M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage 1/48

[DennisM]

Another tiny project. Actually I have several that will be coming soon to be done concurrently when they get to the same stage.

Very cool little kit that goes together in a few hours. Seam lines on this kit are almost non-existent.   Only hiccup is the ejector pin marks on the sides of the hull. They will be noticeable and should be addressed. I chose to just fill them with superglue to take the edge off them. I think it will look okay.

The tracks were kind of a pain. They are link and length but when I wrapped them around I came up about a half link short. I had to pull on the glued links to get a little more length out of the built sections.

Just a couple more steps and the build will be finished.

[DennisM]

The 50 cal was a little clunky. Made it less so

[chromdome35]

You are off to a great start! Your work on the .50 cal is excellent!

I admire anyone who can work in the small scales.

[garydavis]

Great job on that .50 cal

[robbo]

I like the look of this, never done a 1/48 vehicle but never say never

[DennisM]

Apr 10, 2023 15:57:00 GMT -5 robbo said:

I like the look of this, never done a 1/48 vehicle but never say never

1/48 armor kits are great. They are generally Tamiya kits so you know the quality is going to be up there.
They go together very quickly and are great kits if you want to try out some techniques.

The problems start when you get to the tracks.
they are link and length and very small.
If you try to leave the tracks off for painting and weathering you are going to suffer.
The connection points are very small and the tracks will come apart with even minor handling.
When you try to use any weathering products with mineral spirits they will come apart.

The solution is to glue the tracks to the running gear. Glue the individual parts of the tracks to the drive sprocket and the idler wheel.
I did this on the Panzer II and the build was quite enjoyable.
I left them off the M8 for reasons and I am sure I will pay. The tracks are a little beefier so I may be okay

[mustang1989]

I saw this kit on the back cover of this months FSM magazine. I've got a couple of 1/48 kits in the stash and the information on the track links is very useful information Dennis. Hopefully you don't have too tough of a time with the tracks on this one.

[ogrejohn]

Looking good Dennis!

[DennisM]

Construction is finished

[DennisM]

My benchtime lately has come in short bursts and I haven't taken many progress shots. I primed with grey Stynlrez and then preshaded with a dark brown and highlighted with yellow. Does this really matter? Can you tell in the final product? Don't know. I find it enjoyable, so I do it. Painted everything with AK 3rd gen acrylic. I tried to do the hairspray dusting. I put too much hairspray and didn't let it dry long enough so the results were okay at best. Decided to use AK pencils for some weathering, mostly on the engine deck so far. I am happy with it. Trying to push finish this and the Panzer II so I can start the Panther June 1st

[chromdome35]

Looks great! I think the results justify the preshading work

[Tojo72]

Very nice it's not always easy to get the mud effects right on the small scale.

[406 Silverado]

Jeez.....I have to keep reminding myself that this is a 1/48 scale build Dennis. The results of your pre-shading and layering up after that are just amazing. I only hope that I can do this much justice to the 1/48 scale Panther that I've got in the stash!! Very nice work indeed buddy.

[DennisM]

Thanks everyone!
Got the running gear and tracks mostly weathered up. I am going to hit them with some enamels and oils to blend some of the harshness and pastellness of the plaster out.
This is just a mixture of real dirt, plaster and burnt umber craft paint. Takes a lot more paint than you think. The plaster really whitens it up.  The bottle of Vallejo really gives a good idea of the size of the kit

[406 Silverado]

It's really amazing just how small these 1/48 kits really are. The you couple that with all the detail work and paint/ weathering that you're putting into this one and it just throws it into a whole 'nuther category of modeling. Beautiful work and great techniques on display here Dennis.

[`Boots`]

Excellent.

[406 Silverado]

Any updates on this one Dennis?

[robbo]

This has moved on nicely since my last visit

[reserve]

Sweet job sir

[DennisM]

May 2, 2023 21:38:12 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Any updates on this one Dennis?

It is getting close to being finished.
April and May are my busiest months of the year and haven't had time lately
I did have a mildly failed experiment though.
I used plaster mixed with acrylics for the weathering on the tracks and hull and Initially I thought it looked great.
Then I messed it up thinking some enamel earth washes would make it look better on one side (this is how I usually ruin kits).
When I put them on it got darker when it got wet with the enamels.
It never lightened and left harsh dark stains and I had to use earth colored acrylics to fix it.
I figured my problem was how absorbent the plaster was, so I put some pigment fixer on the other side and that seemed to solve my problem
Just trying to find my style and I am getting closer
Pics soon..

