Rubicon Models
Rubicon Models => Showcase & Gallery => Topic started by: ripley on April 06, 2020, 10:30:07 pm
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With all the kits I have in the stash as well as all the Blu Ray/DVDs in my collection , you would think I would have lots to keep my busy in week 2 of my "holiday" , but no , I'm bored . Sooo , I decided to go over my built kits and tweak them a little . Always fun trying to fix / up grade a kit that's glued together , painted , weathered and covered in stowage and tank riders , lots of things to break . Anyway I thought I would start by fixing the crappy spare track piece Warlord gives you with their T-34 kits , make it look more like Rubicon's .
(https://i.postimg.cc/hfhw6QdH/Rubicon-Warlord-end-result-LI.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hfhw6QdH)
Quite easy to trim the track teeth , and cut the 5 link piece into 2 two link pieces ( red) , Then using a narrow file trim away the unwanted plastic on the track ends , the result doesn't look too bad . Now to do that to the built kits .
So what are you guys getting up to ?
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You would think with so much todo I wouldn't have to buy more stuff....you'd think...
Ordered anouther 250/1 alte and the panzer 4 J zug on offer from Rubicon atm. Also had a £9 voucher to use ;D .
I'm painting my dads Irish war band, I said instead of paying me buy me sone models from warlord and you can get a £5 voucher from the reward system for your trouble....so I got 4 winter mg gunners to go into my 250/1s , 3 winter mg teams, scwimwagen with officers sst in looking wintery, 105mm gun with RSO tow and arty spotters, panther with IR , sdkfz 251/20 uhu , 5 infantry with IR guns....
Not to much ....help me please!
But I'm doing lots of commision work.
Got 4 indian chariots to do, 20 more black tree early germans and some 20mm cromwells to do.
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That should keep you busy for a while .
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Yes it will, hope to get through the commission work this week, But I've had a freelance job land on me so that will take up time tomorrow atleast.
Aside from upgrading old models and cutting track pieces (I do agree the track pieces on the warlord stuff isn,t great) habe you got any thing else on the paint table?
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Kit bashing BA plastic Russians to use a gun crews ( for PSC 45mm guns ) and tank riders . Lots of leg and boot swaps . I have a T-26 partly built but lack of interest has left it off the bench for now . Seem to have spent quite a bit of time on line researching pictures of Panzer II , Marder III and 38(t) tanks for future builds , I have the kits base coated but no idea of color scheme , unit markings , battle damage , stowage or crews yet .
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I would like to get onto some early war germans myself at some point, Panzer II's & III's but waiting for Rubicon to re-release their III kit. I luckily found one of their old III kits a while ago but that went towards a small Afrika corp group.
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Did You fix the engine deck on the III ?
Got motivated and pulled out my T-26 , decided to build the 38 turret with out the rear mg , so I'm filling it in
(https://i.postimg.cc/PvnNhRvX/IMG-20200407-135644633.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/PvnNhRvX)
And since I'm going to have the hatches open on the 33 turret , I'm adding a partial interior
(https://i.postimg.cc/Vr637qfz/IMG-20200407-200810712.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Vr637qfz)
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Did You fix the engine deck on the III?
No? Is that why they have stopped the kit and ar updating it?
From what I've seen the interiors are a offwhite colour? Dad bought me a mini art 1/35 t-60 kit for my birthday and I need to spend some time looking into Soviet tank interiors now.
Managed to finish off basing a 234/1 luchs last night
(https://i.postimg.cc/XXHsdrW5/IMG-20200408-WA0011.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/XXHsdrW5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9RXBqhN1/IMG-20200408-WA0013.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9RXBqhN1)
(https://i.postimg.cc/SXfrssVJ/IMG-20200408-WA0015.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SXfrssVJ)
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Yes , there were a few problems with the early Panzer III kit , the extra armored cover on the engine deck ( should be 3 not 4 ) and the roadwheels were strange looking ( detail / hub wise ) and a too thin rubber tire . It was IRC , their 1st kit , and in the past few years have really upped their game . At the time it was the only plastic 1/56 kit of a III available so despite the negatives , modelers and gamers bought it . To there credit Rubicon asked for feed back on their produced and proposed kits and , we've got so many wonderful kits in the past 4 years . IMO they are comparable in detail with some of the best companies that make larger 1/35 kits and then when you add the variations included in their kits .
Interior color varied by nation and year , late war Brits had the turret in silver ! But most parts of vehicle t not visible when hatches open was some shade of white .Then again some hatch interiors were painted white! Lots of Mini Art T-60 /70 builds on line , check them out for ideas . Also look for Walk Around videos or Interior pictures on google .
