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AFV Club Matador - Early Type


Del Boy

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I picked up a 'Scale-Line' kit up at a swapmeet a few years back for the princely sum of £20 I was dubious at first but as I intended it to be in the towing configuration and sheeted to protect from dust I took a gambol. Turns out the components are nicely cast and well detailed on par with details on some Accurate Armour products but in a slightly harder resin. Will build either the 4.5" or 5.5" version although I can't vouch for current availability.

 

Accurate Armour also have their own kit along with other items such as ammunition.

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14 hours ago, Del Boy said:

Thanks guys, comments and support appreciated, really!

 

My mind has been wandering (some would say always is) to the possible Diorama again. All along I have been inspired by this shot of a Matador in the Tunisian Desert.

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So I have decided to go for it, the detail in the cab, (if I can replicate it) deserves to be seen so spent this weekend splitting the two bulkheads. In future I will try and visualise the end result far earlier cos its been extra difficult and fiddly making the changes on built modules, would have been far easier on the original single parts but hey ho, learnt more today!

 

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Not the most realistic of mods but I am reasonably happy.

 

Doe anyone know / recommend a 4.5in field gun kit in 1/35th?

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Derek


You might want a chat with @simmerit Derek, he’s building the exact wagon in the photo complete with modified crew. I know he got a boat load of ref ;)

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On 31/01/2021 at 17:32, Del Boy said:

 

Doe anyone know / recommend a 4.5in field gun kit in 1/35th?

 

Derek

Hi Del boy, nice work so far. In answer to your question re the 4.5inch, I have recently built the Accurate Armour 5.5inch gun kit (to go alongside my Matador build on another forums) and I can confirm that although it's a PITA to build, it is well detailed. The 4.5 and 5.5 only differ AFAIK in the barrel, so I assume the kits won't be much differnet. AA kits are resin, and in my experience (1 kit!) need some grafting to get built, but will look good once done.

 

Hope this helps!

 

BTW, Hi Guys -my first post here. 😀

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Hi all,

 

Thanks for all your kind comments they have really motivated me and given inspiration. However you have done it now,  if  as Lunatech suggests I add the AA 5.5" to the Diorama how do you all go about keeping your models dust free and displayed at the end? For my Churchill and Tiger I have used 1:12 ex F1 Display Cases and that's fine to a point but very limiting in space eg: Matador towing the 4.5". I don't have the space (or approval from the NCO) for a Display Cabinet so after ideas really that allow more than a simple 32cm x 16 cm base?

 

Thanks again.

 

Derek

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On 2/1/2021 at 8:00 AM, Dads203 said:


You might want a chat with @simmerit Derek, he’s building the exact wagon in the photo complete with modified crew. I know he got a boat load of ref ;)

 

Holy thread hijack Batman.........

 

Yup.  I started mine with one the first Mat's released in the UK then promptly abandoned it having made an arrse of the drop shorts.  Decided to sculpt my own as the Mat and the BL4.5 are nothing without the figures IMHO.  Anyway.  This is where I got to

 

Wokka

 

The inaccurate armour BL4.5 is a pretty poor representation of the gun, so I slammed a tarp over the top of it.

 

Enjoy your build - mine is on a the modelling forum of THAT site - not the BREXIT one - the site where the language is rich and the banter is raw and where those brave enough to post carry the battle scars.

 

 

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Hi Simmerit, I have just been through your WIP and it has provided me with some serious interest, enthusiasm as well as envy! Smashing build and thread I must say, super.

 

I have not tackled much of late, too much 'life' going on but did first pass fit of the doors and also Rad and grill, really my first play with PE at least in a size I could get hold of anyway!

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Keep on Truckin'

 

Derek

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So quite surprised really. I have spent ages out in the workshop with very little to show for it 🤔. I have been revisiting every page and sprue looking for missed and or omitted parts and found quite a few, all added no thankfully. Big distress when I dropped and broke the cab 😢 but several attempts and miles (well inches) of masking tape all back reasonably well together. So ready for paint at last.

 

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And first coat of primer

 

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Now having read about pre-shading realise I have missed that opportunity. Thanks to Fillipo I also had a go at Chipping on an old Spit. Made a reasonable job of it but realised without a base coat I can't do that on the Matador now............next time eh thanks again Fillipo!

 

Desert Sand tomorrow!

