PhilHendry Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 Hi folks, I've never posted a model on here before... And it's been a while since I last built anything to completion (the last was an IDF M579 Macha"G Fitter in 2017). Anyway, a month or so ago, I found myself at a loose(ish) end, and felt like building something. British armour has long been my main interest really (though I'm very interested in the IDF's vehicles), and I really like 'oddities' - like the Archer. It's taking me a while for a kit which (at least as far as sticking it together is concerned) practically 'falls together' due to excellent Tamiya design and kit engineering. Partly, that's down to the difficulty of 'finding' all the bits I needed to build it as a wee bit more that OOB, partly down to it being open-topped (why the heck did I pick Archer) and the difficulty of working out how to build and paint it with the interior finished to a decentish standard, and partly because my mental health isn't fantastic, and consequently at times I struggle to make the decisions and actually do the thing. Anyway, here's where I'd got to by yesterday evening. I have now stuck the gun in place, and the ammo; about to start work on decals, detail painting, and weathering on the outside. I hope I can keep up the standard, and that I manage to keep at it - it's feeling pretty daunting right now. 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 Nice start coming together very nicely Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Juliet Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 1 hour ago, PhilHendry said: "...at times I struggle to make the decisions and actually do the thing..." You're not alone Phil! Really nice model - impressed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Hi, interior looks good, be interesting to see this come on. Atb Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 I like the look of this, I've long fancied an Archer, they're cool in a weird way I reckon. I'll follow along if I may? Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Really nice work so far - I can’t wait to see the exterior. Excellent stuff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 (edited) Thanks guys. Well, I’ve completed the interior... And you can see damn-all of what I’ve done because of the gun breech and associated kit {hollow laugh}. Now for the ‘outside’... Made a cable reel for the (empty) holder. Fiddled with tow cables. Found some stowage, which I’ll paint up... Heck, I know I’ve got a box of really nice Jerrycans somewhere? Where on earth did I put them? I’m guessing they’re in the house somewhere! What’s actually bothering me is markings. Being perverse (note, I didn’t say perverted), I don’t want to use the kit decals... I want to do my own thing! Choice of two - 97th AT Regiment (15th Scottish Division); 59th AT Regiment (43 Wessex Div). Div sign is fine, as is the AOS marking (46 on red over blue). But tactical markings - AAAARRRGGHHH! I understand the basics of the system - little red squares which move around the blue square to show which battery, but the troop/gun numbering system seems to have been designed especially to give modellers headaches... And it doesn’t seem to have been standardised - well, it probably was, but of course there are probably as many exceptions as there are rules. One gun in one troop in 97 Regiment seem to have used L1 (funny, I expected A, B, C); I’m almost sure I saw a picture in one of my books of a ‘C2’ in 59 Regiment - but I can’t remember where... Why doesn’t my memory do stuff like that any more? Time was I knew where to find any photo of anything, anywhere in my hundreds of books and files. HELP!! Edit: Well, things are looking up - at least I’ve found the Jerrycans now - Miniart ones. Edited August 6, 2020 by PhilHendry Adding an update. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 I did some hard thinking on my daily walk, and more or less worked it out, only for someone on Missing Lynx to have posted a diagram showing all the vehicles, so now I sort of know what I’m doing, with tactical markings at least. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Was going to suggest ML - lots of top quality gen there! I like how your Archer is coming on. The weathering on the floor of the fighting compartment looks very realistic. I know what you mean about open-topped vehicles making for a more involved build. I was going to get this kit, but I've just finished the Achilles and that's my 'SP 17pdr artillery' needs met for a VERY long time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 I've got an Achilles to build too... Fancy that's going to sit in the cupboard for quite some time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faraway Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 On 05/08/2020 at 09:57, PhilHendry said: Hi folks, I've never posted a model on here before... And it's been a while since I last built anything to completion (the last was an IDF M579 Macha"G Fitter in 2017). Anyway, a month or so ago, I found myself at a loose(ish) end, and felt like building something. British armour has long been my main interest really (though I'm very interested in the IDF's vehicles), and I really like 'oddities' - like the Archer. It's taking me a while for a kit which (at least as far as sticking it together is concerned) practically 'falls together' due to excellent Tamiya design and kit engineering. Partly, that's down to the difficulty of 'finding' all the bits I needed to build it as a wee bit more that OOB, partly down to it being open-topped (why the heck did I pick Archer) and the difficulty of working out how to build and paint it with the interior finished to a decentish standard, and partly because my mental health isn't fantastic, and consequently at times I struggle to make the decisions and actually do the thing. Anyway, here's where I'd got to by yesterday evening. I have now stuck the gun