Thought I would make a little update of my progress: both tanks are ready and now I´m finishing the base. This would be my first ever finished base, so I´ve been more or less lost, how to paint road and terrain and which colours to use. But today I´ve made some good progress and base is about 75% ready. Seems, that I still manage to finish this campaign on time.

Very nice M16, Lapman. It looks really nice.

Jan, looking forward to see the photo feature.

Thanks for sharing

Excellent work there! Very nice.

update for the M7 build:

Very nice build, Richard. The weathering is very good especially considering the scale.

It looks finished - what else do you have in mind for the kit? - except putting it on the kit base of course.

That's a great-looking Priest - I have the same kit - hope to build a British version for N Africa.

My Chaffee has an intact hull and turret. Needs a bit of clean-up - a bit ham-fisted with the glue on my first join - oh dear - I really am out of practice! Have detailed the stowage boxes and will start work on the grab handles and tow hooks etc tonight. Will post pics as soon as I have something worth looking at.

A

Richard, I agree, that is a very nice finishing job.

I have a question: I think I've mentioned previously that I remember when this kit came out, there was something said about the tracks being of a new improved type. I must say that the tracks do look especially nice on this compared to some of this range - did you notice anything seemingly different about them? I thought it was something to do with them retaining the shape you bend them to, rather than the nasty trick vinyl tracks sometimes do of trying to return to an ellipse all the time.

Cant say for sure. I have the revell reissue and the tracks in that are just like all the reissues. Theyre made from a silvery coloured soft vinyl. They bend up well round the wheels and I havent noticed that they try to spring back to loops. But they are rubbery and very difficult to clean up. My Comets tracks have funny stumps and lumps on the inside left by the release pins, possibly indicating wear and tear on the moulds. This seems to be the problem with the comet kit in general, the hull top and turret have noticeable scratches on the surface that took some careful sanding. I should have some pics up of the progress so far early next week.
It might be that Matchbox used some new type of plastic for the M7's tracks, much like dragon did with the DS tracks a few years ago. Anyone got an original to confirm??

Absolutely superb finishing job on your M7, Richard. If it wasn't for the rather plain 50 cal. one would be hard pressed to determine the age or scale of the kit. As with many of the builds in this campaign, the bar is being set pretty high for the rest of us. Even without the base I was extremely tempted to add a few of your pictures to the future feature.

Okay, fellow campaigners. We've got 22 days remaining during the official campaign time period. Time to get glue applied to plastic. There are
several kits (Diamond T, Monty's Caravan etc.) that I and I am sure others are dying to see. Plus, what ever happened to those other German vehicles?

@Stephen - Due to this thread about tracks I had a look at the ones from my reissued M40. When comparing them to the other original Matchbox tracks on other vehicles, the new ones look thinner but have several little nubs on the inner surface where the guide horns should be. They will definitely be a pain to clean.

Cheers,
Jan

So if I am urging all the stragglers to get started I should show some leadership and get off my posterior too. All the previous talk about tracks was enough to get me to start putting the rest of the M40 suspension together to see how things would work out. A warning to other M40 builders, the wheels for the suspension and the actual bogies are extremely loose fitting. It took some time to get the wheels on the bogies and make sure they were all straight. I used regular plastic tube cement as it gives one some time to manipulate the parts to make sure they sit properly. I also used it to attach the bogies for the same reason. After all was reasonably set up I used Plastruct liquid weld to reinforce the joints.

In the picture below the tracks are just dry fitted. They seem a tad loose so some kind of modification may be in order.



I hope to get the suspension completed this weekend (fingers crossed) and perhaps some more painting done.

Cheers,
Jan

Ok gents! My project is ready. Here´s one overall pic, rest you can see in gallery.

Hi there, this is my final update for the M7 build










Thanks for the comments, it was a great build, I enjoyed every moment of it .

@jesper- I have no specific plans for it right now, maybe just display it at home.
@Andronicus- I will look forward to your build. a British version would really be great.
@matthew-the tracks are rubbery, and are slightly loose when fitted to the wheels. in my case, I broke my tracks, so I have to super glue them to the sprocket.
@Jan- I was thinking of replacing it with a 1/72 Academy .50 Cal MG, but decided to use the kit MG , I was worried the scale difference might be too obvious if I use the Academy MGs. I just drilled a hole in the barrel, and some holes in the handle and file it a bit , just to make it look more like a .50 cal.

Congratulations and great jobs, Kimmo and Richard. You are the ninth and tenth to complete your builds. That's 10 out of 42 enlistees or a 24% completion rate so far. IIRC we have at least six or more that are a fair way along in their building.

Now, it is an omission on my part but in reviewing the rules I failed to specify that at least one photo should have been posted in the official campaign gallery. I errantly presumed that all participants would be aware of that general requirement. Here is a new chart that shows completion status:



I ask that those listed on the chart that have a 'NO' in the "In Gallery" column please post one photo in the official campaign gallery. You can find it HERE

The process is fairly straight forward but here are additional steps for an alternative method.

Step 1. Be logged into Armorama and then look at the top of the page for the menu bar that starts with "Homepage." Look over to the 6th one that says "Photo's" and click on it.

Step 2. You should be on a page that says "KitMaker Gallery." Look down the list till you see "Campaigns" and click on that.

step 3. Choose "Currently Active Campaigns", then choose "!Matchbox Nostalgia" and the campaign pics should be displayed.

step 4. At the top right choose the "upload photos" option. Then just upload the photo onto the gallery page. It will go right into the campaign gallery and also into your private gallery. If you don't see an upload link then click on the Login link in the upper right corner.

While I have been trying to keep track of everyone's progress, mistakes can occur. By having at least one picture in the official gallery it will help me not to miss anybody.

