Fifer54

Thanks, Giorgio and Trevor, for your input. Here is the well-known picture of Finnish Rocs, allegedly taken at Dyce near Aberdeen, which would demonstrate that these aircraft did indeed fly bearing Finnish serials.That's what I'll build . . . . . . and in the knowledge that the Blue Swastikas were actually applied, then covered, mine will wear its Swastikas.

I fancy a go at this, I've always liked to produce models where the finish is a little "unexpected", shall we say? I have 2 possible candidates, both a bit "iffy", a 1/72 Special Hobby Blackburn Roc, where one of the options is in Finnish markings*, and the same manufacturer's Folland Gnat F.1- the "British single seaters" boxing includes an option for the Oscar EW-5894 Phallus from the movie "Hot Shots". This is in US markings. Would either of these be eligible for this GB? *Evidence is that these aircraft never flew over the UK in Finnish markings, the Blue Swastikas being applied then covered over for flight in this country, so that the Rocs for Finland flew in standard FAA camo with plain white discs in the locations of the Finnish markings. It was felt that to fly in Finnish markings would attract AA fire! In the end, the Rocs were never delivered to Finland, so they never flew in Finnish markings. To me, this makes them a bit "iffy"

Thanks, Ozzy & Sgt. Squarehead. Ozzy, the engine is completely concealed! It would be possible to build this with open engine hatches, but then the prospect of extra detailing, and/or diorama building (to give context) enters the picture . . . This build is coming towards the end. I am primarily an aircraft modeller, and as I've got to where these photos show, I've decided I rather like the look of a clean tank. So I'll take some good pix of her for the gallery and call her done! Once the M3A1 is finished, I'll have a break from GBs until later in the year . . . I only have 1 tank in the stash now- an Emhar Mk.IV Male in 1/72, which I'll build in the "box art" scheme, 'cos that's the tank I sat in at Bovington . . .

I suspect I'm about to commit heresy here . . . The M3A1 Lee has got to the next stage, and here are the photos to show : The heresy is that I'm discovering that I rather like the look of a "clean" tank, so I'm disinclined to weather it, so gloss coat and decals next . . .

Thanks for all the kind compliments, chaps, they are really appreciated as I am my own worst critic and invariably only see the faults and mistakes in all of my models. Well, I cracked on with this and after only a short time since the last report, she (she?- are tanks feminine?) now looks like this The paint is Xtracolor "WW2 faded Olive Drab", hence the glossiness. When the paint is completely, thoroughly, totally dry she'll get a coat of OD and then a dry-brush of the faded OD and then review how the model looks . . .

Atsa nice Grant! After doing a little bit of parts painting on the sprue, assembly has commenced, and here's where we're up to. Basically, it's a chassis . . . What The Sarge said about treating it as a short run kit seems to be about right. Each chassis side has a notch at the bottom where a tab on the bogie locates it . Notches on the chassis bottom plate (allegedly) line up with the chassis side's notches so as the bogie's tab locates on there as well. But the bottom plate notches don't line up with the chassis side notches!. Line up the forward notch, the others are out of alignment. Easily fixed, but one to be aware of! It's not perfect now, but I can overlook the slight unevenness in the bogies.

Parade Ground Tank! Nearly there!

Thanx, guys, that's been REALLY helpful . . .

Hi, Guys! As a mainly wingy-thing modeller, can I pick the brains of all you treadheads (oops) armour modellers? I'm getting close to finishing a 1/72 Italeri M4A1 Sherman for the Sherman STGB. I've modified the hull to represent a wet-stowage Sherman (thanks for the gen, Sgt. Squarehead!) and as I study photos of Shermans for reference I see lots carrying lengths of spare track links draped about the hull. Would these track links always/usually be new, unused links, or would crews salvage links from damaged or otherwise unserviceable tanks? If the tracks were new, what colour would they be? (Other than picking up dirt, dust & mud along with the rest of the tank!). Sherman tracks appear to me to be bare metal with a rubber pad on the running surface, so would rusty steel with a black facing be appropriate? And if salvaged tracks were used, then a bit rustier and the black worn and discoloured? Thanks in advance, fellas, I'd like to get this right to the best of my (meagre) ability. Oh, and while I remember (like a sieve these days!), can anyone suggest a cheap and readily available source of 1/72 Jerrycans? I see lots of pix of Shermans carrying a jerrycan strapped to the nearside headlight (apparently) and I'd like mine to do the same.

