diablo rsv

Hi Rob, looks good. I would weather before adding the whitewash unless you're depicting a new vehicle that has whitewash added. Wayne.

Very nice build Darryl. I have the Miniart one to start on and yours has definitely whetted my appetite. The figures give a real sense of the height of these tanks. Wayne

That looks very good indeed. I was intending to build one of these when I had completed their Military Omnibus that is currently in WIP. but I think I may need a simpler build next as the cleaning up of the parts on the bus has really been quite draining. Wayne

That looks really good Nenad. I've generally stayed away from full interior kits just because it there seems to be so much work that will never be seen. I may attempt a cutaway one day though. Wayne

Very nice work John. I've been using a desktop cutting plotter to make vinyl masks in place of decals where possible. those turret numbers would be pushing it's limits though. Wayne

Very nicely done!

Excellent work Bish, I especially like the way you have done the weathering it looks very authentic. Wayne PS. I just noticed your just up the road from me, I'm in Haverhill.

Thank you very much! @Biggu I've made a start on the lower deck and it's really nice to work with some less finicky parts. I painted the floor boards and benches with a mix of deck tan and a touch of grey. A coat of the red/brown body colour was applied over this and then gently sanded away to simulate areas of wear. I know these vehicles in their civilian life were repainted regularly so I imagine the paint would have been fairly thick but considering the conditions they faced in military use I would have thought some wear would have been inevitable. I will add washes and plenty of dirt and grime at a latter stage. The body parts fit together pretty well but there is quite a seem where the front and rear ends meet the sides. Most of the builds that I have seen of these kits have left these seams but looking at images of the original and London transport's restoration they really need to be filled. I stuck the kits plastic window parts onto some tape and then used these to mask off the interior. Cutting the tape slightly oversize allowed the window to be just pressed into place. Next up is the upper deck, hopefully I can get started on that in the next few days. Wayne

It's quite a step up from the old Airfix kit, the level of detail is excellent. They do have the civilian version as well which is certainly a lot more colourful than this one. Thanks for the tip re the glass. I would imagine the tempered glass covers would be virtually impossible to cut though. I am intending to use microscope slide cover-slips they are exceptionally thin but can be cut. The intention is to show a couple of broken windows and the rest will be boarded up. Apparently soldiers frequently broke the windows with their rifles and equipment so in the end they just removed the glass and placed wooden boards on the outside. I guess it also afforded them a little protection from stray shellfire.

Thank you gentlemen.

Great idea for a diorama and excellently accomplished.

Excellent work Fabrice!

I'm pretty much there now with the chassis. I have added a little wear and tear but most of the mud, dust and dirt will be applied once I have completed the body. This kit very much feels like two models in one with the body building up as a separate part to be mated with the chassis at the end of the build. I find taking photos a great help for finding faults that were missed during the build process and I have amended a couple of things but feel free to point out anything I may not have spotted. I have really enjoyed this build so far but it is really time consuming so I don't think I will be rushing to build the lorry version as I had been planning, ( unless they decide to release the anti-aircraft version). Not sure if you've started yours yet @GerryW but are you still planning on building three of these? Now to see what challenges the body brings.

Thanks Ed.

The Cromwell is on my to do list so I shall watch your progress with interest. Wayne