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RGronovius

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Posts posted by RGronovius

  1. There is a search field in the upper right hand corner, not sure how it searches, I don't believe I've utilized it before.

    Sometimes when the tracks are too tight, you have to do a little surgery by relocating the mounting axles for the sprocket or idler wheel inward just a few millimeters to give some slack.

  2. Depends on the type of tank you are modeling. If it has sagging track and open suspension (no track skirts), you can leave off either the idler wheel or sprocket and then slide the track onto that object as you then place it on the suspension.

    If it has covered and tight tracks, like an Abrams, you could attach it with staples on the top side since it will be hidden by the side skirts.

  3. On 9/18/2019 at 10:53 AM, Dakimbrell said:

    This is simply not true in IPMS judging. While we may give the builder the benefit of the doubt, we do judge gross accuracy and often in the specific. GENERALLY  SPEAKING....While an airplane with a crooked part may not be "good craftsmanship", it is also not "accurate". Tanks with floating tracks are not accurate, but it is also considered poor craftmanship. We may not judge specifics like the location of a unit marking or the shade of color, but we do judge accuracy. If not, then why put so much time into the effort? We could just pick the ones we think are pretty.

    Generally speaking, heavy rubble with a neatly cleared path for a tank's tracks shows a lack of consistency, which is a consideration in judging. Many times I have seen vehicles put into locations where it would be impossible to get into...or out of.... without a helicopter. This is poor craftsmanship and shows a lack of consistency.

    Dak

    I was often asked to judge 1/72-1/76 scale armor when the category was small and before Dragon and others made a push into the scale. I am not a WW2 German armor person, so I judged kits based on the basics of constructions. I could not judge them on realistic markings or paint schemes. While I know some basic items, like Panthers and King Tigers would not have DAK markings, I would not know about other unit markings.

    Now throw an M1A2 tank with USMC markings or an M113A3 in Vietnam, and I'll know that isn't correct.

  4. I still build older kits from the 1980s and 90s OOB. Solid kits, just not the high tech gee whiz ones today.

    A current project of mine, is based off of the 1950s era Monogram M48A2. I got the tank from the clearance aisle for $7.50. It is ancient, but it has some good memories. I built one long ago and repainted it around 1984. I still have that original kit.

    Any way, the project I am working on is using an old Lo Models conversion that was designed to turn three kits into different variants. The one I am using changes this Vietnam era warhorse into a Bundeswehr tank. That conversion was released around 1989.

    I still have a lot of older Italeri and Esci armor that isn't worth trying to sell, nor worth pouring good money into it in terms of aftermarket either; the price of AM alone would be about what a better kit would cost.

  5. There is still value in an OOB category. It harkens back to a simpler time when kits didn't "need" dollars worth of extras just to be built.

    Even with today's intricate multimedia kits with metal barrels, single link tracks and photo etched frets, some modelers still purchase additional items to enhance these kits.

    But there is still a place for modelers who like to assemble plastic kits out of the box and enter them in contests.

  6. On 8/15/2019 at 12:10 AM, TheRealMrEd said:

    Thanks for the kind remarks.  Interestingly, the B-17 was the first model I made as an adult.  As a kid, I had stopped around 1961.  In 1969, I was watching "12 O'Clock High" on TV, and darned if I didn't have to run out an by and old Revell B-17 kit and started back modeling.  I know all about gettin' the B-17 on...

    Ed

    I remember buying a B-17 kit that had opening bomb bay doors, but the bombs were molded in place; just a pair of them visible. I think it was the Memphis Belle and I think it was by Revell, but might have been a Lindberg kit. This would have been early to mid 70s. EDIT: eBay search and it was the Revell Belle.

    I know I eventually got a B-17 made by MPC which was a reissued Airfix kit with a bunch of ground crew figures that was way superior.

  7. I built that kit a very long time ago, or at least a Monogram B-24 Liberator of some mark. I know it had a Shep Paine sheet and he had made his into a formation plane with a white paint job and polka dots. I'm not sure if the same kit still exists, but I figured I'd point you in the direction of at least an option for a canopy.

  8. With most 1/72 scale armor, the kit builder is stuck with the tracks the kit comes with, good or bad, unless it is a common vehicle like a Tiger or Sherman. Then they may have an aftermarket alternative.

    I've been a 1/72 scale armor builder for many years and was sometimes recruited to judge that category. Very few 1/72 scale tank kits have what I would consider "great" tracks. Most are okay, but many are poor.

  9. Sad to hear.

    As far as dementia goes, my father-in-law was fine, his normal self at our annual Thanksgiving dinner (held the Saturday after T-day at our home).

    At Christmastime he was a little off. At their house, he commented about wanting to go home. He was home, but I guess all the family around was confusing him. That was strange since there was a family dinner at his home virtually every Sunday.

    The next big gathering was Easter Sunday. He was definitely "not home" upstairs. Thought I was the man who sold him his house, but he's lived in that home for ages before I ever married into the family. Kept asking about where his deceased ex-wife was. She had died about ten years earlier.

    It was sad to see him go from normal to needing help just to bathe in less than 5 months. It wasn't long before he was bedridden and died shortly afterwards.

  10. I recently scored a kit with an MSRP of $169.99 for under $15 delivered. Guys from my model club in Louisville posted about some deep discounts on Dragon kits at Dragon USA. While the kit they were discussing was a 1/6th scale Panzer II normally $350 for $16 and discounted to $10 after using their Father's Day code, I searched other mistakenly discounted kits.

    I found the Dragon Iron Man Age of Ultron Mark XLIII kit listed for $10 and change; $7.18 after the 35% off discount code. With shipping, a whopping $14.82 delivered. Others tried to order the giant tank and one guy tried to order Iron Man, but their orders were cancelled.

    By the time they posted their orders were cancelled, I got a shipping notice. It arrived a two days later. By the time it arrived, the price had risen to $101.99.

    http://www.dragonusaonline.com/item_detail.aspx?ItemCode=DRA38155

    64293276_10214951267520024_389665366964664394989_10214951268200041_140226232198764271567_10214951268480048_5626949775338

     
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