darson

Looks great Peter! Mind if I ask what brand(s) of stowage are you using on the Sherman?

Looking good and from a brand I've never heard off before

Many thanks for the replies gents you've been very helpful. In terms of whether anti-slip is visible or not the answer is a definite maybe, on Israeli vehicles it is extremely noticeable because of the size of the particles they use. For others such as the Abrams not so much unless you get up close. I think I'll experiment with some Tamiya texture paste on scrap and figure out if I could be bothered or not. Cheers

I am about to make a start on Takom's Chieftain Mk.11 and I had a question on the anti-slip coating. According to Richard Kent in his Mk.11 build article, he states that "The Hull front on a Chieftain is a single casting and in service the British Army version of anti slip was applied at least once a year (wet sand thrown onto wet paint then sprayed over)". My question is around the turret, was a similar wet sand approach used on the turret and how far back and forwards on the turret did it extend? Any help on this would be much appreciated. Cheers

Fantastic work on those two builds, I love the detailing and the weathering

"Game over man, game over"

Very nice work indeed Andrew, well done.

I thought you might like that one Mike.

Lads I have just noticed on PMMS that Takom have announced another very tasty WWI kit, the St. Chamond Late Type. Coming hot on the heels of their recently anounced Mk.IV Male & Female kits, the news just keeps getting better & better for anyone interested in the Great War. http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/newkitnews/takom.html

Very well put Edgar. I must admit the main thing with this whole thread that has genuinely surprised me is the rude and dismissive way some members have belittled the points made by others. This has been to the point of being downright rude at times. I always thought this site was a better than that, it's quite disappointing really.

No

Alan, if you are looking for a trouble free introduction to 1/35 armoured vehicles (WWII Nth Africa) then my recommendation would be the Tamiya Matilda, the new one. It is a brilliant kit that gives you the choice between glueable rubber band tracks or link and length tracks. The only slightly sour note may be the Caunter scheme for painting which you may want to dump in favor of an overall Portland Stone finish.

Wow, we seem to be overwhelmed by fantastic looking builds on this site at the moment, great job Cheers

Bloody hell that's fantastic looking work Alan, I'll certainly be looking out for future updates. Cheers

That's a stunning looking build Romain, congratulations Also very nicely photographed as well. Cheers Darren

Steve I've just had a quick check on Hobby Link Japan and it's going to retail for about AUD $57. To put this in a some perspective, the average price of a Tamiya armor kit is around AUD $30 - $35. So I think I may well cool my heels on this one and wait for the Takom Mk.IV Male instead when it's released in June. Then I can see which one is worth my money.

That's looking great Andy and she's really starting come alive with the decals on

My rule of thumb solution for Luftwaffe cockpit colors is simply RLM02 up to the end of the Battle of Britain and RLM66 beyond that. I'm sure there are purists who will shot me down in flames but it's my rule of thumb. As to the Humbrol colors, just do a search on this site, I'm sure it will pull up the answers you seek. Cheers

Well that settles that then, I'm going to be passing on Tamiya's motorised effort and picking up both the Male and Female versions of these. I have Takom's St Chamond and C2 Mexas and whilst they're not as shake and bake as a Tamiya offering they are still excellent kits. Also, I was put off a little from the Tamiya offering based on the motorisation they have included, as this adds considerably to the cost over a standard kit. Role on June

Code Brown LOL but I am glad you weren't injured by the blade.

Thanks Jennings and the one word for this kit would be HUGE

Hey Snapper, this is certainly no Shake 'n' Bake kit but it really rewards the effort. Keep the updates coming.

Looking good there Proc

Hey Brews, I just wanted to say I'm following your build closely and really enjoying your updates. Just as an FYI the purpose of the poly caps is to allow a snug and consistent fit for all of the wheels on the vehicle. It also makes removing them if you need to a breeze. Hopefully tonight I'll get some bench time for my Mustang. Cheers

Okay time for a little progress update and I'm going to ignore international convention here and start with the wings instead of the cockpit. Step one for me on this build is to fill the most of the panel lines on the upper and lower wings as these were puttied over in the factories. I understand from what I've read that this practice was discontinued on the Australian build Mustangs after the war but as this aircraft was ex-USAF I'm going to putty away. I'm using as my guide a diagram put together by Jennings Heilig which I have found to be immensely helpful so thanks Jennings. I used an old technique for filling the panel lines which I have used for years. This is a great technique for filling in seams, especially if there is delicate detail in the area or there are hard to reach places. This way you won't damage anything, unlike the fill and sand technique. Just apply the Mr. Surfacer with a small brush. And allow it to dry for about 20 minutes. Then simply dip the end of a cotton bud in the Isopropyl then just gently rub the area where the panel line or seam is. It may take a few moments for the alcohol to begin dissolving the Mr. Surfacer, longer if it has thoroughly dried and cured. You may need to apply more Mr. Surfacer and repeat the process a couple of times until the seams are filled to your satisfaction. I did one more application after these photos and carefully cleaned up any Mr. Surfacer residue using cotton buds (many) and the IPA. Cheers