Topics

16

Wish Lists / Some kit ideas that I think would do very well for Rubicon models.

« on: August 23, 2018, 12:46:26 am »

Here are some kits that I think would do very well for Rubicon models. Not only because such vehicles were common in and would be popular among gamers/modellers, but more importantly because no one else makes any of the below in a plastic model kit... yet.

  SdKfz 10 Halftrack
  Panzer II
  M3 Medium Tank (Lee/Grant)
  Matilda II
  SU-76
  T-70 or T-60
  BT-7
  A few Allied AT guns - currently they only have German AT-Guns.

I think Rubicon's M4 Medium (Sherman) line of kits sell well, and their planned Panzer IV and Panzer III line might also sell well, But when their American, British, German, and Soviet vehicle products are more complete, maybe Rubicon can look into French, Italian, and Japanese vehicles. However, is there a good market for French, Italian, and Japanese vehicle model kits?

17

General Discussions / The German Panzer Grey/Gray Thread - WW2 Color.

« on: July 08, 2018, 08:21:02 pm »

Hello fellow color enthusiasts. This thread's topic is German Panzer Grey/Gray (Dunkelgrau) during WW2.





Warning: Color facts can be a very intense and complex subject at times.

When you mention "Panzer Grey/Gray", the one thing for sure you are going to hear or read about are multiple answers and responses from people telling you what the actual color should be. Is there such an exact color?

I have lots and lots of books about German WW2 tank camouflage, and even the leading experts in the field cannot seem to agree on this topic. Of course, it does not help that the actual color of the gray used by the Germans during WW2 might have varied from batch to batch and factory to factory. Also, how some paints age and oxidize influence their color. We also have distance and scale to consider, and don't get me started on lighting conditions or how the different colors of dust and dirt (weathering) can have. Oh, and I almost forgot about the finish because the exact same color can appear different depending on if it is a flat finish, semi-gloss finish, or glossy finish (wet).

That being said, what color of Panzer Grey paint do you use on your 1:56 (28mm) scale models?
Humbrol 67 Matt Tank Grey
Mig Dunkelgrau
Poly-S Panzer Gray
Revell 78 Panzergrau
Tamiya XF-63 Panzer Grey (TS-4, Spray)
Testors Panzer Schwarzgrau
Vallejo 70.994 Dark Grey (166)
Vallejo 70.995 German Grey (167)
Vallejo 70.867 Dark Bluegrey (164)
Vallejo 71.054 Dark Bluegrey
Vallejo RAL7021 German Panzer Grey

Other?

You mix your own?

For myself, I have used off the shelf colors, but lately I have been experimenting by mixing my own Panzer Gray color*. For example, the two 1:56 (28mm) scale Panzer 38(t)s you see above are painted in one of my custom colors I have been mixing and experimenting with on my German 1:56 scale miniatures. It is a mix of  three parts Vallejo 70.867 Dark Bluegrey to one part Vallejo 70.816 Luftwafe Uniform WW2. I actually like the results, but I may tweak the primary base color. Maybe four parts Vallejo 70.867 Dark Bluegrey to one part Vallejo 70.816 Luftwafe Uniform WW2 would be better. What do you think?

Do you have any German WW2 vehicles or equipment painted in Panzer Grey/Gray? If so, please share pictures of your work. Also please include what color you used to paint the model.

18

General Discussions / M3 Gun Motor Carriage

« on: June 11, 2018, 09:16:58 pm »

Has anyone looked into or has used Rubicon Models' M3 Half Track (kit# 280027) to make an M3 Gun Motor Carriage?

Except for the 75mm gun, I'm thinking it would be an easy conversion. I was just wondering if anyone has already started or had already completed such a project.

19

General Discussions / Anti-Tank Guns produced by Rubicon Models.

« on: May 08, 2018, 05:25:46 pm »

I finally got a PaK38 kit! It took some doing, but I finally got one! I wanted two, but one is better than none. 

I also got one more Pak36 and two more Pak40 kits. I plan to replace some of the metal Pak40 miniatures I have. These new plastic Pak40 AT-Guns from Rubicon Models are pretty nice.



I hope Rubicon Models releases more AT-Guns. And not just German AT-Guns, but also American, British, French, Soviet, and others. The one Rubicon Models Kit I would like to see very soon would be the 57mm/6-Pdr AT-Gun used by the American and British forces.

There is great potential for a 57mm AT-Gun M1 AT-Gun / British QF 6-Pdr AT-Gun kit because the same sprue for the AT-Gun can be setup with the needed bits and parts to build either the American or British gun. They were pretty much the same except for a few little differences. Parts can even be included so that an airborne version can be assembled.

