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Sturgeon's House

Scale Models Megathread


EnsignExpendable

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So do you build exclusively in 1/35? 

 

I've started to broaden my horizons, having been a Braille only type in the past (my eyesight's deteriorating as I get older).....I've built one 1/35 kit and am looking at having a bash at the epic Hobbyboss 1/48 T-34/85, possibly in an Afghan setting with the Airfix Coyote.

 

 

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5 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

It's the muzzle-brakes that have me stumped, they need to be turned and drilled on a couple of axes IIRC (& I don't have a lathe).

 

The models are all resin and unique, the Cromwell Models kit is currently the only 1/72 Comet out there, so naturally aftermarket's a bit scarce and the '77mm' gun is only found on the Comet.....Resin is just a lousy materiel for gun barrels, it's way too fragile and will bend under its own weight if it gets warm.

 

 

Stainless hypo tubing is what you want. And wire gauge drill bits to open it and the brake to the correct diameter.  You can make the "blob" brake from epoxy resin (J.B. Weld is what I used), then chuck the tube in a small drill and shape it with needle files. 

You'll break the bits a lot, so don't buy one of those "kits", find a real machinist's supply and buy then in ten packs.

It'll be a lot cheaper.

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2 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

Almost exclusively 1:35th, yeah. I have a few larger figures (1:24 and 1:16) and two horribly botched airplanes in 1:48. Just no luck with those, even though my tanks seem to come out alright.

 

I always found airplanes harder too. Plus, I always hated building them with the landing gear down.... 

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8 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

I always found airplanes harder too. Plus, I always hated building them with the landing gear down.... 

Very very few old makers ever got the landing gear right.  You almost always ended up chucking the mess and making the oleo-struts from telescoping brass or aluminum and tiny bits of wire, etc.

 

The wells were usually pretty sparse or nonexistant as well, so you found yourself having to scratchbuild the well and structure (and lines, and wiring ,etc) to get it looking remotely reasonable, instead of looking oddly "hollow".

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33 minutes ago, Meplat said:

Very very few old makers ever got the landing gear right.  You almost always ended up chucking the mess and making the oleo-struts from telescoping brass or aluminum and tiny bits of wire, etc.

 

The wells were usually pretty sparse or nonexistant as well, so you found yourself having to scratchbuild the well and structure (and lines, and wiring ,etc) to get it looking remotely reasonable, instead of looking oddly "hollow".

 

Oh yeah, when I was a kid, I loved the line of Monogram models that had working landing gear, and folding wings on naval planes.     I don't think they even had detail in the gear bays. They were more toy than model really.  I used to get them at a five and dime with my grandma in the 80s in Hayward California. 

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38 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

Oh yeah, when I was a kid, I loved the line of Monogram models that had working landing gear, and folding wings on naval planes.     I don't think they even had detail in the gear bays. They were more toy than model really.  I used to get them at a five and dime with my grandma in the 80s in Hayward California. 

 

Yeah, those, the blobby old Revell molds, and the odd Aurora (or rehashed Aurora mold in someone else's box) and Airfix was what I had.

 

First time I built a Tamiya kit, was happy that I did not have to use a tube of putty and scavenge more vac tubes/etc.to make it look decent. 

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I still build my 'wingy-things' wheels-up.....Have an 'Iraqi' Bf.110 (Airfix 1/72 WIP):

 

6D7S8yn.jpg

2CLZ1Fe.jpg

 

If you look very, very carefully you may just be able to spot the Imam in the middle seat (really).  ;)

 

Sadly, these and a few earlier WIP shots are the only other modelling pictures I have on my current HD.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Ned to take a pic of the  wacky hashup I came up with for my "pond". 

 

basically without my consent,my parents dug a "pond" on my property. 

 

Their idea of a "pond" and my ideas tend to vary. Wildly.

