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Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2925044454214488&id=736521713066784 V.P.
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I've started to go through my old RFI's which both Photobucket and Village Photos have managed to mess up, one way or another. Instead of having to click on each one twice to see them (and risk going into VP which has no security certificate), I'm uploading them again. Apologies to those who've already seen them, and thanks for your understanding. Basically, what this is, is Tamiya's M1 Sherman upper hull and turret, Dragon's M4 Hybrid lower hull and running gear, T49 tracks from Panda Plastics, and Sabingamartin decals. The WIP is still there, but minus the photos. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I finished this a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't want to put it into RFI until I'd put it on a base and added a couple of crew members. Well, now that's done. I used the two figures that came with the Tamiya kit but I wasn't happy with the faces. Most of the figures supplied with kits are a little lacking when it comes to definition with regards to the facial features. For me, nothing beats the resin variety. So I changed the heads for ones from Hornet. Unfortunately, the only ones that I had were British, but I thought that there were many Europeans who emigrated to Israel after WW2, so they'd have to do. I made the base using a small picture frame bought from Wilkinsons, balsa wood for the sides and polyurethane foam sheet. I wanted to keep it fairly simple, so I mixed up some household filler, PVA glue and some yellow ochre acrylic paint with water, and spread the mix over the top of the foam. Before it went off, I gently pushed the tracks down into the mix. Once it had hardened, I added some clumps of grass. It would have been better if they had been a bit more parched, but once again, I used what I had. If you want to see the build log, it's here; Any questions, comments or criticisms, please feel free. Thanks for looking. John.
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B-1B Lancer 9th Bomb Squadron, USAF – Dyess, Texas, 2014 Panda 1/144 scale kit / Caracal decals With the release of the newish Academy B-1B in 1/144, the kit I used here is redundant, but I was already half way through it so decided to carry on. It was really the release of the Caracal decal sheet that encouraged me to retrieve it from the attic where it had been part started for many many years. There aren’t many kits that I would actually call bad. This is the exception – it’s a bad kit! To start with the whole fuselage around the cockpit area just looked wrong. I decided to forgo a clear windscreen and added Milliput all over the front fuselage to reshape it, then added the ‘transparent’ bits with paint, 1/144 airliner style. Then there are the exhausts. If you were doing and early B-1B with turkey feathers you could just about get away with filling and sanding the kit exhausts, but later aircraft had the naked nozzle workings on display so I had a go at scratch building that lot (there is a resin replacement available for lots of dosh but I didn’t think this kit was worth it). Wheels were the next thing – those provided in the kit were ridiculously small. I had actually built a Minicraft B-1A years ago, wheels up, so I could use the wheels on the B-1B. Nowadays there are resin wheels available which maybe I should have bought. What’s next – ah yes, the wing section! The outer wings have so much camber that they could have come from a Sopwith Camel. I actually left this untouched because it's not that visible from the top and the engraved detail was very nice. The decals – oh, the decals. They look so nice on the sheet and have lots of good detail, but they had that too good to be true glossiness about them. Sure enough, they took an age to release from the backing, then just fell apart when touched. I tried coating them with Klear but it made little difference. Anyway that was before Caracal came along with a brilliant sheet so thankyou Caracal. Despite all of the above, and I’m sure there are more tales of woe if I think about it, out the end came a passable B-1B as part of my US bombers project in 1/144. Next up are a couple of B-47s which should be less challenging. Or should I go for the B-36 – or maybe B-58? That’s the great thing about this hobby – there’s always the next one….
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This is a new area for Britmodeller, as it seems that quite a few of us are interested in these large scale models of famous armour such as the Tiger, King Tiger, Sherman, Pershing and many others. Remote control tanks aren't just the bailiwick of Tamiya with their high quality, but expensive kits. Heng Long supply remote control tanks for a fraction of the price, with sound, smoke and engine noises, as do a growing group of other suppliers such are Torro and in un-motorised forms,Trumpeter, Hobby Boss and now Panda. I'm sure I've missed some out, but I'm new to this growing group of modellers. Why the new section? Well, the factors of size and the inclusion of remote control on a lot of these scale kits, they're quite a bit different from the usual scales. They're also a bit harder to store, as the big ones such as the King Tiger are almost 60cm from front to back. Whether you buy them to use as fun toys, or upgrade them so that they're as accurate as possible, they can be quite good fun to play with, although if you're dedicated, you can run up quite a bill even if you don't choose Tamiya. If money is no object, you can go crazy with the Armortek kits, which I think are 1:6 or even crazier with a 1:4 King Tiger that'll cost from between £3,300 and over £10,000 depending on what you specify. That one can pull a car, and looks truly scary. It's quite a broad church though, as the Heng Long Tiger I can be had for around £50 if you shop around, and includes all the features above, with the King Tiger and others weighing in at only a little more for the basic plastic kits. You can spend a couple of hundred on a full-metal version of most tanks, which includes metal gears, wheels and tracks, or you you could buy the cheaper ones and upgrade to metal as parts wear out to keep your costs down. it's all very tempting though! The range of static kits in this larger scale is growing fast, with Panda joining the fray soon with a 1:16 P-38(t) in the next couple of weeks, which our friends at Welsh Dragon Models are hoping to have in stock earlier than most UK suppliers. Keep your eyes peeled for that one, and we'll try and get a review sample in to tempt you with. Dave (Shar2) has joined the moderating team for this larger scale, as he's just dipped his toe into the waters and has become quite interested in a very short time. If you've got any questions, just ask Dave or myself. Mike.
