Finally got my work-space set up again today, having had to pack it up about a week before Christmas.
After much deliberation I decided I'd build one of my Matildas as my mojo-boosting first task for the year, leaving half-a-dozen part completed builds waiting on the side-lines.
I'll be building her pretty much OoB, with a few minor mod's for Royal Australian Marines operations in the Asia/Pacific region - not the Australian Army mod's.
The kit comes with 3 different gun barrels, including a 3" howitzer that I'm going to use instead of either of the 2-pounder barrels.
Enough waffling! I've only cleaned up about 6 pieces & glued 3 bits together but it's a start! :thumbsup: ;D
Always good to see more Wombat Armour.
I really must build some of my small tank stash this year.
Thanks, Fred! :thumbsup:
Hopefully it lives up to expectations - all the reviews I've read were very positive - & she goes together nice & easy! ;)
I do like a Matilda, and a Wombat armour build too.
:thumbsup:
The Tilly was just the right amount of armour and had a reasonable gun (particularly after the Australian Army development of a HE round for the 2 Pdr) in a small enough package that could be easily moved between and around the islands.
I look forward to seeing what you do, Guy. Your builds are always interesting. I expect, as it is a RAM vehicle it will come equipped with wading trunks and an exhaust extension?
Thanks, gents! :thumbsup:
B: I don't really want to do too much to her but some kind of wading gear may be a possibility. Guess I'll have to do some research & have a think.
Looking forward to this. For the intended operational area it's got reasonable armour protection and a decent close support weapon with the 3"C.S. gun.
Having done some research, including watching the "Inside the Cheiftain's Hatch" episode on the Matilda, I've concluded that the Queen of the Desert is not the Queen of the Beach.
Basically, the set-up at the rear of the Matilda doesn't lend itself to fitting wading gear without a serious re-design. The exhaust re-arrangement is do-able, not easy but it can be done, but those big cast panels on the engine deck have vents cast into them for air to come in & go out, & there's next-to-no room anywhere to fit a base for the the air inlet duct to connect to. :banghead:
So, I'm insane, I have an idea & I'm going to run with it ... but I'll be doing it in such a way that the wading gear can be displayed fitted or disassembled, so the base can be seen for what it is & it can be seen how the assembled ducting works.
Did I mention I'm insane? :blink:
Quote from: Old Wombat on January 17, 2018, 05:43:55 AM
Did I mention I'm insane? :blink:
Insane? No. Imaginative? Most definitely YES!!
DAMN! I forgot to take into account the bloody turret! :angry:
Sorry, guys, no wading gear on this build. :(
It can be done but it needs a complete re-design of the engine deck ... all of it. :o
I have another Matilda, but I have plans for her, so I'll need to buy another before I can do the wading option. I'll have to remove the engine deck & replace it with lighter plate-steel armour, rather than the massive cast armour used. Install vents & grills in a more consolidated arrangement. Then design the wading gear around that.
(Actually, I'll probably design the ventilation set-up & the wading ducts simultaneously as an integrated system.)
So, Matilda II CS with minimal mod's for RAM service it will have to be. :thumbsup:
I'm impressed by your attention to the practicalities, and knowledge :thumbsup:
;D ;D ;D
"Knowledge" is from a millennium ago, when I first fell in love with the Matilda II as a youngster, & some extremely recent blitz-data-mining across the interwebnet.
Practicalities? Well, I guess I like my builds to be slightly sensible. ;)
Quote from: Old Wombat on January 18, 2018, 06:00:02 AM
...I guess I like my builds to be slightly sensible. ;)
You mad fool you...
Quote from: Old Wombat on January 18, 2018, 06:00:02 AM
Practicalities? Well, I guess I like my builds to be slightly sensible. ;)
And that way lies madness ? See my Blog re the Attacker ;)
I've always had a liking for the Matilda II as well, indeed a lot of the early War period British tanks. Just found a Wargames company that produces all the Crusader variants in 28mm(1/56) scale. Quite a nice size he thinks to himself :angel:
About half way through piecing together the Bronco individual link tracks. :o
Quote from: Old Wombat on February 16, 2018, 05:33:47 AM
About half way through piecing together the Bronco individual link tracks. :o
Individual track links? <shudder> :banghead: You
are insane. I'm convinced that that is the way to complete madness.
