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I mainly build 1/72 aircraft, but have a fondness for AFV’s as well. As a kid in the 1970’s I always wished there were small-scale kits of early WW2 British subjects like the A13. It’s been a long wait, but a couple of years ago S-Model came to my rescue at least, aided by Dan Taylor Modelworks.

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The S-Model twin-pack kit of the A13 Cruiser Mk.III seems a good quality offering that sits right on the threshold between fast assembly wargames model and scale replica. Moulding compromises mainly affect the suspension, with solid single road wheels rather than divided pairs, and solid drive-sprockets and idlers lacking in any slot for the track guide-teeth. There is also some prominent rivet detail missing on the side faces of turret and hull due the moulding approach used. Also, the air-filter boxes are closed at both needs and lack air-filter detail, and the commander’s cupola is a little soft on detail. However, other moulded detail is crisp enough, parts fit is good, the 2-pdr gun barrel has a hole in its muzzle, and there are some nice PE details covering turret lifting eyes, turret side handles, antenna base and centre light surround.

I thought I would enhance my model using Dan Taylor Modelworks detail set (there’s one for the Cruiser Mk.III and a similar set to convert the Mk.III to a Mk.IV with spaced turret armour). Dan Taylor also offers a suspension set for the kit. I bought all of these sets thinking that they would address the kit’s weaknesses almost entirely; which to be fair, they do essentially.

The Mk.III detail set is indeed quite good, and I’d rate the PE being very good, although no air-filter detail is provided despite some PE items being shown in the instructions. The set is let down by its resin parts which are a bit mediocre in terms of detail and of rather poor quality overall. I used the lifting eyes, fire-extinguishers, and the top parts of the turret hatch after filing them thinner. I discarded the smoke-grenade dischargers as they were poorly cast.

I used just the road wheels from the suspension set, although these some had flaws in their tyres and were not completely round. The resin track had been mastered using lengths of kit parts, as joins between sections and injection mould seams were still evident, and there were numerous short-shot or broken guide teeth. The idlers and drive sprockets were slightly let down by air-bubbles in the track detail and excessive attachment to their casting blocks, but were useable. I did not use them as I chose to retain the better kit track. It was not worthwhile cutting the loop of kit track to attach resin drive sprockets and idlers once I’d improved the kit parts by grinding a track-guide groove into them.

Dan Taylor’s A13 sets are still welcome and generally worthwhile; although I increasingly have my doubts about the suspension set. The price of one suspension set cost me only slightly less than the twin-pack kitset (€11.61 for one suspension set versus €15.00 for two A13 kits). For a lot less money you could sacrifice a kit and use two sets of kit suspension to make one good set – Simply grind the tracks off one set of wheels and cut circumferential slots in the tyres of the now freed wheels, and grind the solid single wheels off the other pair of tracks, and replace them with your modified wheels.

Of course, the suspension set would be far better, and worth its price in time saved, if the resin parts were mastered and cast to the standards realised by the several central & eastern European producers. Despite my criticism of the resin parts, I remain grateful that we have Dan Taylor Modelworks offering the detail and conversion sets it does. It’s a lot easier to be a critical user than it is an accessory set producer faced with production and marketing constraints. Dan kindly responded to my post of this build on Missing Lynx and mentioned tha he is considering changing resin producers; see:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/47210/message/1454175450/Re-+A13+Cruiser+Mk.III+%281-72+S-Model+%26amp%3B+Dan+Taylor+Modelworks%29

My build progress so far is covered off by the following images:

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Edited by Kiwikitbasher
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Nice work Mark....

Looks really good so far. What scheme western desert or something different...

Thanks Plasto, I'll probably do it as BEF in the Battle of France, and when I do my Mk.IV from the other kit in the S-Model twin-pack it'll be Western Desert,

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Some excellent conversion work there.

