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Maddog Manufacturing Open for 2024!
- Thread starter Duke Maddog
- Start date
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
That is close. Mine will have even more, as it sports side skirts that drop lower than those in the pic. It's a serious challenge, and I will be slowly working on it.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Now after all the effort to putting all my ground vehicles on parade for inspection, it's time to start a new tour. This one will mostly be in the Hangar and Shipyards as we've been focusing on projects in those departments. Now that we've reached that milestone, it's time to get some long time projects off the workbench and on to the shelf. So, without further ado, let's all board the trams and see what's happening at Maddog Manufacturing.
Starting in the Hangar, we have these projects going, most of which are quite large and been sitting idle for awhile. First, let's visit this first bay where we have a 1/72 scale MQ-9 Predator under construction:
Basic assembly of the body and wings happened first. They didn't say in the instruction sheet that weight was needed in the nose, so that was carefully added later:
Later the engine and landing gear were added, that's where the weight issue was discovered:
Weight was carefully added and then all the final detail parts were added, this bird is ready for paint:
Next it it, we also have another MQ-9 Predator. Two came in the kit with options for two other versions. I chose to build this for my RAF, and now this one is almost ready for paint as well:
Moving on to the next bay, we go back in time with this Airfix 1/72 scale Dogfight Doubles set. It was a gift for me from a friend and avid WWI aficionado. The first plane from it is this British Se-2C scout plane that went together fast:
Later the engine was assembled and installed in place:
The beauty of this kit is that Airfix included these strut alignment jigs so the struts line up perfectly so we thought we'd try them out:
The jigs worked, simplifying the top wing mounting:
Later we got all the painting done on this.
While that was drying, we started on the other half of the Dogfight Double set, the German Eindecker E.II. Basic fuselage assembly was fast:
The rest of the plane fell together perfectly so we starting painting it as well:
And now both of them are ready for final decals and rigging.
Moving on to the next bay, we have a 1/72 scale Super Model Italian Macchi C-205 that was sitting in a very broken up box. It was time to get that one done. Basic fuselage and wing assembly was quick as there weren't too many parts. What parts there were certainly had some pretty serious fit issues. The propeller is in a cowl that glues into the opening of the nose so the propeller will continue to turn. It'll be one of the last things I glue into place:
As you can see a lot of filling was needed for the gaps around the wing roots, under the plane and around select panels. You can also see how confident the pilot was in the abilities of his plane; he bailed out before it is done. Again, propeller assembly is dry fit into place:
Some judicious sanding and shaping and this is starting to look much better. The pilot is still MIA so we closed up the canopy and started preparing this for paint:
In the next bay, we finally got the fuselage halves together for the British Westland Sea King. It went together pretty well with only a little bit of persuasion:
There were some seam issues that got addressed and then the main landing gear sponsons got installed along with portions of the glass:
Now on to some of the Big Stuff. The B-66 Destroyer had been sanded smooth after the second coat of primer wrinkled up. Now a third coat was shot on it. Overall it looked fine, but there are a few small blemishes that will need attention again before a metal coat goes on this:
In the next bay is the Egyptian Tu-16 Badger, one of two we're building, here is a reminder:
The cockpits were painted, the cockpit modules were assembled and the engines were mounted on the fuselage halves of the Egyptian plane. You can see both cockpit modules here too:
We got one set of glass cockpit and nose masked and ready for paint:
To make things easier, we installed those parts to one of the cockpit modules; the fit is amazing:
Now we'll try to catch up on the Iraqi Badger so this is where this stands. Meanwhile in the next bay we installed the inside engine and landing gear nacelle to each wing of the Tu-142 Bear:
I decided we should dry fit this together to see what we're dealing with. Remember this is sitting on a standard TV tray:
Finally in this last bay, we have the British Airways Concorde, here it is with the cockpit module dry fit to the rest of it. This is alkso sitting on the same TV Tray:
Work was done on the flaps for this, all these ejector pin marks needed filling which we started after adding the actuator casing to them:
The tail feathers were attached after that:
Here's another shot showing how big this is again:
Later we got half of it inside the spray booth for another couple coats of white primer:
Yep, more paint will be needed for that.
That concludes the Hangar portion of this tour, now on to the Shipyards....
