Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'ESCI'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Calendars

  • Community Calendar
  • Group Builds
  • Model Show Calendar

Forums

  • Forum Functionality & Forum Software Help and Support
    • FAQs
    • Help & Support for Forum Issues
    • New Members
  • Aircraft Modelling
    • Military Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era
    • Civil Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era
    • Work in Progress - Aircraft
    • Ready for Inspection - Aircraft
    • Aircraft Related Subjects
  • AFV Modelling (armour, military vehicles & artillery)
    • Armour Discussion by Era
    • Work in Progress - Armour
    • Ready for Inspection - Armour
    • Armour Related Subjects
    • large Scale AFVs (1:16 and above)
  • Maritime Modelling (Ships and subs)
    • Maritime Discussion by era
    • Work in Progress - Maritime
    • Ready for Inspection - Maritime
  • Vehicle Modelling (non-military)
    • Vehicle Discussion
    • Work In Progress - Vehicles
    • Ready For Inspection - Vehicles
  • Science Fiction & RealSpace
    • Science Fiction Discussion
    • RealSpace Discussion
    • Work In Progress - SF & RealSpace
    • Ready for Inspection - SF & RealSpace
  • Figure Modeling
    • Figure Discussion
    • Figure Work In Progress
    • Figure Ready for Inspection
  • Dioramas, Vignettes & Scenery
    • Diorama Chat
    • Work In Progress - Dioramas
    • Ready For Inspection - Dioramas
  • Reviews, News & Walkarounds
    • Reviews
    • Current News
    • Build Articles
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Walkarounds
  • Modeling using 3D Printing
    • 3D Printing Basics
    • 3D Printing Chat
    • 3D Makerspace
  • Modelling
    • Group Builds
    • The Rumourmonger
    • Manufacturer News
    • Other Modelling Genres
    • Britmodeller Yearbooks
    • Tools & Tips
  • General Discussion
    • Chat
    • Shows
    • Photography
    • Members' Wishlists
  • Shops, manufacturers & vendors
    • Aerocraft Models
    • Air-craft.net
    • Amarket Modl
    • A.M.U.R. Reaver
    • Atlantic Models
    • Beacon Models
    • BlackMike Models
    • Bring-It!
    • Copper State Models
    • Freightdog Models
    • Hannants
    • fantasy Printshop
    • Fonthill Media
    • HMH Publications
    • Hobby Paint'n'Stuff
    • Hypersonic Models
    • Iliad Design
    • Hobby Colours & Accessories
    • KLP Publishing
    • Kingkit
    • L'Arsenal 2.0
    • Litaki Models
    • Maketar Paint Masks
    • Marmaduke Press Decals
    • MikroMir
    • Model Designs
    • Parkes682Decals
    • Paulus Victor Decals
    • Red Roo Models
    • RES/KIT
    • Sovereign Hobbies
    • Special Hobby
    • Test Valley Models
    • Tiger Hobbies
    • Ultimate Modelling Products
    • Videoaviation Italy
    • Wingleader Publications
  • Archive
    • 2007 Group Builds
    • 2008 Group Builds
    • 2009 Group Builds
    • 2010 Group Builds
    • 2011 Group Builds
    • 2012 Group Builds
    • 2013 Group Builds

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Location


Interests

  1. A couple of years back I built a Dutch F-104G from the old ESCI kit. It looks the part & I liked it. I really wanted to get the Kinetic kit and build a Luftwaffe or Marine version that I remember seeing (and hearing!) at airshows in the 80s. Then a second ESCI kit popped up cheap with no decals. So I thought why not use the left over Italian decals from the first ESCI kit? Over time I picked a couple of underwing resin fuel tanks. Originally these were going to go on the Dutch G model, but why not include them on the Italian S model? I also picked up an Aires resin & etch cockpit. Of course this is not intended to fit in an ESCI kit (designed for Hasegawa I think). So what could possibly go wrong? Not a lot as it turned out! So F-104S of 51 Stormo 22 Gr (quoting the instructions, I have no real knowledge of Italian squadrons). As the S model had the gun plated over to allow for the Aim-7 control systems I built a plug and sealed up the gun door. The cockpit and seat were all replaced and the fit was pretty good! Wheel wells had some scratch embellishments and the slats & flaps were positioned. The cockpit glazing is closed on the kit so I had to cut it in order to open it and I got a 3D printed access ladder too. Paints were Hataka (camo) and Vallejo (steel underside) and kit decals. So this is the result. Cockpit & seat before fitting And with siblings Thanks for looking!
