Hey folks! Jumping in with Tamiya's Marder 1A2. This is a re-release of Tamiya's old Marder kit with added parts for the Milan System. I was...actually disappointed with the kit. Mostly because the fit between the upper and lower hull is pretty meh. Needed a bit of filler. Lots of parts actually do - mostly on the turret. Shall be painting her up soon.

Looking very nice Nigel.

I built the original when it was a shiny new release. Even by standards then, it was not up to Tamiya usual standard. Despite that, I bought another one a few years back to see what I could do with the skills I have developed over the decades since. First thing I noticed when I opened the box was the road wheel hubs have moulding issues....

Some final pictures of my build with natural light.

Looks good, Marcus!

Bravo Marcos!

Excellent Marcos. Love it.

I'm calling the Revell ATF Dingo 2 done!





I was almost done with adding the brown when I looked down at the directions and it was only then that I discovered that the three color desert scheme I was doing was actually a three color NATO scheme. Oh well! I still liked the build.

Good luck with the rest of the campaign, guys!

I'll be watching.

Nice finish, Richard!

Very close on this early M47.




Happy modelling!

Excellent Richard. Regardless of the scheme mix up, is still looks great as is. Glad you still like it too.

Thanks for joining in. Great to have your company as usual.

Gaz, she is turning out very well. The crew may not look like they are having much fun, but we are watching this one come togather.

I have finished a couple of other builds I have been doing and had a chance to get the compressor out and lay down 2 of the 3 colours on the PZH 2000 today. Hopefully more time for the brown to get sprayed tomorrow and then I'll post progress pics.

Hello again,
this is my new update after a short visit in Austria:



And the new tires are here:


Enjoy your weekend, dear modelers

Thanks guys! I think maybe if I would've gone with a lighter shade of brown it would've turned out better.

Good looking stuff, Gary and Martin!

Great to see more making it across the line!

@ Marcos; the Leo looks good!! Might have added a bit more dust, given the OP, but that's a personal taste.
@ Richard; I like those colours.
@ Gary; C'mon... the final push!! It looks so good.

Thanks Peter. I'm probably going to bury the running gear under layers of mud. Another quick status update, before I get down to weathering

Richard, your Dingo looks great! Don't worry about the paint scheme. In Afghanistan the Bundeswehr has so many different schemes, you won't believe it. You'll be fine!

Gary, close to the finish line. I'll open the hangar doors for you! Your "Jager" looks also great. What paints did you use? Last weekend I got a Tamiya Bundeswehr M47 (ex Italeri) from a swiss friend for free! I was so surprised!

Nigel, looking good so far! Somewhere in my stash I also have the old "Eisenschwein" (Iron Pig), as it is called by the Panzergrenadiere, from Revell in the version of 1A5 in ISAF camo. Looking at your build makes me want to build mine. It's unbelievable that the SPz Marder was introduced nearly 50 years ago and is still in service, though upgraded a few times like the Leo 2 ....

Torsten

Looking good Martin. Those DEF wheels look fantastic by what is on the box.

Coming together nicely Nigel. She is a quick build out of the box for sure. Nice camo work.

I sprang for replacement tracks on mine, which is why the hubs are an issue - I don't want to hide the tracks.

Good evening,
Thanks to everyone.
Now the new progress is not big, nut I like it. Tried to do some spring ( no idea what is the real name) from some metal wire. for the first time - it is looks not bad. I know that is not even close to perfect, but is better than the kit ones.

Martin good work with these coil springs !

I agree, the coil springs look terrific Martin.

Thanks Torsten! Despite my disappointment with the kit, I really like the subject itself. If the Revell kit were available locally, I'd probably go for it somewhere down the line

Would you happen to know what color did the West German Army have for their stowage? Tamiya just suggests a bland olive drab color.

EDIT: Forgot to add a few more update shots.

I weathered the side skirts separately from the hull, will need to add a bit more pigment to the hull to blend it all together. Also, one of the German crosses broke apart when applied. Will use stowage to hide the lack of it.

Excellent Nigel. Very well done.

Bravo, Nigel!!

Yes, very nice work, Nigel!

I've completed my Takom M-47. I went for atmosphere vice detail in the photos. I needed more background light.









And finally all of my 2020 Bundeswehr builds in one photo.


Thank you for looking, and thanks to Peter for running this campaign.

Gaz

Jager looks great Gaz, Fantastic job. Thanks for joining in mate. Been a pleasure seeing you build this one.

The line up is great too, although they all lean to one side