then work on something else until it has dried enough for the next stage Glad is useful Andrew I've changed up my style a bit since I did this one (seems so long ago now!) as I feel its improtant to keep experimenting and developing your finishing techniques. I might post a new thread like this soon with how I do things now

As for the colour under the chips, you could do it as one that had first been painted SCC2 and the sand is rubbing off. Alternatively, for a more battered look, use a 2B or 4B pencil and rub it on the exposed edges for a dark dull metallic look

Sorry Andrew but I disagree on the track colour. They were given a kind of coating which is a dull grey/dark brownish colour. This would remain in the recesses of the track. I agree with the wear though, dry brush with a light metallic colour such as aluminium or silver. Close examination of preserved Crusaders that I have, er, closely examined reveals the tracks also wear to the metal on the inside of the track including the guide horns and either side of the guide horns were the wheels rub, also around the 'lugs' that stick out where the sprocket teet rub There is quite a lot wrong with the Italeri Crusader series. All of it can be fixed with homemade mods pretty much (which the exception of the missing radio if you leave the hatch open and the tracks which are horrible and are best repaced with the only AM option; friuls if you can afford it, if not be prepared for a little flexing and stretching to get them to fit) I have done a comprehensive list of tweaks required. PM me your email address if you want it and I will email it to you. Its far too much to post here Chris

Great to see a Royal Marine for once. Most manufacturers seem to be under the impression it was solely a Para operation Great work on this, the camo looks great and some really nice work on the skin tones Chris

Well luckily for me, I think of tracks when I think of Crusaders! FZ6, I'm a bit of a Crusader fan and have produced a masterlist ot tweaks and corrections for the Italeri kits, one of which should halp very much with your warp issue on the rear louvres. If you email me at insidethearmour'at'live.co.uk I'll email it to you Chris

Actually guys, it really is a peach of a kit. I've never built a resin kit that was so trouble free and fun to put together. Daz, probably, all of the BEF's guns were left behind when they were pushed out of France and the Germans were adept at reusing anything useful. I have no information on the 4.5 in howitzer in German service though

I have to say (and with apologies to Paul) I really don't like the idea that modelling armour is all about 'slapping mud all over it'. It kind of reduces everything armour modellers do to finish and weather their models The tyres should be black rubber, but tyres rarely look black in real life, so I usually go for a dark-ish grey then give them a couple of filters/ washes with black to add depth For tracks I use a dark grey/ brown on the end connectors and the same as the tyres for the pads as these were rubber, unless you have all steel tracks. If your tracks have rivets as well as the chevron on the surface of the pad they are all steel, so paint them as you would the end connectors The wheels themselves, and the bogeys, should be Olive Drab (not olive grey) along with the rest of the tank. As for dirt and weathering, I personally favour a series of techniques which when used together add a thinner patina of dirt to the surfaces that would realistically get dirty, with more where it would get caught (recesses, undersides of the sponsons etc) Its far too long to go into here though I'm afraid but what I'm tring to say is the caked in mud effect has its place, but not automatically on every model As for the T34, you have a lot of options. Most model kist seem to have the rubber rims, so same as above for the tyres. The standard colour for Russian tanks was 4BO Green. A google search of T34s should put you in the right ballpark. Whitewashes for winter are also very popular The tracks were all steel, so as above. If you wish you can add some light rust, but not too much. I see a lot of models were the tracks are pretty much completely rusted. Unless the tank never intends to go anywhere again this is unrealistic as tracks are moving parts and all that rust would sieze them up. A little rust in the recesses where it would not rub off is more relaistic On the chevrons of the Sherman Track, the raised surfaces of the T34 track and the where the wheels rub on the track would all be a brighter steel where the constant wear brings out the metal (like railway tracks). This is also true of the surfaces of the sprocket (also called the final drive wheel sometimes) that touch the track and for steel roadwheels and steel (non-tyred) idlers Chris