Cheers,
Jan

WOW, some really great results showing up here. I am particularly impressed with some of the bases and those M7 figures look fantastic. I finally got around to spraying the Challenger with a couple of more coats of flat but it doesn't show that well in the pictures. Trust me though, it really is very flat to the naked eye. The tank still need some more weathering and the base is proving to be a pain. I just can't seem to get the look I want. Also have to do the rear lights and the periscopes. If I was smart I would have painted the periscopes on the commanders area before I glued it on.



Regards,
AJ

Hi all, great looking builds!
Here is a progress shot off my chaffee so far...
Should be up to decals stage by tommorow. The hull fit to the chassis was quite poor, and took some mucking around,and i snapped off one of the front road wheels!
Diorama is complete except for a coat of dullcote.
Cheers,
Tim

Thanks for the progress pictures, people.

@AJB - I am always fascinated to see your Challenger as it is evolving. I can understand your issues with the base as I am also having some difficulties with mine. With your base you might try introducing some light and mid greys to the rock areas. Then again, what do I know about dioramas.

@Firefly74 - You aren't the only one experiencing suspension breakage with these kit's. AJ has had two or three road wheel issues and firstcircle had some suspension component breakage also.

I have started on the base but am at a loss as to where to go as far as colouring is concerned. And what the heck are those objects to the left of the crater in the upper right? One looks like wood but the rest look like piping of some sort.



Now on this track issue, I did a bit of experimenting. I sliced off a nub from the track sprue and then tried gluing it back on with regular Testor's tube cement. I let it sit for about ten minutes and then tried to pull the pieces apart. Normally these vinyl tracks do not respond at all to the tube glue. To my surprise the joint held but the sprue broke further along the long axis. It's not like Dragon DS100 material but I was surprised that it worked at all. I haven't decided on how the modify the slack track as I don't think that a glued joint would survive the strain of much tension. Also, in looking at pictures of real M40's they don't appear to have any track sag. Most of the completed models I have seen on the 'Net virtually all show loose track.



In the picture above I snipped the vertical nub near the end of the sprue on the right. You can just make out the cut line. When I tried to pull off the nub the sprue broke or tore vertically just to the left of the nub.

Cheers,
Jan

Seen it done on a few Sherman type models myself, on the net, at shows and in model mags. Its often seen as 'artistic licence' and a way of replicating the real tracks weight. On the real thing you never have track sag on either VVSS or HVSS vehicles. It had something to do with the possibility of the tracks slipping off the wheels, or so I remember reading anyway.
Could be tricky to torsion them up properly on these kits. Its very common on matchbox tanks to have stubby little axles on the wheels that break easily! The Comets are so short I cant see how they're going to stay on.

Some really good models being built and painted here.

Hi Tread_geek, maybe those objects are broken farm equipment? like a plough or something?? The Dio base does look a bit like a ploughed field?

I goin to matt varnish my chaffee and was wanting some advise from anyone as i've never done it before
Should i apply the decals first and then apply the Testors Dullcote i have? Or should i apply a thin coat,apply the decals and then spray a final coat
Cheers,
Tim

Looked through the painting forum and found some tips on "varnishing" models, so i think i'll be right now
Going to gloss varnish,decal,gloss varnish and then matt cote.
Any other suggestions or tips would be welcome though!
Cheers,
Tim

Jan

The object to the right of the crater is a broken plough

I have not checked the fit of the tracks as yet but as they are fully exposed, that is, no skirts to hide the join I might try and cut them down and sew them together with black thread. Depending on the length of track to be removed, it might work.

My M40 is sitting on its road wheels now, with tools almost finished painting wise. Next up is more oil weathering and the painting of the base.

Hi
My Churchill's finished, just need to take some pic's.
I've had to use some old decals from another kit as some how I've lost the originals. Looks ok though. will post as soon as I've taken pic's.

Shaun

@Firefly74 - You've got the right procedure, Tim. Gloss, decals, gloss and then matt coat. Advice: make sure the gloss coat is not too thick (I use Tamiya X22 Clear), let it dry a couple of hours and then apply the decals. Let the decals dry for an hour or so and then spray around them with more gloss clear. Be careful with the Dullcote as it has a tendency to appear semi gloss or even foggy if applied to thick. Several light mistings are preferable to a direct coat. Aim above your subject and sort of let the spray settle on to the surface. It can take some practice. I prefer Model Master 4636 Flat Clear Acryl.

@Sabredog - Thank you, Michael. After I read your reply I had a look at the object and I was able to see the plow. As for the tracks I was going to try gap filing CA glue. My off handed guess is that two or three links might need to be removed. I'll non-destructively experiment and post any findings here. BTW, my M40 is now also sitting on it's wheels.

@muddyfields - Can't wait to see your Churchill. We definitely won't be short of bridging equipment. Now if only we had more combatants to cross those bridges. As for the decals, use what you can. I misplaced mine and it took three weeks before I found them. I also believe that one other person misplaced their decals and side skirts but eventually found them together in the same location.

Great action starting here. Lets all try to keep up the good progress.

Cheers,
Jan

Hi all. It's taken longer than I might have imagined but I believe that I have the base pretty close to where I want it. I took Jan's advice and concentrated on greys after looking at a few pictures online. Here's the result.



I managed to stretch the sprue from the track over a candle and added an antenna. Tow cables are painted but still need another antenna on other side of the turret but that will come after the periscopes and additional weathering.



Almost there,
AJ

@ Tread_geek, thanks for the advice Jan I'll see how the dullcote goes this time and have a look around for the model master.
AJ your base looks great as does the Challenger,i'll have to pick one of those up sometime!
Shaun,looking forward to seeing your Churchill! There a great looking model, does revell do a reissue of them?
Cheers,
Tim

Had the same problem - having to fill gaps with milliput...

Cheers

A