 

Anyhow, I end up with a Mk1 Mod2 hole in the dirt lined with plastic with fish.  (As opposed to my "Six meter deep , ten meter span with diving board and fishing dock" version).

 

So they want deco. And they chew, huff and moan, and eventually offer one of those souvenier model boats basically made of pine and popsicle sticks. 

 

"Oh hell no" I say. BRB.

 

Rip the shit off the amazingly seaworthy hull, and dig out my nigh upon 40 year old stash of paint and greebles. 

 

Whip up the "MV  Mimosa" in a day or so.

 

 Worst part? Modelling supplies DO NOT STORE.  Threw out scads of panel/lining tape,  tons of paint, loads of brushes and even had to dump some of my points/ cones for my absurdly old Passche airbrush. 

 

Then try and replace same. 

 

"Model boat? What" is what I got.

 

Saw loads of shitty Italeri model tanks with the dreaded "WOT" label of annoyance, and absurdly overpriced kits.

26.00 dollars for the same old shitty Monogram M48 Patton I used to buy for 5.00!? Inflation notwithstanding, GO FUCK YOURSELF. At that point I'd hand-fucking-whittle  one out of A2 tool steel just to enhance my point. 

 

Anyhow, when I asked three different hobby shops for "model boat fittings"... They all suggested the internet. 

 

This is akin to a prostitute suggesting a pocket-pussy..  Really folks? A town, located near the junction of the Ohio and Big Muddy cannot supply simple model boat bitsa?

 

The mind boggles.

 

Than I saw it.

 

It. That one thing that set you off.

 

The old(albeit rather nice)1/48  Monogram T6 selling for THIRTY DOLLARS. 

Much shit was lost.  That was a three dollar kit, because it was of a trainer. No matter how absurdly good it was (for 1978), it's not a THIRTY FUCKING DOLLAR KIT NOW!

 

Now I know why hobby shops complain about declining sales. 

Akin to a vampire who expressed displeasure by emo'ing out and slicing his veins. 

 

 

 

 

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It's not a cheap hobby these days, especially if you want accuracy.....I'm starting in on a 1/72 T-55, I've bought three different kits, two different sets of aftermarket track, aftermarket wheels and a turned gun barrel.....So far:

 

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235026598-first-to-deir-ez-zor/

 

Like yourself I have to replace a lot of dried up paint, putty, pastels & so on too.....If I have any change out of £100 by the time I'm done it will be a miracle.  :rolleyes:

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It's only dying in stores, online the world's your oyster.

 

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me with this T-55 build.....It turns out Trumpeter managed to copy the prototype version of the KMT-5 mine-roller, whereas what I need is the KMT-5M version.  Looks like a matter of replacing the endplates & some of the details, the latter of I would have had to do anyway as plastic chain always looks crap (assuming they even bothered to try). 

 

 

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I'd say it's turning into an adult's hobby, sure there are kits aimed at kids, but that's probably not where the money's at these days.....The room I'm in right now has, at a guess, roughly two thousand unbuilt 1/72 kits stashed in it.....That represents a shitload of birthday & xmas presents for 'Little Johnny' right there and I'm but one of many with stashes like that.

 

Maybe take a poke around on BM, it's a very, very lively community for a dying hobby and there is some serious talent on display:  http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/

 

PS - @Meplat  If you want a decent fekkin outstanding model kit at a decent insanely cheap price, get yourself any one of these:

 

104944-10404-pristine.jpg71IRDDCB+AL._SX466_.jpg

 

994_rn.jpg732079.jpg

 

Sample review here:  http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=1952

 

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You know, I always assumed, if you didn't build models as a kid you wouldn't as a teen or adult, you would never start it, but that's probably not true. 

 

For me it always went with reading about history, what better way to get a good idea what something looked like, than to build a scale model of it. 

 

My problem now is my hands are not as steady, so doing fiddly bits, like the crazy small P/E clamps and shit common on today's higher end models.   The biggest problem is not having a dedicated room for it, the paint smells give me wife migraines.   

