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Constructive Feedback
For in-progress or completed build photos. Give and get contructive feedback!
USMC M88 finished....finally
Grifter
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: November 17, 2002
KitMaker: 608 posts
Armorama: 425 posts
Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 11:09 PM UTC
Jeepney, I painted the camo by freehand with a brush using NATO brown and grey-black. The green is airbrushed olive green.
Plastic, actually there isn't enough slack in the main winch cable coming out of the roof hatch. If you're building one of these with the boom down, you may want to lengthen that one from what the AFV Club instructions call for. I was going to have the boom extended but I decided the model would survive intact longer with the boom down....then I realized the line was too short. The winch support cables are the full length, just hard to see in the photos...you can see better here :
Sarge59
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Nord, France
Joined: May 22, 2003
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Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 11:26 PM UTC
Great camo pattern & great kit = excellent !

congratulations !
Vodnik
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Warszawa, Poland
Joined: March 26, 2003
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Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 11:36 PM UTC
Colors look perfect, but camo pattern is incorrect. Other than that it is a really beautiful model!

Regards,
Pawel
Grifter
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: November 17, 2002
KitMaker: 608 posts
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Posted: Friday, July 11, 2003 - 09:23 AM UTC
The camo pattern is based on a photo I took at Camp Lejeune of the right side of an M88 Hercules. I had to interpolate what the rest of the pattern would look like based on only that right side view.
Plasticbattle
#003
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Donegal, Ireland
Joined: May 14, 2002
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Posted: Friday, July 11, 2003 - 12:34 PM UTC
Thanks for the info Grifter ........ I have added the whole length inside so I can use what I need for the actual rope, and can cut what needed later. I will get some more from the hobby shop for the a-frame later. I have them built (a-frames) but will not attach them until the end!
Actually it doesnt look too cluttered on top with the right length used........ good to know! Is this the rope supplied with the kit?
Grifter
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: November 17, 2002
KitMaker: 608 posts
Armorama: 425 posts
Posted: Saturday, July 12, 2003 - 07:27 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Is this the rope supplied with the kit?



yep, it is. I used several thin coats of oil paint to cover the white, more like heavy washes than paint really...it helped to keep the rope flexible.
SS-74
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Vatican City
Joined: May 13, 2002
KitMaker: 3,271 posts
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Posted: Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 03:47 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Colors look perfect, but camo pattern is incorrect. Other than that it is a really beautiful model!

Regards,
Pawel



What you mean pawell, You have seen every single vehicle of this model? have pic reference of every one of them, so you can absolutely sure that this is of an incorrect camo pattern?

I checked my reference. One pic in one magazine (only one reference I got, but I think I am an expert already by looking at it). I say the camo pattern is correct, maybe the brown is 3% too dark, but I blame it on lighting effect.

This is an all around great looking model grifter, and comes to camo, I don't think there is ever a set pattern rules. It's not like them tank crews have 1:1 Eduard maskings.



Da truth and Correct Camo Pattern is Outta There
Darklord
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Canada
Joined: July 06, 2003
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Posted: Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 04:06 PM UTC
looks great!!!
Vodnik
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Warszawa, Poland
Joined: March 26, 2003
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Posted: Monday, July 14, 2003 - 07:15 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The camo pattern is based on a photo I took at Camp Lejeune of the right side of an M88 Hercules. I had to interpolate what the rest of the pattern would look like based on only that right side view.



Greg,
So probably pattern for the Hercules is different than pattern for regular M88A1. I can send you a file with official Army pattern for three-color camo on M88A1, if you like. I also checked in my references, that this oficial pattern was indeed used on all M88A1's.

Still, I don't think it is a real problem! The only reason I noticed that is because I had the Army painting instructions at hand and looked it up. Your pattern looks correct, and that is more important, even if it is not strictly accurate. Really, it's a great looking model!

Best Regards,
Pawel
Vodnik
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Warszawa, Poland
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Posted: Monday, July 14, 2003 - 07:30 PM UTC

Quoted Text


What you mean pawell, You have seen every single vehicle of this model? have pic reference of every one of them, so you can absolutely sure that this is of an incorrect camo pattern?


Dave, I don't need to see every one of them, as camouflage patterns of US Army are standardized and I have the official painting instructions at hand. And I checked that all photos of this vehicle I have, show this official pattern, as expected.


Quoted Text


I checked my reference. One pic in one magazine (only one reference I got, but I think I am an expert already by looking at it). I say the camo pattern is correct, maybe the brown is 3% too dark, but I blame it on lighting effect.



I agree that colors are almost perfectly chosen. That's why the camo looks just right, regardless of its inaccuracy!


Quoted Text


This is an all around great looking model grifter, and comes to camo, I don't think there is ever a set pattern rules. It's not like them tank crews have 1:1 Eduard maskings.



Unfortunately this is not truth. Tank crews don't have Eduard masking, but have precise instructions to follow, that even show exact dimmensions of particular color areas. There is no place for free-style here. Of course some variations could occur, but they will never be more that two - three inches. Below is a sample picture:



Rgds,
Pawel
Grifter
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: November 17, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 08:56 AM UTC
Man I wish I had seen those drawings two months ago !
I knew it wasn't going to be 100%, but that's ok with me, it's never going to see a competition, and it's future owner won't mind. Naturally I would have rather made it absolutely correct, but couldn't find pictures, so I was forced to guess.
avukich
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Virginia, United States
Joined: April 11, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 09:07 AM UTC
Come on Dave. Lighten up. Pawel is only trying to help and has contributed more in the past few weeks than a lot of members of this site have ever contributed. If Greg hadn't wanted constructive criticism he wouldn't have posted here and based on his responses to Pawel I'm assuming he is grateful for the help.
GeneralFailure
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European Union
Joined: February 15, 2002
KitMaker: 2,289 posts
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Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - 07:51 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Man I wish I had seen those drawings two months ago !
I knew it wasn't going to be 100%, but that's ok with me, it's never going to see a competition, and it's future owner won't mind. Naturally I would have rather made it absolutely correct, but couldn't find pictures, so I was forced to guess.



If you spend a lot of time and effort in detailing modern US equipment, it would be a pity to just paint it without reference to the original painting manuals. They make it all the more real, and to be honest - they are fun ! That goes as wel for the four colour camo that started in 1976 as for the three colour schemes that started in the early nineties.
It spent a long time searching for painting schemes a few years ago (and finally ordered them on a CD from a Canadian company), then discovered through Armorama that the whole thing can be consulted on the internet.

Here's the BIG SECRET LINK !
(before you set out to print the whole manual, please note there are 409 pages...
GeneralFailure
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European Union
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Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - 08:13 AM UTC
Maybe someone with admin capacity should put a golden frame around that link, and give it a special place in the Armorama links department.
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