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Hi to all🙂 I need advice about diorama which i am planning. The plan is to put few Evolution Miniatures U.S.special forces in action (Afghanistan ~2003) 1/35, next to Academy's M1025? And i am concerning about M1025? Was it used in Afghanistan and if it was, do i need to make some modifications or i can go straight OB!? Thanks to all!

It's occurred to me recently just how few variations there really are of the venerable Humvee, one of the most recognisable off-road military vehicles in the world. You have the Tamiya and Academy Armament and TOW carrier, versions, the Italeri Cargo Carrier, the Academy and Italeri Gun Truck versions, and the Academy/Bronco up-armoured ones, plus the old Italeri Avenger. Academy used to make the Ambulance, which I had many years ago, and didn't do a very good job with, pushing it almost beyond the realm of repair (I gave up trying to fix it). The Ambulance model is practically non-existent. In fact the only place I've found that actually has one in stock, turned out to be an online store that, although they say they ship internationally, only seem to ship to Canada or the U.S. (ARGH!). There used to be numerous types of Humvee available, but most are no longer made or stocked anywhere. The peculiar thing is that no company, particularly those that used to make those discontinued versions, seems to create new, modernised versions. I mean, we see countless WW2 vehicles being made time and time again, but vehicles like the Humvee (such as the support variants) or the HEMTT truck don't seem to get much attention in the way of modernisation. I think that's a big shame, because the newer models in real life look quite a bit different, especially with the newer armour packages. I really do wish more companies would put effort into releasing modern vehicle kits, and a greater variety of them. I'd love to see a Tamiya, Academy or Meng, or even Trumpeter M-ATV, or an M977A4, or a correctly up-armoured FMTV, or the M997A3 Ambulance, or even the Ural Typhoon-K. Modern figures too, would be most welcome. Masterbox make great figures, and I'm pleased they decided to create some modern setting kits (even if some of the weapons are inaccurate or outdated), but it seems the bulk of figures from current times are resin. Not to mention PLA soldiers seem to be non-existent outside of a parade set. Modern accessories too would be fantastic, especially considering the bulk of non-resin ones are either 80s-early-00s stuff, or limited to that one Meng set. Post is a bit of a rant, I know, and I've gone a bit off track from the Humvees, lol. But I do wish just once the modern era got a bit more love. I recently looked through some WW2 kits and my eyes nearly popped out on how easy and relatively cheaply you could create a diverse diorama. What kind of modern vehicles/figures/accessories would you guys like to see come to the market, and who would be your preferred manufacturer? Gaz

So, this is my first planned diorama, and the first diorama I've attempted (actually, that's not true, I bashed one together out of balsa wood a long time ago ). But it will be the first diorama since I started putting more effort into my modelling. So far I only have the rough plan of it, and what will decorate it. Its one of at least three dioramas I have planned for this particular setting, which is a fictional conflict between China and Japan. This one will be set on a Tokyo street and features a Humvee crew meeting with a small group of JGSDF soldiers. Over the years I've picked up a number of JGSDF figures, some from the Iraq Humanitarian Assistance set and others the Type 90 w/ loading crew (which I'll probably put with my Abrams). Only painted up the two shown here so far (that camo is tedious, maybe more so than ACU). The additional decoration for this idea came from the Meng barriers set. The k-rails in the set I've painted up and will likely use with my Bradley idea. I also planned to get two other Meng sets, one being the highway set (possibly for the Abrams) and the other the vending machine (for the Bradley). The Bradley (an M2A3 BUSK), which I've started building, will also be in NATO three-tone. So without further ado, here's a basic look at what my idea could look like Gaz

Hello everybody I have been away from modelling for some time now and I’ve been a silent reader on britmodeller.com during the last three years – thanks everybody for the inspiration ;-) As a rotorhead I built every major helicopter in my time – except a Blackhawk, what a shambles. Now I am so softened up by all the splendid builds around here, have a bit time on my hands and decided to catch up on this wonderful and ubiquitous bird. I decided to do it as a Hoverama : a hovering Blackhawk with a slingload underneath, suspended in a display cabinet. I took loads of inspiration from all over the web. This is just one of the examples of rather intense videos of the whole process : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTEdjADUbJc . The whole thing is planned to be a pleasure build. So no rivet-counting, no realistic paint-scheme, no consistent decals – just a lot of artistic freedom! I am planning on putting the Hoverama in my living room and simply enjoying it for its beauty once it is finished ;-) Therefore I decided to go for a scheme with hi-vis/day-glow panels. Ever since I saw German WWII planes, I was fascinated with the contrast of camouflage and hi-vis patches. So for me the only way to go for me is a flat OD with a glistening bright orange – something like http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dust-off_MEDEVAC_navigates_the_high_seas.jpg but without the red cross. A scheme that might even exist for a bird used in training the art of sling-loading by pilots and ground personnel – and an eye catcher for sure ! And so I went shopping : Academy 1/35 UH-60L Blackhawk (this one has actually a working cargo hook) Eduard BigEd set for the bird CMK Helicopter Crew (if it is flying there has to be crew inside) an Italeri 1/35 HMMWV to dangle below the bird Here is one picture of the lot Beyond the actual build, I want to do the following on the Blackhawk in order to represent the situation in the Hoverama as closely possible extend the oleo struts on the LG as if it is unloaded deflect the horizontal stabiliser, which keeps the fuselage level during hover add mud to a sector of the wheels, as if the Blackhawk landed on soft ground A further complication arises from the fact, that I have no modelling specific tools and I do not plan to invest in much, because this could be my last model for the next ten years :-) (but who knows :-D ). So instead of doing wonderfull things, I will just use the hairy-stick method with Revel Aquas. The only concession to a good finish will be a rattle-can of OD. For now I am going to put this thread into hibernation, because I want to go back into the swing of things with the HMMWV. In fact, for someone who hasn’t touched a model in the last 10 years, the prospect of tackling such a large model including photo-etched parts is rather frightening. So I am going to use the sling load as a training ground to shape up before attacking the bird. And here is the link to the WIP of the HMMWV, which will be the first step in the creation of this Hoverama : http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234971988-the-hoverama-hmmwv/ Hope you enjoy following this built as much as I will building it ! Cheers