As for crew, separate American and British crew sprues can be offered to make two different AT-Gun kits. This would be just like what Rubicon Models did with their Jeep. The Willys MB ¼ ton 4x4 Truck (Commonwealth) and the Willys MB ¼ ton 4x4 Truck (US Standard) plastic kits have the exact same Jeep sprue, but different sprues for the driver/riders. Same can be done with the AT-Gun kits in that the same AT-Gun sprue can be used to make:

1) American AT-Gun - US 57mm M1 (with option for Airborne version).
2) British AT-Gun - QF 6-Pdr (with option for Airborne version).

However, what to do about airborne crew? These might need to be separate kits altogether.

1) American AT-Gun - US 57mm M1
2) American Airborne AT-Gun - US 57mm M1
3) British AT-Gun - QF 6-Pdr.
4) British Airborne AT-Gun - QF 6-Pdr.

The AT-Gun gun sprue would be the same for all four kits, so it would only be the crew figures that would be different. Would four choices be to many? Because of the different uniforms, a simple head choice is not possible. Regardless, there is a lot of potential here.

20

Showcase & Gallery / Tracks' M4 Medium tank thread

« on: April 17, 2018, 07:16:38 pm »

Because of Rubicon Models, I have now massed a small collection of M4 Medium tanks (AKA Sherman tanks). To date, I have in plastic five Rubicon Models plastic Sherman kits and two plastic Sherman kits of another manufacture. I also have two resin Sherman tanks, but compared to the plastic kits, these resin kits are just awful! For plastic, I have a total of seven, but currently only four are competely finished (assembled and painted).

Because I have so many more M4 Medium tanks than any other tank in my miniature gaming collection, why not start a separate thread featuring only Sherman tanks. I have other tanks including three Panzer IVs (only one is Rubicon), so that might become another thread when Rubicon Models starts releasing the new Panzer IVs.

If Rubicon Models does not mind, I hope to also compare their fantastic plastic Sherman kits to other manufactures of plastic Sherman kits, but more on that later. Hopefully this information will be useful to new comers into this hobby.

21

General Discussions / Release dates for M4A1, Kübelwagen, SdKfz 222, Flak 36, and Panzer IV

« on: March 30, 2018, 04:15:02 pm »

Rubicon Models has announced that they are working on several projects including the M4A1, Kübelwagen, SdKfz 222, Flak 36, and Panzer IV to name just a few. However, what are the projected release dates for some of these great items? For example, when will we see the M4A1 or the SdKfz 222 kits? The only thing for certain that we know of is that none are to be released for the Q1, 2018 releases.

Are there any approximate release dates for the following kits?
M4A1
Flak 36
Panzer IV
SdKfz 222
Kübelwagen

22

General Discussions / Suggestion as to what glues/cements to use for Rubicon Models.

« on: March 02, 2018, 11:43:12 pm »

What is the best glue/cement to use when assembling a plastic model kit? There are several factors to consider, but the type of plastic the model is made from is an important factor. Short story is that model glues/cements work by dissolving the plastic parts. This is what creates the bond, so its important for a glue/cement to react with the plastic for a good bond.

For my test, I only used liquid model glues/cements. I did not try any of the thick or gel types.

Even though there are many brands available to the modeler, I only have the following glues/cements to use for testing:
+ Mr. Cement
+ Plastruct Plastic Weld
+ Revell
+ Tamiya
+ Tamiya Extra Thin
+ Testor
+ Tenax-7R

The plastic I used for testing is the plastic Rubicon Models uses to make their kits. To be more specific, I only used the dark green plastic and not the newer gray plastic, but Rubicon Models has stated that there is no difference between the two other than color. The reason I used the dark green plastic was because at the time (several months ago) this was the only Rubicon Models plastic I had to work with. Yes, I had glued these plastic pieces together sometime ago, and they have been sitting on my shelf. Not only has the glue completely set, but has aged a little.

What I did was cut equal lengths of plastic from the extra sprue and glued/cemented two of them together. After sitting for several months, I performed some simple stress tests (pulling on them) to see how easy the pieces came apart. To make a long story short, some where more easily pulled apart then others.

I got the best results from Tenax-7R and Tamiya extra thin, and while Revell worked, the bond was not as strong as others. That being said, all the glues/cements worked, but Tenax-7R and Tamiya Extra Thin were the clear winners. The Tamiya Extra Thin cement was even a bit better than the normal Tamiya cement!

When I assemble a Rubicon Model, I only use Tenax-7R or Tamiya cement, but I also use Tamiya Extra Thin cement whenever I can. The reality is, I really like this Tamiya Extra Thin. For those that have not used Tamiya Extra Thin yet, I would like to pass on a suggestion. I found it works best if you install the part first and then use the Tamiya Extra Thin. For tiny parts, apply a very thin coat of Tamiya Extra Thin - just enough to make the plastic sticky -  then use tweezers to install the part. Once the part is in place, use a little Tamiya Extra Thin to secure it as you adjust the part's position.

