Nice One!

Stumbling though my email yesterday I came across a e-letter from Andrew Duff who posts on the lovely http://www.matakishi.com/ website.

Hi Paul - just a line to thank you for your website - like you I've refirbed a load of armour/vehicles (mostly the kits my kids started, got stuck and never finished!) - I use them to teach D Day landing stuff at College. Have written a couple of articles which another wargaming chum has been going to post on his site. If you're bored one evening, google Andy Duff and Waterloo and check out the website - the article on Waterloo is a long history of the quest to present the battle to my students in 54mm (curiously enough, WWII is in 20mm). Shame you're the other side of the world, it seems a long way to post German crosses (see, I do read all your stuff) especially now that the British Post Office has just slammed up its prices.
Anyway, love the site, brilliant to relax over after a stressful day at college
All best wishes
Andy


Andrew Duff
Programme Leader Teacher Education and Professional Development
Kingston College

Matakishi's Tea House claims to be a simple site, but by gum its a visual master piece covering multiple periods and well worth a good afternoons look. Recommended!

Thanks for the kind words Andrew, I do not think anyone has ever thanked me for my website before. 

Whats that warm glowing feeling in the pit of my stomach?

Model on!

Matchbox SdKfz 11 Ménage #1

 Continuing my German quest at the moment with my selection of Matchbox SdKkz 11 3 Tonne Tractors being next on the hit list.

Considering these were widely used from the onset of war right up o the end I find it strange they do not appear more often in the after action reports photo journals I see posted on other blogs. After all 9000 built is about 9 times more than the Tiger I.

I have a total of six of these grunty little wagons at various stages and conditions. Again it’s the tracks that are failing, something with I put down to the Chinese manufacture after Matchbox went broke. I am blaming this because my British manufacture Matchbox kits are tending not to have the same issue.

They all were part of the SdKfz 11,PAK 40 and BMW with sidecar set. A lovely and handy set to get. Tractors and guns go into Anti Tank Companies while the motorcycle and sidecar goes into the Recon Companies. Not all Units are Panzers if you are building German Forces!

These first two up for refirb were once again auction buys and came in a as is condition which honestly was not too bad.  Broken wheels,  tracks and missing hull doors are all reasonably easy to remedy. Missing lights are a common theme as well, but this is also true of the real ones as well so I just leave them off.

Super Glue and Plasti-card is all that's needed for a wargame quality repair.

Model On!

Matchbox Panzer III Refirb

 More refirb action tonight, this time its Matchbox's Panzer III.

 Another auction buy, it was not in bad condition. The road wheels were the major issue, if you look closely you can see where no attempt has been made to remove the sprue tags. Also the gun has been superglued in its current position, which is a little high. Another common fault that appears to be a Matchbox Panzer III trait is the rear idler is bent due to the pressure on the wheel from the tracks.


I have four other Matchbox Panzer III's and they all seem to have the same issue.  

Like my other Panzer III's I painted this up into a transitional 1942/3 scheme. 

I added a length of Airfix track to hide a big gap in the lower and upper hull join.

Decals from the spares box. I am rapidly running out German crosses and may have to find some to buy online.

I managed to cut down most of the tags on the wheels but had to be quite careful as I started to break the wheels off the hull. 

Mud was applied in the same fashion as yesterdays Panzer II.

Seen here with two other Matchbox Panzer III's which I can field as a Company in CD terms.

Pretty average work I admit, but at least it's off the bench.

Model on!

Matchbox Sdkfz 251/1 Repair

 Another Matchbox Hanomag off the work bench tonight.

 This had been 100% finished years ago but only 80% painted, and over time like more than a few Airfix and Matchbox kits the tracks have started to fall apart.

 I was not happy about this state of affairs especially as I liked the scheme I had painted it in, and decided to do something about it...

 Something simple...

 After finishing the painting and giving it a wash I cut a chunk of plasti-card out and glued a strip of gaming mat on it. I then painted the edges to get rid of the white.

 I then simply camouflaged the area missing the track with some bush foliage. Job done.

This one joins the other one I refirbed last week. 

Model on!

Matchbox Panzer II Refirb

 I have been fluffing around with this for a week or so and frankly I am glad to get it off the bench as it keeps getting in the way.

 This is how I received it from a auction, a pretty interesting mix of colours. Naturally this would not do, so I decided to tone it down back to the Panzer Grey it deserves.

 The problem as I see it with Panzer Grey is the damn colour. Although I have added black to the rims etc, the contrast is lost. I know a lot of people drybrush the kit to hell to highlight the darker colours, but I cannot be bothered.

 To combat this I decided to just dirty it up with a muddy clay colour.

