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I recently managed to acquire an incomplete Airfix Roman Fort. I scratch built the missing internal buildings and staircase. I also utilised an old diorama base, the roads on the board determined the arrangement of the fort, which also meant I had to extend the walls a little, but glad I got one after many years waiting.

The Revell boxing of these two classics. Just need to decide which colour scheme.

Just got around to re-painting my old set. Seven pieces are AWOL. As sculpted, these figures best represent Australians in the Pacific Theatre around 1943 with a mixture of British and US pattern equipment. I used Andrea, Vallejo and Humbrol acrylics.

Completed in the Matchbox Group Build

Here is my latest languish queen completed, a Bedford Mk. Tactical Aircraft Refueler in 1/76 by JB Models. Built mainly OOB with the tank top foot plates replaced with mesh option, wing mirrors added to doors and front indicators added. Painted with AK paints and kit decals were used. A simple desert base was built to gibe it some context. A couple of Wee Friends figures were painted in desert gear and placed to indicate some sort of trouble. Build log here: Thanks for looking. Stuart

I was reminded by @stevej60 that I had a old Matchbox/Revell Char B.1 Bis & FT.17 kit in my stash. I picked it up many years ago out of a bargain bucket & it has been hidden away at the back of my stash ever since. Well now seems like the best time to build it before it gets forgotten again! So as not too overlap with Steve's build of the same kit & because it's impossible for me to build anything OOB 😅 I'm going to convert both of them into self propelled gun versions. The FT 75 BS was a modified version of the FT 17 replacing the turret with a fixed superstructure fitted with a short barreled 75mm fortress gun. Production begun in late 1918 with only 11 finished before the war ended, a further 29 were built in 1919 & they went on to serve in North Africa. There last use was against American forces during Operation Torch in 1942. The 10.5 cm leFH18/3 (Sf) auf Geschützwagen B-2(f) was a German modification of captured Char B1 tanks, the 75mm gun in the hull was removed & the turret was replaced with an new open topped superstructure fitted with as the name suggests a 10.5cm leFH18 field howitzer. 16 were modified between 1941-1942, they were at first used in France & then later transferred to Italy were their fate is unknown. Here is the obligatory box art photo, complete with the bargain price I payed for it 😋 It comes with a total of three sprues, two of them are for the tanks, the third is for a basic diorama (which I wont be using) & lastly there are two sets of rubber/vinyl tracks. The parts needed for the conversions will be 3D printed, they are just small boxes with barrels sticking out, so I dont expect it will be much work to design & print 😛

Another completion from 'that' shelf, a LWB Land Rover (hard top) with G.S. Trailer in 1/76 by JB Models. Started this back in spring but mojo went walkabout, it happens. Built OOB with the only addition of wing mirrors. Painted with AK paints. Kit decals. Decided from the start that the base would contain a ditch for the trailer and the scene was set that included a couple of Wee Friends figs. Stuart

