spadgent Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 cool. very impresive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 You may have thought this project had dropped off the end of the modelling bench, but it's still ongoing ( slowly ) due to school work and other activities. Today we did a little more painting for an hour after school. I finished painting the Jeep windscreen and the Jeep body got another coat as there were a few thin spots from the first coat./media/tinymce_upload/7a163fa9a3c38b3346c77369ea90db89.jpg We also did some figure painting. There was quite a lot of flash and being the horrible rubbery plastic Airfix use for figures, trimming and sanding doesn't work well. Instead I opted for a soldering iron and melted flash away and seams flat. That worked fairly well./media/tinymce_upload/0c0244d34b31a75b9e97ce1f9019a9ce.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 Great project. Looking forward to seeing it finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 Life has been both busy and difficult over the last few months, meaning the family has had little time for fun. However, mid December, my daughter and I got back to spend a little time on the Jeep. I'd managed to get the Jeep gloss coated some time before so it, and the trailer were ready for decals. The seats still needed painting, but that could be done later. The hood star was the first decal to be applied. /media/tinymce_upload/786520da1d7e76538c40ad297fc90836.jpg The Jeep was set aside and the tiny flag/wading instructions were added to the screen next. I was doing the cutting out with the aid of a watch maker's magnifier and my daughter did the application. Blu-Tac was used to stop the screen from sliding around the table while the decal was prodded and poked into position. /media/tinymce_upload/877ebc4fad1781efac60070da65e64f5.jpg The flag decal on the real Jeep has the US flag on one side and on the inner side facing the driver, it has all the instructions for wading the vehicle through water. At this scale, those instructions are far too small to be seen anyway as the flag is only about 1 x 2mm in side. /media/tinymce_upload/1a546bb5067928fdd3c012c1abfe7aed.jpg The hood star had ben left to dry a while and was then given a few treatments of Microsol and once more left to dry before we could apply any other decals. /media/tinymce_upload/93ade9fd23dc102fe2471f16e094dd80.jpg After the star had settled and dried, both registrations were added to the sides of the hood. It was once again set aside, and the first decals were added to the trailer, then that was set aside to dry. We hopped back to the Jeep to add the stars to the sides of the rear of the body and they were left to dry. Back to the trailer again for more decals and then the Jeep again for the front bumper markings. We were so busy, I forgot to get any pictures of the work on the trailer. We ran out of time for any more and it was all left to harden. /media/tinymce_upload/ab5d625a7ae1ee5c142be73e22498e8d.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted January 17, 2020 Share Posted January 17, 2020 I admire your daughter's dedication .......my grandchildren get bored after a few minutes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 We first started modelling just before her 4th birthday. She'd always liked making things with Sellotape, card and glue, so I decided to try something more focused. Our first sessions were only 20 minutes long, occasionally up to 30 minutes. I wanted to teach her that not everything in life comes at the push of a button, and sometimes the more effort you put in to something, the more you get out of it and also the more you value it. It was also to try and teach patience, logical thinking, following instructions etc., all important life skills.I've got another update to post, but with it having pictures and the site having an admin problem at present, I don't know who is on hand to approve them or how often that is happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 We got back to the diorama today. I set my daughter away cutting out the wheels from the sprues, followed by cleaning up flash and cutting out several more accessories./media/tinymce_upload/b6c554fc9301cbd1e35baaefd37438c0.jpgWhile she did that, I cut some metal rod for poles to support the camo net. I didn't want to rip the netting on the top of the poles while trying to assemble it, so turned some small plastic pads for the top of the poles. These would provide a small pad to glue the net to or at least to support it while the netting was pulled down at its edges. I painted each pole after this piture./media/tinymce_upload/0e7aae11247348d3d6fc1e3781c64a5a.jpgThe tyres had their black paint touched up where they were cut from the sprue and left in the drying cabinet for a while to bake. Once dry, we test fitted the wheels, only to find the axles were a bit big and the holes in the wheels partially filled whith paint. The combination meant the wheels didn't fit well. I had a go at cleaning out the paint with a scalpel tip and tapering the axle stubs, but the fit didn't really improve much. Instead I just used a small drill and opened up the square holes which then gave the required fit. /media/tinymce_upload/0f723797f42f9a12b79cf4dca4e99576.jpgMy daughter had been busy cutting out barbed wire, road signs and barrel halves which were then glued together. They would need the ends sanding once the glue hardened up - a job for another day./media/tinymce_upload/4d7c7a4c6d8268475d59100f4c92d8ab.jpgI'd given the Jeep another coat of clear the day before to seal in the decals already