Stefan - I picked mine up on ebay. They were about $11 US. They are shipped from dealers in the orient.

Rounds Complete!!

Well we set the clock back….cleaned up some leaves and here is my latest progress on the T19!

I now went back to step 8 to build the last major assembly, the cab. This step installs most of the interior driving items. I also started to use the griffon PE set. I used the PE set drivers floor and pedals as the kit just has some bumps on the floor. I also used the fire extinguisher bracket and a few other cab items. I left the seats out to allow ease of painting.

The Griffon set has a nice “few” items but is mostly floor panels to replace the kit diamond plate which IMO looks just fine. Also the set has PE hinges to replace the molded door hinges, again which I thought were just fine. With that in mind most of the Griffon set will go into the spares box and IMO is not worth the money for use on the Dragon halftracks.

Here I have mounted the body side panels from step 9 but give you a look into the cab. The dashboard and seats are left out for ease of painting.



Continuing to step 9, I assembled the body panels and front end of the cab section. The kit PE though small is nice. You can see the grilles for the headlights and the shields for the viewing porthole in the armored windshield. Fit was good but does require some rubber bands and clamps to keep it in place while gluing



The front grill is a choice of a completely closed and all styrene molded or open using kit supplied PE slats. It is a bit delicate but looks nice and will allow someone to look in and see the radiator



Now I moved back to the wheels and track section and it was time to charge up the air brush. All the wheels were first given a coat of 50/50 Tamiya Flat Black and NATO Black. Then the old circle template came out and the rims were painted with Poly Scale OD Green. The shot below shows the road wheels assembled in their dual assembly.



Next, I put the bogie assemblies together and the upper support roller assemblies. I used Alclad Burnt Metal to cover the support rollers and on the drive and idler rollers where they will contact the track. As you can see all the parts are pre painted. I am using this method to allow for better painting of the wheels and tracks as opposed to complete assembly then painting



Lastly was the assembly of the suspension assembly steps 2 and 3. Again using pre painted parts. I also added the Griffon PE kit for the halftrack suspension. This kit is small and most of the parts are for the “later” halftracks. Since the T19 was an early halftrack the main item used is the exhaust support bracket. I will get another halftrack out of the PE since I used so little here. You can see the assemblies with the few items of PE and some touch up required but essentially complete.



I also put a base coat on the frame assembly. First an undercoat of Tamiya Flat Black then Poly Scale OD Green. The radiator fins were painted with Alclad Burnt Metal. The brake pads were painted with Alclad Jet Exhaust. The boot on the steering shaft was painted with my 50/50 Black mix. The exhaust was painted with Poly Scale Rust and then spot sheeted using Winston Oils Burnt Sienna. Here is theframe at this point.



That’s it for now. Next will be the tracks and mounting the suspension and wheels to the frame

As always thanks for stopping by. Your comments good or bad are always appreciated.

Rounds Complete!!

Well…it has been a few weeks. Work is killing my bench time and finally the big bird day came. After all the festivities, I was finally able to get some time in the studio.

With the frame painted and the wheels and tracks painted, it was time to finish up the drive train. The bogie mount was assembled and mounted, minus the bogies. The idler was glued on. The track halves were assembled. Then the drive wheel was glued into position within the tracks. Now the tracks are worked into place over the idler and carefully pulled until the drive wheel is in position and can be pushed onto the axel. Repeat for the other side and then mount the front tires



Hummm….daughter use camera……changed white balance…..excuse the color!!

Afterward the bogie sets were mounted. Fixed up the bogies on the inside by using Dark Sienna oil, dry brushed for that rusty rim look. The metal center teeth of the track were painted with Alclad Burnt Metal. After drying, then dry brushed with some Dark Sienna. As some pre-weathering to get at some of the hard to get areas, I used MIG Grey for Green wash to give that some what sandy look. It is visible on the tracks



Moving on the cargo section was primed and painted with OD. I will have the model in position with the rear door open. Here is the cargo section mounted to the frame.



Also primed and painted the cab section



Most of the remaining assembly is around the howitzer and details. I worked on the cab dashboard. There are no decals for the dash and the PE set was…..IMO….a waste of time so after base coating with OD, I hand painted the white gauges with black or red insides. The placards are Archer transfers. The shifter knobs and horn on the steering wheel is black marker. The fire extinguisher is Tamiya Flat Red and Alclad Brushed Aluminum for the handle. Seats still have to be mounted.



Besides what is shown, I accomplished painting many of the howitzer assemblies which will be used later. Also began work on some of the other details like the Gerry cans, tools, etc.

