A great selection of vehicles picked for the campaign and some rapids starts.
Are you sure you have enough extras for the VAB Christopher? Should be nice when done.
John, will be interested in hearing about the Bushmaster....I'm tempted as it's one of the few military vehicles based on an Irish design.
Rodolfo, that looks like a nightmare.....good luck!

It's been a quick build with perfect fit. Primer on next.

I'm currently building the 234/2 (I started it over the weekend but was unaware of this campaign and did not "document" the start). The suspension builds up into a complex looking assembly, but Dragon engineered it so it goes together easily. Lots of parts, but they fit well. You may have to bend the leaf springs down to make contact with their respective pads on the upper suspension arms.

These kits are gems...outstanding detail and fit. I think the /4 is probably the most detailed due to the exposed Pak and a better view of the interior (I had one, but just recently completed work on several artillery pieces and just couldnt handle one more!) Traded it for the Puma. Building it buttoned up as you cant see much of the interior anyway and all the internal bits go in the parts bin.

Great little kit that doesnt really show it's age. I had one back when they first came out, and I am keeping my eye out for a "used" one I can pick up cheap.

@JOHN, the 222 is a beauty!!!!!!!!

Well, a little advance on my M-8. I start to make the model with my assistant, as a joint venture with my son of 6 years old.....

@Jon

Great work so far on the 222 !

@Jose

Glad to see you here too my friend !!
You got an assistant, hope to get another plasticholic !!
With a great teacher that's going to be another great build Jose !!!

@John,
Its a placer my friend!!!!!
You are right, maybe its the start for another plasticholic!!!!
I think that my stash is not safe

Just a minor update on my L 180.



The most important improvement of the kit has been to hollow out the turret. To make sure I didn’t mess up the turret I made a copy of it. Then it was an hour’s work with my Dremel and I had a hollow turret. My cast wasn’t exactly a good copy, so I had to remake the rivets at the bottom, the door mounts and the rail guard around the commander’s hatch. It’s still missing the hatch, but that will be made together with the commander.




The body is a solid cast resin part which is a bit of a shame. To make some impression of axels I took two axels form my spare parts box and placed them at the rear. The front axle has to be scratched altogether next. At the top side of the body I have started detailing and improving the kit. Since the Danish Landwerks were the two first production ones they differ in some details from the Dutch version of the kit. The back end has had minor modifications made and the bonnet has had the air filter lids changed for some lower ones. The later caused an accidental removal of one of the bonnet mounts and had to be fixed. Below the doors I have placed PE door steps. The grey ring where the turret will sit is a failed attempt to partly hollow out under the turret. And finally some assembly of the parts has been made.

Here's what I'll be doing. HobbyBoss' M3 Scout Car (early). It may be a few days before I get started but I figured I'd go ahead and upload my starter pictures. I took them a few days ago.

Well I’ve started some work on my VAB. Quality of detail on the blast parts are great, the only real let down is that you will need to buy both the driver’s and crew compartment set for the build. The drivers station is only made up with part forward of the engine bay. The crew compartment is made up of engine back. If you plan to only build the driver’s part you will need to supper detail the engine parts in the heller kit in order to make up for the missing bulkhead. I’ve also started working the horrible suspension; this had a lot of fit problems.

Alright primer is on!



Now while I devise and make my stowage, I have a question that I am hoping one of you wise gents could help me with, about the depicted camo in the Tamiya instructions (photo below). The scheme is noted as Tunisia with dark yellow sprayed over panzer grau to allow only a small part of the grey to show through. I have not been able to find any photos of this scheme on the net. Is it maybe just a figment of the great Tamiya imagination?

Jon;

SdKfz 222 in Tunisia, ca 1943... Hmmmm...

It's POSSIBLE that this individual car had survived in Africa from the early days of the DAK - say Mar 1941... IF that were the case (that it was a long-term survivor), it could have arrived in Africa wearing its European standard basecoat of Dunkelgrau 7021, and it would have been repainted once in Africa in 1941 with any of several colors - Italian sand, British tan or..., etc. Even had a mud camo coat applied.

Otherwise... from mid- 1941, replacement and additional vehicles being shipped from Europe to Africa were repainted in Italy before being shipped - the mid- late 1941 standard Africa basecoat color being the new regulation (for Africa-destined stuff) "Gelbbraun RAL 8000" - so....

