Stop by the roadside
What can I do with these?
Build the vehicles OOB? Nah - the kit has some annoying deficiencies, so I can't leave well enough alone 😉
I can see some fun potential updates here
Not as much to do on the Greyhound - we'll see how I feel after I work up the GMC CCKW
First thing - make the rear truck tires into something resembling two separate tires - first with a saw, and finish with a file.
You can see I did a better job centering on some wheels than others - still better than the racing slicks Revell started us with 🙂
You can see I did a better job centering on some wheels than others - still better than the racing slicks Revell started us with 🙂
Before and after - added a grill, removed/replaced the molded on headlights and added the headlight guards
Cut in some door and hood details with the hobby knife - one of these days I need to get a scribing tool
Makings of a windshield
Finished windshield and another experiment in scratchbuilding in 1:144
Windshield fitted on
Spent some time filing down the mudflaps - still not sure if replacement with PE is warranted
Not sure if I'll rig up a cover for the cab, but already much happier when compared to OOB
Started a bit of work on the Greyhound - shaped the headlamps a bit, added guards, and added a machine-gun barrel that was missing from the turret
I think I need some jerry cans - after some quick carving/sanding, ready to go
Time to plan layout
OK, preliminary layout in place - need to find some really small pebbles to fill in the planned wall
Created a quick rig to make appropriate width tracks and rolled it around a few times
Added mud flap supports (who knew those were necessary) and tailgate handles
I was wrong when I said there wasn't much to do on the M8 Greyhound. Since Revell kindly provided a couple extraneous machine guns that were meant for the LSM kit, why not put them to use (I know it's not the right gun - some surgery will be necessary)
Test fit of the ring mount - yes I could be neater with my putty application...
One steering wheel, coming up (spokes are from a 1:700 F6F prop)
Oerlikon to Browning conversion complete
Getting fence posts ready
Posts in!
Probable final layout
Turret is kinda bland on the interior - lets try an ammo rack or two
Test fitting - may need more tinkering
OK, ring mount and gun for the Greyhound, rear view mirrors, steering wheel, and gear shifts for the truck
Never expected that detailing at 1:144 scale would be so fun 😉
Never expected that detailing at 1:144 scale would be so fun 😉
Some cargo for the truck starting to shape up
Cans and boxes
Rifle boxes
Getting landscape ready for painting - we'll see how the static grass turns out after priming - may need another application or two
A coat of paint on everything - need to plan out (and practice) the weathering
Added a circle for the truck hood insignia - turned out ok but I'll touch up after applying the star decal - not happy with Revell for not providing more decal options 😉
Tried something with the headlights - hollowed them out and stuck a tiny piece of aluminum foil in each light - not sure if I'm going to add a drop of clear glue to each
Tried something with the headlights - hollowed them out and stuck a tiny piece of aluminum foil in each light - not sure if I'm going to add a drop of clear glue to each
Everything starting to come together - need to work on the P-51D Mustang, and waiting for some N-scale figures in the mail
Need to figure out the dirt and grass color a bit...
Need to figure out the dirt and grass color a bit...
Borrowing a bit from an F-14 cockpit for the CCKW dash 😉
Dry fitting the cockpit parts
Not happy with the "2-D"ness of the Eduard PE cockpit walls
Made some details for both sides, and redid the seat back cushion to better fit online refs
Made some details for both sides, and redid the seat back cushion to better fit online refs
Back to the vehicles - jerry cans need straps, Browning needs a cradle
Ammo racks installed in the M8
Not sure what possessed me, but the truck headlight guards have crossbars to further protect the lights, so they're on now - I'll just leave it at that
Revell also provided a spare tire, so let’s do something with that in the dio…hmm, we’ll need a 3-ton jack too.
Revell also provided a spare tire, so let’s do something with that in the dio…hmm, we’ll need a 3-ton jack too.
So all of the cockpit builds of the P-51D show the battery wired up in the radio compartment, so lets see if we can do it in 1:144 🙂
Other cockpit parts are painted up in the background and ready for test fitting
Other cockpit parts are painted up in the background and ready for test fitting
The figs are here!
Is this too busy? What's with the horse??
I did put down some more static grass, but I need to add some long grass and other small plantings before everything is ready for final landscape painting
I did put down some more static grass, but I need to add some long grass and other small plantings before everything is ready for final landscape painting
I think I'll give the front passenger tire a flat and put the spare and the jack with these two guys
Need to consult a few refs to see how much needs to be done to convert railway workers to soldiers
Need to consult a few refs to see how much needs to be done to convert railway workers to soldiers
A couple bystanders
Everything is moving along!
