RobertA

M40 GMC: And the out of the box result. Thanks for having me on this groupbuild. Kind regards Robert

Thanks, this birth takes a long time. (crude translation of a dutch saying). The base is far too small for this kit, so a last minute change to enlarge it. And after some carfiller sculpting and rather crude and hasty painting I call this base and the M40 GMC done. With this kit i went from enthousiasm: joining the GB and looking forward to building, to dispair: the quality of the mould (flash on all the wheels and almost every round part, these sinkholes (?) on the backside of almost every straight part, the hungry carpetmonster that took a wheel to give it back a few weeks later just when i had cast a replacement, to haste: fear of not making the deadline. To my regret i finished it OOB and without any fantasy or inspiration, it could be much more then it is now. A cable system at the back to move the spade and the crewplatform, ammoboxes in the crew compartment, closing the spaces between the seats, and giving them covers, spare tracks on the front of the vehicle. I would say I started to like it more only after I saw all the extra’s that could be done. Alas, not in this build. But you guys made me use the base, usually the first part I shelved as soon as I opened a box. God, I hated them, and still do no matter how many small jewels I have seen produced on this site. This base of the M40 is just way too small, not only for the kit as it is, but the trackmarks look like made for a smaller kit. Anyway, its done and within the timeperiod. Thank you Jockney and Rabbit Leader for leading this immense groupbuild, and for all the time and encouragement you gave to me and the other participants, thank you Britmodeller and community for having me. I learned a lot and notwithstanding the darker periods I enjoyed myself a lot.

Almost there.

Hello Pete, a late thank you for all the information and the pictures. I agree that 66 olive drab is quite dark but for this build I decided to take it easy and follow the paint instructions: so 66 olive drab it will be. The current state of affairs: to be continued

A beautifull and very clean build Ian, it looks really good. It is a nice kit and very versatile. I think it is one of the very few ex-Matchbox kits Revell kept selling throughout the years. Just like the Pz II.

I agree with Greg. That IanC, is some really good painting. Well done. A pity you only have one track. No spare Airfix SdKfz7 track lying around?

Small update: it is not much but I'm off the mark. I even found 3 pots of Olive Drab: one as old as the kit (HM3 US olive drab) and Hu 66 and Hu155. Haven't made up my mind which one to use. To be continued.

Thank you all for this friendly welcome. @IanC: 1/76 lost to the other scales, I think its the older builders that keep it afloat, but the group is getting smaller and smaller. Everybody else has moved on to 1/72 and bigger. I just wonder how the many reissues of Matchbox kits by Revell during 2021 have done commercially compared to the 1/72 and bigger offerings they have in their range. Or did they aniticipate that many old men would be going back to the hobby during lock-down?? Who knows. @GrahamBoak: I have never built anything of Milicast, SHQ or Matador or of resin. I have considered ordering something but - and this is like cursing in the church - my stash is too big for me already so I didn't.

Hi Jockney, don't worry, I haven't disappeared. Work is interfering big in my live so modelmaking has come to a halt. The duration of this groupbuild is one of the reasons why I joined. I stopped participating in 2 months groupbuilds because I just couldn't stand it anymore going into groupbuild plus time and again. The 5 months of this groupbuild should be enough even for my slow and often interrupted modelmaking to finish an abysmal single kit. Happy building everybody

Hi Ianc, I really like what you are doing. The modifications to the machinegun ballmount change the face of the JP immediately and for the better. The mudguards are nothing to be complained about, looking good, just like the cleaningrod tube on the back of the enginedeck. Will you make tools and other stuff to go on the back of the vehicle and the crewcompartment?

photo available again, tomorrow time to build/paint and thanks for the encouragements.

Hello Jockney and Rabbit Leader, you can sign me up for this one. I have more Matchbox kits that aren't claimed yet, but with my generally slow building I should be glad to finish this one before the gallery locks. When I took the picture I thought the decals were missing, but later found them stuck in the dark abyss of this beautifull colorfull box. Btw: 3.50 means 3 guilders, 50 cents. It is that old.

Hi there, I'm RobertA from the Netherlands. I started modelling as a kid, stopped when study, work and other interests took over. Returned to the old hobby when RSI became really problematic and never regretted it. My main interest is with WW2 armour in 1/76 and to a lesser extent in 1/72. Planes come a distant second place. Happy building everybody.