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- Remote Control
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Kit manufacturer: Panda models Scale: 1/35Type: Cougar 6x6 JERRV Extras used: Legend Productions figures and meng water bottles Paints and colours used: AK, Tamiya All done and happy with how it turned out, especially being my first armour model. Enjoyed it a lot, especially the weathering and base. Please let me know what you think. I must thank everyone who followed my build and helped with advice for various aspects. I will be taking it for the Flory stand at Telford if anyone wants to see it in the flesh. Some pictures of the truck first, then the diorama... -------------------------------------------------
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M-ATV MRAP with CROWSII RWS Panda 1:35 History Originally one of five candidates down selected for the M-ATV (MRAP All Terrain Vehicle) program, the Oshkosh M-ATV was chosen on 30 June 2009 to be the sole winner of the contest. Oshkosh Corporation received an initial order for 2,244 vehicles in a contract worth US$1.06B. According to the United States Marine Corps program officer for MRAP, Brigadier General Michael Brogan, the Oshkosh M-ATV was chosen because it had the best survivability and Oshkosh had the best technical and manufacturing capabilities of all the competitors. The Oshkosh bid was also the second cheapest. The first vehicles arrived in Afghanistan in October 2009 and were to be delivered by March 2010. Additional contracts increased M-ATVs orders to 8,108 as of September 2010. Beginning in 2009, 8,700 M-ATV vehicles were purchased by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Special Operations Command for use in Afghanistan. As part of the overall divestiture of the wartime MRAP fleet, the U.S. Government will keep about 5,600 M-ATVs, with some 250 vehicles for SOCOM. M-ATVs are being re-fitted at government depots upon their return from combat, with Oshkosh providing parts and technical expertise. The company is also working on a series of safety, survivability, and mobility upgrades for the vehicles, including suspension upgrades and a new communications suite for international customers that would allow them to integrate more and different radios onto the platforms. The M-ATV utilizes the MTVR chassis and TAK-4 suspension with the Plasan designed armoured hull developed for the Northrop Grumman/Oshkosh JLTV. The V-shaped Plasan armoured hull offers protection for the occupants from IED attacks while the centrally inflated run-flat tires allow the M-ATV to travel at least 30 miles at 30 mph even if two tires lose pressure. The vehicle can also take a 7.62 mm round to its engine oil/coolant/hydraulic system and continue to drive for at least one kilometre. The Stat-X engine fire suppression system provides for further survivability. The Tak-4 suspension is coil sprung and fully independent, and offers 16 inches of travel. The M-ATV's roof mounted turret is capable of mounting weapons such as an M240 machine gun, a Mk 19 grenade launcher, an M2 Browning machine gun, a MILAN anti-tank guided missile, or a BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missile launcher. The roof weapons can be operated either from the turret by person or remotely inside the cabin with a CROWS remote weapon system. The M-ATV also features modern vehicle safety systems such as Traction control and anti-lock brakes in addition to modern creature comforts such as an HVAC system and power outlets for charging portable electronic devices. Unique among MRAP vehicles are the M-ATV's rear-hinged, aka, suicide doors. At AUVSI 2013, Oshkosh announced it will integrate the TerraMax system onto the M-ATV to allow the vehicles to be converted into unmanned ground vehicles. The goal is to use the M-ATV as an unmanned platform for route clearance and counter-IED missions by engineers. The Model The kit comes in a very nice top opening box with what looks like a photograph of the real vehicle on the front. Inside there are ten sprues of sandy coloured styrene, separate roof and bonnet parts, five rubber/vinyl tyres, two sprues of clear styrene, three sheets of etched brass and two small decal sheets. All the parts are very well moulded with no sign of flash or other imperfections, but there are quite a few moulding pips. There are a lot of parts to this kit, some of which are very small and look particularly fiddly, but that’s what you get for having lots of detail, which this kit certainly has. The kit is in fact an update of the original M-ATV kit released by Panda in 2011 but with new parts which are mostly for the CROWS II Remote Weapon System, (RWS). Because of the high suspension and large gaps between the tyres and the wheel arches these types of kit really need to have the running gear, suspension and chassis well detailed and that is exactly what Panda have provided. The build beginning with the construction of the chassis cross-members with the front one also having the four piece winch attached within the three piece box structure, whilst the rear one is fitted with several smaller parts as well as the towing hook and tow guides. The intermediate transfer box is assembled from two parts whilst the part representing the underside of the engine sump and gearbox is moulded as a single shelf like item. The cross-members, transfer box, and engine section are then sandwiched between the two longitudinal chassis rails followed by the addition of