DML Challenger II 1/72

[bbrowniii]

Hey fellas

I'm really in a groove building these days, but I had to pause on my Pz Kpfw II. Didn't want to loose any momentum, so last night I grabbed this puppy off the shelf and ripped the plastic wrap off:



Pretty easy build - start with the running gear, then the turret. Things are just mocked up here. There is some sort of problem with the fit of the bottom of the turret that I did not have the energy to sort out at 1 am, so I'll have to address that today.



I also have to decide how I want to paint it. Those Brit colors are tough!!

All comments, critiques and criticisms are welcome.

[TRM]

Nice pic Boyd! These kits do just fall together!! Nice job so far!! Can't wait to see the color fly!!

[dupes]

I'm assuming that you're painting this as we speak (or type)?

[bbrowniii]

Jul 21, 2014 11:36:29 GMT -5 dupes said:

I'm assuming that you're painting this as we speak (or type)?

Ummmm... you are free to assume anything you like.

One big bummer from this kit - no markings at all! Not a single decal in the kit. BUGGERS!

[Deano]

Nice start on the Chally and its gonna look cool with that blade on , shame about the decals tho IMO there should at least be a unit nos or summin !

[dupes]

I would think that there should be some markings...do the instructions indicate otherwise? Paint it sand and call it good?

[bbrowniii]

The instructions show no markings and I have found pics of some Chally IIs with no (or very few) markings. Most have at least some number markings on the lower hull.

I've got the Bradley also in 1/72 and there are some markings in there I think will be close enough to Brit markings that no one will complain.

[deafpanzer]

AHHHH! I was never fan of Chally II but it all changed when I built mine earlier this year. Happy to see another Chally build here!!!

You have my attention...

[dupes]

Good to see the NATO tri-tone scheme getting some use. I've got a Trumpy 35th awaiting the "Kosovo" treatment one of these days.

Mmmmmm...tri-tone.

[bbrowniii]

Jul 21, 2014 13:32:42 GMT -5 dupes said:

Good to see the NATO tri-tone scheme getting some use. I've got a Trumpy 35th awaiting the "Kosovo" treatment one of these days.

Mmmmmm...tri-tone.

Tri-tone? Who said tri-tone??

[dupes]

You did with that box art pic!

[bbrowniii]

Jul 21, 2014 13:58:38 GMT -5 dupes said:

You did with that box art pic!

Take a closer look, my friend. Not tri-tone. Just two colors there - a greyish green and black.

[Leon]

Following closely Boyd,been thinking about getting one of these.

[wbill76]

Looks like a nice gap-filler for sure Boyd. Looking forward to seeing it with paint on.

[bbrowniii]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

Not a lot of time to work on the kit tonight, but I did sort out the issue with the bottom of the turret - the bottom plate is warped on one side. It is subtle, but when you put the two together, it is really obvious. Not a big deal - the proper application of glue and clamps ought to take care of it.

Working on the lower upper hull now... hope to have pics in the AM.

[bbrowniii]

Sorry this update took a bit longer than expected. Got a little busy with other stuff.

I finished up the major elements of the Chally II. Then I turned attention to the plow. This actually was a lot trickier than I thought it would be:



I know it will come as a big shock, but the DML instructions were not all that great, which resulted in a lot of fitting and refitting and guess fitting and fit throwing before I got it relatively close:



Fitting it to the tank reveals that the part which connects the two is too narrow, so I've added some styrene sheet to fill the gap:





Since these pics have been taken, I've finished some of the 'fiddly bits' and put most of it into the primer shop... Hope to get a pic or two of that up soon.

[wbill76]

Glad you got the plow issue all sorted out there Boyd, moving right along.

[Leon]

Nice work on the plow fix Boyd,the Chally is looking good.

[dupes]

Cool. Where's the paint pics?

[bbrowniii]

So I have a lot to say in this update, but only one pic. Here is the Chally, construction complete, primed and a base coat put on, ready for the 'real' paint work to start:



I have NO IDEA what the British green looks like. If you go online, you'll see its appearance in pretty varied, so I am going to base my painting off the excellent build of the Challenger II in Abrams Squad Issue 2 (Sept 2013). There, John Murphy used Vallejo Field Grey as his base for the "Infra-Red Reflective Green", and faded it with some Lifecolor Field Grey #2.

I plan on a similar course of action, but I'll use Tamiya colors and tweak them enough (I hope) to get a fair representation of the color.

So that is where we stand right now, but I have to say it has taken a little more hassle than I had hoped. Sadly, the kit has some fit issues. If you follow the instructions to attach the upper hull to the lower, it is almost impossible to get the tracks on, BUT if you put the tracks on first, it is very difficult to get a good fit from upper to lower. In addition, I found that my DS tracks were simply too short. They really pulled in on one side. So, I ended up deciding to cut them, hiding the loose ends behind the armor skirts.

And then there are those armor skirts - Dragon claims they are the 'correct' version, and in the instructions they SHOW correct skirts, but that is NOT what you get in the kit. Not a major issue - there are just a couple of handles missing, but it still is noteworthy. Another issue is that the hanger for the rear of the armor skirt interferes with the exhaust manifolds. There is no real way to correct this other than snipping the hanger off. Again, it is not super noticeable, but it is disappointing.

Right now, the glue is drying on one side of my track fix. Hope to do the other in the morning so I can get the paint work over and done with in a couple days and then on to weathering...

[deafpanzer]

Chally looks great... always liked its shape of turret!!!

Sorry about skirt... never trust what Dragon says we have to agree. LOL

[wbill76]

That's disappointing about the skirts Boyd, almost a bait-and-switch! Looks like your Chally is progressing nicely all the same.

[dupes]

Hopefully we can get Boyd to put up some pics of this guy - I know he had it with him finished at Armorcon last weekend!

[rbaer]

It's almost hard to believe it's 1/72nd.....

[bbrowniii]

Hey guys. Sorry for the long absence. I'll try to get some pics up in the next day or so.