Just a few pics of the work I bashed out over the last couple of days.




Just a bit of triming to be done then I can add the rest of the road surface(the bits between the cobblestones) and trim the floorboards before adding a lot of debris and interior plaster to the walls.

Paul

Starter picture.

The two Valentines are about 85% done. One was to be used in the Knocked Out Campaign but I didn't finish it for a variety of reasons. Anyway, there are two of them but I'll only be using one. The other is a do-over in case I mess up the first try.

As far as the rest, I'm sort of playing it by ear. Figures will probably be made from the spares. Though I did just get ICM's Russian Partisan Figure Set. I might use one or two of the figures from there.

My general idea is to have a Soviet Lend-Lease Valentine. I'm going to cut it to get it to fit. I'll probably have it knocked out with surviving crew and/or accompanying infantry hiding behind it. I'll go with a wall and/or a cemetery.

Some great work starting in here dudes, keep it up!

I Finaly started on my entry today, here are the kits I'll be using (not all the figures, probably about 3).





My first time using the often-mentioned Hornet heads and just looking at them in the packet I can see why everybody loves them so much, they look awesome!

aAnyway I'll have some first build pics tomorrow night as I'll be building pretty much all day tomorrow.

cheers
Tristan

Hello again,

Some great work done so far.

@Peter. The Dutch scheme was a very close 2nd for me if for no other reason then you don't see Dutch stuff very often unfortunately.

Made some progress tonight.

Framed up the retaining wall to the shape I wanted. It's just floral foam and a no trespassing sign I picked up at a dollar store. I also tired out J Works pattern and cast a bunch of cut stones out of plaster of paris.



Hour or so later I had this.



Finally here it is situated next to the Tilly.



Looking forward to everyone's work. This campaign has been a blast so far.

Cheers

Jeff

Ok well I don't have much to show but this is what I have so far, need to clean up the van first, not 100% happy with the cut but I'll deal with that, hoping to start this today, still waiting for the fork lift and still need to get random little bits but no rush for that.



Bronzey

Great builds guys!

I've made some progress myself, yesterday I was a bricklayer and it worked out fine I think. The empty spaces need to be filled up later with a brick but this needs to be cut and for now I want some fast results..

Not a lot of words just some pictures!












See ya!

Ok. Got my initial kits together for the campaign. Looking forward to the challenge.

I have the Tamiya shake and bake Kubelwagen which contains a driver. And the Dragon 'ambush at poteau' kit which appears to be Gen 2 or at least close enough containing over 92 parts for 4 figures.

Kubelwagen measures approximately 10 x 5 so should be able to squeeze that and the figures on the postcard.

Haven't really thought out the setting yet thinking either a field catch up in the Ardennes with a stone wall hedge alongside or a street seeing somewhere in the Ardennes with a Street corner. Just going to jump in and start building first before enthusiasm wanes.

Thoughts? Advice? Happy to be onboard.

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As promised some photos of today's progress, First figure, the Flakpanzer hull and even started playing around with something manmade of bricks

Peter,

That brickwork looks great.

Paul

Ola Guys

I see some great projects taking shape here.

@ Paul that is a great result in such a short time. It really is coming together. Will look awesome with all those figures around it.

@ Alex (Bluestab)
That is something to follow. Will look pretty impressive with the cut up valentine on the cemetery.

@ Tristan.
That also will be a very busy diorama but you are progressing very well. Love the work on the tank. Got to love that particular conversion. Good job on the start of the bridge and that Honet head certainly gives the figure a lot of extra. One thing it seems it has a moldline on the leg. Quite possibly you have taken care of that already.

@ Jeff
I love the rough look of that retaining wall. The separate bricks definately add to the realism. Very well done.

@ Alex B
The start is there. Cool figure. Maybe you can clean up the cut by simply sanding it. That would be the easiest way I think. Looking forward to the rest.

@ Peter
That is a nice start on your house. Very good brickwork. I hope mine comes out half as good.

@ Ben
Interesting going with an Ardennes setting. Those Ambush at Poteau figure set is a really nice figure set. Looking forward how the diorama is going to take shape.

Well I have some progress as well. I have to post otherwise you guys think I do nothing
So far I have built 1 afternoon. And here is the progress of that afternoon. As I said before since everything on the diorama is built around the T-20 I have to finish that first. And since I built it as a looted derelict it means I have to pull some tricks into painting it as well. But well here are the first steps







It really is a nice kit allthough a lot of parts are very very small and not every part has locator pins so you really need to take care aliging everything correctly.

More to follow soon.

With friendly greetz

Robert Blokker

Some very nice work. I like the brickwork guys.

The Valentine is larger than I thought...it's roughly the same width and length as a Sherman. I've had to change my layout plan a bit and am going to have to cut it a little different than I had planned. Originally. I was going to cut it down the centerline at a slight angle but as-is the Val is a couple of cms too long. I got it taped out tonight and will try to cut it over the next few days. I'll probably just use the Dremel.