further cross-members and suspension mounts, rear differential and the drive shaft between the diff and the transfer box. The complex suspension units are now assembled, each consisting of the main supporting structure, upper and lower wishbones, ball joints, two piece springs, which would be better replaced with real ones which are easily available, cross-shafts and links. Be aware that the front and rear pairs are slightly different so keep them separate before fitting to the chassis. To each suspension unit the brake drums are attached along with the associated brake cylinders. The thing that is most notably missing are the complex nest of piping seen on the real vehicles, but these can easily be made out of fuse or lead wire. Once all four suspension units are fitted to the chassis the main drive shaft is fitted between the rear transfer box and the front differential followed by the two underside cross braces that fit between each pair of suspension units. Now at this point the instructions call for the wheels to be assembled and fitted. But it’s probably best to leave the fitting part till after painting. Each wheel is made up of inner and outer hubs which are glued together before the vinyl tyres are fitted over the rims. [/ce Construction now moves onto the bodywork and the crew compartment in particular, with the assembly of the rear cabin bulkhead with its accessories such as the fire extinguisher, some pipework and brackets. The front bulkhead is then attached to the main cabin floor, followed by the instrument binnacle, onto which the instrument decals are positioned along with the etched stitches and knobs.. Between the front seats is a complex framework which looks like it should contain radio equipment or the like, whist between the rear seats is a similar structure, but a lot less complex. Each of the four seats is assembled from the underseat frame, backrest, squab and headrest. These are further detailed with a rear framework, arm-rests, and handles. The four seats are then glued into their respective positions along with the co-drivers LCD screen, which fits on the front console. The cabin is then attached to the chassis along with the rear bulkhead. To the rear the truck bed is fitted along with the two mudguards foreward of the rear wheels. Next, the four wheel arch liners are attached, each with several etched parts attached. Onto the rear wheel arches two three part storage boxes are glued into place. The large frame that is fitted to the rear of the vehicle is assembled and this included the rear mudguards, reflectors, and aerial base support. To the frame the various communication and anti-IED aerials are fitted before the whole assembly is attached to the chassis. The spare wheel mounting frame is then assembled and fitted to the rear of the truck bed fooled by the spare wheel itself. Each of the four doors are single piece items, to which the clear parts are added which represent the armoured glass by having them fitted to a deep frame. The door large internal door handles are then attached as are the wing mirrors fitted to the front doors. The forward IR sight is then built up form five parts and then fitted to the front of the single piece cabin, followed by the fitting of the doors. If you’d like to show the interior it’s best to pose the doors open, as there isn’t much of a view through the small windows. Once the smaller items such as roof mounted lights, several brackets, the font windscreens and windscreen wipers the whole cab assembly is fitted to the chassis. Whilst on the underside the three sections of the anti-mine, “V” armour is fitted to the centre section, between the wheels. Nearing the end of the actual vehicle build the bonnet is fitted out with the, headlights, sidelights and front wheel arches PE grille before being fitted to the model. There is another anti-IED device, which looks like a stiff flag is assembled and fitted to the front of the vehicle. The last assembly to be built is that of the CROWS II RWS, the hatch of which is fitted to the roof of the vehicle and can have the two doors posed open should the modeller wish. The CROWS II itself is a series of sub assemblies, such as the IR lights, sights, and comes with a choice of weapons and their respective mountings, one for an automatic 40mm grenade launcher and the other for a good old 50cal heavy machine gun. Both mountings are detailed with ammunition belts, and ammunition boxes. With the lights and sights fitted the whole assembly is attached over the roof mounted hatch. The last items to be fitted are the seven parts that make up another large aerial fitted to the co-drivers side wing. Decals The small decal sheets provide lots of placards, the computer screens, instruments, window surrounds, and ID numbers. The have been printed in house and look pretty good, with very little carrier film, but do feel quite thick. Conclusion The assortment of light and medium vehicles that have been born through experience both in Iraq and Afghanistan has been quite amazing and there are quite few now released in model form. I think this one will sit quite nicely with others in the genre. It looks to be quite a fiddly build and I’ve heard that the fit isn’t always perfect, but with a bit of work and some additional details such as the extensive pipework and some crew kit it will look very good indeed. It would also make a good basis as a centrepiece of a diorama. Highly recommended Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops