tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78701901171504225322024-03-13T23:44:33.469-04:00A Model CitizenSporadic reflections of a retired corporate minion meant to answer, in part, "So just what do you do now that you're retired?"hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-24933101067660535842013-07-04T15:27:00.001-04:002013-07-04T15:27:50.572-04:00StuG III (Fl): Paint At Last!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally got the opportunity to do some initial painting on my Fl. This was my first experience with trying the modulation technique. Let's just say I learned some valuable lessons for "next time"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Next up are decaling (not many on this beast), tow cables, antennae, and then painting the wheels, tracks, and on-board equipment. Then the final weathering and basing which will finish up this project.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here's a shot of the Fl as it sits right now. For more pictures please see my build log on Tanks and Things, <a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p30-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p30-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth</a></span><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-26113380904641424422013-05-31T15:00:00.003-04:002013-05-31T15:00:42.588-04:00KV-2 Finished (For Now)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1blZquhc_8YFx6Dy47xswp_TngMbZ57whXRa4X5LQW5MxnJv0SX8iXDVVLEjqmqR7fTda9ztAf7NWD25JXnZL-OVDHKK9EJzz86kUBuGdpllauFuAR2Kp5Nc8VoH2FNGlktid4HHRzOUq/s1600/Fin5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1blZquhc_8YFx6Dy47xswp_TngMbZ57whXRa4X5LQW5MxnJv0SX8iXDVVLEjqmqR7fTda9ztAf7NWD25JXnZL-OVDHKK9EJzz86kUBuGdpllauFuAR2Kp5Nc8VoH2FNGlktid4HHRzOUq/s320/Fin5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, I made it under the wire for the May Braille Scale build on Tanks and Things. Still some little things to correct/do to totally finish it up, but for now, this is it. I need to clean up some paint wear on the turret roof, fix the grime on the front of the hull, add some graphite to parts of the tracks and MGs, and finish the headlight lens. Oh, and maybe add it to a scenic base.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For more photos you can check out my build log here: </span><a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now back to the paint booth for my StuGs!</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-39853021080227541822013-05-23T15:41:00.000-04:002013-05-23T15:41:41.557-04:00Finnish StuG III Ausf.G<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Arrrrgh, just realized that I haven't posted ANY updates on my Finnish StuG III and it's ready for painting. To see in-progress photos please jump to my postings on the Tanks and Things forum, </span><a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5315-stug-iii-ausfg-finnish-army-mark-groth"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5315-stug-iii-ausfg-finnish-army-mark-groth</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's a shot of where it stands right now:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The logs are not yet attached, they're simply leaning against the hull for illustrative purposes.</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-7079469691304067342013-05-23T15:30:00.000-04:002013-05-23T15:30:22.107-04:00KV-2 Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are some update photos of my KV-2. More details can be found on my posts on the Tanks and Things forum:</span> <a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2#60371">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5559p15-trumpeter-kv-2#60371</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The turret showing the grab handles I fabricated to replace the molded blobs:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lower hull with the road wheels, return rollers, drive sprockets, and idler wheels attached:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The completed model:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Primer coat sprayed:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fading finished:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next up: adding the decals to the turret, painting the tracks, MGs, and tow cables, and final weathering.</span></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-22932376902312856312013-05-03T22:43:00.000-04:002013-05-03T22:43:35.926-04:00Trumpeter KV-2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuW3SHHJKZctuVFF3O1aHBKFPotY42QfsWru6i4ZaLtS36CEd3P279V6x04XXJ1wAvgG-cGsYifJjjmgTAQxLD7CnxDEodYR1LfV7wdKBdY6JhlurzPklqJXbsMCvaUuWSqPXh0i_PfD92/s1600/Mod+1940+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuW3SHHJKZctuVFF3O1aHBKFPotY42QfsWru6i4ZaLtS36CEd3P279V6x04XXJ1wAvgG-cGsYifJjjmgTAQxLD7CnxDEodYR1LfV7wdKBdY6JhlurzPklqJXbsMCvaUuWSqPXh0i_PfD92/s320/Mod+1940+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Tanks and Things website is hosting a 72nd-scale quick build during the month of May. My build is going to be the Trumpeter KV-2 M1940 Russian "big box". The parts count is fairly low and the only additional work I intend to do at this point is to replace the blobby grab handles with wire and perhaps replace the tow cables.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Here's a shot of my initial work building the assorted wheels and sprockets:</span><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-21974292755808448532013-05-03T22:33:00.000-04:002013-05-03T22:33:32.183-04:00StuG III (Fl) - Almost Ready for Paint<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">All that's left to add are the tow cables and antennae. Tow cables will be added after decaling and antennae at the very end. Enjoy!