Ian

Kit - Tamiya 1:35 Paint - Mig, AK & Tamiya acrylics. Decals - Kit Extras - Value Gear kit-specific resin stowage, Other stowage from spares. M10 'Gun Motor Carriage' 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion Late August 1943 Yep a second finish within a few days, not sure how that happened ! - I began this project in early September, (coincidentally this is the timeframe of the actual vehicle). The M10 GMC is my favourite allied AFV from the Second World War, so I was determined to build this one 'right' and not just to 'that'll do' standard. Not sure if I succeeded, but I gave it my very best. I've tried to depict it just before embarking for the invasion of Italy, so with fairly neat stowage including the obligatory captured German jerry cans. Weathering is restricted to baked-on dust & mud, a few splashes and a scratch or two - the 601st's M10's didn't see too much action in North Africa, but did later in Italy & Southern France. It's a relatively recent Tamiya kit so therefore the assembly is straight-forward and fuss-free, alongside my Academy M10 that I finished about eighteen months ago, it does look a little 'undernourished' so I'm not certain who got their scaling / measurements slightly off ?. Nothing much more to say, please feel free to make any comments or ask any questions. Best from NZ. Ian.

Again thanks all for the terrific response. Next I'll be finishing an AFV project that I've been on for about six months, then something brand-new, no idea what that'll be yet. Cheers from a very warm & sunny NZ. Ian.

All the stencil decals are printed in four or five large 'sheets' for each fuselage side, measured to take into account the curves of the fuselage, brilliant forethought by Hasegawa back in the day. Ian.

Thanks folks, such a great response, really appreciate it and not taken for granted. Cheers. Ian.

Colin, the tip tanks are Xtracolour 'Leuchtorange' X253 over a white base. Ian.

Breathtaking workmanship - Museum quality modelling. Ian.

Absolutely no idea who came-up with 'Gentlemans Scale' but it makes me smile every time I read it !! Started just before Christmas as a 'Mojo Restorer', loved the build and paintwork, gave me a great excuse to drag-out all my Starfighter reference books - yeah, 'books' remember them ?. Built straight from the box with no additives, just glue. Paints are all Tamiya, Xtracolour and Humbrol enamels - remember them too ? - decals are from the kit and a thirty-five year old Microscale sheet. There's really very little else to say, IMHO this is still the best 1:72 F-104 kit available and impressed me so much that I went and brought my (untouched) Hasegawa 1:72 F-14A to the bench, which I'll begin once the weather here cools-off a little, we're getting close to 30c here most days with almost no wind, so the paint is drying on the airbrush needle !! Please feel free to ask any questions, hurl any abuse or make any comments. All the best from NZ. Ian.

I have the same kit - for around ten years, but have been too timid to start it. reason being this is one of my absolute favourite aircraft of all time and I don't want to stuff-it-up. That said, your build is really inspiring and may just force me to start cutting plastic sometime very soon. Thanks for sharing / posting, and if mine turns-out half as nice as your build, I'll be a very happy modeller !! Best from NZ. Ian.

Truly superb build, exactly as I remember them at so many mid-eighties airshows. Thanks for posting / sharing. Ian.

What a cracker... beautifully executed scheme, really like this. Ian.

Looks outstanding here aswell, matey... Ian.

Yep I remember this at the IAT aswell. Fantastic build, Andrew thanks for sharing it here. Ian.

One of my all-time favourite kits, simple as that. Love the finish, restrained weathering, the seals around the canopy glazing, limited (and period accurate) loadout. Great choice of squadron marking aswell. One of the nicest A-7's I've seen. Well modelled, sir. Best from NZ. Ian.

That is superbly finished, really nicely done, sir. Ian.

It isn't easy to make the overall Light Gull Grey scheme look interesting - I know because I've tried - but you've made a fantastic job of this. Well modelled, Rich. Best from NZ Ian.