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Armor/AFV: Allied - WWII
Armor and ground forces of the Allied forces during World War II.
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M3 Stuart Honey Bellman
razzie43
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Antwerpen, Belgium
Joined: November 03, 2014
KitMaker: 41 posts
Armorama: 36 posts
Posted: Monday, November 16, 2015 - 11:59 PM UTC
Academy 1/35 M3 Stuart "Honey" "Bellman" kit
Paint it on request of my wife...
When it was finish she ask to bring the tank to her desk @ work.
Now that i have to refuse her!
The favorite colour of a women is always Blue
If you men has the same favo the you have to much 46xx chromosome into your body






russamotto
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Utah, United States
Joined: December 14, 2007
KitMaker: 3,389 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 01:43 AM UTC
It looks very nice. Your wife should be happy. Will it be in a display box to protect it from being handled?
lentorpe
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Alava, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: August 12, 2010
KitMaker: 104 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 02:15 AM UTC
Hi Rascar,
Very, very nice model. One question: Are you sure about the rubber in the idle wheel? Do the Academy kit instructions specify it?
americanpanzer
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Iowa, United States
Joined: May 12, 2014
KitMaker: 542 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 02:46 AM UTC
excellent work; the weathering is fantastic
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 02:57 AM UTC
Rascar,

Looks good! If wife is happy, every one is happy!
razzie43
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Antwerpen, Belgium
Joined: November 03, 2014
KitMaker: 41 posts
Armorama: 36 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - 03:46 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Rascar,
Very, very nice model. One question: Are you sure about the rubber in the idle wheel? Do the Academy kit instructions specify it?



Hi,Inside the box you have 2 kinds of tracks.vinyll and link.
That time i hate to made link by link.and i known the vinyll are not correct!you are the only one that this notice.
I hope that was you question?
lentorpe
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Alava, Spain / Espaņa
Joined: August 12, 2010
KitMaker: 104 posts
Armorama: 63 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 - 02:45 AM UTC
Sorry Rascar, I hadnīt noticed your response before.
In fact I was not asking you about the tracks but about the rear wheel. Is it just steel, or does it has some rubber as the smaller road wheels have? I get contradictory info and no clear photos of that particular detail. Maybe your kitīs instructions clarify it?
tankmodeler
#417
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 01, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 - 10:53 PM UTC
For the M3 Stuarts, the idler was all steel. There was an idler with a rubber tire made for the later M5 and M5A1 vehicles.

And while the blue is a terribly nice colour, these vehicles had no blue. The Caunter scheme colours were Light Stone (or Portland Stone), Silver Grey and Slate. The Silver Grey is what is being depicted as blue and it's not, it is actually a light grey-green colour.

There are a couple (really only 2 or 3) German colour photos from the period showing some trucks in caunter scheme with silver grey replaced by a blue, but there is no indication that any of the tanks were ever painted with anything other than silver grey.

Your Light Stone is too orange, as well, looking more like the old Humbrol Desert colour that was more a German/Afrika Korps colour than allied.



And while the weathering has been achieved nicely, the amount of rust is waaay too heavy. The camo colours would be relatively fragile, but these vehicles were painted in US OD underneath and if the camo wore off, the OD would be what you started to see instead. There is very, very little rust ever visible on US tanks even after years of service, the paint was that good.
Powder
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Auckland, New Zealand
Joined: October 08, 2015
KitMaker: 33 posts
Armorama: 33 posts
Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 - 01:07 AM UTC
That's great info Paul.
You must find it frustrating when Airfix & other manufacturers produce tens-of-thousands of models specifying blue paint.

In Rascar's defence, it was his wife that wanted a blue tank.
Experience tells me it's best not to argue in those situations.
razzie43
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Antwerpen, Belgium
Joined: November 03, 2014
KitMaker: 41 posts
Armorama: 36 posts
Posted: Sunday, December 13, 2015 - 11:48 PM UTC

Quoted Text

That's great info Paul.
You must find it frustrating when Airfix & other manufacturers produce tens-of-thousands of models specifying blue paint.

