UVS models: Salute 2021 11/12/2020

[ultravanillasmurf]

Hi,

This is my first table ready Rubicon kit and my first post.




The vehicle id is based on the Abteitung 508 format, and I think the smoke dischargers are wrong for a late war Tiger.

Oh, and someone has started to clean the first outer wheel, not sure why.

A Crooked Dice William Killen for scale.

Now once I have the German stowage set I can finish the M4A3.

[ultravanillasmurf]

Work In Progress Panzer III with help from the German Stowage set.

The brown box fouls the turret slightly, an HO scale item.

Two jerry cans are behind the rail and the large crate sits on the rear deck, both secured with microstrip straps. There is a bucket hanging off the back as well. There is spare track on the roof and between the machine gun and the driver's hatch. Brackets secure them in place (I added the bracket to the short piece after the photograph was taken).

I have added additional soft stowage from greenstuff and a covered crate (two of the HO boxes covered with greenstuff).  There is still more to add.

[ultravanillasmurf]

Work In Progress M4A3.


This has been on hold for quite a while, mainly because I have no idea what to do with it. If I had done my research I would have used the 75mm turret with the 76mm gun as an M4A3E4 (with or without the Company B decals).

http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/m4a3e4/m4a3e4.html

[Pinky]

I like how your DAK Panzer III is progressing.  I'd consider replacing the tracks, running gear and exhaust with the StuG III's, which are much more accurate.  You also need to 'lose' one of the row of 4 armoured louvres on the engine deck, as there should only be 3.   

Regarding your M4A3, consider doing some work on the turret to get it looking more like the real thing.  It's mostly a case of carving away the lower part of the bustle, and rounding everything off.  Nice idea to do an M4A3E4 - but do you want a Pakistani tank?

[ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks.

Rats, I had not got as far as checking the Stug III. Not sure how easy it would be to remove the cover. The cover is slightly above the air filter, so it might be possible. Of course I undercoated it last night.

I thought the E4 would go nice with Artizan's Big Joe and Co figures (and the Company B decals). There is a temptation to build a "Furry" T34 from the T34 leftovers to go with it.

[Pinky]

It's the louvres nearer the turret which are wrong.  Here's how the engine deck should look:

[ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks for the picture.

Looking at the model, the air filter, the etched item in your picture (that is what I assume it is) is higher than the cover, but only just, which makes access difficult. Not having a  millling tool, it will require scalpel work at a very limited angle from the front (the top of your picture).

I ended up looking at the PSC site for a deck picture, my limited library did not have any deck pictures, and I only have the late war Barford book (my lazy look up book) which uses the III for the what it is page but no overhead view, though it does have the Stug.

I think I will put this to one side while I complete the Crusader and the post war T34 and return to it later.



The T34 has some turret shape tweaks to better match the IWM example.

[Pinky]

Looking at the model, the air filter, the etched item in your picture (that is what I assume it is) is higher than the cover, but only just, which makes access difficult. Not having a  millling tool, it will require scalpel work at a very limited angle from the front (the top of your picture).

No, I'm talking about the rectangular armoured louvres, not the air intakes.  If you look at the Rubicon Panzer III, it has a row of 4 louvres across the deck, while the (correct) model above only has 3.

The Crusader looks very nice - I haven't seen the kit assembled.  Mine will be the AA version.

[ultravanillasmurf]

Hi, sorry I have been off grid (work...).

The air filters are higher than the cover that needs to be removed, so access is either from the turret space or perpendicular to the cover, as I lack a milling device it would be the former.

The Crusader went together nicely, the only problem is the turret half joins, it needs to be perfect before gluing, as those rivets make post gluing clean up difficult.

More spare track pieces would be nice, Pinky's picture shows additional pieces.

There will be an AA one next.

[ultravanillasmurf]

The air filters are higher than the cover that needs to be removed, so access is either from the turret space or perpendicular to the cover, as I lack a milling device it would be the former.

Of course if anyone has any ideas on alternative methods that would be helpful.

[H0ffmn]

You could drill out the fourth air filter, from the inside of the hull,as it is raised up and hollow below the engine deck. You could then fill it with putty and carefully sand it flat

[H0ffmn]

Or if the hull is already assembled,you could drill out the fourth air filter from the top along the edges of the air filter,file the edges off so that it is flat with the engine deck,then fill the hole with putty and sand it flat with the engine deck

[ultravanillasmurf]

Thanks.

Due to the excellent design of the Rubicon models, I tend to leave them in three or four components right up to the last moment (the Sherman having the transmission cover loose).

The cover has a convenient inner shape so the suggestion of drilling from behind sounds like a good idea.

I will dig out the pin drill out tonight.

[ultravanillasmurf]

Progress at last.

First, I drilled the cover.

Then I filled the gap with plastic card and filled the remains with milliput.

A Crooked Dice 70's television British Corporal shares the workspace.

This (the Panzer III) was sanded with a bespoke sanding stick (craft lolly stick cut to size to apply sand paper in the limited space.

Now colour undercoated.

[ripley]

Nice bit of surgery there . Always a pain to find something needs to be removed when most of the kit is glued together    . For sanding sticks I use cheap fiber board women's nail files from the dollar store . I get around 40 for a buck .  Easy to trim to a very narrow width to get those seams on fenders and other small spaces .  It's pretty much use them once and throw away as they plug up with plastic  but  at such a cheap price  who cares