Note: I bought a pair of opthalmic scissors (nice deals on Ebay) to help with cleaner decal borders, but they have been a Godsend for all sorts of tasks (eg trimming rigging, microsurgery on stretched sprue or thin plastic card, etc)
Note: I bought a pair of opthalmic scissors (nice deals on Ebay) to help with cleaner decal borders, but they have been a Godsend for all sorts of tasks (eg trimming rigging, microsurgery on stretched sprue or thin plastic card, etc)
Cockpit together, battery wired up, and details added in
I didn't like the PE control stick, so made one out of stretched sprue and shaped after a couple applications of Tamiya extra-thin
I didn't like the PE control stick, so made one out of stretched sprue and shaped after a couple applications of Tamiya extra-thin
A surprise guest
First coat of paint on everybody - in the background left is a late addition that I'm adding to the scene to give Maj Broadhead a better reason for visiting this part of the field
Forgot the seatbelts - now they're in
Put in the bits for the truck cab and the windscreen...which I promptly knocked off while weathering 😛
Farmer, wife, and horse are ready
Soldiers, not so much
Need to load up the truck too
Colors getting a bit closer to what I want, but still needs more layers to blend all the static grass and "dirt"
Moved things around a bit from the initial layout - the addition of the outhouse moved the truck to the other side of the road and switched the side of the flat tire
Now that everything is together, the MG and ring mount look a bit overscale 🙁
Haven't put the door on yet
Did I bit of work on the grass and dirt today while I wait for the primer on the Mustang to dry - I think it's looking pretty good, but I'm a bit nervous about fixing the pigments - we'll see what a quick low-pressure spray of matte varnish does
Primed up
Added all of the PE bits that Eduard included in the upgrade kit
Had to putty, sand and reprime around the cockpit (yes, I opened it up - hope the glass isn't too overscale thick)
Last little bit of construction - paint can and brush to go with the work on the fence
All aboard 😛
My first try at pre-shading
I may have overdone the dirt/mud weathering
Made sure to get some gunk on the mudflaps 😉
Main colors on!
OK, trying strips of PTFE thread tape to mask the prop spinner
After note: worked as a mask, but next time use white tape - the blue tape left residue like blu-tac sometimes does, and it's really obvious on the yellow
After note: worked as a mask, but next time use white tape - the blue tape left residue like blu-tac sometimes does, and it's really obvious on the yellow
After reading some other threads, decided to try masking and airbrushing the stripes rather than using the supplied decals
Happy with the result with one caveat - the stripes on the wings may be a bit narrow. May just mask one side and correct with a brush
Happy with the result with one caveat - the stripes on the wings may be a bit narrow. May just mask one side and correct with a brush
Decals on!
I did end up widening the wing stripes 1mm or so - much happier with them now
I did end up widening the wing stripes 1mm or so - much happier with them now
Most parts on, waiting on gloss coat to cure and on to pin washing...
Pin wash applied - fairly faint panel lines, but I'm satisfied with it
Learned that Vallejo acrylic on acrylic (Pledge/Future coat) pin wash can work, just need to use Vallejo airbrush thinner to remove tide marks and excess wash
I've always hated brush painting yellows - I had to correct so many times on the spinner that it ended up that lumpy mess on the left - realized a nice coating of gloss medium might smooth it over, and voila - smooth prop spinner!
Weathered and satin coated - I'll live with it
All done!
A lot going on on the road - on the field, not so much 🙂
How many guys does it take to change a flat tire?
Tire guy was adapted from paper waving guy in photo 45.
Tire guy was adapted from paper waving guy in photo 45.
Not sure if he's mad about something
Yeah, I need to work on my weathering techniques - otherwise, this was a fun build
Figure pose just happened to work well with this
Not much else going on today, I guess
A nice little kit, I just wish Eduard had included the other gas tanks with the model - the paint guide shows the paper wing tanks
He's kinda working on that fence...