 

I do plan on building again, I kept all my tools and paints, when I purged my kits by sending them to the snowy north so some dirty commie could build them.  

 

 

I think I'm an oddball in model preference too, cause I really like big scales, like I love Airfix's 1/24 airplanes,  I got one for christmas one year and an airbrush, it was the Hurricane with all the removable panels so you could see the guns and motor. I thought it was so trick the gauges were clear plastic in a detailed cockpits. 

 

I also loved building the big scale Tiger from tamiya, like 1/24 on that too, not as big as 1/16, but the turret roof came off, and the hull roof and it was detailed on the inside, and had individual link tracks and working torsion bar suspension. 

 

I still have an un built 1/32 Tamiya zero on the shelf behind me with an RC M26 Pershing from Tamiya on next to it, and a cheapy Chinese RC Sherman.  

20170912_210218small-1600x900.jpg

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The forum mechanics murdered my post. 

Tell the uberlords that if they do not want an angry bearded man with a Lee-Enfield mounting a 30 round magazine (cause I has one) storming their home under the supporting fire of at least six Ferret armoured cars and perhaps one Daimler fox and maybe a M5A1 and a M-18 and M4A3E2, they best fix their shit. 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

You know, I always assumed, if you didn't build models as a kid you wouldn't as a teen or adult, you would never start it, but that's probably not true. 

 

For me it always went with reading about history, what better way to get a good idea what something looked like, than to build a scale model of it. 

 

My problem now is my hands are not as steady, so doing fiddly bits, like the crazy small P/E clamps and shit common on today's higher end models.   The biggest problem is not having a dedicated room for it, the paint smells give me wife migraines.   

 

I do plan on building, I kept all my tools and paints, when I purged my kits by sending them to the snowy north so some dirty commie could build them.  

 

 

I think I'm an oddball in model preference too, cause I really like big scales, like I love Airfix's 1/24 airplanes,  I got one for christmas one year and an airbrush, it was the Hurricane with all the removable panels so you could see the guns and motor. I thought it was so trick the gauges were clear plastic in a detailed cockpits. 

 

I also loved building the big scale Tiger from tamiya, like 1/24 on that too, not as big as 1/16, but the turret roof came off, and the hull roof and it was detailed on the inside, and had individual link tracks and working torsion bar suspension. 

 

I still have an un built 1/32 Tamiya zero on the shelf behind me with an RC M26 Pershing from Tamiya on next to it, and a cheapy Chinese RC Sherman.  

20170912_210218small-1600x900.jpg

50 diopter lens, loads of manuals,  yards of streched sprue,  and miles of small motor amarature wire. And eventually you will be "mediocre."

 

Or  you could spend 59.95 on the infinite photoetch kit " for whatever you're making. 

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4 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Optionally do under £15 UK on one of those T-34s.....Seriously dude, you need to see one up close, it's the best kit I've ever seen straight out of the box (I've got three of the four and keep meaning to buy the one I don't have).

I worked on the T-34's owned by the Champlin museum.  It'd take an act of god to make me model them. Not because they were bad, but "dear lord that driver's hatch". 

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10 minutes ago, EnsignExpendable said:

I bought that T-34 for about $15 Canadian. It's amazing value, considering that you would not be getting an interior at all in any other kit in that scale. There were some fitting issues (something to do with the turret ring, I think), and the decals were shit, but overall I can't complain.

 

8 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

The only HobbyBoss kit I built was their first M26 pershing in 1/35, and it was a nice but several parts were warped, making it a pain.  It was a cool kit though, I'd buy another one, in fact I wanted to get the M26 with the long gun they put out. 

 

Really as "im pushing this  kit to "someone  I like" is it a 1, being "abject shit," or is a "5, being "Not at all bad".

 

Cause I would not mind a proper T-34 or four hovering about my abode.

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