applied after one of the side stars came off while painting the seat cushions. Fortunately the star only made it as far as my finger and was re-attached to the Jeep. Sealing the decals in should help to hold them in place, but I wanted to minimise holding the vehicle, so I set up the Jeep lightly gripped in a mini vice while my daughter glued on the wheels. We opted to angle the front wheels, an option that was possible since I'd opened up the hole in the centre of the wheel. The left two wheels were left to harden a while before turning the Jeep around./media/tinymce_upload/8c257fe262ede0d4050661c75d356e9e.jpgWhile the first wheels were drying, my daughter began painting the barbed wire and road signs./media/tinymce_upload/c56579f805150250662a7108080d173c.jpgI'd been breaking up wood for damaged floor joists and roof beams to be scattered in and around the partially collapsed cottage./media/tinymce_upload/335e0c40829ea053eef901d01570926e.jpgI also chopped up some plasticard that had been previously painted to match the cottage roof tiles. These would also be scattered amongst the wreckage. /media/tinymce_upload/dbf30d1bac0fbc42c4b51bf1d4ce3ad4.jpgAlmost the end of the session, the other two wheels were glued onto the Jeep and we then left it upside down for the glue joints to fully harden. The spare wheel would be attached later./media/tinymce_upload/71e6c733e160723b536a1e096c80604a.jpgTo finish the afternoon, Dave the driver parked up the Sherman near the cottage while Kevin the commander kept watch. I grabbed a quick photo before they moved on. /media/tinymce_upload/b9455b183003bfadaeb0d7d1e98b4e33.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 I was under the impression pictures were being moderated again .... but there might be a bit of a delay till they appear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Pictures will not be moderated over the weekend, you have to wait until Monday morning. Nothing has changed in that respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted January 20, 2020 Author Share Posted January 20, 2020 I realise that, but after the Christmas departures, didn't know whether anybody had the responsibility to moderate new pictures. Good to know things are back on the move again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 On the detached decal, if that happens to me I reapply the relevant item using PVA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 I just use Future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted March 15, 2020 Author Share Posted March 15, 2020 My daughter and I had a six hour modelling session today. We began with giving the Jeep, trailer, field gun, crates and bench a dirty wash to pick out detail./media/tinymce_upload/20f51245b844dfc6e16b443aea5370e7.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/16e30b0b27e39b51b607fe323a3d5a89.jpgPainting the road signs came next. They had already had their posts painted, so just needed the signs painting white. They'll all be piled up somewhere on the diorama./media/tinymce_upload/bfad62dd2c8237547c785f7150ea4e1b.jpgAfter a time for the wash to harden, the Jeep had its windscreen, mirror, axe, shovel and steering wheel fitted. It was also dirtied up a bit with some mud around the tyres, fenders and rear wheel arches. We used a chrome pen to paint in the mirror. The diorama base also had a bit more work with washes and dirt/mud along the moulded in track marks./media/tinymce_upload/ba092720b24409b5c6ec789cd588c585.jpgWe had a few other craft projects to work on during the day which were done while paint on the diorama was drying in my curing cabinet. Later in the day, I told my daughter to cut one of each figure off the sprues and to look at what they were doing and try to work out where they could go. This was a bit of a challenge as most of the figures are in fighting poses, while we wanted to portray a forward position being held, but not under fire./media/tinymce_upload/e13cab5c819fb4497fd6c5d956dd74e3.jpgFour of the items that needed a location were coiled up rolls of barbed wire. That got us thinking and out came some mono-strand, electrical copper wire which had its insulation stripped off. It was then coiled around a carbon fibre tube to make a long coil. The wire is a bit thick, but it was fairly easy to work with, not too fragile and held its shape./media/tinymce_upload/3f56860faf809a08344b1cb1f0da0e70.jpgHere's one of the stretched out barbed wire coils, awaiting painting and becoming a road block. When we come to attach the figures, those with bases need the base cutting off, and I'll possibly use a fine wire up one foot to help secure them./media/tinymce_upload/907db1f074c5ed656618b0363ec6a1a5.jpgAs can be seen here, guns, webbing, packs etc., still need detail painting to be done. The figures may not be in the final layout, but we photographed each scene as a reminder of their location should we wish to replicate those positions in the final glue down./media/tinymce_upload/0cf6d4e7e816cc03f9e56a6ab4fe4e5c.jpgThree moulded coils of wire are likely to be piled up in preparation for another road block, while one of the running soldiers is to be used, carrying the last coil into place. In the background, three of the four poles can be seen which will support the camo-net over the radio operator. One of the figures who was throwing a granade, will be used to be pulling on of the rigging ropes that hold up the poles and camo-net./media/tinymce_upload/e18f972843ffa7e575b98f9ea19c3bbf.jpgSome figures in the house will be on watch. There's still lots of roof tiles and timbers that we made, that need attaching around the remains of the house./media/tinymce_upload/7461d3169736c3d459951d20bcaddbc3.jpgLast two pictures. A close up of the Jeep, now with its spare wheel fitted. Just behind the hood is the solder who was throwing the granade, but will now be juggling the camo-net guy rope. We haven't painted the seated radio operator yet, so he needs to be finished and seated at his bench before the camo-net can be fitted. The radio has had a base coat of black, but needs some highlights adding./media/tinymce_upload/c48db4e08a80d85dcfd516d38cfb1f74.jpgFinally for this update, an overview of the diorama so far. We're very pleased with our work in what turned out to be our longest building session ever. /media/tinymce_upload/cda9d310b3a84c382eaaf167c83e52f7.