The Haunted Tank (M3 Stuart)
Comments
22 15 October 2020, 03:37
Greg BakerMe too! I've got plans for Johnny "The Navajo Ace" Cloud's P-51, and the Hans "Enemy Ace" von Hammer's Fokker Dr. I... for starters.😉
15 October 2020, 04:30
Lochsa RiverGreg...you have to be the only modeler concerned with the correct "haunting" mechanism for his tank...
15 October 2020, 04:55
Greg BakerHey... if you don't get the ghost right, it's just not a haunted tank...😉
15 October 2020, 04:58
Lode SchildermansInteresting subject. I'm looking forward to see this diorama coming to live
15 October 2020, 05:15
Greg BakerOk, so we're back in the saddle with this one. The tank assembly is relatively straight forward, just a bit of Tamiya XF-58 Olive Green and we're good to go. I'm trying to decide how I want to tackle the "haunted" side of this... do I just paint the ghost white and call it a day? Or do I try something trickier? Hmm...
25 November 2020, 14:50
René "Lord Bilbo" BartholemyOr... You could make a mold of the ghost and cast it in transparent resin. With a light misting of whitish gray...
25 November 2020, 16:05
Greg BakerIt seems René knows me well enough to have guessed the "trickier" bit...
25 November 2020, 19:35
Alex KErrr... I was thinking about a possible glow-in-the-dark fluorescent paint (I didn't know if such a thing exists - I googled it and it seems it does...) - or would that be too kitsch?
26 November 2020, 00:18
Greg BakerI may have got a bit too tricky... my first attempt at making a silicone mould ended in disaster. Basically the silicone didn't cure. It's an A + B kind, but I either didn't use enough "B" or (as I suspect) it was somehow compromised during my move (too cold? not quite air tight?). Either way, the result is the same... silicone pudding. Damn. It's not just about starting over, it's tough to clean that silicone mess out of every nook and cranny.
27 November 2020, 14:49
René "Lord Bilbo" BartholemyI know that feeling... Been there, got the t-shirt, etc.
Ever tried simple silicone caulk with potato starch? Works wonders with me!
27 November 2020, 15:33
Greg BakerI've never tried that, but I'm intrigued. I'll have to look that one up. I was able to clean up the gloopy mess and try again. I hope this works now!
1 December 2020, 07:39
Gary KitchenInspirational and innovative yet again. Following in awe. Is the ghost ethereal and transparent? Could a whole mould of horse and rider be done in some suitable transparent medium and then touched in paint for definition on the features? Or just white and grey and immerse the whole dio in dry ice in perpetuity? Just spitballing I've no idea really ( you can probably tell 🙂 🤔 )
1 December 2020, 19:10
Lode SchildermansGreg, we are as intrigued as you are. I am curious what will be the outcome
1 December 2020, 21:32
Greg BakerWell, the plan A... such as it is here... is to recast the horse and rider (JEB Stuart... the guy the tank is named after) in clear resin (possibly with a bit of white/grey/smoke paint mixed in for tint). The first step is to create a silicone mould. I started with just the rider first. If that doesn't work, no sense casting the bigger horse.
Plan B is just to paint the thing white.. with red eyes.😉
1 December 2020, 21:47
David TurcotteLovely Idea! I am in the process of building the new Tamiya 1/35 scale kit no Ghosts but will pay homage to The Haunted Tank! The Hasewaga kit was far from perfect. However, it was considered an upgrade in the late 70's and I remember it fondly. Mirage has some M3 tanks that are apparently better.
1 December 2020, 22:17
Greg BakerOkay... I concede defeat. I got a mould made, but just couldn't get a decent pour of clear resin. Way too many bubbles, missing limbs, I even tried to do a two stage pour that ended up making the horse look like a rhinoceros when the mould got pushed out of alignment. I was also a little concerned that the clear resin cast, even if it went perfectly would lack enough visible detail to make it really work.
Can't say I didn't try, but I knew it was time to call it and move on to Plan B when I started actively avoiding the modeling bench. The relief at making the decision to just paint them white was palpable. Not that it's a much easier road, mind you. The plastic is difficult to work with. It's almost a vinyl, which makes it hard to cut and sand without getting fuzzy ends. I gave it a couple of coats of white and then added some putty and sanded using a very high grit count (like 1000). Makes for slow going, but it's starting to work. I'm really focused only on the highly visible areas. Some ghostly cotton swirls will cover up the rest.😉
8 January 2021, 07:04
Tom ...Real shame it didn't work out. You certainly set a high bar for yourself, Greg. Love it!
8 January 2021, 08:26
Greg BakerSo a few more coats of white paint to go. Most of the rest is done, just a few touch ups and weathering to be done on the tank itself.
11 January 2021, 06:06
Greg BakerThanks David! The tank itself is basically done now. Besides painting the driver, there's only one little thing left to figure out. The figures are coming along as well. I got a tip to stiffen up the soft vinyl plastic using some varnish. The resin figures didn't quite pan out, but I've got one more trick up my sleeve hopefully.
Also, like to make a shout out to fellow mate in scale, docaebee for giving me a bottle of his homemade "Doc's Decal Solution" before I left Korea. Stuff worked like a charm getting ancient white star decals to lay down and stay down.
13 January 2021, 16:06
Greg BakerOk... a bit more ghosty now. I decided that the ghost should be a bit more stand alone because there's a pretty good chance I'll also build the Jigsaw Tank and the M4 Sherman versions of the Haunted Tank too. Anyone got a suggestion for a reasonably priced 1/72 Sherman?😉
19 January 2021, 07:32
Greg BakerOk. The more I thought about it... the more I wanted to include the other two Haunted Tanks in this project. After the M3 is destroyed, the team moves on to build a Jigsaw Tank. That one is later destroyed as well and the team takes over an M4 Sherman (much to the chagrin of their ghost-in-residence).
The Jigsaw tank is the bigger challenge. The chassis is from a T-34 (I was going to get a Zvezda, but found a Trumpeter box on the shelf instead) but what really put it over the top was deciding to go with the M24 Pershing turret. I have a turret leftover from my Blue Tintin Moon tank project, and it looks enough like the Jigsaw Tank's that I think I'll be happy with just a bit of modification.
I had thought I'd need the turret from a M42 Walker, but given there's only one (relatively expensive) option, I was hesitant. Once I realized I could dip into the spares box... there was nothing left to hold me back.😉
23 January 2021, 23:04
Tom ...Well Greg. it's simple... what you start, you got to finish. It's the modelers' code!... i.e., we expect nothing less! 🙂
24 January 2021, 08:56
Greg BakerThanks Tom. Well work is under way on the Jigsaw Tank, and I started a new album to go with it. The Haunted Tank (Jigsaw Tank) | Album by strobez (1:72)
24 January 2021, 16:14
Album info
Based on the long running series featured in DC Comics' title G.I. combat... Lt. Jeb Stuart, in command of an M3 Stuart light tank, has a secret. The tank is haunted by the ghost of its namesake, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart!
