Meteors Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Hello chaps! I’ve been out of action for a few months, I had back surgery (again) in August, and that pretty much prevented any modelling since then. I’ve got a ton of half finished projects lying around the modelling room, but I signed up for this group build last year, so what better way to get my modelling mojo back! This GB should help provide the push and inspiration I need! So, here’s the kit I’m going to attempt to make: I picked this up at a little model show here in Sydney for only 40 bucks, about 22 quid, which is quite good. After some research I discovered it was called a ‘Super’ kit, not because of its amazing quality, but because of the incredibly high part count! There’s a lot of plastic here. Here’s a look at the complex instructions. It looks properly mental. The wheels, suspension, and idlers and all that have about 10 parts each. You can even choose to put each little bolt on the idlers: Er, no thanks, I’ll do the other option! Hopefully I can make a start on it over the next few days. Wish me luck! Tom 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Happy new year Tom, that looks a nice kit. Looks like she'll keep you busy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Lovely kit but Looks a bit over complex🙄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetifan Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Having just built my first Dragon kit I can sympathise with the daunting part count!! Hopefully it will all go together nicely and certainly is a bargain for the price you paid 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Welcome back Tom. Hope you are doing okay now. I'm glad you are going to be taking part in this GB and wow! You did really well to get that kit at that price! Looks to be an amazing amount of parts! Good luck! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 (edited) Thanks guys. Took me a few days to find time to make a start on this one, but start it I have. So what did I do first. Well, I discovered that there are two different sprues called ‘A’. I knew this was going to be a difficult build. Thes e are ‘A’ and ‘Other A’. Why couldn’t it just be another letter? So anyway, half of the return rollers are on ‘A’, and the other half on ‘Other A’. Here they are assembled, as they consist of only two parts they’re the least complicated of all the wheel bits. We have a beginning to the build! And actually, the detail is pretty good, they even have tiny writing on them. It wasn’t until I actually zoomed into this picture I could see it said Continental. They also have a huge horrid seam, which I’m guessing I should clean up, but the illustration in the instructions keeps it on there, so if anyone in the know could clarify that I’d really appreciate it! I wouldn’t want to go erasing what was supposed to be some legitimate tyre tread thing. Then what’s next? Oh, we’re onto PE already?! The idlers come in two flavours, a standard plastic one that’s two bits stuck together with a little circle bit plonked in the middle, or a sexy option which is one large plastic bit with thinner middle spokey bits, and some PE whacked on either side. And then a circle bit in the middle. (sorry, I’m a sci-fi and horror guy, this is only my third tank, I don’t know all the relevant nomenclature) I made one of each to see which I liked best. Oddly enough the left one is misaligned, even though the two plastic parts had a little toothy catchy bit where a portion of a circle is missing on the other half, you know what I’m on about, these painkillers have made my brain mush. Anyway, I quite like the look of the PE one and it wasn’t too difficult, so I’ll forge ahead with those. Cheers, Tom Edited January 4, 2019 by Meteors Spelling 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Great to see this underway. I was going to say I rather liked the appearance of the one with the PE and then you mentioned the misalignment of the one on the left! Good job they are not difficult to do! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 Thanks, Stix. Let’s try doing a sprocket now. Right, part A38, which of my two ‘A’ sprues is that on.....? Oh, of course, there’s a third sprue ‘A’. Mental. That annoyed me, so I thought I’d try a suspension bogey, is that what they are called? I’d found a really good build of this kit during my research, the guy did a great job of detailing each part of the process. He noted you could make it a workable suspension by omitting the glue on a couple of bits, and I’m really happy with the way this turned out!! So next I’ll try a sprocket and a road wheel, and then having done one of each I can bash them all out, which, considering that’s well over a hundred parts, will probably end up taking me at least a week! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Takes me back to an academy sherman i built last year,multiple sprues with seemingly the exact same ,or incredibly similar parts on, can be a bit frustrating,top job on the moving bogeys.tiny word of advice if you wing it , use a tiny tiny amount of glue so you can break it back down if its wrong.all the best 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Great to see more progress and the suspension units look like they should be very good once built. It is annoying sometimes the way manufacturers use multiple sprues from various boxing’s but don't make any effort to alter the lettering or even make it clearer in the instructions. Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Oh man, I’ve made two mistakes already. When trying out the two different types of idlers I glued the little middle cap thing on both, without thinking that I’d then need them both on whichever type I chose in the end! Luckily I was able to pry it off without too much damage. Mistake two was with the PE itself, I didn’t notice that the inner circle of the piece had a small lip making one front and one back, and I used the wrong one, meaning that the back which is supposed to be a full clear circle to slot into the axle now has a lip bit that will block the axle’s insertion. Shouldn’t be too bad, I’ll just file down the axle, it’s not like these needed to be workable, but it just goes to show how much attention I need to be paying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 11 hours ago, Meteors said: Oh man, I’ve made two mistakes already. Well it sounds like are getting them sorted okay. Take it slow with the next stage and make sure you check everything first! Good luck! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 Thanks Stix, I think taking it slow will be the motto of this build, this kit is a beast. So I’ve managed to get a good portion of the wheels and suspension done. Monday was good. I’m still off work because of my back, it was the wife’s first day back after maternity leave, and the kids were both at daycare. So that meant I could bring some of the modelling gear out of the garage, and set it up in front of the NFL playoffs. Sweet. I finished off the idlers, and then went to work on the sprockets, which were a nightmare with seven parts each. They were super fiddly, so it took me an hour and a bit just to do those. You have the option to add all the bolts in seperately, 24 on each sprocket. I tried one out to see what it looked like, and didn’t think it was that much more amazing that I wanted to add another hour or so to my build. Here you can see the pre-bolted one piece, and behind it the one without the bolts, and I’ve put one in there just next to the sprue gate on the left. Much of a muchness, if you ask me. After the earlier successful experiment with the suspension bogey I went ahead and made all those (8 parts per bogey), and did all the road wheels (3 parts per wheel, plus two rubber rims each). So this is what it looks like with the idlers, sprockets, return idlers, road wheels, and suspension all done. I haven’t yet done the rims for the road wheels, they have an annoying bit to clean up that’s really hard to do, so I’ll leave that for a bit, I want to start doing other stuff to actually feel like I’m building a tank! Current part count: 162. Good grief. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetifan Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Hi @Meteors looks like good progress and another american football fan, i tend to watch the college games more than NFL but great to watch while modelling because the games are so long 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 Thanks, Yetifan! Over here the college games aren’t on free TV so I don’t get to see any really. Although I did go to the college game they hosted here in 2017, Rice vs Stanford I think it was. The score was 63-7, mental! Anyway, back to the build. Things are progressing well, I’ve got most of the lower hull done. Now for a moan. As modellers I’m sure that we all appreciate attention to detail. It’s something we pride ourselves in, it’s something that the hobby requires in spades. But when the instructions lack that attention to detail it really p’s me off. Take this for example. You have to add this cylindrical piece F36 into the bottom hull to hold up the turret. We rely on the instructions to show us which bits point which way, usually because it has a knock on effect later in the build. So here’s what the picture in the instructions looks like. As you can see there’s a bit at the bottom that locks it into place, meaning there is only one definitive way this goes in. The two small bits cut out of the ring at the top are then pointing to 8 and 2, see? Here’s what it looks like when you’ve put the piece in. Those bits point to 10 and 4. That really annoys me, because now I can’t trust these instructions. And with a 1000+ part kit that worries me. I just hope there’s no major errors that bite me in the bum later on. Right, whinge over, let’s see some pics! So I added most of the back parts, minus the delicate PE chains which I’ll add right at the end. I added the suspension and the sort of armour that goes in between them. There was an odd fit issue with some of the suspensions, but I just made it so they were lined up from the side, I wasn’t bothered about them being a bit wonky underneath. I did the sprocket holder things that had so many parts that ended up just hidden underneath the shield bits. You have to add each of those bolt bits on that front shield thing individually. They’re tiny, and looking at these pics I’ve realised I forgot to do the other side! And then here’s what a side view of the suspension looks like. Here with some things to simulate rubble or something, I’d like to do a small base with the tank driving