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Dragon 1/72 M4A1(76)W VVSS - ***FINISHED*** and in the Gallery - 02/10/17


PlaStix

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On 8/30/2017 at 5:44 AM, PlaStix said:

 

front and rear of the upper hull.

 

 

IMG_9852

 

I'm trying to add them in an order so that the most fragile go on last. Also, having looked at some of the PE, I've decided to only use any I feel confident about not breaking once added or are only provided as photoetched parts. Speaking of PE here are the two tiny ones added today:

IMG_9850

 

I used epoxy resin to fix these in place rather than CA glue.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 Nice work on the tank.

 

Not wanting to rain on your parade but those grouser cover air intakes are fitted back to front.

 

They should face forwards.

 

Here is an image of the real thing...

 

m4a1_3_of_8.jpg

 

36291560214_e176e70f27.jpg

 

 

HTH....

 

Nice paint work so far....

 

Cheers

 

Plasto...

Edited by Plasto
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1 hour ago, Plasto said:

 Nice work on the tank.

 

Not wanting to rain on your parade but those grouser cover air intakes are fitted back to front.

 

They should face forwards.

 

Here is an image of the real thing...

 

m4a1_3_of_8.jpg

 

36291560214_e176e70f27.jpg

 

 

HTH....

 

Nice paint work so far....

 

Cheers

 

Plasto...

Well spotted! Thank you. Luckily I have just been able to remove them and swap them around. I'm blaming Dragon's awful instructions! ;)

I'll take and post some photos tomorrow.

Kind regards,

Stix

 

Edited by PlaStix
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On 06/09/2017 at 19:36, Ozzy said:

Nice job on the hull Stix, those tracks look very nice. :thumbsup:

Thank you Ozzy. I was happier with the tracks than I thought I'd be seeing as they are band tracks.

 

3 hours ago, SimonT said:

That's looking great!

Thank you Simon.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

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Progress from over the weekend:

First off I corrected the wrongly facing intakes - thank you to Plasto for noticing - especially before I got as far as painting them! So here they are facing the right way:

IMG_9886

 

When I saw how small and possibly delicate some of the PE and plastic parts are for this kit I decided to use the plastic parts where I can - I knew I could repair plastic if needs be - and I have needed to in  a couple of places! To try and minimise the chance of my clumsy fingers damaging delicate parts as I handle the kit as it progresses I have worked on the principle of adding the less delicate parts first. On Saturday I didn't fancy attempting to get the really delicate light guards fitted on the front so I opted to put the turret together instead - I worked in the same way - adding the smaller parts last:

IMG_9889

 

IMG_9890

 

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The turret was fairly straightforward to make but but, once again, Dragon's instructions are a bit confusing/lacking in places.

 

On Sunday I decided I couldn't put off adding the smaller parts any longer - the upper turret is only placed on top of the lower hull in the photos below:

IMG_9895

 

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IMG_9898

 

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I've still got some tidying up to do in various places and then it will be time to get the upper hull and turret painted. 

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

 

 

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Coming along beautifully Stix, love the OD on the lower hull, still staggered you can achieve such subtlety with a brush, even after all these years of seeing it.  :coolio:

 

My usual offer of spares etc. stands.....Do you fancy a radial engine for it at all?  I believe I have one spare from the old ESCI/Italeri kit.  ;)

 

PS  - Dragon really did a good job on these kits (they were produced back when Dragon still gave a s**t), I understand that they are slowly rereleasing them, they'll probably be a bit pricy though.  Have you tried one of the Heller 1/72 Shemans yet?  If not you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you do, the only kits that might be better overall are Dragon.  :o

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On 12/09/2017 at 15:16, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Coming along beautifully Stix, love the OD on the lower hull, still staggered you can achieve such subtlety with a brush, even after all these years of seeing it.  :coolio:

 

My usual offer of spares etc. stands.....Do you fancy a radial engine for it at all?  I believe I have one spare from the old ESCI/Italeri kit.  ;)

 

PS  - Dragon really did a good job on these kits (they were produced back when Dragon still gave a s**t), I understand that they are slowly rereleasing them, they'll probably be a bit pricy though.  Have you tried one of the Heller 1/72 Shemans yet?  If not you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you do, the only kits that might be better overall are Dragon.  :o

Thank you very much Sarge for your comments and your very kind offer of spares. :thumbsup: I am just about finished now so I'm good thank you. It's all sealed up and I've started putting the finishing touches on it.

