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Tamiya 1/35 Cromwell, oob. And Dragon Firefly Vc.


Jasper dog

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Hi Darryl,

I'm sorry I missed this, now that "it's on top", it's easy to see ... lol, and forced to comment, because you've done so far, a magnificent job.
Personally I like the Cromwell, the original model, and your replica, it makes me want to have one available to mount it.
I love the modulation and subsequent weathering work, and all the added material on the back looks great for my liking.
The Firefly also looks very convincing, and its modulation of tones makes it seem very interesting.
I hope to continue seeing your good progress...:popcorn:
Cheers Darryl.👍

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On 10/14/2019 at 11:23 PM, Jasper dog said:

 

Tried a new (to me) product, Ammo/Mig washable dust, perhaps got carried away.

Rather than dry and dusty looks more like driven through a river and left to dry!

Really shouldn't experiment on a kit in progress...

Hi Darryl,

Nothing wrong with experimenting with new products and techniques during a build. I do it all of the time. Your dust wash may have looked a bit OTT at first, but after further treatments that was always going to get toned down. I would have rubbed the dust back a bit with a stiff brush, leaving the dust in the nook and crannies and incidentally creating a slight sheen on the 'clean' paintwork, which I always think is a nice effect. Whatever, your Cromwell has ended up looking fantastic .

On 10/26/2019 at 9:11 AM, Jasper dog said:

stitch and hide so stretched into position and superglued onto bottom of wheels. Anyone else had tamiya rubber band tracks separating like this?

 

Tamiya aren't the only ones to suffer track problems. Nowadays I always use Friuls, but when I did use the kits' rubber bands I always played on the safe side and prepared for snappages. So I never glued the tracks to the wheels until the very end of the build. Any snappages that occured prior to this were hidden behind fenders, or were positioned under the roadwheels so that the joins could be hidden by sinking the vehicle into mud/grass.

 

Apart from all of that, it's always great to see modulation that actually shows up through the following coats.

Great job on both.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

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11 hours ago, FrancisGL said:

Hi Darryl,

I'm sorry I missed this, now that "it's on top", it's easy to see ... lol, and forced to comment, because you've done so far, a magnificent job.
Personally I like the Cromwell, the original model, and your replica, it makes me want to have one available to mount it.
I love the modulation and subsequent weathering work, and all the added material on the back looks great for my liking.
The Firefly also looks very convincing, and its modulation of tones makes it seem very interesting.
I hope to continue seeing your good progress...:popcorn:
Cheers Darryl.👍

Hi Francis,

Glad you liked. The Cromwell is a great kit and goes together so quickly and easily, typical Tamiya. I've really enjoyed these two and the modulated single colour seams to have worked quite well, more luck than anything else! However it is surprisingly easy to achieve. I read somewhere that olive drab can't be lightened with white but with yellow instead, in my case I used the colour 'new wood' just because it was to hand and kept adding it to the olive d. Best bet is to go for a finish much lighter than you want because the extra weathering stages etc will darken it.

 

Hope to progress a little further with the Firefly before I'm tempted to start something new. Next job will be tools and tracks I think before another pile of stowage to decorate. 

 

Thanks for looking in.

Darryl 

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8 hours ago, Badder said:

Hi Darryl,

Nothing wrong with experimenting with new products and techniques during a build. I do it all of the time. Your dust wash may have looked a bit OTT at first, but after further treatments that was always going to get toned down. I would have rubbed the dust back a bit with a stiff brush, leaving the dust in the nook and crannies and incidentally creating a slight sheen on the 'clean' paintwork, which I always think is a nice effect. Whatever, your Cromwell has ended up looking fantastic .

Tamiya aren't the only ones to suffer track problems. Nowadays I always use Friuls, but when I did use the kits' rubber bands I always played on the safe side and prepared for snappages. So I never glued the tracks to the wheels until the very end of the build. Any snappages that occured prior to this were hidden behind fenders, or were positioned under the roadwheels so that the joins could be hidden by sinking the vehicle into mud/grass.

 

Apart from all of that, it's always great to see modulation that actually shows up through the following coats.

Great job on both.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

Hi Badder

 

Thanks for taking the time to comment, glad you like!😅 I blame the likes of this site, until I got addicted to Brit modeller I was quite happy, now I've to play around with modulation, washes, pigments etc, etc!:wacko:

I've learned so much, not just about modelling techniques but the vehicle itself doing this wip, it's been an education. :thumbsup:

 

I don't have huge experience of making afvs so the track breakage was a new one on me. Might have to try some of these friuls, especially as someone has created a handy guide to assembling them in a Tiger wip...👍

 

Thanks again

Darryl 

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22 hours ago, Jasper dog said:

I don't have huge experience of making afvs so the track breakage was a new one on me. Might have to try some of these friuls, especially as someone has created a handy guide to assembling them in a Tiger wip...

Hi Darryl,

I'm not sure if you're referring to my Tiger WIP, but if you are, thanks. I showed my method after watching lots of videos where the modellers made their assembly an unecessarily long, complicated, and tedious process, hoping that people might find it helpful.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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12 hours ago, Badder said:

Hi Darryl,

I'm not sure if you're referring to my Tiger WIP, but if you are, thanks. I showed my method after watching lots of videos where the modellers made their assembly an unecessarily long, complicated, and tedious process, hoping that people might find it helpful.

