Tim Reynaga

Yes indeed, flightdeckdecals2400 deck. A real time saver!

This is Alby’s diminutive 1/72 scale resin Goliath!

LOL! Now we know what wooden nickels are for!

Wow, GrzeM, that movie was cool - thanks for the link! Placed on the base with a couple of 6mm swamp tuft weeds from Army Painter Battlefields, the tiny Goliath demolition vehicle looks ready for trouble!

This is Alby’s diminutive 1/72 scale resin Goliath. According to Wikipedia, the Leichter Ladungsträger Goliath (Goliath Light Charge Carrier) was a name given to two German Unmanned disposable demolition vehicles used during World War II. They were known as beetle tanks by the Allies. Employed by the Wehrmacht during World War II, they carried 60 or 100 kilogrammes (130 or 220 lb) of high explosives, depending on the model, and were intended to be used for destroying tanks, disrupting dense infantry formations, and the demolition of buildings or bridges. Goliaths were single-use vehicles that were destroyed by the detonation of their warhead. Here’s a picture of one at the Bovington Tank Museum next to my wife. The Goliath is even smaller than it appears in this picture – my wife is only four feet eleven inches tall! This kit is simplicity itself – only four resin parts. The four-part model assembled quickly. The only challenge was attaching the delicate wire control cable guide without breaking it! Here’s Goliath with its initial paint on. And with a Grumbacher Raw Umber artist’s oil wash, the Goliath is completed. The completed Goliath model is so small it made sense to place it on some kind of base. A “wooden nickel” from Hobby Lobby should serve nicely as a platform. I started by covering one side with Golden Gel Mediums Coarse Pumice Gel, a texturing agent used by artists. This creates a surface something like a 1/35th scale rocky beach. I then smeared spackling paste over it to tone things down to something more resembling 1/72 scale earth. The groundwork was painted with Tamiya Flat Earth (XF-62) acrylic. At the same time, the base edge was treated with Watco Teak Oil, a nice honey-colored finish left over from varnishing the oak floors in my house. Finally, a sprinkling of Noch static grass flocking gives a little life to the groundwork.

Brengun's resin Renault FT is a remarkable little kit!

Thanks! This is an exceptional kit, building it was a real pleasure. And with the addition of some tiny bits of railroad foam scrub and set on its base, the Renault FT is complete!

The ground base looked reasonably good, but the tiny tank seemed lost in it, so I added a fence to fill some of the excess space. The fence was made from .020 X .020 inch plastic strip posts with small gauge wires strung between them. The lines came from a copper transistor coil I often use for ship model rigging. The thin wire has a film of wax which causes enamel paints to bead up unrealistically; I usually remove it with lacquer thinner before painting, but in this instance I used the effect to suggest barbed wire... Tucked in behind the tank, the inconspicuous rusted fence gives a nice bit of background atmosphere.

For the groundwork I used a piece of Evergreen .040 inch plastic card with the edges smoothed and rounded down. Once shaped, the plastic was covered with Squadron green putty thinned with Testors liquid cement. A pinch of model railroad “snow” (i.e., marble dust) was also added to give it a rough, earth-lke texture. When dry, the groundwork was given a coat of Tamiya Flat Earth (XF-52) with Noch static grass flocking added on top.

The base was airbrushed with Tamiya Desert Yellow (XF-59) acrylic paint followed with a streaky coating of Winsor & Newton Burnt Sienna artist’s oil to simulate the look of a wood plinth.

Waiting for the oil wash to dry, I set about preparing a base. Starting with a stand from an old Pyro Santa Maria kit... I filled the hollow pegs and front plate from below with super glue, then nipped them off to level the surface. I also added a piece of .060 inch plastic sheet to seal the bottom. Sanded smooth and primed, the former ship stand is now a handy base for the tiny tank.

I guess my little FT's tracks had just been reconditioned in 1940!

Thank you gentlemen! Acrylic paints now dry, a thin wash of Grumbacher Raw Umber artist’s oil serves to deepen recesses and creates a brownish filter which helps integrate the various colors. The finish should matte down to a low sheen as the oils dry.

Painting starts with an airbrushed coat of Tamiya Desert Yellow acrylic (XF-59) with some yellow added – then Tamiya Deep Green (XF-26), Red Brown (XF-64), and Dark Grey acrylics (XF-24) were applied by brush. Brengun’s decals are amazingly petite and dead sharp, with the colorful roundels printed beautifully.

Brengun provided decals and illustrations to depict any of five vehicles – three with the cast turret, two with the riveted one. I found the multicolor French Air Force vehicle with the Berliet cast turret to be the one with the most interesting scheme. Besides, I dropped the Renault turret and broke off and lost the tiny gun! Some of these appear to be derived from Steve Zaloga’s 1988 book, The Renault FT Light Tank (Osprey Vanguard No. 46), such as the Renault FT Char Canon of the French Air Force, used for airfield security in 1940: According to Zaloga, these FTs used the usual cocarde (roundel) insignia and, “were repainted in the late 1930s with the French scheme typical of that period, an ochre color somewhat darker than the Great War shade, with red-brown and dark green horizontal bands.”