  2. I built this one in the recent Group Build here on BM. I haven't built an ESCI kit in years, so I really enjoyed this. I hope you like it Cheers Pat
  3. A new project. I bought this kit for a few bucks because it missed some parts; wheeldoor. At first I thought this was a kit to use as an weekend build, but the flaws in this kit are easy to fix, so why not give it a go. It takes some reshaping and I am using a better canopy. Here's the result so far. Cheers, Bas
  4. This was an awkward build. Almost double bin in. What a bad kit. When finished I was quite surprised by the outcome, not bad at all. Almost build ootb. Painted with Revell Enamble satin series. Weathering done with oils. Cheers Bas
  5. Been keen to start this since getting it off Ebay a couple of years ago, and this group build seems like the perfect opportunity. The AC-47, nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon", was introduced in 1965 as a means of providing more firepower in certain situations where close air support was required. Armed with three 7.62mm miniguns sticking out of the port side windows, controlled by the pilot, the idea of the gunship was to orbit over a target for hours, with the ability to accurately deliver a significant weight of fire. For example, in February 1965, an FC-47 (as they were initially designated before protests from fighter pilots brought about the change to AC-47), fired 20,500 rounds over 4 hours into a VC hilltop position, killing an estimated 300 enemy troops. In February 1969, an AC-47 crewman, A1C John L. Levitow, was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his aircraft after it was struck by an 82mm mortar round which inflicted 3,500 shrapnel holes and wounded Levitow 40 times. Using his body, he jettisoned an armed magnesium flare which ignited shortly after he ejected it from the aircraft. By the end of the 60s, most AC-47s, now known by the call sign "Spooky" had been transferred to the VNAF, to be replaced in USAF service by the more capable and heavily armed AC-119 Shadow/Stinger and AC-130 Spectre, the latter still being in use today. The Spooky proved the gunship concept worked and in testimony to its effectiveness, no village or hamlet under Spooky protection was ever lost. So, this is the kit in question, box corner damage courtesy of Bertie the dog; Considerably more (and larger) parts than the Airfix Bird Dog I've just completed in the Reconnaissance and Scouting GB; Hopefully the decals will be OK. My previous experience of Esci decals wasn't great, so we shall see. Instructions, plus painting details for two very similar schemes. Haven't decided which one I will do yet. The state of the decals may dictate this! Plus a bit of light reading to help me along and inspire! Will probably get started early next week.
  6. What's better than a Sabre? A Sea Sabre of course! Except that the Sea Sabre was known as the Fury. Esci issued this kit in 1979. It was one of their earliest 1/48 kits. It was re-released by Italeri forty-two years later. As you can see, it's a nice simple kit befitting its late-70s origins. Lovely! But there is a major problem with this kit. It was adapted from the Esci F-86 kit and as such you cannot actually build an FJ-3 from this kit. You cannot even build an FJ-2! The tail fin is pure F-86. On the FJ-2/3 it was moved forward. The panel for the cannons is incorrect as the cannon ports need to be further forwards and angled downwards. The intake is suitabe for an FJ-2, which had the same General Electric J47 engine as the F-86. The FJ-3 had a Wright J65 engine which required a much deeper nose and intake, similar to that of the F-86H. This is not included in the kit, so it will need some surgery. Wikipedia has a nice history of the type. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_FJ-2/-3_Fury @Jon Kunac-Tabinor built this kit seven years ago which turned out to be a tour de force. As imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I will be using his build as reference for mine. As mine is the Italeri repop I'm hoping that I won't have the same problems with the plastic as Jon had. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981173-north-american-fj-3-fury-148th-esci-with-added-elbow-grease/ I will be building it in a different colour scheme: that of a drone chaser. Oh... and I might fold the wings...
