A quick peak and a side project

For starters, I thought I might post an update on where the M16 half track is at the moment, I haven't given up on it but what I have been doing really isn't worth pictures. I'll just post one quick shot so you can get a feel of where it's heading and what I have in mind.

The idea for this scene is taken from Concord publications U.S.Half-Tracks in Combat 1941-1945 by Steve Zaloga. On page 55 there is an M16 half track of the 447th AAA battalion in Belgium on New Years Day, 1945. The vehicle is parked in large trench dug into the frozen ground by the crew. This was a fairly common practice for anti aircraft half tracks as the downward slope of the vehicle also allowed the turret to cover ground targets as well as aircraft. The quad fifty caliber turret could be devastating against ground targets.

Obviously as you can see in the pictures, I have a lot of detail painting to do to the stowage/gear and figures as well as adding of all the groundwork. This is just to give an idea to where the project currently stands.



As a break from all of this hardware I decided to build one of my planes I have in the stash. I had to dig out an older DML kit of the German Focke-Wulf in 1/72 scale, I started the build years ago but had shelved it because the kit was just too aggravating back then. I wanted to start a new airplane kit but told myself that I would start no new kits until all of my shelf queens were complete, so I forced my way through this one, and I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Finally.

To those of you unfamiliar with 1/72 scale, it's fairly small and for the last picture I included an object for scale purposes. I finished the assembly of the kit and applied some basic camoflauge colors but haven't began painting any details. No decals/markings have been applied and no weathering has been started, my next pictures of this aircraft will be after it's completed and will show those steps. Hopefully, that shouldn't take too long.

The biggest hurdle I have yet to clear is the front canopy, the clear part is a 'short shot' on the sprue, the first picture below shows what I was supplied with as well as a crude outline of what I should have been given. I will have to scratch build one to complete this build and considering it needs to be clear, it wont be easy. Wish me luck.

3AD-M4A1 Belgium 1944 - finished

Well, I've posted this on four different modeling forums over the last few days but I really should put it here as well.

Ironically out of the four, the one forum I was the most nervous about has been pleasantly surprising in both amounts of replies as well as the reply content itself while the only forum, where this build was posted in a full, start to finish step by step received two replies... over 290 views in forty eight hours but two replies.

The internet is fickle at times isn't it?

Well here are a few pictures, I wont go crazy posting them all here, just a handful of my favorites. As always, clicking on the picture will allow you to view it full size and close up. I recommend right clicking the photo and choosing 'open link in new window' so you can close that window when done, as simply clicking on the picture will facilitate the need to use your back button to return to this blog.

Either way, enjoy.

Let's make a walk, err... wait what?

In another attempt at simply modeling strictly for fun I've decided to build something 'sci-fi' in nature. I'm am a huge fan of the Star Wars universe, especially considering I was at the perfect age when A New Hope was originally released.

My son was one of the greatest excuses I could think of to keep this love of all things Star Wars very much alive. I have watched all of the movies with him on many occasions, I have purchased him the action figures and space ships. I've bought him the Nintendo DS Star Wars video games, and even Star Wars LEGOs. I've also played with all of these toys at various times over the last few years, with him of course.

No, seriously.

All things considered it would only make sense that my walker design would be inspired by George Lucas and his creations versus the MIG walker that seems to inspire many other modelers. This isn't supposed to say/mean anything, the MIG walker is very cool. I just happen to have decided to take a different route.

If you saw The Empire Strikes Back, you might have seen a very brief glimpse of the two legged AT-ST in the snow, underneath the larger AT-AT walkers. If you saw Return of the Jedi, then you would recall the many scenes with the AT-ST on the moon of Endor.

For my walker I have used a 251 upper hull, some Sherman parts, Panther parts, 234 parts, 'Hetzer' parts, 250 parts, Panzer IV parts and the list goes on. Most of the parts are from the spares box except for the Wespe gun which was taken from an old unfinished build from years ago. Everything else is from sheet stock from Evergreen.

Of course This is merely the result of maybe four or five hours of work, I have a lot more to do with scratch building and of course adding tons more 'greeblies' to make things interesting. In the last photo I have edited (sloppily) out the small tripod holding up the body strictly to get an idea of what it will look like when done.

Enjoy.

A little something to clear the head

Before getting into this blog entry I just want to take a minute to thank all of those who have sent e-mails, PM's on forums or posted comments here. I'm not usually one to share my personal downfalls online and burden others with my problems but I was pleasantly surprised with the reactions from many of you. Thank you all, your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

*

I took my current projects and gently placed them on the shelf above my bench for the time being. I needed something fresh, simple and relatively fast to clear my head and remind me why I am involved in this hobby in the first place. I took a look through the stash and found the perfect candidate.

With the recent flurry of releases of the 222 series of armored cars from a couple manufacturers, I no longer had any reason to hold off on the old Tamiya kit in my closet. I had long planned on updating it and fixing this and fixing that but that all seems to be a waste of time with the superior releases now hitting the market. What better kit to build out of the box, with out a care in the world about accuracy, details or corrections just like when I was a young kid.

This kit was built warts and all. Yes even those horrid, solid handle Jerry cans and clunky details and everything else that 1970's models share. I had built both the 222 and the 223 Tamiya kits as a child but this kit was acquired more recently as part of a trade package on a modeling forum. The kit was described as 'mint in open box' but upon nearing completion I discoverd that the grenade screen frame had been snipped from the sprue. Shame on me for not looking closer when I innitially received this kit in trade. *note to self, pay better attention when trading online. Luckily I had another in the spares box from an older kit and some photo etch screen from K&S. Although this went against my strict, self imposed 'out of the box' rule, I felt it was better than shelving the kit and simply moved forward.

If these ugly Jerry cans upset you, or perhaps my markings or paint scheme isn't correct for this vehicle feel free to me know it via the comments here, :) I am sincerely sorry for my actions on this build. Truth be told, this was done strictly for fun and I had no interest in being 'correct' this time around.

Like I've said before, build how you like, like how you build.



Without getting deep into detail of all the steps Here are the final pictures. I took a few pictures during construction, mostly force of habit but they didn't tell any sort of cohesive story and I thought what the heck, I talk enough as it is. Lets just look at how it came out in the end.