Here is the Shipyards, things have been slowly picking up. We even started this project here in this first slipway. This is the Revell 1/106 scale tugboat that I'd been gifted so it was time to lay the keel. Mind you the instructions are missing so everything done in this slipway is done sans instructions. Here's where this boat was after the the first few steps:
Yep, badly warped main railings. Glue was applied on the rear portions and then after it dried, we glued the remaining parts in with a bit of persuasion. That allowed us to get this far:
While that was all drying, we started on the main superstructure, again all sans instructions. It went together quite well:
A test fit shows how well this is gonna look:
That was about an hour's work. More projects were taking a lot longer. One of them that didn't was the main deck of the USS Enterprise; white paint was finally shot after the last of the masking was added:
Later we'll paint the yellow portions and then see how much cleanup I'll need to do before moving on.
Finally in this last slipway, the Robert E. Lee was slowly being built up. The outer railings were added to the two lower decks; Pyro did it right making them one piece that spans both decks. Even so, due to issues from earlier deck and bulkhead misalignment and some slight warpage these still took a lot persuasion:
Some of those issues, I am not sure how I'll address them.
Still, more progress was made building up the Texas skylights, Texas deck house, pilot house and other minor details. We had also re-sanded and re-shot the main stacks so I decided to dry fit them here for this picture. The Lee is starting to look like a steamboat:
Finally, as we drive by the Motor Pool on the way back to the main lobby, you can catch a glimpse of one of the newer projects to expand the land forces again; we started an Egyptian Su-100 for my Egyptian Army:
Work will commence on that and others after the crew gets a good rest from vehicles.
Thank you again for coming on this latest tour; comments are always welcome!
Starting in the Hangar, we have these projects going, most of which are quite large and been sitting idle for awhile. First, let's visit this first bay where we have a 1/72 scale MQ-9 Predator under construction:
Basic assembly of the body and wings happened first. They didn't say in the instruction sheet that weight was needed in the nose, so that was carefully added later:
Later the engine and landing gear were added, that's where the weight issue was discovered:
Weight was carefully added and then all the final detail parts were added, this bird is ready for paint:
Next it it, we also have another MQ-9 Predator. Two came in the kit with options for two other versions. I chose to build this for my RAF, and now this one is almost ready for paint as well:
Moving on to the next bay, we go back in time with this Airfix 1/72 scale Dogfight Doubles set. It was a gift for me from a friend and avid WWI aficionado. The first plane from it is this British Se-2C scout plane that went together fast:
Later the engine was assembled and installed in place:
The beauty of this kit is that Airfix included these strut alignment jigs so the struts line up perfectly so we thought we'd try them out:
The jigs worked, simplifying the top wing mounting:
Later we got all the painting done on this.
While that was drying, we started on the other half of the Dogfight Double set, the German Eindecker E.II. Basic fuselage assembly was fast:
The rest of the plane fell together perfectly so we starting painting it as well:
And now both of them are ready for final decals and rigging.
Moving on to the next bay, we have a 1/72 scale Super Model Italian Macchi C-205 that was sitting in a very broken up box. It was time to get that one done. Basic fuselage and wing assembly was quick as there weren't too many parts. What parts there were certainly had some pretty serious fit issues. The propeller is in a cowl that glues into the opening of the nose so the propeller will continue to turn. It'll be one of the last things I glue into place:
As you can see a lot of filling was needed for the gaps around the wing roots, under the plane and around select panels. You can also see how confident the pilot was in the abilities of his plane; he bailed out before it is done. Again, propeller assembly is dry fit into place:
Some judicious sanding and shaping and this is starting to look much better. The pilot is still MIA so we closed up the canopy and started preparing this for paint:
In the next bay, we finally got the fuselage halves together for the British Westland Sea King. It went together pretty well with only a little bit of persuasion:
There were some seam issues that got addressed and then the main landing gear sponsons got installed along with portions of the glass:
Now on to some of the Big Stuff. The B-66 Destroyer had been sanded smooth after the second coat of primer wrinkled up. Now a third coat was shot on it. Overall it looked fine, but there are a few small blemishes that will need attention again before a metal coat goes on this:
In the next bay is the Egyptian Tu-16 Badger, one of two we're building, here is a reminder:
The cockpits were painted, the cockpit modules were assembled and the engines were mounted on the fuselage halves of the Egyptian plane. You can see both cockpit modules here too:
We got one set of glass cockpit and nose masked and ready for paint:
To make things easier, we installed those parts to one of the cockpit modules; the fit is amazing:
Now we'll try to catch up on the Iraqi Badger so this is where this stands. Meanwhile in the next bay we installed the inside engine and landing gear nacelle to each wing of the Tu-142 Bear:
I decided we should dry fit this together to see what we're dealing with. Remember this is sitting on a standard TV tray:
Finally in this last bay, we have the British Airways Concorde, here it is with the cockpit module dry fit to the rest of it. This is alkso sitting on the same TV Tray:
Work was done on the flaps for this, all these ejector pin marks needed filling which we started after adding the actuator casing to them:
The tail feathers were attached after that:
Here's another shot showing how big this is again:
Later we got half of it inside the spray booth for another couple coats of white primer:
Yep, more paint will be needed for that.