  7. *Barges into the pub noisily* "Oi! Lloyd here, I'm going to build a Panther! Clear me some bar space!" Sit back and listen to the Old Man wallow in nostalgia... I think I was six or seven years old when I got my first model as a gift (Airfix Stuka). Soon I was building everything I could afford (series one Airfix were $2.24, series two were $4.50), procuring from the local toy shop and newsagent. Occasionally the family would go to Chatswood (Sydney, Australia), which had big shopping plazas (they were not called malls, yet, but that's what they were). "Searles" was the centre of the universe for me... my parents usually kept me away from it... but it had a massive window with working trains and model rockets and building toys but it was more a hobby shop. (More about Searles later). And they had Esci. By age 10 my pocket money was $5, enough to cover an Esci AFV kit and they were just so much better than the Airfix and Matchbox tanks I had built. And there were so many options, all stacked up high. I got the Esci 'Anzio' set for Christmas that year and it was awesome. (The Falklands War was also that year... I was disappointed at the lack of tanks). I got a newspaper delivery job to support my developing habit. Within a year or two I discovered I could catch the bus to Sydney CBD and there were actual hobby shops there (dioramas in the windows!), with 1/35th scale Tamiya and after that 1/72 was mostly abandoned. What I'm getting at is, fifth and sixth class were, to me, almost 'the Esci years'. I remember building the Sherman (twice), the 155mm gun on the Sherman chassis, the Pzkpfwgn II, Flammpanzer III, Pzkpfwgn IVG, Jagdpanther, Jagdpanzer IV, Hetzer, several 251 half tracks, Matilda, Brummbar, Jagdtiger, KV-1, Semovente SP gun. I'm sure there were others I have forgotten. I still have my catalogue somewhere, with all the penguin cartoons. I am not sure whether I ever built the Esci Panther, but I remember being pleased with the Jagdpanther, especially next to the Matchbox one. On holiday in France a few years ago, a shop had opened in Reims with many second hand kits. They were not cheap but I could not resist buying this (I think it was 25 Euros 😬 ) My nostalgia-addled perception has been brought to reality on opening the plastic bag: it's a very good kit for 1974 and according to Scalemates this is the original boxing. But it's only 'okay' for 2023. But, what the hell do I expect? I'm very excited to take a break for the aircraft and make this. The tracks are the biggest worry. I bought the Jagdpanther at the same time, I opened that to be my project for this GB, but the tracks were in pieces and incomplete. I looked at options to replace them, but it would mean trashing a superior model to get tracks for a nostalgia build. This Panther at least has complete tracks but I am anticipating problems on a kit that's nearly as old as I am. God knows I'm not very flexible any more. Not bad. The idler wheels have sprocket teeth on them. I suppose this was panto-ed down from the Tamiya Panther A, which had suck sproketry to support motorisation. I wonder if it has the Tamiya kit's dimensional flaws? (From memory, the too-tall turret and incorrect side armour angles were the main ones). I will not be fixing them, if so. One of the delights of Esci kits were the destructions. Looking now, I am realising I will need to apply zimmerit on this model, almost all late Ausf As had it, applied neatly or roughly. Obviously no tank can survive long on the battlefield without firm leadership. Heinz here was a commander of vast experience, being supplied in many Esci German AFVs. He bears a close resemblence to the commander in Tamiya's original issue 1/35 Tiger 1. Iron Cross, Tank Assault badge, facial disfigurement from keeping his head outside the cupola for too long... clearly a veteran. Thanks for watching!
  8. Sea Harrier FRS.1 ZA175/004 801 Naval Air Squadron HMS Invincible 1982 I started this build last June during the Britmodeller Falklands War 40th Anniversary Group Build. The 1983 ESCI 1/72 Sea Harrier is still the best and most accurate 1/72 FRS.1 on the market, even after 40 years. Detail and panel lines are as good as anything being made now. But, like most kits, not without the odd challenge. Having completed the model during the 40th anniversary year I set out to give it a suitable display base, a small portion of the flight deck on HMS Invincible, and some of the deck equipment that would have been seen during the conflict. A brief summary of what I did, used and modified; The Sea Harrier; Scratch built cockpit, HUD etc Instrument panel - Kits World Martin Baker Mk.10, Ejection Seat - a modified PJ Productions resin seat. Pitot tube - Master Eduard AIM-9L Sidewinders and 1000LB Airburst Bomb Deck Equipment; Vickers Mk2 Deck Tractor - Air Graphic Models (heavily modified) Deck Crew - Air Graphic Models Pilot - Aerobonus Ladder, Intake FOD Guards, tool box, tie-down chains, chocks and tow bar - Scratch built The deck crew, 'Maintainers', wear different coloured tabbards that reflect their various trades; Yellow - Captain of the Flight Deck & Aircraft Director Green - Engineering Electrical Trades Blue - Aircraft Handlers Red - Ordnance Vickers Deck Tractor No.1, 81RN81, HMS Invincible, Falklands TEZ, 1982; As she's firmly attached to the deck, the underside is now hidden, but here's photo from the WIP and one of the cockpit; For anyone wanting more details about how this went together, the WIP is here; I owe a great deal to Nick Greenall and Richard of the IPMS SIG, and all the Britmodellers who encouraged me - Big Thanks! Cheers!