I had occasionally seen pictures of "Cast-Hull" M3A1 Lee tanks, and was intrigued by the different appearance from the more often seen riveted hull M3 variants. I found this and bought it for this GB It's a flimsy end-opening box that contains 7 sprues of polystyrene parts and a vinyl sprue with tracks and a towing cable An A4-sized instruction booklet is included and stapled to this is a little jiffy bag containing a decal sheet and a PE fret. (I've just seen the date stamp on my photos and realised my camera is set to the wrong year!) I'll get going on this when I can

Thanks, Sarge! This is now beginning to look (a bit) like a Sherman . . . Details to add, and a bit of light weathering, I think . . . As mentioned in a previous post, I now have a M3A1 Lee to enter for this as well. Time to make a start, methinks.

A bit more has been done on this, more painting and the applique patches on the hull sides. The engine and transaxle have been installed on the chassis, All those road wheels are at the painting stage, then it's on to assembly! Also, I've managed to acquire (well, it's on its way!) a Mirage Hobby M3A1 Lee in 1/72, so when it arrives I'll add a second entry to this GB.

A start has been made . . . Just a bit of parts painting on the sprues, more to follow as parts dry, then some actual assembly . . .

Thanks for that, Sarge! As I don't really want to be building an imaginary tank (there's a place for those, but it's not in this GB!), I'll do my homework, and convert the hull to a "dry-stowage" "big-hatch" hull. I've already done enough homework to understand what those terms mean! It's possible that the anonymity of the colour schemes offered in the kit will allow their use for the modified article. If not, these are documented so should be findable (I hope) . . . I'll actually make a start after a visit to my local paint stockist in the morning.

Sure is! Italeri give you an engine, a propshaft that runs under the fighting compartment floor, and a gearbox/transaxle to sit in the nose! It's all a bit basic, but then it is in 1/72, and it's more than a lot of kits give you!

I had this kit in my stash. I bought it some time ago, to add to my little 1/72 WWII tanks collection, and chose it over other kits because, as a cast hull variant it was a little "different". Italeri's 1/72 "M4A1 Sherman" comes in an end-opening box, with a nice portrait of a somewhat anonymous cast-hull Sherman on the front, and a 4-view colour scheme and decalling drawing on the back. 3 colour and decal options are shown on the foldout instruction sheet, but the one on the box is only one with any description of an identity, although US Army, Normandy campaign, 1944 is, to say the least, a bit vague! Tracks are provided as polystyrene "link & length" and also as continuous vinyl strips as the modeller prefers. Apart from the tracks sprues, the kit's parts are presented on 2 sprues. I didn't take a pic of the decal sheet, it is simply a selection of white stars, with or without circles around, and some numbers! I'm looking forward to this, I realise the GB has already started, but I won't stat building until after Hogmanay . . .

Positively, definitely, my very last model for this year! I did mention above that there was a FROG A-4 Skyhawk on the bench that probably wouldn't get finished by New Year? Well, against all odds it did get finished, and here it is- It's an aircraft of 75 Sqn. RNZAF finished in a 1970 scheme, and with a loadout (centreline tank, drill missile on Stbd outer pylon) seen in a photo of a Kiwi Skyhawk (somewhere) And that, making a total of 19 models for this year, is most definitely that!

As mentioned above, here is that Novo Supermarine Attacker! Built OOB, but with aftermarket decals (the originals just broke up when trying to position them on the model!)

Some super work there, loved your F-35 (and I don't like modern jets!), I think the Kiwi Scooter would be my favourite as well, but then I'm building one of those ATM (although after seeing yours, I'm thinking of buying some wool and knitting needles . . .)