This is something I'm working on at the moment, the Resicast 4.5 Inch Howitzer This gun was brought into service before WWI, but by the beginning of WWII it was still more or less forming the backbone of light field howitzer support to the british army. It remained in service until 1942 when conversion to the 25pdr was finally completed I've chosen to do mine as a BEF gun. This is a gem of a kit. For resin it is incredibly easy to clean up and put together with no real issues except the gun shield which is a little tricky to get in the right place, not because of bad fit, but rather because the location is a little vague in pictures I managed to put the gun and limber together in under 4 hours, which is nothing short of unheard of for me with a resin kit! Basically, I've got as far as the basecoats. A lot more to do yet Chris

Very nice work indeed Spence, looking forward to the paint I've been asked to build one of their upcoming Saladins for a commission. If I enjoy that one I can see myself getting one of these

I would go either with blutack or with 40mm tamiya tape Normal masking tape has too much stick and tends to lift paint. the tack on Tamiya tape is perfect. I lay a length of tape out, lightly stuck down, to a smooth surface like a tile or such, then use a sharp blade to cut a wavy pattern in it, then you end up with two wavy templates from one strip. Lay these on the model as you see fit. Be sure to ensure the paint below is thoroughly thoroughly dry before masking. Make sure you press the tape down well on the masked edge to prevent creep under the edge If you peel the tape off carefully and stick it to something very smooth after (like clean plastic) you can use it again on another model We want pictures!

As Andy M says, Dragon and Cyrberhobby are Chinese (Shanghai) Also the above does not apply to Cyberhobby. Dragon are sold via the normal distribution channel (which with Dragon is: Dragon in China to European Distributor - British Distributor - British Retailler - Customer) Cyberhobby is ONLY available from Cyberhobby in China, or from their US based offshoot, Dragon USA. Therefore it is not available to UK or European Importers or retaillers at trade rates only at retail rates (like it is to anyone else) This means when a Cyberhobby kit like this is sold by a UK retailler it is based on Retail Price + Shipping and Import Costs + Profit Margin +VAT = UK Retail Price. Hence why it is pretty much double what you pay buying it overseas or from a HK based retailler Effectively it guarantees that UK shops cannot sell CH kits at competitive prices. I have long suspected that Dragon's aim is to get overseas customers to buy direct so they can increase their margin at the expense of the distribution channels making a living

Thanks for the comments guys, good to know you like the builds Anyone have any comments on the paint and weathering?

The latest models finished and off the Bench, 'Fox' a Sherman OP and 'Hunter' a Centaur 95mmCS of the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group, 2nd Battery

thanks guys This is the photo I'm working from: Paul, this is the OP Sherman from the 2nd Battery, Royal Marines Armoured Support Group. The origins of the use of Naval gunner practice lie in the original planned role of the RMASG. They were orgininally intended to be parked on LCMs and used as turrets as a sort of Monitor. Their purpose was to proceed in with the landing troops and fire at strongpoints on the beaches to assist the troops landing. The commander would stand rear of the tank and use the azimuths on the turret to line up the guns on targets. It was planned that the engines would be removed from the Centaurs and they would be permanently kept on the converted LCMs for the duration of the operation then be returned to Great Britain. However, it was decided (some claim at the suggestion of Montgomery) that they might as well have their engines and be driven ashore to engage targets away from the ashore line to help the advancing forces. Once it was decided that they would be enabled to land, they were organised into troops and assigned a command/OP tank in the form of a Sherman. The Sherman's 75 had already been used on a number of occaisions to engage targets with long range indirect fire in what the army called 'shoots' in the Italian campaign, so the shermans too got their azimuths In the event some RMASG vehicles penetrated a number of miles inland, but a few short weeks after D Day the RMASG was disbanded (not to be reformed until 2007 in Afghanistan!) and the crews returned to the UK for redeployment, and the Centaurs were handed over to commonwealth units.