Jeff

"This is what I have been up to in the past few weeks.

Dragon 6106  Sdkfz 250/9 recon halftrack with
a 2cm gun turret mounted on the top of the body

More progress on this one, I have now painted all the interior, fitted the floors, bulkheads and body panels as well. just need to get paint onto this one now and put the track links together. Hopefully finished soon.

Takom 2040 Chieftain mk 2 tank

More progress on this one as well. Almost all of the tiny etch parts now on and basic primer coat of paint. Just the track links to sort out, I had the impression they were clip together but ohh no, they glue together! This is not going to be fun especially on the top run, and there is the track pads to out on as well -  still, I’m getting there.

Tamiya 33203 Jagd Panther late model

This has now progressed to the main vehicle is assembled and the etch grills added, now awaiting paint and also a set of track links. I am in the middle of putting together a set of Bronco panther track links which clip together and are handed as well. I am also trying the Meng models late panther track links, - but ohh dear! Separate guide teeth for each link. Yes, 2 per link and 90 odd links to fit as well! But I am doing them slowly and steadily to try those on the vehicle.

Icm 35373 Panhard 178 armoured car

What can I say about this one? it is proving that Icm can make a very detailed kit with interior & engine which still all clips in place and fits very well together. I am up to the stage of putting the top of the body on and then fitting the turret and of course painting. This model has a choice of 4 French vehicles mostly different units up to 1940 and a few interesting paint schemes. still more progress. 

Zvezda 3596 Mercedes Benz 4500 truck

A 4.5 ton ww2 Mercedes truck which has 4 wheel drive. The fit of all of the parts have been really good and I have got everything bar the cab built. the engine looks very effective a 6 cyl. diesel engine. I’m leaving out all of the plank seating in the rear body and doing it as a cargo vehicle in europe 1944. So it will be 3 colours again.

Tamiya 35364 Marder 3 Normandy front

This is based on the 38t chassis and is a really nice kit. It has all of the gun compartment visible and also has quite a few 75mm shells in the stowage racks. The fun part with this one is the tracks, length and link are supplied and I am about halfway through doing these before getting paint on the vehicle. So hopefully it will not be too long before completion.

I have also purchased a couple more over the past few weeks.

Takom 2135 Bergpanzer 2a2

This is the recovery version of the leopard 1 chassis and has a box packed with parts. I have only briefly inspected it, but it appears to be very involved and has lots of very small parts as well but looks to be a very nice vehicle especially as it has a crane fitted to it as well.

AFV club 35116 Sdkfz 251/20 Uhu

Basically the excellent 251 chassis from AFVclub with the massive infa-red searchlight fitted. Shame they did not get the correct information about the real vehicle as the light has several features the real one does not, which include the missing generator which mounted across the chassis just behind the drivers area, effectively cutting off the driver from the rest of the crew. Also there is a panel  fitted above the driver’s area which never existed. But as they say, these things are sent to try us. Good kit otherwise. But I do not like the vinyl tracks.

Heller 1/24 Landini 16000 dt tractor

This is the French built Massey Ferguson tractor for European use, it is a snapfit kit which has been reworked a bit and i thought it would go nicely with the other tractors in my collection. Basically a fairly simple kit, vinyl tyres and clear parts for the cab. A bit simplified in some areas but should build up into a good model."

"Well that’s about all my news for now,
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well."

George

He's still building his Trumpeter Attacker.
Also waiting for his 1/48 scale Control Tower
and Nissen Hut to arrive.
Mountains of etched brass!

Mark

"Last month I completed the vignette of US army chaps/guys taking Holy Communion in the field. I used a Tamiya Jeep and Bronco figures (thanks again to Sean for telling me this set was on the market). I used a mixture of woven ‘grass’ coloured with oil paints and cut to uneven lengths in one corner, then some painted cork ‘rocks’ to depict a fallen stone wall and where the figures are I used sprinkled model railway ground effects. I re-used stores boxes, sandbags and mortar from an old vignette from several years ago (probably in the noughties) for the semi foxhole. I shall now try and give it a suitable title or text."

"I also started a Kinetic 1/48 Sea Harrier FRS1, which is destined for the Harrier SIG display at Scale ModelWorld 2022, marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war. As an aside, I was studying in Southampton when the QE2 returned and my friends and I went down to the docks at lunchtime. We saw several injured troops and officers which made it all too real rather than just something on TV.  The other aside is the thought;  “Where did all those years go?”.

I hope to apply the decals today and tomorrow (Tuesday/Wednesday), and complete it next week."

Martin

"Two M41 Walker Bulldogs this month, one Japanese the other USA. Both Tamiya 1:35 scale."

Sean

"Working on 3 main projects at the moment.

Tamiya M8 Greyhound 1:35  

The Greyhound is all closed up so half the work inside so far has disappeared

I’ve started on the exterior now. Nuts/bolts and welds have been added. The Greyhound was small so like many US vehicles they are normally seen with lots of stowage. I’ve added a Blast models resin stowage set and then added more items before blending it all together with A&B putty.