</span><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-43884235594539517662013-04-26T16:41:00.000-04:002013-04-26T16:41:49.890-04:00StuG III (Fl) - Recent Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've made some further progress on my Fl, having added the fenders, tracks, and cleaned up the flamethrower and sight covers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For more details and another pic, please go to Tanks and Things: </span><a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p30-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p30-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth</span></a><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-53947615431509352392013-02-22T14:51:00.000-05:002013-02-22T14:51:07.748-05:00StuG III (Fl) - Mantlet Cover Issue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw-JHEKoKlpZ6uufufmcjfc7Hncw34191-kjIhUSGDHPz4nKmhXc2jW1wCR9qyIsenGLCPqmF21WRwJ0YwPUnRA6IOL3RaEyJwzpjuM2p26knZkLJc2I2giJtK9scOcBnco3qKkZlJjNC/s1600/Cover3+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw-JHEKoKlpZ6uufufmcjfc7Hncw34191-kjIhUSGDHPz4nKmhXc2jW1wCR9qyIsenGLCPqmF21WRwJ0YwPUnRA6IOL3RaEyJwzpjuM2p26knZkLJc2I2giJtK9scOcBnco3qKkZlJjNC/s320/Cover3+800w.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The above photo shows my recent work scratch-building the mantlet cover and a plate to cover the empty gun sight slit. Note that the edges are unfinished on both pending the question of whether or not to add weld beads. Background and more photos are here in my build log: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p15-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314p15-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth</a></span></span></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-67867954228319420132013-02-21T16:18:00.000-05:002013-02-21T16:18:22.945-05:00StuG III (Fl) - Construction to Date<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasB1Qpler-YngP-ZJdPyELVG7PVI5XiHmXZFYSVCxok5Kl1otvA_CuQUFCPlEoP10tQXD3CESJKUWuBWs7B07la5Cm2YyPOjyC-oGHwbtiXA5tOVeF4XFUxbcLGJ-63YacYqeyABTGMtt/s1600/StuG+III+F1+Box+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasB1Qpler-YngP-ZJdPyELVG7PVI5XiHmXZFYSVCxok5Kl1otvA_CuQUFCPlEoP10tQXD3CESJKUWuBWs7B07la5Cm2YyPOjyC-oGHwbtiXA5tOVeF4XFUxbcLGJ-63YacYqeyABTGMtt/s320/StuG+III+F1+Box+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've been trying to decide how to best bring this project up-to-date in this blog since construction was started back in early November and since I am maintaining a complete build log on another forum. So I've decided to simply post a link and short description here whenever I update the other site.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you'll click on the link immediately below, you can follow my work on the lower hull and some of the superstructure. I also ran into research issues concerning the front plate and gun sight opening.</span><br />
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<a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/t5314-stug-iii-f1-mark-groth</a></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-39877336763458777512013-02-13T22:04:00.001-05:002013-02-13T22:04:51.419-05:00It's StuG-tastic!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As I referenced in a previous post, I decided to join the "Simply StuGs" group build on the "Jenny's Tanks & Things" web forum. (If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and do so . . . some great builds and a friendly group of folks: </span><a href="http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://tanksandthings.niceboard.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> The build started on November 1 and runs through October 2013 so even I should be able to complete my models.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yep, that was plural. I initially decided to build Tamiya's StuG III Ausf.G "Finnish Army" but after opening the box I discovered that no mesh was included for the various grills and that the main gun barrel was Tamiya's usual two-piece, split-down-the-middle, affair. So I went in search of another StuG and stumbled across Cyber-Hobby's StuG III (Fl), the unusual flame thrower version. Soon after, I found a vendor with the needed grills in stock for the Ausf.G and another with the appropriate metal barrel so I thought, "What the hell," I'll just build them both. I've been working on both of these models since November so my build logs will contain a lot of "catch-up."</span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">StuG III (Fl)</span></u></strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSOEuUs3EeAbW49XdqwXCO4GY_kzqPW_SrSXVJrK1pD8lq57xPlV1BRaaUsbBYfWmL7EUZN006HRqOaFCeosh2TOo1gCtQzoqaY9fCllt176Bv3h-eA6euw83O1wOVv8ScyzRHgKS08EY/s1600/StuG+F1+Photo+Osprey+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSOEuUs3EeAbW49XdqwXCO4GY_kzqPW_SrSXVJrK1pD8lq57xPlV1BRaaUsbBYfWmL7EUZN006HRqOaFCeosh2TOo1gCtQzoqaY9fCllt176Bv3h-eA6euw83O1wOVv8ScyzRHgKS08EY/s320/StuG+F1+Photo+Osprey+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Flammpanzer German Flamethrowers, 1941-45</em>, Tom Jentz and Hilary Doyle, Osprey New Vanguard No. 15, 1995, pg. 24.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It was decided in late 1942 to outfit a series of ten StuG IIIs with flamethrowers. The initial decision was to convert ten new StuGs from the current production series, but this was scrubbed in favor of assembling them from rebuilt chassis from older StuGs that had been returned to the ordnance depot for major repairs and overhauls. The ten rebuilt Flamms were issued to Panzertruppenschule I and were shipped by rail to this unit on 29 June 1943. One of the ten subsequently caught fire and burned out in July 1943. It was repaired and resumed service with the unit in September 1943. No records have been found indicating that any of these ten Flamms were ever used in combat. All ten were returned to the ordnance depot in January 1944 and were eventually converted back to normal StuGs mounting the 7.5cm Sturmkanone 40 L/48.