M4A3 HVSS 105 - The Culebra Beach Wreck

[Pig of the Week]

Now then Dave the Dog... The last pics of your wreck looked absolutely stunning, it totally IS a lump of very rusty iron.. end of 👍

ps as regards your mid life crisis, suggest you join or form a rock/metal band

[Cerberus]

17 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Yep someday when my skills are good enough, this will get done. 

 That's the spirit, have a go at it, and in terms of how difficult it would be to do, I'm not sure, the tank model itself and the sea floor base shouldn't be too bad I don't think, getting that convincing under water look for the lower half of the Sherman might probably be fairly hard, and doing the clear resin water is probably the hardest part, but not sure, I've never worked with clear resin and water effects, things like that, I'm guessing that air bubbles is probably a big problem, but then you can pour in thin layers I think? I'm guessing that it's probably best not to pour the whole thing in one go, plus getting nice clean edges and no leaks is also probably a nightmare that fills me with fear and dread, could be panic stations at any point during the pour.... 

 

 On a slightly related subject (yes, this is a good example of my build logs wandering around) I've always fancied having a go at making a river table, I love the look of them for some strange reason, It's probably the contrast of the wood grain and the water effects 

 

 

 

 

 The video above is Axminster Tools making it all look very easy, with some fantastic looking Caribbean blue resin, I would love to make something like this one day.

 

 Matt 

 

  

[THEscaleSHOW]

On 22/04/2022 at 22:48, Cerberus said:

 Shelf of Doom = Ran out of fuel/desire to build the model, things didn't go according to plan (but not bad enough to throw away) Just letting things stew for a bit, waiting for funds/AM stuff, that kinda thing, called the shelf of doom because we very often don't go back to them, life goes on, newer better kits arrive in the post 

 

 Shelf of Pending = The result of having many many projects on the go all at once, which some people seem to enjoy, because you can skip around, doing whatever interests you that particular day or week, whatever, you have to be very organised for this though I think, maybe? The very thought fills me with fear and dread.... 

 

 On the subject of a figure, more specifically a semi naked lady, I'm looking for something that's done tastefully, none of that big boob nonsense, like the one with the towel in the picture below...

 

 

 But she needs to have more modern looking bikini/swimwear, these are Stalingrad figures I think, set for wartime, figure on the left is perfect, apart from her clothing.

 

 And of course she needs a phone in her hand, because... well, the smart phone has become an integral part of the female body it would seem... "It's for the memories...." 

 

 

The set is good, only little rework needed!

MD

[Model Mate]

I've only poured fairly little puddles of clear resin, but from what I understand it's not so much bubbles as chemically generated heat that is the thing to watch for and what prevents you from dumping the whole lot in one go. That said, I don't think you'd need to do that many thin layers - two or three pours I imagine(?) ....could well be wrong on this though.

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 hours ago, Model Mate said:

I've only poured fairly little puddles of clear resin, but from what I understand it's not so much bubbles as chemically generated heat that is the thing to watch for and what prevents you from dumping the whole lot in one go. That said, I don't think you'd need to do that many thin layers - two or three pours I imagine(?) ....could well be wrong on this though.

‘Uncle Nightshift’ recently did a water diorama in YouTube. Dirty water though. 

[Cerberus]

10 hours ago, THEscaleSHOW said:

The set is good, only little rework needed!

 I totally agree MD, I'll try and get the set at some point, and have a go at reworking the towel girl 

 

8 hours ago, Model Mate said:

I've only poured fairly little puddles of clear resin, but from what I understand it's not so much bubbles as chemically generated heat that is the thing to watch for and what prevents you from dumping the whole lot in one go. That said, I don't think you'd need to do that many thin layers - two or three pours I imagine(?) ....could well be wrong on this though.

 I had no idea that heat was a problem with resin pours to be honest, I'll log that in my addled mind, and try and remember it, thx for that, and with regards the number of layers that he maybe used for that Saipan Sherman, I will try and find out at some point when I get some spare time to go build log hunting again.

 

 

4 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

‘Uncle Nightshift’ recently did a water diorama in YouTube. Dirty water though. 