That concludes the Hangar portion of this tour, now on to the Shipyards....
Here is the Shipyards, things have been slowly picking up. We even started this project here in this first slipway. This is the Revell 1/106 scale tugboat that I'd been gifted so it was time to lay the keel. Mind you the instructions are missing so everything done in this slipway is done sans instructions. Here's where this boat was after the the first few steps:
Yep, badly warped main railings. Glue was applied on the rear portions and then after it dried, we glued the remaining parts in with a bit of persuasion. That allowed us to get this far:
While that was all drying, we started on the main superstructure, again all sans instructions. It went together quite well:
A test fit shows how well this is gonna look:
That was about an hour's work. More projects were taking a lot longer. One of them that didn't was the main deck of the USS Enterprise; white paint was finally shot after the last of the masking was added:
Later we'll paint the yellow portions and then see how much cleanup I'll need to do before moving on.
Finally in this last slipway, the Robert E. Lee was slowly being built up. The outer railings were added to the two lower decks; Pyro did it right making them one piece that spans both decks. Even so, due to issues from earlier deck and bulkhead misalignment and some slight warpage these still took a lot persuasion:
Some of those issues, I am not sure how I'll address them.
Still, more progress was made building up the Texas skylights, Texas deck house, pilot house and other minor details. We had also re-sanded and re-shot the main stacks so I decided to dry fit them here for this picture. The Lee is starting to look like a steamboat:
Finally, as we drive by the Motor Pool on the way back to the main lobby, you can catch a glimpse of one of the newer projects to expand the land forces again; we started an Egyptian Su-100 for my Egyptian Army:
Work will commence on that and others after the crew gets a good rest from vehicles.
Thank you again for coming on this latest tour; comments are always welcome!
Last edited:
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Well, it's been nearly a month since the last tour, so we are due. As there has been quite a bit of progress during that time, this will be another two-part tour due to the extensive amount of things to show.
So, all aboard the trams for the latest tour!
The Hangar is the first stop as always and here is where the majority of the progress has been. Starting in this first bay, we have some Russian ordinance. This was a short run kit that I got in the Distressed Kit Auction some time back. These finally got some paint on them and since the stand to the flying one went on walkabout, we modified one to hold it:
Not too shabby...
In the next bay is a project that got started because of all the white we were spraying on the Concorde. so, while I had the white out, we shot a white on the fuselage of this Canadian Otter to get a jump on it:
Now on to the next bay, we have another started project; something that had been crying out for me to start. This is the Eduard Profipak Israeli S-199. The cockpit sans instrument panel was started first:
After that the basic fuselage was assembled:
Then we completed the rest of the fuselage and slipped the cockpit sub-assembly inside to dry fit so we could see how it fit:
Looking pretty good so far. Next we worked more on the Italian Macchi C.205. The canopy went on after some more sanding had taken place:
The the canopy was masked; it was easier to do it while installed on the aircraft:
Next stop was the paint station, where this got the undercoat. Once it was dry, we masked it off for the upper coat:
The upper coat went on after that:
Followed later by the darker green splotches since we still had that color in the color cup after spraying the T-34:
Moving along, we got some more progress done on the two Reapers (that I mislabeled as "Predators") shooting a base coat of Light Ghost Grey over them both:
Once that was dry, a gloss coat was sprayed and we got the decals down on the British Reaper:
I'm waiting for word from my nephew to see if he knows a particular drone he's flown the most so I can model it.
