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Hello Everyone This is Tamiya’s excellent 1/35 Panzerkampfwagon IV Ausf.H. I’ve always admired Tamiya’s box art even though the AFV’s are usually just the vehicle against a white background. There’s something about their artwork that makes you want to buy it in the first place and then to at least attempt to replicate the fantastic artwork. Anne 823 hasn’t had a difficult life and I wanted to keep the weathering to a minimal but realistic level. The only modifications were to the springs on the mud guards, a metal tow cable, the outer doors on the turret Schurzen and the main Schurzen on the sides of the tank. It’s been painted with Tamiya paints and weathered with some of the Mig Ammo Splashes range and I also used a selection of Windsor Newton oils. It’s also the first time I’ve spent some time on figure painting, lots of lesson’s to learn but I’m getting there. Many thanks for looking. Regards Trace

Been on this site for a couple of years now, so i am well overdue doing a WIP. Please don't expect daily updates, as i don't get much time at the workbench. Saying that i will try to do a couple of updates each week. I have no idea why, but i have a love for WW2 Russian armour. Put it this way, my last 2 builds have been T-34's. (I know the correct name is ISU-152, but thought if people want to search for the Tamiya version in the future i should put it as JSU-152). So here she is: I looked into getting a PE set for this, but i am not sure it is really needed. When you look at the PE sets they seem to concentrate on the external fuel drums, fenders and the DShk machine gun. Oh and i am tight! The tow cable is cotton, so that is in the bin and i have brought a meter length of 1mm picture wire from ebay for £2, which should do the job. I have also noticed the external fuel drum handles are molded in a lump, so hoping i can replace them with some PE from the spares box. I am planning to add some stowage, crew and maybe a couple of tank riders as part of a diorama, but nothing in stone as yet. I have got a couple of additions which may come in usefull: This is were we are at the moment. I like to get the mundane bits out of the way first, so the wheels and tracks are cleaned up and i have even built the saggy bits. All being well an update in the next few days. George

Not been doing much on Britmodeller for a long time, but it's nice to be back after a long overdue break. I decided to have a crack at this as I have fond memories of the Airfix 1/32nd plastic one which I used to push around with my soldiers when I was about 8. It's also a classic tank and considered in some quarters to be the finest MBT ever produced - and its British. I've got the RAAC Mk5/2 and the Amusing Hobby ARVE Cent to do at some point but god knows when. The Mk5, which is this kit rolled off the production lines in about 1955. The Mk 5/1 quickly followed and by 1959, we had the MK5/2 which had the first L7 gun. I'm modelling a MK5/2. I've not seen many of these modelled, which is surprising given its been out for a little while. I guess it's been superseded by the arrival of the new AFV Club Cents. On the subject of that AFV Club Cent, the Amusing Hobby Cent is a complete rip off of the AFV Club kit. The only difference is the fenders which have the tool boxes moulded in. I've gone for a bit of after market, so there is quite a bit of work to do on this build Bit of Eduard etch, and A set of skirts from InAccurate Armour and a set of resin wheels from Sovereign Models as the kit wheels and PanzerArt wheels are incorrect, without the reenforced rims.

Part of an ongoing diorama, these 3 paras are Masterbox bodies, 2 with Hornet heads and the officer with a resin head that I'm not sure of the origin. Arms and hands have been swapped around from other kits to get the positions I wanted. painted with Lifecolour Acrylics. And a few Germans from the same diorama. Mixture of Masterbox and Dragon figures with resin heads and arms from various kits.

I should have thought about this build a bit more before taking it on as it was a bit of a nightmare trying to weather the 4BO green, but leave the 6K brown looking like it had just been applied. In hindsight I should have weathered the whole vehicle before doing the 6K brown. Also, it would have been a lot easier if I had extended the base terrain the full width of the wood. Oh well, we live and learn. Thanks for looking George

Hi Pals, Now the turn for another old acquaintance, the Panther Ausf D, from the Zvezda brand. I bought it a long time ago on balance, and although there are now better alternatives (and more expensive ... lol), it is a fairly complete kit. It includes parts of the barrel, turret basket, accessories on the roof and internal sides of the turret, but really basic, so in the end it did not convince me, because it would have to be completed, and for what in the end it would look ... I gave up, and focused on the outside. It has transparent parts for the periscopes, although the motor grilles are "mosquito net", and the tow cable is not metallic. The tracks were somewhat complicated, since the internal "teeth" had to be included, and the resulting structure was really fragile and flimsy, so after early breaks, I decided to use vinyl ones from an old Tamiya kit ... I saw the camos schemes they suggested, but I didn't like any of them, so I assigned a tritone to it, as I had already done another (Kingtiger Zvezda). The intended appearance is that of a used but not "defeated" vehicle, with scratches and chips, dry vegetation on the underside and dry mud on the belly ... I added some spare parts helmets and an ABER metal antenna. I hope you like it, and thanks as always for watch and comment. Cheers and TC Francis.

