Jan

Have you noticed that the track mark spacing on the base is not the correct width for the model?

Jan

(Ignore the post of mine above)

Have you noticed that the track mark spacing on the base is not the correct width for the M40 GMC?

I think you could have left the post above! - as it is the same deal with both the T-34 and the Panzerjager IV/L70. In fact the track marks aren't even parallel. Not sure what was going on there.

Some really excellent models here - lots of inspiration!

Right. My wife has taken our Son out for the morning (in return for my taking him out in the afternoon so she can get near her piano) - so I've got a good couple of hours to get drilling and grab handle making!

I'm going to try my best to meet the deadline - so it may not be perfect! We've had three weeks of our toddler waking up repeatedly in the night so we're both frazzled - not much model making going on! Will try my best to catch up...


All the best

A

@Michael and Matthew - Yes, I did notice the disparity in not only the depressions on the base for the track but also the track to track width on the M40 . While the left track contact area on the base is rather small, they (the track depressions) also do not seem to run 100% parallel. For these observations I temporarily applied the two tracks to the GMC and the left track appears far more taught than the right one. As for the base, I don't really like the way the vehicle is meant to sit on it so I might try something a little creative with it. We can perhaps think of the original track depressions as having been made by some other vehicle. I checked out a couple of my old builds and for the most part, where there is track impressions neither the impression pattern (as opposed to the tracks) nor the track spacing are 100%. The closest I found in those areas were for the Panzer III.

@Andronicus - For you or anyone else experiencing difficulties, try your best. As long as I see a picture of the painted vehicle (hopefully with decals) in the campaign gallery I'll award the person a ribbon. There is no need for the build to be 100% finished (weathering and the like) as we'll just consider it just came back from an extensive overhaul or refit.

Cheers,
Jan

Well, I am pretty much calling my M40 finished! Just a little light earth dusting on the underside of the barrel as it would get a little dusty when the barrel was lowered and in the lock whilst the M40 was moving.

Pics as soon as I can. But with my club trip looming in 8 days, not sure if I can get pics done. I will try though! even if they are "quickies"

Always great to hear about progress but pictures are worth...

I can't say that I have had much progress on my build. Just too many things going on at the moment (reviews, other campaigns, early retirement...). Anyways, we still have 21 days left (as of this post). Let's get building people!

Cheers,
Jan

Hi, pleased to see this campaign has been extended - I've got another couple of builds which I'll try to post more reliably!, I found some photos of my Char B1 and FT-17 pre-build Sorry to get stuff in the wrong order, but thought it may be of interest.


http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/500/2010-01-20_D60_00002_640x480.jpg
Also one of my now partially complete jobs:

It's very inspiring to see the quality of the work on all the models posted here. I've put some photos of previously built matchbox models from the last 10 years or so in my photos - I was quite pleased with them until I saw all these beatifully finished kits here.

Lastly - sorry to be a know-nothing but... how do I add photos to the campaign photographs? In fact, how do I find the campaign photos? Apologies for my ignorance - I have tried to find instructions on the site but I must be looking in the wrong places!? I'd be gratefull for any assistance.
Tim

Tim, go to the Photos tab, log in if necessary, make sure you are at the home page, so click Home if necessary, then scroll down and click the link "Campaigns", then "Currently Active Campaigns" and in the list you will find ! Matchbox Nostalgia" in fact maybe that link will take you straight there, maybe not.

I believe that when uploading photos into that gallery, you are adding them to your own account but showing them in the gallery. It looks like you already hosted that pic of the Jagdpanther in your site account, so I assume you know how to do that.

Nice paintjob on the JP by the way.

Jan, regarding what I said about the addictive nature of this campaign, I will post some WIP photos on yet another gap-filling bonus shortly, subject to be announced...

You are absolutely correct about the campaign pictures taking up space in the members own gallery. Matthew, thank you very much for posting the clickable link and it does appear to work. TIm will be required to login prior to being able to post in the campaign gallery.




My goodness Matthew, is it an actual addiction or perhaps could it be something viral in nature. It would be more than we could have hoped for to have every kit in the series built.




I have to agree on all counts about the kits that have been completed. People have done a fantastic job of bringing new life to these old and in some cases troublesome kits. I had a look at some of the pictures in your gallery Tim and they are not shabby in the slightest. Let us know if you have any further difficulties with getting pictures into the official campaign gallery. BTW, in my records you are considered to have completed your build and due for the ribbon. It's just a minor formality to post in the campaign gallery.

Cheers,
Jan

Been lurking for a while now till I get my entry finished. I must say that everyone's efforts on bringing these old kits to light have been awesome. Jan, I must commend you for leading this campaign, its been quite fun and most challenging at best.