Howdy y'all! I present you all my 1/76 IBG Panzerkampfwagen IV (Sd.Kfz. 161) Ausf D, 8th Company, 5th Regiment, Deutsche Afrika Korps, Battle of Gazala, May 27-28, 1942. This is my first post in this fine community, even though I have followed it since I started model building back again. I got back into modelling around a year ago after probably 8 years away from the hobby. So far I have finished 6 models (including this one), with the first 5 being aircraft since that is my main interest, all of them in God's True Scale; 1/72. Now onto the kit, I originally purchased this model for less than $8 dollars on eBay where it was advertised as a 1/72 model. I had heard some good things about IBG and wanted something not too complicated to get a taste for their models. However upon arrival and discovery that it was instead a 1/76 model I thought of putting it away and possibly swap it at a meet. Luckily, I really wanted to get into small scale armor and this was the only armor kit I had back then (the armor stash has grown significantly since then). To my surprise, the detail in the kit was as good as any 1/72 kit, even I forget sometimes that this is 1/76. Since this was my first armor model, I spent a lot of time researching mud and sand textures on scale models as well as historical pictures of German armor in Libya. Ultimately, I was heavily inspired and guided by Nightshift's great videos on YouTube, especially on what products to purchase for armor models. The build was quick and pretty much pain free, there were some areas that needed some cleaning up to achieve a perfect fit but one could get away without this. The build was pretty much OOB except for the handmade sandbag in the front and rolled up tarp in the turret, and the storage box on the side of the superstructure which is a resin piece. Everything except the tracks and the turret were cemented before being primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500. Painting was not as simple as I originally wanted it to be due to the fact that I learned that the tank I was building my model after was an ex-Battle of France tank that was transferred to Africa in early 1942. So after priming the model black, I spent too much time painting the model in German Grey (Tamiya XF-63), mainly because I wanted practice color modulating and highlighting. After the painting was done, it was sealed with AK Intermediate Glossy to prepare for the decals since most markings where applied on the German Grey. After I covered the decals up and applied a coat of Vallejo chipping fluid, I painted the base coat in a mix of RAL 8000 and RAL 8020 since I could not find exact color for this tank because crews did not really maintain uniform standards most of the time. After everything had dried, I used a stiff brush and an old airbrush needle with hot water to chip the top later of RAL 8000/8020 until I was satisfied with the result. Most of the weathering was done with AK enamel washes and filters, oil paints, Wilder textured earth and a pencil. Once I was happy with the model, I sealed everything in a coat of XF-86 Flat clear. I am beyond happy with the result I was able to achieve here and I can not wait to crack on to my next armor model. Comments and Feedback are greatly appreciated. Scale: 1/76 Manufacturer: IBG Model: Panzer IV Ausf. D Date Finished: August, 2021

Hi All, Gearing up for the next build as current builds are waiting for the paint shop, tracks or bases. Next is this Bedford MK Tactical Aircraft Refueller in 1/76 by JB Models. Picked this kit up at a pre-lockdown model show, can you remember them, for £4. Boxart Sprue 1 Sprue 2 Sprue 3 Instructions Had a heart stop moment when a major part was missing when I emptied the box.. ...this was in a clear bag and it was trapped in the box and I couldn't see it...until I put my glasses on and looked inside the gloomy box. I would like to do a little dio of it refuelling a 'copter but suitable cheap options are 'hens teeth', so I'll have to think about that when the time comes. Stuart

HI viewers, Here is my latest after languishing on the shelf for 9 months, an AEC Matador (early) by Milicast in /76. Built mainly OOB, doors wee reworked as I wanted them to be posed open and glazing was also added. Painted using Tamiya and AK paints, decals from spares as Milicast kits don't come with any, go figure. Weathered slightly with a couple of washes. Conjured up a simple base and a couple of figures et voila. WiP here: Thanks for looking. Stuart

Morning people. With the Challenger and Humber at home awaiting painting and accessories, I need another build for the lunchtimes while at work. I purchased this and loads of other afv's from a club member who wants to see this Matador built, so here goes. Nice sturdy box and a pic of what it should look like. What the heck am I supposed to do with this? It's got an inventory list if you know what things are. The pictures are very dark and not useful at all but I suppose I'll muddle through. The resin but whether it's all there... I'll only know when i check it against the inventory and/ or during build. I have started cleaning things up, a long, tedious and careful job indeed. Already thinking ahead with this as I want it presented slightly different. The idea is to have the tail gate open with the rear cargo tarp removed, so exposing the cargo within a loading/ unloading scene. Stuart

All: finally over to RFI! Here's a kit-bash for you. I reverted the JB Models tactical aircraft refueler to its original civilian status with some drastic alterations, and used bits from both of Airfix's WWII airfield refuelers to fashion the trailer. To get the tires to be in scale, I used ROCO's 1/87 heavy rig wheel/tire set.

I made this low relief diorama using the Airfix Telegraph Poles (01618-8) from 1959.

