I remember when the AFV Club Aussie Cents came out I raced out and bought one and the project raced ahead but due to a house move and me damaging the turret bins trying to remove some dodgy paint, the project came to a grinding halt.

Well, for nigh on two years this Cent has sat on the shelf in teh workshop in this state with squares of grey primer on the turret where the bins used to be.

I recently made an order to Firestorm, and he tossed in some Cent bins for some extra cash, which has fianlly got this prject lurching forward again.

It's "The Very Diabolical" ("VD" - Venreal Disease) from (I think) 1971-72 when most of the mods had been effected on the Aussie Cents.

Like the real vehicle, I replaced the kit's factory guards with flat plates reinforced by angle.

I bought the early Firestorm Cent update, which I am not sure is still available, and used everying by the glacis plate and .30 cal boxes. The wheels were the Legend Items, which took a bit of fitting, and the spares came from MouseHouse.

I replaced the turret basket mesh with heavy architectural mesh ... a few types of mesh was used, and I plan to use other types on the few other Cents I have planned down the track.

Like the real Very Diabolical, the replacement bins on this vehicle are painted in deep bronze green, and they will receive a hand coloured cam pattern of Aussie olive drab with a brush.

Anyway. she just needs some return rollers, a set of track, some stowage and tow cables before a through coating of dust and mud ...















Now could a few of you give me some prods asking to see this tank on tracks, as this project has gone well, and deserves to be finished.

Nice work. Now I'd like to see this tank on tracks, as this project has gone well, and deserves to be finished.

Looks good so far I may be in touch when it is finished.

The cheaper option for tracks would be the AFV Club 35102 ind links. They look the part and go togeather well. The more expencive ones are from Modelkasten. WWII productions also make a set as does Fruil I think.

Cheers Jason

Okay, now I remember the first bump in the road (before I mangled the turret bins) that slowed this project up just before I moved house almost two years ago - the Aussie water jerries I bought as part of the rear deck stowage were cast in a bloody 'orrible glossy white resin that resisted any type of paint

Well today I found them in the box of semi completed bits for this project. I gave them a scrub with thinners and then a base coat of primer, which I let completely dry. I then gave them a coat of kakhi drab and the paint finally decided to stick.

I brush painted the other bits and gave the lot a coat of matt lacquer before finally setting the rear deck stowage in place:





Bear in mind this tank is yet to be weathered and muddied up.

Looking around the net, I've encountered some nice builds of this kit as an Aussie Cent, but most are just factory examples with markings from a later era when a series of mods would have been made, including new guards, reinforced hull bins, mud scrapers and water jerries stowed on the rear hull for use in an engine change.

My first Aussie Cent was completed in the Dark Ages of 1994, when the only kit available was the basic Tamiya Mk3, and reference material was almost non existent.

Now we have the internet, and a host of aftermarket suppliers such as Firestorm, Mousehouse and Legend who make it easy to produce an almost endless variation of Aussie Cents based on the excellent AFV Club kit ... my only really big gripe with the kit is the rubber tyres, but these are readily and very effectively replaced with the Firestorm resin tyres, which I have reviewed.

With some of the bits I have since received from Mousehouse and Firestorm, I have another couple of Aussie Cent hulls started, and with teh knowledge I gained on this project, they should fly together ... I'm thinking a 1968 Cent at Firebase Coral and maybe another of teh later, more colourfully named, vehicles. .

Here's an excluisve for the forum - a superb snap of the real "The Very DIABOLICAL" (Aussie sland for Venereal Disease, if you didn't get it) from my reference files:



And here's some progress pics of my 1/35 version - I have just hand painted a cam pattern of Aussuie olive drab lustreless over the bronze green bins - just as was done on the real tank:





Anyway, my partner's taking off for a few days starting Boxing Day leaving me home alone with the animals, so I reckon this 52-tonne beast will be sitting on tracks by the New Year!

Great progress Mick, you're just about there. Keep at it!

