New progress in my build here:

Martin
Your truck looks great with the launcher added! It really looks like it means business.
Have fun modeling
Mike

After cleaning up and assembling the gun parts, the Japanese type 96 25mm single AA gun looks pretty good, except perhaps for the too-thick cast metal ring sight. I decided I could live with it.

These single barrel weapons were typically bolted permanently to the gun decks of Imperial Navy ships, but sometimes they were temporarily secured via small removeable platforms such as this one on the flight deck of the carrier Junyo:

These ad hoc AA defense platforms were fixed to decks with large wing nuts.




With a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200 rattle-can Light Grey primer, the gun is complete and ready for paint!

After some washes and other stuff, I'm getting close to the finish line of this model:







In the next few days I will do some dustnig and we will see....

Martin, that's coming along nicely!

Tim, that's such a tiny metal kit - I'm impressed. And I guess I can kinda see why the mount in the middle of the flight deck wasn't permanent!

As for my Marksman M60, I've built the hull, and about to start the turret. Instead of doing a complex scratch for the conical adaptor ring I spent a few minutes designing it in CAD. I figure £10 to print it at Shapeways is more economical than the effort to get a good shape from plastic sheet...

Martin and Tom. Looking great guys.

The work on my Revell Talos build has finally started! And it is slow going.... As I mentioned in my early past post for this campaign, the kit is the ancient Revell Talos that was released back in 1958 (date on the sprues/parts) and never reissued after they took it off the market in 1962. Like most kits from that era, all the parts suffer from mold misalignment, flash and sink holes. The plastic is also a very hard styrene when compared to the plastic used now.So my initial work has been to clean up the basic primary parts (every surface) for the launcher. Here's the parts after a few hours work.



Not much to look at this stage! The finished model will be a good size as the kit is scaled at 1/40. I placed one of my Exacto type knives with a #11 blade for a reference.Now that I have a start, I plan on building the launcher and Talos missile roughly at the same time with some detailing as I go along.
Have fun modeling!
Mike

I just finished my AA truck from the Japanise self-defence army.
It was a fast build without aftermarket.
Only with basic painting and wheatering. Not a bad model.








Thanks for this campaing, and for watching.

Nice truck with those faded colors. Congrats.

Thank You

Hi all,

I just received this guy from Hong Kong:




Overall the molding looks very sharp, with just a couple wayward sink marks.

-Nate

I now have something more interesting to show n my Talos build. I have the main components of the launcher cleaned up and assembled. I included my Exacto knife (standard #11 blade) as a reference for its overall size.





As the launcher will be bare metal, I will need to putty and clean up the seams on the central launcher post.
Have fun modeling
Mike

Martin, I like what you did with that rocket truck!

And Mike, that Talos should be interesting! How you planning to paint the bare metal?

As for me, I built the Marksman turret as per Takom's instructons, with only two minor deviations. The joint between the two guns is a bit weak, meeting inside the turret almost edge-to-edge, so I gave it strength by wrapping thin plastic (a 1/2" wide strip of 0.010") around the joint area to help keep it together. The other mod was to add a bit of sprue to the underside of the mounting peg for the rotating part, inside the fluted stand, so my radar can turn without falling off. Takom would have me glue it in place, but then I could have just left it loose too...

I haven't glued the hatches on yet, as I may add a fig or two. The turret is just sitting loose on the hull for now - the adaptor ring to attach turret and hull should arrive any day now!

Hi Tom!

If I can pull this off, the Talos will stand out on my model shelf. I am planning on using one or more Alclad paints to capture the look of bare metal. The real launcher had some scorch marks/discoloring on the center pylon and parts of the legs, so I might use something like Alclad exhaust or even pigments to achieve that look.

Your Marksman looks cool! I am impressed with the detailing on the turret. Can't wait to see it painted!
Have fun modeling
Mike

Sorry Guys, I have had no 'Net for a week...

Martin great job on the rocket Truck. A very unusual subject very well done.