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Hi Badder,

It most certainly was, I've saved it somewhere to refer back to as and when.

Always been put off the likes, not just because of the price but the work in creating them, however,  I might now give it a shot.

 

Thanks again

Darryl 

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They both look superb Darryl. You've got the weathering on both just right; not OTT, and not parade ground. You're right about the commander figure. It is undersized. They made the same mistake with the 1/48th Cromwell also. Don't be put off by the Fruilmodel tracks. They are easier than you think. If they weren't, I wouldn't use them.

 

John.

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On 12/11/2019 at 16:37, Bullbasket said:

They both look superb Darryl. You've got the weathering on both just right; not OTT, and not parade ground. You're right about the commander figure. It is undersized. They made the same mistake with the 1/48th Cromwell also. Don't be put off by the Fruilmodel tracks. They are easier than you think. If they weren't, I wouldn't use them.

 

John.

Well I think I've been convinced, as if I need any excuse to buy extra "goodies" for them!:idea:

 

Thanks for the kind comments re the weathering, as I might have said earlier somewhere, if it wasn't for BM and all its contributers I'd still be brush painting them with straight humbrol 30!

 

If I can get around to it might even try a simple base for the RFI.

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20 hours ago, PlaStix said:

Absolutely stunning painting and weathering! Exceptionally well done! :worthy:

Kind regards,

Stix

Thanks Stix, far to kind, I think luck has an awful lot to do with it, not to mention shamelessly pinching other folks ideas/techniques!:winkgrin:

 

(Best not get too carried away, plenty of opportunities to screw up the Firefly yet!)

 

Thanks again

Darryl 

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Slightly off topic but...The British Sherman mk II is this the M4 A1? Just asking as I've seen some decals for a North African based Mk II and foolishly it's got the old grey matter going..... (as if I'm short of kits to build!):hmmm:

If so will the eduard rebox of the tasca M4 do, I have one of those acting as expensive loft insulation. 

 

Thanks

Darryl 

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Here's a cross reference list US to British:

 

M4 - Sherman I (small hatch only, with exception of 105 mm Howitzer version that had large hatch hulls)

M4 Hybrid - Sherman I hybrid

M4A1 - Sherman II (initially only small hatches, but later large hatch hulls with 76 mm gun were issued particularly in Italian campaign)

M4A2 - Sherman III (small hatch only, the large hatch versions were never issued to British units)

M4A3 - Sherman IV (not used by British except for some trials)

M4A4 - Sherman V

 

The British system also includes a suffix that denotes the gun type:

 

No suffix - 75 mm gun

Suffix A - 76 mm gun

Suffix B - 105 mm howitzer

Suffix C - 17 pdr gun (Firefly)

 

The Eduard kit is a small hatch M4A1 without direct vision slots, these were used in Normandy, mostly by 4th Armoured Brigade.

 

The M4A1 was used extensively by Commonwealth forces in N Africa and Italy but photographs show they had the direct vision slot in the front of the drivers and machine gunners hoods.

 

Hope this helps.

 

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I'm away from home at the moment so haven't got access to the relevant info, but I believe that there was another set of suffixes to indicate what suspension was used, VVSS or HVSS.

 

John.

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Hi Ant, well that's fairly clear, I think!

 

They didn't believe in making things simple, with or without direct vision,  big or little hatches, welded or cast hulls, silly old me thinking, M1A1 after market decals and voila Sherman II :doh:

 

Think I'll need to ascertain what is a large hatch and a small hatch, might be an easier bet to find a dedicated Sherman II. (And I'm not needing any more kits to insulate the house with either....)

 

Thanks again though, that's a very handy guide I shall keep to refer back to.

 

Darryl 

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Firefly: aftermarket tracks, AFV Club, fitted, thought might have been a touch tight but stretched ok even once painted. (Still a little wary as one of the drive wheels weak since breaking earlier). Coat of black primer, then humbrol rattlecan gunmetal followed by a coat of ak trackwash which has given a slight brownish hue, still need further weathering but ok for mo. Same treatment applies to spare track links on front of hull.

Various tools painted and secured on rear deck, also discovered the odd location hole that isn't required which will need to be hidden. spacer.png

 

Shelf made/cut to go across the transmission casing ready to accept a little stowage once painted etc.

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

Basically its waiting for some stowage, figures and hatches. Stowage will be a combination of whatever's knocking around, boxes, Jerry cans, etc etc. Figures will probably be courtesy of Miniart as there ain't much choice around and I still have half a set somewhere. (Unlike aeroplanes I always think a vehicle needs one or two). Once figures sorted I can affix hatches.

 

Edging closer to the finish line, time to be contemplating the next one (providing the dodgy drive wheel doesn't collapse)...

 

Thanks for looking 

Darryl 

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Looking most excellent Darryl!