Cheers -

Tim

Beauty Mick, really looking nice. I like that you've got the searchlight stowed, it looks good. The rest of your stowage looks nice to, I especially like the jerry cans.

cheers,

Bob

Those tiger stripes are really cool and give a very nice touch to it.

Lars

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the original VD image. Of course, the AWM has tank ARN 169108, which is purportedly 'Very Diaboloical', but I was always dubious of this, as it did not fit with the descriptions from the crew members I have interviewed.

I've carried out a comparison between the turret fittings on your image and those on 169108, and they are different: the various factory fitted footman loops are in different places. It's my understanding, and I think your image helps confirms this, that 169108 was IRON OUTLAW. The images of Iron Outlaw show the same damage to the front right guard as is currently visible on the tank. I interviewed the driver some time ago, and he confirmed how the damage was inflicted.

Nice model .....

Mike

it ooks great the stowage bins look good especially with the camo

i like the crews equipement and the jerry cans =]


i really wan2 build this kit =]

Really Nice build buddy!

MArtyn

Mick,
Glad to see that your version of the Very Diabolical is getting close to completion. Thanks for the pics withthe camo'ed turrets bins, I am glad to see that you finally posted that picture. Get some tracks on her and dirty it up. I will be waiting on the results. I am almost ready to build another Mk 5/1, well that is after the two Israeli Cents, the MGS, and maybe a M1A2SEP...

John

Mick very nice work, have you considered sending in an OD or build feature to us at Armorama. It is always good to highlight some post war armour builds.

Okay ... I want to squash the rumour that none of my projects ever end up on their wheels and tracks right now:



I used the kit's "rubber band tracks, and will obviously need to detail the ground work:



I muddied up the tank before fitting the tracks and setting it down on the base:



Obviously I'll need to get a crew together for the tank, and a few finalising details:



After applying thebase colour and texture I sealed it under some lacquer ... I'll let it all settle down and start putting down some foliage.

Superb work mick!, I really like your Cent !

The camo on the bins look ausum!

That is really starting to look quite impressive!

Okay, I've run out of grass to finish the base, but you get the idea:



The vehicle was set in place with a bolt through the botton of the hull to put some weight on the suspension and the turret was glued in to place once the driver was in position:



The groundwork needs to be finished, but I'm liking the effect I'm getting so far:





Now I just need to "oick out the details" (like muddying up the tracks left by the tank) and add some final bits and the turret crew:







One project almost finished .... now to get them pesky M113s moving and complete that Matilda!

What are the tan (ish) looking things in the grass, just i can't make them out very well. But overall a really great build the grass looks great and the tank fits in perfectly

Mick I must say it looks superb!,

What are you using for the tank crew?

How did you paint your rather nice looking Cent?

They're fallen trees ... the whole base needs to be toned down a bit.

I made the driver about 15 years back from the one in the ancient Tamiya M113 and I fitted a Verlinden head ... he was actually in an Aussie Cent I built at the time using the Tamiya Mk3 - I toiled and agonised on my references for ages. This project went together a lot quicker, and we have plenty of reference on the internet nowadays.

I'm also going to recycle the crew commander and the operator (loader) will probably come from Firestorm.

The tank was given a base coat of Aussie olive drab lustreless and a wash of modelling mud heavily and grass debris thinned with water. You'll also see that some of the parts are deep bronze green ... some of the spares that went to Vietnam needed to be shipped in from Britain.

I still need to add the flex mount .30 MG on the commander's cupola and the tow rope, but it's all tantalisingly close to completion.

Really nice base. Please don't tone it down too much, maybe the yellow could be changed to a greener yellow but I love the look of the grass as a whole. Very realistic.

Thanks mick, which brand do you use for the Aussia OD

or do you mix your own?

White Ensign paints do Aussie Olive Drab lustreless - available from Mousehouse Enterprises:

http://www.mheaust.com.au/MHE/Catalogue.htm