BryanKrueger

Nice build. I would not have known it was 1/48.

This is what I have been working on for the last few weeks. Love these kits. This makes #6. The base kit builds like this: MK44 AmmoKnight. But I glued on a few greeblies and used lots of putty. To get to this point. I'm still tinkering with tiny details but the majority is finished.

Thanks Bill! I could have pushed the earth effects a little more, but I wanted to get on to other projects! 😀

Thanks Mark. Appreciate it!

Thanks! I wish I had the set up for SBS photos but I work at the diner table most of the time. 😑

Thanks everyone! I forgot to post a few images of the completed Kurganets-25. It appears in the February issue of Military Modelcraft International so I'm limiting the number of final images for now.

Thanks Mark A lot of these Soviet concept tanks are available in smaller scales. http://shop.okbgrigorov.com/category/40/ussr.html

I get that. I was just referring to my preference and not the human condition. I don't get a lot of bench time so anything I can do to shave a few hours off a project the better. Thanks!

Or it could be argued that you are using the tools available. I'm sure our ancestor craftsmen would have chosen a 24volt cordless drill over a hand crank auger. I design my own parts in 3D. I research the subject, obtain as many drawings as possible, model the parts up in 3D CAD and any kit parts that may mate up to them. I send the parts out to be 3D printed then clean up and assemble the parts. No injection kit exists of this Matilda Conversion.There is a resin conversion but it is inaccurate and does not compare to the photos. No drawings exist of it either, only a few photos. So I used the Tamiya kit to base my dimensions and reversed engineered the new parts based on the photos. Designed a sprue: And 3D printed the parts: Added some additional details I test fit them to the kit and adjust if needed. I have the skills to scratch these parts but why if there is an easier, more accurate and less time consuming alternative. What would this entry be considered? I am currently designing parts for this Soviet SPG concept. How do I convey to judges at a national show that I designed my own parts? And would they care? Or would "cheating" like this be a mark against me?

Finished. I used the designation Takom gave their never to be released kit. Right click to see larger versions.

Thanks Mark. It only existed in drawings. Never prototyped. Project was cancelled when Soviets pulled back. Paint has been applied. The smaller markings are airbrushed thru Alliance Model Works stencils. The larger crosses are sprayed thru hand cut frisket. The 14 is a spare decal from a 38(t).

Thanks Bill.

Trumpeter KV-5 built as a BeutePanzer. Because why not. Needs some minor clean up before paint. Added lots of pieces from the spare bin or items I recently picked up at local shows. Lionroar tow cable ModelKasten clamps Tasca jerry cans with scrap PE bracket Aber tow loops for the Tiger 1 MIG productions resin tail light Copula, Notek, horn, etc from Dragon bits and pieces Still need to make the brackets to hold the spare wheels and tracks. A couple of color studies:

Thanks Oliver and Raoul. I've started dust and rain marks. First layer of dust and streaks are created by airbrushing AK Light Dust enamel and then swiping the enamel with a ratty brush just damp with thinner. Pigments have been applied to the lower hull and running gear. Additional dust effects created with oil paints. I need to bring some of the lower darker colors up the hull sides next. Wheels are not fully attached so there may be some alignment issues.

My newest project is the Matilda armed with the ZiS-5-76mm gun. Links: https://warspot.ru/7198-novyy-mech-dlya-matildy http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/matilda-mk-iv-zis-5/ There is a resin conversion kit but looking at the images, it isn't very accurate. I used the photos from Warspot and created the parts in 3D CAD. I used the newer Tamiya Red Army Matilda kit and spare parts from a trumpeter KV-1 to estimate the dimensions. Then I had to guess on some of the details like plate orientation and how it was mounted to the Matilda turret. I may not be as accurate as I want but there are very few reference photos. The parts were designed in SolidWorks and are being printed by Shapeways. I have sent the parts out to be printed and will know in about a week how close I am. Assembled exploded view Assembled View Layout for 3D Print