Most of my armour builds are in 1/72 - I actually like the vinyl one-piece things that Airfix sells as tracks. I decided early on that the best way with those was needle and thread ... although small staples also worked.
Quote from: Scotaidh on March 10, 2018, 07:11:17 AM
Most of my armour builds are in 1/72 - I actually like the vinyl one-piece things that Airfix sells as tracks. I decided early on that the best way with those was needle and thread ...
Yup, my mum got quite good at it ;)
I've got the "joining them together bit" sorted on vinyl tracks but I'm buggered if I can get any type of paint to stick to them, especially Tamiya's.
Tracks are all done, now. Just have to prime & paint them, then weather them.
Working out the painting process on the Matilda is, also, a challenge if you don't want the wrong paint on various pieces.
Hopefully by the end of the week ... if I'm lucky ... HA!
Figured an update was somewhat overdue here, so here it is:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-tvK82nd/0/25892206/L/IMG_2004-M.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-LW4BrWG/0/8a2738b2/L/IMG_2005-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-L9d2RhX/0/cee655a8/L/IMG_2006-L.jpg)
Tracks & bogeys are weathered & worn but Matilda, herself, is in her pristine primary paint job. From here it's finish & fit the tracks, fit the side armour & other bits, dirty her up a bit, install the crew & make a base.
Cheers! :thumbsup:
Looking good.
:thumbsup:
Thanks, Fred! :thumbsup:
Tracks painted gun-metal. I'll weather-&-wear them a bit tomorrow, then fit them Saturday night after work.
Interesting. Although Matilda's were used in France we are far more used to seeing them in a desert scheme. Looks a little different in green :thumbsup:
Thanks, Chris. Yep, the Aussie green machines do look a little odd when used to seeing Matilda dressed up as Queen of the Desert. ;)
Note: Someone - & no way is it going to be me - needs to do a Matilda dressed like this;
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmovieboozer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F11%2Ftopshow.jpg&hash=792e9b53ba72ffb34942d78d964b3c582a9cfb71)
& a crew who look like this;
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ce/00/61/ce0061f3a0d07489916e7da252a3da28.jpg)
(https://cinemahochman.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/priscilla1.jpg)
This is looking marvellous, and makes me want to build more 35th scale armour. I gave my builds away.
Chris
Thanks, Chris! :thumbsup:
It all comes down to what you're willing to spend & how much display space you have ... or, in my case, how willing you are to ignore said restrictions & build in 1/35 anyway. ;D
Quote from: Old Wombat on March 25, 2018, 07:16:24 AM
Thanks, Chris! :thumbsup:
It all comes down to what you're willing to spend & how much display space you have ... or, in my case, how willing you are to ignore said restrictions & build in 1/35 anyway. ;D
Haha, I don't have much room in my current abode, unless I put stuff in storage, I still have a fair few 1/72nd scale armoured vehicles to do yet that I have no room for, maybe one day I will start building them again, as I can see the parts on these ;D
Chris
BTW, folks, this is on a short hiatus, as my eldest daughter is moving, not just out of home but out of town, next Tuesday.
She has her first full-time RN nursing position at a Nursing Home down in Millicent (the one where my mother is, in fact), near Mount Gambier in the SE of the state.
The last week has seen lots of prep, with more to do, & the garage (where I do my spray painting) is full of sh... stuff she'll be taking with her.
Then I'll be going down with her for 4 days to help her set up & settle in (also gives me a chance to see "me dear ol' mum" - which doesn't happen often enough).
Good luck, Guy. Look after your mum, she is important! :thumbsup:
Quote from: rickshaw on March 25, 2018, 07:29:37 PM
Good luck, Guy. Look after your mum, she is important! :thumbsup:
Yes, Mums are.
Hope all goes well with the shift and the new job.
I imagine it'll also be nice for Grandmum & Granddaughter to have a bit of time together, too. :thumbsup:
If they don't end up in a raging screaming match - my mum's an ex-RN. ;D
PS: Just in case you don't know, in this case RN = Registered Nurse (not Royal Navy)
Quote from: Old Wombat on March 26, 2018, 04:49:28 AM
If they don't end up in a raging screaming match - my mum's an ex-RN. ;D
PS: Just in case you don't know, in this case RN = Registered Nurse (not Royal Navy)
Yup, got that... I can hear it now...
