1/72 Airfix - F-86D

This is an older kit that I got a garage sale.  It was missing a few parts - cockpit, fuel tanks, landing gear, air intake, air brakes, and an exhaust nozzle.  I decided to use it as a test build for AK Interactive's Xtreme metal Paints.

I started by scratch building the cockpit details.  The ejection seat was detailed with brass shim stock and plastic.  Seat belts were added, along with handles and stick.  The instrument panel was made from plastic card stock and detailed with small plastic disks punched from .010 styrene.

The canopy was buffed and wet sanded and then dipped in Future Floor wax.  This was my first time using this technique and it worked out really well.  The engine exhaust was made from the spare parts box and plastic strips.  The rest of the model went together very quickly.  The seam along the fuselage was puttied and sanded smooth.

The model was masked and primed using Tamiya grey primer from a rattle can.

I wanted to test the Xtreme Metal paint finishes.  I first applied the paint directly to the primer,  I masked half the plane and put down a coat of aluminum.  I used dark and dura aluminum for different planes.  The paint is very thin and it takes several coats to get good coverage.  The paint dries very quickly.

On the other half of the model, I sprayed the satin black that was recommended by AK Interactive.  The black paint was also very thin.

Here is the model.  I couldn't really tell any difference between putting the Xtreme metal over the satin black or straight on to the Tamiya primer.  The panel with the dark and dura aluminum do stand out nicely.  The anti glare panel was paint with Testors flat olive drab and the nose was painted with flat black.

The model with the decals completed.  To set the decals, I over coated the completed model with Humbrol Satin.  This was a mistake. It left the model with an uneven pattern.

The decals were older and didn't set as well as I hoped.  The USAF has a clear outline on the wing.  I tried to use some acetone to dissolve the decal to minimize the effect, but is started lift the paint instead.

Here is the finished model.

M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman - 1/35 Tamiya

This model was started in Feb 2016.  It's the old Tamiya Jumbo kit.

The turret was not correct and it required a lot of modifications.  Two part putty was used to increase the bulk of the turret.  The commander copula was removed and a plastic ring was added as a support.  I used Surfacer 500 to add texture the turret.  Casting numbers were added to the front and sides of the turret.  A weld bead was added too.

The transmission cover was also bulked up using two part putty.  Surfacer 500 was used again to add texture.

Next, I worked on the road wheels and bogies.  Most M4A3E2's used a weld spoked road wheel, so I cut inserts from 0.005 sheet styrene.  There are 12 road wheels and each wheel needed 5 inserts - that's 60 inserts.  The effect looks good.

The bogies were detailed with mounting holes and bolts.  Bolts were also added where the transmission cover meets the hull.  To remove the seam lines on the road wheels, I mounted the wheel on a drill and sanded the wheel until the seam was gone.

I detailed the hatches.  The periscope holders were fabricated from sheet embossing aluminum.  Pads and handles were added.

This a close up of the details added.  There are the casting numbers on the turret, the weld beads on the added front and side armor.  Sand rails were added and putty was added for the welds.

M4A1(76)W Sherman - 1/35 Dragon

This project was started in July 2014.  It's the 1/35 Operation Cobra by Dragon.  It was an interesting kit to build, and it required a lot of detail work.

I started with the boogies and road wheels.  I removed the seam lines on the road wheels, 4 mounting holes were drilled on the front side of the boogies, rivets were added to the return skids, and 12 pop rivets were added to each of the road wheels.  The drive sprocket was too narrow for the tracks.  I added a thin plastic shim to widen the sprocket.  I added 8 hex head bolts to the idler wheel bracket.  The sand rail was made from 0.015 plastic strip.

Weld seams were made by coating thin plastic rod with liquid cement.  When the plastic was soft, it was shaped with a hobby knife.  Welds were added to the tow hitch and around all the filler protectors, and drain holes were also added.

On the upper hull, all mounting holes were plugged with stretched sprue, and all grab handles were removed and replaced with wire.  The lifting lugs on the hull and turret were replaced with bent paperclips.  Sand rails were replaced with plastic strips.  Tied down clips were made and small plastic disks.  The rear storage rack was fabricated from brass shim stock.

