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Hi guys, Started this build some time ago, but unfortunately didn't take any photos so far. Nothing exciting till now anyway, built OOB. Perfect fit Tamiya kit (I find this one even better than other Tamiya kits I built so far). I'll go with vinyl tracks as they will be mostly covered by sidescirts anyway. Primed with grey Mr. Surfacer 1500 (I love this stuff, creates perfectly smooth finish) and painted with AK Real Colors. Not sure how accurate they are, but you can see yourself. Painted with 2:1 (thinner:paint) ratio, in three passes. This was my first time using AK Real Colors (usually using Mr.Color and Hataka), so actually, there was something exciting at this point. First Portland Stone layer went crap, gritty like a sandpaper. So I had to sand everything and repeat. Had to do some practice to figure out how to use this AK Real Color stuff successfully and ended up with really nice smooth and flat finish. I am starting to like them, although they do perform a bit more unpredictable compared to Mr.Color. I used AK High Compatibility thinner, but then switched to Mr Leveling Thinner as it's easier to work with it, at least for me. Masking it was quite fun actually. It's like unwrapping the gift And here's the result. Will hopefully continue this weekend. Cheers!

NExt build will be the Trumpeter JGSDF Type 89 IFV with Eduard PE. THis will go the same way as the Type 16 with tri-tone grey digital scheme (may look to build a lot of modern Japanese armour in this scheme, to me it just lends itself to it). Well waiting on the kit so will put photos on once it arrives

Hi all, About a month ago, I was just scrolling through scalemates.com and came upon a new company called Areon Models. I was pleasantly surprised that they are going to release a 1/35 kit of the Terrex - the main ICV / AFV of the Singapore Armed Forces. I believe this is the 1st time an actual kit of this vehicle is done. I can only hope they do a Leopard 2SG in the future. As you can see from the below link, they have 11 kits to be released (mix of tanks and AFVs) this year, with only 2 being updated kits with new parts (Takom's Typhoon K and Tamiya's Type 74). The rest are newly tooled kits: https://www.scalemates.com/companies/company.php?id=11693&p=list Rather ambitious of a new company to release quite a number of newly tooled kits, yes? Has anyone heard of them? Appreciate any comments, thoughts and maybe even answers haha. Cheers.

Hallo I try an easy project after a F-15A in 1/48. Simple kit, as it seemed, but..I will see! Happy modelling

Hey guys, here's my ISU. It was a fun kit to build, the instructions were just one sheet of paper. I replaced the plastic grilles with microdesign PE. The replacement tracks are trumpeters workable tracks and they go together quite nice. I think about making a vignette for this one with some angry Russians on top but that won't be anytime soon so I leave it here. Cheers, Ernst.

Wasn't originally planning to enter this GB as nothing in the stash fitted, but I just happened to find my self in Monk Bar Models, York before Christmas (if anyone ask I was Christmas shopping for my nephew) when I happened on the following kit, and at £9.99 it would have been rude not to buy it. From memory I probably first built this late 70's or early 80's. The kit was my first 1/35 armoured subject and my first Tamiya kit. I am guessing it would have been originally bought from Beatties in Portsmouth, which was only 10min walk from my Gran's house.

Hi all, One of my older "on the shelf" kits- The 1/35 Hobbyboss VK4502 (P) : a prototype King Tiger option. I was even more pleased to find out it came with a full turret interior. I decided to have a go at the 'Octopus Camo' and I'm pretty happy about how it all came out. Apologies about the quality of photos, still getting the hang of this.

Completed a few weeks back - I would like to share a recent build. This is the Tamiya 1/35 scale Opel Blitz - the Workhorse of the Reich... I do hope you like it - as always it was a good learning experience - Steve A WIP can be found here...

