Hi guys!

For my entry I decided to dust off a project I entered in a campaign well over a year ago - but this time I'll actually get around to doing some building on it! (I'm developing a bad habit of getting as far as the "before you start" pic, and never actually getting the build going...)

It's an ancient Minicraft "Porsche" KT that I intend to turn into a replica of the Bovington example, warts and all. To help it out I've added some plastic indy link tracks (Tamiya? The box went ages ago) and a metal barrel because the kit one is so crude. The rest will be creative plastic surgery. Hopefully it'll get some bench time in the next few weeks.








Oh, and why start with the lumpy Minicraft kit? Well, it's already in the stash... (Been there nearly three decades now!) And it seems a shame to cop out of all the modelling fun by buying a newer DML kit. I may live to regret those words...

Tom

Tom was it you I took the pictures of this one for?

Here is my KT so far; I have added a basic camouflage pattern and added the first coat of clear varnish, I will then add the decals and another coat of gloss varnish before I use the hairspray method for the white wash application.

Nice work so far Darren!

Rick

Darren, it was indeed! But I did eventually get there myself to grab a few more. It was a classic case of getting all revved up, but not letting out the clutch...

Tom

Nice Darren I knew you had something special for this one!
Don`t be shy on the sbs for the white wash
Can`t wait to see it happen.
Phil.

@Jeff T.--No, but only because I didn't bring them. And, in my defense, I wasn't sitting in my tighty-whities either.

However, I did finish the last 72 while catching up on FRINGE episodes before the series finale tonight.

@Darren--Nice airbrushing. Lookin' good!


Keith

Keith, So O.K. Based on the information given,and taking all the other variables into account,our judges have come up with your score
It works out to a 7.Although it looks like you really impressed the Russian Judge

Darren,Yes,a SBS on the whitewash would be good,and I agree,great paint work.Jeff T.

Thank you all for your positive responses to my build so far and I will see what I can do about an SBS.

@Jeff T.--lol! That cracked me up. Too bad the rules say you have to toss out the highest and lowest score!

The track treads and road wheels are now done and I have to wait to return home on Tuesday before I can start painting them and the rest of the vehicle. Hopefully sometime this coming week.

Keith

Darren with the tracks wrapped like that this looks like some sort of secret hovercraft the Germans were working on. Camo looks sweet.

I will post a starter photo later tonight since my PE FINALLY arrive from China. Might even squeak in a progress pic if I get going on the running gear.

Does anyone have links to really good KT workarounds?

A hovercraft now there's a thought . I have added a couple of walkarounds on Armorama for both types of KT turret and within reason I can get specific areas as needed given time.

Marc... Use Bing to search King Tiger walk around and see what you get.There's all kinds of stuff with some good pics.They have a few videos also.Here's a sample http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdOaGhPfUh8 I thought it was pretty cool.Jeff T.

Thnaks jeff.



And so it begins, the official 1st photos.

This is the kit and the PE that will be used. I may add some Friuls to the mix. And when I say "may" that usually means that if I even get the slightest inkling of the though... it's a forgone conclusion.



I've at least got the box open, sprues organized (for the moment) and starting in on the wheels and axles. It would be nice if there was a nice tight mount to get the wheels all lined up to reduce the chance of "floaters" later on. Shouldn't be hard to be precise. But WHOA that's a lot of play. I am guessing 1 of 2 scenarios... Dragon screwed up or they are allowing for changes in position in the even you are doing a dio and there a rock or tree limbs under the track.

Ran into a couple of areas where the zimmerit didn't look right or interfered with assembly. I did not like the way the zimmerit looked at the back, you could see spaces where the sides of the hull meet it so careful cutting and chiseling removed the zimmerit and I will add some strip plastic to the sides to make up the difference(don`t need any fit issues.LOL) the hatch on the back of the turret needed some zimmerit removed so all the pieces fit correctly.

Cheers Rob.

Gents,
I need some advice, suggestions, or direction. Having never used indie track links before, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed. I 'knitted' a run together on masking tape figuring I would start by gluing the ones on the ground together and then work my way around the drive sprocket and idler wheel and finish with the sag across the top. Is that how most of you do it? Or am I approaching this all wrong?



Thanks,

Keith

Keith, I learned how to deal with indy tracks with this SBS. Been doing it that way ever since.

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/features/1737&page=2

Kieth,

On Tigers and Panthers I tend to dry-fit the wheels (so they can slip off afterwards) and then glue up track runs that I wrap around and glue to the wheels. That waqy, I can remove the whole "wheel & track" unit as a lump for painting. I do a long enough run for the top so it extends beyond the sprocket and idler - that way I can set the sag and curl the ends around to hold it in place. The rest then gets added underneath.

This is what i mean:


You'll find as many different methods as there are modellers...

Tom

I usually glue up a full track run and then leave a connection point on the sprocket, this way I get everything looking as I want and the tracks can still be removed for painting.

I decided to add Friuls to the mix. The decision was easy. I was at the LHS, he had 'em, I bought 'em.

Welds...

There will be a lot of welds and torch cutting m,arks to add. I started on the turret. There was the faintest hint of a weld around the top that was filed out, masked with some Jammydog tape and welded.








Wheels...

Axles aligned, wheels sanded and mounted temporarily.




WTF?...

The pivoting arm for the idler, part B1, has no way to mount to the hull. I would have thought that something would go ion form the inside of the hull to make the adjustable pivot. Is that "barley there" ring on the arm supposed to go in that gigundo hole? It doesn't really fit to well and hardly seems it would take the tension of the tracks.




I used a piece of Bare Metal foil to mask the outside eof the MG blister. If any of you non-aircraft type have not sen this stuff it is great for masking since it burnishes down perfectly and irregular shapes can be cut out easily.







I've started on some of the hot rolled steel look. I thinned the Bondo glazing compound to a consistency of paint ready to be sprayed and stippled like I was doing a casting texture. Only thing different was to sand most of it off. It will show better when it's primed.

Marc... Nice work Man,and You where worried you wouldn't fit in
Check this link http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10043587z/70/1 Does it look like there is another piece mounted on the hull for the swing arm to go into? Pic is so small I can't really tell,but it looks like it to Me.Jeff T.

Marc,
Those arms don't seem right, these are the ones from my kit:


Cheers Rob.

Just a thought Rob but is there another sprue with the correct susopension arm on it? We all know what Dragon is like for including 3 times as many parts as you use.

I looked for one before I posted that is the only one I have, it is a different edition of the kit. I was thinking Marc's might have two sets.

Cheers Rob.