scratch building

[pmskaar]

Hi Mike

Great job on the bridge! It looks really great and the whole scene is excellent. What did you use for the supports and railings etc? Great work!

Pete - Binpicker, Out!

[cbovill]

Love that bridge! Makes me want to do Operation Market Garden.

[pushbike]

Just finished these Stugs with added Schurzen.

The shirts are made from clear Acetate (from food packing) similar to plastic card but transparent.
This meant that it was easy to cut them out on top of a template.
Very pleased with these, I made a lot of prototypes in different materials ETC.

You'll have to wait for the painted ones though as I want to master my airbrush for the camoflauge.

[Hauptmann6]

How are you holding them on? brackets of any sort? or just glued on?

[Mk 1]

How are you holding them on? brackets of any sort? or just glued on?

You can't see the brackets, they are behind the screens. But if you look closely you'll see he has bolted them on. Oh, but the bolts seem to be hex-headed, which I don't think is exactly right for the period.


More seriously ... those shurzen are beautiful! I particularly like how you've chosen NOT to make a single sheet, and instead made seperate panels (with several missing on the various vehicles).

I tell you all, I am SO impressed by some of the stuff shown on this board! The amount of character that some of these vehicles show -- wow! They come out like little works of art -- each one seems to tell its own story of its own crew's time in action.

Good stuff!

[Mk 1]

Doh! Duplicate post. Sorry. Nevermind ....

[pushbike]

Hi
Not very good picture Im afraid, But this shows an unpainted skirt.
They are actually one piece scored along the join of the plates, some chopped some folded and some snipped at the top to suggest seperate plates.

they are glued on, there are no mounting brackets but there is enough paraphernalia on the stug casting to suggest ths.

I really wanted GHQ to make this in brass, so much so I made these, Well worth it I think and not as fiddly as they look, maybe an hour to cut and fit all the Stugs.

Chris.

[Op_Paperclip]

You'll have to wait for the painted ones though as I want to master my airbrush for the camoflauge.

I kinda like the surrealistic grey on grey

But seriously, beautiful scratchbuilding and is that a commander in one of them?

chris

[pushbike]

Originally I was using aluminiun cut from a beer can,
quite good, thin but hard to cut.

All my plastic card was too thick, so I used a piece of acetate from a pizza packet.
A happy accident cause it is transparent you can cut it over a template, vastly speeding up production speed and accuracy.

Thickness i not sure but something like 20 thou?

Chris.

ps will do some panzer IIIs next.

[jb]

Originally I was using aluminiun cut from a beer can,
quite good, thin but hard to cut

Did you ever try to cut the alumnium with scissors? It works rather easy,you know.
Also how are you gluing the plastic on?

[pushbike]

Ahh the old beer can and scissors model makers secret matarial.

Yes that works OK but the plastic gives you mouch more control when cutting something so small, also because it is transparant you dont need to measure and draw out your pattern everytime like you would on plastic card or metal.

Its a while since Ive been to the States but I am sure some packaging has clear acetate, just like the GHQ blister packs,
If not a good model shop will sell it in sheets next to the plastic card.


Thanks Chris.

[jb]

Ahh the old beer can and scissors model makers secret matarial.

Yes that works OK but the plastic gives you mouch more control when cutting something so small, also because it is transparant you dont need to measure and draw out your pattern everytime like you would on plastic card or metal.

Its a while since Ive been to the States but I am sure some packaging has clear acetate, just like the GHQ blister packs,
If not a good model shop will sell it in sheets next to the plastic card.


Thanks Chris.

You don't get clear beer cans in the UK? How can you see what you are buying before drinking it?

[1ComOpsCtr]

Gentlemen,

Please visit the following link to see an interesting conversion of a four door HUMMER into the Special Operations "Gun Truck" currently used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://commandoperationscenter.com/friendly_forces.htm

All four doors have been opened up, a driver installed, the shotgun position has been crewed with a 240G on a pintle mount, and both rear positions are also heavily armed. A MK-1.50 cal tub has been added to the top, though most I've seen had open guns at least when I took the pictures. Opening up the interior of the model is a bit stressful, but the results are rewarding and realistic enough for the SOTD operators in tabletop convoy and HK scenarios at JRTC, Fort Polk.

I understand many of the Gun Trucks now in service have shields or gun tubs for better protection. The weight of a tub might be a problem for the upper structure in the future, but its safer and looks pretty good on the model! Not a cheap conversion though as several models have to be sacrificed. It would be nice if GHQ offered seperate heavy weapons with operators to modify existing Truck or Hummer models.

http://commandoperationscenter.com/

The second picture on this page illustrated the use of CinC Hummer crewed weapons castings attached to GHQ vehicles, which would also work for the Gun Truck upgrade as long as you did not want to represent the fully armed model.

Enjoy...

Will
ComOpsctr

[1ComOpsCtr]

Gentlemen,

I just posted some additional pictures of the HUMMERS I recently completed making them into two variations of the "Gun Truck" currently used in Afghanistan and Iraq.

http://commandoperationscenter.com/friendly_forces.htm

Latest pictures are near the middle of the page and toward the bottom also.

I hope GHQ will manufacturer these workhorses some time in the near future.

Will
ComOpsCtr