1/35 Revell Crusader III Tank

[FZ6]

Hmmmm, I thought maybe the upper hull was warped and that was causing the problem Mark, but there's a good positive joint at both ends I see.

For my MkIII, I was being cheap and didn't buy the eduard fenders (although I did for the MkI) what I did was to thin the edges of the kit ones with a file then sanding sticks. Perhaps the kit ones will fit better

Not great though is it. These sets are expensive, and hard to find now, and it doesn't even work!

The bantam looks great. I just finished a dio using one of them. The figures were great, but the vehicle was swimming in flash and the chassis was a bit bent. Hope yours is better

A quick update on a stalled project.

I haven't ended up doing anything with the side skirts yet I'll either make my own or I might end up adapting the kit ones like you have!

The Bantam is a lovely kit but it does need a lot of clean up and some parts such as the radiator grille are very fragile and most of the rods that make up the grille have managed to get broken.

I have managed to get the groundwork progressed for the diorama base. I used a technique from a Tamiya Model Magazine a few years ago.

Some wall filler was mixed up and some PVA glue added. I then spread this over the base which was built up in areas earlier with some offcuts of foamboard. I let this dry a little then strayed it with a PVA Glue/Water solution and sprinkled on some cat litter (Thanks Paul) I had Crushed up earlier using an old tea strainer.

I then pressed the tank into the ground and removed the tracks and pressed them in to the end of the base. I did the same with the Jeep wheels. I then sprayed it and sprinkled some more cat litter on.

I'm pleased with how it worked out and all that needs doing now is a thin coat of Tamiya sand coloured paint with some flat base added once I get my new compressor.

Next job is to add some interior detail to the turret....

[ChrisITA]

Well luckily for me, I think of tracks when I think of Crusaders!

FZ6, I'm a bit of a Crusader fan and have produced a masterlist ot tweaks and corrections for the Italeri kits, one of which should halp very much with your warp issue on the rear louvres. If you email me at insidethearmour'at'live.co.uk I'll email it to you

Chris

[John_W]

A quick update on a stalled project.

I haven't ended up doing anything with the side skirts yet I'll either make my own or I might end up adapting the kit ones like you have!

The Bantam is a lovely kit but it does need a lot of clean up and some parts such as the radiator grille are very fragile and most of the rods that make up the grille have managed to get broken.

I have managed to get the groundwork progressed for the diorama base. I used a technique from a Tamiya Model Magazine a few years ago.

Some wall filler was mixed up and some PVA glue added. I then spread this over the base which was built up in areas earlier with some offcuts of foamboard. I let this dry a little then strayed it with a PVA Glue/Water solution and sprinkled on some cat litter (Thanks Paul) I had Crushed up earlier using an old tea strainer.

I then pressed the tank into the ground and removed the tracks and pressed them in to the end of the base. I did the same with the Jeep wheels. I then sprayed it and sprinkled some more cat litter on.

I'm pleased with how it worked out and all that needs doing now is a thin coat of Tamiya sand coloured paint with some flat base added once I get my new compressor.

Next job is to add some interior detail to the turret....

Many years ago I visited Tunisia and whent down to the Chot-El-Jerid where you can still see the remains of the road Rommell had built acros the salt flats.

The ground looks exactly like you have rendered it, brilliant work!

[FZ6]

Many years ago I visited Tunisia and whent down to the Chot-El-Jerid where you can still see the remains of the road Rommell had built acros the salt flats.

The ground looks exactly like you have rendered it, brilliant work!

John

Thanks for the comments on the ground work. It’s the first time I’ve tried out the technique and I’m really pleased how it has worked out. Just waiting to get my compressor back so I can paint the sides and add some finishing touches.

Chris,

The article you sent me is a great reference guide to updating the Crusader III.

I have started to act on the mods and I have trimmed off the two rows of rivets on the front and drilled them out and I’m currently in the process of inserting plastic rod to represent the countersunk screws. I have also removed the extra armour plate at the front that I didn’t realise wasn’t applicable to this variant. I’ve managed to lose the right side air filter somewhere so if anyone has a spare one it would be greatly appreciated.

