Author Topic: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.  (Read 8214 times)

Offline Story

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Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« on: March 26, 2020, 02:33:41 AM »
We live in the age of cooties.

Take inspiration from what I post, and dredge up your own low-hanging-fruit-to-finish

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9077.0

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9073.0

http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9072.0


For the stuff I'll never tackle, see http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9083.0
« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 01:24:35 AM by Story »

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2020, 04:01:44 AM »
We live in the age of cooties.

 ;D
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2020, 12:30:02 AM »
Hmmmm. Wat do?  Not another OD Green war machine....



NASA M113
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/M113flyout.html



UPDATED

The build was too battered to be a NASA vehicle, so it became

PAVN M113 "Army of Buddha" 1978



Inspired by these photos



Any have spare PAVN markings (#10, below) in their parts boxes?
[/b]
« Last Edit: May 03, 2020, 01:51:13 AM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2020, 01:53:06 AM »
LOUISIANA MANEUVERS 1942

Stark Industries M-1A1 Combat Walker
'Limelight' night vision spotlight (Lindberg T55 IR light), two .60 caliber T-17/T-18 heavy machineguns (Lindberg 12.7mm Dhsk) and two .50 M3 Brownings (chin turret).

Crewman (TAMIYA WW2 tanker) mansplaining things to a Stark Industries representative (Italeri Fraulein Flunky).


Fuel cans and antenna mount swiped from the spares box as well. Probably could use a bit of pencil-weathering and some black wash in predictable places, but I'm done with it for now.

1/48th MPC-now-Bandai snap tite kit[url] with a pre-war US insignia from Testors Curtiss Racer kit.

Primed with rattle can OD green.




"Made in the USA".
Now that's a label I have not seen in a long time.....
« Last Edit: April 24, 2020, 04:37:25 AM by Story »

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2020, 02:41:02 AM »
The Combat Walker looks fantastic! Are the figures 1/48 as well? It could use a .30 cal or two.

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2020, 03:26:26 AM »
The Combat Walker looks fantastic! Are the figures 1/48 as well? It could use a .30 cal or two.

Thanks, but they're 1/35th.

I figure this design was il-balanced with inappropriate armament and not enough on-board ammunition, under-powered, mechanically delicate, prone to overheating and having only a single crewman in a pre-analog /mechanical context, just not really that great (sort of a pre-cursor to ED-209).


Meanwhile, anyone remember Sergeant Guffy and BARGAIN BASEMENT?


I can't find the damn tracks.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2020, 03:31:30 AM by Story »

Offline Brian da Basher

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2020, 10:27:38 PM »
Truly one of Telly Savalas' under-appreciated great roles.

I like when he holds up the belt-fed machine gun and says "We can still fight!"

I hope the tracks turn up.

Brian da Basher

Offline apophenia

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2020, 10:38:06 AM »
Love the Combat Walker and the .60 cals were an extra-clever touch  :smiley:
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Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2020, 05:30:10 AM »
Soviet SU-100-43 Infrared Test Vehicle circa 1947


German Vampire IR light, as found on the Panther tank circa 1945.


This came to me as someone else's bog-standard and boring unpainted-but-decaled SU-122 build that needed to be something else.

Figured it was pulled out of the line in 1943 to be a test bed for the D-10 100mm gun (as used in the later SU-100 & T-44/54/55 series). In reality, the SU-122 was surpassed by the SU-85 and actual SU-100 designs. Few survived the war and there were no known production variants, but since the Soviets liked to mess with one-offs here we are.

Stubby 122mm gun tube removed and replaced with a resin 100mm tube.
Gunner's periscope cupola removed and replaced with a T-54 hatch.
Soviet IR spotlight cobbled up from bits.
Painted green, no external stowage added because it was a test vehicle.