I'm always a bit 'confused' over what colour to paint spare tracks. If they are truly spares, they've never been used, so do they look brand new, or would they have rusted slightly? Yes, they'd get mud/dust on them, but to a lesser extent than the running tracks. And ome spare tracks were painted with a black protective coat.  I've been getting around this problem for the past couple of years by painting my models with winter whitewash lol. I

 

I just wondered. Maybe @Bullbasket could help me, and you on this issue?

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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11 hours ago, Soeren said:

Very nice. The green on both tanks makes them look really metallic. 

 

8 hours ago, Redcoat2966 said:

Really nice Darryl.....I agree with Soeren. For me, Allied green is a very hard colour to do, and not the most interesting colour to create depth with at this scale. I think u have created a nice effect all over.....👍

Thanks chaps, it's all part of the learning curve and if you've enjoyed it then all the better. 

 

Must try and create a small base for them both.

 

Cheers

Darryl 

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Lovely finish Darryl. You've got just the right effect with the worn appearance of the SCC15.

And to answer @Badder 's query about spare tracks, I wouldn't put rust on them as I believe that they were made from an alloy that didn't rust. I paint mine a very dark grey and then weather them with whatever suitable pigments are required.

 

John.

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7 hours ago, Badder said:

Looking most excellent Darryl!

I'm always a bit 'confused' over what colour to paint spare tracks. If they are truly spares, they've never been used, so do they look brand new, or would they have rusted slightly? Yes, they'd get mud/dust on them, but to a lesser extent than the running tracks. And ome spare tracks were painted with a black protective coat.  I've been getting around this problem for the past couple of years by painting my models with winter whitewash lol. I

 

I just wondered. Maybe @Bullbasket could help me, and you on this issue?

 

Rearguards,

Badder

Hi Badder, thanks you, very kind.

 

As for the spare track links, I've seen preserved examples painted black and I can imagine a parade ground situation with them being painted.

For me, I decided bare metal (for right or wrong), that has oxidised and weathered a bit. Due to it's composition it doesn't rust and has a goldy-brown hue, admittedly looking at the pics you don't see much gold in it but that was the idea.

 

(Don't think I want to open the can of worms that is track colour and weathering, suspect I can hear hobby-horses being tethered outside that saloon as I type!)

 

If necessary I can always hide under cam net or stowage but your probably right Bullbasket might have the answer!

 

All the best

Darryl 

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Looks nice!, 

With the equipment you add, it sure looks even better, just like the Cromwell.
The response trcks, for me, have a correct color, although I imagine that a vehicle on the eastern front, used for a while, perhaps, would have more rust ... (I like to think about it ... lol)...:popcorn:

Cheers Darryl 👍

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On 18/11/2019 at 07:54, Bullbasket said:

Lovely finish Darryl. You've got just the right effect with the worn appearance of the SCC15.

And to answer @Badder 's query about spare tracks, I wouldn't put rust on them as I believe that they were made from an alloy that didn't rust. I paint mine a very dark grey and then weather them with whatever suitable pigments are required.

 

John.

Thanks John, apologies for the delay in replying, lost track of where I was up to.

 

I always, for whatever, reason feel the final outcome is as much good luck rather than by  design. However I can't stress to much that it is only through following builds,  like your own, and having input along the way through the wip that the result is what it is.

 

I think you're quite correct re' the tracks btw.

 

Forgot to ask, did you have a good trip to Telford? 

 

(Had hoped to go this year but I was needed at home).

 

Cheers

Darryl

On 18/11/2019 at 10:52, FrancisGL said:

Looks nice!, 

With the equipment you add, it sure looks even better, just like the Cromwell.
The response trcks, for me, have a correct color, although I imagine that a vehicle on the eastern front, used for a while, perhaps, would have more rust ... (I like to think about it ... lol)...:popcorn:

Cheers Darryl 👍

 

Hi Francis, glad you like. Must get the stowage painted and secured so I can get it finished.

 

I suspect German and Russian tracks each having there own metallic compositions would "age" differently. Chances are they would wear out and be replaced, possibly before any "corrosion" could manifest itself. Read somewhere that track pins (German anyway) had to be changed after a specified mileage (just can't remember how many).

Track colour is can of worms, if it looks right and you like it what else matters?

 

I Have a technique that I use, prime, spray gunmetal like colour, track wash and then weathering with pigments or mud that are appropriate with the model in question. Might not be correct but...... it's my model and I can do what I like with it! :bleh:

 

Thanks

Darryl 

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On 23/11/2019 at 07:25, Jasper dog said:

Forgot to ask, did you have a good trip to Telford? 

'Morning Darryl. Yes, had a great time at Telford. One of my most successful, competition wise. Also, one where I spent the least money. I don't know how that happened!:hmmm:.

 

John.

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14 hours ago, Bullbasket said:

'Morning Darryl. Yes, had a great time at Telford. One of my most successful, competition wise. Also, one where I spent the least money. I don't know how that happened!:hmmm:.

 

John.

Glad Telford was a success for you, anything we've seen here on BM?

 

Quite the conundrum re spending, relief to come away with a wallet intact but all those missed bargains / essential purchases.....

You should be commended for your restraint. :clap:

 

Darryl 

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