Nick,

that is simply awesome!!

Cheers

Romain

Absolutely one of the best dios I have ever seen. The expertise ranks up there with the legendary Shep Paine or our very own Claude.
J

Hello- thanks for having a look!

Matt - yes...carry on, carry on!

Romain and Jerry - whoa! you're both being very generous with your words! (which i appreciate!) But, Jerry, between you Claude, and so many others posting here - sheesh! I think I'm in very good company all around!

A key reason I appreciate the positive words is in regard to the endurance part of this - 9 months in!! and still a way to go. The area of the roof I'm working on is relatively complicated - dificult to layout and build - so, thanks!

I decided to take a break from the roof and do a couple of vehicles

First up, is an M1097 by Italeri that I'm converting to the contact service truck. This is realtively easy to do, but I think it will look good - eventually - right now i might win the prize for ugliest work in progress kit!







thanks for checking this out!

cheers

Nick

Hello Nick ,

to echo the others , fantastic build ! I love the painting on the tires of the vehicles ....

Kurt

Nine months! I wish i was only nine months on my own build Nick!! If I could work at your pace in nine months Id have three dioramas done and be starting on the fourth!!! Probably not, but 9 months seems like a very short mount of time to achieve what you have. My first posting was in 2008 I think and I'm still trying to finish. Don't be discouraged. We are all cheering you on.

Redundancy is highly under rated btw, so I will reassirt the general concensus here. This is the best diorama on this site, or anywhere I've seen for that matter.

Keep it coming.

Dave

Hi Kurt - thanks for dropping by and the words. Regarding the tires, after the black goes on and sets up, I give them (and the vehicle bodies) a generous wash with highly diluted Life Color Dust Type 1. If I want a really dirty look on goes pigments, enamels or powders, but the typical condition is the diluted dust. In fact, I used the dust on almost everything in the dio! It seems to address a variety of concerns including the intended dust look, but it also helps to subtly blend colors, and knock down shininess. I'm sold on it.

Hi Dave - thanks for stopping by. Yeah, in the greater scheme of things, the time is relatively short - and, to your point has been fairly productive. Like any model or dio, it sometimes goes pretty quickly, like when kit bashing the various rigs, (which is interesting and challenging) but, as you are well aware (your dio has some pretty heavy duty creativity!) the end result also includes some pretty tedious tasks - like the nine million hex rod bolts!! - cut, glue, cut, glue, cut, glue, cut, glue, cut, glue!!!! Arghh!! Now, cut, glue more!

Thanks for having a look

Nick

Ah yes, the tedious processes we follow to achieve the goal. I forgot about all those bricks cut and glued individually onto the foam core substrate. I do enjoy the break from the stresses of real life though. No one but you and your chopper II. Those are the days.

Later sir... Must fashion two air filters for the Maybach.

Dave

Hello - sort of a brief uptdate today - I finshed the contact services truck over the weekend - and started a new truck too - I'm generally pleased with the contact services truck - i really like the idea - but ran into some fit problems with the build - i think just from mixing and matching too many parts...Please have a look:









While I have a few gripes about the fit of this - and on-going airbrush problems!!! - It seems to have turned out pretty well.

Next on the agenda - another, bigger truck. I've already got a truck and trailer that i will eventually park in the dio driveway. The orignial plan was to build a MaxxPro and place it on the trailer - but I changed my mind on that.

I recently purchased some images from Robert Skipper (18Bravo) - of a variety of MRAP's and the MATV. To be succint, the images are great, no, really - they cover plenty! and are clear etc. I originally thought i'd use them for a future project I'm cooking up....but - that will wait for now.

There are many pics of the RG33 6x6 SOCOM Utility - which i like - so - that, or something characteristically similar is what I've started. I say characteristically similar, becuase I'm basing the model on the RG31, which once you get into it realize is not that close to the RG33, and yet, is funamentally similar.

I any event - that's what I'm doing, an RG 33 6x6 SOCOM-NH (..the NH allows me to take some license) - the first step was to extend the frame/bed. Upon review of The Rob Skipper pics - you can see the troop carrier has rear leaf springs, but the Utility version I'm doing has multi-link walking beam -

I'm not sure which would be easier or harder, but I'm sticking with the walking beam. As either of these are mounted to the "V" shaped hull, alignments etc are complicated in general. In addition to workng this through with a level suspension, getting the driveline to make sense/fit required some head scratching.

So far, more or less, so good - the horizontal control is spot on - which I can't believe(?) lucky I guess...I'll be adding a shim to one of the front leaf spring packs to level it out.

As to vertical alignment, not a disaster, but not right either - the walking beam itself is just off center (front/rear, not left right), and i can't figure out why(?!?) - in any event - it's glued in, axles, links, shocks, and all - it's done.

Progress so far and a long way to go:







As you can see - pretty early in the build - I didn't include a pic with the body and tires/wheels on - It looks just like a Buffalo! and it's not.

Getting the body to look look right will be a real challenge - the crew area of the RG33 is noticably wider than the 31 - so, the body will be widened, shortened, and channeled (sounds a lot like a hot rod eh?) - and have at least the front doors cut out so they can be built open or closed. I don't think i can make it work for the other 2 doors - who knows, maybe I'll wind up doing the whole body in styrene?? I hope not to - that's more than i'm in for.

