Some projects I've been working on

[bbrowniii]

Hi guys,

I've been meaning to post some of my ongoing projects for awhile. I figure the only way to really become a part of the community is to dive in with both feet. Unfortunately, we are getting ready to have some work done in our basement (where my bench is) so stuff has been in a bit of chaos down there for the last couple weeks. Still, I finally broke down and cleared a spot amid the rubble to take a few pics of two current projects I have going on.

First is the Tamiya T-34/76 kit (#35149). I won this in the raffle at GraniteCon a couple weeks ago and a friend of mine told me it would take me a day to build... and two weeks to weather! ;D As it turns out, he was wrong - I built it while watching the second Presidential Debate, so it took about an hour and a half. It was only as I built the turret that I realize whoever donated this to the raffle had made off with half a sprue of parts (the three infantry figs that come with is plus a few turret parts) so I kind of 'winged it'. It is not 100% accurate, but I don't really care. In the pics below, it is primed and ready for some Russian Green (which I have none of, or anything close, so it'll have to wait until this weekend):



Hey, what's that Sam Adams Octoberfest doing there...? Ummm, it must be there to.... give a sense of scale! Yeah, that's it... a sense of scale....



This is a cool little kit. Easy to build OOB (I did end up filling some, but not all, of the motorization holes and the sponsons, but other than that, did not really do much else). I've got a little plan for a base that I'd like to put this on, so hopefully I'll have more on that soon.

My next build is the Dragon 1/72 Sherman Mk V Tulip. I built this in the days following AMPSEast at the end of September to put on one of the bases I bought there.



Unfortunately, I can't post any more pics right now. It isn't that I don't have them. However, my kids are demanding some of my attention, so I have to get away from the computer for a bit. I'll get some more pics of this up ASAP.

I always like comments - good, bad, indifferent. I ain't scared! ;D

[deafpanzer]

Wait a minute! Is it a tricky question? Are you asking me which is better... little Russkie tank or special edition beer? I think you already know my answer. Cheers!

I would be very interested to follow your 'Tulip' WIP... count me in!

[bbd468]

I like'em both, so ill follow along no matter which you work on. T-34's lookin' nice so far man!

Gary

[bbrowniii]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the comments. Sorry I didn't get back to this last night, but those domestic responsibilities took a bit more time than I had expected

Chris: yup, I'm a big fan of Sam's Winter Lager. And you are right - enjoying a beer while sitting at the bench is pretty damn relaxing and satisfying.

As far as paint goes, the build is ready (well, minus the other external fuel tank I still need to add). I just need to get the paint, which I hope to do on Saturday. So, hopefully the T-34 will be in green before Thanksgiving.

OK, so the other build I've been working on is the Tulip. As I said, I got started on this the night after AMPSEast. I had picked up a couple ot 1/72 resin bases at the show from Jose Rodriguez at Tigerworks:



I was really excited to get something on one, so I chose the Tulip. It is the second 72nd scale Sherman I have built from DML. As with the first one, the build was pretty easy, with the exception of the running gear. I don't know if it is me, the molding, or the instructions, but I always have trouble with the running gear for their Shermans. I find it does not go together well and requires a lot of cleanup.

Besides that, as I said, the build was pretty easy and quick. However, I also had trouble with the mounting racks and rails for the 60 lb rockets. DML simply tossed an extra sprue in the box. The instructions for locating them are pretty vague and there are no locator marks. No matter what I did, I could not get them to mount to the turret with all the mounts touching the turret and the rail not pointing off in some random direction. This was particularly true on the left side. Finally, I gave up, removed everything, and tried again... and again... and again. Ultimately, I cut the mounting bars off on two of the brackets and replaced them with some scrap PE pieces that I cut to a more appropriate length. They are still not perfect, but closer that what I had before.

So, the finished product, up to now - with paint on, but no weathering:



Dammit, there's that beer again.... wierd....





I have a figure that will go in that open hatch once I get it painted (unfortunately, it is a TERRIBLE figure from an old Hasegawa kit that I have. Anyone know of good crew figs in 1/72nd?). I'd also like to add a couple of grunts advancing with the tank, but again, the problem is finding quality figs in 1/72 scale.

So there you have it, so far. You can see in that first pic that I've got to go back and clean up some putty on the back of the turret. I still have a lot of touch up painting to do as well (and the tools, mg, etc).

[wbill76]

Nice pair of projects you've got on the go Boyd! Looking forward to seeing more when you can get those pesky kids to leave you alone.

[bbrowniii]

Chris

Thanks for checking in.

I am familiar with CMK, the only downer is that I could not find any British figs that they do, at least in 72nd scale. However, I did find a place out of England that does a ton of 72nd scale figs in resin - including some British crew AND some tank riders. Soooo.... I just placed my order... :-)

[406 Silverado]

Well alright, we finally get to see some work from you Boyd. Love the SA btw. The base and Shermie look nice....for W&W next year ??

[Thom]

Boyd,

Missed this thread completely bro, nice work on the T34. As for the Shermie got to see this first hand the other night and the pictures do not do this build justice, great work all around and the base came out great.

Cheers,
Thom

[bbrowniii]

Rob, Thom,
Thanks for the comments.

Rob, yes, it is my plan to have the Sherman (and hopefully the T-34) done in time for VallyCon. Of course, I keep finding reasons to puch it back - as I look at the Sherman, it is so obvious where I replaced the plastic mount with the PE one that I think I need to go back and replace the others. Hmmm... maybe tonight.....

[bbrowniii]

Alright everyone,

Thought I'd post a few update pics of the T-34. Before I do - for anyone who is interested, I've set the Tulip aside while I wait for some crewmembers to arrive from England. Once I have those painted up, I'll update that build as well.

I got started on the paint. I really have no idea what a good Russian Green is, so I borrowed a 'recipe' that I found on some site (might have even been here, can't recall right now. ). The color is a blend of Tamiya XF-61 (Dark Green) and XF-4 (Yellow Green). I started by hitting some of the edges with straight XF-61:



Next, I mixed up a batch of XF-61 and XF-4 (3:1 ratio) and filled in the gaps:



I'll be doing at least one more batch - adding more XF-4 to hit all the high spots.

While that dried I worked on the tracks. I swapped out the rubber bands for a set of Magic Tracks from a DML T-34. I don't know what it is, but I am the WORST at indy links. Inevitably, I wind up with track runs that are just a teensy tiny bit too short - too big of a gap to stretch the tracks to close the gap, but too small to fit in another link (of course, in the case of a T-34 it would be 2 links)... It is a bit frustrating - I mean, I feel like I've got a good process: I have a jig to lay out the tracks, I lay on some glue, wrap 'em around and set them up the way I think they look good, but by the time I paint them and try to put them on for good, it just ain't right... grrrrr....

Anyway, that is what has happened with these tracks. I've got one side on, but they are just a bit too short so they are pulling the idler wheel back, so I'm trying to flatten them out to get another milimeter or so.... Ahh well, it's good practice.

On the flip side, I did start ANOTHER project. I'll be blogging this one in a little more detail in the Aircraft forum, but thought I'd offer a teaser pic: it is the Zvezda SU-39. I got it last year in Squadron's Black Friday sale, so this past Friday, I decide to have a go at it. The kit is a bit of a dog, but it'll be fun....

[deafpanzer]

Nice work on the T-34! A wingy build? Sounds like Mayans may be correct about end of world coming up in few weeks. Kidding... looking forward to it!!!

[wbill76]

Green looks good from here Boyd! Nice job on the T-34 so far.

[reserve]

Don't feel bad, the indy links give me a pain also. I just reinforce the joints on the idlers and drives, gives me a bit more beef to pull against while I'm tightening up that half link space. I love superglue.

Your stuff above looks sharp, like the Sherman in particular.

Regards,
Mark

[redleg12]

Boyd - Love the beer....I mean Sherman. Glad to see some of your builds.

Rounds Complete!!