Australia Day long weekend quick build - Australian Matilda - ***Completed 25/1/2016***

[SimonL]

So for my next project I thought I would have a go at some armour - my second AFV build. I have chosen the Airfix 1/76 scale Matilda, with plan to be to finish it as a quick build of an Australian vehicle over the Australia Day long weekend.

Box top and sprue shots:

The decal sheet (so much smaller than the aircraft ones I am used to!):

And here is the scheme I intend to build:

So far I know I will need to adjust the hight of the cupola (thanks SleeperService), but my main concern is the colour. Darkish (jungle?) green seems to be the general consensus on the various websites I have looked at. I have checked http://www.mafva.net/other%20pages/starmer%20camo.htm and the suggestion is for SCC116 Very dark drab for the Far East however I cannot find a recipe for the Tamiya acrylics I use and I don't know whether this would also be suitable for Australian vehicles - any advice that could be given would be very welcome!

I also have to mess with vinyl tracks, which I gather can be awkward, so any advice on how to deal with them would be very helpful.

Edited January 25, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

The tracks shouldn't be too much of a problem on this one as the running gear is largely enclosed.....CA & Accellerator should see you through.

This kit is not very accurate as an Australian Matilda OOTB.....The Australian machines had a low profile cupola and a number of other modifications:

I believe the second picture is of an Australian Matilda CS.

[SimonL]

Thanks, I was aware of cupola, and I was going to have a bash at scratch building some of the other details (like mesh over the engine area and not fitting the extra fuel tank.) those covers at the front of the tracks don't appear to have been fitted on all occasions, see for example https://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/structure/army-cavalry/

Edited January 21, 2016 by SimonL

[PlaStix]

I will follow this with interest. I picked one of these up for £3 in a toy shop sale a while back. I've seen a couple of finished models on BM - it seems to make up into quite a nicely detailed Matilda.

[SimonL]

Thanks Stix.

Just gathering my thoughts before starting.

I intend to cover the rear of the tank with something to simulate the wire mesh that appears to have been on some tanks.

I have an off cut of some fly screen and some metallic cloth mesh:

The fly screen is obviously over scale, but I think it looks better than the cloth, what do folk think?

Then the matter of green. Just quickly painted some swatches of all the greens I have to see what they look like. I know with weathering and washes the paint scheme will end up darker, so I am tending towards the Tamiya Nato Green XF 67. Unscientific I know, but what does the collective think? Any better suggestions?

Edited January 21, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Of those, XF-61 would be my choice, probaly lightened slightly with a sandy colour knowing me (I almost never use anything straight out of the pot).

[fatfingers]

XF13 Japanese Army Green is a nice strong shade and not too dark either. It also weathers nicely. I've used it on a number of builds over the years for British and Commonwealth armour.

Regards,

Steve

[SimonL]

Thanks. Think I will go with the XF13 option as this is intended as a quick build.

[SimonL]

Its Friday evening and the weekend begins!

First the wheels. Pretty fiddly, but actually not that bad in the end. The outside part of the tracks was just dry fitted so that the wheels would all dry in the more or less correct position.

I then assembled the turret. I reduced the size of the cupola by sanding the ring down as far as I dared. Probably still a bit high, but better than before. Turret went together well, just needs a bit of surfacer to fill a few rough seams.

I VERY carefully drilled out the main armament (thought I was going to go cross-eyed). I didn't go very far, just an indentation really, but hopefully it will be enough to take a bit of dark wash and give the impression of a gun barrel.

Then I attended to the tracks - a combination of a hot hobby knife and superglue gel seemed to do the business. And they fit :-)

Glued a few bits onto the main upper part of the hull, and checked the turret fitted (it did)

I glued the lower hull parts together, they fitted very well.

Thats it for this evening. Tomorrow I need to clean up the main hull parts as there is a bit of flash (visible in the last photo) and I have to nip out the the local hobby shop to pick up some paint.

Edited January 22, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Nice, your cupola looks very good to me.

I'd add a drop of matt black paint to the gun barrel rather than wash which can be a bit too translucent.

[SimonL]

Thanks Sarge!

Ok started early this morning,

First a dry fit of the main components to see what they looked like - answer pretty good!

Then made some detail from stretched sprue for the front of the hull:

I gather the engine exhaust piping was covered by asbestos wrapping, so to give an impression of this I wrapped thin strips of Tamiya masking tape around those parts.

Not very tidy, but then the photos I have seen it doesn't look terribly tidy there. When I get to painting them I will paint them a cream colour which I hope will look good when given a wash of raw umber. The exhaust outlets had a slight indentation, so increased the depth a bit with a pin vice.

Then a short break while I went out for coffee and the shops with my daughter. Picked up the paint at the same time. While fossicking around in a charity shop I found a small travel mirror (which my daughter found useful), more useful to me was that it came in a wire mesh "bag" - which I think will be perfect for representing the wire mesh over the engine.

So I painted the main parts XF13, and fitted the tracks after painting them with XF84 Dark Iron. Tracks went on OK, but they did have some of the paint flake off. After touching up, I dry brushed with XF56 Metallic Grey, not bothering to worry about the part of the track that won't be visible. I Blu-tacked some fishing weights to the bottom hull to give a bit of weight and then I glued the hull parts together. Needed a bit of help with tape to hold the parts together. I also hollowed out the smoke grenade launchers with careful application of a pin vice.

