Author Topic: Tauro A7V in work ... (Read 12766 times)

jcf · « **on:** November 06, 2014, 02:27:17 PM »

Kit of the year in 1980.
Pretty much OOB, couple of mods and a self-inflicted repair.
Top isn't glued on yet.

Antonio Sobral · « **Reply #1 on:** November 07, 2014, 11:45:00 PM »

Hi

Good choice!

I built one of those a couple of years ago. The tracks are pretty awful, but apart from that, is a nice model with room
for fairly easy improvement and detailing, if you want to show part of the interior.

jcf · « **Reply #2 on:** November 08, 2014, 12:19:26 AM »

Skipping the interior Antonio as I couldn't be arsed to redo it to
something resembling reality, as moulded it's pretty much a
fantasy.

This the second time around, I built one back when it was first
released, it's long gone in a landfill far, far away.

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2014, 04:43:10 AM »

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out, Mr JCF.

I had no idea they even made a kit of this. Good thing for my wallet it's not 1/72-ish...

Can't wait to see you add your own inimitable flair to this AFV,

Brian da Basher

jcf · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2014, 05:46:30 AM »

Emhar do the A7V in 72nd Brian.

So yer not off the hook afterall.

raafif · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2014, 12:28:59 PM »

Looks better molding than my kit - I bought that Tauro 35th kit back in 1981 ... still haven't done more than the basic hull shape as all the edges of the sides are very ragged & need lots of work to make it passable

The track links also need much care to assemble as the holes for the pins are very tight & often split the shoe.

What name / cam scheme will it be finished in Jeff ?

There is a quite nice 1/32nd assembled model for the toy-soldier guys but I hope for something really nice in 35th over the next few years from people like Meng :)

finsrin · « **Reply #6 on:** November 08, 2014, 03:43:11 PM »

In 1/72 is large enough to kitbash.
Though a 1/35 kit bashed as 1/72 is 49.5ft long. Oh the possibilties !

jcf · « **Reply #7 on:** November 23, 2014, 01:53:07 PM »

Tracks 'n roadwheels. Tedious.

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #8 on:** November 24, 2014, 04:05:49 AM »

Quote from: jcf on November 06, 2014, 02:27:17 PM

Kit of the year in 1980.
Pretty much OOB, couple of mods and a self-inflicted repair.
Top isn't glued on yet.

From this viewing angle that A7V would look right at home on a set of rail trucks with a locomotive pushing it down the tracks.

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #9 on:** November 26, 2014, 07:04:21 AM »

You possess far more patience than I can even dream of tackling all those road wheels.

I keep seeing it in purple and green camo for some reason. I like Jeff's idea of putting it on rails.

Brian da Basher

jcf · « **Reply #10 on:** November 26, 2014, 10:05:03 AM »

The roadwheels were boring but pretty quick, the individual link track however ...

1 Pick up a link, trim the flash
2 run a #72 drill through the four holes so the pin won't split them
3 clip link to link
4 run the drill through one side (see #2)
5 find the end of the pre-cut pin that doesn't have the bur (see #2)
6 insert pin through one side
7 run drill through other side (see #2)
8 push pin home

Repeat until you have 55 links per side. I did it in four runs of 19 and two of 17 simply
because 19 links in one go were the limit of my patience and longer runs put too much
pressure on the connection points. I know this because my first run was 27 links and it
flopped around and split out two links in the middle.

jcf · « **Reply #11 on:** July 29, 2015, 11:50:43 PM »

Back in Black ...

Primed with flat black from a cheap rattle-can (actually really nice paint, shoulda bought a case),
next step is to airbrush overall grey.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #12 on:** July 30, 2015, 02:54:57 AM »

Coming along nicely. Interestingly, Mephisto was only just in the news here.

raafif · « **Reply #13 on:** July 30, 2015, 05:07:49 AM »

coming along very nicely.

I've seen one or two well-finished Tauro A7Vs - but most, like mine, end up in the junk box

Even the new Meng kit has several fit problems.

What will the cam scheme be, Jeff ??

P.S. the mg shields should be that Russian cockpit blue-green, inside & out ... refer colour photos of Mephisto's restoration.

jcf · « **Reply #14 on:** July 30, 2015, 06:30:32 AM »

Probably just leave it in the overall grey as they were when they left the factory. Possibly
I'll add cross markings dunno yet. I sometimes do collections of various things in an identical
generic single colour, because I'm comparing the machines as objects unto themselves and
don't really care about who used what when.

As to MG shield colours, that scheme is true for Mephisto but not necessarily for any other
A7V. Seems that there was little standardization.

Anyhow I've seen modern photos of the restored Mephisto in which it's primary tone appears to
be blue-green, others in which it appears blue and another set where it looks gray with a bluish cast.

raafif · « **Reply #15 on:** July 30, 2015, 08:29:48 AM »

no external colours of Mephisto are original as it was sand-blasted in the early 1970s & completely repainted. Until the 2nd repaint in the early 1980s, the original devil was visible but that was also then re-painted.

From memory, the colour around the devil in the 1970s was British Army Bronze-green.

Kerick · « **Reply #16 on:** July 30, 2015, 09:09:06 AM »

Serious steampunk potential with all those rivets!
Looks like quite a challenge, looking forward to this.

jcf · « **Reply #17 on:** July 30, 2015, 09:36:32 AM »

Quote from: raafif on July 30, 2015, 08:29:48 AM

no external colours of Mephisto are original as it was sand-blasted in the early 1970s & completely repainted. Until the 2nd repaint in the early 1980s, the original devil was visible but that was also then re-painted.

From memory, the colour around the devil in the 1970s was British Army Bronze-green.

