Matt182

Hi guys, Got another update for you. I carried on working on the engine bay and i'm now calling it complete. There are a couple of parts left to add but these will be added once everything is in and painted. First I had to extend the heat shields for the exhausts as the kit parts do not extend to the rear wall as they should. Next I added some handles to the air filters I decided to try and use some of the kit hoses and I think they will look ok once they are painted. I will make a final decision on that once they are painted. I also scratch built a new hose for the left fuel tank to the filler tank which I believe is a vent line. I also added the cable to leads to the dynamos and also added the bolts that attach the fan box to the firewall. So, here are a few shots of everything dry fit together. And finally, here is how it will look with the right side armor plate in place and how it looks through the engine hatch So I can now leave the engine bay and move onto something else. I'm thinking the ammo racks would be a good idea, just to get them out of the way! Cheers Matt

Hi guys, thanks for your comments I can't believe it's been nearly 3 months since I did any work on this one. I've really been struggling to get any motivation to get back to work on this one but I've finally managed it! I started off with some simple assembly work by building the two cyclone air filters for the engine. They just need a couple of handles to be added. Here they are fitted to the engine. They pretty much hide all the detail below them which is why i didn't detail the engine. Next up I worked on the horrible rubber hoses Trumpeter provide for the fuel lines. I'm not sure who came up with the bright idea to use rubber for these parts but they need a good slap! They are a right pain to work with and are difficult to clean up. I did the best i could with them and I think they will just make the grade once painted. I really don't want to have to scratch build them! Here is an overview of how the fuel lines all link up. The engine bay is now in the closing stages of construction with only a few more parts to build. I'm now thinking ahead to what is next and I think I am going to have to tackle the ammunition racks and ammo. This, I think, will be the worst part of the build but there is no avoiding it Cheers Matt

Nice work Oz, that's a very nice Tiger. Is it completely oob? any aftermarket? Cheers Matt

You've done a very nice job with the camo, particuarly after applying the washes. Also agree with others about removing the tracks from the glacis. I think you have done a good job with the weathering but have maybe gone a little over the top with the amount of bare metal showing through the paintwork, mainly on the mantlet and area behind the commanders copula. Overall though that is a a very nice KT. Cheers Matt

Fantastic work!

Vallejo Cavalry Brown is the closest match to the real thing in acrylic that I know of.

Well I tend to agree with that theory but the evidence is saying otherwise. Maybe they didn't intercept because they simply didn't detect it. No country will be willing to admit their military radar can't detect a 777 in their airspace.

Surely you have to wonder if the full details are being released. The Malaysian military apparently tracked it changing course and heading back inland so why did they not try to intercept it when they failed to contact the aircraft. By all accounts, the Malaysian military has allowed an unidentified aircraft to fly over their country and did absolutely nothing about it. Seems very suspicious to me.

Thanks for the replies guys I think I'm convinced! Those models look absolutely brilliant. I've just started the Revell Bismarck and you've just convinced me that a wooden deck is the way to go. I was worried about losing detail but I didn't realise they could make those decks that thin. Cheers Matt

Hi all, Just looking for opinions on wooden decks for 1/700 scale ships. I liked the deck that came with the academy 1/350 warspite but I just can't help but think a wooden deck will be too thick in 1/700. I guess the general opinion is that 1/700 is too small a scale to use a wooden deck? Cheers Matt

Looking good Tim, I'll be following

Thanks mate. No crew with this one as i glued the hatches shut. Besides, i wouldn't want to inflict my figure painting skills on anyone!

Nice work Paul. Very nice kit that one

Well, this one is nearing completion. I continued with the oils, adding some slight modulation of the base colours and picking out some of the details with pin washes. I then gave the whole model a light dry brushing, followed by a coat of matt varnish. The lower hull and running gear got a coat of vallejo dark earth and mud brown. Finally, a light coat of buff was applied all over the model to give it a slightly dusty appearance and to help tie it all together. So, there isn't much left to do. Just some pigments and final finishing details. Cheers Matt

thanks for the kind comments guys. I must say I'm rather happy with how this one is turning out

I think it depends on your decal choice. Zvezda only offer two choices, both of which have no cammo on the running gear. I've had a look at the painting options in the Meng kit and one of the options does have cammo on the wheels. I would maybe search for photos of the real tank as it appears there are quite a few different schemes. I only based mine on Zvezda's instructions as I'm not too bothered about accuracy with this build.