It will need a bit of Mr Surfacer here and there, however a pretty good fit for such an old kit.

While at the hobby shop I also picked up some Tamiya TS80 Flat Clear spray to try out for final matt coats - anybody got any advice on using it? I know I need to protect the paint and decals with a good coat of floor polish.

Edited January 23, 2016 by SimonL

[SimonL]

Pushed on a bit further, sort out the few gaps and then touched up the paint work.

I am not fitting the fuel tank, as it appears from photos of Australian Matilda's that they were often left off. That required some filling and minor modifications at the back with some plastic card.

A few minor touch ups and detail painting to do and then it will be on the gloss coat, decals and then weathering.

Edited January 23, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Have to say XF-13 looks a pretty good choce for the colour.....Really coming together well now.

If you take a look at the second photo I posted above you can see the fellow in the foreground is talking into a telephone, this lives in a box on the back of the Matilda and was used to direct the tanks fire....I may be able to find a photo of it, if you don't have one?

[SimonL]

Thanks, and yes please - although the one I am building I don't think is a CS version, so would that matter?

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Funny you should ask, I've been looking into it and TBH not really getting anywhere.....The Aussies used their Matildas in teams to brutalise bunkers, the CS would lay smoke allowing gun tanks to move around the flanks and blow the back doors off, then a Frog would finish up.

My assumption is that all the tanks involved would have infantry telephones, the CS certainly did because we can see matey using it.....But so far, no picture of the damned box (and I'm absolutely certain I've seen one somewhere)!

However I did find this PB album, which may be of some use: http://s221.photobucket.com/user/heatseeker64/media/deck6.jpg.html for almost anything except infantry telephones!

[SimonL]

Thanks, I found the same photos elsewhere: http://armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=135446

I am going to assume this guy is correct about the PSP over the engine (that is they were unique to 2/9th tanks) as that is well beyond my capabilities :-) (especially with wanting to finish by the end of the weekend.)

I agree with you about the phone, I guess I can add it later put for the time being will push on!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

OK, sorted....Looks like they all had them and it's a box on the left rear hull:

"The Australians made a number of general changes to the Matilda, including giving it an armoured turret ring and installing a cast shield over the front of each track to stop undergrowth getting into the tracks and suspension. An infantry tank telephone was fitted at the left-rear of the tank to allow for easy communication between the tank commander and the troops he was supporting."

Fairly sure it's the oddly shaped box seen on the left fender of this Frog:

Interesting page on Australian Markings (Still no phones, starting to wish I'd never mentioned it. ): http://www.mheaust.com.au/Aust/Research/Matilda/Markings%20WW2.htm

[SimonL]

Hmmmmm, that may also be beyond my limited capabilities, I'll have a bash. Not going to worry about the turret ring, bit late for that now! Nice guidance on the metal mesh on the rear deck and the weathering though!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I've been trawling through the ML Allied DG for postings related to Australian Matildas, they are mostly dead ends and the guy who seems best informed on the subject hasn't posted since 2012.....Based on this quote:

"Out of interest, you might have noticed an ammo box on the rear left-hand mudguard (see for example 090320, 090351,091232, 091029) - this was used to hold a tank-infantry telephone, and seems like it may have been quite common in the 2/4th Armd Regt in place of the telephone box as provided in the MR Models kit."

If you enter the numbers listed into the search bar here: https://www.awm.gov.au/ in each instance it shows a Matilda with an ammo box on the rear fender, but without the oddly shaped box, so I reckon we have confirmation.....Talk about making a rod for your own back!

[SimonL]

Yep, that's very helpful for for showing the box (image 090351 in particular). That I think I can do! Just a simple rectangular box made out of plastic card should do it at this scale. There are also some boxes on the turret, probably should have a bash at them as well.

Edited January 24, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

If you model that box it limits you to a specific unit (apparently).....The markings page may be useful to help you decide whether to proceed down that route.

[SimonL]

The markings that come with the kit are of a machine from the 2/4th - which from what is written above is the unit with the ammo box phone :-)

Here is my attempt, needs a bit of sanding but I think it will work ok.

Edited January 24, 2016 by SimonL

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Result!

[SimonL]

Dry fit of the exhausts to make sure they fit with the tape on them and the ammo box

Full of zeal I also scratch built the stowage on the turret that can be seen in the photos that the Sarge kindly posted.

Now to deal with the exhaust manifold at the back of the tank. These appear to have got pretty rusty.

A couple of days ago I stuck an old used Brillo pad in some water, and it now looks like this:

I then mixed up a paste with some floor polish and daubed it on the exhaust manifold, brushing off any serious excess. Rather happy with the result. Bit over the top close up, but pretty good at a distance.

I then started the weathering process by dry brushing some Tamiya Flat Earth on the sides of the tank. I did this before the decals in case I screwed up and needed to reprint, figuring I could always mucky up the decals after applying them.

Gloss coated with floor polish and the on go the decals.

Once they had set I covered them with another coat of floor polish, left it to dry, and then gave a wash of dirty water colour over the whole tank, concentrating on crevices and around hatches and tools.

Before the water colour wash I had a Quick look to see how well the wire mesh fitted. This had previously been more or less dry brushed with Tamiya metallic grey (to avoid clogging the mesh)

Really beginning to look the part!

Edited January 24, 2016 by SimonL

[Badder]

Nice work. I assume you're going to crinkle up that mesh a bit and mould it around the details?