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Armor/AFV: Group Builds
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Hosted by Darren Baker
UK Commonwealth Group Build-Comet Mk I
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 02:25 AM UTC
OK, I just got to about the 85% mark on one tank kit I built for the UK Commonwealth group build. I just applied a gloss coat and the decals to this tank. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos.

The kit is the 1/76 scale Matchbox A34 Cruiser Tank Comet Mark I. The kit was built OOB using Testors Model Master Bronze Green and the tracks were painted Testors rubber. The traditional Matchbox decals are extremely thick and could probably defeat a scale Tiger 88mm round. Not having a large selection of Braille scale UK markings, I was stuck with the kit decals. I chose the 1st Royal Tank Regiment markings.

I have yet to weather the kit and use a dull coat to seal the decals. I'm still digging through my decal folder to see if I have anything better to replace the kit markings.

This is a very simple kit and goes together well. I don't know about its accuracy, my only reference about this kit is the Chamberlain/Ellis book British and American Tanks of World War Two.


greatbrit
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United Kingdom
Joined: May 14, 2003
KitMaker: 2,127 posts
Armorama: 1,217 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 02:55 AM UTC
looks good rob,

the decals look fine on the pictures, the colour looks a bit light for a ww2 machine, but post war its ok.

is it an old kit? it looks a bit bare on the detail front, the side skirts should have some prominent bolt detail.

are you planning to build another kit for the build, youve got time!

cheers

joe

jimbrae
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Provincia de Lugo, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: April 23, 2003
KitMaker: 12,927 posts
Armorama: 9,486 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 05:06 AM UTC
I don't think the color is too light, very few Comets saw combat , and thiose pics I have show them in British Bronze Green, there are few photos (that I have seen, if any) of them in antyking apart from Bronze Green, the best knwn-photo of Comets is taken in the Berlin Victory parade of June 1945, where each participating vehicle (helpfully ) carried a large priinted sign on the side, idicating which vehicle it was. Now that is a nice modelling project...really get the rivet-counters going ballistic that one....Jim :-)
MrRoo
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Queensland, Australia
Joined: October 07, 2002
KitMaker: 3,856 posts
Armorama: 2,984 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 07:44 AM UTC
looks good Rob. A bit of weathering and you have a nice tank model.
Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 08:59 AM UTC

Quoted Text

...is it an old kit? it looks a bit bare on the detail front, the side skirts should have some prominent bolt detail.

Yes, these old Matchbox 1/76 scale kits are ancient. I remember seeing the multi colored kits in the store at about $2. I seem to remember having most of them as a kid. Some of our vintage UK members can probably tell you when the various kits were released. I think the early to mid 70s is the approximate age of this kit. Duh, underside of display base has the date "1974" engraved. It is a really nice kit for one that is approaching its 30th birthday. I really wanted to build the Matchbox Churchill AVRE since I'm on a recovery vehicle binge in Braille scale. Too bad I couldn't find it in the shed.


Quoted Text

are you planning to build another kit for the build, youve got time!

Yes, I am. the primary kit for this build is going to be the 1/32 scale Airfix Crusader Mk III, another vintage kit that is dated 1975.

For those of you who have never built (or seen) the old Airfix 1/32 scale armor kits, these kits were great. For fit and detail, they were superior to Monogram and old Tamiya. I grabbed this Crusader for $5 but it was missing the crewman. The other 1/32 scale Airfix armor kits I have are the M3 Lee, M3 Grant and Monty's Humber.

I'm not sure of their entire line, but the ones I have are top notch kits even though they are pushing 30!
TUNA
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Massachusetts, United States
Joined: March 16, 2003
KitMaker: 449 posts
Armorama: 0 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 01:44 PM UTC
Looking Good Major G!.. can't wait to see the final product!
AntPhillips
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Wales, United Kingdom
Joined: January 02, 2003
KitMaker: 118 posts
Armorama: 93 posts
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 11:33 PM UTC
Hi Major Rob,

You have almost the entire Airfix 1/32 range, the only one you need to get is Rommels Half- track, I built that kit when I were a lad, lots of details and figures of a driver and Rommel himself.

They were released as you mention in the early to mid 70's, unfortunately 1/35 was being adopted as the universal scale for armour and the range disappeared from the Airfix catalogue after an all too short number of years

Interestingly for a very short time Airfix had in their catalogue both their own 1/32 kits and also the reboxed 1/35 Peerless/Max kits for a short time before Italeri acquired the Peerless /Max moulds.

How are the Lee/Grant kits ?

With regard to your question on the colour scheme, there is a chapter in one of the Osprey Modelling Manuals( 'Intermediate Armour Modelling' I think) on brush painting camo finishes, the subject is a Crusader finished in sand with large chocolate brown patches outlined with black and white stipes, black on the brown side, white on the sand side.

Happy modelling

Sabot
Joined: December 18, 2001
KitMaker: 12,596 posts
Armorama: 9,071 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 28, 2003 - 12:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Major Rob,

You have almost the entire Airfix 1/32 range, the only one you need to get is Rommels Half- track, I built that kit when I were a lad, lots of details and figures of a driver and Rommel himself.

They were released as you mention in the early to mid 70's, unfortunately 1/35 was being adopted as the universal scale for armour and the range disappeared from the Airfix catalogue after an all too short number of years

Interestingly for a very short time Airfix had in their catalogue both their own 1/32 kits and also the reboxed 1/35 Peerless/Max kits for a short time before Italeri acquired the Peerless /Max moulds.

How are the Lee/Grant kits ?

With regard to your question on the colour scheme, there is a chapter in one of the Osprey Modelling Manuals( 'Intermediate Armour Modelling' I think) on brush painting camo finishes, the subject is a Crusader finished in sand with large chocolate brown patches outlined with black and white stipes, black on the brown side, white on the sand side.

Happy modelling

AP, thanks. I located the photo on the cover of the basic military vehicle book, it's a little help for the topside. Hard to believe it was done by hand!

The Lee and Grant are nice kits, better than the old Monogram and Tamiya Grant and Lee. They really had the start to a nice line of vehicles, it is too bad the 1/32-1/35 scale conflict put those kits off the market. I bought the Humber new as a reissue from Airfix, picked up the Lee via eBay in 2002 and got both the Grant and Crusader from a local hobby shop that acquired an estate lot of kits. I think I paid just over $30 for all four Airfix kits combined.

If you run across an M3, real cheap, I'd grab it for fun.
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