TimV1969 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Just for a change, I thought I wouldn't do a helicopter for a group build (although there's a Puma waiting in the stash that I might start next!) - so my pick will be the Scorpion which I've had for quite a while without quite finding the inspiration to build. As far as I can see it dates back to 1975 (hence the 1973 decal options) so should be quite eligible. So, obligatory box and sprue shots: I probably won't do too much extra to it for this build, and I'll probably represent a fairly early Scorpion, and I have the Osprey book for reference, and photos of a few real ones, including the one at Cosford. One thing that is clear to me that I'll need to scratch-build some additional storage bins, at least! But first, I'll follow the instructions and start with the running gear. More to follow... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjwomack Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Can a tank be cute? Probably not the image of fear and projection of force that's intended, but I always thought the Scorpion was cute! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Welcome aboard @TimV1969 and a great subject! 👍 Look forward to the build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 It's nice to see some more armour in the GB mix Tim. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 This has suddenly brought back an old childhood memory... ...hands up if you had one of these. 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 31 minutes ago, BIG X said: This has suddenly brought back an old childhood memory... ...hands up if you had one of these. I seem to remeber i had something that was like a bond bug type affair that came with wings.... ahhhh the memories...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 I think my brother had the action man Scorpion. A bit bigger than the Airfix one! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepboy Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 11 hours ago, BIG X said: This has suddenly brought back an old childhood memory... ...hands up if you had one of these. Always wanted it and had to make do with the Ferret. I was still happy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 On 7/21/2018 at 11:55 AM, BIG X said: This has suddenly brought back an old childhood memory... ...hands up if you had one of these. I always wanted one but never had one! Now I've done a bit of research I see that like Airfix, Action Man also copied the 4 headlights of the prototype, it's just a bit more obvious in 1/6 scale... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Just a bit of progress this weekend - a trip to the Silverstone Classic on Friday meant I've spent a lot of time editing photographs, and it's too hot to do much anyway! So, wheels assembled and mounted: and then added to the lower hull - I also removed the integral 4 headlights which must have been a feature of the prototype but don't appear on any photograph that I've seen: I also filled in the sinkholes in the lower hull sides, which seem to be the only visible sinkholes in the kit, which seems pretty good to me. Next steps - wondering what to do about the headlights - early ones appear to hang down from the waistline, later ones are above the waistline and mounted in boxes? Also deciding whether to keep the flotation screens - I suspect I will as an early one will be in keeping with the nostalgic theme of this group build. Tim 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted July 29, 2018 Author Share Posted July 29, 2018 Didn't have time to do anything during the week but then a wet weekend gave me loads of opportunity so I: Considered whether I needed any internal detail and decided that all that might be visible was the inside of the turret if I left a hatch open with a crewman in it. Obviously to do that properly would mean opening up an actual turret ring, mounting the turret differently, etc, so I decided the easy route was an optical illusion. So I painted the turret interior white, then masked a hole in the centre and painted that dark grey, to give the illusion of the shadow of an actual interior: (in fact test-fitting my possible figure, in the commanders' hatch, indicates you can't even see that, but it was worth trying I think. Then I got a bit carried away just building it as per instructions - except I added a bit of detail to the rear-turret storage, drilled out the gun barrel and some towing and other rings, drilled out the rear exhaust and fitted a 1mm aluminum tube: Keeping the superstructure and lower hull separate at this point so I can paint them separately before fitting the tracks. Just as well as I then realised, looking at reference photographs, that the front mudguards were rarely fitted (if indeed they survived the prototype/acceptance phase) so I removed them: Next steps: I think I just need to scratchbuild a fire extinguisher to mount on the left/front upper turret panel, and then I can start priming. I will fit the early headlights that hang down from the 'waistline' - I've read that these were originally 5" sealed-beam units that were later upgraded to 7" ones. No wonder they were later improved on - I don't remember 7" sealed-beams being that effective on a classic Mini, let alone on something somewhat bigger and only slightly slower... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 great progress! 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 Quick update before disappearing for a long weekend (Cambridge Folk Festival!); sub-assemblies primed: and then body airbrushed with Humbrol 102 (my favoured approximate match for IRR green) and tracks brush-painted Humbrol 53 as a basis for further washes and painting: (apologies for picture quality on that one - combination of a camera phone and low sun...) so those base coats will have plenty of time to dry before further painting, etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 On 21/07/2018 at 11:55, BIG X said: This has suddenly brought back an old childhood memory... ...hands up if you had one of these. I did! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 (edited) On 21/07/2018 at 12:28, Lawzer said: I seem to remeber i had something that was like a bond bug type affair that came with wings.... ahhhh the memories...... I had that as well - some kind of transformable assault boat/plane if I remember correctly. Apologies for the thread hijack - excellent progress so far. Really neat and tidy job! Edited August 1, 2018 by badger 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I bought my nephew the 'rigid dinghy' a few years back and threw in a very realistic 'rubber shark' - he just didn't 'get it' - kids today - they have no imagination. I would have gone wild for ACTION MAN in his scuba gear - battling a shark - it was a REALLY good shark. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 Made a bit of progress last weekend - aided by the miserable weather outside! - and fitted the tracks, eventually (I'm not the first person to find out they're not long enough, and I ended up scratch-building an extra link each side, and supergluing everything in place, to get them to fit. I also had to mostly repaint the tracks after fitting them, my plan of using Halfords Plastic Primer didn't make the paint stick at all. I then added a random black pattern: I then picked out the metal parts of the moulded-on tools in satin black, scratch-built some wing mirrors, added some headlamps, added decals (from the kit, plus small union flags from an aftermarket sheet) and test-fitted my commander figure (from the waist-up, he's actually from the Matchbox LRDG set, with added headphones!): next steps: lots of weathering! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV1969 Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 A bit of weathering - mostly pan pastels - over the tracks and lower surfaces, and a wash over the commander's DPM to tone it down a bit, and I'm calling it done. It's been a fun build (and reminds me of building one when I was a kid, I think I might have won second prize in a model-making competition at our local department store for that one!), so much so that I bought another one on ebay while I was building it, for a future project - maybe converted into a Striker or Samson? Anyway, for now: And, because I haven't got a suitable 1970s diorama or backdrop for photography, a side view of an otherwise-ruined Cafe... "Over there!" 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Great end result Tim and thanks for the trip down memory lane with such a little classic - Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 That's really come up nicely Tim. Well modelled and photographed. Looking forward to the Puma build as well. Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 Great end result! 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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