 I think its about right and does not overstate the weathering. The decals tend to help as well perhaps.

I am building up a reasonable force of Panzer II's now, with four complete an one still to build. Who can resist this dinky little gem.

Model on!

ESCI Panther Endex

 Wash added and this ESCI Panther is complete.

 I schemed this kit like its Revell brother. Both together for a under strength Company Unit.

 After adding a jerrican I thought I had better paint on a strap to secure it to the hull.

 It would have been nice to have some spare Panther type track to add to the turret as I have seen heaps of photos showing this.

 I ensured this wash was a little lighter than the other Panther.

 Reasonable happy with the side skirts, but the really need to have the docking latches attached...And I was too lazy to even attempt it.

Team Panther, ready to force the cowardly allies back into the sea.

Model on!

ESCI Panther Refirb 2

 Over the basecoat I add a Brown Yellow, the a Khaki Grey crater scheme.

 Panzer Black is then used for the rubber rims, tracks, some tools and I add a little around some areas for shadowing/ The etching I scribed on the side skirts was not deep enough, so I painted some gaps in.

Decals from the spares box added, ready for a final wash.

Model on!

ESCI Panther Refirb

 The slow progress continues at the Manor. I consumed a dodgy curry roll last night and it has keep me up and down ever since. This is the ESCI Panther I received from Tim Megablitz as mentioned in the last post, its in good nick and could get by just painted up as is.

 I however refuse to keep things simple, and decided to add side skirts like the Revell model it will join. I then had to remove the tracks at the rear engine deck sides so they would fit on flush.

 I measured up the dimensions from the Revell kit and cut out two from plasticard.  

 One of the reasons I decided to add the side skirts was to ensure that the internal contents of the model could not be seen as the top of the hull sides had not been added. You can see my finger through the turret ring.

 Skirts added and a nice fit.

 Spare tracks reattached, and a jerrican added.

Lastly for tonight a basecoat of British Racing Green to add a little depth.

The cutting mat by the way was a gift from Al, who seems to be getting kind in his old age.

Model on!

Revell Panther Refirb

 A pretty lack luster effort so far for the week, other than the Me109G I have not actually done much on the model front. Tonight in an attempt to get back into the spirit of things I grabbed a Revell Panther kit that my old mate Dave gave me about 7 years ago to build. 

 I duly constructed and painted it, but was never quite happy enough with the effort. Looking above it lacks depth. I think it was because I did not give it a dark base coat of paint. 

 Tonight I decided on a quick remedy. I gave it a bit of a bath to clean off the dust then a light coat of a black wash.

 And that was that, mission completed. It does I think look much better than before, and that was all I was after.

 The Revell kit by the way is a real gem with easy construction and lots of detail.

The main reason for the refirb is the 2nd 1/72 Panther that I have recently acquired from Mr Tim http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.co.nz/ Gow (Cheers again Tim). After  little research I have worked out its  a Italeri kit. I have a good Battalion of Panthers and adding more to them would prove I have a problem, but has they all are 1/76 these two 1/72 beasts tower along side them.

So I will probably use them for smaller late war games where a Company sized unit will suffice.

Model on! 

Me 109G-6 Rebuild

 I have been tinkering away at this for the last two nights and consider it finished.

 Mix and match of parts. I made the Ariel from plastic sprue, and the round DF is from a Me 262.

 I rebuilt the propeller has it only had two blades, luckily the other crate have one blade left on it.

 You may remember these two Me 109's from January's aircraft spares box post. I used the lower one as the basis for the rebuild. I do not know the manufactures , perhaps Heller/Airfix?

 I had a disaster last night with the painting. I mixed a batch of grey up for the base colour, but i was too thick and after painting I decided it was crap, so I washed it in a bucket of water and googled another scheme. After an hour or so drying off I started the repaint only to find a fairly good volume of water still in the wings which proceeded to announce its arrival by destroying my newly added scheme.

I almost wept man tears lads. 

 The 20mm guns had been broken off so I replaced them with parts of landing gear off an unknown kit that I cut down to more like barrels.

 Decals were from the spares box, and I was even impressed to find that despite their condition the still worked. Amazingly enough they are from a Me109G Hasegawa, even though I have never brought or made one...

 The tail wheel is a 1/44 F16 nosewheel, cut down a tad.

 Markings and scheme are generic. I thought I had better slip that in as you know what plane spotters are like...

 Not sure if I will give it a wash or not as yet.

The only thing I was missing or could not be bothered mucking around with was the retracted landing gear...So I went without.

Finally Al and I have a single engine German fighter for WW2, although I am pretty sure Al has a FW 190 on the go.

Model on!