Hi All,

Some interesting things going on here! I look forward to seeing the Guardians built, I've almost won that kit a couple of times, just a little bit out of reach!

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so time to remedy that! I've been quite busy modeling and painting. Trying to match the "Gloss Sea Blue" used by the US Navy. Lots of mixing, and trial and error. Though I think I got it with a combination of Royal blue and black.


Got everything Sea Blue, and gave it a couple of coats of clear. The metal leading edges were done with Alcald II "Airframe Aluminum".


Next I applied the kit decals. The Trumpeter decals went done just fine, though the white could be a bit more opaque. Still they look the part!





Up next a clear coat to seal the deal, maybe a wash, and then the little bits. So far this has been quite a pleasant build!

Stay safe, happy modeling!!

That is a stunning finish there John. I'm not an aircraft builder (usually) but I can appreciate workmanship like this.

I've decided on my build - AFV Club's M40:

I will be replacing the late WW2 T66 type tracks with their T80 ones - two knock out marks on every link

Anyone familiar with reviews of this kit and the older Long Tom kit will know about the barrel length being considerably shorter than it should be. A friend has the Tamiya kit of the M40 and he bought the metal barrel for that. He gave me the Tamiya Plastic one. I intended to use it as a guide to fix the AFV Club one, but after comparison and reference to Tankograd 6030 on Heavy Self-propelled artillery, it may be better to scratch build the cradle and use the Tamiya one. The comparison shows not only is the AFV Club one too long, it is too wide, lacks the slight flare on the barrel end and the barrel opening is too small and shallow:


AFV Club should probably have done the M43 8 Inch armed version, using their standard artillery piece for the required part. It was a lot rarer vehicle, but a much better option for an OOB build....

Alright, as this campaign will definitely run past the proposed migration to the new site, I've started a new thread in the Group Builds section, it can be found here. You can start posting there whenever you're ready, and can post in both threads if you like.

Time marches on!

Michael