Having put it off for quite some time, recently I decided to start attacking my 1/76 Mersey-class lifeboat. £18 is a bit of a steal for a 3D printed kit of this size, so I was quite happy when it arrived. Unfortunately, the more I look at it the more inaccuracies I find to correct - most notable of which is that the hull is quite considerably too shallow. There are also some significant errors around the cabin windows and flying bridge, as well as an incorrect hatch. The deck is also too low and the stern profile seems too flat. That being said, there aren't too many options out there for an all-weather lifeboat (especially if you want something smaller than a Severn) so I decided to see what could be done with it. I'll also be building a Shannon too at some point so we'll see how they compare. Work so far has mostly consisted of trying to smooth off the very 'stepped print and removing some of the more crude detailing. The deck height is slowly getting there, though still a few layers to go at the bow before smoothing it all off. I tried shaping the stern to match the curved profile of the actual vessels & think it looks better though not perfect, but having run out of material to shape it'll have to do. I've also cut away the inaccurate parts from the rear. Again, it won't be perfect as I'm not convinced the window spacing is 100% but hopefully it'll look better. I think the cabin may be too tall already but I'm going to have to add a mm or 2 to the roof to get the proportions right relative to the windows. The front cabin windows also need reducing in height as they should match the sides. In all honesty, if I was to make another of these I think I'd use the hull and build the deck and cabin from scratch, but too late now!

Inspired by John's LRDG build, I thought I might have a go at this Revell 2007 reboxing of the Matchbox kit from around 1980. I bought it on a whim as it contained the only injection moulded 1/76 Daimler Dingo scout car I had ever seen - I was not really interested in the one off "caravan" but could convert the Leyland Retriever chassis into something else I thought, though it is still unbuilt in my stash. The normal British Army "command" vehicle was the Dorchester in the early part of the war - an armoured box body mounted on the chassis of the AEC Matador 4x4, and it seems to have been well liked, at least by Erwin Rommel who used 2 named Max and Moritz that the Africa Corps had captured. Later a larger 6x6 version entered service in Europe. THis particular vehicle is a hybrid. During the 8th Army's surprise advance across the border into Italian territory in Operation Compass in December 1940, the enemy forces were rapidly pushed back and as the campaign continued many Italians were captured. In February 1941 General Annibali Bergonzoli was taken at Breda Fomm - his splendid facial hair had earned him the knickname "barba elettrica" from his own troops and the Brits translated this as "electric whiskers". With him came his command vehicle or caravan, based on a Lancia 3RO chassis, but the Brits transplanted it on to a Leyland Retriever 6 x 4 chassis and it was initially used by General Ritchie. It was a combination office, map room and bedroom at first. Once Montgomery took charge of the 8th Army he inherited this vehicle and used it right through to the end of the war, though after the fall of Tunis in 1943 he aquired the "caravan" of General Giovanni Messi which was transplanted on to a Mack chassis and used as his sleeping quaters. Also, seven weeks before the D-Day landings a purpose built mobile maproom on a Fordson chassis joined his HQ, but this original vehicle remained his office right up to the surrender of Germany in 1945 and is now in the Imperial War Museum collection at Duxford I believe. The original Matchbox boxing showed it in European green camo, unlike the Revell one, and the "diorama base" with cobbled street and tramlines is more suitable for Germany in 1945, but it will have to do - there are decs for both schemes and the instructions say the desert one is as at late 1942, but perhaps it could have been in Tunis a little later? Cheers Pete

Joining with this Dapol kit, Bought at Cheltenham Model Centre for £13.05, on 02 Dec 2020 - about the last time they were open. Parts, I'm quite impressed. I built a Dapol Battle of Britain in 2017, and the parts were quite warped. These are much more straight. And instructions, there's only one option for this build.

If I have time I hope to build these. On the left the improvised British Archer with lots of bits, in the middle the US M-18 Hellcat and on the right the A 30 Challenger Tank which some will argue was not actually a tank destroyer but more on that later. As you may have guessed the Archer is from Milicast's Premiere range and could be quite a fiddle! Cheers Pete