Now for the larger stuff. In this bay we have another attempt at shooting a gloss coat on the Concorde:
I was not satisfied with the joint between the tail and the main fuselage. However, to facilitate things we did what I should have done long before: we built the stand that came in the kit:
Now this is much easier to maneuver without having to touch it and dirty up the white! It also made it easier to add the additional Mr. Surfacer to try and smooth out the troublesome joint again:
Moving on while that dried, we have in this next bay both of the T-16 Badgers under construction. Both cockpit modules had the clear parts masked off to prepare for paint:
The engines were added to the main fuselages of both planes and the main fuselage halves were cemented together. You can see one of them had already got the cockpit module attached:
Afterward, the other cockpit module was attached and the wings were installed on both planes:
Later their first color went on. I'm not exactly happy with this shade and I may re-shoot another one....or not:
Now for the next big model, we go to this next bay where the Tu-95H (also mislabeled as the "Tu-142) is being built. I wasn't happy with the way the inside nacelle on one wing was sitting; there were too many large gaps along the nacelle and wing. The only thing to do was to remove it and re-set it correctly so that that the gaps are gone:
Once re-set there was still a bit of putty needed at the top joint where the nacelle meets the wing:
Naturally doing all that caused the main landing gear to break, so this was fixed to dry along with everything else:
While that was drying we moved on to the front fuselage section where the canopy was installed:
This was then masked when it was dry:
After that, the rear fuselage and the front fuselage were joined together. Now you can get some idea of how big this thing is as it is sitting on a standard tray table:
Naturally you'll be able to see how incredibly messy my bench is, but hey, it can't be helped....
Moving on, we then installed the wings:
I had to pull the entire tray table out to fit that thing! Here's another view of this thing on the tray table:
Later on, this Big Bird got it's first color:
That will all be masked when it's time to put the main bare metal silver coat on. First, we still need to add some of the lighter greys on certain areas first.
Now this tour has been quite extensive already so we shall continue the tour in the Shipyards and the Motor Pool in the next post.
So, all aboard the trams for the latest tour!
The Hangar is the first stop as always and here is where the majority of the progress has been. Starting in this first bay, we have some Russian ordinance. This was a short run kit that I got in the Distressed Kit Auction some time back. These finally got some paint on them and since the stand to the flying one went on walkabout, we modified one to hold it:
Not too shabby...
In the next bay is a project that got started because of all the white we were spraying on the Concorde. so, while I had the white out, we shot a white on the fuselage of this Canadian Otter to get a jump on it:
Now on to the next bay, we have another started project; something that had been crying out for me to start. This is the Eduard Profipak Israeli S-199. The cockpit sans instrument panel was started first:
After that the basic fuselage was assembled:
Then we completed the rest of the fuselage and slipped the cockpit sub-assembly inside to dry fit so we could see how it fit:
Looking pretty good so far. Next we worked more on the Italian Macchi C.205. The canopy went on after some more sanding had taken place:
The the canopy was masked; it was easier to do it while installed on the aircraft:
Next stop was the paint station, where this got the undercoat. Once it was dry, we masked it off for the upper coat:
The upper coat went on after that:
Followed later by the darker green splotches since we still had that color in the color cup after spraying the T-34:
Moving along, we got some more progress done on the two Reapers (that I mislabeled as "Predators") shooting a base coat of Light Ghost Grey over them both:
Once that was dry, a gloss coat was sprayed and we got the decals down on the British Reaper:
I'm waiting for word from my nephew to see if he knows a particular drone he's flown the most so I can model it.
