JPK 120 in 1:35

[Guest]

Half the markings are now on:

[ATTACH]479695[/ATTACH][ATTACH]479694[/ATTACH]

The registration plate is from an Italeri M108, but cut up so I could turn 59597 into 97559. I’m not quite sure how Belgian vehicle registration numbers work, but I think the first two digits are the vehicle type — all Leopard 1s had 54, for example, and CVR(T)s had 65. I hope 97 had not been used yet in the mid-80s, but I don’t actually know

The 16 Armoured Division badge are also from the M108, modified as described earlier, while the bridge classification 44 comes from an Italeri Leopard 1A2. Takom gives you a 48 for this, but after looking up the VT 1-2’s weight (not quite sure what that was, but in the low-40s tonnes), I figured a little lower would be more realistic.

After taking these photos, I put a coat of matt varnish over all of them, because some didn’t seem to want to stick very well despite using Micro Set and Sol on them. The cut lines visible on the registration plates will be hidden later with some dirt and stuff

[Allen Dewire]

Jakko, I'm so sorry I haven't commented on this build for a long time. It seems you have a lot of things going on at the bench and I'm so confused. This is looking really great and your work is excellent as always. The more I look at this vehicle, the more it looks like an M113 on steroids with the 2 guns. They just had to move the driver's compartment and the motor to fit the 120's.....

Prost
Allen.

[Guest]

It seems you have a lot of things going on at the bench and I'm so confused.

I get bored fairly easily, especially when there’s things to do on a model that I don’t enjoy — such as messing about with epoxy putty or having to redo stupid paints that lift off a model when you put masking tape over them. Plus, this one keeps getting in the way (literally) for working on the AVRE, so there’s more need for it to be finished

This is looking really great and your work is excellent as always. The more I look at this vehicle, the more it looks like an M113 on steroids with the 2 guns. They just had to move the driver's compartment and the motor to fit the 120's.....

It does look like that a bit, now you mention it. Next up for building, its little cousin, the M113 FSCV:

[ATTACH]479730[/ATTACH]

[Scratchbuilder]

Soon to be a thing of beauty, well done Jakko.

[Guest]

Now to get myself to finish it …

[Richard48]

Looks darn good to me Jakko.I start stuff and lose focus mid build.Still got too many kits to paint,Weather.
Rich

[Guest]

I have much the same problem, and when I get a new idea in my head, I end up not working as much on the things I’m currently building, even though I also don’t start on the new thing yet because I feel I shouldn’t start another model before the others are finished.

[JR]

I have much the same problem, and when I get a new idea in my head, I end up not working as much on the things I’m currently building, even though I also don’t start on the new thing yet because I feel I shouldn’t start another model before the others are finished.

You are not alone !

[Neil Merryweather]

You are not alone !

Definitely not!

[Guest]

Finally, I’ve finished the markings:

[ATTACH]480832[/ATTACH]

I made four sets of 024 from numbers cut from a very old sheet from an Italeri Willys jeep, applying first the 0 and letting it dry thoroughly, then the 2, and once that had dried too, the 4. This so I wouldn’t run the risk of numbers re-floating in the water from the next one, but it meant it took a while to do. There is a bit of silvering, but it looks worse in the photo than in real life, so I can probably hide the rest with some dirt once I get round to the weathering.

I also started painting the figure:

[ATTACH]480833[/ATTACH][ATTACH]480834[/ATTACH]

Unfortunately, it’s hard to photograph with an iPad, and my figure-painting skills are also not up to having them enlarged to the size you see in the photos

[The Smythe Meister]

That's looking superb Jakko, quality painting on the vehicle and really fiddly/impressive decal work. :smiling3:
I know what you mean about figures,one thing I do bear in mind when looking at someone's pictures of them is....take into consideration just how they tend to completely obliterate how they actually look to the naked eye,I've often been quite pleased with a figure I've done,taken some pics,zoomed in and thought "bloody hell, what's that" !!! .... Hence I don't zoom in on other's pics.... Your chap there seems to be developing well to me

[Guest]

Thanks Seeing a model much larger than it actually is usually shows up all kinds of defects, yes — I’m fairly happy with the figure’s paintwork when I look at the real thing, but not when I see those photos Though it’s not helped by, as I said, the difficulty of taking photos of a figure using my iPad, as it tends to wash out all the shaded and highlighted colours into a single one. Maybe I should see if there’s camera software for it that doesn’t try to improve the photos for me.

[Jim R]

Despite the limitations of the photos all looks very good. Decal chopping up has worked neatly. As for the figure I reckon he's pretty good.

[Guest]

Thanks, it still needs some work but I’m slowly getting there … Part of that has been giving the whole model a wash of Revell dark earth, kept thin so it doesn’t look too dirty:

[ATTACH]481049[/ATTACH]

I made it thicker on the underside, wheels and tracks so those look dirtier.

After that I wanted to put on those wheels and tracks, but encountered a problem I should have seen coming: the poly caps don’t want to fit over the axles that I thickened with copper wire. They went on fine when I tested them initially, but I now realise that was because I pushed/twisted on the cap on with my fingers — but now, they’re inside the wheels where they can turn freely, so it’s impossible to twist them onto the axles I think I may have to take the wire off and put a thinner one on.

[Guest]

The solution to fitting the wheels seems to be to remove the copper wire I wound around the axles and replacing it by something thinner:

[ATTACH]481092[/ATTACH]

On the left the original wire, which is 0.6 mm thick, and in the right the replacement of 0.4 mm. Unfortunately it’s very hard to wind it on neatly because there is hardly any room to do that in, but the test wheel fits on the axle and stays on it better than with no wire, so I guess I’ll have to trust in glue to do the rest.

And another mistake I should have spotted earlier:

[ATTACH]481093[/ATTACH]

I had moved the idler wheel mounts forward, but did that too far: there is hardly any room between the wheel and the mudguard, so the track won’t fit. Here, I decided to drill through the arm’s pivot point and into the hull:

[ATTACH]481094[/ATTACH]

That done I carefully broke them off the hull and installed brass pins:

[ATTACH]481095[/ATTACH]

Now all I need to do is cut back the piston rod (that I forgot to paint silver so far) so the arms can be turned downward enough so there’s room for the track.