It’s been a while since I made my last tank, (a T34/85 as I recall) so I thought I’d have a break from aircraft and scratch a long standing Tiger itch I’ve had. This is the Dragon Models version of an early DAK Tiger 1 and goes together really easily. It’s built out the box with the included PE, but I couldn’t resist adding a set of Friul metal tracks to add a bit of weight to the model and give a fairly authentic sag to the assembly. Paints are Tamiya acrylics, Windsor & Newton lacquers, and various washes, oils and powders have been utilised to dirty up the tank and tracks. Weathering AFV’s definitely isn’t my strong point, but it’s fun trying new methods and ideas which may, or may not be of use at a later date, and I really must try making dioramas at some point. Anyway, here it is…

Hallo This is my Panzer 38(t) Ausführung B as Commander vehicle. The kit from HB in scale 1/35 is with full interior. The track chains I took from Friul. It is to my opinion the best way to achieve a good setting of the track chain. On the other positive side is the easy closing the chain. Here I prevent damage on the finished or almost finished model. Well, that is it. Have a look on it. Always open for suggestions and critics. Happy modelling

"Down But Not Out" Black Dog resin base with Panzer Art resin figure, 1/35 scale. Finished with Mr Color lacquers, Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, and Ammo by Mig enamels. This was my first wedgie diorama and it was a lot of fun. I also managed to crank this out in about 24 hours, which was pretty crazy when I think about it. Comments and criticism welcomed as always!

Just a placeholder for now. Grand unboxing later.

Bonsoir Mesdammes et Monsieurs, I shall be joining you in this celebration of all things gallic, on Wednesday, after I have completed my entry for the Phantom STGB. I bring to the buffet, the legendary Renault 'Taxi de la Marne' which won fame and a name in September of 1914. (I have drawn on Wikipedia for the following historical background. If that's not your thing please scroll down to the photos to have a quick look around the sprues.) The Renault Type AG, commonly referred to as the Renault 'Taxi de la Marne' or 'Marne Taxi' was a hackney carriage automobile manufactured by the French automaker Renault from 1905 to 1910. The nickname Taxi de la Marne was earned by the vehicles when the fleet of Paris taxis was requisitioned by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne. This battle was a turning point of the war when the German offensive which threatened to engulf Paris was halted, beginning the four long years static trench warfare. During the battle, the French Army's 62nd Division had arrived at a railway station outside Paris, a significant distance away from the battle, with no military transport capability. Some logistical genius suggested "If all else fails we could always hail a cab." The idea had possibilities and the general staff estimated it needed to hail approximately 1,200 taxis to transport the 6,000 man division to the battle, five to a cab. With the help of the National Gendarmerie the required taxis were assembles at Les Invalides in central Paris to carry soldiers to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, fifty kilometres away. During the night of 6-7 September 1914 they set off. Each taxi was supposed to carry five soldiers, four in the back and one next to the driver, but the cabs were small and the soldiers undoubtedly had equipment to carry and only approximately 4000 soldiers were delivered to the battlefield in this way. I don't know how many traveled on the roof and running boards of the cabs but it makes a marvellous tableau. The drivers, following city regulations, as taxi-drivers always do, dutifully ran their meters during the operation and the French treasury paid a total fare of 70,012 francs. It seems that the practical contribution of the taxis of Paris to the great defensive victory was rather small as 150,000 soldiers of the French 6th Army had already arrived by train. However, the morale effect of the improvised and semi-public operation was of great value in raising the spirits of the battered but unbowed French army and of the people of Paris. The Kit What magnificent box art from ICM! What do you think the soldier on running board is thinking as he looks us in the eye? "You may well cheer, People of Paris, but I shall probably be dead by the morning." Our three figures are well supplied with equipment, which will be carried inside the cab to justify the dramatic poses of our three heroes. Here we have examples of the Chauchat and Hotchkiss machine guns and that essential piece of field equipment for the French Army, the coffee grinder! Our four dismembered figures. The flag will be great fun to paint and look at those faces! In such a small scale as 1/35, I think they are magnifique. And turning to the vehicle... Only a few sprues. But we have an engine, which will not be seen, some small parts on big sprues and a great looking set of wheels. Spoiled only by real rubber tyres. I'm not a fan but to be honest I haven't actually used the things for decades so I might be surprised. The glazing looks reasonable and will stay bagged until the last moment. I'm considering replacement with clear film from cake boxes which is a Very Good Reason to eat cake. For the sake of completeness, here are the transfers.

