SimonL

Looks great Roger - well done with the tracks. I have the AFV Scimitar in my stash, so forewarned is forearmed. How do I work out which of the workable tracks (early or late) I need to use? Is there a simple (ha!) date cut-off?

Oh wow, such detail, and the finish js great as well.

Ah, found it @Jasper dog - less parts than a Bronco kit for sure 🤣

@Jasper dog Airfix??? That’s a bit of news. Oh and great work on the tracks Stef!

Thanks Keith, the fit is on the whole superb. Until I came across this. After some head scratching, I approached this with brute force. Glueing in the front panel helped, but the. I added a sturdy bit of sprue underneath, which also helped when gluing it to the hull as it rests on top of the sprocket housings inside. The rest of the top of the I’ll went together like a dream. I meant to take photos as I went, but got carried away. Really beautiful fit. A couple of tiny bits to do (on the front hatches) and I’ve left all the breakable bits off at this point. Just took it slow and steady with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. I set this aside to dry and started on the main armament. As I’m going to a completely sealed up tank (I leave the interior work to others who have the patience and skills), I only need to focus on the parts that are absolutely needed. Which is good, as the gun has a LOT of parts. And the instructions are not exactly super clear. Here are the main parts for the gun which I need to use with the incredible spring. And yes I am going to fix it all in place so no chance of a working recoil. The finished item. And here is where I am at by the end of the session today. I’ve started on the turret by removing some features that are not needed for the option I’m building. Tomorrow I suspect it will Be out with the superglue and photoetch time.

Great progress so far. I’ve only built the 1:72 scale IBG kits (so far), so will be interested to see how this goes. What’s the parts count like?

Nice work! I built an ACE Saladin some time back, which was a challenge although end result looks ok. i have a Saracen sitting in the stash for a rainy day.

Looks great, although it does occur to me that the heads on cocktail sticks, looks well, just a tad grim! 👻

Sigh, would be nice but at £50 for postage (more than A$100) to Australia will have to give it a miss. (Noting I am not complaining, it does mean for example, that I can get kits from Asuka direct from Japan for a lot less than if I was in Europe or UK - swings and roundabouts).

Today’s session was focussed on the lower hull. First the addition of the infinitesimally small photoetch to represent the casting markings at the front. It’s not made easier by Bronco not providing enough “zeros” or the fact that several disappeared never to be seen again. So the numbers are fictional - it’s more to give a represention. After reading around and seeing how others have approached this, I settled on brushing on some Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and then carefully embedding the etch in the softened polystyrene. I picked each number up with the ever so slightly moistened tip of a toothpick and then placed it on the softened polystyrene. I was able to keep applying very small amounts of the cement so I could manoeuvre the numbers. They are not straight but to give a fair representation. Once the cement had cured I sealed them in with a coat of Tamiya Clear Gloss. close-up My attention then turned to the suspension. I started with the right hand side first. Here is one “set” assembled but not glued. When I glued the torsion bars in place, I made sure I followed the instructions precisely in terms of glueing them in place, with each of the ends being the same in terms of the alignment of the square peg (to which the suspension will be fixed to). That meant when the suspension assembly is offered up to the hull, everything aligns ok. Nothing is actually glued at this point. Once I had them all in place, I fixed them with some Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (other than the shafts of the suspension itself - so there is a little “play” if needed later on to align the wheels). Here is the right side done, left hand side was a bit quicker as I knew what I was doing. Finally started on the idlers and wheels. More impressive moulding. The idlers have a little “flange” that was the very devil to get off the sprue without breaking it. It only goes in one way (one side is slightly beveled). Looks pretty good once done though. Wheels are made up of 6 parts, which however go together well and look pretty effective. The attachment to the suspension is pretty small, so I am going to paint and weather these separate from the rest of the tank. The Chaffee in British service didn’t use side skirts so should be able to finish most of the main construction before adding the wheels and tracks.

Just catching up on this, great work! Making me (almost) feel chilly (it’s 30 degrees C here today!) and your figure painting is awesome.

Please do Roger! On with the cutting and sticking. First the torsion bars - noting I don’t intend to have any of the working parts working, everything will be fixed in place. I then did the return rollers - made easier by ignoring the do not glue indicators! So far, so good. Now the first challenge, the sprockets. To start with, it’s difficult to not be impressed by the mouldings. This is not so impressive - this little stub axle is just crying out as a weak point. So instead I rummaged in the spares box for a couple of bits of plastic rod, which I then glued to the sprocket itself. The housing was glued to the hull in the appropriate place and it is now easy to insert the sprocket axle where it needs to go. Quick check with the track. Speaking of track, I got another set of 12 done to finish today’s session, fortified by a cold drink.

