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A11, Infantry Tank Mark.I 'Matilda I'


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If the rumour that Gecko Models is going to make a Matilda I turns out to be true, the modellers' equivalent of sod's law would suggest that we'll have you and your hard work to thank, Wayne. 😉

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Great work.  I’d love a Matilda I but the expensive and challenges of working with a resin model are too much for my limited skills.

 

Question about the machine gun - I assume the line down the length is detail, meant to be there rather than a seam.  Must admit on occasions my ‘if it looks like a seam, remove it’ approach, has been the demise of genuine innocent detail.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

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On 04/09/2021 at 18:47, Ade H said:

the rumour that Gecko Models is going to make a Matilda

 

Now there's some information I could have done with a couple of months ago. :doh: Oh well, I would imagine they would make a pretty good job of it and there is an early and late version.

Wayne

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On 05/09/2021 at 07:53, nheather said:

Great work.  I’d love a Matilda I but the expensive and challenges of working with a resin model are too much for my limited skills.

 

Question about the machine gun - I assume the line down the length is detail, meant to be there rather than a seam.  Must admit on occasions my ‘if it looks like a seam, remove it’ approach, has been the demise of genuine innocent detail.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

 

Thanks Nigel.

I have been deliberating that since the beginning of the build. I couldn't find a clear image taken from above the gun and it looks like Accurate Armour have deliberately included it. Most of the builds I could find have left it there including the one on their own website. It does appear like there is a weld seem there  on Bovington's 'Demon' example all be it not as pronounced as the one in the kit. You can't always trust museum exhibits though. Maybe Peter @Das Abteilung could shed some light on it.

The best contemporary photo I could find is inconclusive.

 

m7B6tlh.jpg

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On 9/4/2021 at 6:47 PM, Ade H said:

If the rumour that Gecko Models is going to make a Matilda I turns out to be true, the modellers' equivalent of sod's law would suggest that we'll have you and your hard work to thank, Wayne. 😉


Will definitely be interested in that.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

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I'm fairly certain there is no seam along the top of the MG cover.  I can't see how that hollow tube could have been cast with a seam along the top and the ejection port underneath.  And none of the photos that show any view of that area show any hint of one.  Sand casting essentially uses only 2-part moulds: I can't find any evidence of multi-part moulds being used.  So the gun cover must have been cast in a vertical mould, muzzle down, with outer and inner moulds.  Meaning that any mould line would be around the inner end of the tube inside the turret.  To have a mould line along the top would require a 4-part mould: bottom, 2 upper sides and an inner.

 

Back to the light lens issue.  The yellowed lenses in the photos are indeed nasty modern flimsy plastic with a fine check pattern on the inside.  So no use as a reference.  The Museum "Demon" actually has a vertical ribbed glass lens with the paper filter on the inside, not on the outside as I mistakenly said before.  Here are some photos of the different A11 lenses and those on the A10 from different angles.  The A10 lenses are plain, slightly crazed, glass.  It is easy to see how the black paper looks grey.

spacer.png  spacer.png  zltrhoq.jpg  spacer.png

 

spacer.png  8uVkuKN.jpg  spacer.png

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On 9/4/2021 at 1:47 PM, Ade H said:

If the rumour that Gecko Models is going to make a Matilda I turns out to be true, the modellers' equivalent of sod's law would suggest that we'll have you and your hard work to thank, Wayne. 😉

If that rumor is true, I’ll be getting one or two-I’ve been waiting a LONG time for this and a good 7TP and IBG released some nice 7TPs this year, so…?!

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Maybe that's what Tamiya have been working on for their Next Big Thing "on many people's wish list".  Long thread over on Missing Lynx.  And they did up-issue their A12 Matilda.  Supposed to be announced by 16th Sept. 

 

Gekko might be a good bet for an A11.  Also Amusing Hobby: they seem unafraid of tackling the obscure and non-existent.  Or Riich after their nice related Vickers E offerings.  But then Airfix seem to have gotten the bug since their association with Academy, although that would perhaps be something of a curate's egg based on the A27s.

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8 hours ago, Das Abteilung said:

Maybe that's what Tamiya have been working on for their Next Big Thing "on many people's wish list".  Long thread over on Missing Lynx.  And they did up-issue their A12 Matilda.  Supposed to be announced by 16th Sept. 