 He did yes, I forgot about that, he did two pours for a fairly thin layer of dirty water, and removed the air bubbles with a little mini blow torch, a quick blast of heat zaps the bubbles, and I seem to remember from the above posted Axminster tools video, that they used heat from a blow torch to create water effects in the resin, I think? I need to watch that again, lol

 

 

 The resin pour starts at about 4 mins into the video, and at one point we have the normal Night Shift self doubt moment, when he adds some straw/grass to the surface of the resin, and declares that he has ruined the whole thing! He then proceeds to hand paint each tiny little bit of straw on the surface of the resin! Very much worth a watch if you haven't already seen it.

 

 

[Longbow]

The catalyst, drying agent, is what creates the heat. 
Resin molders mist alcohol over the surface to get rid of any surface bubbles. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

Some use vacuum chambers to pull the bubbles out of the resin before they pour it.

[Cerberus]

On 25/04/2022 at 08:48, Pig of the Week said:

as regards your mid life crisis, suggest you join or form a rock/metal band

 I'm gonna add that to my list, It's gotta be better than buying a Harley, right? 

 

On 27/04/2022 at 13:02, Longbow said:

Resin molders mist alcohol over the surface to get rid of any surface bubbles. 

 That's only because alcohol is the closest thing to hand, for some of the resin guys, I think... maybe?   

 

On 27/04/2022 at 13:16, Bertie Psmith said:

Some use vacuum chambers to pull the bubbles out of the resin before they pour it.

 They do yes, and there's videos for that as well on good old youtube, I gotta be honest though, there's not enough space in my model making room as it is, without having a vacuum chamber knocking around the place, I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to model making, I tend to go for maximum impact (and very often fail, lol) With the minimum amount of tools and equipment, that sorta thing.

 

 But anyway,

 

 Fully aware that we are now seven pages in, and still thinking about things far too much, and there hasn't been any model making for at least two pages I don't think, It's probably best that I drop in a picture of something model related, and I know I said that suspension and wheels is up next, but I got distracted by the turret because my gun breech was just laying around the place and I decided that it needs to be fitted before I go and lose it or something, so I'm messing around with texture and paint and stuff on the turret, but I have got all the wheels/suspension prepped and ready to go, plus made the little plastic spacers that I need to put everything back on...

 

 

 Picture above, a nice picture of a HVSS Sherman with some fairly badly damaged tyres/missing tyres which seems to be a feature of the Culebra beach Sherman which has a lot of missing tyres and also chunked out tyres, where large chunks have broken away from the wheel rims.

 

 

 See, I've been busy, I've been sticking things, on sticky things, and sticking those sticky things, in some wood, and yes, they will probably now just sit here for a lengthy period of time while I just chill out, catch some rays, drink some wine, and maybe even eat some cheese... yeah, I've been very lazy again, in my defence, I had to grind out the middle of two very teeny tiny little idler wheels just to get the tyre section, which are very thin, It was a delicate job, and a complete pain, but might be worth it, not sure yet.

 

 Matt

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by Cerberus

[Bertie McBoatface]

12 hours ago, Cerberus said:

....I've been very lazy again, in my defense,...

 

There is no need to defend yourself from me, Matt. I suspect your 'laziness' is intellectual creativity in disguise. That was always my excuse anyway.

[Longbow]

12 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

There is no need to defend yourself from me, Matt. I suspect your 'laziness' is intellectual creativity in disguise. That was always my excuse anyway.

Alrighty then… I’ll say it. 
 

Matt, you’re lazy !! You’ll be expecting Tetley’s and Digestives, next. 
 

🤣

[Cerberus]

On 29/04/2022 at 12:15, Bertie Psmith said:

There is no need to defend yourself from me, Matt. I suspect your 'laziness' is intellectual creativity in disguise. That was always my excuse anyway.

 

18 hours ago, Longbow said:

Alrighty then… I’ll say it. 
 

Matt, you’re lazy !! You’ll be expecting Tetley’s and Digestives, next. 
 