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The photo above is the only known photo of one of these vehicles. The lack of discernible information in this photo led to some decisions needing to be made regarding this build.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>StuG III Ausf.G Finnish Army</u></strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjEMctSoMu7NIIpFnhXSTXc4NMIk6qMSf20TT5c_t5XbCwJ2hiTKoa0zBR303JV3usiJs6cYHKeyWEzZoMpkpMJ6e6zeEd8F8k40smH6PmscO9WVw_ZiIa3fR9xW-2zd4Xhoz_5T_R5ma/s1600/Finnish-Sturmi+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjEMctSoMu7NIIpFnhXSTXc4NMIk6qMSf20TT5c_t5XbCwJ2hiTKoa0zBR303JV3usiJs6cYHKeyWEzZoMpkpMJ6e6zeEd8F8k40smH6PmscO9WVw_ZiIa3fR9xW-2zd4Xhoz_5T_R5ma/s320/Finnish-Sturmi+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Finnish Army's armored division was formed in 1942 and included an Assault Gun Battalion. In the spring of 1943, they purchased thirty StuG IIIs to re-equip the battalion. The first units arrived at the unit's base at Petrozavodsk on September 2, 1943. It soon became apparent that no other Finnish AFVs could match the StuGs and twenty-nine more were ordered and delivered in mid-1944.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Finland's StuGs were the Ausf.G variant. Changes made by Finland in Spring 1944 included: removal of the Schurzen, addition of a wooden tool box, replacement of the MG34s with DT machine guns, and mounting the spare wheels on the vehicle sides. Beginning in July 1944, the Finns added: logs to the vehicle sides, concrete to the front of the superstructure, spare track links to the front of the hull, a visored driver's vision port, bolt-on armor to the hull sides, and a deflection plate to the mantlet.</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-77473734199609594032013-01-29T13:43:00.000-05:002013-01-29T13:43:19.127-05:00Sd.Kfz.261 - Construction I.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In yesterday's post, I neglected to point out the marking options for this kit. Two are illustrated in the instructions: one from an unidentified unit and one from the 2nd Panzer Division, both 1941, and both in panzer grey. The 2nd Pz. Div. vehicle has the "do it yourself" registration numbers where a blank white decal is included along with individual black numbers so you can theoretically assign any number. In this scale, no thanks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On to construction. Steps 1 and 2 cover the suspension and under-carriage and the attachment of various components to the lower hull. Step 3 covers the mesh "turret", the attachment of items to the upper hull, and the joining of the upper and lower halves. Four indentations need to be filled with putty as this upper hull molding was used for one of the prior versions of this armored car kit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">At this point, I have not attached the mufflers or rear tow hooks and the wheels/tires have been left off for ease of painting. A shot of the underside:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjakETXuqQ1VkJWFKQNqwRNfJASK4ugP5-99gxJoY87tdyAw4ewwHLVb_dkVbNHfHt2HbFkZRDYvvkPOrA6LpmM-YAMwyCiZUrwX0m65Kub4BxapIeSd2DZ1Yhyphenhyphenl7sq4ocDJpCv7tV27Q/s1600/261+Suspension+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjakETXuqQ1VkJWFKQNqwRNfJASK4ugP5-99gxJoY87tdyAw4ewwHLVb_dkVbNHfHt2HbFkZRDYvvkPOrA6LpmM-YAMwyCiZUrwX0m65Kub4BxapIeSd2DZ1Yhyphenhyphenl7sq4ocDJpCv7tV27Q/s320/261+Suspension+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And a shot of the left side. Note the filled indentations used for a previous kit and the heaviness of the mesh in the turret. The equipment has not been added to the rear fenders and the front fenders are added in a later step.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInqRwRhKa9A2d90B7wbHubBwAvoAOLM6KNO_HsG6SnbRzPNp5NDW5dG-eF5j2NGqGDrXtdi5xcoZSFJIJdhH4VXV2r0_clAP69lPZ52uWLFhTiWfsLju_ujlqCM1Wc5P3Rqf_7rH5k1K3/s1600/261+Construction+I+Left+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInqRwRhKa9A2d90B7wbHubBwAvoAOLM6KNO_HsG6SnbRzPNp5NDW5dG-eF5j2NGqGDrXtdi5xcoZSFJIJdhH4VXV2r0_clAP69lPZ52uWLFhTiWfsLju_ujlqCM1Wc5P3Rqf_7rH5k1K3/s320/261+Construction+I+Left+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-87586413784011636062013-01-28T16:17:00.003-05:002013-01-28T16:17:27.980-05:00A Small Diversion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39-oP9MW8PtLrLboq9-D6LF7ZA2Ah_Bko6zSTxtpEXitZ8_QHKb7yNt7lQjQei20EUuwWqLvskkWTgZEplS8BfN0sleb7NjsxMHVpaMoskUjgu5LbA75Fb9IgbZu6AC4QlQZsWPFu-haz/s1600/261+Box+Top+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39-oP9MW8PtLrLboq9-D6LF7ZA2Ah_Bko6zSTxtpEXitZ8_QHKb7yNt7lQjQei20EUuwWqLvskkWTgZEplS8BfN0sleb7NjsxMHVpaMoskUjgu5LbA75Fb9IgbZu6AC4QlQZsWPFu-haz/s320/261+Box+Top+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before diving back into my larger projects, I thought that I'd tackle Dragon's recent 72nd scale kit, the Sd.Kfz.261 Kleiner Panzerfunkwagen.<br />
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Following the 221, 222, and 223, the 260 and 261 were the fourth and fifth types of armored cars built on the "standard chassis for heavy passenger cars." They had four-wheel drive and armor designed to protect against AP bullets. The screens on top were intended to keep out hand grenades.<br />
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The 260 and 261 had no mounted armament. Instead, they were outfitted with long-range radio sets. The 260's radio sets operated in the same frequency band as those used in aircraft. The 261's were high-powered radio sets used for long-range communication with other headquarters.<br />
