Big Scuffer Al

A bit more progress.... A few dremel holes inflicted and a coat of primer. Made a start on a base, of sorts That'll do for today.

Late to the party, as ever! As my inbox has filled up with notifications, its about time I pulled my finger out and made a start. As food and bills are, apparently, more important than buying more "toy tanks", a rummage in the pile of boxes of failure produced this! The tank with, in my limited experience, the world's most unbuildable tracks. Even looking at the individual links wrong caused them to snap, and the barest whiff of TET produced a gooey mess. Followed by a terrible paint job.... Relegated to be a paint mule..... until now... Time for a bath in a tub of IPA..... And a few more bits falling off ..... Ugh! Ah well, range target it is then!

I'm calling this one done before I break any more bits off it. Been a fun build, learnt alot of new techniques and my painting has gone from 'ugh, really?' to 'meh, it's getting better' Photography skills still as bad as ever though. On to the next one.... Santa is rumoured to be bringing a 'thing with wings' Al.

Well they're together, hopefully I got the right limbs on the right bodies. To give them a fighting chance of looking half decent we'll have a go at this zenith shading lark. Zenith in my mind means only one thing..... carburettors!!! (To those under a certain age, a carburettor used physics to turn petrol into noise, heat and some power. Could be "tuned" with a screwdriver, a hammer and a bottle of Redex which usually resulted in increased fuel consumption, fouled plugs and, if you were lucky, a minimal increase in bhp. None of your newfangled computer electrowizardry here) Back to the task in hand... black then sprayed from above with white and........ Hmmmmmm 🤔 Ah well, i can always do them in a snowstorm, at night 😄😄 Time to warm up the hairy stick that doesn't look like the top of Boris Johnson's head and isn't full of glue, filler and dried goo.... Onward to paint.... Al

We're Back!! Igor, Ivan and the rest of the crew of The Glorious Cabbage Farmers 135th Mechanised Armour Division have finally made it from deepest, darkest China.... Let's see what you get for £12....... Ooookay.... hmmmm.... I anticipate much swearing, sanding, supergluing fingers together and scrabbling on the floor looking for missing heads etc. (I'm presuming CA glue to stick these various bits of resin together or is there something better?) Al

Would that ⬆️ count as a viable diorama entry for this GB? Asking for a friend 😁

So now I have to wait 7 months, procrastinating and changing my mind continuously??? I know, I'll do a...... Or a...... Nope, it'll be a...... Maybe a...... NO! Stop it!!! What about a...... No, definitely a..... Possibly a...... Stop looking at rusty, burnt out photos on Google image search..... Put the phone down and back away.... And now I only have to type 'sc' before Google predicts scalemates 🙄.

We're back from the lazing about on the beach back to the bench of despair. Ivan, Igor and the rest of the Aliexpress resin platoon are still route marching across Eastern Asia so little progress til they get here. Browsing Ebay, as you do, looking for more unnecessary tat to add to the pile and..... oooh.... what is this! Flickering LEDs..... hmmmmmm.... And behold, a campfire for the troops, when they get here.

Voted👍👍 Was going to do a re-creation of my old Capri, but there's not enough rust effect paint in the world for that! 😄😄 Back to scouring the internet for inspiration.

Thanks for the compliments and encouragement 👍👍 A weeks pause in the build while I migrate to warmer climes and cold beers on the beach. Hopefully my aliexpress resin figures will be trogging their way across the world awaiting my return. Of course I won't be lying on a sun lounger, perusing scalemates.com........ Ooooh a Abrams A1...... do not click buy now..... do not click buy now...... must resist! Al

Infuriating is one way of putting it, especially when yet another microscopic part launches itself into oblivion. Have to admit I had to Google Werkstattkraftwagen...... 😲 I can see why it's taking you so long..... at least my tank interior is virtually sealed up and out of sight. I forecast a massive sense of humour failure trying to build up all those interior accessories. 😁😁 Should look damned impressive when it's done though 👍👍

Diorama base. 1/2 price Hobbycraft picture frame. Lump of air dry clay 'artfully' crafted into a base. Handful of builders sand from a bag found in the garage. Few pebbles from the garden. Cheap paint brush butchered for its bristles to make shrubs/bushes/whatever they're supposed to be. Various browns mopped up from the wet palette. The last of the tank whitewash sprayed lightly for frost. Next...... Experiments in making cheap, budget snow effect...... staring intently at a bottle of PVA, white paint and white ground up chalk. Will it work? Meh, only one way to find out. Al

We have paint! Not sure about the whitewash.... may have to remove it and try again. Thank god for chipping fluid. Weathering and diorama next. My mystery chinesium resin figures have been dispatched, should be here by December! Are they walking the whole way? Will have to wait to see what 5 figures for £12 gets me. Al

PAINT!!!! Time to throw some primer about. Pre-shading? Why not, never tried it before but I guess it won't really be seen if I make a hash of it. Time to let it all dry while I assemble the tracks. "Click together easy to assemble,workable track links" Hmmmmm.... I beg to differ. Click together...... nope Easy to assemble...... haha. Workable track links...... not any more they're not. Must be doing it wrong cos all I'm doing is snapping the tiny locating lugs off, so glued tracks it is! Should be OK and look better than rubber band tracks. Al

Dammit, well spotted! I'm sure I will manage to snap it off before I've finished and end up gluing it closed. 🙂 If all else fails there is always the answer to every armour build cock-up..... STOWAGE and TARPAULINS 👍👍👍

Another day, another mass of lost PE. I am thinking of weighing in the hobby room carpet for scrap weight 🙂 The various bits of plastic are now coming together to form something vaguely tank shaped. Although a suspension arm seems to have gone walkabout so that's the rest of my day sorted, tearing the room apart to retrieve it from the jaws of the carpet monster. Til next time..... Al

3D printed.

And this is why you shouldn't drink and shop!! The fog of a bourbon hangover is clearing and apparently I now have some 1/35 soviet tanker figures on the way.... Suppose I'd better start thinking about a diorama then!

I now know why there are no Ukrainian comedians, they're all working for Miniart..... 1, Spend hours building suspension and interior parts. 2, Paint them meticulously, following the paint guide. 3, Now enclose them with bodywork so they'll never be seen. WHAT??? FFS!!! Ah well, at least I know what's inside. Al

Glad to hear you're enjoying my slow, almost tectonic, progress. I am the first to admit my photography skills suck! Thank god for digital technology, the cost of developing a 35mm film of out of focus shots of my thumb doesn't bear thinking about! Al

Yes, why not 🙂 Does it meet the requirements for the GB? I may use that photo as inspiration, I'd never finish if I did the whole thing.

Dammit, now look what you've made me go and Google!! May have to be in 1/72 or it'll cost a fortune in kits!!

Does the AFV Club kit come with the Gulf War uparmour?

Good job well done 👍 Built one of these myself, cos my brother was on the 1:1 scale version in the Gulf War.