You must have eyes like a hawk, surgeons cutting skills and patience of a saint

Good job

Cheers

K

Thanks K, At 55 I.m totally dependent on my optivisor to see for modelling, and am trying to control a right arm tremor that I've been prescribed BETA-blockers for, but aren't worth taking for their side effects. Oh to be 10 or 20 years younger!.

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I really like what you have done with this kit-it looks the part. A pity about the resin castings,but to be honest,it isn't very hard these days,with all the materials that are available,to do your own castings. You'd be surprised what can be done. I was lucky in that I had a bit of experience with casting my own bits,all self taught,back when stuff was really hard to source. These days with ebay and google you can do it! True,it might not make much sense economically but with a bit of careful planning you don't have to spend a fortune-certainly not much more than aftermarket bits and the postage to get them. Just my 2 pence worth.

And as a side issue,modelling is probably one of the best painkillers there is....I have a couple of years on you,and a serious injury from a motorcycle accident,and keeping my brain active working on modelling problems beats any drugs I have been prescribed-and as you rightly say,the side effects can be a bugger.

mtd

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I really like what you have done with this kit-it looks the part. A pity about the resin castings,but to be honest,it isn't very hard these days,with all the materials that are available,to do your own castings. You'd be surprised what can be done. I was lucky in that I had a bit of experience with casting my own bits,all self taught,back when stuff was really hard to source. These days with ebay and google you can do it! True,it might not make much sense economically but with a bit of careful planning you don't have to spend a fortune-certainly not much more than aftermarket bits and the postage to get them. Just my 2 pence worth.

And as a side issue,modelling is probably one of the best painkillers there is....I have a couple of years on you,and a serious injury from a motorcycle accident,and keeping my brain active working on modelling problems beats any drugs I have been prescribed-and as you rightly say,the side effects can be a bugger.

mtd

Thanks MTD. I take your point about doing your own castings, but I think Dan Taylor's decision to find a new caster will resolve things for his detail sets.

As to modeling being a good distraction form chronic pain I fully agree. I have been rebuilt over the years and am full of titanium and stainless steel (I'm worth more as scrap!). I've had four spinal fusions, an artificial knee, fused wrist, rotator cuff repairs to both shoulders, elbow tendon repair and a few other things like knee cartilage tears. Fortunately, the arm tremor happens more when my arm is relaxed, and I can still more or less will it to steady my hand when modelling. As you say, medicational benefits are often not worth it when the trade-off in side-effects is factored in.

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I painted the camo using Gunze acrylics and Vegemite for masking (Vegemite is ANZAC Marmite). The initial base weathering is also done. I still have to scratch-build details like the commander’s vane-sight, antenna lowering mechanism, centre head-light and possibly a cupola-mounted spot-light (I think mine is the wrong cupola style, but have to double-check). I also need to sort out three crew figure and paint them. Like all my AFV’s (12 versus 166 aircraft finished) it will end up on a “tank-biscuit” base. This will have some slightly undulating ground as I have mildly displaced some of the suspension.

Progress so far (the helmets are by Black Dog, Dremeled out and with foil chin-straps):

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Blimey.....That's rather impressive! :coolio:

I'm glad Dan's getting a new resin caster.....His Crusader tracks were more than I could cope with. :confused:

Thanks Sgt S.H. I have Dan's Crusader sets as well, but I think I'll tackle the running gear the same way a s I have for my A13. It is good news he's looking for new resin caster.

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I have mounted the and painted the following scratch-built details - Centre headlight, cupola-mounted spotlight, antenna fold mechanism, commander's blade sight, driver's reversing mirror, and convoy light shrouds. I also made a panel that encloses the underside of the exhaust that is missing from the kit and added a piece of stowage (my reference photos show very little stowage in the Battle of France, but the Black Dog tarpaulin I have used seems fairly typical).

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Edited by Kiwikitbasher
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Unfortunately I struggle with 1/72 figures, but jobs now done and it's mounted on a tank biscuit.

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Ready for inspection images posted here:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234997200-a13-cruiser-mkiii-s-model-dan-taylor-modelworks/

Edited by Kiwikitbasher
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