Now for the larger stuff. In this bay we have another attempt at shooting a gloss coat on the Concorde:
I was not satisfied with the joint between the tail and the main fuselage. However, to facilitate things we did what I should have done long before: we built the stand that came in the kit:
Now this is much easier to maneuver without having to touch it and dirty up the white! It also made it easier to add the additional Mr. Surfacer to try and smooth out the troublesome joint again:
Moving on while that dried, we have in this next bay both of the T-16 Badgers under construction. Both cockpit modules had the clear parts masked off to prepare for paint:
The engines were added to the main fuselages of both planes and the main fuselage halves were cemented together. You can see one of them had already got the cockpit module attached:
Afterward, the other cockpit module was attached and the wings were installed on both planes:
Later their first color went on. I'm not exactly happy with this shade and I may re-shoot another one....or not:
Now for the next big model, we go to this next bay where the Tu-95H (also mislabeled as the "Tu-142) is being built. I wasn't happy with the way the inside nacelle on one wing was sitting; there were too many large gaps along the nacelle and wing. The only thing to do was to remove it and re-set it correctly so that that the gaps are gone:
Once re-set there was still a bit of putty needed at the top joint where the nacelle meets the wing:
Naturally doing all that caused the main landing gear to break, so this was fixed to dry along with everything else:
While that was drying we moved on to the front fuselage section where the canopy was installed:
This was then masked when it was dry:
After that, the rear fuselage and the front fuselage were joined together. Now you can get some idea of how big this thing is as it is sitting on a standard tray table:
Naturally you'll be able to see how incredibly messy my bench is, but hey, it can't be helped....
Moving on, we then installed the wings:
I had to pull the entire tray table out to fit that thing! Here's another view of this thing on the tray table:
Later on, this Big Bird got it's first color:
That will all be masked when it's time to put the main bare metal silver coat on. First, we still need to add some of the lighter greys on certain areas first.
Now this tour has been quite extensive already so we shall continue the tour in the Shipyards and the Motor Pool in the next post.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
And now to continue our tour of the Shipyards next.
In the first slipway here we have the Japanese PT-15 that finally got the base coat of grey on it:
In the next slipway, we continued work on the deck of the USS Enterprise. Some masking was pulled off, but the the yellow stripes were painted on the deck:
Later, the remaining elevator stripes were masked off, the yellow painted on it and then we added the red stripes on these same elevator stripes:
After some touchup, this deck is done:
Finally, in this last slipway, we worked on getting the railings on the Robert E. Lee looking more even and refined. Additional parts were added and the seams on the upper cabin and deck were filled as well:
That completes our tour so far of the Shipyards and so we move on to the Motor Pool.
Production has been picking up, starting with a small shelf queen project that I wanted on the display shelf. This is the Military Wheels 1/72 scale Russian Field Kitchen. We had started it some time ago, found the box again and decided it was time to get it finished. First off the kitchen and limber were completed:
Here's an idea of how small this is too:
The horses were in four parts. Seriously. Two body halves, the head and the tail. They seemed pretty desperate to add some kind of 'detail' to this model! It didn't help that the parts were all so badly molded that massive sanding, carving and other adjustments needed to be made:
Finally we got them painted:
Moving along to the next bay, the Syrian PzIV got a partial run of tracks from the spares box. More will go on this when additional track pieces are found:
Overall it's looking pretty good:
Next are two Distressed Kit Auction winnings. These were mostly assembled by someone else before they gave up and donated them to our club for our Auction. First is this Dragon StuG III ausf H that they had added photo etch zimmerit to:
This is going to be a Syrian StuG, and yes, there are pictures of several of these in Syrian service still sporting their Zimm. We started on the tracks for this for now:
Our last Syrian tank is this Trumpeter T-34/85 that they had given up on because one of the idler wheels disappeared. I conjured up a replacement pair and added them to this tank:
Next the tracks went on:
Someone else added those metal fenders, saving me the trouble....
And then this got basecoated with the dark green:
Then the decals went on. These are Braille Strike decals and went on well. I just forgot to trim them very close so some judicious cutting with a very sharp Exacto knife got them the right size. You can also see in my clumsiness, I messed up the red triangle on this side. Nothing a little paint can't fix:
Lastly, I've been talking about starting my P.1000 Ratte to make into a carrying case for my small scale vehicle contest entries. Well, one Hobby Day Monday I made good on that statement. No, it never existed, or was ever used. Yes, this is in 1/72 scale. No, I don't think I will count it as one of the collection....mostly because it is pure fantasy that never got built or used. But I am building it.
Here are all of the components and/or sub assemblies for the main track bogies. The drive sprockets are already finished:
We had to make 32 of these rocker arms... or was it 36?