So i have been wanting to build a T-62M, but since the only aftermarket kit is out of production, I have settled with getting the T-62 BDD from trumpeter and found some anti-radiation lining photo-etch fasteners. I am unsure how I should approach it, I was thinking that spreading and flattening milllitput on a flat surface first and then putting it on the model to cut it into the correct shape, and punch some correct diameter imprints for the fasteners would work, but I am not 100% sure this is the best way, or if there is a better epoxy to use than standard milliput. here it you can see what it looks like, it should also have a subtle mesh like texture

Good day, colleagues and sympathizers. I present to you for a review a model from a fairly young company on the market-Gecko. A little Wiki. In 1935, the War Office issued specifications for a new 15 cwt 4x2 military truck for service in the British Army, inviting manufacturers to submit designs to participate in annual comparative tests in North Wales. One of the participants was a modification of a 2-ton rear-wheel drive Bedford Vehicles truck. After these tests, Bedford installed a larger radiator and larger tires, the tests were repeated in 1936, after which Bedford modified the chassis to increase ground clearance and installed a new engine cooling system. For the 1937 tests, a new special prototype Bedford WD-1 was made with a payload of 15 cwt, it showed excellent results, and in 1938 a 72 hp engine was installed. In the period from 1939 to 1945, Bedford produced more than 66,000 MW, the cars remained in service with Great Britain until the end of the 1950s. The model is also one of the options for using this truck - as a water carrier. Working out the model at a height. A huge pile of fine detailing, excellent reproduction of the components and assemblies of the car. The model is extremely reminiscent of the latest developments of Miniart or Bronco, but with the best quality of plastic. According to the assembly, only one moment saddened me. The convergence of the cab. And here I'm not sure if my hands are crooked or if the problem is really in the model itself. From myself - minor improvements, chains, a little internal stuff in the box of the barrel itself. I replaced the wheels with PanzerArt. The problem is that the wheels I had were not from Bedford, so I had to dig a little with the hub. Painting from the box, Normandy, 1944. The result is in front of you. Coloring - RealColor, Tamiya, Akan Oil and Pigments-Ammo and Co. Thank you all for your attention, enjoy watching!

Hi folks, just starting on my next build, which is Miniart's T34-85 Egyptian tank. This looks to be an absolutely stunning kit, which only came out the end of last year, there is so much detail, hopefully I can do it justice. As is typical with Miniart with the amount of detail that you have, it comes at a cost with the amount of parts in the kit (no problem for me as I enjoy the building). You have no fewer than 82 sprues plus photo etch and decals. Looks like they give you decals for some shells and some instrument panels as well, which is nice. On checking the parts I only found one breakage which is on a thick bracket so no problems there, surprisingly all the really thin parts are intact. You have the option of choosing from 5 different versions to build, the one that I am going to do is the same as the box art which is the Egyptian Armed Force. Six Day War. Summer 1967. Just to get the thread going I have started preparing the parts for the base. Photo shows the early stages, lots more to include here. The parts are just placed on, not glued as the baseplate is white and all the other parts are supposed to be grey blue, I'm just waiting for paints to arrive from supplier then will crack on. The only additions that I need to get for the model are tow ropes from Eureka XXL. That's all for now, will be back when the base construction is done. All the best and thanks and for looking in.... Ed

