Kimmo - Great and interesting choice for your build. I sincerely hope that the bad moulding doesn't cause you too many problems. The chart above is updated and the countdown continues.

Cheers,
Jan

Jan & Matthew (XO),

Will be completing the Initial Production Tiger I that I had started on earlier this year with the new updated information furnished by David Byrden. Also finishing with the weathering and completing the base on the Matchbox Humber Mk.II. Have scheduled two new builds for the campaign as well which will include a Vietnamese T34/85 model 1969 and a Soviet SG-122 assault gun. Just could not resist building my own SG-122 after seeing Neil's (aka Korpse) rendition on the Braille forum.

Only a couple of days to go . . .

-Eddy

Good to hear from you, Eddy. Glad that you will try to participate in this campaign. Actually, if we use GMT time, the start time is a mere 22 1/2 hours away. That's 8:00 PM EDST or 5:00 PM yor time. Aren't time zones quaint.

To everyone, don't forget to post "before" pictures.

Cheers,
Jan

Here is a link to the photo gallery for this campaign:
Braille Battlefield

Hi Fellow Braille Scalers,

Tomorrow is the day and I have got my builds sorted. I shall be finishing these models that have been languishing in my 'to do' box for far too long:



For my 'new build' I am going to incorporate a project I have had in mind since MK72 released their Demag. It incorporates a Russian limber and the 75mm infantry gun.







I'm really looking forward to this campaign and will post as often as I can. Good luck everyone and may any problems be little ones.

All the best,

Paul

@Gary - Thank you very much for the gallery, Gary. As usual you are totally on top of what must be quite a demanding job. BTW, will you be joining us in finishing your Char B and FT-17?

@Paul - We have a term here on the other side of the pond about being "loaded for bear". You most certainly are with your enthusiasm and ambitious plans. The Jagdpanzer appears to be Revell, the Wespe (Matchbox?) and the Opel would be of Italian manufacture? It's close enough to the start point that your pictures shall count towards the first campaign requirement.

I must comment on those three new builds that you have. They are totally new to me and I have neither read nor seen anything like them. It should really be something to see how all of them come together.

As of this writing it is 4:25 PM GMT. That's less than eight hours before we officially launch. Good luck to everyone.

Cheers,
Jan

Hi Jan,

We have an expression on this side which goes, 'close, but no coconut'.

The JagdpanzerIV is Dragon, the Wespe is Italeri (ex-Esci) and the Opel Blitz is an old Esci with a spare Roden cargo bed.

As for the other stuff, I intend to use it for this project:

http://i843.photobucket.com/albums/zz360/M4A3E8/weapon_75cmleig18_6.jpg

I will post a build log here, if that is ok.

All the best,

Paul

Hey there Paul,

As another saying goes, "one out of three ain't bad!" The Jagdpanzer looked far too detailed for an Italeri kit and I wasn't aware that Dragon had one. The Opel just looked too similar to my old Esci one so that was somewhat easier.

As for a build log in this thread, by all means. Rarely if ever are dioramas or vignettes not allowable or appreciated in a campaign. Our rule #2 specifically allows them.

Of the side, the "M4A3E8" in the link did throw me a bit. I was fully expecting a Sherman to be present.

Cheers,
Jan

Greetiings all, We Are Now Live!!! Time for the action and momentum to begin. Good luck and smooth building to all.

Cheers,
Jan

Very cool, will be starting with a 1/72 Trumpeter Elefant.

Finally started

This will be my first entry, one to finish. Haven't thought about the second entry yet.

Congratulations Maurice, you are the first one officially out of the starting gate. The chart at the top of page #7 has been updated and expanded. Everyone, please remember to post an image of your starting point.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do but thanks to an acquaintance I foresee a direction that I hadn't envisioned. I dug up an old ESCI Stug. III 105 mm that had literally been collecting dust. I have been absolutely unable to find the tracks that came with the kit. My friend provided me with a CPL Overby's Motor Pool resin SU-76i that he didn't intend to finish. Part of the package of that kit were styrene running gear enhancements for the ESCI kit, including link and length tracks.

Here's the Stug. with the styrene enhancement sprues from the Overby kit. I have washed away the accumulated dust and grime from the assault gun and pried the upper and lower hull apart. I guess that the glue was so old that it put up almost no resistance.



The lower track run is about two links too long so something will have to be done about it. I'll also have to see how the single links fit around the sprocket.



The SU-76i pieces are mostly put together but the lower hull needs some work and the one suspension side piece was damaged at some point. I'll have to figure out how to repair the latter.







Here's looking forward to a great campaign.

Cheers,
your_fearless_leader

With the luck of the Gods I should have just posted my first photo on Armorama, in my first Campaign



He He it worked and before midnight ;-)

Interesting choices, Jan. I suggest some mud on that damaged track. It looks difficult to restore the track links in this scale, but maybe your skills are better than mine
It will be interesting builds to follow.

Nice kit, Paul. A good basis for some interesting camouflage and heavy weathering. Is that a reboxing of an old kit of is it a new kit?

I have not made a choice for my own kit yet, but probably a UM models T-34/85 or one of the old Matchbox boxings.