I didn't publish a yearbook last year, I wasn't in a good place emotionally, and wasn't really satisfied with any of my models, so I gave it a miss .But I'm back this year. So, in no particular order (basically because one of the snags of using Village.Photos is that the photos appear in a random order on there¬), Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin . . . In 1/72, the AModel Messerschmitt Bf109V-1 first prototype, built for the Bf109 Group Build on this very forum. Also in 1/72, the HobbyBoss MiG-3 made a colourful little model My most recent completion, Airfix's 1/72 BAe Hawk, wearing EuroDecals "DragonHawk" decals to represent the RAF St. Athan Station Flight aircraft. Staying with RAF trainers, here's the 1/72 Airfix Shorts Tucano in a commemorative scheme. The 1/72 FROG Grumman Avenger in not quite the right colours for a BPF kite! Heller's 1/72 Messerschmitt Bf108B in Bulgarian markings Revell's 1/72 F-101 Voodoo was NOT an easy build, she fought me all the way! As did KP's 1/72 MiG-19, seen here in Pakistani markings The Revell 1/144 TF-104G Starfighter is about 4.5" (11cm) long! While the KP 1/72 Avia CS-199 2-seater Messerschmitt Bf109 clone was my first model completed this year. Built for a "War in the Pacific" GB elsewhere, the Eastern Express 1/72 Fairey Firefly, represented "Evelyn Tentions" of the BPF. Revell's 1/72 Dambuster Lancaster was another kit that fought me all the way. Not a kit that's fun to build. Built as a ceiling hanger for my disabled stepson, hence the retracted undercarriage. Also built for that "War in the Pacific" GB, was the Academy 1/72 F4U-1 Corsair, finished as Lt.Cdr Tommy Blackburn's aircraft of VF-17 "Jolly Rogers". The Lindberg 1/48 kit of the Douglas X-3 Stiletto was a fun build, especially as the kit only cost 99p from "Home Bargains" In 1/72 Heller's Messerschmitt Bf109B added another variant to my Bf109 collection,even if the decals were off-register! Also from Heller in 1/72 was the 109's rival for the Luftwaffe contract (!), the Heinkel He112B. And finally (so far!), my only foray into armour this year, the Meng Models "World War Toons" Tiger I. Definitely a fun build! And that's all so far! There's a NOVO Supermarine Attacker on my bench at the moment, which will be finished before Hogmanay, and a FROG A-4 Skyhawk which probably won't! Also on the bench are 2 longer-term projects, a SMER 1/48 DH2 and a Revell 1/24 VW Samba bus, and a Heller 1/72 Fouga Magister at a very early stage, that's destined for Irish Air Corps markings.

Nope, not them either! I think you'll find we're talking about the NISSAN S-Cargo! (but it was "inspired" by Citrioen's 2CV Van!)

Those numbers Beefy gave you for Vallejo ARE Model Color . . .

Humbrol 183 is simply called "Grey". On the Paint X-Ref Guide cards given away by Model Airplane magazine some years ago, it appears similar to Humbrol 162 "Surface Grey". Both of these colours are claimed to be equivalent to ModelMaster 1730 and PollyScale 505380. Looking over the cards, Humbrol 166 "Light Aircraft Grey" and 129 "Satin US Gull Grey" are also claimed to be equivalent to these ModelMaster and PollyScale colours. The Gunze Sangyo equivalencies for these paints are different. Accoding to the cards, Humbrol 183 = Gunze Aqueous H51, Humbrol 166 = Gunze Aqueous H332/Mr Color C332, Humbrol 129 = Gunze Aqueous H325/Mr Color C325, and Humbroll 162 has no equivalents in the Gunze ranges. HTH!

Your house central heating system doesn't have to produce 2000hp!

Well, I'm usually an aeroplane builder, but there is one target tank kit in my stash. It's Italeri's 1/72 M4A1 cast hull Sherman, so count me in! I may build another if I find something suitable at Telford, probably a M3 of some description?