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Right, with the M3 Stuart almost done, I'm considering these to build next. Originally I was going to build the MRC/AFV Club OH-58D but I#m waiting on some nice resin crew figures to arrive. Here are the candidates... First up and my favorite is the Old Tamiya Chieftain and just a touch of AM. And then or the same era is the M-60... same drills with the AM, this one I've been collecting the detail stuff for a few years. I'm leaning toward the Chieftain ? Regards Dan

Hi all, I don`t build many choppers, I`d like to but they take up too much room, but when this became available cheap I couldn`t resist it. was actually the German and French boxing, so had to raid the decal stash for the markings added one or two missing details in the cockpit but mostly OOB left the rotor blades detachable for storage Hope you enjoy, thanks for looking Cheers Russ

Was at a loss over Christmas and just a bit busy as one would expect ... Dah, Dah Dah!!! and NO MODELLING HUH! Comes the weekend and I'm getting withdrawal symptons so 'what shall I build? My newly aquired: Merit Models M19 Diamond T? Sweeeeettttt!!! Miniart European Tram? Gorgeous or what? HobbyBoss Soviet AT-1 SPG? Argh, Kasten type track! or THIS.......... Yep, You guessed it OK, so it's a TRUCK you say, but I haven't really done a truck for quite a while but it's a very full box (NO CANOPY though, which is a bit disappointing ) And I need my junkie fix or I'll explode. So here goes..... I actually started this on 30th December and this is where I am tonight... I hope you like the build and I'll update as I get to cardinal points. 2nd January 2014: I proceeded with the PE The PE attached to the formers and fixed to the chassis - this is surprisingly easy due to the 'soft' PE supplied, no need to anneal it (it will dissolve! ) and have test assembled the basic cab and cargo deck This is the current state of play - more later 4th January 2014 - It's now later The wheels are together (not fixed to chassis due to painting) and all touch the ground - Result! A minor issue has arisen: Whilst the rear axle builds really well, the spigot from the axle onto which the wheel mounts is too small for the hole in the wheel hub (or, the hole in the hub is too big) - whichever works for you! I have wrapped the spigot with 5 thou using an old plastic straw and this seems to have resolved the issue - all is right with the world! Soon be time for paint, just the fiddly bits now. 19th January 2014 I know, it's been a few days since my last confession - life sometimes gets in the way of modelling As promised, the 'twiddly bitz' are now done - remember this kit is OTB - and all the sub-assemblies are now finally ready for paint The carpet monster has eaten one piece of PE but I hope to find it shortly (I have a tile floor!) It's lunchtime now but will try to get the undercoat on by teatime today. 26th January 2014 - I've been throwing some paint around OK, Yes, I know the chassis is a lot shiny but I have the gloss finish to achieve the desired effect. Following the decal application the chassis will get a coat of Satin Varnish to seal everything in and 'knock back' the chassis to a more realistic effect. More later and soon to move to 'Ready for Inspection' - WooHoo I'm about to finish a model quickly - for those who know me they'll be stunned!!!

Hi everyone, just finished the last of my Roden 1/48 Mohawks Done as an aircraft of 131st AVN Company, Vietnam, 1969 Built OOB apart from a few bits of wire and card and a bucket of lead shot to keep the nose down still didn`t quite manage to avoid decal silvering, but best result yet... putting them straight down onto microsol and hitting with hair dryer. Thought I`d also show the rest of the collection so far; all Roden 1/48, first the OV-1A adding a bit of colour with the `Hi Vis` markings next is my previous OV-1C with the shark teeth and flare dispensers at the wing root and finally my previous effort the JOV-1A that you may remember seeing Hope you enjoy looking at, All Mohawked out, Cheers Russ

Kit: 1/72 Dragon M4A3 105mm 8th Tank Batallion, 4th Armoured Division, France 1944 Kit base from an old Matchbox kit (M24 Chaffeee) Thanks for your interest!

Here there is my try at this old Esci model, reissued by Italeri. It has some inaccuracies, but it is a interesting model. I needed a Dodge truck for my wargaming, but buying just the kit of a truck is always a bit dull, and sometimes quite expensive. When I saw the version with anti-tank "power" for a good price, I didn't think twice. I thought that it was a new tooling by Italeri, but no, it is old school Esci. You can see more pics and a review here; http://toysoldierchest.blogspot.com/2013/06/italeriesci-m6-anti-tank-gun-motor.html