over a destroyed wall or something. And then I thought I should add the wheels to see what that looked like, and I think it looks pretty cool. So that’s where I’m up to! Tomorrow is Monday. I’m not back to work until next week, so with my wife at work and the kids at daycare I have the day to myself! I plan to get a lot done as there’s a big day of sport ahead, so I’ll set up in front of the TV again and plug away. There’s the Fulham vs Tottenham game that’s at 5am our time, so watch that on demand after the family is gone. My prediction: 3-1 to Spurs. Boo. Then there are the two NFL Divisional Championship games that will decide the two teams that make it to the Super Bowl. My prediction: it’ll be the Rams vs the Chiefs. So that’s about 6-7 hours of sport which should enable me to get a whole load of this tank done! Sorry for the mega post, life has kept me too busy for regular updates. Thanks for reading all this if you made it this far!! Tom 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoot Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Coming along nicely Tom. It looks a nice detailed kit, although it wouldn’t be a dragon kit without some sort of issue with the instructions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Well, despite the usual lack of clarity with Dragon's instructions, the actual kit looks rather good so far! It's very nicely detailed and I do like the workable suspension. Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 That kit looks like a good material, and the add-ons it includes are a great set of quality. Very good progress so far ... Cheers mate 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 Thanks for the positive feedback guys! My sporting predictions weren’t too bad, Fulham lost of course, but only 2-1, and I got one of the teams for the Superbowl right. But all that sport allowed me to get some work done, although I haven’t had a chance to touch it really since then. Here’s what she looks like at the mo. I’ve got some of the upper hull on and did the PE air intakes or whatever they are, although there are a few gunky glue bits on there, don’t look too closely! Its slow going. I don’t think I’ll be doing the option to do all the PE tool attachments, I don’t really have a good PE manipulating tool, I need some good small needle nose pliers and some tweezers with a really flat edge to bend along. So I’ll pass on that, and just use the bog standard ones, they’ll do! Then it’s on to the fun bit, the turret and the gun! One thing did occur to me though, I’ve no idea what I’m going to do about the tracks. They’re not exactly workable, they’re those magic tracks you glue together, so I’m not sure what to do about that as I’d like to have employed the working suspension. Maybe I could nick some rubber band ones off another kit and just use those. I’m not faffing about with those fruil things, this is a complicated enough build as it is! Hopefully I can have another update soon! Thanks for looking! Tom 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrancisGL Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 The PEs can be a headache, even with specific tools to work them, because even so, they require many dexterity and intuition to know where to bend them ... It can be appreciated that it is a very detailed and complicated kit, that's why it takes your time, without haste ... The tracks, must be quite difficult to assemble, but if I have not misunderstood, you want to use the suspension ?, in that case, the difficulty increases ... Cheers mate 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Hi Meteors. Great to see more progress and your PE work so far looks excellent! I do understand your concern about the smaller PE though. I often leave the very smallest parts in the packet if I can! And you are right - Magic Tracks are not usually workable - if you have some DS ones I find them to be reasonably flexible. Good luck! Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteors Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Thanks very much for the kind words guys! I’ve gotten some more done. I’ve cut and sanded all the tools and accessories for painting before attachment to the model. There were some cool jerry cans too, so I built those up. I’ve built most of the turret, which is now in its subsections, I’ll paint the inside before assembly as it has really nice detail in there. I went with open hatches to try to capture some of that. Here are some pics, I did a dry fit to see what it looks like with the turret in place, and I’m liking it, it’s given me a bit of drive to get some paint on her! Still haven’t decided whether to go panzer grey or Dak. Thanks for looking! Tom 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Stuart Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Looking very nice Tom, from what you've written, this does sound like a typical Dragon kit - umpteen ways to get it together, but try understanding the instructions 🤔😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Hi Tom, That really does look very impressive! Lovely detail. Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Hi Tom. Have you had chance to do anything more on this project? Kind regards, Stix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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