next meeting

Our next meeting is Wednesday April 10th

as always at the Starbucks 1309 North Main St. Roswell..

Come join us---

The Grant

FROM BRUCE

1 Mar

Well after a hiatus where life and working around the house on things I had to do rather than something I wanted has again passed, I finally have some progress to report on my Academy Grant tank project. I finally finished the suspension and moved into the interior, whereupon I found myself with a quandary.  When I started modeling 20 something years ago, the armor was a shell.  I began this project with the idea to finish it quick and use it to resurrect my techniques.  However as I move forward, I’m finding that the models are now incredibly more detailed than when I was a child.  My Grant tank has a complete interior with much small detail.  I now have to decide whether to skip the interior parts and complete the shell to practice my weathering and painting or complete the interior in as much detail as I can, using the entire model for the practice.  The problem being that it will of course, significantly extend the time it takes me to complete my practice model.

I’m inclined to complete the small details of the Grant, but this will move the start of my planned North African diorama back quite a while.  I’ve painted the main hull assembly and am doing my research on the Grant interiors. For those interested. I found a couple of very informative webpages..

Medium Tank M3 Lee

And

Model Otaku: M3 Grant - Sheperd Paine Tribute Diorama

And one with more incredible detail than I will EVER achieve

www.network54.com/Forum/110741/.../M3+Grant+-+WIP,+round+2

The last one is a Verlinden upgrade kit from resin

I’ll be working a little more tomorrow

Go big or don't go at all

We continue to meet, every other Wednesday at the Roswell Starbuck's at 1309 North Main Street at 1900hrs if you are interested--the next meeting is 02-14-13...feel free to join us for coffee and military modeling talk. 

I've changed my modeling philosophy--and decided to go big---buy a few kits, each of which may take several months in the construction process--I'll take my time in their construction, and will always have something going on. First I purchased the smaller of my two most recently acquired models.

The Karl Gerat Mortar. This tracked siege mortar fired a 24" shell 6 miles. It was originally devised for attacking the French border forts. However the blitzkrieg happened and the 6 morsers produced were used on the Russian Front. This model is approx. 21 inches long when completed and I purchased it's accompanying Munition Schlepper based on a panzer MK III chassis. This track mortar is the baby of the recent purchases. 

My Second purchase (and the kit i will start first) is the German K5 Railway gun known as Leopold to the Germans and to the American's it was known as Anzio Annie.

The K5 railway gun was also designed to attack the French Border fortifications as with the Karl Mortar other uses for it--such as shelling England from France (!!!) were found. This rifled cannon fired a 16 inch shell over 11 miles. 

This model when completed will be 37 inches long--and i will have support rail cars and a diesel locomotive on display with it...

Like I say go big or don't go..............and I will supply pictures of the build here on our club blog.

Come join us for coffee and make jokes on my new giant modeling projects---

That's where the real fun is.................

update

We are still here and meeting--the next coffee and get together will be Wednesday, Jan. 30th as always at the Starbucks at 1309 N. Main St in Roswell.......new posts here on the blog soon------

meetings

Our next meeting will be Wednesday Dec 19th at 1900 hours as always at the Starbucks at 1309 North Main Street in Roswell...Stop by if you are interested...We are the 3 old geeks in camo sitting there talking non-stop. 

We see our role as essentially defensive in nature. While our armies are advancing so fast and everyone's knocking themselves out to be heroes, we are holding ourselves in reserve in case the Krauts mount a counteroffensive which threatens Paris... or maybe even New York. Then we can move in and stop them. But for 1.6 million dollars, we could become heroes for three days.

The Road

Starting on a new project---the road. 

I found a beautiful piece of base, the perfect length and width to create a road diorama. My plan is to build a German reconnaissance unit. German Reconnaissance  units were trained to be aggressive---taking and holding terrain when possible and equipped to fight enemy reconnaissance units for area dominance. 

I have so far built a Revell Swimmwagen--the only model of this vehicle available with the soft top up option...I am currently constructing a Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag half track by Tamyia. 

The German's produced 15,000 Sd.Kfz.251's during World War Two in numerous variations--the Tamyia model i am building is the basic troop transport model..an older kit--but excellently produced. 

I have attempted several new techniques with this particular construction---first of all--I used an airbrush for the base coat paint...I am also constructing the model in stages as I have seen many modelers do in the internet. I am also attempting to build aftermarket tracks for this vehicle, rather than use the cheesy, one piece plastic track bands that come with the kit itself. I have to admit that these are extremely tough to construct. Little tiny, tiny little pieces and lots and lots of them. I'll have to advise on how this process turns out.

I am so far pleased with how the Hanomag is turning out--I am attempting to detail the interior prior to sealing up the vehicle half's---

I am somewhat undecided on what my 3rd and if there is room, 4th vehicle of the unit will be...some of this will depend on the vehicle size and the number of figures i utilize in conjunction with the vehicles. I am planning on displaying figures disembarking for action on the road and moving to the front. 

Just an update on my recent project.

Our next little get together will be Wednesday Night Nov. 21st--1900hrs at the Roswell Starbucks on North Main near NMMI. Anyone interested is welcome to join us for coffee and nerdy modeling talk.

paper panzer

Our next meeting is Wednesday November 21st at 1900 hrs. as usual at the North Main Starbucks by NMMI. Feel welcome to stop by. 

My LandWasserSchlepper project is now complete and mounted on a small base representing a defended beach. This was an interesting model of an unusual subject matter and I was exposed to much new material while researching it....photo's of the process are displayed below:

I still have to pigment wash and dry brush the vehicle exterior and once that is completed i will provide photo's of the completed model on it's base...for now, thanks for looking......

We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. 
Winston Churchill