  9. Updated on 8th Aug 2022 ----------------------------- Hi Folks, This thread started in the Falklands War 40th Anniversary Group Build... but I ran out of time. It also started as an Airfix FRS.1 build, but reading up, the Airfix SHAR isn't that highly regarded (I checked on BM 🙄). So I looked for the 1983 kit that is still considered the best FRS.1 in 1/72. I quickly found out that the ESCI (now sold by Italeri and just re-released) is actually a much better and more accurate model. £7.00 on that well known auction site. Looks nice, More parts, still wrapped. Not entirely sure how good the ESCI decals are, though they were printed by Cartograf, just rather a long time ago. The Airfix decals however do get good reviews, they were put together with the help of Nick Greenall 9f the IPMS Harrier Special Interest Group, and I'll be using them. Both kits, and a carefully selected selection of modelling stuff (tools, paint...) are got packed for a week away in Yorkshire to fill those idle minutes when I'm not getting dragged over the hills by the dog. It was on a previous visit to the North York Moors that I sat outside a pub in the twilight revelling to the sight and sounds of Harrier GR.7s screaming low overhead. Sigh.
  10. Hi folk's finally with the release of Carracal's superb decal sheet's to build this oldie which has sat a good few years due to it's original decals being unusable. The Carracal decal's are superb with not only Sea Blue and Gray/White schemes but a couple of special schemes too they behaved beautifully too.Thank's for looking in.
  11. This will be my GB entry. A random Friday night eBay purchase from a few years ago. It comes with a 1977 mini catalogue, so it has been sat in a box for over 40 years, waiting to fulfil its purpose. Still bagged, so hopefully it's all there. No instructions but there's a set on Scalemates. The catalogue includes a range of 1/9 scale motorbikes and a Kubelwagen. Out of curiosity I had a peek on eBay and my wallet started crying, This will be my first ESCI kit. I don't know much about them so I'm looking forward to finding out.
  12. CF-104 "833" RCAF 439 squadron "Tiger" at RAF Woodbridge Tiger Meet in 1969. Built the current Revell 1/72 kit using the Esci decals. Complete nightmare to use. Luckily my Esci kit had two sets of decals. First attempt at taking one of the decals out of the water - it disintegrated into thousands of specks. So I liberally coated both sets of decals with Microscale Liquid Decal film. It was really tricky seperating the decals & film from the decal paper, but I eventually got there. The Canadian roundels were from the Hasegawa JASDF/RCAF decal sheet as were some stencils. All the black tiger stripes were masked using Tamiya flexible masking strip, blutac & masking tape. The Vicon camera pod was the clear resin one from Airgraphics. Ejection seat was from Aires & the pitot was fashioned from brass tube & rod. This was originally intended for the Canadian Group Build but it kept being put back, mostly for another couple of builds. Still waiting for a 3D printed ladders for it. I am intrigued as to what the "Red piddling man" is meant to represent which had been zapped a couple of times on the fuselage? If anyone could enlighten me, I would love to know! Thanks for looking! Martin
  13. So, its hello from me. After several years of lurking, this is my first post on the forum. This build has also been several years in the making. Its F-100D 55-2817 of the 48th TFW, based at Lakenheath in Suffolk. 2817 crashed on a hill in NE Scotland in August 1969, about 5 miles from where I grew up (no, I wasn't around in 1969...). Fortunately the pilot ejected safely before impact. Some fairly big chunks of 2817 are still there apparently and the plan is to go and take a look once the weather improves. I've been planning on doing this for a couple of years now, but 2023 is going to be the year (once the snow is gone....). A bit of googling has led me to conclude that of the older 1:72 kits of the F-100 ESCI's was the best. So here it is. The box has seen better decades, but the kit is all present and correct. The decals will need replacing however, as they look past their best. Thanks for looking.