in place, and the ammo; about to start work on decals, detail painting, and weathering on the outside. I hope I can keep up the standard, and that I manage to keep at it - it's feeling pretty daunting right now. That. Looks. Amazing. Huge amount of skill has gone into that build. If I could only be half as good. How on earth have you got it to look SO real. Mud in the corners, scuffed paint, the list goes on. Don’t ever doubt your skill. Jon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 Thank you! I just sort of 'fiddled on' with a few basic techniques - squirt green paint at it; do a bit of fading by adding a bit of artist's paint to the panels and scrubbing it well in; do some detail painting; chip the paint with a sponge and Vallejo Model Color SS Camo Black; add a dark wash here and there with dark oil paint in white spirit; add some earthy pigment around the 'corners' using VMS ENML2 binder as a 'carrier'; lastly very, very, gently drybrush a dark steely metallic on the most worn bits. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, PhilHendry said: I've got an Achilles to build too... Fancy that's going to sit in the cupboard for quite some time! The Tamiya Achillies is good kit, did one earlier this year, pretty much vice free. If your interested there is a short WIP and quite possibly a RFI somewhere too Make a nice accompaniment to the Archer.. Darryl Edited August 7, 2020 by Jasper dog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 7, 2020 Author Share Posted August 7, 2020 10 hours ago, Jasper dog said: The Tamiya Achillies is good kit, did one earlier this year, pretty much vice free. If your interested there is a short WIP and quite possibly a RFI somewhere too Make a nice accompaniment to the Archer.. Darryl You’ve done a cracking job of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, PhilHendry said: You’ve done a cracking job of it. Thanks, big fan of the Tamiya Achilles, better and more accurate, apparently, than the other offerings available (AFV club and Academy) or so I've read. The AFV Club one is more detailed and complex though. A few more pics of your Archer wouldn't go amiss, I have one in the stash, somewhere... Cheers Darryl Edited August 8, 2020 by Jasper dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 8, 2020 Author Share Posted August 8, 2020 41 minutes ago, Jasper dog said: Thanks, big fan of the Tamiya Achilles, better and more accurate, apparently, than the other offerings available (AFV club and Academy) or so I've read. The AFV Club one is more detailed and complex though. A few more pics of your Archer wouldn't go amiss, I have one in the stash, somewhere... Cheers Darryl I’ll take pictures as it progresses further. Almost nothing done yesterday; not sure I’ll get anything done today either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 8, 2020 Author Share Posted August 8, 2020 It’s a pity the Achilles is missing the driver’s compartment fixtures and fittings... Though I suspect they aren’t really visible unless you leave the hatches open anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 1 hour ago, PhilHendry said: It’s a pity the Achilles is missing the driver’s compartment fixtures and fittings... Though I suspect they aren’t really visible unless you leave the hatches open anyway? I think the AFV club one has more detail up front, however even with hatches open very little can be seen, stick a bod in there and that's covered. (Tamiya do provide a driver I think). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) A bit of progress - some stowage, and the census number (repeated on the back), made up from Archer dry transfers. Not a big fan of dry transfers - I don't often seem to 'succeed' with them, but today they went fine. Hopefully, sometime this evening, I'll get the rest of the decals on. Then it'll be on to final assembly and weathering. And a shot of the interior, now that the gun and stuff are fitted: Edited August 9, 2020 by PhilHendry Adding a photo 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Very nice interior top job! Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APA Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 (edited) I'm liking this a lot. We'll done. Restrained weathering, lots of bits to give interest, cool quirky british subject, what's not to like. Its on my 'to do' list 👍 Where did you get, if any, the reference for interior colours? Eg. Radio shroud? A Edited August 9, 2020 by APA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 5 minutes ago, APA said: I'm liking this a lot. We'll done. Restrained weathering, lots of bits to give interest, cool quirky british subject, what's not to like. Its on my 'to do' list 👍 Where did you get, if any, the reference for interior colours? Eg. Radio shroud? A Thank you! Interior colours - I just hunted around the www for modern photos of original No.18 wireless sets, and the other stuff, well, after nearly fifty years of modelling, and bookshelves everywhere full of books on AFVs, I just sort of know. To be honest, I try not to get too hung-up on absolute authenticity - near enough is good enough, life’s too short, and all that! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
APA Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Ah right so I'll copy yours when I do mine and if its wrong I'll just blame you then? 😉😊 BTW I'm totally with you on "near enough is good enough" or as the old musicians saying goes "close enough for jazz" 👍 A 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoot Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Looking very nice, good clean finish to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilHendry Posted August 11, 2020 Author Share Posted August 11, 2020 It's far too hot for modelling today. Progress so far, before last night's spectacular thunderstorms: 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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