 

Cheers

 

Derek

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13 hours ago, Del Boy said:

So quite surprised really. I have spent ages out in the workshop with very little to show for it 🤔. I have been revisiting every page and sprue looking for missed and or omitted parts and found quite a few, all added no thankfully. Big distress when I dropped and broke the cab 😢 but several attempts and miles (well inches) of masking tape all back reasonably well together. So ready for paint at last.

 

P1030282

 

And first coat of primer

 

P1030284

 

Now having read about pre-shading realise I have missed that opportunity. Thanks to Fillipo I also had a go at Chipping on an old Spit. Made a reasonable job of it but realised without a base coat I can't do that on the Matador now............next time eh thanks again Fillipo!

 

Desert Sand tomorrow!

 

Cheers

 

Derek

 

Are you going to have a crack at the drop shorts?  There are nine figures in total.  I've just about completed the second figure and it really brings the build alive.

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So the simple answer .............. not sure! I agree figures will be in just not sure I want to emulate the photo exactly at the moment but maybe. What do you mean by 'mine is on a the modelling forum of THAT site - not the BREXIT one - the site where the language is rich and the banter is raw and where those brave enough to post carry the battle scars', sorry to have to ask! :wonder:

Derek

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6 minutes ago, Del Boy said:

So the simple answer .............. not sure! I agree figures will be in just not sure I want to emulate the photo exactly at the moment but maybe. What do you mean by 'mine is on a the modelling forum of THAT site - not the BREXIT one - the site where the language is rich and the banter is raw and where those brave enough to post carry the battle scars', sorry to have to ask! :wonder:

Derek


 

don’t tell anyone but I mean the army rumour service.  THAT is a play on THAT rifle

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not been too active on the Matador for a while, making changes to the workshop but still slotted in a little time to model! I have had an initial stab at the Cab interior using Humbrol heavily thinned (thanks Kev) so interested in your comments. It has occurred to me that whilst I have just coloured the interior Desert Yellow would that have been the case in reality, would these units have shipped with dark green internals and just had the outside locally camouflaged? What does the team think? I have also started to play with some of the paraphernalia that could be on the flat bed (based on what I have in the parts box really so a bit random!). Again I suppose the question is are items like Jerry Cans, Oil Drums etc. also Desert Yellow or if not what. Come to think of it are there any sources of colours that anyone has found?

 

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Not especially happy with the deck, I have tried to modulate the colours with  only minor success, must try harder!

 

Cheers

 

Derek

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Very nice work Derek. As for the weathering of the boards I use a mix of pigments and dry brushing using very light greys, white and blacks with some version of buff and a wash of burnt umber type colours. Although the burnt umber not in this case. Add some oily dirty marks and your away. If the moulded grain is not very realistic I sand it almost flat then use very coarse sanding blocks and a cheap diamond file to add finer grain and a few gauges in a plank or two with a quick sand back just to take the edge off.

 

20210206_181918

 

20200503_180606

 

20200801_173257

 

 

Andrew

 

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18 hours ago, Del Boy said:

Thanks Andrew will see how I can manage that, trouble for me is every time I make a mod like that I break something off and its gone forever!

It's a big flat slab of plastic. Just think about hobnail boots and dragged boxes and barrels and get scrubbing 😂

What could possibly go wrong 😳

 

Andrew 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ha ha, in my hands everything! Thanks for the encouragement.

 

So after a sort of self imposed sabbatical to sort new kit in the workshop elected to start on the weathering. First step (thanks Kev) get it all together. So these are some of the bits

 

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And after a VERY frustrating afternoon something resembling the Mat as I intended

 

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Seriously frustrated with some of this, guess the time on other things took its toll, still rolling now, where did I put that airbrush?

Cheers

Derek

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So first off Andrew I forgot to say I have tried to emulate your great effects on the rear deck. Nothing like as good but a real lesson reinforced again namely you cant do this sort of mod when its all built up and as fragile as a fragile thing but I did have a go and have started to practise a bit with the painting suggestions.

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I will add some more tomorrow if time allows. Anyway applied some gloss varnish yesterday and added the decals today and I do know they are not going to align with 8th Army insignia but there we are. Found them very tricky and need to try harder especially the "14" :banghead:

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Thanks for staying with me guys much appreciated!

 

Derek

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