Nice looking 234 with Lynx turret , is that the Warlord resin kit
A couple of T-60 photos . Interior of hatches exterior color , minus dust
(https://i.postimg.cc/WhpqXrDX/T-60-aug42.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WhpqXrDX)
Interior of turret looks pretty much exterior color , nothing looks light / white
(https://i.postimg.cc/m1rz2zHb/T-60-turret-interior.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/m1rz2zHb)
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Right ok, Well not to much of a problem. Getting more Pz III is an idea way off in the distance right now. Only needed the one for a small Dak Group. O I also see they are doing a PZ II kit soon! ;D
(https://i.postimg.cc/LhB6Jv79/panzer-3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LhB6Jv79)
(https://i.postimg.cc/bZvXNRXB/panzer-3-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bZvXNRXB)
Been interesting going through all the Rubicon kits, You can see the development and improvements made over the years , I'd be interested to know where the Tiger I fell into the production scale. And I did a 251/1 C kit and the plastic was a much lighter shade of grey.
I did actually find a video of a guy making and painting a miniart T-60 but a different kit, so that will be interesting to watch later. Looking at the box, i noticed the exterior of the hatch was white. It does seem like an awfully cramped turret haha. Ill need to find some crew as well i recon.
(https://i.postimg.cc/F7mF0KBX/MA-T60.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/F7mF0KBX)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0r726SZC/MA-T60-1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0r726SZC)
(https://i.postimg.cc/VJkYHVw7/MA-T60-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/VJkYHVw7)
Yes its the Warlord 234 Lynx resin kit.
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The Tiger was their 6th kit in the numbering series , but I can't remember if it came out on schedule . Rubicon gives kits numbers when designing them but that doesn't mean it will come out in order, sometimes it takes a long time to get right . Lots of nice 1.35 Russian tank crews out there from Master Box & Mini Art . Word of caution , early Master Box figures tended to drift into 1/32 scale ( tall & chunky) , so they really looked out of place when mixed with other companies figures . Early Mini Art figures , on the other hand tended to be under scale and slim ( compare Perry to Warlord plastic s ) . A crew set I really like , plus its not very pricey , is this one from Tamiya
(https://i.postimg.cc/t7zkJdRF/s-l1000.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/t7zkJdRF)
You get 6 figures , 1 seated , 1 half driver figure , 4 standing figures including 1 female . I think I've got 3 sets of these crewing various T-34s in my 1/35 plastic pile
I've seen photos were the hatch interiors are white on T-60 tanks . Pre war , when you didn't have to worry about being spotted from the air , white hatches were the norm , it gave better visibility when buttoned up . I would think as the war progressed they would start to paint the hatch interior the outside color , just as the USA got rid of the early bright yellow star and stripe turret markings , it gave the enemy something to aim at , who knew ?
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I got my Tiger at Warfare in Reading in November 2014, so it was very early on.
http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2014/11/warfare-2014.html (http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2014/11/warfare-2014.html)
I think there was a bit less in-house design back then.
I also bought the Sherman M4A3, T34/75 and Panzer III.
My Panzer III fix is here: http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2016/02/rubicon-panzer-iii-m-continuing-saga.html (http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2016/02/rubicon-panzer-iii-m-continuing-saga.html)
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2014 ? Where has the time gone ?
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The Tiger was their 6th kit in the numbering series , but I can't remember if it came out on schedule . Rubicon gives kits numbers when designing them but that doesn't mean it will come out in order, sometimes it takes a long time to get right . Lots of nice 1.35 Russian tank crews out there from Master Box & Mini Art . Word of caution , early Master Box figures tended to drift into 1/32 scale ( tall & chunky) , so they really looked out of place when mixed with other companies figures . Early Mini Art figures , on the other hand tended to be under scale and slim ( compare Perry to Warlord plastic s ) . A crew set I really like , plus its not very pricey , is this one from Tamiya
(https://i.postimg.cc/t7zkJdRF/s-l1000.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/t7zkJdRF)
You get 6 figures , 1 seated , 1 half driver figure , 4 standing figures including 1 female . I think I've got 3 sets of these crewing various T-34s in my 1/35 plastic pile
I've seen photos were the hatch interiors are white on T-60 tanks . Pre war , when you didn't have to worry about being spotted from the air , white hatches were the norm , it gave better visibility when buttoned up . I would think as the war progressed they would start to paint the hatch interior the outside color , just as the USA got rid of the early bright yellow star and stripe turret markings , it gave the enemy something to aim at , who knew ?
Thanks!. I'll keep an eye out. Obviously things are proofing difficult to get a hold of atm. But I may well thin about actually doing a scenic piece of sorts.
Haha yes I know about the Bright yellow stars. Part of why I love the ww2 history when it comes to the tank warfare side is ....is was also so new and in that 6 year period the tanks just kept coming on in leaps and bounds. So many odd design choices that...now a day you'd think "well what twit though that was a good idea" haha
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I got my Tiger at Warfare in Reading in November 2014, so it was very early on.
http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2014/11/warfare-2014.html (http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2014/11/warfare-2014.html)
I think there was a bit less in-house design back then.