Hello everyone, I'm venturing into uncharted waters here, normally being a landlubber over in the AFV section where I'm half through a Mercedes-Benz L 4500 truck build. While mulling over cargo options, I briefly considered a S.L.C. "Maiale" as 'somethings a bit different' but thought it would be too long and too, well, 'torpedoey', to be feasible. But then I stumbled across the following which got the old cogs turning... Early in the video we see a 'truncated' "Maiale" separated from it's warheads... The warheads subsequently being bolted onto the 'nose'... Hmmm, interesting. The "Maiale" sans warhead would probably fit onto the truck bed quite nicely, and the detached warhead(s) could then sit alongside, something like this with some rearrangement... It's a total flight of fancy with no evidence that they ever put one of these things on a truck, but why not? The decision was made, let's have a "Maiale" cargo! I knew that Italeri did a nice 1/35 Siluro a Lenta Corsa (S.L.C - Italian, Low Speed Torpedo) also known as "Maiale" (Italian for pig, hence the topic name). I didn't know, however, that the kit is discontinued and so a bit tricky to get hold of. I did eventually managed to acquire one... I won't go into too much detail on the kit contents as there are several reviews available elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the kit is quite simple, being contained on a single sprue, with the warhead(s) already separated from the main body of the Pig (which needless to say is very useful for what I plan to do - result!)... The kit also contains a small etch fret, some diver figures (probably won't be used), and a booklet giving additional information and a pretty comprehensive set of photos (which is a very nice touch)... I've made a cursory start on the build by starting a tidy of the welders mask front shield. Holes were drilled in the shield roof as indicated in the instructions, using small moulded depressions as a guide. The shield walls are far too thick, looking like they are fashioned from substantial armour plate. Some thinning will be needed here, which will unfortunately result in the shield interior detail being lost (not a bad thing given the ejector mark and general untidiness of the interior)... The shield should be thin plate similar to this photo grabbed from the kit booklet... After some scraping, sanding, sanding and scraping things start to look a bit better. I'll leave it to you to work out which side has been worked on in this before/after comparison shot... I need to be a bit wary though as the plastic is starting to get a tad thin... A quick word of warning before I sign off - there may be the odd truck picture appearing in this thread! I'll try to keep these to the minimum, but if you want to venture over to the 'dark side' and see more, the parallel truck build can be found here.,.. Cheers, and thanks for looking, Paul.

1/35 scale S.A.F.S. Mk.III Raptor for what is my 17th completion for the year! The armor color is AKRC Egyptian Desert Sand and Tamiya Field Grey, with AKRC Russian Cockpit Turquoise as the interior color. It's weathered with AMMO enamel washes and Oilbrushers with AMMO enamel mud effects for the mud/dirt on the feet. Comments and criticism welcomed as always!

Hallo The interior kit of the T-60 tank is generally very nice to build. A few shortcomings are already there. Self-made inadequacies when sprayed components are to be glued, and due to the color, the accuracy of fit is no longer given. Etched parts that are so delicate that they can hardly be bent precisely and, because of their size, can hardly be glued. The delicate track chain, which is difficult to assemble and even more difficult to close. In all of them, however, I like the model because it is one of those little Russian tanks that are easy to forget in the collection. I'm looking for good kits for a KW and a Stalin. Who can give me ideas? Happy modelling

A build I finished a little while back but only just got around to it. It’s the academy late version with DEF barrel and fruilmodel tracks. I had to scratch build the spare track brackets as I lost the originals. Fictitious camo as I’m not a massive fan of tri tone and I liked the look of this two tone scheme. I used this as a test bed for a few new techniques. A few things I’m not that happy with such as the mud splashes and wet runs on the front but also things like the wheels and oil weathering on the top surface. I only built it as I got the tracks for a steal so had to get the kit to go with it. Anyway, onto pics: Thanks for looking, comments and criticisms welcome!