Morning all, Its the bank holiday weekend (as much as that means anything nowerdays!) but just in time my next kit has arrived; the Takom Flakpanzer Panther. In addition this will be my first build on Britmodeller so let me know if I've goofed the photos or get anything wrong on the way. As with all of my builds this will be an OOB build, as I make kits for the joy of the hobby, and to help fuel my passion for military history. That said I try to get things accurate where I can... Here we go with first attempt at photos:

Next build while in lockdown. Wanted something I could build up and leave complete for painting later. Thought of trying some modern armour so went for this one. Plan is to do it in "urban digital" squares (3x grey) for something different, inaccurate and to test my masking (going to print my own masks too). Probably start the build at the weekend and take it slow (dont think I will do much more than OOTB) 2020-04-06_02-34-36 by Robert Worth, on Flickr

Another one I finished some time ago: The (very) old Dragon Pz III M/N kit no. 9015. This one is finished as an Ausf.M at the time of the Battle of Kursk. German armour is not really my thing but I've always liked the look of the Pz III's and IV's with the Schurzen fitted. As ever, hope you like it and all comments/criticism welcome. Bandit 1250

Hi All, it's been quite a while since I posted anything on BM. I've finally sorted out a new photo hosting source after the PB debacle (thanks to the very useful articles posted elsewhere on BM) and thought I'd share a few things I've been working on. This is the old 1/35 Dragon Sherman Firefly VC Kit no. 6182. It's built OOB apart from the decals which came from a Bison set. The kit was ok apart from those tracks! They turned out ok in the end but with 3 pieces per link I was almost losing the will to live by the time I'd finished them. Never again! Hope you like it. Bandit1250

Evening folks. Thought id better make a start and post my maiden build on the forums. A 1/35th BA-64b Russian scout car by Miniart. The build will pretty much be straight out the box as it’ll take too long for any detail sets to arrive. I have already made a start on the gearbox and chassis, leaf springs and rear axle. The chassis had some pretty noticeable injector pin marks and recesses on the underside of the frame. Nothing a bit of green putty can’t fix. anonymous pictures website Cheers Andy

Hi all, I felt like I needed a new project to help get through this period in which I'll be spending much time at home. The kit I've chosen to work on is Tamiya's brand new Renault R35 in 1/35th scale (pictured below). I'm pretty excited to get going on this one once it arrives in the mail. If there aren't too many delays due to the lockdown, I should be ready to go next week at the latest. This gives me enough time to do research and choose the particular vehicle I'm going to build. In the meantime here is how I've decided to breakdown my project. PHASE 1: CONSTRUCTION Part 1: References Here I'm mainly going to compile a selection of images taken from internet as well as a few "walkarounds" I know are available. Also, I expect to use a book called "French Tanks of WWII pt.1" from Osprey Publishing. Part 2: Removing parts from the sprue & part preparation It might not be the usual way of doing things but I'm planning on detaching and sanding all parts before actually gluing any of them together. This being a Tamiya kit, I really don't expect much trouble in the way of mould marks etc.. Part 3: Basic exterior assembly Here I assemble all the parts that will be painted in the base colour, in other words the core of the model excluding certain details that are easier to paint individually. I'm not sure how often I will post updates during this part but most likely every 3-4 "steps" in the instructions. Part 4: Textures This part is something I guess I'm going to experiment with. The R35 was made mainly of 3 large casted pieces bolted together. The Tamiya kit tries to replicate this cast texture but from what I've heard it isn't pronounced enough. If this ends up being the case I'll redo it myself as well as the various weld lines. Part 5: Battle Damage I haven't decided which particular R35 I'm going to represent but it is possible that I might add some light battle damage to the model depending on what the real one went through. Part 6: Exterior Detailing Finally, I'll end the build phase by constructing the metal tracks I'm going to purchase to go along with this kit. This is also where I'll add any extra details or accessories if I feel the need. Well, there's the plan. Now to execute! I'll post again once the research is completed. Cheers, Jack

Right then, having retired early just before Christmas I should now be on a holiday of a lifetime, but obviously I'm not, this was going to be a project for my return but i thought i might as well crack on with it now. This was a Christmas present from one of my girls and the other girl got me the add on. LAV 1 by phil da greek, on Flickr LAV 14 by phil da greek, on Flickr The kit gives you a couple of options to build, with nice clear instructions and a concise pait guide (it's green). LAV 2 by phil da greek, on Flickr LAV 3 by phil da greek, on Flickr LAV 4 by phil da greek, on Flickr LAV 5 by phil da greek, on Flickr LAV 7 by phil da greek, on Flickr More to follow........