Well my challenge was more on the base, as I had to do and redo several times over. Still a lot more to learn and practice. Here are shots of my contribution to the campaign, I have also posted some in the gallery.

Cheers and all the best to the participants.

Tat

Quite a sinister looking Jagpanther, Tat. Sorry to hear about all your troubles with the base but you seemed to come through with an exemplary example. You are not alone in your challenges as many of us have experienced our own with these kits. I particularly like the dusting effect that you managed to create.

Here is the updated awards list and we now have 19 (45%) builds completed and 17 (40.5%) posted in the official gallery. There are still a whopping nineteen days left for us stragglers to complete their offerings.



Cheers,
Jan

Very nice JagdPanther, Tat. Very worn finish - I like it;)

Nice participation in this campaign. Testament to a well run campaign. Thanks for the effort, Jan!

Thank you, Jesper, for compliments. I have seriously tried to take all the good points from previous campaigns and apply them to this one. I am still looking at doing a feature on all our efforts but doing a future follow on to this campaigns' subject might be a definite possibility in the future. Can I dream and hope for a 75%+ completion rate.


Cheers,
Jan

One thing I like in this campaign, is that it proves that old kits still make good models, it doesnot need a lot of aftermarket products to build a decent model.

Thanks for the comments Jan, Jesper. Well I hope it doesn't look too worn out, at times I tend to overdo it. I dry-brushed the dust-effect, using acrylics mixed with water. Tried weathering powders before but they rub off to the touch.

Here's a bonus build. All too secret as it looks crappy. Wasn't too happy with the paint job, so its off to a tub of paint remover. Will work to finish it before the 15th.

Cheers

Tat

I WILL complete in some form or other...Attaching wire grab handles this morning - it's great fun. Am hoping to speed on with the detailing and get painting next week. Am tempted to try the cages over the headlights - will see how I get on.

Will post a pic once all the wire is on.

All the best

A

PS - forgot to mention - I love the Jagdpanther Tat - it looks great!

Thanks for the compliments A! There's still time so I guess a bit more push and you should complete your Chaffe.

I have a hard time keeping to campaign schedules, procrastinating mostly, but I just felt to make sure I complete this one. More than just a nostalgic trip to Matchbox days, the thing that got me here is that the Jagdpanther was my first attempt at armor ages ago. I got as far as this:



Lost interest, chucked the kit, and went on with life. Quite happy that Jan got this campaign going. Had to settle with a Revell re-box though. But most importantly it was a chance to do it again, finish it. And I guess, redeem myself.


Cheers,

Tat

Here is a quick pic to confirm the M40 is finished. Pretty pleased how the revised elevation turned out!



I will try and get better pics finished before I head to holidays.

Hey Michael! Fantastic M40! I wish mine would turn out half as good as yours! Did you alter anything to get the gun to elevate that high?

Thanks!

I shortened the recoil cylinders about 2mm where the smaller tube retracts into the larger to get the 45 degree elevation I was looking for.

Thanks to everyone for posting. There are 16 and a bit days left in the campaign so I expect to see some action in this thread...OR ELSE!!!

@sabredog - Yes, you are definitely a scurvy dog as those are the decals I wanted to use. Weren't we supposed to negotiate who did which version! Fine, I'll remember this for the next campaign.

As for me I managed a bit more tidying up of my M40 and started painting the rubber on the wheels.



Now in the next picture you can see the issue with the tracks that appears earlier in this thread. Michael mentioned he shortened them by two links but from what I am seeing mine might take more than that (at least on the right side).



I'll concentrate on sizing and painting the tracks today and if possible put on a clear coat in anticipation of the decals. BTW, for the photo aficionados, the above pictures were taken with a new F3.5 18-250mm lens with built in tele-convertor. It's a pre-early retirement present from my SWMBO. Man, does that thing really show up even the most microscopic flaws in a build.

Cheers,
Jan

Success!!!

It took a lot of toying around but I finally was able to decide that two links on the track would not be enough and four might stretch it too much. The magic number for the right side turned out to be...you guessed it, three. The left track should go a lot smoother now.



Trivia Time Earlier in the thread a person new to Armorama and campaigns showed a "Matchbox" T-34 that they were building. Several of us were puzzled by the bright blue colour of one of the sprues. In doing some mindless surfing while the super glue on the tracks cured I discovered a site that mentioned there existed a "Matchbox Shanghai".
Story Link. From the article it appears that this offshoot of Matchbox was run by the Mattel toy company. I also found another site that has a Matchbox Shanghai review and you can see it and the accompanying pictures HERE. Unusual plastic colours appear in the sprue shots.

Cheers,
Jan