@Paul Congratulations on your ability to post a picture. Plenty of people have had problems with the process so you are one of the few to conquer it in short order. So, are you going to go the route of firstcircle and start casting new tracks for the female or will you coerce him to cast you a set of 180+ links? (Matthews Tracks R' Us Ltd.) (sorry Matthew, I couldn't resist)

@Jesper With the length of this campaign there is still time to make a decision. Just don't procrastinate too long, especially with all the campaigns you join.

As for the SU-76i tracks, mud is a definite option providing insanity doesn't strike me and I try to scratch build links. No pictures yet but the Stug has disassembled rather well. More importantly, after almost an afternoon of searching through box after box of sprues I finally found all but two of the missing kit parts (even found the original instructions). Missing is one bracket for the side skirts and the styrene tow cable. Both are fairly easily scratch built.

More later...

Cheers,
Jan

Here we go.......

Jan, I found having 2 tabs open let me have the "how to" instructions easy to reach and the page I was posting to open in the other tab. As for the female, I'm not sure how to tackle the tracks yet but I'm not thinking of casting 180 links (yet).
Jesper, the kit is a rebox of the original male but with a sprue added for the female sponsons. It comes now in a pale blue/grey plastic compared to the dark green of the original. The first time I made the male version was over 40 years ago so it will be interesting to see what I've learnt

@Kimmo Your picture is noted and the chart on page #7 has been updated to reflect the changes in the last day. We now have six starters.

@Paul Tabs that are available with certain browsers are the best thing that they ever came up with. At times I can have half a dozen open when doing research. Of course I believe that Safari was the first to have tabs as a standard feature as opposed to the other browsers having it as an add-on.. I also believe that the actual inventor was Xerox in 1987.

I was somewhat joking about making 180 links and can't wait to see a response from our co-leader to my previous remarks.

Personally, I discovered another missing part from the Stug kit. It's the hatch ring with periscopes/vision blocks for the commanders hatch. I was unable to find a suitable alternative and have attempted to make one; without success so far.

Cheers,
Jan

When was the last time Airfix actually came with a new new model? Seems like all their recent releases are re-releases...

Hi all, here is my first build,an Airfix 1:76 Vickers Mk.VI. I will be doing the 'A' version in B.E.F markings. For my second build i'll be finishing an Italeri Valentine I started a few years back in 6th Armoured Division markings,early Tunisia.

Jan: Interesting choices, both nice vehicles,good luck with that hatch ring!
Maurice: Looking forward to your Achilles build, I have been thinking of buying one of these kits so will be watching with interest.
Paul: welcome to your first campaign! I have the Female kit in my stash so looking forward to your build. I know it has quite a few errors in the kit so I haven't got around to starting mine yet! Good luck!
Kimmo: A rail tank! cool. I've never seen one of these built!
Cheers,
Tim

well here is the box of bits that will become my M1A2 TUSK.

Thanks for the info, Paul. I thought this might be a reboxing of an older kit. Will be interesting to see how an old kit like that shapes up.

Speaking of old kits - I have decided to do a Matchbox 1/76 Jagdpanther that is probably older than me.

Jan, hope you manage to get something decent from the StuG III. It must be a challenge.

Thanks, Tim!
Neither have I ever seen that Vickers tank built, specially in braille scale.

I do actually have a few spare links left, but only about 20; not enough, unless you go even further down the route of burying it in the mud, so deeply that only a few links are visible.... in fact that is exactly what I am thinking of doing with them, that or perhaps some Chinese rivetters making them in a repair workshop (bit ambitious, that one.)

On the question of the Airfix Female, you may be interested in the review I did:
Female Review. Amazingly that is the only review of an Airfix armour kit on Kit Maker. I think there are some new mould kits coming out, but it is not always easy to tell if they are all new or not.

*Ahem* - you may also be interested in my
Mark 1 build log.

Sorry for the shameless self-promotion.

My oh my, what a lot of action in such a short time. Looks like many are getting into the "swing" of this campaign.

@Tim The Mk. VI looks like it will be a real "tiny" gem.

@Scot I've got you marked on the chart as good to go with the finishing of the M1.

@Jesper Your selection is noted and all we need now is the picture of the kit sprues.

PanzerAlexander has a separate build thread for his entry in the Braille Scale forum. I will count his trailer as a "finishing" kit and the Famo as "new" as he just started it after the campaign start date. Even though both items in this kit came in one box, they come as two separate kits at my local hobby shop. The two in one box is a more recent addition.

I'd like to thank those that have offered their best wishes for my StuG build. After more fruitless effort to locate the cupola I resorted to the brute force answer. After studying various pictures and a couple of drawings I came away with the 1/72 dimensions for what I needed. It took three tries to get the ring the proper size. The internal cutting process was fairly easy but the external diameter proved elusive.

The start.


Periscopes (didn't bother with the four ring supports as they wouldn't be visible at this scale)



Periscopes in place. (good thing I made ten as the carpet monster swallowed three)



With ring in place and ready for cleaning up.



Cheers,
StuG_geek