Read all about the reality -

Soviet infrared development history
https://designyoutrust.com/2017/09/futuristic-prototype-of-the-first-soviet-night-vision-goggles/
https://weaponews.com/weapons/8654-soviet-night-vision-devices-during-the-great-patriotic-war.html 
https://vrtifacts.com/night-vision-goggles-of-red-army/

Beginning with the German scientists and equipment captured during WW2, the Soviets launched an intensive developmental program that continues to the present (1965).  8) https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79T00472A000600050019-1.pdf 

Anyone have access?
https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/1540/0000/Infrared-in-the-USSR--brief-historical-survey-of-infrared/10.1117/12.48720.short?SSO=1 
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 05:41:32 AM by Story »

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2020, 11:31:22 AM »
Nice work!  Also a great kit save.  :smiley:
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2020, 09:53:27 PM »
Thanks! But wait, there's more!

Generic technical (much like this https://www.abc.net.au/news/image/2655426-3x2-940x627.jpg ) found across Africa and the Middle East, operated by the usual suspects  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK0Vo-rK1dM



Another ancient unfinished build, per Scalemates a pre-1981 Datsun pickup https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-6041-datsun-4x4-pickup--1150244

Not sure what I was thinking then, but from the weapons loadout possibly five years after SKYNET had become self-aware. Also had a 12.7mm Soviet heavy machinegun with a broken tripod leg.

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2020, 01:44:21 AM »
SKYNET, Twilight 2000, The Morrow Project, all appropriate for that "Technical Datsun 4X4" and the pending collapse of society as we know it.  Some of those Snap-Kits were really unique and now just a fading memory for most of us since they were discontinued.  Wish Revell would dust off the tooling and bring some of those gems back to the store shelves. 
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2020, 03:34:38 AM »
SKYNET, Twilight 2000, The Morrow Project, all appropriate for that "Technical Datsun 4X4" and the pending collapse of society as we know it.

"Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life" -  Oscar Wilde.

Sudan 2016 - note the hood ornament.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2020, 02:16:33 AM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2020, 02:09:51 AM »
 
Sudan Army LandRover with HJ-8 or Hongjian-8  ( Red Arrow 8 ) ATGM




More low-hanging fruit finding a purpose; Italeri LandRover built-but-not-painted, plus some modern heavy weapons sprues that included a MILAN and various models of TOW ATGMs.

The HJ-8 is a combination many experts believe of three Western antitank missile systems obtained from nations in the Middle East and Asia that were then examined and reverse engineered and modified: the tripod from the US BGM-71 TOW; the tracker-control unit from the French/German MILAN; and the missile from the UK Swingfire. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HJ-8 

Well now, that sounded doable.





https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=842

Outside China, Norinco found an eager clientele for its anti-tank missiles. Generous with its license, Pakistan, Sudan, and Egypt were allowed to manufacture the HJ-8. At least 20 other countries in Asia, Africa, and South America have bought the system. According to an account published by a Chinese press agency Pakistan became the Red Arrow’s first export customer and licensed manufacturer during the late 1980s when its army became convinced the HJ-8 was more accurate than the BGM TOW.It’s unclear how the HJ-8 reached Europe, but it arrived in time for the Balkan Wars. Illicit Iranian support for Muslim Bosnian fighters most likely included deliveries of the missiles.Today, the Red Arrow is used by Syrian rebels and numerous short video clips of their kills are on Youtube. https://21stcenturyasianarmsrace.com/2014/09/08/the-chinese-tank-killing-red-arrow/

The Baktar Shikan is a variant of the Chinese-made HJ-8 anti-tank weapon system that has been manufactured under license by Pakistan since the late 1990s   
https://www.armyrecognition.com/pakistan_pakistani_light_heavy_weapons_uk/baktar_shikan_anti-tank_guided_missile_weapon_system_technical_data_sheet_specifications_pictures.html

https://www.armyrecognition.com/images/stories/asia/pakistan/weapons/baktar_shikan/Baktar_Shikan_anti-tank_guided_missile_weapon_system_Pakistan_Pakistani_army-defense_industry_640_001.jpg 

https://www.armyrecognition.com/images/stories/asia/pakistan/weapons/baktar_shikan/Baktar_Shikan_anti-tank_guided_missile_weapon_system_Pakistan_Pakistani_army_defense_industry_details_002.jpg 