I also bought the Sherman M4A3, T34/75 and Panzer III.
My Panzer III fix is here: http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2016/02/rubicon-panzer-iii-m-continuing-saga.html (http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2016/02/rubicon-panzer-iii-m-continuing-saga.html)
Yeah I had a suspicion the tiger 1 kit was an early one when putting it together. Still good quality.....but there was less choice. The tools on the exterior are just all part of the exterior parts etc then when you compare to the 222 kit that just over whelms you with choice, as does the stug kit....really enjoyed doing the stugs
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Yes the molded on tools on most kits are lacking in definition IMO . I wish they didn't mold them on the kit and either included them as kit parts , OR - maybe put out a plastic/pewter blister pack of on vehicle tools for each major nation sort of like the 1/35 set Tamiya has for their Panzer IVs
(https://i.postimg.cc/crL1c3vN/Picture-TMY35185.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/crL1c3vN)
Although with every new release we see more smaller parts molded individually , which I think is a good thing ,but Rubicon still have to find a balance between the modeler and 28mm gamer who both buy these kits . When I can I tend to remove and replace tools on my kits , although depending on placement , ie on a non skid fender , removing it messes up the fender detail . I've just removed all the tools off my T-26 as they were on flat fenders and I do have some pieces in the parts box from other scale kits including some model rail road bits that should look the part .
(https://i.postimg.cc/NLsxstsb/IMG-20200408-132400919.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/NLsxstsb)
I thought the Tiger kit was excellent , it gave you enough variety of parts ( early , mid , late ) that a modeler with a few research books /pictures and a spare parts bin could really have a lot of fun . True you couldn't go crazy and move the tools / tow cables easily or build a very early version with no turret stowage box and two pistol ports , but just a few add on bits could really make you kit stand out . I added cleaning ports to the fiefel filters and a tool box to the rear
(https://i.postimg.cc/0bJm7Tm1/IMG-20200409-133657963.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0bJm7Tm1)
On nose I added a step and grab handle as well as the long handled shovel seen on early Tigers ( inspired by Tiger 131 at Bovington ) , very easy to do and adds a lot to the kit
(https://i.postimg.cc/w7rGxR8c/IMG-20200409-133642342.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/w7rGxR8c)
The Tiger I had about 7 different variations in its production run as to tool and tow cable placement , IRC the 1st version had the tow cable with the eye piece on the engine deck as opposed to up by the driver as in the kit , the only company I know who makes most of these changes in their kits is Dragon , and they have over a dozen Tiger 1 kits . No way could one kit cover all variations , but if it did it would be in a vary large box of parts and cost a lot
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O yeah the tigers look great. I picked up the Warlord resin one with Wittman figure a while ago then ordered the Rubicon tiger troop in the resent deals as I wanted 3 in total. The 4th I gave to my Dad but I couldn't make up my mind to either give him the Plastic Rubicon tiger or the Warlord resin. After sizing them up the Warlord resin in the same width but around 0.8 cm shorter in length. So I was going to give Dad the resin....then notice the resin had Zimmerit, so kept it based on that it would look subtly different from the other 2.
It not even the problem of they lack definition. I'd just rather have the option, its a big reason why I just stopped buying warlord plastics kits and buy only Rubicon plastics unless I have to (IS-2 is an example). I have the Rubicon German stowage set and after building my 1st Rubicon Stug and seeing the option for the stowage rack and there was no tow cable on the model it gave me the perfect excuse to buy more Stugs and make some cables from scratch and using the Heads from the stowage set.
Yes they does have to be a balance.
O yes I see the nice little step on the nose, Nice straight edge, what did you make that with?
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Both Warlord and Rubicon kits have they're own pros and cons to varying degrees . I 've got more Warlord tanks because they hit the market before Rubicon and were easier to get at the local hobby shop . Plus IMO the Warlord plastic is much easier to work when kit bashing . Lately its about a 50-50 split on new kits being bought . But to each there own . I've used small 1/35 scale cable eyes from the parts box , also carefully shaved the cable eyes of the Warlord T-34 , removed the molded on cable and using model ship rigging string made tow cables . Also besides the Rubicon stowage kit cable ends , I've picked up some resin ones in 48 scale (Ref :50535 ) from Gaso-Line out of France .
While the rack in the Stug is handy for any Pzr III hulled vehicle , if you pick up various sizes of Plastruct or Evergreen styrene you can make your own rack to fix any vehicle you wish .
