_GOTOBOTTOM
Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
Hosted by Darren Baker
My Second Tank Kit Since The Late '80s
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Friday, August 30, 2013 - 01:08 PM UTC
Howdy folks. Just finished a kit and thought I would post it, but first a little background.
I just recently got back into modelling. I have always leaned towards armor and the first armor kit I built was the Monogram Screamin' Mimi kit in about 1976.
When my son found this out, he got on Ebay and bought one for me. This one is the 1997 re-release. Everything is the same except for the lack of "Tips On Building Dioramas" by Shepard Paine (but I still have the one from that kit I built in '76!)
Anyway, I decided in homage to the original, I would build this one out of the box. No detailing, no extras. Just seam filling and such.
So without further ado, here it is. Please keep in mind that I am having to re-hone my skills as it has been a long time since I have built a model and even longer since I built a tank. This is the second in about 25 years.



thebear
Visit this Community
Quebec, Canada
Joined: November 15, 2002
KitMaker: 3,960 posts
Armorama: 3,579 posts
Posted: Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 01:32 AM UTC
Welcome back to the world of Armor modelling !! That kit brings back memories.. It was one of the first kits I tried kitbash with a Tamiya Jackson kit ...Lol Hey we have to start somewhere..
The only thing you might think about doing is the tracks have rubber pads ,you might want to paint them a dark grey color ..other than that you`re good to go..
So what`s next? Keep up the good work..

Rick
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 11:23 AM UTC
Richard, thanks for the compliments and also for the tip on the tracks... I don't know how I missed that!
My next kit is a P-51, an unusual departure for me. I always preferred armor and rarely ventured into aircraft. But, I have had this kit since about '96 or '97 and figured I better get it done.
As for armor, my next kit will be the Bronco Staghound. I am really looking forward to building it as it is a first on many levels: first Bronco kit; first kit with PE; and first allied armored car.
As a matter of fact, I signed up for the Armored Car Campaign (which started today.)
vonHengest
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2010
KitMaker: 5,854 posts
Armorama: 4,817 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 11:41 AM UTC
I remember looking at Shep's book on dioramas as a kid and saw this one being whitewashed by her crew, it was my first big motivational moment They didn't have the kit at the time, and now that I'm spoiled with Asuka/Tasca and even Dragon Shermans I find it hard not to wait for a Calliope kit from them

I really liked building up Bronco's 1/48 Staghounds, they are very fun to put together! I have a couple in 1/35 that I hope to get to sometime soon, and I have no doubt they'll be just as fun to build
retiredyank
Visit this Community
Arkansas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2009
KitMaker: 11,610 posts
Armorama: 7,843 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:16 PM UTC
One of my favorite versions of the Sherman is the one mounted with the calliope. Excepting the tracks, this looks really good. I do notice some silvering, around the decals. Also, it looks like there is some over spray, on the bogies. This is an easy fix. There is a thread, I can't recollect the name of, that deals with fixing the transfers. I too am moving into wingy things, even though it goes against my modelling creed. I look forward to seeing more of your builds. Perhaps a Sherman Crab?
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:21 PM UTC

Quoted Text

One of my favorite versions of the Sherman is the one mounted with the calliope. Excepting the tracks, this looks really good. I do notice some silvering, around the decals. Also, it looks like there is some over spray, on the bogies. This is an easy fix. There is a thread, I can't recollect the name of, that deals with fixing the transfers. I too am moving into wingy things, even though it goes against my modelling creed. I look forward to seeing more of your builds. Perhaps a Sherman Crab?


Yeah, the tracks definitely need to be addressed. One thing about those tracks though, is they never dried from the initial coat of rust. They stayed quite gooey.
And the decals were a real bummer. They silvered up pretty bad and I was able to get some of it taken care of, but not all the way.
Thanks for the compliments and the tips!
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:26 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I remember looking at Shep's book on dioramas as a kid and saw this one being whitewashed by her crew, it was my first big motivational moment They didn't have the kit at the time, and now that I'm spoiled with Asuka/Tasca and even Dragon Shermans I find it hard not to wait for a Calliope kit from them

I really liked building up Bronco's 1/48 Staghounds, they are very fun to put together! I have a couple in 1/35 that I hope to get to sometime soon, and I have no doubt they'll be just as fun to build


I have the original Tips On Building Dioramas by Shep from the first kit I got of this tank in '76. His stuff is quite inspirational. I actually toyed with the idea of duplicating the mods he made to that kit when I first got the one you see here, but opted to go with "out-of-the-box" from a purely nostalgic point of view.