What glues have you been using to build your Rubicon Models, and what sort of results have you been getting?

23

Wish Lists / Two fantastic kit ideas for Rubicon Models -

« on: January 17, 2018, 01:01:32 am »

It looks like Rubicon Models has some new plastic kits coming out this year, but I was just thinking... which is always scary.

I would like to pitch an idea to Rubicon Models for two new plastic kits that I think would be fantastic for them.

Kit 1) SdKfz 10 Halftrack:
There is a lot of interest for the Sdkfz 10 in a plastic kit. I know I would prefer a plastic kit from Rubicon Models than one of those blocks of resin things. More importantly, with a basic plastic kit of the SdKfz 10, the gamer/modeler has more options to make variants and field modifications of this common transport vehicle.

Kit 2) American 57mm AT-Gun M1 / British QF 6-Pdr AT-Gun:
There is great potential here because the same parts sprue for the AT-Gun can be setup with the needed bits and parts to build either the American 57mm AT-Gun M1 and British QF 6-Pdr AT-Gun. They were pretty much the same except for a few little differences. Parts can even be included to make the US Airborne version of the 57mm AT-Gun M1. As for crew, well, separate American and British crews can be made on different sprues to make the different kits if needed. Similar to what Rubicon Models did with the Jeep. The Willys MB ¼ ton 4x4 Truck (Commonwealth) and the Willys MB ¼ ton 4x4 Truck (US Standard) plastic kits have the exact same sprues for the jeep, but different sprues for the riders.

I believe the two plastic kit ideas above would be a fantastic project for Rubicon Models.

That being said, my current wish is as follows:
+ SdKfz 10 Halftrack
+ Panzer 38(t) (available now! from WG)
+ Panzer II
+ M3 Medium Tank (with Lee or Grant options?)
+ US 57mm AT-Gun M1
+ US 37mm AT-Gun M3
+ German 50mm Pak 38 (available now!, Rubicon Models)
+ German 75mm Pak 40 (available now!, Rubicon models)
+ Soviet 76mm ZiS-3 AT-Gun

Edit Post: I had to update my wish list above to account for recent developments. Good to see more and more 1/56 scale (28mm) plastic kits getting on the market. What a huge difference from just a few years ago when only bad resin kits were available. If I had waited a few years before getting into 28mm WW2 gaming, I would have saved a lot of funds by skipping those terrible resin kits. I'm still shocked and happy that this scale is getting more popular among gamers and modelers alike.

24

Showcase & Gallery / Showcasing my work - models used for gaming.

« on: December 22, 2017, 06:12:20 am »

I have to work on taking better pictures of my models because it seems that the colors and details do not look as they do when you see them in person. It might be the lighting, or my camera setting, or both. I'm not sure.

Here are two examples of Rubicon kits I have finished assembling and painting. They are now ready for the gaming table. I pretty much assembled the kits right out of the box with not additional modifications or changes. They have also been assembled and painted for the purpose of gaming only, so they are painted to a basic "gaming standard", and not for competition or static display. I still hope you can enjoy them. Please feel free to comment.

25

Wish Lists / More WW2 AT-Guns in 1/56th scale

« on: December 17, 2017, 01:08:12 am »

The Pak 36 was just released by Rubicon, and soon the Pak 38 and Pak 40 will be available. There is even talk and a few teaser 3D drawings of the famous 88mm Flak 36/37 that may (or may not) be released.

But what about other AT-Guns from other countries? Will there be AT-Guns for American, British, French, Italian, Japanese, Soviet Union, and other military forces?

There are lot of AT-Guns that can be recommended, but some possible good choices that come to mind because of good support (lots of other miniatures available), and also they are not available in plastic are the following:

American 37mm gun M3
American 57mm gun M1
American 3-inch gun M5
British QF 2-Pdr
British QF 6-Pdr
British QF 17-Pdr
Soviet 45mm Model 1937
Soviet ZiS-2 (57mm gun)
Soviet ZiS-3 (76.2mm gun)

QF-6pdr + 57mm gun M1:
The good thing about the British QF 6-Pdr is that it can be marketed as an American or British AT-Gun because the 57mm gun M1 was a very close copy of the British QF 6-Pdr. I'm sure Rubicon can catch two fish with only one hook with this kit. By making the kit with the option to assemble either the British QF 6-Pdr and/or the American 57mm gun M1, this would make it very marketable. And maybe the extra bonus bits to make the American Paratrooper version of the 57mm gun M1. Lots of potential for this kit.