The step was either a piece that size found in the parts box ( either a 1/35 handle or a HO scale grab rail ) or I cut a thin piece of a plastic H beam or C channel to suit . . The shovel is the actual star of the show , its made from 7 pieces
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Made a spare wheel for my T-26 out of a HO scale truck wheel hub and some round pieces of plastic made using a hole punch , a mm or 2 oversize but looking at it from above it looks the part . Also found a HO scale screw jack and various scale tools in the parts box .The spare track links were made from a couple of pieces of track from PSC 20mm scale tanks , outer edges are Panzer IV track , the row of center teeth are from the T-70 kit , again not quite exact but will look the part
(https://i.postimg.cc/WdWXsqCx/IMG-20200410-212200780.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WdWXsqCx)
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Excellent work.
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Thank you . Funny thing is , those shovels , axe and hammer are parts from the Meng Egg tank kits . You never know what is going to come in handy …...
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I have to admit to putting a tarp over the moulded on tools on my model.
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Sometimes you just have to make do with what you got . I'm building the Italeri 38(t) at the moment and there's lots of molded on bits that are oversized or in the wrong place on the fenders for the version I want to build . I could , with a lot of work ( and cursing ) remove the offending plastic but it would almost be easier to make new fenders . Nah , I want my builds to fun , I'll try to cover it up with stowage and a tarp or two
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Looking good! Yes by bits box is filling up!
I've never been impressed with italeri kits, in any of the scales I've done them in. I was very impressed with the warlord Marder 3 kit which I believed was italeri and was discussing my amazement in the difference, then some one pointed out a few of the warlord kits are some by PSC? Not to sure how true that was as I couldn't see any brands etc on the box for either, but it made the most sense.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5H8GXZpC/m3.png) (https://postimg.cc/5H8GXZpC)
did this one quite a while ago
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The Marder (and a number of other Warlord models) are so similar to the smaller PSC models - right down to the instructions being interchangeable, that it is difficult to believe the design work is not by the same company. They are not always plain upscales.
Of course the entertainment value of the Marder is the box and the sprues disagree as to the vehicle type:
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mi7cjpsngI4/Wn1WjZOVbII/AAAAAAAADFg/5apA8AQdYxU0wo9I6GnrBBW3nqWb84H1wCLcBGAs/s1600/marder-5.png)
http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-smoking-gun-warlord-sdkfz-139.html (http://ultravanillasmurf.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-smoking-gun-warlord-sdkfz-139.html)
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Your probably right about the Marder III and 38(t) being PSC , it just says Warlord Games on the box , while the KV has both the Warlord & Italeri logos . I just assumed the 38 was Italeri …. Besides from the overscale details on the fenders they're very nice kits . I'm starting the Marder III this afternoon . I'm hoping they expand the range to a few other 38(t) based SPGs
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Talking of warlord oddities, has any one seen the "28mm" church italieri do for them? I'll warn you now it's not 28mm. My friend bought 2 in a sale and set one up in a game we were playing. The whole game I was looking at it and feeling something was off with it. When I got infantry up close I realized...its 1/72 scale! The front door is about the right scale for a normal front door but the side doors are tiny. Obviously church front doors are usually bigger. I laughed and thought "the cheek"
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I believe all the Italeri scenery stuff in 1/72 , ( the buildings , pill boxes and fences / walls) , has been re boxed by Warlord for the 28mm games they carry . I guess it gives you a fairly decent amount of scenery which doesn't take up a large a foot print as scale 1/56 buildings would . Probably why they originally had 1/72 scale glider models to use in some campaigns , the scale Sarisa ones are huge on a 4 x 6 table . I say use scale buildings and use a bigger game table
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My next build is going to be a Rubicon T-34/76 and as I have left over wheels from the 85 kit I decided that I would give my tank a variety of wheel types , dish , all steel and the perforated steel with rubber rim ( spider IRC )
(https://i.postimg.cc/JDK53NT3/IMG-20200422-233848798.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/JDK53NT3)
When I compared the track / wheel sets , I noticed although the wheel type changed , the track tooth position was the same for all types . So if you cut out wheel # 2 on a left track , if fits perfectly in any left # 2 position . Don't do what I did and cut out a half dozen wheels at once, as it takes a while to test fit and figure out where they go . Here's the end result
(https://i.postimg.cc/SYFzHVZb/IMG-20200423-201925799.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SYFzHVZb)
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good to know. I've got a 34/76 to do but i did save the wheels from other kits with this in mind.
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Nice.
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The middle 3 are the easy , the 1st and last wheel , not so much . I just used a sharp Xacto chisel blade to cut the outer wheel and the associated track teeth off . When adding the track/wheel set to the hull , I glued the full track set then added each single wheel in its proper place . My ultimate goal is to one day use all 3 Rubicon wheel types as well as the Warlord T-34 track on one model kit
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I look forward to seeing that.