🤣

 

 I tend to say "In my defence" quite a lot, maybe too much, I tend to feel guilty for not getting updates out fairly quickly, more quickly, I never was a rush rush rush model maker, I'm more sorta... a day, a week, a month, a year, what difference does it make, 500 models in a lifetime, or 5, never was very good with timelines, deadlines, that kinda stuff.

 

 And yeah, I drink a worrying amount of tea while model making, bit partial to Rich Tea biscuits as well, though Digestives do have their place, and would never be turned down if offered... 

 

 When I get my work head back on, you'll suddenly get hit with more madness and nonsense 

[Longbow]

1 hour ago, Cerberus said:

 

 

 I tend to say "In my defence" quite a lot, maybe too much, I tend to feel guilty for not getting updates out fairly quickly, more quickly, I never was a rush rush rush model maker, I'm more sorta... a day, a week, a month, a year, what difference does it make, 500 models in a lifetime, or 5, never was very good with timelines, deadlines, that kinda stuff.

 

 And yeah, I drink a worrying amount of tea while model making, bit partial to Rich Tea biscuits as well, though Digestives do have their place, and would never be turned down if offered... 

 

 When I get my work head back on, you'll suddenly get hit with more madness and nonsense 

I actually fully agree with you. 
I changed the blades in my knives, the other day, in the hopes that I’d be raring to move on, but the blades are still unused. 
 

I have had the flu though, over the last week, so I’m using that as a slight excuse. 
It’s Saturday, and I actually think I’ve been asleep, more than I’ve been awake, today. 

[Model Mate]

Is there a worrying amount of tea? I do sometimes worry about my gin, wine and whiskey intake, but not tea….

One of the major benefits of any hobby - and certainly this one - is the opportunity it provides to avoid worrying; to deliberately and consciously bury one’s head in the sand and escape the day to day concerns of modern life. I don’t think it’s too far a stretch to honestly say that my hobbies (again, this one included) have saved my sanity, and maybe even my life when I’ve been through tough times. This frivolous activity of ours is ours alone to enjoy, so don’t put pressure on yourself to get more, or better done - enjoy the opportunity to waste time, play around, test and practice; wheedle away hours pointlessly (as far as the rest of the world is concerned) whittling at minute scraps of plastic - this is the therapy we’ve all (wisely in my opinion) chosen.

That said, I’m really sorry I haven’t posted an update for a few days on my project….. I really must pull my finger out! Haha!

[Bertie McBoatface]

8 hours ago, Model Mate said:

wheedle away hours pointlessly

He’s not been wheedling POINTlessly, he’s changed his knife blades. Hahaha geddit?

 

But yes, I hear you about the sanity/life saving aspects. 😟The little grey cells in my head respond well to a dose of the little grey pieces of plastic. I can’t meditate very well but I can lose my self for hours at a time at the bench, and find myself much improved at the end of it. 
 

 

 

Have you noticed that BM has gone quiet overall lately? I’m thinking it’s a warm weather effect?

[Bertie McBoatface]

10 hours ago, Longbow said:

have had the flu though, over the last week, so I’m using that as a slight excuse. 
It’s Saturday, and I actually think I’ve been asleep, more than I’ve been awake, today.

I hope you are getting better. Don’t rush though. I’ve missed you around the place but I have somehow managed to keep going. 🙃

[Ned]

Hello, I just caught up this morning, the small amount of time that I've been spending on BM has mostly been in the Matchbox GB, so I've missed all of this.

I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far - 7 pages in and you haven't even done the wheels yet! It says something about our inability to create entropy, but I don't know what. Bertie's 'Entropy' GB will need a VERY long runtime

Musing about films from that age and tanks reminded me of one that I saw years ago where some lost airmen find an old Afrika Corps tank in the desert and bring it back to life. I'll have to try to find it now.

[Longbow]

2 hours ago, Ned said:

Hello, I just caught up this morning, the small amount of time that I've been spending on BM has mostly been in the Matchbox GB, so I've missed all of this.

I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far - 7 pages in and you haven't even done the wheels yet! It says something about our inability to create entropy, but I don't know what. Bertie's 'Entropy' GB will need a VERY long runtime

Musing about films from that age and tanks reminded me of one that I saw years ago where some lost airmen find an old Afrika Corps tank in the desert and bring it back to life. I'll have to try to find it now.