This kit gives you springs so that the bogies articulate:
Here's a close up of the drive sprockets:
And finally, here is ONE bogie consisting of 44 parts in that one assembly.... I need to make eleven more:
While that was drying, we finished up the majority of the main hull and turret:
Now in this back lot, given how much lumber we use, we are building a new Lumber Mill:
This is also a tribute of sorts for my paternal grandfather who was not permitted to serve in WWII: he owned one of these and because it was a vital industry back then, the government made sure he stayed on and supplied them throughout the war.
And that completes this tour of Maddog Manufacturing for this time. Thank you all for looking in and as always, comments are welcome.
In the first slipway here we have the Japanese PT-15 that finally got the base coat of grey on it:
In the next slipway, we continued work on the deck of the USS Enterprise. Some masking was pulled off, but the the yellow stripes were painted on the deck:
Later, the remaining elevator stripes were masked off, the yellow painted on it and then we added the red stripes on these same elevator stripes:
After some touchup, this deck is done:
Finally, in this last slipway, we worked on getting the railings on the Robert E. Lee looking more even and refined. Additional parts were added and the seams on the upper cabin and deck were filled as well:
That completes our tour so far of the Shipyards and so we move on to the Motor Pool.
Production has been picking up, starting with a small shelf queen project that I wanted on the display shelf. This is the Military Wheels 1/72 scale Russian Field Kitchen. We had started it some time ago, found the box again and decided it was time to get it finished. First off the kitchen and limber were completed:
Here's an idea of how small this is too:
The horses were in four parts. Seriously. Two body halves, the head and the tail. They seemed pretty desperate to add some kind of 'detail' to this model! It didn't help that the parts were all so badly molded that massive sanding, carving and other adjustments needed to be made:
Finally we got them painted:
Moving along to the next bay, the Syrian PzIV got a partial run of tracks from the spares box. More will go on this when additional track pieces are found:
Overall it's looking pretty good:
Next are two Distressed Kit Auction winnings. These were mostly assembled by someone else before they gave up and donated them to our club for our Auction. First is this Dragon StuG III ausf H that they had added photo etch zimmerit to:
This is going to be a Syrian StuG, and yes, there are pictures of several of these in Syrian service still sporting their Zimm. We started on the tracks for this for now:
Our last Syrian tank is this Trumpeter T-34/85 that they had given up on because one of the idler wheels disappeared. I conjured up a replacement pair and added them to this tank:
Next the tracks went on:
Someone else added those metal fenders, saving me the trouble....
And then this got basecoated with the dark green:
Then the decals went on. These are Braille Strike decals and went on well. I just forgot to trim them very close so some judicious cutting with a very sharp Exacto knife got them the right size. You can also see in my clumsiness, I messed up the red triangle on this side. Nothing a little paint can't fix:
Lastly, I've been talking about starting my P.1000 Ratte to make into a carrying case for my small scale vehicle contest entries. Well, one Hobby Day Monday I made good on that statement. No, it never existed, or was ever used. Yes, this is in 1/72 scale. No, I don't think I will count it as one of the collection....mostly because it is pure fantasy that never got built or used. But I am building it.
Here are all of the components and/or sub assemblies for the main track bogies. The drive sprockets are already finished:
We had to make 32 of these rocker arms... or was it 36?
This kit gives you springs so that the bogies articulate:
Here's a close up of the drive sprockets:
And finally, here is ONE bogie consisting of 44 parts in that one assembly.... I need to make eleven more:
While that was drying, we finished up the majority of the main hull and turret:
Now in this back lot, given how much lumber we use, we are building a new Lumber Mill:
This is also a tribute of sorts for my paternal grandfather who was not permitted to serve in WWII: he owned one of these and because it was a vital industry back then, the government made sure he stayed on and supplied them throughout the war.
And that completes this tour of Maddog Manufacturing for this time. Thank you all for looking in and as always, comments are welcome.
Brokeneagle
Master at Arms
Hey Duke, you've really stepped it up in 2024 haven't you and [to me anyway] your skills have moved to the next level.
Some great builds going on here.
Some great builds going on here.
