Looks like a great masking job on the cockpit canopy Tim.

Does the decal sheet include flames???

Tim, Looking forward to seeing the final product and how you weather the damaged areas.

Progress has been slow on the base for the wrecked KV. I have gone through two different bases, and currently waiting on the third one to arrive in the mail. The first base was way too big for the scene (its the base in the first picture below) The second base was way too small, and now the third one seems to be a perfect size (outlined by the yellow tape on the base)

I finished up the assembly of the figures, and primed them yesterday. I will be working on painting and weathering the figures over the next few days as I wait for the delivery of the base.

I think it will be worth the wait, Shawn!

Shawn, your tank and figures look great! That will be a great little dio. I decided to make a simple diorama to display mine, although no figures, just showing the tank as it sat after the war. made some grass clumps and tried my hand at a wire frame bush/tree:


Started on the groundwork, working on the grass growing out from around the tracks, more to add to make it look more natural:


I will work my way out from the tanks with the various foaliage.

Colin, your Tiger II looks just right! I look forward to seeing the groundwork come together.

off to a great start there Colin! I really like the wire bush.

Looking forward to seeing more on this.

The SRD-5M ‘Kvant’ cone and the ventral fin were shot with Tamiya Flat Green XF-5.


The MiG’s damage received scorching effects with Testors Silver 1146 mixed with some Testors Flat Rubber 1183 to darken it a bit.

The 1967-vintage decals that came with the kit were a mess, so I used some from Print Scale’s “North Vietnamese MIGS of the Vietnam War” set (72-116).

Clear carrier film on natural metal finishes is notoriously difficult to conceal, but these decals were flawless – the carrier film behind the national markings, and especially behind the red numbers and stars, just disappeared!


Nice!

Looks fabulous Tim. If only all decals went on that well, but I'm sure the preparation you did and the care applying them contributed to the result

Looks great, Tim!

I couldn’t decide which of the two pilot figures provided in the kit to use, so I painted them both up and test fit each of them in the cockpit.

The first one looked ok, but he seemed too calm given the massive damage to his aircraft, so I went with the one who is about to punch out.

Tim,

The decals look perfect! Your Mig is coming along very nicely.

I have been busy this week painting the 3 figures, and last night I Finally worked on the base. Ive been working on weathering the soldiers today as I wait for the plaster on the base to cure all the way.

Shawn,

Your little diorama looks fantastic so far! I can almost hear the banter of the men reminiscing how they killed the giant!

Well friends, I declare this project finished. I present to you all:

The Rzhev Meat Grinder, 1942

Shawn,

Your little diorama has lived up to its early promise - absolutely stunning work! I learned a lot, thanks for posting it.

Love the KV and the Mig 21. Both looking very nice...

Great that there is an extension for this campaign. Is it until 31 Jan?

I may just get my GAZ society car finished. I have not been lazy; I’ve painted and weathered the interior. Now I just need to mask the windows inside and out, paint em, and get this thing buttoned up. Oh, and drop a large piece of debris on the roof (the battle damage)!

Here are a few pics…







Cheers

Matthew

Matthew,

That interior looks really good - it will be a shame to button it up!

Thanks for the kind words guys, this hasn’t been a really fun campaign.

Matthew that interior looks perfect! Can’t wait to see more on this.

Shawn, great work on your KV and dio! Matt, beautiful work on the interior, love the subtle shading you achieved.

With basic construction of the MiG finished, all that remained was to attach the PVD air data boom in front of the nose and the blade antenna on the spine.

The kit came with a molded boom, but it was thick and out of round; I made a new one from 1mm and .6mm telescoping brass tubes. The blade was rescued from the spare fuselage part.

Very impressive Shawn. Love the overall effect and story with the figures.

Matthew, what can I say. That painting finish is superb. It will be a real shame to close it up as Tim has said.

Tim, great work. Shows old kits still bring enjoyment and can be built into a fine looking model. Cheers

Thanks, Peter. I figured after spending the past 50 plus years in a cellophane-sealed box, it was high time for this old girl to see the light of day!

So here's the unlucky (but finished) MiG-21, in all its battered glory:





Even shot up, the MiG 21 was a beautiful aircraft!

Wow! That MIG came out very nicely! — love the background too!🍺

—mike

Tim that Mig looks great!

The finished, finished Mig. Fantastic and even better with the background. Great work Tim.