I haven't tried any Heller Shermans yet but a quick look at reviews on Scalemates backs up your thoughts. I'll pick one up next time I do an order. I see what you mean about this Dragon Sherman - it has built up into a good looking version.

 

On 12/09/2017 at 21:32, modelling minion said:

This really is coming along very nicely Stix.

Despite your problems with the tracks they are looking very good as is the running gear.

I'm looking forward to seeing the paint and weathering on the hull and turret.

Hi Craig and thank you very much for your kind comments. It has progressed this weekend but I'll post the progress in separate posts.

 

First off on Saturday I got three thinned coats of Humbrol's Olive Drab applied. It was a bit patchy in places for some reason but under the weathering it looks fine.

IMG_9912

 

I'm afraid I then got carried away doing the washes and dry-brushing and then detail painting and forgot to take any photos! The washes I applied were first a very thinned Revell Gunship Grey all over followed by a targeted wash, in and around any detail, with Revell's Anthracite. Then I dry-brushed a lightened version of the base coat. Finally I started painting the tools:

IMG_9915

 

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Then on Saturday afternoon it was time for the decals. I did a quick test with one of the larger decals I wasn't actually going to use and it didn't go well. I therefore decided I didn't want to try and get the large stars to conform over the fine detail so opted for the Polish version - I'm glad I did - even these were tricky!:

IMG_9937

 

IMG_9938

 

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I will post the photos of Sunday's sessions tomorrow.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

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On 17/09/2017 at 21:38, SimonT said:

Shame about the decals, still, at least you didn't have to do any remedial work if you had risked it!

Hi Simon and thank you. Yeah I tried one of the larger decals on a left over kit part and they kept breaking up even after using decal softener, etc. With how prominent the stars are I didn't want a major feature looking shabby. Even one of the decals that's in place on a flat surface broke up and had some strong language spoken to it!

 

On 17/09/2017 at 22:46, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Moo(ski).  :D

:lol:

 

On 18/09/2017 at 09:03, modelling minion said:

Looking very good Stix, very good indeed.

Shame about the decal issues but I like the Polish version.

Keep up the great work!

Thank you very much Craig - I do like the cow!!

 

On 18/09/2017 at 14:38, DaveyGair said:

Very neat build, certainly doesn't look 1/72nd!!

Davey.

Thank you very much Davey. I think the impression of size is down to the very fine moulding and details from Dragon. They seem to have avoided making anything too clunky - well perhaps apart from the tracks - but even they aren't too bad.

 

Right - I had mentioned that I would post some of Sunday's progress on Monday but it's been a busy week so far. Anyway I basically managed to get the actual tank finished. I'm still going to add some stowage, perhaps do a little more weathering and then make a simple base for it. So this is how it looks at present - all the main parts attached:

IMG_0011

 

IMG_0010

 

IMG_0009

 

IMG_0008

 

IMG_0007

 

IMG_0006

 

IMG_0005

 

IMG_0004

 

I have added a plank across the front, between the fenders, and started to add some stowage but not taken any photos of this progress yet. Hopefully I'll get most of this finished at the weekend.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

Edited by PlaStix
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Cracking stuff Stix.....The spills & stains really give the model extra character and layered over that subtle paintwork of yours they look a treat.  :coolio:

 

You OK for stowage?   I'd guess that most of the gear would be British pattern, IIRC the PSC M5 half-tracks have some stuff and I have five boxes of 'em (somewhere).  :mental:

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/20/2017 at 22:36, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Cracking stuff Stix.....The spills & stains really give the model extra character and layered over that subtle paintwork of yours they look a treat.  :coolio:

You OK for stowage?   I'd guess that most of the gear would be British pattern, IIRC the PSC M5 half-tracks have some stuff and I have five boxes of 'em (somewhere).  :mental:

Hi Sarge. Thank you for your kind comments and offer of stowage items. I wasn't planning on putting a lot on and I had enough bits and pieces here and there - as you will be able to see below.

