SPA Modeler

Nice builds Mark!

Thank you Carlos! It's great to be back!

Thank you Lyle! I'm always glad to see you post.

Thank you Stuart! Yes, the Falcon is 1/72 scale. I wouldn't build it otherwise.

Thank you Mike!


Thanks to this past Hobby Day weekend, I have more progress to show, enough to bring out the trams again and load them up for another tour. All aboard as we take another tour of the Motor Pool this week.



The first model we worked on in this first bay is the Iranian Chieftain. We got the photo etch on it to prepare for painting:







'

Later it got a basecoat of the sandy color it will be sporting:





Finally, it got the skirts and a replacement barrel. I lost the original somehow, so I found one that looks close enough. I refuse to sideline a kit to wait forever for one lousy part to reappear! Other detail parts were added too:





Here it is glossed up and ready for decals:






Moving on to the next bay, we had the German panzerjaegerwagen languishing for a bit so it was pulled out and the turret built:





A base coat and camouflage pattern were then painted on:





Followed by Gloss and decals:





Since so many of these were so close to finishing, I pulled out more to start. This first one is the ancient Morris Quad and 25lb gun with limber which will be added to my Canadian Army in honor of a fellow Braille Scale modeler from Canada who passed away recently. I started with the Quad, even adding the driver to it:





Later I continued to work on this; enjoying the nostalgia of the build and before too long; I had this:





Yeah that will be ready for paint soon. In the next bay, I started the ACE kit of the Salamander Crash tender I bought in San Diego. I started with the interior as always:





That must have been interesting to drive from the center of the cab. Next the rear sections were built up and added:





Those were tough to line up but I got them looking fairly close. Next I painted the interior so I could close it up:





Roof, sides and front went on next, along with some filler in certain places:





After some sanding and prep, this got a coat of Krylon glossy apple red spray can:





I then decanted some and hand painted the frames on the windows, which I refined later:





Next this got almost all the last detail parts before decaling:





In the next bay; we started an ancient ESCI kit of the Leopard 1A2, which had markings for an Italian tank. So, we started on the hull of my new Italian tank:





While that was drying, the basic turret was built:





Later on the bogies, drive wheel and idlers were added and the tracks installed. The extra parts for the upper hull were added and then the whole thing cemented together:





Sometime later the remaining detail parts for the turret were added so now this one is ready for paint:





Finally in this last bay; we managed to get started on one of my raffle prizes from San Diego; the Dragon Hummel. This one is going to be Syrian, thus completing the entire inventory of German vehicles in Syrian service:






And that completes this tour of the latest Motor Pool progress for this week. Thank you for stopping in, comments are welcome.

All great stuff Mark - as I said in the other thread, I love that little Salamander. The Chieftain is also looking really good - it's also a nice looking kit.

Thank you Stuart! I'm thrilled with the Salamander and Takom does make some fantastic small scale armor!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! And now for another short tour of the Motor Pool, showing some of the latest production we got done before the Fourth of July holiday....

All aboard!

In this first bay, we have the German SdKfz halftrack with the finished rigging on the crane. I tried so hard to make it all straight and conformed, but no such luck. At least I got it rigged and now I can finally add all the final detail parts to finish this off:




In the next bay we have the Italian Leopard now sporting it's "spots" or camouflage pattern:


Later the decals went on and this moved closer to the finish line:


Moving on to the next bay, we have the Iranian Chieftain now glossed for decals:


The decals were added, bringing this closer to the finish line:


Speaking of Iranian tanks, in this next bay I started another Iranian tank, this time an M60 Patton, since someone who won it in the Distressed Kit Auction gave it to me after the meeting. The hull and turret were started first of course:


Later, after adding grooves to the center of the wheels to make them look like paired wheels, (it is an ancient ESCI kit after all) I added them to the hull and started the tracks:


Later it got the base coat of paint:


Afterward, decals were added and detail painting happened:


That brings that one close to the finish line.

Moving on to the next bay we have another ancient ESCI kit, this one is the LKW 3-ton truck that has been sitting for awhile in the stash. Time to fix that. The cab was built first and painted inside:


The chassis was built fast and the the cab and bed were added to it:


Then came the final build up of the bed and the addition of detail parts:



The last of the painting was done; this one is looking like it will get finished soon too:


In this last bay, we have a new project barely started. It's an OT-62 APC. I realized I have one for my Egyptian Army, but I don't have a Russian one so now I'm plugging that hole in my collection. Chassis was started first:



And that is as far as we got on that one so far.
That completes our tour of the Motor Pool for today. Have a happy Fourth of July and remember comments are always welcome.

Thanks all for coming in!

Those are all looking excellent Mark!

Nice update Mark. Regarding your OT-62, I don’t believe that the Soviets used those, as that was a Czech built variant of the Soviet BTR-50.

You're right Carlos. That is the BTR-50PK kit, which the Soviets did use. I have two of them so one will be Russian, the other Egyptian.

It's the middle of July and time for another tour of Maddog Manufacturing. This time we'll be making a brief foray into the shipyards to see one of my ships getting outfitted for launch. So, all aboard the trams for our next tour.



As mentioned, we'll start in the shipyards where the HMS Westminster has been sitting in drydock waiting for the photo-etch parts to be installed. Finally, we got them all on this ship:





Later they were all painted up, and additional detail parts were installed:








Finally, the decals were added, bringing this closer to launch and shakedown cruise:







Now on to the Motor Pool where we have a lot that has happened lately...



In this first bay, we have a German M113 APC that was started this past week. The running gear were installed first, sans drive sprockets as those were mounted with track links before being installed on the hull. The sharp-eyed among you will recognize this as an ancient ESCI kit too:





Later the top was built up:





The tracks went on nice and easy and the upper hull was added to the lower hull. I also base painted this a dark green:





The second camouflage color was then painted on:





Followed by the third color:





During this time, I was also working on a second ESCI M113 APC. This one is going to be added to my Canadian Army. Since everything except the camouflage was identical; I only took this pic of the Canadian APC in it's base coat:





Moving on to the next bay, I started another quick kit, this time it's the Airfix WWI-era Mk. I tank. Basic assembly was fats and easy:





After adding additional detail parts and building the 'steering wheels', this got a base coat of green:





Later I added the tracks and then took some time to paint the camouflage pattern on this tank. It's not easy to see, but there are four colors on that tank:





In this next bay, I worked on the upper hull for the previously-misnamed BTR-50PK APC:





This was later installed on the lower hull:





In this bay beside it, I started a second BTR-50PK, this time from PST. Wheels were done first:





The upper hull was then built; which was tougher to do than the previous one which is a Revell kit:





As before, the lower and upper hulls were then built up:





That one is going to take some work.


In this last bay is another German model. This is the German FAUN SLT-56 tank transporter. This is the Takom kit that came with a Leopard 2A7 as a load. The tank had been built already some time back so now it was time to build this transporter. First was the suspension ans axle system:





This was later added to the chassis frame:





Some of the upper works on the body were then added, including the crew seats in the cab:





Once the cab interior was completed and painted; the cab was added to the main body:





Later the rear superstructure was added once it was fully assembled:





Later a preliminary basecoat was added:





Followed by a more solid base coat and some additional detail panting:





While all that was drying, I built the trailer up almost completely, leaving off the wheels:





When all that was dry, I painted the other two camouflage colors on and afterward added all the wheels:








And that completes this tour of Maddog Manufacturing, I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.