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A total of 483 Sd.Kfz.260s and 261s were completed between April 1941 and April 1943.<br />
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The kit itself is molded in Dragon's usual grey styrene. This kit only includes one vehicle whereas Dragon's previous offerings in this series included two. Given that, I expected something special in the kit . . . perhaps some nice PE or added details. Not only is there no PE, but the screens are rather heavily molded in plastic. I guess Dragon figured that since nothing could be seen through the screens that it wasn't necessary to include them in PE. Oh, well. From what I can tell, the kit does include new front fenders and has what appears to be a rather nice mast antenna. All in all, the molding appears to be finely done with little to no flash.<br />
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To give you some idea as to the size of this vehicle, here's a photo of both the lower and upper hull with a U.S. quarter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HoZzwwQNz2RD8cufGw7gfenx0bkJ3fNPCUi2W-3a3kh-Hqwh7VZGIsgk1ibW7Jc2fC5qitKB2KMu43-51L79W846txz2jhernFqC5YYBk8S8EuIvktuClO59uniZMtnEuBZ4yyNTmY4O/s1600/261+Hulls+800w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HoZzwwQNz2RD8cufGw7gfenx0bkJ3fNPCUi2W-3a3kh-Hqwh7VZGIsgk1ibW7Jc2fC5qitKB2KMu43-51L79W846txz2jhernFqC5YYBk8S8EuIvktuClO59uniZMtnEuBZ4yyNTmY4O/s320/261+Hulls+800w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On to construction!</div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-87253509669623633232013-01-10T16:51:00.002-05:002013-01-10T16:51:54.692-05:00Renault UE: Construction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sHmmRUxoCi_5807SWyNazZ_qzdc2kSGuWrlqUZ9j_GQCzB4uVI_KwhdSaqTHykuCEt2kW-DaU_B1kjUrJFk6yH5dOY8SkDGqhAEjj3qiYowclBu8rhwykVvhrafFqNjrTb1jX7rrG_BD/s1600/UE+Box+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0sHmmRUxoCi_5807SWyNazZ_qzdc2kSGuWrlqUZ9j_GQCzB4uVI_KwhdSaqTHykuCEt2kW-DaU_B1kjUrJFk6yH5dOY8SkDGqhAEjj3qiYowclBu8rhwykVvhrafFqNjrTb1jX7rrG_BD/s1600/UE+Box+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The holidays are over, so I guess it's time to play catch-up with posting the progress on some of my projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First up is the Renault UE that I built while at the beach in September. It's a 2007 Tamiya kit produced in 1/35th scale. Injection-molded in dark green styrene, it provides the option for building one of three variants: Series 2, 3, or 4. All are marked as "Unit Unknown, France, 1940." Parts are included for the UE itself as well as the towed, tracked trailer. Tracks are link and length and it truly is a "diorama in a box" as it includes four figures (two interior crew and two standing) as well as a sprue containing barrels, boxes, tarps, and other equipment with which to fill the rear cargo bin and trailer.</span></div>
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The first three steps cover construction of the hull and are straightforward. As one would expect from Tamiya, fit is excellent, even for a five-year-old kit. Following are two pictures of the hull at this point:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMoImluhYP_BgwUFJn5YLarOq5C2t-PkE6GZUwLvnn8zBBG0w8-ryeGKloRGmTDFKIjX4VRR-O9q1wQCNwFWwihyphenhyphen-sZlTQNpv-p6WfnsQOAme-9O5uoTgTMgjkttUUnLLh8N9LBwjspTe/s1600/UE+Hull1+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMoImluhYP_BgwUFJn5YLarOq5C2t-PkE6GZUwLvnn8zBBG0w8-ryeGKloRGmTDFKIjX4VRR-O9q1wQCNwFWwihyphenhyphen-sZlTQNpv-p6WfnsQOAme-9O5uoTgTMgjkttUUnLLh8N9LBwjspTe/s320/UE+Hull1+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG38QRaAZZcXYnBKe3wDoutmQj6TYspGH0x9__Yc2dhTbJI80IyDGMsZHCi4sS2riaHO5uNuWwXJ6IGB2VFuBIuzaVMW0tP67bpf6EYNp1aiOHI3BF2UG02Xx6DjahoOR6Q5zbHoEx36j/s1600/UE+Hull2+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrG38QRaAZZcXYnBKe3wDoutmQj6TYspGH0x9__Yc2dhTbJI80IyDGMsZHCi4sS2riaHO5uNuWwXJ6IGB2VFuBIuzaVMW0tP67bpf6EYNp1aiOHI3BF2UG02Xx6DjahoOR6Q5zbHoEx36j/s320/UE+Hull2+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Steps 4-7 cover construction of the wheels, suspension, drive sprockets and the attachment of the tracks. This was my first real experience with link and length tracks of this size (small!) and things went without a hitch. Tamiya has captured the track sag on both the UE and the trailer very well. Here's a picture of the unassembled wheels and suspension:<br />
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Steps 8-11 cover the addition of various hull parts and the hatches. It's important to pay attention to the instructions at this point as it is here that the choice of attachments will determine which of the three versions you end up with. I left the hatches unglued at this point so that I could paint and insert the crew figures at a later time. The only thing extra I needed to do here was drill out the exhaust pipe.<br />
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Step 12-13 detail the construction and attachment of the cargo deck. Two pictures showing the completed UE:<br />
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Last up was the construction of the trailer, covered in Steps 15-17. Link and length tracks are again used and again went together with a minimum of fuss:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg5QLU8kqryQbzvqXgyPFjpUMZhW0YRX0Mi7-CkLiEBEuWVCdblOEICvZ0LhyJ24p6Lg7iJbCdlYkzmblTJQGkxf6GoTavqNCJh3NMKVVcTWb4HisQ4tWUvVVjHm8pFFHjDRoiKjVZNWa/s1600/Trailer+Complete+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdg5QLU8kqryQbzvqXgyPFjpUMZhW0YRX0Mi7-CkLiEBEuWVCdblOEICvZ0LhyJ24p6Lg7iJbCdlYkzmblTJQGkxf6GoTavqNCJh3NMKVVcTWb4HisQ4tWUvVVjHm8pFFHjDRoiKjVZNWa/s320/Trailer+Complete+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's a photo of the complete build at this point:<br />