Pic with all elements of the diorama in place

The Bantam is a lovely kit and is coming on slowly as I’ve been encountering some problems with the build. The front fenders were slightly warped and bowed in which meant the bonnet didn’t line up properly when it was attached, I had to use a piece of plasticard as a spacer which worked. I glued the headlight guards on prior to this to make sure they fitted correctly. The other problem is the radiator grille. It is done to scale and looks great but it is extremely fragile. Some of the bars were broken on my example and one of them was not salvageable so I had to replace it with brass rod. The repair is ok but I am contemplating replacing the whole set but this could be challenging to get them lined up straight. There is also a risk that grille could be crushed due to the fenders pressing on them as they are not at the right angle. This situation might be improved now I have glued the bonnet in place but I’m going to leave the white plasticard spacer in place until I have painted the engine and fitted the chassis to the body. I had to clean up the inside of the wheel hubs in order to fit them to the axles.

Close up of the repair work done to the radiator

I’ve been looking at the interior and have made up the etched number 19 radio set and I’m not really happy with it as it looks flat and represents the transmitter and receiver as one unit. The gun breech also looks a little basic and will need detail adding. Chris did you make a completely new gun breech?

[andym]

Found out that it looks like Jakrei were brought out by the company that does Wee Friends

As the guy that does the artwork for Friendship Models I can tell you that is correct. Originally Friendship did these figures in white metal but after canvassing modellers it was clear that they preferred resin so they are now done in resin.

HTH

Andy

[johndon]

Looking very nice so far.

John

[bruce3371]

Hi I'm a new member, this is looking good so far, but can anyone tell me which is the better model to try and get hold of, the Revell Crusader, or the Italeri?

[FZ6]

Hi I'm a new member, this is looking good so far, but can anyone tell me which is the better model to try and get hold of, the Revell Crusader, or the Italeri?

Hi Bruce,

Welcome to the forum.

They are the same kit. Revell sometimes release Italeri kits in their own packaging but for some strange reason they tend to be more expensive. I think both kits are currently out of production though but I'm sure the Italeri boxing will be rereleased at some point.

[bruce3371]

Hi Bruce,

Welcome to the forum.

They are the same kit. Revell sometimes release Italeri kits in their own packaging but for some strange reason they tend to be more expensive. I think both kits are currently out of production though but I'm sure the Italeri boxing will be rereleased at some point.

Thanks for the info, I must admit I get confused with all these companies re-boxing each other's models! I'll take a look on Ebay for either of them, in the meantime, I'll stop hijacking this thread!

[FZ6]

Thanks for the info, I must admit I get confused with all these companies re-boxing each other's models! I'll take a look on Ebay for either of them, in the meantime, I'll stop hijacking this thread!

No problems I hope you manage to track one down for a reasonable price.

I dont know how much truth there was in it but there was a rumour that Tamiya were going to do a 1:35 Crusader. I know they do a very nice 1:48 one so it could happen.

[Radleigh]

Cat litter, who'd have thought it. Brilliant idea. Is that straight on, or has it been ground down? Not got a cat, so I don't know!

[jimbuna]

This is looking very good indeed.

[bruce3371]

there was a rumour that Tamiya were going to do a 1:35 Crusader.

Here's hoping then!

[FZ6]

Cat litter, who'd have thought it. Brilliant idea. Is that straight on, or has it been ground down? Not got a cat, so I don't know!

It's fullers earth type cat litter. I don't have a cat so I didn't know there were different types. It needs crushing to get this texture. I used a pestle and mortar and it took ages.

As you crush it if you use a tea strainer to sieve it you can end up with different grades of it so you can end up with the fully ground stuff for this type of diorama. Some coarser grade stuff that can represent small stones and unground cat litter that can be used for large stones.

[rookie]

That's looking very nice. Great job with the litter!