T-28 Super Heavy Tank Update Set 1:35 ET Model The T-28 from Dragon is a monster kit, and includes some nice detail from the box, not to mention a LOT of wheels! This set is designed to capitalise on that detail and improve it to give a more realistic depiction of various aspects. It comprises three sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, sized 14.5cm x9.5cm, 9.5cm2, and 9.5cm x 5.8cm, the square sheet being of a thicker gauge to the others. Additionally, there is a replacement mantlet for the kit part, with a more realistic depiction of the cast texture, and six smaller resin parts that build up into a .50cal Browning M2 for the commander's cupola. The PE sheets contain parts for a complete replacement set of tie-downs on the vehicle, including all of the pioneer tools, which will need their chunky moulded on tie-downs cut away and sanded back before use. The spare track links also get a new rack, with tie-downs for each of the links, and various brackets on the hull and sponsons are replaced with PE alternatives. The light-cluster is covered with a PE cage, and various lifting lugs are added on the rear deck. The periscopes are all upgraded with PE detail parts, and the commander's M2 machine gun is replaced completely with a resin barrel, breech and cooling jacket, which is augmented with a PE mount and a highly detailed ammo box with sections of link included, plus the bracket into which the box is mounted. There are even short lengths of PE chain attached to the retaining pins, and a pair of handles for the gun, with one spare in case you lose one. The mechanism attaching it to the C-shaped rail is complex, and replicates the mechanism faithfully. On the large removable additional track sponsons that are used to spread the immense weight of the T-28 when it is on soft ground, sets of stowage boxes are built from PE sheets, with hinge and handle detail included. On the underside of the sponsons, a large box is added, which will improve the look of the sponsons if they are to be modelled detached for transport, which allowed the tank to get places that it otherwise wouldn't be able. In order to remove these sponsons, the crew used a pair of mini-cranes that were attached to the hull at the front and rear and could be moved around six points on the tank as the need dictated. These are supplied with the kit as 6-part assemblies, but are replaced entirely by a mixture of PE and short lengths of rod. The frame of the crane is built up from parts on the thicker gauge fret, with the block and tackle laminated from a number of linked circles to give the required thickness and the impression of the cable-ways build into the rollers. The use of rod is crucial to the task here, so don't assume you'll be able to muddle through, and I'd suggest investing in some brass rod to give the assembly some extra strength. A pair of scrap diagrams show how the cable is routed, and as only tow cable is provided in the kit, you'll need to source some braided cable of a suitable thickness from somewhere - perhaps some picture framing wire? Some spare 0.2mm, 03mm, 0.5mm, 0.6mm, and 1mm rod or wire will be required to complete some of the assemblies, so make sure that you have some to hand before starting, and as mentioned above, perhaps some brass rod would be advisable. Conclusion Another great set from ET Model, who continue to produce fabulous looking sets remarkably soon after the release of new kits. The green instruction booklets are sometimes a little difficult to fathom (I hate that word), but with a short scan of the kit parts, instructions and kit instructions, it all falls into place soon enough. You will need skill with the folding and gluing of PE parts to be able to do this set justice, but the quality of the resin cast parts is almost enough to warrant the entry price alone. The texture on the mantlet part is highly realistic. Highly recommended. Available soon from White Ensign Models in the UK. Review Sample courtesy of

Hi Everyone, Here`s some pic`s of my very latest completion, my third Roden Mohawk Done as an aircraft of the 23rd Special Warfare Aviation Detacment, Vietnam, 1964 Built 99% OOB with just some seatbelts and antenna added As usual had a battle with the dreaded Roden decals, but had my best result with them so far Now contemplating options for my fourth, Hopefully I`ll have got the hang of them by then ! Been hooked on these since reading "Whispering Death" by Robert Curry Hope you enjoy looking at

M109A2 Update Set (for Kinetic) 1:35 Eduard (36230) Kinetic's new kit of the M109A2 Self Propelled Howitzer is the subject of this upgrade set, which arrives in Eduard's usual flat-pack card-backed package. Inside are two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass measuring 14cm x 7cm each, both of which are packed with parts. The main focus of the set is to detail the turret and associated parts such as the pioneer tools and crew-served machine gun. The first item to be detailed is the M2 machine gun, which has all of its moulded in detail removed and replaced with new skins, as well as a short cooling-jacket that you will need to roll into a cylinder. The handles are replaced by a PE part, which you will need too add two short lengths of 1mm diameter rod, so be prepared. A full ammo box and its support are included, and these are built up from a number of pieces to give the finished item extra detail. The turret of the M109 is festooned with pioneer tools, which have moulded in attachment points, and the turret has a large number of moulded in stops that need removing before you can upgrade the tools. A number of other details are removed at the same time, leaving the turret almost devoid of detail for a while. The turret's rear doors are detailed with new handles & padlock points, with opener detail on the inside face in case you wanted to detail the interior, while the mantlet received a cover over the top curved portion, and the top hatches get new more detailed handles to replace the moulded in lumps. The gun-ring on the circular hatch has a triangular vision block at the front, which is replaced by a folded part, which incidentally will allow you to fill the slight sink-mark that is nearby without worrying about the block getting caught. The A2 has ballistic protection on its panoramic telescope, which is added from the acetate sheet that is supplied in the set, then pinned in place with a PE surround. Gluing these on with gloss varnish might be an idea to prevent fogging. Once the various brackets are added to the turret, the side doors receive more detailed handles and an inner seal. Then the pioneer tools are attacked with a file and fresh blade to remove all the moulded in attachment points. When removed, they are replaced with highly detailed and more realistic shackles, turn-buckles and end-stops before they are added to the turret as detailed in the instructions. Some stowage boxes on the insides of the side doors are re-faced with PE, and a quartet of stowage boxes are replaced with fully PE parts that attach to the rear corners of the turret. The two jerry-cans aft of the side hatches are stripped of their retaining straps and given new ones as well as a bracket to hold them into place, and the more parts go to detailing the rear of the vehicle, adding stowage boxes, brackets, fenders and improving the front light clusters. On the front deck there are a number of engine and equipment access hatches built into the vehicle, all of which receive new handles etc., while the driver's vision blocks are updated with a new set of frames, with flip-down covers that can be posed open or closed. The fuel filler caps and the smoke generator tubes are all provided with lengths of chain to represent the "idiot cords" that stop the crew and mechanics from losing these important parts. Conclusion It's a nice set that details the exterior well, and adds some much needed realism to the upper turret, which is somewhat lacking out of the box. Review sample courtesy of