As some of you on the forum know, I've been in the process of creating a large line of 1/24 scale conversion kits, weapons and accessories for some time now. I've finally gotten to the "test casting" level where I'm making pattern parts that will be used in creating the final molds. A good many people have asked to see some examples of what it is I'll be producing and so I've taken a bit of a break in developing parts to try my hand at photographing them.
These pictures are of some of the defects and they haven't been sanded, filed or finished any more than removing the casting flash with an Xacto knife. I did add a thin wash of color to the detail lines to bring them out in the photo but other than that they're pretty much "as cast".
This is only a fraction of the conversion parts, weapons, field gear and figure parts that I've got patterned already, but it should give everyone an idea of the detail level that I'm trying to achieve.





By the way, I am also quite far along on my first three complete 1/24 scale vehicle kits. I'm hoping to have at least one complete vehicle in production by the end of summer with the other two following shortly thereafter in the late fall. There should also be at least four figures available within the same time.


Jim
Large Scale Armory

This looks interesting.
Are all of your products WWII era?
Anything post WWII?
What figures and vehicles are you producing?

So far all of my parts and plans are for WWII era items with a slight emphasis on the Allied side. The weapons and gear in the photos are only a fraction of what I've got made already and I'm slowly gearing up for production.
The first kits will be conversions for the Hasagawa Willys. There will be three kits, one as a basic accessory outfit of gear and weapons on the average jeep with around 30 pieces. Another will be for the heavy weapons section and will feature more ammo cans and heavier armament like the BAR and Thompson. Also there will be a .50 cal upgrade kit that will feature my own version of that gun and loads of ammo cans and other accessories like radios etc. The first two kits will also come with the steerable wheel conversion (with the correct pattern tires) as part of the kit. I also have the radios done for a Kubelwagen radio conversion but that's as far as I've gotten on that.
The really big conversion set that will be in production soon is the SAS jeep conversion. This one will come with the wheel kit and have far more accessories than any of the 1/35 versions that I've seen. Everything from the Vickers K guns to German DAK water bottles, crates, canteens, bags, ammo magazines and much more. There's even a model 1928 Thompson with drum mags and a broomstick Mauser pistol.
The first complete vehicle kit I'm hoping to put out there is something for all the 1/25 Panzers to shoot at. A 1/24 M4A3 Sherman! This is the 75mm version with the high bustle turret and VVSS. The tracks are going to be a individual link type and the VVSS should be functional as well. All hatches open as well as the engine doors. So far she's about 75% complete and you can see some of the parts in the first photo.
The other two kits are going to be a pair of motorcycles. A Harley WLA and a Zundapp with sidecar. These won't have figures but they'll have plenty of gear to make the bikes very interesting. I've also got bits and pieces of an M3 Halftrack done but that'll be quite some time down the road.
As for figures I have already patterned everything (and I mean everything) I'll need to make a full line of American and German figures but they'll have to wait until the vehicles are available. Like everyone else there's never enough time to finish all the stuff you want to fast enough.

Thanks for your interest,
Jim
Large Scale Armory

All looks very good , I `m ready to sle Your products in my shop since today.send reagards Piter
P.S.Jim open my e mail .I send it few days ago .

Thanks Piotr,

Things are really progressing very quickly now so hopefully I can have some kits made up for people sometime soon. (Still waiting for my casting pressure vessel to arrive). Until then, I hope to have some more (clearer) photos up this weekend and hopefully a mock up of the SAS jeep conversion. That is the one I'm most proud of at the moment as it has a large assortment of stuff to make any jeep unique. Also I'll have some photos of the stuff I'm proposing to include in each of the jeep kits so anyone interested can comment on how many of each item and what best to include.
Also I've had several inquires into when the conversion set for making the Hasagawa Kubelwagen into a radio car will be finished. At the moment it is still just a diversion that I work on to keep me from getting burned out on the jeep kits so it won't be available any time soon. Though I may offer just the radios and let people scratchbuild their own cabinets. I'm going to be stressed enough just getting the jeep kits and the Sherman cast up.


Thanks again,
Jim
Large Scale Armory

Be sure to let us know when and how we can order these.
They are fantastic!

Hi Guys,

Thanks so much for the interest! I was really starting to wonder if there were many others that would be interested in accessories and conversions in this scale. At the moment I am working on many more detailed photos to show more of what I've made so far and trying to get the production molds created. (All the stuff in the photos are seconds from the preproduction run). I'm hoping for a nice number of new photos showing stuff like the SAS jeep conversion and the new .50 cal sets sometime this week.
Yep, not only is there a good deal more stuff already done but with any luck they should be available in the near future. I'm really working hard to get the molds and casting techniques up to production levels and I'm making great progress.
As for prices, I haven't come up with any as of yet due to the fact that I'm solely focused on getting things into production. Hopefully I can at least cover the cost of production, but I can say that I doubt that they'll be considered too expensive. After all, the whole goal of my creating all this stuff was to generate more interest in military modeling in this scale. Nothing would kill that faster than having a major source of accessories be overpriced.
I can't say it enough though, thanks for your interest! The huge amount of time and effort (and expense) in casting up all this stuff really pays off when people show their interest. Simply put, the greater the interest, the faster projects like the M4A3 and the motorcycles will be developed. And once my stuff joins the other large scale offerings (like Piterpanzer's) then maybe others will help out by making even more.

Thanks again,
Jim
Large Scale Armory

Did I read correctly that you are planning some figures in your venture? I'll be very interested in seeing what you come up with if that is the case. I like this size quite a bit.