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Looking good Mark! How big is that last plane you are building (the 4 engine Russian) Just curious. I am sure the P.1000 is also huge.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Thank you Ian! Yes, I've tried to step it up this year; I do need to get these big projects done, as well as some others with smashed boxes. Thank you for the compliment on my skills! I don't feel like I've improved much, but it's nice that you noticed!
Thank you Paul! The last plane is a Tu-95 Bear and it's quite large. Not quite as big as the B-52, but close. I can try to get measurements later. And yes, the P.1000 model is big enough to carry four modern main battle tank models inside.
Thank you Paul! The last plane is a Tu-95 Bear and it's quite large. Not quite as big as the B-52, but close. I can try to get measurements later. And yes, the P.1000 model is big enough to carry four modern main battle tank models inside.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
It's been a pretty good couple weeks and so we have enough for a new tour. This one will be a bit shorter but there is still lots to see. So, make your way to the trams and all aboard!
In our first stop in the Hangar, we have a number of projects moving forward, including another troublesome model like the Concorde, but that is further in. First we have progress on this Israeli S-199. We completed the wing assembly which consisted of ten parts and dry ft that sub-assembly to the fuselage:
Since it fit so well, we added the cockpit from underneath; after adding the instrument panel first, and then cemented everything in place. The canopy was added here too:
Since masking the canopy was so difficult, even on the plane, it was removed and paper towel was used to mask the interior so that the base color could be applied. It was then glossed for decals after the paint had dried:
Finally here in the last bay we have the troublesome B-66 Destroyer. After multiple spraying, sanding, stripping, spraying etc. I finally decided to just move on. The silver coat was good enough so it was polished and decals were applied:
That is it for this short tour of the Hangar, now on to the Shipyards where small progress was done in our workshops building the weapons for the PT-15 MTB. Here is the second of the 20mm guns for this boat; the first had been built before:
We also completed the torpedo tubes (mostly); one part went missing. I intend to build these with one set of tubes closed and the other set of tubes open and ready to fire:
That is all we have here for now. On to the Motor Pool where we've been working on a number of projects that need to be finished.
In this first bay of the Motor Pool, we have the British Achilles tank destroyer. This will be the first one of these I ever built. It's a UM kit so another tough fight here. First the running gear was installed:
The kit included photo etch strips to bend into shape and cemented to the top of these bogies. Naturally, as with all UM kits of Shermans and Sherman variants, these photo etch parts go AWOL no matter how hard I try to keep them from disappearing! So this time I wasn't waiting to find them; I have too many UM Shermans sitting incomplete because I'm waiting to find these parts! I figured I'd try plastic styrene strip. It was more difficult that I expected but I forged ahead, starting with getting a basic bend done and then cementing them to the bogies:
When these were dry, they were bent over and the other ends cemented down. Once they held, I added the upper run of track to push them down:
You can see they look very misshapen, not at all like they were supposed to be. But they are ON, and with enough paint and weathering, they will be darn near impossible to see. Hey it was an experiment that partially succeeded, I don't know if I'll try it again, but the opening there is possible. While that sat and simmered, the turret was completed with all but the ready ammunition:
By then, the tracks were dry enough so I completed the track runs for both sides:
All that is really needed now is the oversized bolts to be added to the turret and upper hull and this is ready for paint:
In the next bay we have the Egyptian Su-100 assault gun. This kit provided resin parts to replicate a vehicle used by the Egyptians, so they were added to this. The full run of tracks were added as well:
It's amazing; this model is from the same company as the Shermans and yet it goes together so much better than any of their Sherman kits! Anyway, this was got it's tan base coat and later a gloss coat to ready it for decals:
Following this is the Syrian StuG III completed and ready for paint after I added the track runs to this:
Because of all that photo etch, this was primed with a black primer to hopefully seal all that Zimm so the brass color doesn't shine through and that the base paint holds:
Sinister looking vehicle right? Where's that Haunted Tank?!!
Base paint went on well and looks great so far I think. Then the gloss was applied for the decals:
Now I wish I knew how to build the spacial monut they made for the Italian SAFAT machine gun that they mounted on this. All the pics are too far away, fuzzy or both to get a clear view, and any search attempts to find it went every which way but where I wanted it to go.