Next up will be to finish the seats and get the cab mounted….then work the details until it is time for the howitzer.

As always thanks for stopping by. Your comments good or bad are always appreciated.

Rounds Complete!!

looks great so far.

Craig - thanks for stopping by and for the comments

Rounds Complete!!

Well here is the latest update…

First I sprayed the underside with Tamiya Buff at a distance to create a dusty sandy look to the underside



Here is the underside of the cargo compartment with the Buff dusting



After the dusting, I did some color modulation using Tamiya OD as the darker shade and hit all the high and shadowed areas. Once the initial modulation was complete, I created stencils using painters tape and Lion Roar Star stencils. I use the PE to size and assist in cutting out the stars from the tape. Then I apply the tape to the model to use for painting. The stars are painted with 4 light coats of Tamiya Flat White.

With everything dry I assembled the cargo compartment, cab and grille to the frame. The seam between the cab and the cargo compartment required some work to fill some gaps. The fit was not the greatest and even with sanding and working it I still needed filling. I very cautiously applied some Mr. Surfacer 500 to fill in. With an overnight dry and some carful sanding, I touched up with Tamiya OD since this was a high spot which received the darker shade. Here is the completed assembly.



Here is a front view



While I had the Buff in the air brush, I also “dusted” the interior floors of the cab and the cargo compartment and gave them an initial rub with a pencil for ware on the diamond plate. You can also see the cab with the seats mounted. Cushions were painted Tamiya Khaki.



Ok next up is mounting the howitzer

As always thanks for stopping by. Your comments good or bad are always appreciated.

Rounds Complete!!

Hi Mike.

Just one thing you could do that would make it look much better.. The exhaust tips of models always catch my eye and most of them are way too thick. There are two choices.. Use a drill the right size and drill it out a little. Centreing is easy as there is already a good pilot hole, or, just use your #11 Exacto and ream it out until it is thin enough.

I am being real picky here as the rest of the build is great!

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Cheers
Warren

Warren - Thanks for stopping by. No, your not being picky....your being helpful. I agree with you, let me see how far I can get on it. Thanks again

Rounds Complete!!

I was able to get in some work this weekend. First I airbrushed the model with future to prepare for decals and washes. After the future dried I applied the US flag decal and decided to go with the 3ID in Morocco marking pattern. Once the decals were set, I applied another coat of future to seal the decals.



Before setting the weapon I wanted to get the interior filter done with the weapon out of the way. While filtering, I also completed the outside filters. I used MIG Grey for Green filter. Using vertical strokes and cleaning up with a damp mineral sprits brush. This gave a nice sandy dust effect with nice dust buildup on the details.



Besides the filter on the interior wall, the floor received two coats and then the I rubbed the diamond plate with pencil for ware marks. The two flat plates in the forward end of the compartment are the weapon lower mounting brackets.



With the weapon assembled, it was time. The breech is painted with Alclad Steel, the block, and rails with Alclad Brushed Aluminum. The elevating and traversing gears are also dry brushed with Alclad Brushed Aluminum.



During all this drying and waiting I have been working on all the other little details. I also loaded 4 jerry cans. The kit supplied cans were incorrect with the wrong caps and lacked detail. I substituted 4 from a Tamiya jerry can set. These were painted with Polyscale Tactical Dark Green. The corners and top were rubbed with pencil for scratches. I used Floquil Bright Oil to simulate leakage on the cans and a bit onto the bed.

This is also a good view of the weapon



Next I have to mount the shield and fire control sights and finish filters then on the weapon. That’s it for now.

As always thanks for stopping by. Your comments good or bad are always appreciated. Merry Xmas….next update after a trip to the North Pole!!

Rounds Complete!!

Coming along nicely Mike. Didn't notice anything wrong with the jerrycans in my review. Aren't the ones supplied water cans? I would have thought that's the correct type there. Must have gotten my jerry cans mixed up...

Without the shield it certainly reminds me of the one in Kelly's Heroes!

Cheers!
Stefan

Stefan - The caps were wrong....could have substituted caps but just changed the whole can....

Kellys Heros...LOL....Iforgot about that, but you a right.

Thanks for stopping by.

Rounds Complete!!

Howdy Mike. Lookin' sharp.

Marc - Tanks...and Thanks for stopping in

Rounds Complete!!

Beautiful work, Mike!
Love the multi shade surface!
Cheers,
Guido

Guido - Thanks for stopping by. The layering does help bread up the monotone OD. Also gives it that "used" feel.

Thanks again for the comments

Rounds Complete!!