I'll second Damon's comment, fantastic scratch on the wheel! I tried for several minutes to figure out which one and couldn't tell.

Jesper your super sherman looks really nice, I can see it taking out T-55s!

Ian, your mirage is fantastic as well! I can never get those BMFs to look good. Are you doing any particular bird? I was wondering since their top ace Giora Epstein flew one.

Scott, maybe I missed it, what kit are you using for your Hummer? Does it come with weapons/bags?

Just some really cool stuff in this campaign.

Scott,
Just went back and saw the CzechMaster resin set. Is the hummer from Revell or Dragon?

Kerry, thanks for the compliment! The plan right now is to build #52 from 101 Sqdn. from the Six Day War bearing one kill mark. Apparently this A/C went on to fly again in the '73 conflict in camo form where she scored several more victories, including a kill against a Russian-flown Egyptian MIG-21. I was tempted to do the camo version but the NMF trimmed in red really got me. Once again, thanks and stunning work by all the modellers participating in this build.



Ian

Joel, thanks for the kind words. Used Testors primer for the undercoat because it buffs out so well and it really makes a difference when applying a NMF. Thanks again.

Regards,

Ian

Gotta love an M-51...............looks great, Joel. Now where are those T-55's ?

Ian

Thanks. The wheel wasn't all that hard to make. I took a piece of scrap sheet plastic and cut it to width, Then I was lucky enough to find a old Exacto drill handle that was just about the right ID that I needed. Added wraps of masking tape until the Dia was exactly right to have a real tire fit snuggly over it. Measured the thickness of a wheel, and just sanded the sheet plastic till they matched. Again, I got real lucky, as the stock sheet was almost dead on in thickness.

The hardest part was getting the rather thick piece of sheet plastic to conform to the handle. Soaked the plastic in very hot water till it got a little soft, then wrapped it around the handle, and taped it in position. Then soaked it again, and then let it cool and dry. Once dry, I glued the ends together. Needed some Green stuff and sanding to finish it off.

It was a pretty easy part to replicate, just a bear to work with plastic that thick.

Joel,

Just on a hunch, did you scratch the whole wheel or just the tire? Either way, nice work!

Michael

Just the tire. I shudder to think how difficult and time consuming a wheel would have been.

Hi guys, it's about time someone post some flying things! here's my progress... should be able to wrap things up in another couple of weeks...



Cheers!

The Camo looks great.

Hi
Theres some excellent builds on the go here, nice variety of subjects.
Heres a few pics of my white m3 scout armoured car conversion from the 48 wear of independence.
Theres some question as to the correct colour used by the IDF at this time whether Olive drab or a brown type colour, ive gone for a faded OD.



Need to add some straps for the packs , add markings then go for a dusty sandy weathering.
Peter

Thanks for the comment, Kerry. Appreciate it.

Lawrence, nice job on the camouflage. Looking forward to see it with the markings on.

Peter, is that a conversion kit or did you scratchbuild all that yourself? It looks great in either case!

I have now finished my Sherman. Browsing the internet I actually found quite a few good color pictures of the Israeli M50 Sherman. I tried to copy that kind of weathering and wear which was basically limited to a heavy coat of dust and some oil/fuel spills. There was no chipping at all.

The Dragon kit is a very nice kit with good details and a good fit. The only tricky part is the tracks which needs to be glued together with an extra section added. This section was lacking in my kit, but a fellow modeller on this site helped out. Thanks a lot!!

Comments welcome

Really nice work on the Sherman Jesper! I like the look, not too overdone. The dust and weathering are near perfect. It looks like water marks on the turret, can't tell from the pics, but looks "life like". I noticed you're from Ga, are you, or anybody else on this forum going to AMPS Atlanta on the 17th??? I was hoping to have this Merkava done in time for their theme this year "Desert Armor".

Quick question does anyone have a good reference photo(s) for the double Jerry can holders often seen on the magach during the Peace for Galileo operation. Need to know what the base looks like. Cheers

Thanks for the comments, Kerry. I often try to get a "worn" and streaked look to the weathering.

I am definitely going to the AMPS show. However, I am not going to display my Super Sherman. I am not completely satisfied with the way the tracks fit the sprockets, so I will leave it at home.
Hope to see you there

Here are the pictures I used as inspiration for my weathering. Notice how the dust settles in all the crevices and around rivets in the first picture and the "streaking" on the turret in the last picture. These are the effects I went for.

Jesper, your DML M50 came out great. Love the weathering. Just an outstanding build.

Thanks, Joel. Appreciate it.

Hey Jesper,
I'll be there Friday night with "Household-six". She wanted to check out Atlanta when I'm not lusting over plastic!!! I'll be the one wearing the AMPS All-American T-shirt!

See ya there!

OK, see you there. If you are staying in atlanta check out the aquarium. Well worth a visit. Off topic ends. Back to the Israeli camapign

Jesper: Great build and the weathering is spot on.

Happy Modelling, -zon

Jesper;
that looks really nice. Weathering is really well done and very spot on with those pics.
Gonna go off topic for a minute, but thought all of you might like to know. For all of you wanting to set up a photo booth or take better photos, PM me and I can walk you through some quick details and setup. Costs are very minimal and results look good to great. Cheers.

Thanks for the comments, Guys. I appreciate it very much.

Well, the gear is on and most of the sub-assemblies are done. Hopefully I will have "Shahak Five-Two" decaled this weekend. Hey Jesper........your M-50 looks great! Great finish on the model.

Regards, Ian

Nice work everyone! Peter, great scout car, it's always interesting to see where the IDF started!

Michael

Hi all,

I started throwing together Academy's M51 (yes, another Sherman!) the other day as a sort of "clear the pipes" exercise to break me out of a painting funk, and figured I'd enter it here. (I've been keeping tabs on the excellent builds here already...) Scott, this time I hope to actually finish one of your campaigns!

Anyway, it all started inauspiciously - there were major fit issues due to warping. The turret top had splayed enough to require brute force (and clamps) to squeeze it onto the base, while the gun tube had a serious right-hand twist. This latter I fixed by gently reaming it out with the end of some brass tube, which I then trapped between the halves to force them straight. The canvas mantlet was another poor-fit nightmare, fixed with the addition of plastic scraps, sanded into shape, and then covered with tissue & glue. And don't get me started on the pistol port! This kit was an early Academy effort, and it really shows.

I trimmed down the top and bottom of the muzzle brake to at least vaguely resemble the real thing, and added details to the transmission front. Beyond that, I plan to build it mostly OOB. Hopefully I'm over the worst, and will be ready to get it primed by next weekend...









More pics to come...

Tom