My next entry will be this. Like @Mjwomack I can't think of a collective name for a group of Valentines and Dick Taylor has already used "Into the Vally" on his Mushroom Publications book which I will no doubt be referring to from time to time. Anywsay, as well as the 3 above, just before I became besotted with GB in June 2019 I was in the middle of refurbishing some existing tank kits and building some new ones - all of which went on hold! I thought this would be a good time to finish off my Fujimi Valentine Mk II though of course it is injection plastic so cannot be an official entry, hence the 3 and a bit!. Here it is stripped down and ready for painting. and here is the real thing in the Tank Museum in obligatory Deep Bronze Green paint the used back then. The Census number makes it a Vickers built Mk II. More once this GB starts, but for completeness I should say that the Milicasts kits cover a range of different Marks, the one on the left with 2 turrets can be built as a Mk II, Mk III and Mk V, the one in the middle is a Mk VIII (which incidentally was cancelled but more on that later) and the one on the right a Mk X or Mk XI depending on which gun I fit. Cheers Pete

Before I even started this GB I warned that the relatively simple construction of these resin models from Milicast was likely to prove somewhat boring and I suspect that is indeed the case – I would probably have had more interest if I was building them on a different section of the Forum but this GB was perfect in that it gave me the incentive to get them built, whereas on the military modelling section my options would I think have been far more limited. Anyway, I am enjoying building and painting them (at least most of the time), and so I have decided to inflict one last batch on you! I will keep it brief. For several centuries prior to the start of WWI it was the “Cavalry” who were responsible for reconnaissance, and even during that war it was always hoped that the time would come when a breakthrough would be achieved and they would finally be able to get behind enemy lines and once more do that, together of course with harrying the enemy rear. However the combination of static trench warfare and the increasing use of artillery and machine guns meant that after a few months of the start, any attempt to use horse cavalry became virtually suicidal. Nonetheless, the idea lingered on long into the inter-war period, but finally it was accepted, however reluctantly, that recce units. needed to be mechanised and if possible armoured. This led to both armoured cars and also small light tanks, both of which had their relative merits. Armoured cars were fast on good going such as roads, and also quiet, which was important if you wanted to sneak up unobserved, but tracked vehicles coped better with soft ground, but were ruddy noisy! In the end all the combatants used a combination of both. This time I will again be building three vehicles in British use, two wheeled – the Daimler MkII armoured car and the US Staghound and one tracked – the US M5A1 improved version of the earlier M3 Stuart light tank and here they are. I have not shown all the small parts as knowing me I would probably end up losing some! During and after WWI a number of armoured cars were produced by firms such as Rolls Royce, Lanchester, Crossley and the like, often based on commercial car or lorry chassis -here are a couple of them in the Tank Museum. Rolls Royce. Crossley. More anon. Cheers Pete

And this will probably be my final entry. Three versions of the A 15 Cruiser Mk VI Crusader. Quite impressive on paper it was fast but already outdated and the reliability was pretty poor. Still, the Italians were impressed enough to try to copy it. Cheers Pete

When I first decided to participate in this GB I was thinking of entering perhaps 3 aircraft and maybe one AA gun. With 5 planes in the gallery and 4 more well on the way I have finally got round to this, my final entry! And yes, I know there is one already in the gallery but this will be slightly different. I don't remember exactly when Airfix advertised the release of their 1/76 Bofors Gun kit in Airfix Magazine though I guess I could look it up, but I do recall visiting my LMS quite a few times over the next year only to be told that it had not as yet been produced – Scalemates say it was released in 1976! In the end I gave up and this is one I bought about 15 years ago. I have not been able to find very much info on the variant in question so please feel free to correct or add to the following brief history. According to Wiki, the Swedish company Bofors were asked by their navy to design a more reliable replacement for their Vickers 2pdr “pom-pom”guns in around 1928 and they started with a scaled down version of an old Nordenfelt 57mm gun dating back to an anti torpedo boat gun produced by Finspång. at the end of the 19th century. By 1931 they had produced what was known as the Bofors 40mm L60, although in fact the barrel was only 56.25 calibres long (for those unfamiliar with the nomenclature the length of gun barrels are often expressed in terms of multiples of the bore diameter (calibre) so in this case the barrel was actually 56.25 x 40mm ie 2,25 metres long). Various improvements and modifications were made and the gun was used by many armies and navies around the world, the naval version usually being water cooled to prolong barrel life and allow extended firing – Wiki say over 60000 were made and some are still in use today, though most have been replaced by the newer version with the longer L70 barrel, often on a self propelled mount. In 1937 the British Army acquired a number of guns from Poland for testing, which were known as Ordnance QF (Quick Firing) Mk I, or Mk I/2 when changes were made to the muzzle flash hider and a licence was acquired to build them in the UK. That required a number of changes, not just from metric to imperial measurements but also to allow for mass production – the original ones were hand built with many parts labelled “file to fit”! They were mounted on a 4 wheel carriage which allowed all round traverse, and had jacks which could be lowered to stabilise it when firing. The gun was fitted with a feed system which took 4 round clips of 2lb shells and the vertical range was just over 20000ft, though engagements were normally at somewhat lower levels. Besides loaders and a gun commander, the crew initially consisted of a trainer and a layer who sat either side of the mount using “bicycle crank” type handles to move the gun horizontally and vertically. Initially they were provided with reflector sights but it was found that these were no good against fast moving planes. Original version in a Finnish Museum with no shield and reflector sights courtesy of Balcer~commonswiki . More to follow. Pete