This is a conversion of the Hasegawa MK44 WhiteKnight. I added a few extra greeblies to the rear torso and scratch built a new gun. This is now my fifth MK44 kit. I love these things. The kit is so well engineered and the design lends itself to customization. Additional images can be found here: MK44 Crusader Knight

Rob - Thanks! It's best not to think too much about those kinds of things. And yes, love those Revell Robotech kits. Finished the Tiger. It has too large of a foot print to add a small base. My display cabinet is packed. 😕 Figure is from Tank. Additional images can be found here: LT-7 Tiger

Congrats on sticking through a rough kit. Nice job. What year do you think this kit was released?

Wow! You made nice work out of a brutal kit. Kudos to you for seeing it through. I'm so surprised as to what passes for acceptable from US domestic garage kit suppliers. I have a friend that builds Studio Scale Star Wars and Star Trek kits. You should see the crappy quality he pays $800 to several grand for.

Thank you Kev and Mark! It was a challenging project but I'm pleased with the results.

Once I got some paint applied to the KV-7, the rest went quickly. The model is weathered with oil paints, enamels, and pigments. I'm pretty pleased with the end result even though the model is not as accurate as I prefer them to be. Thanks for hosting this Group Build. it game me the motivation to complete this.

Will you coordinate any group tours to Lockhart or Luling for BBQ? 😀

Yeah, that's why I have a stack of "get them while you can kits". Even the MaK general releases injection molded kits are limited run.

This is the 1/35 scale Junk Tank Rock LT-7. An obscure very limited run garage kit from the 2008-09 time frame. Maybe less than 100 were ever kitted. The designs only exist as kits; there was never an anime or manga. Construction was very straightforward as there were only 26 parts used in the build. I added a few greeblies and replaced the molded in handles on the fuel drum with PE and added a few tie down loops. Airbrushed with Tamiya. Paint was chipped with the HS technique. Markings are airbrushed with Montex masks and still need to be worn.

The KV-7 was a prototype design that never made it into production. It was an early attempt to increase firepower against light defensive positions. The first iteration was a triplex design with a single 76mm gun flanked by two 45mm guns. This approach performed poorly in trails and it was decided to evaluate twin 76mm guns and drop the 45mm entirely. Trials didn't go to well for the twin mount either and the project was eventually cancelled. The effort wasn't a total loss, the concept eventually evolved into the SU-152. Trumpeter's kit adds a couple of new sprues to its basic KV-1 kit. The new parts aren't particularly impressive and the old parts are starting to show tool wear with some pitting and excess flash and still those damn ejector pin marks in the tracks. The base kit assembled quickly but it was only after I posted images online that I became aware of the myriad of accuracy issues with the kit. Trumpeter really dropped the ball on this one. I think they must have used World Of Tanks as their technical guide. The kit has the following errors: Incorrect roof layout Incorrect acorn periscopes Gun mantle is the wrong shape Gun shield is too thin and missing many details Casemate is placed in the wrong location - too far back Hull top armor plates are wrong size and location Nose edge armor plate is missing weld details Uses incorrect armored periscope guards Wrong transmission deck Incorrect road wheels Incorrect return rollers Missing gunner's sight opening and armored cover Incorrect shape on appliqué armor plate Incorrect fender configuration Incorrect gun barrel shape After I found this out, I set the kit aside for a while. Over the following months, I would work on it for a little while and then box it up again. I wanted to smash it with a hammer many times. Eventually I dragged it out and finally made a go at it. I reworked and scribed the roof plate and added missing bolt details. I realized there was far too much work to be done on the model to make it accurate, so I decided to add my own errors to the kit. I added a spare armored MG turret from the KV-220 model and the missing periscope guards sourced from the spares. I wasn't too happy with the MG copula periscope guards so I designed new ones in CAD and had Shapeways 3d print new ones. Here it is with a base coat of green: Currently it has brown camo pattern and awaiting weathering. Link to KV-7 Development History