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted March 20, 2020 Author Share Posted March 20, 2020 Since the schools have all closed now, this project may well become part of my daughter's craft/art lessons while I'm home schooling her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modellingbluebird Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Amazing just finished the jeep and it was testing my paitence looks amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padefc Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 Brilliant that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidengermany Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 I am ashamed that she does many things better than me tho' she's four years younger. Question: I have the opportunity to get the set for 26,50€ (29$ or 23,40£), is it worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted April 5, 2020 Author Share Posted April 5, 2020 I guess it depends on whether you want to build the whole diorama, house, both tanks and all the figures? Otherwise, you could just get the two tank kits separately or just one and make your own small base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted April 5, 2020 Author Share Posted April 5, 2020 We had another short session the other day and I did some experimenting on the figures. We didn't want them all standing on their plastic paving slabs, so one was sliced off for a test./media/tinymce_upload/9b8edcb32a6333c6a60aa41e46914f47.jpg I wanted to pin the figures in place as well as gluing them. In order to do this, they needed a hole up through their foot, leg or other suitable moulding. The plastic is quite strong, but bendy, making drilling with a small drill a bit tricky. Instead, I wrapped some copper wire around a soldering iron tip and told the soldier to brace himself!/media/tinymce_upload/4ad9b1abaf909fc5e1ab16b854e2ed68.jpgThe soldier was prepared for a bit of a sting, so bit down hard on his rifle butt! /media/tinymce_upload/4a22e05911d4c10e0ad9e0d59677158c.jpgCarefully lining up the copper wire, a short hole was melted into his foot and lower leg. Only around 2mm deep, but enough to strengthen the attachment to the base. After the melted waste had cooled and was cut free, he was pushed onto the end of the barbed wire coil to check the fit and depth./media/tinymce_upload/3f473fa79045efb9aa7ea523b77c8eb9.jpgThe rest of the figures were then cut from their bases, for those who were moulded with bases. They also had holes melted up one leg. They were hopping mad!/media/tinymce_upload/47752833cfb85139f8c2110feed052a2.jpgThe barbed wire coils were painted....../media/tinymce_upload/9ba5bde08884411a8d94e0c93890aff6.jpg....along with a metallic dusting over the three sheets of corrugated iron./media/tinymce_upload/9cf3e5f84645197a77d2bf38ed8b96ba.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidengermany Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 Firstly I am interested in the base and stuff, the tanks are just old Airfix Quality and the rubber figures are horrible like you know.But I just want the opinion of someone who owns the kit if he would buy it for that price again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted April 5, 2020 Share Posted April 5, 2020 If you're only interested in the base, have a look on Amera's website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted August 13, 2020 Author Share Posted August 13, 2020 I keep getting an error when trying to post with uploaded pictures, so this is just a text only test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete44 Posted August 15, 2020 Share Posted August 15, 2020 Looking great way better than my attempts at that age. I can remember the melted plastic and blobs of glue. Really like the mud. Look forward to the next photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter s Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 I hate the concrete slabs too. I've found the sort of clear plastic they use to box up resin aftermarket parts (and 9V batteries etc... "blister pack"??? ) makes a good base as its dead thin and clear but also very rigid for its thickness. Cut the original base off and superglue onto the clear plastic. No need if you're going to fix to the (excellent BTW) diorama but good if like me you use figures as "props" and just briefly photograph them with a plane. The clear plastic is good for mounting front and back wheel chocks on too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Army_Air_Force Posted August 29, 2020 Author Share Posted August 29, 2020 Still can't upload. I'm getting close to giving up trying to post pictures in the Airfix forum. If you want to see the latest pics of the almost complete diorama, search on Britmodeller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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