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All that's left is to choose the cargo, paint and weather the UE and trailer, build and paint the figures, and decide on a setting and base for the display.</div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-38381405513472493112012-11-02T22:04:00.000-04:002012-11-02T22:04:20.907-04:00Renault UE: The Real Deal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0C-wpdO3IGWG8uQDJScFQPbJohAX5C23anrRXryGXcTbB2zLsOCsfuyql4UODdLP3Djd1gE2-HQLyB9niWymXjwI94fgWdiICW8Yqqc0asNdtYk7n30Np_oHqJC7L5RXSTU_SOJhquzc/s1600/UE+Photo1+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0C-wpdO3IGWG8uQDJScFQPbJohAX5C23anrRXryGXcTbB2zLsOCsfuyql4UODdLP3Djd1gE2-HQLyB9niWymXjwI94fgWdiICW8Yqqc0asNdtYk7n30Np_oHqJC7L5RXSTU_SOJhquzc/s320/UE+Photo1+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As the French army underwent mechanization in the 1920s, the need arose for a small, tracked armored vehicle capable of transporting supplies and weapons to the front lines and towing light artillery. In October 1930, Renault's armored carrier UE was chosen by the French army from several competing designs and production of the first 60 operational vehicles was completed by September 1932.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">At 2.8m long, 1.74m wide, and 2.6 tons fully loaded, it was a sturdy, compact design that featured a riveted joint hull construction and a reliable suspension with garter beams supporting the road wheels. The two-member driver/navigator crew was housed in a central compartment, but since their heads protruded from the chassis, special domed-shaped hatches were mounted to augment the carrier's 9mm armor and protect against small-arms fire and shrapnel. A 38hp gasoline engine enabled a road speed of 30km/hr, while over 1 ton of cargo could be carried on the tiltable rear deck and towed trailer. Approximately 4,900 armored carrier UEs were produced until June 1940, including the UE2 variant which featured 4-speed transmission instead of 3-speed, and tow shackles in place of the pig-tailed hooks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When France capitulated to Germany in June 1940, approximately 3,000 captured armored carrier UEs were pressed into service with German forces, which used them as transports, artillery and aircraft towing vehicles, and as modified self-propelled guns.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><em>--Source: Tamiya</em></span></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-55941676481176777172012-11-02T22:01:00.000-04:002012-11-02T22:01:17.804-04:00Beach Build Sept. 2012: Renault Armored Carrier UE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8BjmUgqqx-VHc175LHpkvrsAWfNOh2XU3EtvAiZdpm0V-fe6gGRKV0D3ianGU_RfHLNMdccQ6K4o6A37J64Oe1iDtqGgG_T3rbgzAyN-FlRAhJloFeiFlDRlqJF6j-dufQSWGYNNwoH-/s1600/UE+Photo2+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8BjmUgqqx-VHc175LHpkvrsAWfNOh2XU3EtvAiZdpm0V-fe6gGRKV0D3ianGU_RfHLNMdccQ6K4o6A37J64Oe1iDtqGgG_T3rbgzAyN-FlRAhJloFeiFlDRlqJF6j-dufQSWGYNNwoH-/s320/UE+Photo2+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before heading to the beach, I rummaged through my stash looking for a kit that I could conceivably complete during the week, that would lend itself to varying modeling times, and that would require a minimum of tools. Ideally, I would be able to return home with construction completed and could proceed straight to painting and finishing. The kit </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I decided on was Tamiya's 1/35th scale French Armored Carrier UE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As soon as we checked into the house I began scouting for a suitable workspace. I immediately spied an out-of-the-way table with a view of the beach and not far from the fridge!</span><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-72677530467054009512012-11-02T16:18:00.000-04:002012-11-02T16:18:25.593-04:00Projects and More Projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been some time since I posted, but not a whole lot has been built during that time. I've begun several new projects to add to my "in progress" list so I thought it might be good to summarize where I stand on all of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Stug III (F1) and Finnish Army Stug III Ausf. G (New)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">These are both in the initial stages of construction. I'm building them for an online build for the "Tanks and Things" forum. I'll get separate postings done for each soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Marder II (New)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I saw this kit at HobbyTown and bought in on a whim. Ordered an after-market barrel and other goodies for it and dove right in. I'm currently constructing the gun. Post coming soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>French Armored Carrier UE (New)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rescued this kit from my stash and took it to the beach with me back in September. I completed construction on it and its trailer at the beach and it's now ready for the paint booth. I'll post photos soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>T-34/76 Model 1941 (35th Scale)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm noodling over the attachment of the ice cleats to the fenders--how many groups to attach and which ones. These involve fiddly PE straps and buckles. Also, I'm still worrying over the square fuel tanks for the rear deck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Steyr 1500A/01</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The wiring of all the radios and electrical gear is proving to be quite a hurdle to get over. 