I'm very happy with how the paint can and paint brush turned out
I'm very happy with how the paint can and paint brush turned out
I need to figure out the correct camera settings for taking pictures on a white background - I think I like these on my cutting pad better
Colors look different without the white background
I doubt this ever happened, but lets just say there was an outhouse on the outskirts of the airfield at Leicester 😉
The action - I really like how the rear view mirrors turned out
Kicking myself for dull-coating the whole dio with the truck already in place - the windshield lost some of its transparency
Kicking myself for dull-coating the whole dio with the truck already in place - the windshield lost some of its transparency
Added a bit of special cargo 😉
Comments
26 29 March 2023, 00:40
Tyson TuI'm thinking that some figures will be necessary for this one - any suggestions? At 1:144, they're a lot harder to find than 1:72 🙁
31 March 2023, 19:29
Tyson TuTurns out N-gauge is pretty close to 1:144, so I'm going to see how they work out - rail workers should be pretty easy to convert to soldiers - I hope 🤞
1 April 2023, 20:30
Tyson TuGot the figs in the mail - the Preiser casting is amazing for that scale! Time for some cleanup and we'll see how they work with the dio
7 April 2023, 17:07
JCCan't wait to see the final dio, the horse is definitely an inspired move lol.
13 April 2023, 01:08
CHE Scale ModelHi. It looks great. I just have one small tip or criticism or whatever you want to call it 😄
In my opinion the rocks, road and the vehicles are too glossy. I think it would look more realistic if it would be much more matt.
But don´t worry, just my personal opinion 👍
13 April 2023, 06:37
Spanjaardadding details to a cockpit in 1/144?.... that is usually considered beyond insanity....welcome to the club Tyson Tu 😄 😄
13 April 2023, 08:06
Tyson TuThanks all for the likes!
@ JC- definitely happy with the horse - it adds a spot of color to all the otherwise olive drab bits 😉
@ CHE - thanks for the comment! - I'm always worried about shine, and the inks/washes tend to leave things with that glossy finish. I still have a few weathering layers to add to everything, but I'll definitely finish everything with a matte varnish 👍
@ Spanjaard - thanks for the warm welcome - happy to belong 😀
13 April 2023, 10:58
Tyson TuJust a quick update today - after all of the figure and vehicle work - realized I still had a plane to build 🙂
Also had my first experience using pigments on the landscape, and it worked well - now I just need to fix it without blowing it all over my workspace...
14 April 2023, 21:50
Patrick HagelsteinHi Tyson! Watch a couple of Luke's clips for inspiration and tips on the landscape: youtube.com/@LukeTowan
14 April 2023, 22:10
Tyson TuThanks for the advice Patrick! His videos are great for tips and tricks 👍
Now I just need to go get some small spritzing bottles…
14 April 2023, 23:44
Tyson TuThanks all for the likes! This has been a fun project and I'm excited to bring it all together in the dio.
20 April 2023, 11:55
Tyson TuI had so much fun with the diorama, I'm getting a tiny bit frustrated with my "learnings" on the plane. Since I work in an open part of the house near the kitchen, I'm sticking with acrylics only. I know this isn't optimal for weathering, but I'm trying to work out ways to get it done. A few learnings:
Vallejo airbrush thinner is great for removing excess wash or pigments
Vallejo airbrush thinner can eat right through the gloss coat and into the primary coat if you let it
Mixing pigments with iso alcohol causes a very heavy application that bonds instantly to Future/Pledge 😞
Black pigment is way too dark for the scales that I work in
Live and learn - I'll upload new pics of the completed dio later today if I'm not too embarrassed with how the Mustang turns out 😳
21 April 2023, 15:33
SpanjaardIf you want a pin wash that is harmless to future or other acrylic varnish, try florymodels clay wash, works like a charm, and can be varnished again (with acylics) without any problem
21 April 2023, 18:12
SpanjaardAbout weathering... ideally you need to used enamel since it should not affect the acrylics, but there are other methods, like using g pastel etc (I have not used them, to be honest)
21 April 2023, 18:17
Tyson TuThanks all for the likes! This one was definitely about breaking out of my comfort zone and picking up some new skills.
@ Spanjaard - I've really appreciated your advice - I'll definitely look into the clay wash - I've seen the great results on your Zero model 👍 For the pastels/pigments, I need to experiment a bit more with using a medium to put it down or just brushing on repeated layers and fixing the stuff in between layers
We'll see how things go, as I'm moving back to my 1:700 comfort area for my next project, so definitely different types of weathering 😀
22 April 2023, 11:27
SpanjaardGlad to help. Beautiful results on the dio. 1:160 figures seem to work well with 1:144 models. I received mine a few days ago. I guess that as long as they are not mixed (figures of both scales) in the same duo, it is ok
22 April 2023, 13:56
Tyson TuThanks Spanjaard! Looking forward to seeing what you do with your figures 😀
22 April 2023, 17:17
Album info
Planning a chance meeting in the British or French countryside.
P-51 and a couple Army vehicles