The Stag I am building is in 1/35 scale as I never cared for the smaller stuff in armor. But, that may change with the quality of kits that are coming out these days
vonHengest
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2010
KitMaker: 5,854 posts
Armorama: 4,817 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:36 PM UTC
The quality of kits is a completely different world today for sure. I find the new 1/48 kits very fun overall, but I have always loved 1/35 and that's not going to change.

What you mentioned about your tracks suggests that they are undergoing a chemical reaction between the type of paint you used and the rubber material. What I would suggest that you do is take the tracks back off, if you can, and strip the paint off of them. Try working with acrylics if you're not sure about the paint you are currently using. Also make sure that the vinyl material of the tracks is not in direct contact with any bare plastic, the older formulas have a tendency to slowly dissolve the kit plastic. Painting all contact surfaces before gluing will remedy this problem.
retiredyank
Visit this Community
Arkansas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2009
KitMaker: 11,610 posts
Armorama: 7,843 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 12:40 PM UTC

Quoted Text

The quality of kits is a completely different world today for sure. I find the new 1/48 kits very fun overall, but I have always loved 1/35 and that's not going to change.

What you mentioned about your tracks suggests that they are undergoing a chemical reaction between the type of paint you used and the rubber material. What I would suggest that you do is take the tracks back off, if you can, and strip the paint off of them. Try working with acrylics if you're not sure about the paint you are currently using. Also make sure that the vinyl material of the tracks is not in direct contact with any bare plastic, the older formulas have a tendency to slowly dissolve the kit plastic. Painting all contact surfaces before gluing will remedy this problem.


This may not be an option, if the rubber and paint are having that type of reaction. Wouldn't the rubber already be ruined? You could ask if anyone has some spares they don't mind giving you.
vonHengest
Visit this Community
Texas, United States
Joined: June 29, 2010
KitMaker: 5,854 posts
Armorama: 4,817 posts
Posted: Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 01:21 PM UTC
It really depends on the degree of the reaction. Usually the paint can be scrubbed off with a toothbrush and whatever you prefer to remove paint with and the soft vinyl will be fine after a thorough cleaning. There are certainly cases where the reaction gets pretty hot and you really can't do anything with it, but that doesn't seem to be as common.
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Monday, September 02, 2013 - 04:54 AM UTC
Jeremy and Matt, thanks for the tips.
I have used mostly enamels for painting with very few exceptions, but after a week of the tracks still being sticky, I decided that acrylics are probably the way to go with the vinyl tracks from here on out.
I may try taking the tracks off and cleaning a small spot to see what happens.
Even though it is an older kit and may not be up to the standards of today's kits, I still really like the way it turned out.
thebear
Visit this Community
Quebec, Canada
Joined: November 15, 2002
KitMaker: 3,960 posts
Armorama: 3,579 posts
Posted: Monday, September 02, 2013 - 05:46 AM UTC
Hi Brett ...Your next kit the Staghound!! Wow quite the jump..Be advised it is not a shake and bake kit ..but if you take your time ,you'll get through it.. The toughest parts are the parts for the external gas tanks but if you do a Canadian version they never used them ..(Quick fix) But really just watch that you line up everything and don't follow the instructions about putting everything together on the sides before gluing the hull together.. If you need any help or have any questions PM me and I'll see if I can give you a hand..

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/181345#1522173

Rick
Charleygnarlyp290
Visit this Community
California, United States
Joined: May 07, 2013
KitMaker: 105 posts
Armorama: 85 posts
Posted: Monday, September 02, 2013 - 07:11 AM UTC
Thanks Richard.
I just followed the link to your Stag and it looks extremely nice. Also, thanks for the offer of assistance. I will definitely hit you up for clarification when I need it.
As far as the jump from the Screamin' Mimi, it shouldn't be too bad. I actually went a bit backwards on the Sherman as I am used to doing quite a bit of modifications to my kits (although it has been a few years!)
I have to say that it was quite a struggle not to go gung-ho on the Sherman and fix things, but I stuck to my guns and went totally OOB.
 _GOTOTOP