Hi Guys,
I have always loved the Matchbox kits, and their little dio's that came pre-packaged with them. The problem is, that by today's standards, the models themselves don't hold up very well. SO I've gone ahead with a littl eproject here which will keep the most treasured part of my favorite Matchbox offering--the Jagdpanther's "wall busting" dio base--with a revamped, tricked-out Revell Jagdpather which itself will be customized with details from the late DML JP and also some ExtraTech PE details.

Here's what I'm starting with:

Here's the contents of ye olde Matchbox JP and that wonderful dio base.


Here's the base built up:


And here's the first steps--I added the DML barrel, as it was better detailed, and thinned the hatches after splitting them to allow for figures. I also used the DML MG, and filled in all the attachment points for the side tools and frames, as these were moved in late JP's.



The heels are on a separate piece of hull, which allowed me to do them separately, and form the Revell indy link tracks around them. I also added the ExtraTech PE periscope covers, the DML late engine heater thingy, and the PE screens I actually took form the early zimmeritted version of the DML JP. I also scratch built the track guard frames and hangers.


The putty'ed frame outlines are from the rearranged tool arrangements made after the 654th reorganized. ALl the side tools were moved to the rear, and the tools were al rearranged. You can see all the work here to get the right look...

Uh,,,it was Easter,....chocolate ROOLZ!!!




I added some details to the top of the storage bins, and added some hatch stops on the rear deck as well...

Painting commenced this afternoon;




Surprisingly, the Revell 1/72 kit fits neatly into the tread tracks of the 1/76 Matchbox base...


Well, that's where I am thus far! I just remembered that I forgot to add an extra storage bin to the rear wall of the upper hull, so I'll have to scratch that, and add it after painting it. Then I'll get to decaling and weathering!

Questions and comments always welcomed and appreciated!

When i saw the Matchbox word i had to have a look at this one! Thanks for a trip down memory lane, these kits were my favourites when i was between 8 and 12- after that i moved to more serious stuff.

It's never occured to me to combine newer kits with the Matchbox bases.

My favourites were the Humber, M3 Stuart and all time fave the Wespe. A few years back i even did a fun weekend build of the Wespe, OOB except for drilling out the muzzle brake. I'm actually glad Revell are releasing these again, despite them being nowhere near todays standardards...i've bought some of them just to look at them again, sad i know...
Unfortunately the new Revell boxes lack the excellent (to a 10 year old) box art.



Andrew

Nice way to bring the past to the present. Great quick thread to give an idea of what can be done to improve old kits.

Thanks, Andrew,Neil, and Scott!

Andrew, that's a great looking Wespe!
I agree 10% about the appeal of these kits! I had about a dozen or so that Ibuilt when I was younger--always loved the bases! I liked the GMC10 SPG and the Puma kits, as well as the great M16 base on the railroad track! I stll remember thinking that the Chaffee was about as close to a perfect-looking tank as one could ever wish for! Thanks for the memories, and for your comments!

Neil, actually, I've been collecting a whole bunch of the 1/72 DML and Revell kits for a while now, and intended to build them up separately when the urge hit me. But after seeing that the DML late kit a had a metal hull, I didn't want to deal with that, and the Revell kit had separate tracks, which I prefer to those stupid DS rubber band tracks in all the DML kits. When the urge hit me to do this "nostalgic" build, I said, hey, why not make the BEST JP I could? So it was a great way to make the most of a DML kit that I probably wasn't going to do anyway. There's enough spare parts in the three kits now to use for other kits and builds!

Thanks again for your comments, guys!

Now this looks familiar ...............

Hi Karl, great kit bash! Just the thought of 3 into 1 make my eyes water. Its quite interesting reading the comments on tracks too, I'm the opposite, I've always preferred the DS ones over Revels LnL. They just look more like the real thing detail wise to me ......

Anyway cant wait to see the weathering.

cheers
Brent

G'day Karl

Looks as good here as it does at FSM mate, lovely work!

I just picked up another Matchbox Comet on the weekend

Cheers

Mike

Thanks a lot, guys!

Here's a little update. I painted up the dio base in craft store paints.


And the JP is decalled now, with a preliminary wash of MIG 502 oil paint "Buff" over them. The multitude of crosses is emblematic of the 654 Schw, Pzjg Abt. after it was reorganized and the tool arrangements were changed. I also added that extra storage box up on the rear hull... I haven't even painted the details--spare tracks, tools, or periscopes yet....






I put some Hudson and Allen rubble on the base, along with some real dirt....




I'll be laying in some pin washes and pigments next. Thanks for loking in, and please, feel free to comment or call out something if you see it!

Nice work Doog!

You might want to consider adding some exposed mortar on the tops and sides of the exposed brickwork on the wall. I did that with my Matchbox Jagpanther build and it does look rather good.

cheers

Mike

AN excellent suggestion, Michael! I'll definitely do that! Thanks for the suggestion!

Super, think it a bit of a shame that you covered up ALL of those little bricks though . . .

Was looking at my Matchbox Jagdpanther quite recently and it is the tracks that really spoil the look.

I too loved these kits, mainly because they were really superior to the Airfix 1-76 AFVs, some of which were (are?) dreadful. I still have quite a few unbuilt. Wespe was a goody, and I always thought the PzII was a really neat little kit as well.

On the box art - it is great the way the gun is in full blast while the vehicle is hammering along up hill with the commander standing nonchalantly in his hatch. . . brilliant!

May I join the others in saying that it's very nice work on the Jag and the dio base. Are you going to drill out the exhausts? If they won't be seen then it really doesn't matter but with all the work you've done it might be a nice touch. Again, very inspiring build and thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Jan

Thanks, Matthew!

I knew the bricks would be a "casualty" of the eventual dio base--leaving them exposed would have meant not enough fallen bricks to be realistic; as it was, they serve as a nice base underneath the 'real" rubble bricks. The trick was to get them the same color as the rubble.

Jan, the exhausts have inserts in them that were typical of those very late exhausts, so there's no need to drill them out. There are few pictures of this, but one in the excellent JJ Fedorowicz book on the History of the Schwere Pzjg Abt 654..

Thanks for your comments, guys!