Casting numbers were added to the turret.  The large numbers were shaved numbers from the sprues. Also,  Archer transfers were used.  The rear air vent was removed and the space was filled with plastic sheets and putty.  Mr. Surfacer was used to texture seams.  The grab handles on the side of the turret were made with wire.

The were the hardest part of the build.  They were assembled using a jig made out of craft sticks.  It took a long time to clean each of the 3 parts that make up one link.  The tracks were painted black, and the metal parts were dry brushed metallic grey track and many washed of rust were applied.

The tank was primed and pre-shaded with black.  The tank was painted OD.  All the decals were printed on an ALPS printer.  It was given multiple black washes and weathered with pastels.

The crew as made from a combination of Tamiya, Dragon, and MiniArt figures.  The 10-in-1 C-Ration boxes were constructed from heavy weight paper and printed on an ALPS printer.  The .30 cal ammo boxes are made from plastic stock.  The expended 76 mm casing were made from brass rod drilled out on an Unimat lathe.

The model was finally finished in February 2015. 

M4A3(76)W HVSS Sherman - 1/35 Dragon

This project was started in February.  It's the old 1/35 M4A3(76)W HVSS Sherman by Dragon.  It is showing it's age and required a lot of updating and detailing.  The turret, transmission cover, and mantlet were textured with Mr. Surfacer 500 primer to get a realistic cast detail.  The gun tube supplied with the kit seemed short.  It was replaced with one from the spare parts box.  The grab handles and periscope brush guards were replaced using wire and super glue.  The lifting hooks were too thick and were replaced with paperclips bent into the correct shapes.  The weld seems were filled with 0.02" plastic rod with liquid plastic cement.  Once softened, the rod was shaped using an x-Acto blade.  Weld seems were added on the hull as needed.  Drainage holes were drilled around the filler cap areas.

Detail was added to the edges of armor plate to simulate them being cut with a torch.  The fenders that come with the kit were too think and lacked detail.  Replacement fenders were scratched built from sheet aluminum.  The turret had an odd shape near the mantlet.  It was reshaped with sheet plastic and putty.  The track was replaced with AFV T-66 after mark set.

The metal parts were primed, and the tank was pre-shaded with black.  The tank was painted using Olive Drab using Vallejo paints.  The decals came from the spare parts box.  The running gear and track was weathered with Celluclay, and the tank with multiple brown and tan washes.  Multiple black pin washes were also done.    

The figures are from Dragon tank crew set.  They were built from stock and painted with acrylics.  The command's helmet was replaced with one from Tamiya, which seemed to be the correct size.  The helmet liner and chin strips were made from foil.  The command's microphone was scratch built and the wire was added.  The edges of the uniforms were detailed.  

M-8 Armored Car - 1/35 Tamiya

I am getting close to finishing an 1/35 M-8 Greyhound Armored Car by Tamiya.  The project was started last year.  This was my first attempt at super detailing.  The running gear was detailed with bolts on the differential and axles, brake lines.  The fenders were left off to show the added support structures, texture was added to the turret, and the interior was completely detailed with a radio, intercom, wiring, brackets, and decals.  The tank was pre-shaded black, and then over sprayed with an dark OD.  It was weathered, and has a black pin wash.

Other details include Yank magazine, 10-in-1 C ration cartons, cargo net, grab handles, straps, buckles, and extra gear stowed on the rear deck of the M-8.  The figure is MiniArt tank crew with a Hornet replacement head.  The figure was painted using acrylics.

M4A1(76)W Sherman - 1/35 Italeri

I built this M4A1 76mm Sherman Tank a few years ago.  I updated the model by adding texture to the turret, hull, and transmission cover, wire grab handles, after market track, hedge row cutter, sandbags, and extra gear on the rear deck.  The US markings were custom made on an ALPS printer and the stars were painted.

K-Ration Water Slide Decals

I've created a set of water slide decals for K-Ration boxes.  I printed them using an ALPS MD-1000 printer.  A light coat of acrylic was sprayed over the decals to set them