BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 OK Folks - I have bought the following decals... ...these are the details that come with them. Out of interest I see 89 & 90 are listed as ABULANCE - so may come in useful on the next one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 OK - That's all the square numbers I have - here are some 'badges' I've got... ...oh and some more numbers??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 I got some white stars too - bit difficult to see though... I also got these TAC markings... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Finally - I got a full sheet of these bad boys... ...so now I need your help folks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 This is from a previous thread - where @badger helped me out massively and I need to recap it - for myself if no one else... I said... I like the idea of the 11th armoured - especially after finding this on wikipedia just now... "Eleventh Armoured was not directly committed to Operation Market Garden. Instead, it was tasked with securing the right flank of the operation. Attached to VIII Corps, it began moving on 18 September. Advancing in two columns, it managed to reach the US 101st Airborne Division at Nuenen, while on the 22nd, its engineers established a bridge over the Willemsvaart canal. The division could then make an encircling move around Helmond, forcing the Germans to withdraw on 25 September." What could be better - troops / trucks / halftracks / tanks AND A BRIDGE BUILT OVER A CANAL - RESULT!!! Ben @badger came back with the following great info... Half Tracks: These would have had the following: A War Department census number beginning with "Z" on the sides of the bonnet and possibly repeated on the rear 11th Armoured Divisional Badge on the right front mudguard as you are looking at the vehicle and repeated on the left rear A red Arm of Service Marking with a white "54" which denotes the actual regiment the vehicle belonged to. This is on the left front mudguard and repeated on the right at the rear. A yellow bridging weight disc with a black "9". These are much more common on other vehicles than tanks. A white solid ringed star on the bonnet. Possibly very small white stars on the sides - but much less likely as the British didn't use this anywhere near as much as the Americans. These would have been painted US Olive Drab as they were not usually repainted following delivery from the US. ...its worth noting that my long term aim is to build a little diorama with the old vintage Airfix Pontoon Bridge from the early seventies - but I need some vehicles to go across it... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 6 hours ago, badger said: If you fancy an early one - Zvezda do a really decent one (It's sold as a snap kit but the detail is really good and it compares well to Dragon etc when built) Otherwise I'd go for the Revell Ausf E (Their Ausf H (Early version) is not that good). It's a fairly decent kit and builds quite well unlike the expensive Dragon one which has fit issues with the running gear. Trumpter also do Tigers but I don't have these in the stash, so unsure what they are like. Hope that helps Kind Regards Ben Cripes they ain't cheap!! i'm as they say brassic at the mo but i might ask for one for Christmas . (I should point out mrs lawzer last year got me a job lot of varied kits off gumtree from someone who was selling their entire stash so it's not beyond the realms of possibility). and @BIG X do the plastic soldiers kits come 1 kit per sprue? There's a few single sprues for sale on fleabay..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 3 hours ago, BIG X said: Finally - I got a full sheet of these bad boys... ...so now I need your help folks I stared at this pic for a few mins thinking it was a magic eye picture till i realised.....d'oh! 🙄 I really should go to specsavers...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 2 hours ago, Lawzer said: Cripes they ain't cheap!! i'm as they say brassic at the mo but i might ask for one for Christmas . (I should point out mrs lawzer last year got me a job lot of varied kits off gumtree from someone who was selling their entire stash so it's not beyond the realms of possibility). and @BIG X do the plastic soldiers kits come 1 kit per sprue? There's a few single sprues for sale on fleabay..... YEP - up to now I have acquired 3 each of... Allied M5 Halftracks CMP 15cwt Trucks Sherman M4A4 or Fireflies They all come 3 kits per box - 1 individual kit per sprue. I can see how people might just use 1 or 2 - but surely life is too short to try and sell just one on fleabay - isn't it??? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Tonight has been 'emotional' - but more on that in a minute... I couldn't see a way to get the white 50 on the red field - on the 'front left' mud guard along with the black 9 on the yellow disc - so I did a bit of googling to see what they looked like on the 'real thing'... I found this picture and it shows a metal disc painted yellow and forward of the mud guard. ...OK it's in black and white - but you get the idea So I punched a 3mm piece of really thin clear plastic out of one of those stiffeners you get under shirt collars - as they come out of the packet for the first time - I hope your eyesight is better than my camera phone... I've primed it and painted the first side in olive drab... ...it's that green spec on the right. I'll leave to dry overnight and then paint the other side in yellow in the morning - before going to work. Then a gloss coat tomorrow night and I have found a lovely number 9 on a decal sheet - it's for decal number nine - not an actual decal really - you get the idea... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Also with so many oversized rivets / red lights / stowage racks cluttering the rear of the vehicle I was struggling to find a place for the badges on the back. Now you may remember those rear mud flaps – well they are now sporting the badges. Maybe not strictly accurate – but hey ho… 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Finally for tonight – the ‘emotional’ bit… The hinges on the bonnet are obviously wildly oversize – though I do like them – but you try getting a star with a solid circle over them… the massive amount of excess clear around the edge of all these SKYTREX is a bit annoying - but I'm not going to let it spoil my fun It's 'beginning' to go down after about 3 pints of microsol and microset - let's see how much 'clouding' we get by morning... ...anyway that's more than enough for tonight - but the weekend is just around the corner... Can I finish it before the weekend is over - now that's fighting talk 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 Well I made a little progress this morning - the best news is that decal on the bonnet has gone down a treat - with no staining. The picture quality is not brilliant - but it looks good to the naked eye... I got the other side of the bridge weight disc painted yellow - it's the yellow blob on the left... As I haven't tried 'proper' weathering before with the Flory washes I have glossed up an old 'mule' to try a few bits on... ...finally I found a 1p floating about and couldn't resist... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 I've got the bridging weight disc on - fiddly... ...apart from drilling out the headlights that's as close to scratch building as I get 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 As encouraged by Ben the Badger I have added the extra 50 cal at the back - the kit comes with 2 of these - but they are either / or - but hey these bad boys like a fight The kit came with a smaller machine gun that glues somewhere on the inside - but I think this one looks more dramatic. I can save the other for another build. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 The number 9 is on - but it's all so tiny I'm scared that I'll lose it all with this weathering lark... I don't know if you've noticed - but I'm stalling on starting the weathering. I've been watching Phil Flory in his amazing videos - but I'm really scared of starting. Yes I know I can't leave it all glossy like this. Yes I know I can wash it off again. Yes I know I'm a wuss 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 After seeing the 1p trick i maybe better not go down this route.......😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 3 minutes ago, Lawzer said: After seeing the 1p trick i maybe better not go down this route.......😄 DON'T PANIC - it's actually a comedy 1p piece - it's as big as a dinner plate really 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, BIG X said: DON'T PANIC - it's actually a comedy 1p piece - it's as big as a dinner plate really I was going to ask if it was an optical illusion.....😂 Seriously hats off to you (and everyone else who models in this scale). When i had that 1/72 spitfire for the foiling experiment i found the parts far too small for my really bad eyesight. Mind you i'm due to get my eyes tested - maybe some glasses like bubbles from trailer park boys are the future (google it) 👍 Edited November 18, 2017 by Lawzer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 2 minutes ago, Lawzer said: I was going to ask if it was an optical illusion.....😂 Seriously hats off to you (and everyone else who models in this scale). When i had that 1/72 spitfire for the foiling experiment i found the parts far too small for my mistake eyesight. Mind you i'm due to get my eyes tested - maybe some glasses like bubbles from trailer park boys are the future (google it) 👍 Hey that guy stole my modelling glasses... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 OK - Take a deep breath folks - weathering has commenced with an overall wash of 'dark dirt'... As promised - I am going to TRY to keep it restrained - so apart from this I am just going to go for one more wash using 'sand' - mainly to show some stuff on the tracks and wheels - but also to give it a bit of a 'summery' dusty look. I'm still having trouble getting my head round the fact that these halftracks had rubber tracks - not metal... ...guess I'll have to do a Sherman next 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 And the weathering starts to bring it to life. Nice work. (We don't need no steenkin' washes) A fair number of tractors today have huge rubber tracks on them. Farmers are using the worn ones to block off the entrances to fields. Given that the life expectancy of an M5 was probably about a week, then cheap (back then) & low maintenance rubber tracks would have made sense. Looking forward to your Shermans. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 33 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: And the weathering starts to bring it to life. Nice work. (We don't need no steenkin' washes) A fair number of tractors today have huge rubber tracks on them. Farmers are using the worn ones to block off the entrances to fields. Given that the life expectancy of an M5 was probably about a week, then cheap (back then) & low maintenance rubber tracks would have made sense. Looking forward to your Shermans. Cheers Pete - I think I am going to do a firefly... ...purely because it has 'a really BIG gun' As you can tell I'm no AFV expert - but boy am I having fun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 And that is the whole point of it! My wife still can't quite see why I do it. I tell her it's 3D art and I need to! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 13 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: And that is the whole point of it! My wife still can't quite see why I do it. I tell her it's 3D art and I need to! ...mines more like 'abstract art' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 OK - the sandy wash is on - don't worry about the 'glossy' bits - it's just where I've rubbed some off ...so what do you think - 'just enough' / 'not too much'??? ...any thoughts would be gratefully received. I hope to gets some of the boys seated in the back in the morning - but it might be a tight squeeze to get them all in - no fighting please 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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