In Rascar's defence, it was his wife that wanted a blue tank.
Experience tells me it's best not to argue in those situations.



Indeed!! never argue with your wife her wishes...
Armorsmith
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: April 09, 2015
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Posted: Monday, December 14, 2015 - 01:09 AM UTC

Quoted Text


US OD underneath and if the camo wore off, the OD would be what you started to see instead. There is very, very little rust ever visible on US tanks even after years of service, the paint was that good.



I've been arguing this point for years. Glad to find someone who agrees. In addition to other factors one of the things that makes paint hard and durable is lead. Paint used in WWII still had a high lead content(unlike now prohibited)which made the paint very hard and durable indeed, and as a result rusting, especially rusting to any great degree as is sometimes depicted in modeling was rare. Combine that with the operational service life expectancy of an AFV(especially German) and the chance/time it would take for deep rust to develop was small indeed. Thanks again for echoing what I have believed for quite some time.
tankmodeler
#417
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Ontario, Canada
Joined: March 01, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 - 02:54 AM UTC

Quoted Text

That's great info Paul.
You must find it frustrating when Airfix & other manufacturers produce tens-of-thousands of models specifying blue paint.


Actually, I gave up on getting frustrated with manufacturer's paint and marking suggestions years ago, I always assume them to be wrong at this point and do my own research.



Quoted Text


Quoted Text

In Rascar's defence, it was his wife that wanted a blue tank.
Experience tells me it's best not to argue in those situations.



Indeed!! never argue with your wife her wishes...


No, no, I totally understand. In that case blue is a perfect colour. Never mind me, carry on.

Happy wife = happy life (especially for us modelling nerds)

All the best.

Paul
M4A1Sherman
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New York, United States
Joined: May 02, 2013
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Posted: Tuesday, December 15, 2015 - 03:52 AM UTC

Quoted Text

For the M3 Stuarts, the idler was all steel. There was an idler with a rubber tire made for the later M5 and M5A1 vehicles.

And while the blue is a terribly nice colour, these vehicles had no blue. The Caunter scheme colours were Light Stone (or Portland Stone), Silver Grey and Slate. The Silver Grey is what is being depicted as blue and it's not, it is actually a light grey-green colour.

There are a couple (really only 2 or 3) German colour photos from the period showing some trucks in caunter scheme with silver grey replaced by a blue, but there is no indication that any of the tanks were ever painted with anything other than silver grey.

Your Light Stone is too orange, as well, looking more like the old Humbrol Desert colour that was more a German/Afrika Korps colour than allied.



And while the weathering has been achieved nicely, the amount of rust is waaay too heavy. The camo colours would be relatively fragile, but these vehicles were painted in US OD underneath and if the camo wore off, the OD would be what you started to see instead. There is very, very little rust ever visible on US tanks even after years of service, the paint was that good.



The rubber-tired Rear Idler was also a smaller diameter, and a stamped wheel. The steel-tired Rear Idler was of welded construction, for those that take an interest in such things. And yes, the rubber-tired Rear Idler came during 1944/45, in M5A1 and M8 HMC production, although many M5A1s and M8s served right up to VE and VJ days and beyond, with their steel-wheeled Rear Idlers still intact...

I heartily agree that the paint on US-made equipment was MUCH MORE DURABLE than the competition's, bar none. So was the general quality and reliability of US equipment. PERIOD!

However, as to color accuracy, I'm sure that Rascar used what information (probably the kit's erroneous painting instructions) that he had access to at the time of his build. IMO, I'm pretty sure that the SILVER-GRAY (LIGHT GRAY-GREEN) in the Caunter Scheme is the correct color to be used, but in wartime, as anyone with a bit of knowledge knows, sometimes what is handy is used, in lieu of what "official instructions" require... Let's remember that some sources state that certain Tiger Is and Pz.III Ausf.Ns in Tunisia were supposedly repainted in captured stocks of US OD... More likely, this might have been RAL8000...

As a personal preference, I go A LOT lighter with my own weathering of ANY military vehicle, though this is not meant to criticize Rascar's work.

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