The Steel Lady. 1953. Tab Hunter. 
 

 

 

[Ned]

18 minutes ago, Longbow said:

The Steel Lady. 1953. Tab Hunter. 
 

 

 

Yes! That's it! I thought that I'd maybe imagined it because it's something like 40 years since I saw it. Shame about the tank, they haven't even painted it yellow

It might not be quite as good as I remembered it.

[Longbow]

Just now, Ned said:

Yes! That's it! I thought that I'd maybe imagined it because it's something like 40 years since I saw it. Shame about the tank, they haven't even painted it yellow

It might not be quite as good as I remembered it.

It’s still a good movie to watch over a few sessions. 
Your typical low budget B movie. 🤣👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

2 hours ago, Ned said:

It might not be quite as good as I remembered it.

 

I hope it is because we are all going to try watching it. 😃

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

I hope it is because we are all going to try watching it. 😃

Hey I just watched it about 6 months ago, do I need to re-watch it ? 

[Cerberus]

18 hours ago, Model Mate said:

Is there a worrying amount of tea?

 Well, I tend to work on the 'everything in moderation' principle, I tend to think that there is no such thing as 'healthy eating' or drinking for that matter, you can eat and drink whatever the hell you like, as long as you do it in moderation, it's the excess of anything that does the damage, and with regards tea, if I drink too much tea, I start thinking too much, and going to the toilet too much 🤣

 

 

10 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Have you noticed that BM has gone quiet overall lately? I’m thinking it’s a warm weather effect?

 I've been spending huge amounts of time doing some much needed gardening, everything is growing like crazy because the suns out, people are probably catching up, getting stuff done, life, it has a bad habit of going onwards, and yes I agree model making speeds up time, but then everything is time 

 

7 hours ago, Ned said:

Bertie's 'Entropy' GB will need a VERY long runtime

 I'm praying for a long duration yes,  I have learnt quite a lot while messing around with this nonsense, for instance I have learnt that destruction can take almost as long as construction sometimes, or it can take longer if you need to scratch something, first you have to make it, then you have to destroy it again (carefully) to make it look rusty and rotted, I have learnt that Dragon plastic is far better for destruction work than Tamiya plastic, the Dragon plastic seems to be poorer quality and flakes much better, which is good for doing feathered edges for instance, the Tamiya plastic puts up a fight, fine sand/grit used on it's own looks wrong, but mixed with other things, looks right, and it goes on and on, It's a big learning curve for me to be honest, and that's why it is fun.

 

 But anyway,

 

 Take your normal, spin it 360, drop it on it's head, pretty, precise, clean, correct becomes... horrible, rusty, rotten, there is no correct (there never was) And the fun returns, fuel in the tank, I've learnt how to fill the tank, It's taken me a long time to learn that, but better late than never right?

 

 Everything else, is just time.

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

3 minutes ago, Cerberus said:

I'm praying for a long duration yes,  I have learnt quite a lot while messing around with this nonsense, for instance I have learnt that destruction can take almost as long as construction sometimes, or it can take longer if you need to scratch something, first you have to make it, then you have to destroy it again (carefully) to make it look rusty and rotted, I have learnt that Dragon plastic is far better for destruction work than Tamiya plastic, the Dragon plastic seems to be poorer quality and flakes much better, which is good for doing feathered edges for instance, the Tamiya plastic puts up a fight, fine sand/grit used on it's own looks wrong, but mixed with other things, looks right, and it goes on and on, It's a big learning curve for me to be honest, and that's why it is fun.

 

 But anyway,

 

 Take your normal, spin it 360, drop it on it's head, pretty, precise, clean, correct becomes... horrible, rusty, rotten, there is no correct (there never was) And the fun returns, fuel in the tank, I've learnt how to fill the tank, It's taken me a long time to learn that, but better late than never right?

 

 Everything else, is just time.

 

You should whack that into the Entropy topic pour encourager les autres.

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, Cerberus said:

life, it has a bad habit of going on

 

That's why I can get lots of modelling done - no particular life! 🤣