This is my 1/35 scale Tamiya King Tiger Tank , kit number 35164 - for the Eastern Front, February 1945. The GD Epaulette is original and 100% Genuine Wartime - to the GrossDeutschland - my favourite German Army Division History The German King Tiger Tank was introduced in early 1944 and was the most powerful tank during World War 2. With its powerful 88mm gun and an almost impenetrable front armour, it was one of the most feared weapons of the war. Up to the end of the war, the allies had not introduced any effective means to counter the threat. The Tiger II combined the heavy armour of the Tiger I with the sloped armour of the Panther. The design followed the same concept as the Tiger I, but was intended to be even more formidable. The very heavy armour and powerful long-range 88mm gun gave the Tiger II the advantage against virtually all opposing tanks. Construction The Tamiya kit was supplemented with many after-market items and scratchbuilt details. The main additions were: Eduard photo-etched detail set for the King Tiger Aber turned aluminium 88mm barrel for King Tiger item no. 35L-15 Fruil Model all-metal tracks for Tiger II ( made in Hungary - Highly recommended !! ) Echelon Decal set number AXT 351001 Zimmerit applied using an out-of-production Aftermarket set that used resin sheets on sticky paper that I applied using epoxy resin glue on the Tamiya King Tiger . Scratchbuilt details included the following: The track changing cable is fine electrical cable with the plastic insulating cover removed. One end of the bare wire strands was clamped in a pin vice, while the other end was twisted until the desired effect was achieved. The headlight cable was replicated using fine solder. All hatch handles were replaced with copper wire. The Commander's hatch pivot guard was added from plastic card. I used the KingTiger II FruilModel all-metal tracks which you assemble using a special jig supplied, and assembled each track individually, link by link, linking with brass wire, until you have two sets of tracks, you can adjust them to have a realistic sag as well, plus you can scratch the paint showing some metal to come through and they just look great - easy to assemble if you take your time and use a good reference source to make sure you have them facing the right way! The Fruil spare track links were used, with holes drilled through the interlocking teeth. Several were pinned with brass wire for variety. The crank handle guide ring hanging from the bottom of the right exhaust cover was fabricated from drilled plastic rod. The radio antenna is shaped brass wire. Gun cleaning rods are aftermarket brass rod. The King Tiger II kit Exhausts were replaced by using out-of-production Moskit Hollow metal Exhausts found on eBay. The Kingtiger, like other Panzers had the distinctive zimmerit coating applied in the factory. Zimmerit was designed to defeat magnetic antitank charges, and resulted in the tanks having a rippled texture on the covered surfaces. This rippling reduced the contact area for the magnetic mines to adhere to and when combined with the tank’s vibrations made it hard for the charges to adhere to the tank. On the Kingtiger the zimmerit had a pattern of closely spaced horizontal ridges. The Zimmerit was applied using an out-of-production Aftermarket set which had them printed in very highly detailed plastic or resin sheets onto sticky paper with strong glue fixing them to the tank - I can’t remember which manufacturer made them, but they have been a wise investment and were dead easy to apply, and I didn‘t have to cut them either ( don’t use photo-etch zimmerit, it never looks right - too perfect looking ! ) Painting, Markings and Weathering All camouflage colours were applied with the Testor Aztek A470 airbrush. Tamiya paints were used: XF-64 Red Brown XF-59 Desert Yellow mixed with XF-2 Flat White mixed 50:50 Equal parts XF-13 JA Green, XF-65 Field Grey and Gunze-Sangyo H312 Green The wooden handles of the tools were painted XF-59 Desert Yellow. Weathering The entire model was sprayed with Tamiya acrylic X-22 Clear Gloss. When dry, a thin wash of Tamiya enamel X-18 Semi Gloss Black 60% to XF-64 Red Brown 40% was applied. Mud was added using Faber-Castell Pastel Chalk (9286-179), powdered and mixed with Mineral Turpentine. The resulting slurry was painted onto the tracks and the wheels , I used “ green-line “ grass for the Diorama , and the angled Brass Name Plate ID Holder was made by AMTEC Industries , 1 West End Units, "Charles field", St. Boswells to my own design. Note - that I originally thought to buy a ' Dragon ' King Tiger for my Model - If you're thinking of buying a King Tiger in the future think long and hard about what you want from a kit and balance up what they offer you for the money. Lets face it there are enough out there to choose from now. For me , the Dragon King Tiger has a retail price around the £50 mark in the UK and I know that if I paid that much for it I would be both angry and disappointed. As a kit it's nothing special in regard to features. It's a pretty basic King Tiger . With the Tamiya kit at least you know it will fit together properly , and I stress that adding the aftermarket Fruil tracks , Brass Barrel . resin Zimmerit , Moslit Exhausts and etch set you get a lovely looking model , that is a joy to build and also is accurate - and user-friendly . David Walker