Zis-3:
The interesting thing about the ZiS-3 was that the Germans used many captured Russian 76.2mm AT-Guns until the appearance of of the German Pak 40, so this can be marketed as Soviet or German.

Soviet 45mm AT-Guns:
Some of the early Soviet AT-Guns might be easier to make into a kit than having to start from scratch because the Pak 36 was produced under license by the Soviets in 1931, but they later decided to mount a 45mm gun (45mm Model 1937 AT-Gun) in place of the 37mm. Essentially, it is a Pak 36 with a 45mm gun tube. More experienced modelers should be able to convert a Pak 36, but what about crew figures?

26

General Discussions / Should I get the old Panzer IV kit?

« on: November 20, 2017, 03:13:06 pm »

I know that Rubicon will be releasing a new kit for the Panzer IV, but I have the option to get one of the older Rubicon Panzer IV kits. Should I get it, or should I just wait for the new kit?

27

General Discussions / Pak 38 and Pak 40

« on: November 05, 2017, 12:19:23 am »

Now that the Pak 36 has been released, I guess the Pak 38 and Pak 40 are just around the corner. I wonder if they will be out before the end of 2017?

I am surprised that all three (Pak 36, Pak 38, and Pak 40) were not not released at the same time. The delay might be in the crew figure development. Anyway, looking forward to the Pak 38, and Pak 40.

28

General Discussions / My very first Rubicon Models.

« on: October 19, 2017, 11:45:18 pm »

I only learned about Rubicon Models not that long ago. Since my local model shops do not carry them, I had to order online from someplace that does have them in stock. I finally got my very first Rubicon Models! See picture below.

I was going to post this under "Showcase & Gallery", but the note says, "Showcase your work here!". However, since these models are not even opened yet, much less assembled and painted, I better post here under "General Discussions" instead.

I tried to get the Panzer IV kit and the older M4 kit (with the 75mm gun turret), but sadly they informed me that they had none in stock. And of course, Rubicon Models has discontinued these kits, so I'm forced to wait for the new Panzer IV kit to be released - which could take awhile.

This coming weekend I am looking forward to opening the boxes and seeing what is inside. Sometime later, I should have something to post for the "Showcase & Gallery" thread.

29

Wish Lists / Some suggestions for kits as well as a wish list.

« on: October 18, 2017, 06:36:39 pm »

Here are some 1/56th scale plastic kits that Rubicon Models should consider:

+ Panzer 38(t)
+ Panzer II
+ SdKfz 10 Halftrack
+ Krupp Protze
+ M24 Light Tanks
+ M3 Medium Tank
+ 8.8cm Flak 36

Why?
No one else makes one of the above in plastic, which can make it useful for modelers as well as gamers alike. Yes, some gamers like the resin vehicles, but I am not one of them. From a modelling viewpoint I almost hate the resin stuff because some of it (not all) is just pure crap. I hope I'm not in the minority about this idea.

Krupp Protze note:
Something like the Krupp Protze Kfz.70 might look great and be of interest to many, for a gaming point of view its really only an early-war vehicle. The SdKfz 10 Halftrack was far more common and if I had to choose between the two for kit production, the better choice would be the SdKfz 10 Halftrack. To bad because the Krupp Protze has a really interesting look and design.

Panzer 38(t) note:
Contrary to popular belief, the Jagdpanzer 38(t) was not a modified Panzer 38(t). This might lead people to think that because Rubicon Models has a Jagdpanzer 38(t) kit it would be easy to release a Panzer 38(t) kit. Simply not true, because the Jagdpanzer 38(t) was almost a completely different tank for manufacturing purposes. Even the main road wheels, which look very similar, are different sizes. I think the only part that the two tanks have in common are the upper return rollers.

8.8cm Flak 36 note:
Probably more interest for modelers than gamers because 1:56th (28mm) miniatures are mostly used for squad level (skirmish level) gaming, and a 8.8cm Flak 36 would not be practical on the table top. It would look nice and it could be a good objective for a game/scenario, but if I had to choose between the AT-Guns for kit production, I would list the Pak 36, Pak 38, and Pak 40 as a higher priority.

30

General Discussions / M4A1 Medium tank

« on: October 16, 2017, 08:54:33 pm »

Has Rubicon Models considered or are planning on producing a model kit of the M4A1 medium tank? You know, the one with the full cast hull. I ask because no other model manufacture makes a 1/56th scale M4A1 in plastic.

With about 6300 produced, the M4A1 was not an obscure version of the tank.

Side note - which most of you probably already know:
The M4A1 was the second version of the tank to be standardized but was actually the first in the series to enter full production. The M4A1 was used by the American, British, and Soviet forces.