 

Gekko might be a good bet for an A11.  Also Amusing Hobby: they seem unafraid of tackling the obscure and non-existent.  Or Riich after their nice related Vickers E offerings.  But then Airfix seem to have gotten the bug since their association with Academy, although that would perhaps be something of a curate's egg based on the A27s.


I can’t imagine Tamiya doing anything as obscure as a Matilda I, it would be a very unusual move for them - although they did do the Renault UE.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

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On 06/09/2021 at 23:15, Das Abteilung said:

I'm fairly certain there is no seam along the top of the MG cover.  I can't see how that hollow tube could have been cast with a seam along the top and the ejection port underneath.  And none of the photos that show any view of that area show any hint of one.  Sand casting essentially uses only 2-part moulds: I can't find any evidence of multi-part moulds being used.  So the gun cover must have been cast in a vertical mould, muzzle down, with outer and inner moulds.  Meaning that any mould line would be around the inner end of the tube inside the turret.  To have a mould line along the top would require a 4-part mould: bottom, 2 upper sides and an inner.

 

Back to the light lens issue.  The yellowed lenses in the photos are indeed nasty modern flimsy plastic with a fine check pattern on the inside.  So no use as a reference.  The Museum "Demon" actually has a vertical ribbed glass lens with the paper filter on the inside, not on the outside as I mistakenly said before.  Here are some photos of the different A11 lenses and those on the A10 from different angles.  The A10 lenses are plain, slightly crazed, glass.  It is easy to see how the black paper looks grey.

spacer.png  spacer.png  zltrhoq.jpg  spacer.png

 

spacer.png  8uVkuKN.jpg  spacer.png

 

Thank you Peter, those are perfect reference photos. 

I have made an attempt to replicate the headlights and I'm reasonably happy with them although a few more lines through the glass would have improved things.

I have also decided to remove the seam on top of the MG cover. No doubt some evidence of its existence will turn up now. 

 

HzXLtsQl.jpg

 

I have also made my first attempt at blackening metal tracks. For this I went with VMS' Black Track Pro 2.0

 

KU3rXXHl.jpg

 

I read somewhere that giving the tracks a bath in acetone helps with the process, so I thought why not,

 

bfhilVYl.jpg

 

To make thigs a little more cost effective I worked on my Crusader Mk.I tracks at the same time. 

The tracks were rinsed off and once dried they were placed in the blackening fluid until the desired effect was achieved.

 

UmG1BhBl.jpg

 

I was quite impressed with the result. It gave the tracks a grey/ brown finish similar to that of the originals. The only issue I had is that the fluid couldn't work where I had applied super glue to the pins. Next time I will glue the pins if necessary after the blackening process.

 

js8ePDsl.jpg

 

I now need to decide how I am going to tackle the weathering process. The end of this build is finally in sight.

 

Wayne

 

 

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45 minutes ago, diablo rsv said:

I now need to decide how I am going to tackle the weathering process

I guess that depends on the story which you want it to tell. It may have had a fairly short service life, but there's a lot that you can do with it. 

 

I like talking about weathering almost as much as doing it. 😁

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 08/09/2021 at 19:29, Ade H said:

I guess that depends on the story which you want it to tell

 

That's the bit I haven't decided on yet. Most of the images I have found of theses vehicles in France show them covered in road dirt rather than thick mud and that's probably the look I shall go for.

 

CpZiylbh.jpg

 

I have taken the construction phase as far as I can and I've temporarily fitted the tracks. I will probably park this one for a bit before I start on the weathering mostly because I need to think of a way of dulling down those brass fire extinguishers. Being as they are already brass painting them seems a little counter intuitive. There are ageing chemicals but I didn't really want splash out on a bottle just for them. Any ideas?

 

MMfvTzZh.jpg

 

 

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2 hours ago, APA said:

That's a cracking finish. Looks superb 👌

 

Andrew 

 

Seconded!

Would a matt varnish take the shine off the extinguisher's just a thought I've not tried it

 

   Stay safe          Roger 

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I'd say you've done pretty darned well on what I'd guess to be a tricky kit,  looks great, as do the tracks too. :goodjob:

 

Just looks so fragile, as did the real thing. Really wouldn't fancy bumping into a panzer III in one!

 

Atb

Darryl 

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1 hour ago, Hamden said:

Would a matt varnish take the shine off the extinguisher?

Please don't! 🙁 That's heading towards the uniformly matte look which loses a part of what makes a model look more real.