Hi folks. Here's my work on the Stug III ausf. F/8 by Dragon from the 90s. Not a great kit (a lot of recycled parts and thus detail that needs to be erased on the fenders which means the tread detail is lost). Their other Stugs were better in that regard. Thanks for looking

This is Meng's new tool jeep with the Wasp flame thrower as trialled (but not used) by Popski's private army. The kit's a decent, if unspectacular, rendering of the jeep with some areas of nice detailing, while other areas seem a little basic. The original was a one-off utilising a flame thrower taken from a Canadian Wasp Universal Carrier. For fairly obvious reasons it never went further than a few trials, and was never used in combat. Meng seem to have based the kit off the the modern replica Wasp jeep and, as such, some of the details may be off from the wartime original. It looks convincing enough though and, given the scarcity of decent reference photos of the original, it's probably as accurate as they could have made it. The only things I needed to add were some extra hoses and plumbing to busy up the build. The full build can be found here Thanks for looking Andy

Hello lads. Today I have a little video of BA-64 that I have finished a while ago. Model is in 1/35th scale. It is a little car, quite easy and enjoable to build, so I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick build. Hope you'll enjoy the movie. And few pictures:

Hallo again Now I started a Tiger II. The kit is HB. A very good mold, I am astonished about the quality. It is a kit without interior. I build all different types of tanks from Germany, Russia and Great Britain from WW2. Two exceptions are Merkavas from Israel present day. My build is straight from the box. I build the version just painted in Minium; it is a protective paint against rust. Without any marking, ready for deployment. Well, first I work on plastic, without all tools and pulling ropes etc. After turret and tracks, I start spraying the first round. With tools and etched parts the second round. Well, we will see how it works out. Corona makes me more patient, we will have lots of time. Here in Austria we have curfew. It will last I think three full months. Happy modelling

Yep, your old citroen might do a couple of these moves and some ‘64 chevy imapalas can pull this of as well but to my knowledge only a few tanks can do this. I bought this kit 6 weeks ago on an auction site for a bargain. I’ll have to admit this tank was never on my radar but I liked the shape of it and it’s a tamiya so I went for it. The tank The type 74 was designed to counter the t-62 but it was already more or less obsolete when it came out which surprised me since Japan is a tech savy country. When soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsy filmed the famous highway scene of the sci fi movie “Solyaris” in the early seventies, he went to Tokyo because it looked more futuristic than the USSR (probably among other reasons). But that same USSR was already working on the T-64, T-72 and T-80. Even the Type 90 looks more like a copy of the leopard-2’s that came out a decade earlier. But to me the Type 74 looks a bit Russian with the low sleek silhouette combined with the big road-wheels and dome shaped turret. What sets this tank apart from most others is the way the tracks look, and the exhaust. No rust. Did they use noncorrosive materials? I would find such consideration very japanese. Check the excelent walkaround pics right here: http://www.toadmanstankpictures.com/type_74_camp_iwate.htm

Hallo again This Tiger I E from Tamiya I built within a few days. Beside the news from Corona. I used Mr. Color 39 and SM 203 special steel. It was a straight uneventful build. Just to get an idea what a Tiger I is actually. This Tiger should show us one of them before action in Tunesia. My next kit is the Tiger II from HB. Before I start a kit with full interior, I build each tank just straight. A little break from my F-15 project. Happy modelling

So folks with the M113 rapidly coming to an end I thought I'd let you all in on the next project. Undecided on the scheme but it might be the NATO 3 colour jobbie ? The beautifully done Master MG-42, this will be a modern MG-3 though. Expensive but worth it And a couple of crew figures It will be a few days before I cut plastic on this one. Regards Dan

Just finished this diorama of a Tamiya 1/35 M48 tank in Vietnam, complete with Bravo 6 resin figures. Paint is a mixture of Tamiya, Vallejo, oils, Hataka and whatever I had in my paint box really. Base is made from a couple of bamboo cutting blocks from the Range.