I get that, I'm just referring to the fact that in the photos available on the net the colour varies widely.

Rickshaw · « **Reply #18 on:** July 30, 2015, 10:13:49 PM »

Mephisto has recently moved to Canberra to the Australian War Memorial on a temporary loan from Queensland.

raafif · « **Reply #19 on:** July 31, 2015, 05:56:27 AM »

yes .... and now they've got it, they won't let it go !

reference the long-running fight (1919-2015) between Canberra & Brisbane ... personally I think it should now be Tasmania's turn to have it.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #20 on:** August 02, 2015, 05:22:06 AM »

Some recent photos of Mephisto here

jcf · « **Reply #21 on:** April 01, 2017, 03:16:55 AM »

It lives!

Latverian Armoured Corps aka Doom tank, as in Doctor Doom.

Flag and crest to come.
Vallejo acrylics brush-painted over airbrushed Vallejo grey primer, green sanded back for 'used' look; mix of Vallejo satin varnish, black, Vallejo thinner and water used for wash, SNJ aluminum powder used for highlights.

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #22 on:** April 01, 2017, 03:54:10 AM »

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2017, 10:18:57 AM »

Looking good Jon!

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #24 on:** April 02, 2017, 07:15:48 PM »

Your incredible talent is really on display with this marvel, Jon!

Thanks for the update. Pure eye-candy!

Brian da Basher

Frank3k · « **Reply #25 on:** April 03, 2017, 12:36:34 AM »

Looks great, especially since Tauro kits are not known for their buildability.

jcf · « **Reply #26 on:** April 03, 2017, 02:27:21 AM »

Thanks folks.

Latverian flags and a Doctor Doom crest/shield to come.

Buzzbomb · « **Reply #27 on:** April 03, 2017, 07:39:49 AM »

Alright then

Camthalion · « **Reply #28 on:** April 04, 2017, 05:41:22 PM »

Very Nice

ScranJ51 · « **Reply #29 on:** April 04, 2017, 08:09:22 PM »

I happened to see Mephisto on Friday at the AWM:

apophenia · « **Reply #30 on:** April 06, 2017, 10:35:06 AM »

Very nice Jon (and the Latverian flag should look suitably menacing). On to Symkaria!

So, Latverian Armoured Corps = Latver Páncélos Hadtest ?? (Where's Litvak when we need her?)

jcf · « **Reply #31 on:** June 20, 2017, 12:48:15 AM »

The tank will be marked with Latverian crosses, a rework of a Latverian flag .svg from Wikipedia.
No, they aren't in the comics, I made it up.

ChernayaAkula · « **Reply #32 on:** June 20, 2017, 02:35:58 AM »

^ Tryin' to piss off both the modelling AND the comic book purists?

Good man! :)

Story · « **Reply #33 on:** June 20, 2017, 07:22:15 AM »

Artwork for your base.

jcf · « **Reply #34 on:** August 06, 2017, 05:27:05 AM »

Home-printed decals fought me, other side is silvered, seems I didn't get it 'glossy' enough
first time around for this particular brand.

I may go back and add more weathering/wash because getting the thing even enough to
sort of work for the decals kinda washed out the chalks.
So it goes.

Brian da Basher · « **Reply #35 on:** August 06, 2017, 08:32:29 AM »

You'll probably laugh at this Jon, but my favorite part is the exhaust. I think you captured the look perfectly!

The machine guns are quite well done too.

What a magnificent masterpiece!

Brian da Basher

andonio64 · « **Reply #36 on:** August 07, 2017, 11:14:08 PM »

I like it too, it's a beauty, it's a pity the decals came out too dark (I guess they are)...

Jacques Deguerre · « **Reply #37 on:** August 08, 2017, 12:06:05 AM »

That's very cool Jon! Glad to see you get such a nice result from the *AHEM* "challenging" Tauro A7V kit!

Hmmm.... Now this has me pondering a Bordurian T34/85 or something like that.

jcf · « **Reply #38 on:** August 08, 2017, 12:51:32 AM »

Quote from: andonio64 on August 07, 2017, 11:14:08 PM

I like it too, it's a beauty, it's a pity the decals came out too dark (I guess they are)...

Printed on clear decal film, so the green paint darkened them, also printed some on white
decal film, however cutting out the curved part didn't work very well, even with a swivel
knife as the backing paper is tough, and thick.

I've decided I'm going to add another decal over the existing ones, or maybe go back to my
original idea and mount the decals on 'plates' bolted to the sides.
Shoulda kept to that idea.

Frank3k · « **Reply #39 on:** August 08, 2017, 07:25:11 AM »

I like the subtle metallic sheen on the surfaces and on the bolts- not sure if it was intentional. Great build, even more impressive considering it's a Tauro kit.

jcf · « **Reply #40 on:** August 08, 2017, 08:32:36 AM »

Quote from: Frank3k on August 08, 2017, 07:25:11 AM

I like the subtle metallic sheen on the surfaces and on the bolts- not sure if it was intentional. Great build, even more impressive considering it's a Tauro kit.

Yup, used SNJ aluminum polishing powder carefully applied.
I prefer it to drybrushing with white/light grey. Shake the
bottle and touch a nitrile gloved finger to the bit that's inside
the lid and rub on highspots. Use a wide, semi-soft brush to
even out/disperse any that gets on places where it's not
wanted. Requires a clear coat otherwise you can't pick it up.

Frank3k · « **Reply #41 on:** August 08, 2017, 11:59:13 AM »

Excellent! It makes it seem like the paint is thin or worn off the flat surfaces. I've only achieved that effect by accident.


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Author Topic: Tauro A7V in work ... (Read 12766 times)