'Nuff said about that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Kfz.13</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm back to the suspension with all it's PE and small plastic bits. Then all that's left is setting up the MG and adding details.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I think that's it . . . certainly enough to carry me through the winter. Now to get to those four new posts and photos :)</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-83914932717471790842012-09-06T14:24:00.002-04:002012-09-06T14:24:51.799-04:00Kfz.13 - Body Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeP-U9hg7bS-DHZ6YD6egJkLnhM1JJRDogoHYr5fptJfSe-IHPn7cZj-nKmS113CLJOdZml-Wc6IQQaQSgXBSc9Ieix_TKYQfdt7P7-CH2lA2s8rgcvFC9USyxRTEOgMXtdZzDwVXNdBp/s1600/Body+Progress+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeP-U9hg7bS-DHZ6YD6egJkLnhM1JJRDogoHYr5fptJfSe-IHPn7cZj-nKmS113CLJOdZml-Wc6IQQaQSgXBSc9Ieix_TKYQfdt7P7-CH2lA2s8rgcvFC9USyxRTEOgMXtdZzDwVXNdBp/s320/Body+Progress+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's beginning to look a lot like a Kfz.13!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since my last post, I've attached the "tub" to the frame along with the front section, armored grill, and the rear fenders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next, it's back to the frame, suspension, and the addition of some "goodies" to the tub.</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-49677981380136915952012-09-06T14:20:00.001-04:002012-09-06T14:20:51.522-04:0035th Scale T-34: Hull Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_ZxVuHtZ3DDaqofa4S00eqCmztZvD1CyAPkVI-Gt0__EHdsUG2fNDcwlpKrUczca0fKol7nN6_VgYNmK5Eo-EqsVd_XyZT-sp47anprtDdZEP8X5jJg26po926FAiH1Ep-yNYbSfx00q/s1600/Hull+Progress+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_ZxVuHtZ3DDaqofa4S00eqCmztZvD1CyAPkVI-Gt0__EHdsUG2fNDcwlpKrUczca0fKol7nN6_VgYNmK5Eo-EqsVd_XyZT-sp47anprtDdZEP8X5jJg26po926FAiH1Ep-yNYbSfx00q/s320/Hull+Progress+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">made a little progress on the hull. The upper section has been glued to the bottom. Fit was generally good with the only gap being left at the very rear. I'll fill this with a combination of plastic strips of the appropriate width and putty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As can be seen above, I attached the engine screen housing after airbrushing the inside with Vallejo Russian Green primer. I then attached the rear access hatch, exhausts, and jack blocks/chocks to the rear fenders and extra track links and attachment points to both sides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm still undecided about which auxiliary fuel tanks to use. My initial thought was to go with the Aber PE square fuel tanks on the rear. After seeing how difficult it was going to be to bend them to the proper shape, I decided to go with the kit-supplied rectangular fuel tanks on the sides. Accordingly, I added the jack blocks (or chocks) to both rear fenders. Then I acquired the resin square tanks from Mig USA but, when examining them after they arrived, they look to be too large. So now the PE tanks aren't looking so bad but that means I'll need to remove the jack blocks/chocks from the rear fenders to get the square tanks to properly fit. I guess I won't make the final decision until I get to a step from which I can't easily recover :)</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-76635860679937388242012-08-27T22:24:00.001-04:002012-08-27T22:24:38.624-04:00Kfz.13 - Back to the "Tub"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcyOTLetqyH9-f-YkXLk9T8kV4ADt5FAFwGyddOQ9FQ1Q8qj5_xgqdGFZcBTiMpEtZ6uA3699XcaJB33sNoeOsofSvUjlqZW1oniOlWRKi6_DC1eJ_Q6RTBOQE5YhaRbGu_C7RhYRimr/s1600/Tub+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwcyOTLetqyH9-f-YkXLk9T8kV4ADt5FAFwGyddOQ9FQ1Q8qj5_xgqdGFZcBTiMpEtZ6uA3699XcaJB33sNoeOsofSvUjlqZW1oniOlWRKi6_DC1eJ_Q6RTBOQE5YhaRbGu_C7RhYRimr/s320/Tub+600w.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While I'm waiting for my squarish fuel tanks to arrive from Mig USA for my T-34, I thought I'd spend some time on the Kfz.13 armored car I began several months ago. I've added the front and rear body sections to the floor and have constructed the support system and seat for the MG-42. I'm leaving off the machine gun, shield, and doors at this point to facilitate painting the interior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The photo below illustrates why this car was termed a "bathtub on wheels."</span><br />
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-78587536997273883622012-08-21T15:12:00.001-04:002012-08-21T15:12:20.241-04:0072nd Scale T-34: Finished!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvSC81trZu10iFS5WtvI4lqfbTly-Z7nFu6Cj4YLrE-9y7-ObyWycr2H4R1232AKEYeqMXCeiGOJTcwfqApN31BXWSnAirqM7pDY3Pt2ecb6lO5Scak468Y4mlLZlV9jZLTDj7L7_GVb_/s1600/Fin7+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvSC81trZu10iFS5WtvI4lqfbTly-Z7nFu6Cj4YLrE-9y7-ObyWycr2H4R1232AKEYeqMXCeiGOJTcwfqApN31BXWSnAirqM7pDY3Pt2ecb6lO5Scak468Y4mlLZlV9jZLTDj7L7_GVb_/s320/Fin7+600w.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've messed around with the finish on the tank and with the ground work about all that I can, so here are photos of my completed T-34/76 Model 1941, 1st Tank Brigade, Poland, 1945.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">While not totally happy with it, I've learned some valuable lessons to apply to future builds. Stay tuned!