M3 Stuart (Initial Production)

[Bullbasket]

Nice work with the engine assembly Stef. It's looking very good.

 

John.

[Stef N.]

Thanks Craig and John. The hull interior is very nearby done so I will be able to show it as one piece soon. 👍👍

[Muchmirth]

All looking really good. 
   With the ejectors pin marks are you a file out of fill in kinda guy? Both add up to the same sum I guess. 
   Miniart looks pretty good, good plastic and lots of detail it’s just the part count that scares me! 
   And what’s this other project I hear you teasing us with?

All the best, 

Paul 

[Stef N.]

2 hours ago, Muchmirth said:

All looking really good. 
   With the ejectors pin marks are you a file out of fill in kinda guy? Both add up to the same sum I guess. 
   Miniart looks pretty good, good plastic and lots of detail it’s just the part count that scares me! 
   And what’s this other project I hear you teasing us with?

All the best, 

Paul 

For ejector marks I am a file out/scrape away kinda guy. I used to fill but it would never work quite right and would always show after paint.

Admittedly there are a lot of parts to this kit but it all goes together very well and not as testing as it initially looks.👍

 

My other project was supposed to be a quick build and paint of Jaguar XJR-8. Something I thought I could squeeze in before this GB. Best laid plans and all that. It was cheap for a reason in that the decals were unusable. So I spent ages looking for new decals, made a hash of those and now have to paint big chunks of it. And don't get me started on how many shades of purple there are.......🤬🤣

[Muchmirth]

14 hours ago, Stef N. said:

For ejector marks I am a file out/scrape away kinda guy. I used to fill but it would never work quite right and would always show after paint.

Admittedly there are a lot of parts to this kit but it all goes together very well and not as testing as it initially looks.👍

 

My other project was supposed to be a quick build and paint of Jaguar XJR-8. Something I thought I could squeeze in before this GB. Best laid plans and all that. It was cheap for a reason in that the decals were unusable. So I spent ages looking for new decals, made a hash of those and now have to paint big chunks of it. And don't get me started on how many shades of purple there are.......🤬🤣

Ah shame man. I like a jag. 
   Interesting on the pin marks!

Paul

[PlaStix]

Fantastic work on the engine Stef, it really is looking amazing!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Stef N.]

Good evening everyone. I have got most of the interior done (bar a tiny piece I found on the sprue). All goes together well but I did struggle with the engine and getting it to sit properly. It eventually got there bar a few bits knocked off.

 

 

 

 

Now onto the outside, plates etc etc. Cheers everyone.

[Ray_W]

Great result. I really like the way it "pops". The shadowing effects are great. I also like the white finish on the engine compartment fire extinguisher. I have been deciding what colour I should paint mine. Red is pretty, but I do not think appropriate for the period. Did you uncover some research?

 

Ray

[Stef N.]

5 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

Great result. I really like the way it "pops". The shadowing effects are great. I also like the white finish on the engine compartment fire extinguisher. I have been deciding what colour I should paint mine. Red is pretty, but I do not think appropriate for the period. Did you uncover some research?

 

Ray

Thanks Ray. I left the big extinguisher white more for artistic reasons than anything else. Some of the pipework too. I'm probably wrong but I think it looks better personally. 👍👍

[Keeff]

Crikey!  You have been busy @Stef N.! The build looks really neat and the detail is superb.  

I do like the more subtle weathering on the interior.... enough to show some wear ad break down the white ..... 

 

Keith ☺️ 

[Stef N.]

4 minutes ago, Keeff said:

Crikey!  You have been busy @Stef N.! The build looks really neat and the detail is superb.  

I do like the more subtle weathering on the interior.... enough to show some wear ad break down the white ..... 

 

Keith ☺️ 

Thanks mate. I may add a bit more dust and dirt at a later date but at the moment I'll keep it on the lighter side. 👍👍

[Bullbasket]

You've got the interior down to a T, especially the engine. Great work Stef.

 

John.

[Stef N.]

28 minutes ago, Bullbasket said:

You've got the interior down to a T, especially the engine. Great work Stef.

 

John.

Thanks greatly John. Very kind of you. 👍👍

[PlaStix]

That really is impressive work on the engine Stef! Well done!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Stef N.]

20 minutes ago, PlaStix said:

That really is impressive work on the engine Stef! Well done!

Kind regards,

Stix

Thanks Stix. Getting there slowly but surely. 👍👍

[Muchmirth]

Now that’s a lovely looking interior! I really like how you’ve picked out the details.

[modelling minion]

that interior looks fantastic Stef, absolutely superb. The detail painting and weathering really brings it to life.

[Stef N.]

Thanks Paul and Craig. Highly appreciate your kind words.

[Maddoxx77]

I was wondering if you were doing a new project since i did not see you in my timeline other then commenting on other projects. Now i find this gem of a build. A great subject and i'll grab my chair and watch this very closely because i have the Stuart Honey in my stash so this will be an excellent buildlog to check all the details regarding this kit. 

That beeing said, i really like the progress so far. You've done an excellent job with the interior and the engine. 

Keep it up. Glad i see you building again. 

[Stef N.]

6 hours ago, Maddoxx77 said:

I was wondering if you were doing a new project since i did not see you in my timeline other then commenting on other projects. Now i find this gem of a build. A great subject and i'll grab my chair and watch this very closely because i have the Stuart Honey in my stash so this will be an excellent buildlog to check all the details regarding this kit. 

That beeing said, i really like the progress so far. You've done an excellent job with the interior and the engine. 

Keep it up. Glad i see you building again. 

Cheers mate. Yeah, I've been beavering away down in this section for a while. Not many updates recently as I have been bogged down in this build. Loads of little bits, small sections that need painting and fixing without much visible progress. I'm sure you'll love your Honey kit, as these build easily but so much detail. A slow one. I should have an update and pointers on a couple of things as the shell is slowly going on.

All the best.

[Ray_W]

2 hours ago, Stef N. said:

Loads of little bits, small sections that need painting and fixing without much visible progress.

 

Isn't that the truth. I'm doing the same with mine. I really think single type AFV builds need more than 3 months. Even if not building full interiors, the level of detail in the modern kits take some work and stick it in a diorama and you really struggle. I hope to make some real progress over the weekend.

 

Ray

 

 

[Stef N.]

Here's a couple of tips @Ray_W and others that may come in useful. I have had my first major struggle and it is with the front end. It suggests fitting the nose on stage 8, which I did, but come the later stage I found the well glued part (A27) was a hard task to get to meet the top plate (A16). My suggestion is to glue part on stage 8 very lightly or wait until stage 54.

 

 

 

The engine is a bit tricky to get in and the instructions don't explain clearly that the "headphone" looking part (Ca23) has to pop around part Ca41. This is the hard part and needs a bit of careful bending/maneuvering.

 

 

Anyway here is an update of where I've got to. A little bit scruffy at the front. A little bit of clearing up needed but a lot of the side will be hidden.

 

 

 

Cheers all and have a brilliant weekend.

[modelling minion]

She's looking good Stef, nice progress. Thank you for pointing out the issues you have found so far, this will be very helpful for others building the same kit.

[Stef N.]

2 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

She's looking good Stef, nice progress. Thank you for pointing out the issues you have found so far, this will be very helpful for others building the same kit.

Cheers Craig. Hopefully they are understandable and if so will be of help and stop any others from swearing. 👍😁

[Ray_W]

13 hours ago, Stef N. said:

Here's a couple of tips @Ray_W and others that may come in useful.

 

Definitely Stef and please keep posting them. Very useful.

 

Ray