To further complicate your life: a new Africa reg went into effect from April 1942 - when all further vehicles shipping to north Africa would henceforth be base-coated in "Braun RAL 8020" with additional "Grau RAL 7027" camo applied - the second "tropen" camo scheme generally seen in Tunisia from later 1942...

So - perhaps what Tamiya was vaguely thinking for its proposed "Tunisia 1943" scheme was this latter - "Braun 8020" with camo over-lay of "Grau 7027". But NOT likely to have had any dunkelgrau 7021 showing - presuming that this 1943 car almost certainly would have arrrived in Africa after Mar 1941, and thus came over wearing either Gelbbraun 8000 or Braun 8020.

Of course, if it WERE a survivor from the initial shipment... it could still have some original dunkelgrau visible, presuming that all of its repainting occurred in Africa and some grau was purposefully left visible...

I would vote for the later "Tunisia" scheme, or even the pre-April 1942 scheme with Gelbbraun base and a camo coat of "Graugrun RAL 7008".

You have some choices, Pard!

Bob

Hi Jon, after Bobs excellent but maybe just a little confusing lecture, here's a couple of pics which I found in reference collection:

In the first one you can see some 231's and in the background
there's a 222 possibly with something similar to your camo.



on this one you can see the 250 and 250/10. The text states
that which Bob already suggested, Gelbbraun base with Graugrun camo stripes. The only grey is to be seen where the drivers sight cover has been raised:



Hope this helps.



Paul

People here is pushing the level of discussion.

Next week I will start my Snow Leopard. For me, it will be much more a paintchallenge than a build challenge, since I'll try to reproduce the parade pixelled scheme.

Great choices and starts so far.

Cheers!

Marco

@Bob and Paul,
Thank you very much for all the good and detailed information. As I expected Tamiya used a bit of poetic license!
I think I may go for an early DAK 222 - you can see photos of them online painted grey with the Afrika Corps symbols, very dusted up. The later vehicle have modifications such as jerry can holders that are not part of my OOB build.
Cheers
Jon

Jon;

So, if you are going with an early-to-Africa car - say an early member of 5th Le. Div - a dunkelgrau basecoat will work - but maybe check on what symbols and markings would have been used at that point. I have no knowledge of whether Tamiya would have provided decals for a 1941 DAK car in this kit, but sort of doubt that you get any for early DAK. You do of course have viable options of Italian sand and British tan applied over that d-grau in anything from stripes and blotches to full coat. Also the real option of mud applied in the field as camo!

Bob

Thanks Bob, food for thought. I will check what the kit has decal wise when I get home tonight.
Some stowage so far:

Hello friends!

@ Jon.- Excellent work!
@ José - Great work and great moments with your little son!
@ Kenneth.- Good work with the those small details!
@ Christopher.- Excellent details!

The side mudguards were re-constructed and now are ready!.





Regards!
Rodolfo

If it's not stretching the rules too far, and please let me know if it is, I would like to enter a 1/35th model of the Milne-Daimler armoured lorry improvised by the British Army during the 1916 Easter uprising in Dublin.


It's base vehicle is a Milne-Daimler 4/5 ton brewers vehicle commandeered from the Guinness Company and fitted with steel plate and four loco smoke-boxes by the Inchicore railway workshops outside Dublin.It's armament was simply the occupants rifles and a rear mounted Lewis gun,
As I say, if it falls outside the definition of a campaign entry I will happily withdraw.
regards

Hi Jon, here you are, mud and the application of:



Note how it's being applied, with their hands. That means you could use a thicker paint with an old brush and end up with possibly a real cool texturing there



Paul

Hi Mecanix,
what is that a converted Guinness barrel?



Paul

Paul,
No but I see what you mean. Its a brewers dray with four locomotive smoke boxes, strapped and bolted together and I imagine bolted to the wooden truck bed.They have cut loop-holes and a rear slot for the Lewis in the tubes
This is the same base vehicle by being used by a soft drinks manufacturer and not Guinness.

regards

@ Sean.- Thanks!
@ Mecanix.- interesting Project!

Regards!
Rodolfo

Hi Mecanix, as Rodolfo says: interesting project.

Taking a loose interpretation of the rules and as it's 4 wheels and aroured I'm going to allow it. Welcome on board.

Thanks Sean and Rudolfo
I shouldn't take long, I hope.
Firstly because its mostly plasticard or stuff raided from the stash/spares box and secondly because I want to take it to D2, the IPMS Irish Nationals in a few weeks. So digits will need to be extracted.
regards