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtiuzdyV7V8jYl4dhPUf-NVtTCSpZvCGzUcj8Pomd0UOROh-1_SFAwyMpmKTmZHzkGxv3m-64gnmbALl-7YaN8VO4B4fMGHgS2SItCKSxEweV7qPOQEmXQVEp2vtD_ey8PC3J201n4b1m/s1600/Fin1+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtiuzdyV7V8jYl4dhPUf-NVtTCSpZvCGzUcj8Pomd0UOROh-1_SFAwyMpmKTmZHzkGxv3m-64gnmbALl-7YaN8VO4B4fMGHgS2SItCKSxEweV7qPOQEmXQVEp2vtD_ey8PC3J201n4b1m/s320/Fin1+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2H1KS7MaYUL3FMGvRpHIrshsu8-bzftmVzw0NBoeSwnbJKylSXIQxFndXcVfVm2HsyYUmqatDZusIfaCeHup8SC9frSZ3AU8QCcY8W7-1Jbvc6MSqC8ePjMAtltY_knveliU-dxzNEur/s1600/Fin2+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2H1KS7MaYUL3FMGvRpHIrshsu8-bzftmVzw0NBoeSwnbJKylSXIQxFndXcVfVm2HsyYUmqatDZusIfaCeHup8SC9frSZ3AU8QCcY8W7-1Jbvc6MSqC8ePjMAtltY_knveliU-dxzNEur/s320/Fin2+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLpZNn_1dqJnzhmn1s7orVOHvdXmK1yxH9gauWnxa6JBf0tm1RhcAXKn2uXgIFURIujyJO_Kta3ZqrqMK1DcnX_C1u1WXgjgd_k66_E2qC3AhlQLho8lkPwzV2OLZ2CKXOxpmHD4xTTyJ/s1600/Fin3+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLpZNn_1dqJnzhmn1s7orVOHvdXmK1yxH9gauWnxa6JBf0tm1RhcAXKn2uXgIFURIujyJO_Kta3ZqrqMK1DcnX_C1u1WXgjgd_k66_E2qC3AhlQLho8lkPwzV2OLZ2CKXOxpmHD4xTTyJ/s320/Fin3+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwqB91ZuMuwcyWFMWBkefEqabAnuabmzWdksn2WNI402SygxZwMTb8QM5aWzYbN2KDHgsPYX5ao8dnHiG-OwgSQ7WOCd1-Gy7he3oe6kqGJkMDd63Ay48ZJMof2Nvo9IAW0wZpOMepM06/s1600/Fin4+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwqB91ZuMuwcyWFMWBkefEqabAnuabmzWdksn2WNI402SygxZwMTb8QM5aWzYbN2KDHgsPYX5ao8dnHiG-OwgSQ7WOCd1-Gy7he3oe6kqGJkMDd63Ay48ZJMof2Nvo9IAW0wZpOMepM06/s320/Fin4+600w.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAgOX94NkT7Ec-hkQ2stS3au4JJJBm0GZk1-aZOhUZBf3xh2egYM4Z9ed6wCbLlsBWKKXSn1oUY1YBEReOYIUK_kR2-kQuc9UUsaMXF8oVx4G9exE0aUUN-BuWXWX1GcmIc6u0-ZV7fmt/s1600/Fin5+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAgOX94NkT7Ec-hkQ2stS3au4JJJBm0GZk1-aZOhUZBf3xh2egYM4Z9ed6wCbLlsBWKKXSn1oUY1YBEReOYIUK_kR2-kQuc9UUsaMXF8oVx4G9exE0aUUN-BuWXWX1GcmIc6u0-ZV7fmt/s320/Fin5+600w.jpg" width="309" /></a></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-14148822840497471702012-08-17T14:06:00.001-04:002012-08-17T14:06:53.027-04:0072nd Scale T-34: The Base, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT080Zb5iwR4B56tSBhHN9gK7aUpWatSUEs6svVJi-LkvDYqV_yhW7hdXqVjbcfJAaOL9SUmWixmGGl9TlgNf6kwUGbl5ze1uY0xmD-Z3EGM3jpZTxcrL03LbPsgBqykNu6ZE7JzWZraKj/s1600/Base4+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT080Zb5iwR4B56tSBhHN9gK7aUpWatSUEs6svVJi-LkvDYqV_yhW7hdXqVjbcfJAaOL9SUmWixmGGl9TlgNf6kwUGbl5ze1uY0xmD-Z3EGM3jpZTxcrL03LbPsgBqykNu6ZE7JzWZraKj/s320/Base4+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I next painted the surface of the ground work flat brown. Once dry, I applied scenic cement and sprinkled on some Woodland Scenics Fine Turf Burnt Grass. I wanted to keep the grass more or less in scale--hence the use of the fine turf and not static grass as I would use with a larger scale. Although hard to see here due to the lighting, I then added several tufts of miniNatur Short Buffalo Grass Spring Tufts from Scenic Express.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once all this was allowed to dry thoroughly, I used a combination of airbrushing and dry brushing to apply various shades of brown, green, and grey to the grass, dirt, and rocks. I also painted the sides of the foam a flat black using a generic craft paint. My progress to date is shown below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZxXrXn0dr0AQ8CAQc735syU9GoIMRFehZYArCg1bKDur_UvcCiUOeTwl-UE9BHZrhVGKwBOyAfjLcofX1bZf4EeRyKNdDAIaXR90_RrBYqh2SOIiysMSCAgukihwcU1EvAtqDZT8F29W/s1600/Base5+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZxXrXn0dr0AQ8CAQc735syU9GoIMRFehZYArCg1bKDur_UvcCiUOeTwl-UE9BHZrhVGKwBOyAfjLcofX1bZf4EeRyKNdDAIaXR90_RrBYqh2SOIiysMSCAgukihwcU1EvAtqDZT8F29W/s320/Base5+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next I will epoxy the T-34 to the base, add some additional ground work around the treads, and tidy up the build.</span></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-43436021439742660902012-08-14T13:13:00.002-04:002012-08-14T13:13:53.531-04:0035th Scale T-34: Engine Fan Screening Assembly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've opted to use the PE screening and louvres on the rear of the hull although, as usual, very little of the assembly will be easily seen once the housing is attached to the hull. I removed the molded-on bolt heads from the hull, sanded them smooth, and then attached the PE plate on the rear deck as shown below:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0svPX3HcOzlA-iQthrhx6vDbWYpQmmsPb7DRdeUpjHc8JjjBPgW9ffElVhDAlv40qGzY6UVlruECVdH1ghfxbpBkpwOIWBqKvAccCFyFPLUflKMvpMN_nj-Y0TSaFQyvYKqWP7xdUddYO/s1600/Screen1+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0svPX3HcOzlA-iQthrhx6vDbWYpQmmsPb7DRdeUpjHc8JjjBPgW9ffElVhDAlv40qGzY6UVlruECVdH1ghfxbpBkpwOIWBqKvAccCFyFPLUflKMvpMN_nj-Y0TSaFQyvYKqWP7xdUddYO/s320/Screen1+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The louvres were then attached. Since there is no engine included I'll leave them in the closed position:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPuW1G1ng2rwcHtrpeuFrcryGXEx_lCxWTpoDcCG57kXd8wAQMfqhO8ATJhDCglhWtjrwpGVG0mg0p28P_3Dgo6eqTTfzg-D8qVDbg0aRCoMjhgWZSJW_WNgn9pWJ_KCNPHQCp5gHC0xJ/s1600/Screen2+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPuW1G1ng2rwcHtrpeuFrcryGXEx_lCxWTpoDcCG57kXd8wAQMfqhO8ATJhDCglhWtjrwpGVG0mg0p28P_3Dgo6eqTTfzg-D8qVDbg0aRCoMjhgWZSJW_WNgn9pWJ_KCNPHQCp5gHC0xJ/s320/Screen2+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The screening and supports were then glued to the housing. Note that the tabs on the supports have not yet been bent:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL-zd3LIayL2QJFWhYh7byXpdABly2jFFT2LG3wRpnN-kvp-9o0hQv3SVEpEH83h1Am7SMIWuAPPHjuUSsmvYLiaRC1NngjLOUSiKHeVD9KVFq_hX9kNPsI3Mr3oX-QTJYqWUznQluqz9/s1600/Screen3+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoL-zd3LIayL2QJFWhYh7byXpdABly2jFFT2LG3wRpnN-kvp-9o0hQv3SVEpEH83h1Am7SMIWuAPPHjuUSsmvYLiaRC1NngjLOUSiKHeVD9KVFq_hX9kNPsI3Mr3oX-QTJYqWUznQluqz9/s320/Screen3+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's a photo of the housing in position (tabs STILL not bent) showing just how much of the assembly will be visible through the screen:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bEkgJE6BQrYRT2a6FWd8NpWOHRSFE3junYx72MJpDeulgf_DzrlRMeX9BtU1OJAzMNQK3fJ9GeyzSrffdJDuZa1Z4XaL77hsS_cPQD4b12b6rMRTnft_T-ZV_SqcyCdbLbXDlb3THkjp/s1600/Screen4+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bEkgJE6BQrYRT2a6FWd8NpWOHRSFE3junYx72MJpDeulgf_DzrlRMeX9BtU1OJAzMNQK3fJ9GeyzSrffdJDuZa1Z4XaL77hsS_cPQD4b12b6rMRTnft_T-ZV_SqcyCdbLbXDlb3THkjp/s320/Screen4+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I will airbrush the area inside the housing in the appropriate Russian green color prior to permanently attaching it. Then it's back to general construction.</span></div>
hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-78091103946013031292012-08-14T12:54:00.000-04:002012-08-14T12:54:41.721-04:0072nd Scale T-34: The Base(ics)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Before I applied the final weathering, I wanted to construct the base to allow me to integrate the tank with its environment. I dove into my stash of bases I'd collected over the years for various figures and found one that would fit the scene I had in mind. I first scored the top surface with a box knife so that the glue would better adhere to it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2D-T_oGcpKT98FSneD0dko1VsbMvfpwCMqUaHXd0KhiDJY166cWE9rpjsv9TN1-RZ5RR47tebpKgOCSxK-96ZfPe-SsCwppWL8p8M2nGn1ADz9iuErVOAIdI5trOZZjWrpKUebfdEkPj/s1600/Base1+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2D-T_oGcpKT98FSneD0dko1VsbMvfpwCMqUaHXd0KhiDJY166cWE9rpjsv9TN1-RZ5RR47tebpKgOCSxK-96ZfPe-SsCwppWL8p8M2nGn1ADz9iuErVOAIdI5trOZZjWrpKUebfdEkPj/s320/Base1+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I then carved a piece of florist foam to the basic shape, masked off the sides of the wooden base, and glued the foam to the base with scenic cement (which I suspect is nothing more than a higher-priced white glue with a matte agent added).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgit_0GKFh0BeOxgN18cW4H9YBTXE8_bFgQvMkxPt_bXtapOzFInYcOutEXuAN7vqVZ7EX_Xbl3Gwf4yM3CJwqoX3wu6tlbQADKDmYVpxINJgb3guwDxg_ITWO_WG0FLsXn4zFVAYW4iZmi/s1600/Base2+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgit_0GKFh0BeOxgN18cW4H9YBTXE8_bFgQvMkxPt_bXtapOzFInYcOutEXuAN7vqVZ7EX_Xbl3Gwf4yM3CJwqoX3wu6tlbQADKDmYVpxINJgb3guwDxg_ITWO_WG0FLsXn4zFVAYW4iZmi/s320/Base2+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I mixed a batch of Aves ClayShay and applied it with a spatula to the top surface of the foam. This is some of the best ground material I've found. Depending on how you mix it, you can use it either as a clay (thick) or as a mache (thin). When it was partially dried I pressed the tank into the surface so that it would appear sunken into the ground and added a few scale rocks to the surface.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvFPXJ0-RqsOzBvvazitTFfGPQ9sERGsSY5DYVz-iD0mKV9jTfKlo9BJ9J0p78izvadBk7rTJtvYfwP5d-47XQZ5scpROBW4CzVa7wqMSMJRQkPdewziMAFWVQKEmAPn5oygrN8Dyv_2I/s1600/Base3+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrvFPXJ0-RqsOzBvvazitTFfGPQ9sERGsSY5DYVz-iD0mKV9jTfKlo9BJ9J0p78izvadBk7rTJtvYfwP5d-47XQZ5scpROBW4CzVa7wqMSMJRQkPdewziMAFWVQKEmAPn5oygrN8Dyv_2I/s320/Base3+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Next up will be painting and adding additional ground work.</span></div>
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hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-38803444548183282562012-08-11T15:50:00.001-04:002012-08-11T15:50:59.227-04:00Ivan and Boris: Assembly and Priming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoznhtqa9UfOnDjIGNDUNtZhK0AeS0gs4PpdmLhyphenhyphenJnYZy1GWlns-B08cS0rLjbZ_9gKu0fO4Wtq8fUfFAgmhHi9kqhQ4PG4bDP2fqB7VZkvnabkVaUAmr6UIkHG7IqXqML39ROd8QoXsD/s1600/Crew+Puttied+600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoznhtqa9UfOnDjIGNDUNtZhK0AeS0gs4PpdmLhyphenhyphenJnYZy1GWlns-B08cS0rLjbZ_9gKu0fO4Wtq8fUfFAgmhHi9kqhQ4PG4bDP2fqB7VZkvnabkVaUAmr6UIkHG7IqXqML39ROd8QoXsD/s320/Crew+Puttied+600w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I assembled the two Russian tanker figures, officer and crewman, and attached them to plastic bottle caps with CA adhesive for ease of handling during painting. As a fan of all things Vallejo, I filled the seams with Vallejo Plastic Putty (70400) and then set both aside to dry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I used the point of a #11 blade to clean up the seams and then gave each figure several light coats of Tamiya White Fine Surface Primer from the ol' rattle can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In addition to highlighting any areas that need further cleaning, the white primer brings out the details in the figures and gives a nice base for the application of the finish colors.</span></div>
</div>hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870190117150422532.post-25498307586830200482012-08-03T16:29:00.001-04:002012-08-03T16:29:28.252-04:00Comrade!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Needing a crew for my 35th scale T-34, I dove into my "parts and figures" box and found the Tank figure set, "Russian AFV Crew, 1941." I also have a couple of Alpine sets but I think I'll save them for future builds, unless the Tank set doesn't work out. Given the pose of the figure in the hatch, I'll do some initial construction on the turret to see how he will work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's a photo of the figures themselves prior to clean-up, construction, and painting:</span><br />
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</div>hmgrothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05344857409173976831noreply@blogger.com0