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@diablo rsv You have made a really good job of that kit, I know others who have failed to finish it despite being very patient model-makers. Leave the brass alone it'll bring the model to life a bit and will tone down a little with the weathering.

 

I think dust is the way to go with this as May 1940 was the start of a long summer as the RAF will tell you. For paint if using enamels look at Sovereign Hobbies Colourcoats range. They are updated as new information comes to light and generally have excellent coverage. Should add that they have some serious researchers onboard too.

 

Love the avatar pic too. Had to pack in motorbikes due to arthritis and a growing fear of losing my licence, glad to see others are continuing to keep dealers in business.

 

Finally a great thread with much of interest. British AFV headlights seem to be explained now so another item off the 'need to look into' list.

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17 hours ago, diablo rsv said:

I need to think of a way of dulling down those brass fire extinguishers. Any ideas?

Thats a superb model with a great finish. In regards to the brass extinguishers. You could try a wash of Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade. Its really good at ageing and taking the shine out of brass without matting it down too much.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

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On 06/10/2021 at 07:25, APA said:

That's a cracking finish. Looks superb 👌

 

Andrew 

 

On 06/10/2021 at 09:32, Hamden said:

 

Seconded!

Would a matt varnish take the shine off the extinguisher's just a thought I've not tried it

 

   Stay safe          Roger 

 

On 06/10/2021 at 13:23, edjbartos said:

What you done is amazing Wayne, it looks fabulous, tracks look good as well...

 

Ed

 

On 06/10/2021 at 16:20, Bullbasket said:

Who said that you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear? You've succeeded there Wayne. Excellent work.

 

John.

 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback.

Wayne

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On 06/10/2021 at 09:44, Jasper dog said:

I'd say you've done pretty darned well on what I'd guess to be a tricky kit,  looks great, as do the tracks too. :goodjob:

 

Just looks so fragile, as did the real thing. Really wouldn't fancy bumping into a panzer III in one!

 

Atb

Darryl 

 

On 06/10/2021 at 13:39, fatfingers said:

Thats a superb model with a great finish. In regards to the brass extinguishers. You could try a wash of Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade. Its really good at ageing and taking the shine out of brass without matting it down too much.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Thanks Darryl and Steve. 

I have to say it's not the sturdiest model I've built and being resin it's pretty heavy as well. Even with careful handling I've lost count of the number of times I've knocked bits off.  You're right about them in reality as well, they did afford the crew pretty good protection but the running gear was really vulnerable.

I had a quick look at the Games Workshop wash and it looks like it may well do the trick although I'm thinking I might experiment with a wash of my own.

 

Wayne

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On 06/10/2021 at 12:54, SleeperService said:

@diablo rsv You have made a really good job of that kit, I know others who have failed to finish it despite being very patient model-makers. Leave the brass alone it'll bring the model to life a bit and will tone down a little with the weathering.

 

I think dust is the way to go with this as May 1940 was the start of a long summer as the RAF will tell you. For paint if using enamels look at Sovereign Hobbies Colourcoats range. They are updated as new information comes to light and generally have excellent coverage. Should add that they have some serious researchers onboard too.

 

Love the avatar pic too. Had to pack in motorbikes due to arthritis and a growing fear of losing my licence, glad to see others are continuing to keep dealers in business.

 

Finally a great thread with much of interest. British AFV headlights seem to be explained now so another item off the 'need to look into' list.

 

Thank you very much.

Believe me I nearly gave up on this a couple of times, I think running a work in progress, getting the positive feedback and the trouble people on the forum have gone to to help out  has spurred me on.

I shall have a look at the Sovereign paints, thanks for the heads up.

As regards to the bike, much like yourself I have had to give them up. Hopefully I will return to them one day but probably something a little more sedate. For now I have to get my kicks on four wheels, it's not the same though.

 

Wayne

 

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On 05/10/2021 at 21:14, diablo rsv said:

 

That's the bit I haven't decided on yet. Most of the images I have found of theses vehicles in France show them covered in road dirt rather than thick mud and that's probably the look I shall go for.

 

CpZiylbh.jpg

 

I have taken the construction phase as far as I can and I've temporarily fitted the tracks. I will probably park this one for a bit before I start on the weathering mostly because I need to think of a way of dulling down those brass fire extinguishers. Being as they are already brass painting them seems a little counter intuitive. There are ageing chemicals but I didn't really want splash out on a bottle just for them. Any ideas?

 

MMfvTzZh.jpg

 

 

Great!

MD

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