Hello everyone, After building allied armour most of this year, I'm back on the other side. This is my version of uparmoured Panzer II Ausf C, belonging to 8th company, II battalion, Panzer Regiment 8, 15t Panzer Division, as photographed during Operation Sonnenblume, sometimes during April or May 1941. It's Dragon kit No. 6432. This kit is simply fantastic! There are just minor issues, the biggest one being that they forgot to include rear smoke grenade rack (actually they included the wrong one), so I had to use aftermarket version. Other than that it's just minor issues and it can be built very nicely straight from the box. Kit includes magic tracks, which are my favorite indy tracks. They are so easy to build. Oh, and of course, building instructions are a disaster, but that's quite common with Dragon kits of this period. I used some AM parts: E.T. Models detailing set (which includes smoke grenade rack), AFV Club jerry cans, Aber aerial, Value Gear stowage, and Archer Fine Transfers decals. There was some scratch building involved, mainly to make jerrycan and spare track holders. It's primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500, and painted with Mission Models RAL 7021 as a base color and Gunze Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Color H402 as final RAL 8000 camouflage color (my favorite version of RAL 8000). Initial batch of 15 Panzer Division tanks were not field painted. They were painted in Italy before being shipped to North Africa, so they were painted quite neatly (compared to 21st Panzer Division tanks for example). Details are pained mostly with Gunze Metal Colors and Vallejo Model Color. And here are some details: Weathering is Mig's nature effects and pigments. And here's the real thing: There are some inaccuracies in my build. For example, inside of the turret company marking '8' should be white, rear tail light should be convoy light and not the early version that I used, there should be two segments of spare tracks in the front, etc. But, as always, you notice some of these stuff too late. I left first two road wheels and Notek light Dunkelgau. They do look darker on the photo, but this is just a guess I did this just to make some variety. Let's say its repaired battle damage Hope you will like it and all the feedback is very welcome. Cheers, Nenad

My entry is Meng's 1/35 Renault FT-17 Light Tank (Cast Turret). Plan is to finish it as a tank that saw service in 1940, to sit along side my Tamiya B1. Looks a cracking little kit, includes a interior & engine.

Dear Colleagues The Universal Carrier was a truly British vehicle. No other nation in WWII had anything quite like it. Capable of bringing up ammunition under fire, evacuating the wounded and leading assaults, it was the maid of all work for a Commonwealth Infantry Battalion. Riich make a lovely example although don't expect to complete it in a weekend! Having read the book 'Lion Rampant' about life in the 6th KOSB I had to choose this one from the Riich decal sheet. Yetholm is of course on the Scottish borders. Hope you like it? Andrew

This is the third CSM armoured car I've built and, like the two Lanchesters I built a year or two back, this one was a really nice little kit. Almost perfect fit, and plenty of detail without becoming an unnecessary parts-fest. There's a nice interior but, as is so often the case, little of it can be seen. The kit's fairly generous with marking options, although most of them are pretty similar being mainly overall dark green. The one here is a Regia Guardia car based in Turin in the early 1920's. Thanks for looking Andy

Right chaps, I'm a bit stalled on the 43, so much scratch building that i feel that I need to do build something a bit less challenging. I've selected this little beauty, one that my very good friend bought me a few years ago, Longshanks, so take a bow fella I know you've been waiting to see this get done. After my holiday to Normandy I'm a bit inspired to build something that would fit in with the trip. Next to no AM will be hurt in this build but I'll do some light scratch work just to work things in my own way. I built a Sherman back in 2016 and really enjoyed the build so this will be a second WW2 build for me. A Small amount of AM, nothing too serious (At this point), Its more so for the crew. Shall probably make a start over the weekend, Panic ye not, I'll be back on the 43 after this but I feel I need something a bit straight forward for a week or so. Regards Dan

Hi Pals, I finish working with this model. I have seen that it is a fairly simple kit, without major problems for assembly, with acceptable instructions. As a bonus, you can make several versions, just before the Paladin appears. Although this is an old kit, modestly I think that you could still get a good result, (I am reasonably happy with it), the only thing that gave me headaches were the main pieces of the turret and helmet, as they were crooked , I imagine that by the passage of time, and the worst, the tracks, which when they were already in place, split, where the hardest (in the curve), although I was able to rectify it quite well. I have chosen to make a version in Vietnam, because although the kit does not bring that option, I saw some photos (which I include) about this, I liked it a lot. Thanks to my box of spare parts, it was not a problem. I thank as always all fellows of the forum who have accompanied me in the assembly process and encouraged me with their comments to improve / continue. I include a link to the WIP section, in case someone is interested in seeing the post. I wish you all a Merry Christmas! (If possible ... lol) Some shots in detail.... And some pictures of real model in Vietman (ALL PHOTOS ARE ONLY FOR INFORMATIVE PURPOSES, AND ALL LEGAL RIGHTS BELONG TO YOUR LEGITIMATE OWNERS)

Hi all This is Tamiya's 1/35 Schwimmwagen, finished in one of the kit decal options. Lightly weathered - and self-cleaning 'cos it's just been through a river Great fun to build, although took longer than I expected. Struggled a bit with getting an acceptable join between the two halves of the hull, but couldn't get it 100% - and it's visible in one of the picture angles. But the rest of it went together ok.