If it doesn't look right I may go with something else.

After seeing all your great ideas and quick starts I'm tempted to jump into this one, there is plenty of time left and I've got a bunch of small vehicles in my collection.

I'll have to think on it though, I've too many projects on the go already.

@ Bluestab
I'm really looking forward to the results of cutting up the Valentine. For a while now I'm thinking of cutting a chunk out of a KV2 for a project of a similar size as the Postcard Challenge.

@ Barry
Hopefully I can welcome you in the Postcard Challenge very soon. And I agree with you there are some great ideas and the starts so far show great promise for the coming months.

YAY!!!!!!

Look what came today in the post!



Very happy now, not sure if the forklift is going to fit but if not then the mannal pump truck will take its place

Bronzey

Alex,

That looks like a cool kit. Did the royal mail sting you much on import duty?

Paul

Some last pics before I start the long paint process.






Paul

Paul,

I guess I was lucky as I didnt have to pay any duty. I heard of stories of people paying alot to get their kits off royal mail so it did worry me but nothing happened so im happy. The kit its self was only 25ish quid including P&P so the price is good too. I will be doing a build log on one of these fork lifts as its something different.

Bronzey

Bronzey, I'm interested to see that forklift build. I assume a manual pump truck is the same as a pallet jack. If so, where'd you get it?

Update: I usually wait to build up a few pictures and see how the project is going before posting. But this one seems to be going good right out of the chute.

The Valentine placed on the planned base. The base is section of floating laminate flooring. It's supposed to be waterproof so I'm curious to how it'll work with Celluclay.
Anyway, I positioned the hull and marked off how I wanted to cut it using tape.



The point of no-return. I cut the top with a Dremel. I found that cutting the top and then the bottom worked better. Still, there were casualties like one of the headlamps and the driver's rear view mirror. The kit's tracks didn't hold up well. Lots of small sections came loose. I planned on simulating a thrown track anyway.


Top-down view of the cut hull. I tacked the tank to the base with white glue. There's still some finishing cutting work to do, as well as a lot of clean-up.


Added turret and figures to work out lay-out. The figures are just for planning purposes. The guy on the ground is a US Vietnam era Marine. I'll be using others for the actual scene. It's going to be tight, as the Val really ate up more space than I expected, but I think that sense of tightness works with the closed in atmosphere of the planned scene.




That's it for now.

I've settled on the scene being the Val knocked out in a cemetery. A surviving member of the tank's crew hides behind a grave marker as one or two German soldiers search for him.

I'll be working on figures next. I want to get them at least in to a "working state" before beginning the groundwork. I might go ahead and work up the grave markers as well.

Alex,
yes, its what I know as a pump truck but I know other countries use different names for them. It came with this double set of fork lifts, when I ordered it there was no information on it, it was only when I noticed it in the pictures of the spures that I knew it was coming, along with two drivers and a few pallets. I know there is a few resin sets of pump trucks out there as I've looked before.

Bronzey

Alex,
Didnt see your update when I posted last, loving what you have done it looks great. I feel your pain on the big clean up after cutting though. Just taken a picture of the pump truck for you just so there is no confusion.


Bronzey

Thanks Bronzey. I had seen a set a while back with a pallet jack in it. It's probably the same set. I saw the name you used and thought that it might be listed under that name. I'm sort of thinking ahead on a future project. When I get time I'll give it a serious look and see if I can find the set.

Alex,
You mentioned that you would be interested in my build log, just posted it up.

http://www.armorama.co.uk/forums/209610

Bronzey

Bronzey, I'll definitely give it a look. I had to operate Nissan forklifts occasionally at work....usually I just used it to save me the walk across the plant. Anyway, I'm interested to see how that kit handles the pulley cables and chains.

@ Alex B
That is a nice looking kit. Something to keep in mind if I ever going to do a modern themed diorama. I also checked the builtlog and they indeed do look good. I like the fact that it also comes with nice modern day plastic pallets.

@ Paul Anstee
When you posted your first set of pics I feared you might have left too much space between the bricks on the road but looking at it now it looks really good. Great work so far. Really looking forward to your paint.

@ Bluestab
Nice cut. Only a bit of cleanup required and closing it off. I'm looking forward to the scene itself. WIth the Cemetery and the hiding tanker. It is funny because you said it was going to be tight and I looked at those pictures and thought... Wow still a lot of space left over.

I have only small progress for now. Since it is going to be a derelict and stripped I wanted to have the glacisplate removed from the vehicle. So out came the Evergreen. Drilled corresponding holes. Also cut off the bolt detail from the Glacisplate and drilled the holes out. It will stand against the vehicle. I know it is not 100% straight but it will be (partly) obscured from most angles So it only needs to look right. Also I primed the interior.



And because the vehicle has now huge holes all around the interior and engine are very well visible and in full light.


More to follow soon. As soon as I have the vehicle built up I can start determining the size and placement of any other item in the diorama. Not to mentione the poses of the figures that need be sculpted.