Mike, if it took hours to clean up the stand, I would have scratch built it. My hat goes off to your patience. (This from a man that once drilled out and squared of the holes in all the solid guidehorns on the first issue Dragon Panther Ausf D )

I'm looking forward to seeing this one get built.

Tom, also looking great. The Turret really gives it a beetle like appearance, quite different to the look of the Gepard or even the Sgt York.

Nate. Nice choice. I have not seen this one built yet either, so will be watching closely on that too.

Chers guys.

Really impressive builds going on here. Some progress on the main vehicle. Fits are very good and only a little filler needed. Will paint and weather the lower chassis first before adding the crew cab and rear deck.

Some progress

Chassis and interior, buckle guards added (styrene sheets)




The weapon with the seat not yet painted.


Bodywork with windcreen mask (cut in adhesive tape) for wipers marks.


Interior with part of seat belt added.(paper)white areas due to white glue not yet dried, but it will be clear.

Alex, that is great work on your interior!I love the weathering you have done so far.
Have fun modeling
Mike

Mike thank you for the kind words.

I don't know your kit, the Talos, good start and I am curious to see the final result.

Thanks Alex! One of the many benefits I have found by doing a campaign is the chance to find a new model I was unaware of and at the same time seeing it built. I suspect that my Talos build is probably one of very few completed on the Armorama site!

While cleaning up the launcher, I started work on the Talos missile itself. After doing some background research, I believe the missile in the kit is actually an early prototype version called the XSAM-N-6. While it mostly looks like a Talos, the very large fins on the first stage give it away.



It is easy to convert this to the first generation RIM-8 Talos by trimming the fins to the correct size. Here's where I will make the cuts:





I successfully trimmed the fins to the proper size but I still need to take some photos of the modified rocket stage. I'll show that in a future post.
Have fun modeling
Mike

Good progress there Chris

Nice work Alex. The extra detail will look great.

Mike that is a lot of difference. In looking at the other diagrams it is hard to pic differences in the later versions..

Mike,
I’ve been lurking around this campaign just because I’m interested in ADA systems. I thought I’d share some information on your Talos kit if you don’t mind. One of the reasons this is probably the only build of the Talos here on Armorama is the original kit is considered rare and difficult to find—-it’s one of those early “box scale” Revell “collectors item” missile kits. As for its “prototype” looking origins, Revell based many of their subjects on early manufacturing information and “prototypes” rather than the “in service” versions , which is why this is the prototype Talos. I don’t read everything, but I think your build may in fact be the first on-line build of this kit. I’ve never seen another one anyway. Other early Revell missile and space kits also followed the practice of using prototype plans— notably the BOMARC, Snark, the Atlas missile, Apollo capsule and others. I’m looking forward following the rest of your your build.
VR, Russ

My entry.

I've had this in my stash for awhile, and this campaign is a perfect motivator to get it done.

I didn't get these posted until today, because I've been having trouble with the pictures. Finally figured out how to get them loaded on Armorama, and then into the post.

Peter: You are right, the difference in the looks of the Talos is striking once the fins have been cut. The differences in the later Talos versions are subtle and are mostly internal. The big change in exterior looks is from the last prototype XSAM-N-6 to the RIM-8A.

Russ: Outstanding comments!! Thanks for the great information. Your thoughts on the Revell Talos missile kit are really consistent with what I have been thinking. I have most (all?) of the early Revell missile kits and I can trace all of them to at least one early photo of the real item. I suspect that the Revell model makers had really good access and relationships to the military at that time. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this kit justice!
Have fun modeling
Mike

Mike, I think they had pretty good access to the developers at the time, and the developers advertising. I don't think the Military allowed them direct access to equipment much in the early Cold War era-- which is why they had to deal with the developers. There is a good book on the History of Revell (there's also one for Monogram and Aurora), which talks about the way theses companies picked subjects and designed kits. It was a fascinating time, but it also explains why so many of those early kits (of all manufacturers) left a little to be desired as far as accuracy goes. Looking forward to seeing the Talos kit finished.
VR, Russs