Made in the Sudan too? https://www.smallarmsreview.com/archive/detail.arc.entry.cfm?arcid=22544 
« Last Edit: April 28, 2020, 03:24:07 AM by Story »

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2020, 02:27:48 AM »
Nice kit bash on your ATGM!  :smiley:
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2020, 09:32:48 AM »
That looks good! And it's nice someone built that LR and saved you the frustration!

I've always wanted to build this:



Always have enough dakka...and cookies!
« Last Edit: April 28, 2020, 09:34:38 AM by Frank3k »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2020, 11:22:30 PM »

Always have enough dakka...and cookies!


Join the darkside and roll dirty, yo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYnFIRc0k6E

In other news, found those damn Chaffee tracks (that's the good news) but 20+ year old flex-plastic tracks are brittle (that's the bad news).  Meh, I just tucked the loose ends between the 1st and 2nd return rollers.

DIEN BIEN PHU M24 Chaffee
(with ancient attempt at interior decorating)



Hmmm. Turns out there was a third color (light tan?) in that camo scheme
.

I also remember prepping some figures - HELLER French (which are scale-munchkins) with the DML Viet Cong (https://www.hobbylinc.com/dml-viet-cong-plastic-model-military-figure-kit-1:35-scale-3304) but I believe they where given away.

There's appropriate but spendy figures available these days.
https://www.bnamodelworld.com/model-figures-ac-models-acm-35016-1:35-french-foreign-legion-crew-for-m24-chaffee-in-dien-bien-phu-indochina-7-figures?zenid=a06d865aab7e9370482693b210dadd96

Pick up on the Dien Bien Phu backstory here -> http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=672.msg164801#msg164801

SGT Guffy's will require more work.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2020, 11:31:09 PM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #17 on: May 02, 2020, 09:43:37 AM »
Italian captured Universal Carrier
Another salvage effort, someone else's build that I used as a painting exercise.
Fitted with a HR Products 20mm Solothurn, with a second shown dismounted.



The reality.


February 2022 Update
One captured by the Commonwealth.

Fun Facts
Fiat 2800: In 1942, at the request of the Italian Army (Regio Esercito), Fiat produced a prototype carrier copied from a captured Universal Carrier; it was known as the Fiat 2800 or CVP-4. It is uncertain whether production vehicles were manufactured.[citation needed] Bren carriers captured by the Italians in the field were often fitted with Breda M37 machine guns.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/thumb/1/1f/Cingoletta_Fiat_2800.jpg/520px-Cingoletta_Fiat_2800.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/4320/35640720820_bb4fdf5948_z.jpg

The Germans did their own shoe-horning - 2,5cm pak 112(f) Auf gepanzerter Maschinengewehrtraeger Bren 731
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4c/6e/4e/4c6e4e67dcad2eac754febf1d75d5424.jpg 

Italians mounting the 20mm Solothurn on their CV33s
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b9/d3/bb/b9d3bbf3c4871728ec41dd586fcc729b.jpg 
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/cc/12/58/cc1258ff1247de5b1002a657e56b4bf6.jpg 




The paint job wasn't objectionable, but the fiddly bits associated with shoehorning the Solothurn in and fitting it's cobbled-up-from-bits, broken-down two wheel field mount was a P.I.T.A.  Took more time than I'd like, thereby defeating the purpose of this exercise.

Next.
« Last Edit: February 18, 2022, 10:54:32 AM by Story »

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2020, 11:35:13 AM »
The Solothurn S-18/1000 is my favourite varmint rifle :smiley:
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #19 on: May 03, 2020, 04:02:15 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #20 on: February 05, 2022, 03:15:17 AM »
Another one taken down from the Shelf of Procrastination and moved forward.