That leads us to the last Syrian tank, the PzIV in the next bay. As you can see, about half of the tracks had been installed while I went looking for the same type to complete these track runs:
I wanted to replace those Godawful vynil tracks that came in this kit. Searching for the same type of track that was already on it resulted in enough to finish these track runs. The turret shurtzen went on as well:
Finally a base of tan was appplied and later the gloss for decals:
Last but not least, the Ratte had been creeping along as Rattes do, I now have four of 16 bogies completed:
And that completes our short tour for today. Thank you all for looking in, comments are welcome!
In our first stop in the Hangar, we have a number of projects moving forward, including another troublesome model like the Concorde, but that is further in. First we have progress on this Israeli S-199. We completed the wing assembly which consisted of ten parts and dry ft that sub-assembly to the fuselage:
Since it fit so well, we added the cockpit from underneath; after adding the instrument panel first, and then cemented everything in place. The canopy was added here too:
Since masking the canopy was so difficult, even on the plane, it was removed and paper towel was used to mask the interior so that the base color could be applied. It was then glossed for decals after the paint had dried:
Finally here in the last bay we have the troublesome B-66 Destroyer. After multiple spraying, sanding, stripping, spraying etc. I finally decided to just move on. The silver coat was good enough so it was polished and decals were applied:
That is it for this short tour of the Hangar, now on to the Shipyards where small progress was done in our workshops building the weapons for the PT-15 MTB. Here is the second of the 20mm guns for this boat; the first had been built before:
We also completed the torpedo tubes (mostly); one part went missing. I intend to build these with one set of tubes closed and the other set of tubes open and ready to fire:
That is all we have here for now. On to the Motor Pool where we've been working on a number of projects that need to be finished.
In this first bay of the Motor Pool, we have the British Achilles tank destroyer. This will be the first one of these I ever built. It's a UM kit so another tough fight here. First the running gear was installed:
The kit included photo etch strips to bend into shape and cemented to the top of these bogies. Naturally, as with all UM kits of Shermans and Sherman variants, these photo etch parts go AWOL no matter how hard I try to keep them from disappearing! So this time I wasn't waiting to find them; I have too many UM Shermans sitting incomplete because I'm waiting to find these parts! I figured I'd try plastic styrene strip. It was more difficult that I expected but I forged ahead, starting with getting a basic bend done and then cementing them to the bogies:
When these were dry, they were bent over and the other ends cemented down. Once they held, I added the upper run of track to push them down:
You can see they look very misshapen, not at all like they were supposed to be. But they are ON, and with enough paint and weathering, they will be darn near impossible to see. Hey it was an experiment that partially succeeded, I don't know if I'll try it again, but the opening there is possible. While that sat and simmered, the turret was completed with all but the ready ammunition:
By then, the tracks were dry enough so I completed the track runs for both sides:
All that is really needed now is the oversized bolts to be added to the turret and upper hull and this is ready for paint:
In the next bay we have the Egyptian Su-100 assault gun. This kit provided resin parts to replicate a vehicle used by the Egyptians, so they were added to this. The full run of tracks were added as well:
It's amazing; this model is from the same company as the Shermans and yet it goes together so much better than any of their Sherman kits! Anyway, this was got it's tan base coat and later a gloss coat to ready it for decals:
Following this is the Syrian StuG III completed and ready for paint after I added the track runs to this:
Because of all that photo etch, this was primed with a black primer to hopefully seal all that Zimm so the brass color doesn't shine through and that the base paint holds:
Sinister looking vehicle right? Where's that Haunted Tank?!!
Base paint went on well and looks great so far I think. Then the gloss was applied for the decals:
Now I wish I knew how to build the spacial monut they made for the Italian SAFAT machine gun that they mounted on this. All the pics are too far away, fuzzy or both to get a clear view, and any search attempts to find it went every which way but where I wanted it to go.
That leads us to the last Syrian tank, the PzIV in the next bay. As you can see, about half of the tracks had been installed while I went looking for the same type to complete these track runs:
I wanted to replace those Godawful vynil tracks that came in this kit. Searching for the same type of track that was already on it resulted in enough to finish these track runs. The turret shurtzen went on as well:
Finally a base of tan was appplied and later the gloss for decals:
Last but not least, the Ratte had been creeping along as Rattes do, I now have four of 16 bogies completed:
And that completes our short tour for today. Thank you all for looking in, comments are welcome!