Kind regards,

Stix

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Right - well this one is just about finished. I had finished last weekend but I've just not had chance to sort out the photos and get them posted - update - I have now posted some photos in the RFI section here and in the Gallery here.

 

All I did was to add some stowage items to the front and back - the plank at the front is a bit of styrene strip which I ran the teeth of my fine saw down:

3281832B-2A3F-4A2F-98A5-3B07939338F6

 

9FD43943-7156-45F1-975D-041CCC53AD77

 

68CFC6C8-E718-4B33-996F-EF050F66C404

 

The rope is represented by some thread from Mrs PlaStix's sewing kit.

 

I also made a simple base for it using a small Wilkos picture frame:

94A52BB9-5197-4D07-A72B-5D3C5BF86CF6

 

AD81C7CD-0B49-405A-8763-E082B7C4E714

 

As usual I ended up taking lots of photos which I will get in the RFI section and five in the Gallery - a couple here:

2C25B2ED-12EB-4DB7-8A7C-BC0BE465CA4A

 

249799B8-58F4-476C-B3C9-A4B345500A99

 

I actually thoroughly enjoyed building this Dragon kit and have decided to try building my first 1/35 Dragon kit - link.

 

Thank you to the hosts and everyone who has/is taking part in this great GB.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

Edited by PlaStix
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Splendid work Stix.  B)

 

One minor tweak you may wish to make, the central tool on the right rear deck is the pickaxe handle and should be wooden or the same colour as the hull (it's the handly looking thin next to the pickaxe head).  :nerd:

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2 hours ago, Hewy said:

Sublime, don't know how I missed this little jem stix, 

Glynn 

Hi Glynn - you are very kind, thank you.

 

57 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Splendid work Stix.  B)

 

One minor tweak you may wish to make, the central tool on the right rear deck is the pickaxe handle and should be wooden or the same colour as the hull (it's the handly looking thin next to the pickaxe head).  :nerd:

Thank you very much Sarge! And thank you for the info about the handle - I will get it repainted but I'm not going to update the photos! :worry:

Kind regards,

Stix

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52 minutes ago, nimrod54 said:

Excellent build Stix, beautifully detailed and painted.

Hi John. Thank you very much for your very kind comments.

 

I thought it might be worth while demonstrating how small this model is:

182AE0FB-7993-472E-94F7-FA817D01CBC5

 

526CC072-D77C-42CE-BA90-D492B4A8F88E

 

...and with Meng's Toon Sherman:

03695DFB-77BF-4F94-B8E8-E5FB3C0FCABC

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

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Thank you very much John but I left off some of the PE off as it was going to test my patience. It meant I did a lot of filing and sanding of some of the plastic parts to make them slightly more scale appropriate. Even so I reckon Dragon did a really good job of the details on this little model.

Kind regards,

Stix

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Super job Stix,

Again, I'm very impressed with your smaller scale work. And again, I'm going to have to ask what products you used for the grass and flowers  - particularly the flowers.

Those ruts in the grass are fantastic btw.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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14 hours ago, Badder said:

Super job Stix,

Again, I'm very impressed with your smaller scale work. And again, I'm going to have to ask what products you used for the grass and flowers  - particularly the flowers.

Those ruts in the grass are fantastic btw.

Rearguards,

Badder

Hi Badder and thank you very much. The grass piece itself was an off-cut from a Gaugemaster meadow mat and all the tufts, including the flowers, are from Army Painter. The flowers are from the Daffodil set. I have others but wanted to keep the base fairly simple. The mud to create the ruts is from Vallejo - it's the European thick mud. It was the first time I had seen these from Vallejo - I have only used Mig muds before.

 

3 hours ago, modelling minion said:

Another cracking build Stix, it looks fantastic.

The weathering is spot on and the stowage added to the rear deck just adds to the realism.

Very well done mate.

Thank you very much Craig - you are most kind.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

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