Thanks for the positive feedback! Thanks! For the tracks it really was very easy. I painted them with Vallejo Track Primer. They then got a coat of clear varnish before successive washes (in order) of Vallejo Model Wash Grey, then Oiled Earth, Khaki Green and finally European Dust. The exhausts were first painted and then I wrapped some string (actually maritime scale modelling “rope”, but I suspect a thicker cotton thread would work) around the muffler (?) which was held in place with superglue. I then added a wash of thinned PVA to knock back any “fuzziness”. They then got painted a sort of cream colour before being weathered with the rest of the tank. Hope that makes sense.

Many thanks Never fear - he’s keeping an eye on me from the shelf.

With my Sherman and Whippet finished, time to start the first project of the year. I’ve had this kit in my stash for well over 5 years now. Picked it up second hand at the local scale modeling show swap’n’sell for around A$20. I’ve been opening the box, looking at it, and then putting it away for all that time. Parts have been scavenged for other kits (stowage for my recent Shermans, radio aerial mount for my Sherman Mk 1 Hybrid and of course tea drinking man). Thought I should have go before I started losing pieces - and there are a LOT of pieces. Prototypical Bronco. First action was to check all the sprues that were actually loose in the box - luckily nothing missing. Just in case I carefully repacked it in some zip-lock bags - I suspect it’s going to take me awhile to build. Also in the box, a set of Voyager photoetch, which may come in useful as the Bronco etch has been bashed around a bit. I don’t intend to go all out - just use what is absolutely necessary. I also have a second turret - I gather there were issues with the initial US boxing and Bronco provided a replacement corrected turret. However it appears to be identical to what came with the kit, so I have a spare. My intention is to complete it as option 2 which is “Chieftain” of C Squadron of the Reconnaissance Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, British Army, Germany 1946. I even managed to find a photo of this tank on-line at https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/m24_chaffee.php. The kit was reviewed on BM back in 2012: There are also useful reviews at the Perth Military Modelling Website (PMMS) https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/bronco/cb35068.html and https://www.track-link.com/reviews/2181. To get the ball rolling I started by seeing how easy/hard the track would be. The individual track links come in sets of 12 of which there are 14 (so thankfully a few spares). So I started with a set of 12. Removing them from the sprues and subsequent cleanup was really easy. They do a clip together reasonably simply, I sort of “angled” to clip each one together. I found doing 6 together and the joining the two sets of completed links easiest. In a matter of minutes it was done. A reassuring start.

I picked this up around Easter time last year, but due to some overseas travel it remained abandoned almost complete until Christmas time. Brush painted with Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics and weathered with various Vallejo Model Washes (thanks for the advice @Keeff @Bullbasket @Maddoxx77 and @Longbow). Finished as Tank 344, “Musical Box”, famous for its involvement at the Battle of Amiens, August 1918 in support of Australian infantry. Build thread can be found here: Thanks for looking.

Thanks @Longbow, may be a bit challenging just with a hairy stick (I don’t use an airbrush). (Oh, and great Sherman!) Anyway, I’ve decided to call time on this one, anymore fiddling and I am I danger of overdoing if. Photos to follow in RFI later. Thanks for following along!

Thanks - I’m aware of it being used for chipping effects, how do you use it for mud?

Evening it is - just contemplating whether to have a nice cold GnT. I just checked the instructions again and Asuka specify to use superglue (which of course didnt stop me from trying the solvent based cement).

Yes it is - although the photo I found that supposedly of this tank showed it was actually pretty filthy. Oh dear… and thanks! Thanks! I decided not to go with any thick mud, just a bit more of the Khaki Green model wash. I then brushed on a coat of Vallejo Matt Varnish (it’s drying in these photos), it doesn’t give a a super dead flat finish. There is still a bit of sheen, which I gather is more prototypical of the finish on these early tanks. That’s it I think, or perhaps a coat of dust?

Hi John, I tried with mine with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and it didn’t work, cyanoacrylate did the trick.

What a great collection! Not entirely sure, but I think I once built the Humber armoured car as a kid - the tire in the crater rings bells.

Thanks Filippo, it’s one of the three marking options that come with the kit.

That looks great. Like the little additions!

Another great vignette - the tree is a nice touch.