The kit is the M998 'Deser Patrol' HMMWV from Italeri in 1/35. It is to serve as a sling load below a Blackhawk, the whole idea is explained here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234971984-the-hoverama/ For me, this HMMWV was the training ground before attacking the bird. That is why I went over the top at some places - simply to gain confidence in my own skills and the patience of the plastic parts :-) The plastic is ready, I still need another few weeks... The whole thing is OOB, except for streched sprue for the antenna, basil soaked in paint for the camo nettings and a small string of cartridges from the Eduard 'UH-60 Exterior' set; they are supposed to be folded in order to give 7.62's for the M60 door guns, but left as they are and trimmed a bit, the make a faire impression of 12.7's for the M2. The techniques are Revell aqua colours for the base paints, water colours for the washes and highlights and backing soda with water paints for the mud, all brush painted. Here come the photos : FEAR ME - I am da HUMMVEE And some detail shots : Thanks for looking - and for your kind comments helping me along during the build !

This HMMWV is part of the Hoverama, which I announced over at the aircraft WIP section. There everything concerning the Hoverama is explained here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234971984-the-hoverama/ . Basically this HMMWV is to serve as a sling load beneath a Blackhawk and for me it is the training ground that allows me to get back into modelling after ten years of hibernation and before going for the bird itself. I have read all the discussions about Italeri getting everything wrong in this kit with respect to realism – but I don’t care :-) . The logic was simply that it was the cheapest HMMWV kit I could find and I wanted a HMMWV as sling load - so be it. It will be finished in a standard euro-woodland camouflage to fit in tune with the OD of the bird. The only thing that bugs me is that the kit only comes with USMC decals – no army helicopter would ever sink as low as to sling load a USMC vehicle (aren’t the leathernecks supposed to pull that d*mn thing themselves anyway ^^ ). So I might use some artistic freedom on the decals, too. I wanted to unload the suspension springs, as there is no weight on the wheels, but the construction of the kit would have demanded a rather delicate surgery from me. For now I am not yet up to it... Maybe I’ll mount the wheels eccentrically later. So I started, as demanded by the instructions, with the framework under the HMMWV. And I must admit I really like the massive and sturdy feeling these big scale parts have to them – having built mostly 1/72 a long time ago. Axles, drive train and exhaust fitted and painted green The Revell-Aqua colors, which I use, give me quite a head-ache - the become all foamy when applied with a paint-brush :eeks: But once they have dried the present a neat, flat, buble-free finish. This becomes evident on the large flat surfaces on the underside of the cabin While these are drying I started experimenting with washes. Tricky business: using water-colors on the Revell-Aqua-colors. I expected the green base coat of of Revell Aqua 65 to dissolve at any time under the influence of the water, which is used to dilute the black water-colors, at any moment - but it worked so well The upper door is still green. The wash is applied only on the lower door. I could swipe the wet brush through the water all over the door for without the Aqua colour base coming of - it did this for about 10 minutes and nothing seemed to happen. Then I grow tired of it and decided to trust the Aqua-Colors and to apply the wash the rest of the interior. And then I tried the rattle-can of OD. I chose the seats for this colour. This is what you do, if you build your own plane at home : you always start with the seats ;-) The idea is to get used to handle the rattle-can and to work with masking tape (also a first for me), because there wont be much practice available for me before going for the complete helicopter. It took the opportunity to give the pilot figures a flak-vest in OD as well. Summary of the first steps : Revell-Aqua colors are my new best friends - they are odorless, stretched with simple tap-water, bubble-free and basically water resistant once dry. Cheers for now !

AM General High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), or Humvee. Pics thanks to Mike Costello.