[406 Silverado]

May 9, 2023 7:19:24 GMT -5 DennisM said:

May 2, 2023 21:38:12 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Any updates on this one Dennis?

It is getting close to being finished.
April and May are my busiest months of the year and haven't had time lately
I did have a mildly failed experiment though.
I used plaster mixed with acrylics for the weathering on the tracks and hull and Initially I thought it looked great.
Then I messed it up thinking some enamel earth washes would make it look better on one side (this is how I usually ruin kits).
When I put them on it got darker when it got wet with the enamels.
It never lightened and left harsh dark stains and I had to use earth colored acrylics to fix it.
I figured my problem was how absorbent the plaster was, so I put some pigment fixer on the other side and that seemed to solve my problem
Just trying to find my style and I am getting closer
Pics soon..

Trial and error are usually how it works for me and it usually bites me right in the tail on one of any given builds most crucial stages. For instance,I found out the hard way NOT to use lacquer gloss coat over an enamel color coat. BIG mistake. Had the perfect paint job go completely south in one coat of lacquer. Enamel over lacquer=.....lacquer over enamel=
But hey, if we never mess up...we never learn.   Glad you found a fix for your issue Dennis and I'm looking forward to those pics.

[chromdome35]

May 9, 2023 7:47:24 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

May 9, 2023 7:19:24 GMT -5 DennisM said:

It is getting close to being finished.
April and May are my busiest months of the year and haven't had time lately
I did have a mildly failed experiment though.
I used plaster mixed with acrylics for the weathering on the tracks and hull and Initially I thought it looked great.
Then I messed it up thinking some enamel earth washes would make it look better on one side (this is how I usually ruin kits).
When I put them on it got darker when it got wet with the enamels.
It never lightened and left harsh dark stains and I had to use earth colored acrylics to fix it.
I figured my problem was how absorbent the plaster was, so I put some pigment fixer on the other side and that seemed to solve my problem
Just trying to find my style and I am getting closer
Pics soon..

Trial and error are usually how it works for me and it usually bites me right in the tail on one of any given builds most crucial stages. For instance,I found out the hard way NOT to use lacquer gloss coat over an enamel color coat. BIG mistake. Had the perfect paint job go completely south in one coat of lacquer. Enamel over lacquer=.....lacquer over enamel=
But hey, if we never mess up...we never learn.   Glad you found a fix for your issue Dennis and I'm looking forward to those pics.

Joe, that reminds me of the old drinking adage...Beer on Whiskey, pretty risky. Whiskey on beer, never fear.

[406 Silverado]

May 9, 2023 14:21:53 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

May 9, 2023 7:47:24 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Trial and error are usually how it works for me and it usually bites me right in the tail on one of any given builds most crucial stages. For instance,I found out the hard way NOT to use lacquer gloss coat over an enamel color coat. BIG mistake. Had the perfect paint job go completely south in one coat of lacquer. Enamel over lacquer=.....lacquer over enamel=
But hey, if we never mess up...we never learn.   Glad you found a fix for your issue Dennis and I'm looking forward to those pics.

Joe, that reminds me of the old drinking adage...Beer on Whiskey, pretty risky. Whiskey on beer, never fear.

Yessiree! Been there and done that!!

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Dennis.

Sorry I am very late to the party!

ATB.

Andrew

[Joe Rix]

Sweet build Dennis. Really excellent painting and weathering. You've achieved a very realistic appearance.

Thank You for the tip on assembling and painting the link and length tracks on these. I am currently working on a 1/48 Tamiya Sherman Firefly and have been continuously wondering how to paint them. I am no armor builder by any stretch and this was just kind of a nice casual build for something different. I am very much enjoying the 1/48 armor. Good stuff.

[Tojo72]

I knew it was small,but thats small,really looking good.

[hasenpfeffer]

Looking good! For sure if I ever get to a kit that requires OD, I will definitely try some of that pre-shading that you did. I'm certain I wouldn't have thought of that on my own.

[buddho]

Excellent build here...the painting and weathering is off the charts!