Great work

Hi all, Small update. I've finished all the basic detail painting, applied the decals and got started with the oil paints. So far I have given the whole model a wash of burnt umber which I think has helped blend the camo together. The tan colour has certainly been toned. Next up is some pin washes and some modulation Cheers Matt

Very nice build John, looks like you are doing the kit justice. You weren't joking about the PE! I can see where some of it is an improvement over the plastic but those bolt heads really do seem a little pointless. I look forward to seeing it painted Cheers Matt

I'd say get stuck in with the Zvezda kit. It all goes together very well with only a few minor corrections here and there. The turret does look very complicated but Zvezda have done a really good job of breaking down the sub-assemblies. The hull is nice and easy to build and the tracks are brilliant. I also now have the Meng kit and I think the Zvezda kit is a better kit to start with. The Meng kit, while it looks superior in most aspects, will be a far more involved build. Good luck with which ever one you chose Glad to here your making progress John. Any plans to post some photos? I'm interested to see if all that PE is actually an improvement over plastic. Cheers Matt

Hi guys, I finally got around to starting the painting process. So far the turret and hull has all the base cammo on. I based it on one of the decal options in the kit but added more black to the scheme. I forgot to take any photos as I progressed so this is where it is at now. I also got the base coats down on the wheels and tracks For the cammo I used Vallejo model colours olive grey, deck tan and black. One thing I really am regretting is not priming the model first. The Vallejo paints are having a tough time gripping to the plastic and are coming off rather easily. I'm not sure why this is happening as I've painted plenty of models without priming them first. Maybe I didn't clean the parts throughly enough. I've since coated it in a heavy coat of gloss varnish which hopefully will seal the paint. I also noticed that Zvezda failed to mould the rims on the wheels which is going to make the tyres look rather strange! Cheers Matt

Wow that thing is huge! I challenge anyone to sneak that one past the wife!

Thanks for the comments guys. Tim, I look forward to seeing your build Time for the final update on the construction. I built up the spare fuel tanks, spaced armour and the unditching beam. The fuel tanks proved to be quite a lot of work trying the hide the seams Next I moved back the the rear plate, adding the tow cables. Zvezda provides a length of thread to make the tow cables. It's not the most realistic choice but it is easy to work with. Next came the final details for the engine deck. Moving to the front, the headlights were added along with some final details I then finally got round to building the remote control MG. The bullet belt is a nice touch. The side skirts come as one full length piece for each side Finally, here is the finished kit (many parts bluetac'd on) Looking forward to painting this one Cheers Matt

Fantastic Paul, this has come out really well. Great figures and ground work too. Top job!

Hi Guys, I've made a fair bit of progress. The lower hull, running gear and tracks are now complete. I've pretty much moved away from the intructions and I'm doing things in the order I prefer. Firstly I added some of the detail parts to the glacis plate Next I added the lower glacis plate detail and the self entrenching blade All the swing arms were added but beware, they are very fragile. The mounting points are rather small and i've already had to repair two of them. The drive sprockets have also been attached. They do not rotate but there is enough room to fit the tracks around them. Most of the details on the rear plate have been attached. Only the fuel tanks, tow cables and unditching beam are yet to be added. Here is the running gear. The wheels and idlers are in two parts and three parts for the drive sprockets. Zvezda have come up with a great way to do the tracks. Each length of track comes with seperate guide horns. The guide horns are moulded in strips meaning there is only 2 parts for each section of the track. Each length of track has six sections, so only 12 parts per track. Finally, a picture with all the running gear dry fitted. Cheers Matt