OK - thanks for having a look

Nick

OK that proves it!!! YOU...are not a human being.
J

I think I agree with you Jerry. This level of awesomeness comes only from a next level fourth dimension, matrix kinda superhuman. Wow Nick you got game man! Always blowing us away with every new post.

Your Kung-Fu is strong.

Dave

Hahaha! Thanks Jerry and Dave - uhhh, but come on! I'm just a guy with an xacto, a saw, and plenty of glue and styrene!! Seriously, thanks for the positive words - btw - Jerry - I did see all of your artillery variations - and FIGURES!!! - enough said - And Dave - same to you!! Despite your recent painting adventures (I get it - enough to drive you crazy!) your doing some great stuff -

Let's hope "the force" is with me tonight - the shortening, widening, and channeling of the cab is underway - let's hope it works - step 1: cut cab in half longitudinally - step 2: cut cab into three sections laterally - step 3: cut in doors....then add fill material and glue it all back together....keeping it all square...Um, yeah, good idea there.....stay tuned - succeed of fail, I'll post results tomorrow....hopefully not just destroying a good kit.

Thanks for having a look.

Nick

Nick,

Looking Awesome!!!! I really need to figure out how to cram more time into the day.

When you do let us know how we can too Matt. Thanks.

Dave

Nick,
I think you should maybe be on one of those custom car rebuilding reality TV shows. You have that kind of can-do take no prisoners type of approach. March to your own beat brother!
J

Gents - - albeit well into the late night last night, I magaged to get the cab roughed in. You'll see, all things considered, it went pretty well.

As promised, the cab is now wider and shorter than it was before! It also has openable front doors! like an RG33, but only the front 2. The geometry of the back half of the new short cab doesn't lend itself to openable doors....the windows are too wide to be realistic as doors - so, they'll stay as windows.

On the less good side, the "real" version of this truck has slightly wider front windows - I settled for the narrower windows found on the RG31 - maybe it was geting too late, or I was hit by a wave of practical thinking - leave well enough alone and don't trash the rest of the build...

You'll see below the doors, a narrow styrene band - it's about 4 scale inches in height - which is the overall increase in cab height too - so not bad. In turn, when I get to the interior - the seats, dashboard, floor board etc will all need to be raised that amount. That should be fine -


Please have a look:









So, there you have it! all seems to be in pretty good shape.

I really want to get going on the front end (which if you havent seen, is very big and boxy!) - this will be heavy duty cutting of the parts typcially used for the kit's rear end and lots of scratch stuff - should be fun! But - i need to wrap up the front suspension first..shocks, steeting, sway bar, etc...

OK - thanks for having a look!

Nick

Nick, my friend,

you are not only an outstanding modeller, you are also a great photographer!!

You keep impressing me more and more!!

Great show m8!!

Cheers

Romain

Yep indeed a master modeller. I know I can scratch just about anything building wise, but at the pace and level of quality you produce you are way above the beer league I play in. A lot o fun to watch though.

An your pictures are really sharp. I need to find a concrete planter close to my house...!

Dave

A quick query Nick. Do you use a regular DSLR camera with a macro lens, or like an iPhone or iPad or similar to take your photos?

Dave

Must be sorcery methinks,
J

After looking at your work I will give up on modelling. That's it. I am packing it in. No point carrying on.

Hello - quick post today - while I'm at lunch, but a 12:30 mtg to go to -

Romain, thanks for the good words! - appreciate it, thanks for stopping by

Jerry , Dave, and Charles - appreciate it - Jerry - tho - sorcery? - nope - just been watching builds on this site for a while and decided giving it a go was much better than thinking about it!

Dave - yep, i use a couple of cameras - but nothing fancy one is a digital camera and i don't remember the make(?) the other is an Iphone 5s. Both work fine, but, only after taking many many photos...for a while my photos were a real embarassment!!!

OK - Progress:












And there you have it - the front fenders shown here are the kit's rear fenders, but cut, re-oriented, and reversed. The rear door includes the orignal door on one side, then a small, 1/3 door on the other - handles etc etc to follow. The radiator housing is giant(!) - so it will fill most of the grill area. The actual scale version would be about 4mm higher than what i have room for here - so, mine wil be a bit low.

Tonight - the mid-body sections beneath the cab. I've started the interior, which has mostly to do with alignment - horizontal and vertical - more tedious than hard to do - I'm thinking about keeping it all modular - so I can paint it separate from the vehicle??

OK - thanks for having a look!

NIck

Lookin' Awesome!!!

That's what I needed to hear Nick, another reason to upgrade my phone!!! Goodbye 4S, hello 5S :-)

I'll give my 4S to my better half, her phone is on it's last legs anyways. Nice. The sunlight in California must be different than what we get way up here in the high Arctic too...maybe a trip back to the Anahiem area is in order also.

I wish you nothing but the best on the continuation of your build. I myself have set a date for the completion of mine. Whatever I get done before June 1st this year will be where it will stay. I am both eager to start something new and ready to move on. This will not be the build that it started out to be and have another 2.5 year hiatus. Nope. June 1st 2014 will be its end date.

Ttyl.

Dave

Hey Matt - thought you might like this one - sort of a chunky truck! And lots of cutting!

Dave - yeah - my 4s just died one day - that said, lots of use, cracked front and back....no battery life....and lots of photos! Also - pics above are each indoor - but, a room with two huge skylights..

If I have it in me I'll make more progress tonight
Thanks for having a look.

Cheers
Nick

It looking awesome!!! Amazing!!! Looking forward to follow this building....
No words....