Okay put in some more bench time on the ShKh Dana. A lot of fiddly detailing has been required, as well as a rebuild of some of what I had done previously, due to getting much better walkaround pics of areas where I had made some guesswork:
- Projectile compartment opening, wiring tubes, control box all replaced.
- Access holes in the front section added
- Angled plate below access holes added
- Spot welds added (inside and outside)
- Gunner access door relocated centrally under the gun hatch ring mount

The proportions on the kit are quite distorted and even what I have done is not 100% correct, but the best I can do to align things as much as possible to the turret dimensions.


Scratch built tools and fittings missing from the kit, added hooks for the canvas cover sometimes fitted, clamps and straps, as well as the tie downs for further straps to be added later. Also replaced moulded on blob handles.

The etch on the panel in front of the MG hatch ring is in the kit, it is for the strut that supports the MG when not in use.... but the strut is not provided. Mainly due to the completely wrong and out of proportion mount for the MG they provide - the strut would not fit!



What HB Gives you a tube projection for a pin under the gun. Also note the additions already added to the hatch - HB give you just a single moulded on handle (Also note the original parts placement of the access door and projective opening before my mods)


The offending DsHk M mount replaced by a scratch built one, with the gun now further forward, the recuperators(?) now correctly angled upward and closer to the gun, not horizontal and spaced out wide, plus RB barrel added. Still need to add the rear sights and the under gun box which needs to be made ... HB's is too big, too low, wrong shape and had no back! (and also would foul the before mentioned strut.)


And the major rebuild of the gum mounts under way... HB gives you the thin bits on the mount and a big empty space...


Lastly, the work in the front of the gun mount area. I have only done what is visible with the gun in its transport cradle. Anyone wanting to do the gun raised would have a more massive rebuild to undertake, as HB give you very little here and what they do give, is not even close to accurate.

I have also added the strut mechanism in the turret wall and replaced the point on the wall top front that HB give you with the correct bevelled profile

Nice pics, a lot of meticulous work.

Péter,
You should consider making this as a master for an AM company.

Olivier

A lot of extra work on your Dana, Peter! Great stuff! Honestly, that would be too much for me ....

Have a nice weekend!
Torsten

lovely work on the dana Peter

That Dana's looking good. Didn't realize the kit had so many accuracy issues. I've got it in my stash, so this will be a nice reference for whenever I get around to building it.

Great work on the Dana, I had thought of getting one, I wouldn't know it was inaccurate but now I Do I will probably pass ;-)


End of the weekend. Paint touched up (not too bad from a distance) and wheels done. Next stop adding the missing parts that I left off for safety/ease of painting and then see what markings I want to do...

Very nice. I like the blue-grey color.

thanks Alex, that is AK Interactive "Ash Grey"

i have now started to add the grab handles to the V-100, it's going to take time as we are still nursing a sick guinea pig at the moment. so far i have done about half of them although that isn't apparent in this picture.

fixed the wheel rims that were damaged using to strip plasti-card.

ok so i have made a little progress, this mostly due to the fact i am still working and not getting the furlough free paid holiday for umpteen weeks like so many others.

had a minor mishap with one of the repairs so i had to re-do it but it has now worked out fine and i have been able to prime the wheels with car primer paint.

Thanks for the Kind words everyone.

Olivier, I would have to do a full under gun scratch build for an AM company to make it worth while - most guys want to build it with the gun raised... and with my luck, just when it was finished Meng or Takom would release one...

Looking good Rob. It really is a striking scheme and an eye catcher.

All the fun of a Resin kit there David. Does the resin smell bad when you sand it? Verlinden resin never seems to loose that smell, no matter how old the casting is... I'm getting a memory lesson from a Verlinden FIST conversion set right now.

Just enlisted and ordered this:

Hi Peter, yep this verlinden kit has that unique smell alright and this kit has to be at least ten years old lol

I had the same kit - Got it as a special present for helping out in a hobby store when I was a big kid. That’s almost 30 years ago. 🙂 It is old for sure....

I have made some progress with my AB-43. The main scheme is on. Not a 100% satisfied with the pattern. Next time I will paint it freehand with a brush or airbrush. Anyway, now it is ready for weathering.

More to follow 🙂

Nice clean build & paint, will you weather it and fade the paint?

Avery nice camo scheme Jesper, even if you are not 100% happy.

My entry finally arrived today.
Hobby Boss M706 Commando Armored Car.

Haven't heard back about the BT tanks so I'll just put this here for now.....

Hobby Boss BT-2



The turret goes together real quick, a crew member for size comparison.


Basic hull construction is simple, there's even a pe guide for drilling out the hole for the headlights.


Suspension arms and springs


Top of the hull glues on simple, but you want to push down and forward when gluing the front part or you'll get a gap on the "nose". Put a driver, blocked off the space behind him and painted it black.


Placed the headlights and wiring, just need to place some styrene strip where the wiring meets the hull. Steering linkage modified so the wheels are turned to the left.

Looks great so far Comrade.

No news from Bruce yet? ... maybe PM him....

so all but the .50 cal is on. Next up is a touch up on the new (fiddly) parts with the ash grey then a coat of gloss varnish & decals (not sure which scheme yet)

Thanks. Just dropped a PM, hope to hear back.

Nice figure in the interior of the BT 2.

Thanks. Figures are still a weak spot for me.

So I heard back, seems the BT is OK if you fellas feel it fits in. So What is everyone else opinion?