The big items are now added so now onto photo-etch. 

Tamiya Republic F-84G 'Thunderbirds' 1:48

Next up is a plane on a stick. I’m building the F-84G in the markings of the Thunderbirds display team (thanks Mark!) First job was to strip the chrome plating which was not too bad with lots of oven cleaner. Cockpit is done and the fuselage closed up. I was playing with ways to display it and showing it air born seemed fitting for this jet, and I did not have to worry about a spinning prop. I assume these aircraft were kept immaculate so minimum weathering and no way to cover my mistakes.

The base is a leg off an old sofa, the stick is a Perspex rod and will be shorter. Never attempted anything like this before so we will see how it goes.

Dragon Pz.Kpfw.II Marder II  1:35

In a fit of optimism, I booked my accommodation for the Nationals in the hope that it might happen this year, fingers crossed. This was quickly followed by the realisation that, if it is on and given the speed I build at, I had better get on with my 'One I built earlier' model.

One of mine is a Marder II from Dragon which I am detailing.

Another open topped vehicle so lots of stuff to add inside. Adding stowage and wiring at the moment. Not sure what the final markings will be. "

Les V

He's still battling with his mammoth 
F-104 build. Trials of cross-kitting kits 
that are supposed to be the same size. 
Then trying to get decals to to fit!!

Les B

Les is having a bit of bother
with his Spit Canopy (he broke
it - so if anyone has a spare..?)
He's also collecting more
after-market bits for his
mammoth Titanic!

Roger

"Procrastination seems to be the order of the month.I have put off spraying the Saladin MK2 partly because of the colour scheme, desert camouflage, and partly due to my inexperience in using the airbrush, seems though I will have to bite the bullet in the coming weeks.

I have, however, re-worked the machine-gun mount and also primed the model - so not as bad as it could have been. Any suggestions on the actual paint colour to use for the Saladin and also for a Sherman tank would be appreciated.

So plenty to get on with, though with the relaxation in restrictions we might now be able to get out a bit more as we both have had our first jabs.

Let us hope that we will all be able to meet up soon for a face-to-face Club meeting, and of course to pay my subs."

Tim

"Flushed with the success of actually finishing 2 models in February, I was inspired to get started on another of the vehicles for the Mulberry Harbours SIG - the IBG Bedford QLD. 

I’d already started and stalled the QLR so I pinched the parts that I’d already done from that kit as they’re interchangeable, including the engine and cab unit and moved on from there.

I want to put a driver figure in the cab so I need to plan how to assemble and paint it in stages. I had a figure from the Tamiya Bren Carrier that I thought would fit... .but it didn’t. I’ve therefore purchased Mini Art’s ‘World War II Drivers’ which, disappointingly, has only 1 British Driver, which I hope will fit. 

The kit itself is challenging, with very little positive location of parts and sprue gates being placed in some frankly stupid places, especially on fragile parts like windscreens and gear levers.

All the work on figures made me reprise my Tamiya Bren Carrier, which was waiting for the driver figure to be painted so that I can fix him and the front armour in place.

I finished a bit of painting on the 3 figures that will ride in/on this but a lot more to do as I’m not up to Mick’s standard by any means!

An impulse buy was Tamiya’s M-10 Achilles which was on sale so I’ve started about this - my first attempt at a clanky thing in 1/35.

Last but not least, Pete Bowyer from the Mulberry Harbours SIG had 3 Meng Jeeps that need to be built so he sent me one down and it’s already proving a much better kit than the older Heller kit I’d started."

Peter

"Four things this month:

Airfix VW Beetle

Just a bit of touching up to do on this one. It’s the left-over bits of the Revell and Airfix Beetles after making my brother’s 1970 Beetle, turned into the sort of slightly-customised car that I’m not a big fan of in real life. The front suspension is dropped, but not as far as I’d like because of the ridiculous size of the Revell tyres, which have to be canted in at 20 degrees to get any lowering at all.

Airfix HP42

This one has been stalled for years as it wasn’t cooperating (i.e. I’d made a mess of it). Finally dragged out and finished to get it out of the way so I could start on another pre-war airliner in 1/144^th, which turned out to be . 

Welsh Models Short C-Class Flying Boat

Revell Boeing Rivet Joint

The current post-war large RAF type is just a bit of fun involving plasticard and much filler, along with the mortal remains of my brother’s old Revell E-3A, which he built when he was working on the AEW Nimrod project. There’s also an Airfix VC-10 that I started in the early 80s and still haven’t finished, which I’ve dug out to see if I can make some progress. Since both of those are likely to be long and unfruitful, I also have a Mikro-Mir Beverley nearby that’s hoping to jump the queue."

Hugh

"l’ve almost finished a scratch built interior, ready for hiding inside the Bulldog fuselage!"

Andrew

He has finished his 1/700 Flyhawk HMS Hermes in August 1939.

More photos in our club gallery,
on Andrew's model page.