Here is my recently completed Vickers Mk VIA light tank in 1/76. Like most of my 'braille' builds, I like doing 'extras' to the subjects and this build was no different: Turret hatch removed and refitted with an open hatch Drivers interior added and drivers hatch opened. Exhaust pipe removed and replaced with tubing. Track guard supports replaced with scratch options made from brass sheet. Moulded on tracks replaced with ACE 1/72 rubber tracks. As an 'A' version, I wanted an early paint scheme, so bronze green was applied overall and kit decals applied. Build log here: Thanks for looking. Stuart

Hi All, as my current build of the Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car goes home to wait for painting, it's time to start another lunchtime. This time it's a 1/76 Vickers VI A/B/C Light Tank by JB Models, since released by Airfix. Because I want to build all the variants, I'll start this build as the 'A' version. Box art. Sprues. Instructions with understandable version differences The hull plastic parts are snipped off and cleaned up. The plastic is quite soft, so care needs to be taken with any clean-up procedure. Before I rush into the build, I want to see how feasible it is to open hatches and stuff, so some crews can be fitted, in this case a driver but I'm sure that the turret will get the same treatment. Stuart

OK this one has been sitting on the shelf giving me evil looks every time I pass since it got abandoned during the Kit You Built As A Kid GB - original thread here. No idea what happened during the build process, it was kind of 95% done, but being tiny probably got forgotten. Time to dust it off and finish. Here's where it got left: The tank has been primed in black with some grey shading. I think I was planning to go over with some Dunkelgrau but in order to just get it done I simply gave it a once over with a blue oil filter/wash for panzer grey after the decals were applied. The few tiny decals just didn't want to stick and at various points I ended up with them on my fingers when apply other ones - I hadn't used any decal fix stuff - just bog standard tap water in old school style. I actually did put some decal solvent to help bond them though once they'd dried on to help hold them on. There was supposed to be a larger number on the right side of the turret but it wouldn't fit, so I just exchanged it for the slightly smaller one that was meant to be on the turret rear. The 2 guys got some flesh tone over the primed white, then some sand colour for the uniforms before I gave them a once over with some Army Painter 'soft tone' which is a great acrylic wash for doing quick shading. The rubber tracks - I gave a quick prime with some Vallejo track primer. The base I just added the decal over the door, gave the walls a bit of a grimey oil wash then added lots of pigment powders (light grey, sienna and other earth colours) - I put a little on the tracks and wheels. It all came together quite well - might have been better to darken the tank a little and I did manage to almost snap off one of the tanks headlights and completely snap off the large barrel due to rough handling when trying to get those tiny rubber tracks on, but glued it back. Another build finished off, pretty short thread as it didn't need much but feels good to clear the back log.

This is Cromwell’s diminutive 1/76 scale Wehrmacht VW staff car. The kit depicts a KdF Type 60 Volkswagen from 1943, but I built it up as a later Bundeswehr vehicle of the 1960s. 🥶