  14. Two kits were looking at me from the stash for a while, one was the Buccaneer and the other an F-4G. The Bucc finally got built, so the Weasel was left. I kept putting it off as I wanted a Euro One scheme Spangdahlem Weasel and the colours are tricky. I have done a Euro One A-10 before but even then I wasn’t sure about the colours. To sort this I thought I would invest in a Hataka set of paints and try them on the Phantom. So the starting point - an old ERTL 1/48 kit. Quite like the Hill scheme too but it’s going to be Euro One Couldn’t resist the instructions picture I have a few bits to go into this build. The paints, resin seats, aftermarket decals, a cockpit etch set and some bits of resin. I have a full resin cockpit, but I got that after the etch set. So it’s going to be etch enhanced kit pit. The kit is getting on but has nice recessed panel lines. It started me thinking about another Phantom in the stash Taking a closer look they have quite a bit in common…. Er, much the same kit? Well very close anyway. One extra sprue for the Weasel. Actually that’s not quite true. The ERTL kit has way more cockpit instrument panel detail, so the ESCI kit seems more basic. You get an idea in the shot of the tubs The grey Easel instrument panels have noticeable detail on them. The ESCI ones have none. The crea part is a resin cockpit rear panel I have a few of. Nowhere near the full resin detail, but I have etch. Coloured Eduard etch at that So cleaned up panels, new resin backs, etch bits & bobs. Should look ok. Then spotted an etch F-4E/F set. So a double build? I had always intended the gunslinger to be a Luftwaffe one. In Norm 72 splinter camo to go with my RF-4 So last question for now. My recent builds have tended to have lights & motors. No motors on a Phantom, but working lights? Was thinking wing tips, nose taxi light, tail anti collision flashing light, and back of tail light. Worth the effort? Anyway looking forward to hearing your views. By the way I think the resin pit will go in an FGR2 that is also in the stash. I am a serial Phantom offender. I already have 6 in 1/48
  15. Hi all! Another Israeli build complete as part of my little project (Next up is an F-4E). WIP below: This is Esci's A-4M/N kit from 1979, its not very accurate to the A-4N at all (wrong canopy shape, wrong exhaust- the list goes on) but it looks like a Skyhawk so it does the job. Apart from some minor warping to the avionics hump and wing slats the fit was pretty good considering the kits age. All OOB, though I painted the canopy frame to resemble the A-4N's more closely. The kit even comes with a fictional IAF squadron. Painted with AK's 3rd Gen IAF paint set and they were superb to brush paint with and the colours look pretty spot on. Thanks for looking in!
  16. I had to build this to go with my Airwolf model, theres no kit for this so it was all a bit of bashing, the stars are individual decals. Along with her sister.
  17. My kit bought for less than a tenner from Kingkit scrapyard. It’s missing one horizontal stabiliser but I should be able to make a resin cast from the one that’s still in the kit. In this scheme; SEA and a shark mouth what’s not to like
  18. I'll be building 2 NF-5B's from 314 squadron Royal Netherlands Air Force. One will be the original ESCI kit and the other one the Italeri re-issue. Link to the Italeri F-5B: https://www.scalemates.com/nl/kits/italeri-1275-f-5b-freedom-fighter--105831 One NF-5B will be K-4021 in the grey/green scheme. Underside will be RAL 7001; top colors will be RAL 6014 and RAL 7012. The second one will be K-4018 in the F-16 scheme. Underside will be FS36375; top colors will be FS 36118 and FS 36270. Decals will be Dutch Decal and I'll be using the Wolfpack-D F-5A/B update set. Drop tanks for K-4021 will come from AK3D and paint masks from LF Models ( https://www.scalemates.com/nl/kits/lf-models-m72105-northrop-nf-5a-freedom-fighter-rnlaf--1408872 ) These paint masks are for an NF-5A and with some slight modifications on the nose can also be used for an NF-5B.
  19. Hi all, When Sub Lieutenant Ian Watson took off from HMS Illustrious on 6th June 1983 in a Sea Harrier, he probably never imagined landing later that day on a Spanish freighter - with his radio and navigation faulty and fuel almost out, he had no chance of making it back to the carrier. The ship he landed on the MV Alraigo docked four days later in Tenerife, with its new cargo safely aboard. You can read more about what would be called The Alraigo Incident This was my attempt to recreate that in 1/72 for the 'In the Navy' GB here on the forum. The diorama build thread is here but to recap.. Kit: 1/72 Esci Sea Harrier FRS1 Build: Dropped the flaps, opened the upper blow in doors, otherwise OOB Paint: Revell acrylics with airbrush, Flory Models Wash, Klear, Satin Varnish Decals: Whirybird for Sea Harriers Extras: Base from a picture frame. Containers & Van built from plastic card. Wood pallet from coffee sticks. Figures: From Esci 'Nato Pilots' set Am happy how it turned out, especially the shipping containers. The van is probably the weakest part of it all and could be more refined. But was my first time trying to scratchbuild anything that wasn't a box! Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (3) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (4) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (5) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (6) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (7) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (9) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (10) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Esci_Sea Harrier_Alraigo_diorama (12) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Thanks for looking and stay safe. All the best. Dermot
  20. Rejoining with this kit. Bought from an IPMS colleague, a few years ago. Options, 2 US Navy aggressors. Parts, fairly primitive and raised detail.
