fatfingers

Aye up Stix. Superb as always Regards Steve

Aye up. I build and spray in the shed. Mines insulated and clad however and has the spray booth vented through the wall. I use an oil filled radiator for heat and also have a fan heater to boost up the temp when needed. I can soon get it upto around 65 degrees which is comfortable. As regards drying... ive never had an issue with this. When im done for the day i put the model in a plastic box until i work on it again. As regards the booth, i've recently upgraded mine to a Benchvent. Not cheap by any means. Previous one was a cheap Expo AB500 which worked well for Tamiya thinned with their own thinners etc. Not sure if this type is good for solvent based paint however but i'm sure someone on here will be along with the answer soon. Regards. Steve

Aye up Dave. I use a fair bit of ultimate thinner myself. Pretty good stuff. The Panzer is looking great. Look forward to seeing it weathered. Regards Steve

Aye up Dave. Thats a nice smooth finish on the paintwork. What did you use? Regards Steve

Aye up Simon, That etch jack is just insane! Regards Steve

Ever get he feeling your being watched? I think the local cat mafia have me under surveillance! Cat at the window is Ivan. He lives a few doors down and will sit there until you go out and give him a fuss - then he'll clear off. Cat on the roof is the local trouble maker Charlie. Was in the shed and heard a racket on the roof. Went out and found him peering down at me like that! Regards, Steve

Aye up Mark, Really nice progress on what looks to be a very well detailed kit Regards, Steve

How do chaps. Many thanks for the comments and advice in regards to the mesh As i mentioned in an earlier post I've had to re-jig the work space a bit. This was due to me buying a new extractor and having to sort the vent out. I moved the cupboard that holds my grown up tools in it into the far corner under the bench. I then fitted a leg to where it was to support the bench. The exhaust pipe is connected to the one off my old extractor and held up with drain pipe brackets. The compressor is now on the floor. Also had to get a new paint rack for my Vallejo and such as the vent pipe takes up the space where the wall rack were. Really happy with the space now as it means I can just spin from the building bit to the painting bit! Now I've got a decent extractor I'm going to start thinning my Tamiya with Mr Color Self Levelling Thinner. Any how... on with the build. Made some good progress yesterday and tonight. Got the hub caps on the wheels. Built up the rear engine deck. Went together no problem at all. Dry fitted this with the exhaust. Nicely detailed area. Front plate and other fittings added. Also dry fitted the upper hull to see how it looks - rather nice me thinks. Turned my attention to the main armament. The rifling is made up of 2 halves and 2 inserts. Was a bit of a faff to get lined up correctly but it seemed to have turned out ok. I stuck it on the end of a brush handle to help it set to shape. Support frame was then added along with 2 collars and the mantlet. This has some very fine cast texture to it. Sight was added and then the whole assembly was fitted to the mount in the lower hull tub. This is on a 'bayonet' fitting and allows for free movement. Few bits and bobs added to the casemate. Again this has some really well done cast texture. Dry fitted this to the hull to see how it looked. Basically clicked into place. Engine deck is just dry fitted. No gaps apparent! Casemate lid glued into place. I'm going to spray the interior of this black as there is no detail or interior. I'll also spray the insides of the engine deck and air intakes too. The build is flying along and she'll soon be ready for paint at this rate. Hope to get some more done tomorrow and will post this up when I get the time. Regards, Steve

Thanks Badder. He's just trying it out for size Thanks Gorby. It's the1/48th kit. Lovely little thing to put together. Thanks Stix. Only took me 2 years to finish it. Hopefully my Brummbar in the PzIV GB won't take so long! Thanks again for all for the comments. Regards Steve

Aye up Simon, Great work so far. All that etch is scary! Regards Steve

Aye up Badder, This is coming along very nicely. Shame bout them pin marks though, but I'm sure you'll get the measure of them I'm rather tempted by this kit Regards Steve

How do chaps, No apology needed Badder Thanks all for the comments. The crank handle is a separate part that fits extremely well to the rear plate. As a matter of fact EVERYTHING is fitting extremely well so far. Had an hour in the shed tonight with this and will post up some progress pics later this week. Now a question for the PzIV experts.... I've built up the rear deck and was wondering if mesh was fitted under the vented deck hatches and side radiator vents? I might add it anyway to give a bit of interest and also help to cover the void beneath Regards Steve

Aye up John, Fantastic work happening here. The pewter foil and tilt are exceptional! Regards Steve

Up at Leeds Uni last evening... a white Mini Mayfair. Looked quite tidy too. Regards Steve

Fantastic job on the build and finishing. Regards Steve

Lovely job. Could very easily be mistaken for 1/35th scale! Regards Steve

Aye up Stix, That looks a nice kit. Nice to see its not the usual Dragon offering with around 40 parts for the jack alone! Regards, Steve

How do chaps, This is the first model I've actually completed since my Sherman STGB entry earlier this year! The kit is the Tamiya Dingo which is a lovely little thing. I originally started this for the Vignette GB back in 2016!! Base is a lid from some poncy candle. Ground work is ready mixed filler and the wall is built up from some plaster bricks I've had for years. They're actually 35th scale but look OK as large stone blocks. The grass has been pulled from a scenic mat and then stuck on with white glue. Wooden beams are coffee stirrers. Painted with AK Real Color, Tamiya, Vallejo and Games Workshop washes. Really enjoyed finishing this off. Regards, Steve

Aye up Steve, Smashing progress. The last pic looks like a promo for the kit... you on commission? Regards, Steve

How do chaps, Didn't originally sign up for this GB but after seeing some of the great builds going on and being prodded by Big X (cheers Steve ) I've decided to join in with this if I may? Tamiya's recent kit. Not my usual fare but it tweaked my interest. Some sprue shots. Some fantastic detail on the underside of the hull. Shame it will never be seen! Started with the rear plate. This just fell together. Same with the front plate. Some really nice cast texture on the drive housings. Exhaust is just dry fitted for now. Roughed it up a bit to add some texture. Springy bits added to the lower hull. Wheels just dry fitted to see how they look. This is shaping up to be a fast and easy build so far. Everything fits where it should and is nicely detailed. This is the 1st PzIV type I've built and I may have to purchase another Tamiya variant at some point Need to do a bit more re-jigging of the cave when my new paint rack arrives tomorrow (hopefully) and then I can motor on with this. Thanks for looking in. Steve

Aye up Wez, Tamiya do a very nice 1/48th Firefly Ic which can be had for around the 20 to 25 quid mark. Plastic Soldier Company do Vc Firefly's in 1/72nd which are not too pricey. 2 per box I think and are intended for war gaming so detail is a bit basic. Nice models can result with a bit of work though. Regards Steve

Really like that. Nice weathering and over all finish. Regards Steve

A dark green Mini Mike... the driver looked half frozen! Regards, Steve

Aye up Steve Am thinking about it as i have the Tamiya Brumbar in the stash. My record of finishing gb's is a bit poor though! If i do join in it wont be for a while yet as im currently re jigging the work shop.... Regards Steve

Aye up Steve, A worthy adversary for the 11th Armoured! Look forward to seeing this built. Regards Steve