Yes John, I do plan to offer figures to go along with the other kits but only after the conversion and accessory kits are already out there. All the field gear and equipment, from the haversacks and shovels to the flashlights and canteens, have all been designed with figures in mind. For example that is why you'll find the American M1 helmet that will be part of one of the jeep accessory kits is also one that will fit perfectly on a figure's head. Each piece is designed to be able to stand alone as an accessory item or be glued onto a figure for very high detail.
I've also streamlined figure development so that when I start doing figures, there will be many, many to choose from. Having already patterned heads, hands, boots, gear and weapons---they should go pretty fast once I start. And while I've tended to concentrate more on Allied weapons and accessories, by the time I start doing figures I'll be doing an equal amount of Axis figures as well.

Thanks!
Jim
Large Scale Armory

Wow! A Harley & Zundapp in 1/24th
Put me down for a set
Mark

LRDG!!!
gary

Thanks for your support! So far the initial line up of complete vehicle kits goes: first the M4A3 Sherman, then the two motorcycles. Sorry, but the LRDG will likely have to wait until next year. Simply too much work ahead of it I'm afraid.

But for those adventurous souls out there who manage to scratchbuild their own LRDG Chevy or Ford vehicle, I do have most everything you would need by way of weapons and accessories. If you contact me and show me what you've got I can probably help. (I'm nearly finished making both the Lewis gun and a great Boys .55 cal. anti-tank gun).

Thanks again,
Jim
Large Scale Armory

Sam this is just a suggestion but have you considered making some resin parts to improve the 1/24th scale aircraft Kits from AirFix and the like, or perhaps some ancillary equipment to accompany the models in large dioramas? I realize this is not your ultimate goal but it may help you get going.

Hi James,

Your castings look to be excellent!

Certainly, 1/24 -1/25 accessories has growing appeal. A couple of years ago I wrote asking if anyone has produced upgrades/accessories for the Tamiya / Bandai AFVs and figures in those scales. I saw that you and PITERPANZER are in contact in these forums.

Yes, some U.S. 1/24 would be great, and you know that someone out there would be thrilled with a RTR tank, too. I would like to see Jerrycans and Wehrmacht equipment to hang from the vehicles. A coupula for the later Tiger I would be great, as well as German coupulas retrofitted to T-34s would be welcome, I'll bet.

Darren has a great point, that the 1/24 aircraft modelers would be thrilled for accessories, too. You probably have a ton of ideas to concentrate on for armor, but there is some crossover between some armor and aviation. Ammo crates, fuel drums, bombs and carts, aircraft machine guns, tools...dare I even suggest a parachute to lay upon the wing or stabilizer?

Looking forward to your future announcements!

Fred

Great suggestions guys!

You're right on all points. I do have my work cut out for me with the armor pieces that I am working on already but I have given aircraft accessories some serious consideration. I've purposely made quite a few pieces that would fit in well with 1/24 aircraft and oddly enough they do include Allied fuel drums (still working on that darn transfer pump), jerry cans for both sides, as well as several crates and boxes. Still, you guys are right as there is a tremendous amount more that would serve well with both aircraft and armor. Hmmmm.......

One other piece that I made specifically with aircraft in mind was the jumbo round top ammo can that was commonly used on .50 cals for anti-aircraft duty. At the time I created it I envisioned one of my .50s in a pit made of my sandbags beside that Vintage Fighter P40 that I haven't got to build yet. One of my 1/24 Italeri Fire jeeps converted to a refueling or radio vehicle would round out the scene nicely I thought.

Something else worth mentioning here is the "wood" that all my crates are made from. It is my own cast lumber that is thin, comes in 6 inch long strips, multiple widths and thicknesses and has a very heavily pronounced woodgrain. I made this as both a tool for myself in creating my own crates and wooden items but to sell as "lumber" for others to do so as well.

Nobody makes an ammo crate you need? Grab some cast wood strips and whip one together yourself. The woodgrain is raised and comes finished on both sides to make open style crates. I'll try to get some pictures up on the crates and cast wood---probably on a new thread as it is something that all scales could use.

Thanks again for the great suggestions and please feel free to let me know any others as I am always looking ahead. (By the way, I do have a couple of things in the works for the old Bandi 1/24 M5 and it's 155mm cannon).

Jim
Large Scale Armory

Jim,

Do you have a www address? I would like to know what products you have available presently. Or are you even ready for retail yet? I've sculpted three figures in this scale and I have some ideas for others. Some of the equipment you have created would save me a some time.

Hello , LongJohn nice to hear that You are with us .Please introduce Your 1-25 figures
here .Welcome
P.S. Jim wait for Your contact !

Hi John,

At the moment I'm not yet ready for retail but hope to be very soon. If you PM me then I can give you my www address as the one for Large Scale Armory won't be active until the website is ready. Are you planning to produce the figures you've created or are you simply looking to finish them for your own work? If you plan on casting them then Piterpanzer's website is definitely a great place to launch them.

As for the accessories for figures I already have quite a bit for not only German, American and British figures but some for our Russian friends as well. Helmets, boots, canteens, holsters, ammo pouches, rucksacks, shovels and a good bit more. Quite a small arsenal of weapons as well. Many of these have never been offered in this scale before with many more yet to come.

I'd have to know more about the figures you've made to really list the stuff I have already made as there is simply too much to list here. Chances are though, that I probably have whatever you're looking for as I originally made everything with the idea of creating lots and lots of figures. I still plan to but it'll have to wait a little while.

Let me know if I can help,
Jim
Large Scale Armory

My second post - just to revive this thread and keep an eye on it . . .

Nick

I bought some 1/24 M4s when Sam offered them on eBay (trial test) and they are excellent with crisp casting and solid resin (hardly any pour blocks also). The scale matches well with the 1/24 Italeri truckers I just painted.

If nothing else, I hope Sam offers some more of his products on eBay if he cannot open his store yet.