"We didn't have to put up with all this Malarkey* in my day."
"Well we do now, and if I want to keep this job, I have to put up with and action said malarkey."
"If you say so, but I still don't see why I can't have a Gin before breakfast to wash the meds down with."Or something along those lines... ;D ;D ;D
*Polite version...
Gin won't be an issue - my mother had an alcoholic mother &, although not tea-total, alcohol isn't her issue ... bloody-minded stubbornness, on the other hand :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Quote from: Old Wombat on March 27, 2018, 02:07:51 AM
bloody-minded stubbornness, on the other hand :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
There's a lot of mum's and grandmum's like that - bless 'em ;)
My great grandmother, at the age of 97, was told by an earnest young doctor in her local hospital that her regime of 20 Capstan full strength (untipped) and a bottle of Guinness every day was "markedly shortening her life-span" Her reply; 90 seconds worth of unparliamentary language and vituperation; during which she never drew breath or repeated herself earned her a spontaneous round of applause from a passing consultant and his team. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with her mind or her wind", he said "and her vocabulary is quite remarkable too" This was reported to me by a nurse I know, in tones of admiration!
One can only hope that the young doctor learned to think before he opened his mouth in future!
Quote from: NARSES2 on March 27, 2018, 06:01:30 AM
Quote from: Old Wombat on March 27, 2018, 02:07:51 AM
bloody-minded stubbornness, on the other hand :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
There's a lot of mum's and grandmum's like that - bless 'em ;)
And honestly*, would** we have 'em any other way? :thumbsup:
*can be substituted with 'realistically'.
**can be substituted with 'could'.
Should have replied earlier, Rick, but either version works. ;)
I've been progressing this next to the M41 but I figure it might be, with a modicum of luck, Thursday/Friday next week before it's finished. :thumbsup:
Every time I use phrases like "with a modicum of luck" the Gods of Chance have a wee chuckle to themselves and we know what happens next :banghead: ;)
Yeah, tempting fate, I know, but sometimes you have to take the risk. ;)
OK, finished except for dull-cote & some post-matt touch-ups. I'll try to get some photos up in the next 36 hours but it won't be finished-finished until I can get some airbrush time.
Guess I'll have to start clearing the workspace for the next build. ;)
Well, that was quick! ;)
So, here are some photos for you to peruse & make constructive criticisms about. :mellow:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-p6tGcbJ/0/6bad4ca3/XL/IMG_2021-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-94jmksP/0/4dfc0c6b/XL/IMG_2022-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-GGfTjJC/0/0e152553/XL/IMG_2023-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-D7SRnzn/0/6236bdab/XL/IMG_2025-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-cmDwh42/0/b0e163d7/XL/IMG_2029-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-kMDfn3j/0/91b21207/XL/IMG_2030-XL.jpg)
It's difficult to realise that one of these was a "heavy" tank of its era, yet barely more than 10 years later the other was a "light" tank.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-dRjFrq2/0/900115fa/XL/IMG_2033-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-2dhwPSf/0/2b6c7111/XL/IMG_2034-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Matilda-II-V1/i-SMqHf2T/0/674e8922/XL/IMG_2035-XL.jpg)
This last image is the most accurate to the real colours (on my monitor).
Thanks for watching! :thumbsup:
I really do like that, the "relaxed" crew members look so right :thumbsup:
Fab.
:thumbsup:
Quote from: Old Wombat on March 15, 2018, 04:54:09 PM
Thanks, Chris. Yep, the Aussie green machines do look a little odd when used to seeing Matilda dressed up as Queen of the Desert. ;)
Note: Someone - & no way is it going to be me - needs to do a Matilda dressed like this;
(https://www.whatifmodellers.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmovieboozer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F11%2Ftopshow.jpg&hash=792e9b53ba72ffb34942d78d964b3c582a9cfb71)
& a crew who look like this;
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ce/00/61/ce0061f3a0d07489916e7da252a3da28.jpg)
(https://cinemahochman.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/priscilla1.jpg)
This might be a good starting point
http://www.mbltd.info/models.htm
Thank you, Chris & Fred! :bow:
Quote from: NARSES2 on August 04, 2018, 02:14:08 AM
I really do like that, the "relaxed" crew members look so right :thumbsup:
We are a relaxed people.
Well, most of us...