Thanks for the kind comments guys.

John, that would be a nice addition. Well, I still have one Bronco kit in the stash...

Hi all!

I'm a bad blogger... For one thing I continued the builds without taking photos or updating the blog, for another, I progressed only very slowly... RL got in the way, and a new(ish) hobby (see the gamers show your builds thread for that...)

So the last pics I took before today were an overview before paint and some close ups of the Italeri stowage. I kept stowage on the Korean War (Bronco) Chaffe low, due to the fact that after the first mobile phase they were used mostly static. The NM-116 will not have any stowage. The Italeri will be a WWII example with lots of stowage.









Currently I'm concentrating on one at the time, first the Italeri. I must say, this was the most fun, some good old modelling skills.



I intend to post some pics one by one as I progress. Hope to update a bit more often again...

Cheers!
Stefan

May I share something? The fender space next to the drivers' hatches was always left clear of stowage b/c when the hatches were swung out, the periscopes and periscope housing needed to be unobstructed. If you look at period photos, you'll see that this was the case. I don't know if you should do anything with that info -- but I thought since you're putting so much effort into accuracy -- that I'd pass that along to you.

Feel free to ignore it 100% however.

Your final comparisons will be a little unfair, as Bronco and AFV Club are built OOB, but Italeri has all kinds of mods, detailing, and AM products. They should all have been OOB to show the real difference.

Roy, thanks for the heads up. I chose not to ignore you 100% and changed it. Though I had to keep something there to cover up the mess...

Biggle, you are correct, but I didn't want to waste all the fine AM and leftovers I had. Since it's clear to everyone that Italeri will leave a lot to be desired, let's call it a test whether the Italeri can be made up to go alng with Bronco and AFV...

Here's some shots of the progress: First after stowage correction, painting and decalling:





After wash of burnt umber and light drybrushing:



And after oil dot wash (sorry no pics), dirt and tracks assembly:



Next up some dusting and final coat of flat varnish.

Also been working on a crew, mainly Miniart and Tamiya:



The Norwegian enterprise unfortunately didn't go as well, but first some pics along the way:



Unfortunately the paind bled through under tha masking tape.

WARNING: The following pics are not recommended for people wiht a heart condition.

WARNING: The following pics are not recommended for people wiht a heart condition.






Don't really know yet what to do with it. Not really in the mood to start all over again, but trying to cover up with ye ole paint brush just doesn't seem right... Well, off to the shelf for now. I still have the Bronco Korean War Chaffee to attend to...

Cheers!
Stefan

It looks great! Just keep on going with it.
Dan

Thanks, Dan. It actually doesn't look too bad after I cleaned it up with a brush. But more on that some other time...

I'm calling the Italeri TLC M24 done:










and with the finished crew:



So I'll be taking another break from the Chaffees as I just got a package in the mail from Jim Starkweather: The miniart WLA with Rifleman and the Takom Mk. I Male for which I'll be doing reviews.

Cheers!
Stefan

Really like the way this one turned out. Waiting for the other 2!

Thanks, so am I...

I somehow missed that thread before... Very interesting comparison, thanks for taking the time to take photos and discuss all this.

Cheers,

Christophe

Thanks for the comment, Christophe. Unfortunately I got a little lost on the way and didnt really finish the comparison. Oh well, that real life.

Cheers!
Stefan

Since I don't fancy watching paint dry (even if it's on a Mk. I tank), I kept going on the Norwegian Chaffe.

This is what she looked like right after decals:




After that she was subjected to some Vallejo flat varnish and then a general wash of raw umber, a drybrush for each color individually and finally an oil dot wash. Now she's supposed to look like a well maintained but also well used more or less freshly cleaned peacetime tank on a military base. At least that's the finish I was aiming at. Any comments welcome!








An here's she is together with the TLC Italeri:




Cheers!
Stefan

Looks good to my eye and great camo on that Norwegian! How did you mask off the different colors? I was also intrigued when you said each color got it's own dry brush! Not sure I've heard of that before, though it seems to make sense.

Hi Nick, thanks for tuning in.

The masking was step by step with masking tape and lots of bleeding underneath. See above... Yup, drybrushing each color with its own lighter version. I actually got back to using drybrush lately, hadn't used it for a while but I like the effect. Weathering is always kind of dependent on the mood (and the weather? )

Great Article! Love the direct comparisons.

Paul

Great looking pair! Isn't this the tank used on the original: The Day The Earth Stood Still?

Gary

Hi Gary and Paul, thanks for looking in, must have missed you posts way back when...

Now it's time for the grande finale. Or whatever...

The Bronco Chaffee lay dormant for quite a while like this:


Final assembly and detail paint:



Future, decals, burnt umber wash and drybrush:




And the final result after weathering with oil dot filters and pigments. I wanted to get the feel of a vehicle that is mainly waiting in a base and then used for small recon missions, as would be the case in Korea from Summer 1952 onwards.









And of course the prize shots with all three together:





So that's it! Special credit goes to my trusty assistant:



Cheers!
Stefan

Oh, almost forgot... You probably want my conclusion on the three...

Top points for accuracy and detail go to Bronco. On the other hand I understand people who call it over-engineered. Personally I have no problem with that.

Though not exactly the same version, the AFV Club one also gets top points for accuracy and buildability.

Altogether I think the AFV Club one would be easier to build while keeping the detail high. Personally I would probably go for the AFV Club one, but since I now have built 5 Chaffees and still have one Bronco in the stash, it's unlikely I'll by another one...

Nevertheless, I must say I had most fun with the Italeri. I always love some good old modelling exercises with the saw, making other parts fit, adding some detail here and there and scratching a few corners. I definitely learned most with Italeri.

Cheers!
Stefan