  21. Moving on from my sea patrol F-4EJ Kai onto another anti-ship/sub platform. I've been itching to do this one for a while now...even though an A-6 would be more practical. More recent Italeri boxing of the old ESCI molds. This will be built as an early/mid '90s B, so all the ASW gear will still be onboard. Resin wing & tail folds by Wolfpack. Resin/PE engines by Metallic Details. Resin cockpit by Black Box, donated to the project by a local club member. Thanks Ray! I also have a pair of Eduard AGM-84D Harpoons. I'm undecided if I'm going to put anything in the weapon bays, though they have carried torpedos and Mk.83 bombs. I'll save that decision for later on. Progress on this one will be slow getting started, as my primary focus will continue to be getting the F-4 finished up...but I foresee needing some breaks in the painting and decals. Prepare for a disaster! The kit and goodies. Did a "quick" dry fit last night to make sure I wasn't going to have major construction hurdles to overcome, as a lot of the original kit is going to end up as spare parts. I didn't get around to cutting the tail off yet, so hopefully the tail fold fits as well as the wings. It's definitely going to take a bit of work, but nothing is jumping out that is going to be a huge hurdle. I'm not sure on the fit of the AM engine pylons...I need to do some research and also maybe try fitting up the kit pylons.
  22. A pair of recent completions. First, the Matchbox 1/72 Mystere IVA, done for the Matchbox Anniversary GB over at UAMF: A rather crude kit, lacking detail and subtlety, but once you've filled in all the trenches, it doesn't look too bad. Finished with the late, lamented Testors Metalizer Aluminium. Secondly, the ESCI 1/72 F-5B. This is a definite step up in quality despite being nearly the same vintage. Also finished with Testors Metalizer Aluminium.
  23. Hi all, I made this vintage esci 1/72 panzer III Ausf M with my seven year old son. I added the zvezda panzer grenadiers and vignette base for him. The decals are for the 3rd panzer division which situates the tank during operation Citadel (the decals are hard to make out through the weathering.). Last July we finally made it out of Northern Ireland to go back to my home in London and see my dad for the first time in two years (Usual Covid restrictions story.). Whilst back home I got to convince the wife of a trip to RAF Hendon with our boys. Of course whilst their I had to go around Hannants,, which is just down the road from the museum. I spent a small age in their just chatting to the guy behind the counter. He incidentally pointed out another bloke in their from Northern Ireland (he turned out to be another English bloke who lived about ten minutes down the road from us in Ireland and was getting the same ferry back with us from wales that night!). The man who was the owner of Hannants was super nice, really knowledgeable and helpful. Once I was leaving he gave this esci kit to my son which I thought was so generous and such a nice gesture. Anyway 7 months later we finally made it... Their are several mistakes, all of which are my fault! I made a small sacrifice to the floor gods with one of the head lights, after knocking it off for the fourth or fifth time I gave up. The schurzen is wrong and the chassis was warped but I didn't straighten it out correctly, same with the gun barrel being slightly bent....anyway hey ho still really enjoyed working on it which I suppose matters much more. I took a couple pics before it was 75% covered with troops and foliage: Its all brush painted. For xmass we bought our son a v-tech kids video camera (as he really loves youtube and wants to be a 'youtuber'.) So we filmed the process of making the tank after xmass and I'll eventually get around to editing the vid together and posting up some time. And a couple pictures of the vignette/base before the tank and Grenadiers below: I made the grass from Jute twine and painted it with oil paints, this way I got to play with loads of different hues of colour which was good fun. I put tile grout on to the foam board so it would crack and look distressed, like an old Russian cottage/farm house. Thanks for taking peek, Paul
  24. This Blitzenbuild victim will be wingless, due to needing to be a stealthy build while staying at the sister-in-laws over Christmas. The build will be a dad's army approach, i.e. Sneaking off for a bit of covert, plastic fondling ! Here's my chosen victim the ESCI 1/72 SD KFZ 250/3 Half track, which I believe was Rommel's personal,transport. Good luck everyone Cheers Pat
×
×
  • Create New...