It's a traditional Italeri kit with the command tank turretless option, but extra details wedged into the interior (back when I thought I could still paint figures) and features that would become standardized in the M14-41 Carro Comando.

Think of this as a Field Repair Shop upgrade, the sort of thing that becomes a template for something standardized later.



This is the first iteration of the command tank

The most noticeable difference is the 13.2mm Breda M31 heavy machinegun.
https://modernfirearms.net/en/machineguns/italy-machineguns/breda-m1931-2/
http://www.regioesercito.it/armi/armi_portatili/mitra_breda31.htm

The stereoscopic rangefinder use to belong to some TAMIYA German Artillery Crew, the loop antenna to ITALERI Folgore paratroopers and the bigger hatch from a British tank kit.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2024, 05:25:24 AM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #21 on: February 05, 2022, 03:20:07 AM »
Pt II: the tracks had been driving me nuts (and where I stalled out during the initial build), as they were (typically) too short to 'weld' so I just wound up gluing them in place.



The only marking is the front registration plate, the only external stowage the tow cable and fuel can. I'd originally planned to build a custom hatch mounted on the two hinges I placed on the rear of the turret ring, but it was easier to steal the British parts and the loop antenna fit nicely between the hinges ("I meant to do that").

I figure the crew would have enough to do handling radios and ranging targets, so any form of AA machinegun was excessive.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2022, 03:25:00 AM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #22 on: February 05, 2022, 03:33:45 AM »
For boutique builds, here's a conversion kit https://www.fcmodeltrend.com/35527-carro-comando-m41-135-scale-p-1-51-719/

Hey Moderator - i just noticed this is a GB / can you move this entire thread to the LAND section???

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaank yooooooooou invisible mover of threads
« Last Edit: February 05, 2022, 05:55:47 AM by Story »

Offline Ramba

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #23 on: February 18, 2022, 10:38:58 AM »
Terrific job on the PAVN M113. What figure is that firing the RPG?

Your technical pickup is looking good.

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #24 on: February 18, 2022, 12:55:44 PM »
Terrific job on the PAVN M113. What figure is that firing the RPG?

Thank you; 1) I believe it's 1/32nd, 2) cast in whatever the politically correct term for 'lead' is these days, and 3) as a sandal-shod pith helmeted RPG2 gunner a good representative Pol Pot soldier. But who made it, I'll be damned if I can remember.

Shameless Tree Shaking - I'm in need of more NVA markings and will make it worth your while.

Offline Story

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #25 on: October 05, 2022, 05:12:39 AM »
Since we're doing the TAMIYA M8 model, this is a salvage that found it's way to my workship. The .50 needed to be remounted, the tracks twin-pin joiners heat-soldered and some of the deck stowage reattached.



I'd gone through the whole WIFF process; 57mm AT gun testbed? Tunisian post-war turret mated to an Sdkfz 251? ChiCom ex-Nationalist Chinese? 

Forty + year old kit, done decently for most folks. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-mm210-m8-howitzer-motor-carriage--786866
Meh.  Then I just fixed the outstanding issues so as to move it forward.

I might get around to changing the unit markings, but it's now moved to the 'Export' shelf (where displayable items slated to get gifted to someone else reside).

What's interesting is the quality of work on this one - not bad, despite the exaggerated battle damage.



« Last Edit: October 05, 2022, 05:16:33 AM by Story »

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #26 on: October 05, 2022, 07:36:16 AM »
That looks good. The 0.50 cal really shows how tiny the M3/M5 was.

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #27 on: October 05, 2022, 08:59:18 AM »
 :smiley:
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Ramba

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Re: Story's Stir-Crazy "Let's Get This Done" projects.
« Reply #28 on: October 05, 2022, 11:00:51 PM »
Looking good!