Big_Bad_Bill

I thought so but I went with AFV Club as I hoped they knew what they were talking about. They also had the Korean War version in the same colour. Bill

I've not done a WiP yet as I always forget to take pictures until I'm nearly finished building, but as you asked so nicely I may have to give it a go, although it would mean tidying my work station as it is a tip.

Alas I'm the other end of the county in Deal. If I was any more East I'd be French. In fact on a clear day I can see France from the beach.

Glad to be of assistance. it went together really well - I didn't use filler anywhere and the only add on was the aforementioned light lens. My only criticism is the instructions are vague on the towing cables. It give you string but no information on how long to make them and no proper information on stowage for the later version. I tried looking on line, got no where and decided to leave them off. Word to the wise, there are two versions of this kit. The other has vinyl tracks. This is CB35010SP. I heard the Comet described as the "stop-gap" tank. We needed something better then the Cromwell but Centurion wasn't ready yet so they created a new turret to squeeze in a 17 Pdr and stuck it on Cromwell body. As stop gaps go, it was definitely the best British tank of the war and a contender for the best tank overall. The fact Burma was still using them into the 90's says a lot. I've got a Chieftain Mk 11 in the stash and a Scorpion on the way. The question is what next? I want to do the Berlin scheme as I served in Berlin during that time and it is almost a rite of passage for AFV modellers so I need a Chieftain Mk 10 or do I throw caution to the wind and go for a gulp Conqueror?

They were Cavalry - probably too busy playing polo!

I was reticent about Bronco as I've heard some bad stories, but I didn't have much choice but I enjoyed the build, and it even has workable tracks. One strange thing is the complete lack of clear parts. I replaced the lens in the spot light with a spare and painted on the periscopes and sights. I would have done with the mantel cover but it is an option extra and couldn't find it anywhere. Paint is Revell Aqua Bronze Green. I mixed it with Tamiya X-20A and it went down really well. And this was before I figured out how to change the pressure on my compressor (see my confession in the Compressor forum). For those wondering, this is still cold war. They weren't retired until 1959 in British service and even soldiered on in some Armies until the 90's. This one was based in Hong Kong so the weathering in minimal as explained in my Centurion RFI.

Yet another cold war icon; the Centurion. As mentioned, it's a bit gimmicky with work suspension but rubber tracks but I really enjoyed the build. The instructions asked for FS34102 but the closest I could find by Mig was forest green, but I like the way it came out. Weathering is minimal as it is based in Hong Kong. I read somewhere that they couldn't use the roads at the hottest part of the day and off road they got stuck in the paddies so they didn't do much.

Ok, I'm putting this up so other people don't end up feeling a complete burke as I did. I bought an AS189 compressor as my first ever one last year. The instructions say to adjust the pressure by turning the black knob on top of the regulator. It wouldn't budge so I left it as not to break my new toy and adjusted using the double action trigger on the brush instead. Imagine my surprise whilst looking for something at the weekend I come across a video where they adjusted the pressure but they lifted the knob before turning it. The instructions didn't mention that. Tried it and it works. Let the ridicule begin......

Ta for that - love the drip tray!

And replaced Scorpion with Ajax which is the size of barn. I'm under the impression that with the arrival of Centurion, Comets were down graded to the recce role. Thank you for your kind words. I didn't realise it was at Bovington. One day I'll have to take a trek down there.

As it happens I'm nearly finished their mk 3 centurion. I really enjoyed the build although, again, a bit gimmicky with springs for the suspension but rubber tracks.

Indeed, but with this, the Chaffee and the Centurion I'm finishing off it will be getting a little crowded. I have another Chieftain in the stash so the Mk5 may get thinned out. I've done a Fuchs as well but that went horribly wrong. How's the garden doing?

Thanks, the AFV Club kit wasn't a difficult build, especially when compared to old Italeri kits so don't sell yourself short. It even comes with a metal barrel, PE, and some resin. The working suspension" was a bit gimmicky however.

Thanks. Charming is a very good way of describing it.

Continuing my Cold War theme, I have done the Meng Leopard 1A5. I was surprised these didn't go our of service until '93. I thought they were shelved as soon as Leopard 2 come out. I really enjoyed this kit, even the infamous workable tracks (5 parts per link!) which I found therapeutic after the year I've had. This was my first time going the NATO three colour scheme and (on finding out they are all sprayed exactly the same in the factory) my first time using blue-tack as a mask. I thought it came out really well so I decided to leave it as a factory finish with only a bit of weathering on the tracks. I saw a review where the tracks didn't hold up to using oil and terps as a wash so I watered down so ammo acrylic with water. I picked the decals that matched a unit closest to where I was stationed in Germany.

I've liked the Chaffee since making the Matchbox 1/72 version as a kid; I find it aesthetically pleasing. I thought I'd give a larger version a go, especially as I can keep with my Cold War theme. We apparently received Chaffees in late '44 to replace the Stuart but didn't make it to the front line until April '45. So late, in fact, that we only lost one in combat. We only kept them for about a year post war before passing them to the Dutch. This is the AFV Club version which I did as a post war variant (hence no 50 cal). Overall I enjoyed it despite losing the track pins (they are rubber bands but connected with a pin) which I bodged using brass wire.

When Centurion was a rank, not a tank.

Very nice. The last time I did a Cobra was the Matchbox one, a couple of centuries ago.

Great build as always, Neil. I always forget they were out there. They were long gone by my tour. Nice and clean, unlike the manky USMC one 😉

Have a look at this:

Nice job Neil (as always). Well done on the weathering especially as it is your first time using powder.

I've just finished their T-80BV - I really didn't like their individual track links - I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but as soon as I try a wash and dry brushing they fall apart. The kit looks very similar - the only issue I had was the fit on the exhaust. Once I had built the exhaust block it just didn't want to fit correctly without a lot of fettling.

Good job so far. It must be massive. The real one dwarfs a Chally 2 so I hope you've got a big shelf to put it on.

Nice job. It's good to see a Centurion still being put to good use.

Nicely done. It really looks like it's been through the wars!