I'd hate to put pressure on anyone, but it would be a great thing to see, as this is one of Bandai's most valuable efforts, an not likely to be replaced within a moderate future...
To be fair, the article is of a an advanced enough model to provide much of the info needed to complete one of our own. It's one of my favourite articles on Track 48.
Seeing it complete would be just that much more of a spur...
The Long Tom is still in process. The tires are wrong for a WWII gun and I am not sure if I (a) master replacemets or (b) ignore the problem. Built an M35 Prime Mover (See the Track48 Gallery) for it only to find it was not used with the 155mm gun. Now I am looking for a Mack NO to pull this puppy. Tires are still a problem.
Speaking of artillery, after finishing the M5 High Speed Tractor (again, see the T48 Gallery) I did master WWII style tyres for my 155MM Howitzer, but have not gotten around to finishing the kit as the castings were a bit wonky, so I decide to age them a few years to make sure the resin was really cured
I won't even talk about the elusive Matilda upgrade project. Lu will kill me if he finds out it has just been sitting there
So lets make it a poll: what's the vote? Which one do I finish first? the Long Tom, the 155 Howitzer or the Matilda?
The 155 howitzer because I've never seen one in 1/48th. Is there a kit to start from or is it all scratch? After all, you say you have an M5 HST, so if you finish the 155mm Gun then you have to find or build a Mack NO or an M4 HST. Both would seem rather daunting compared to completing a howitzer.
Actually, build the one that you feel most attracted to, you will do better work that way and (hopefully) have a bit of fun.
Apologies for the totally unscientific and probably inaccurate count, but I think the sense of the body so far is that finishing the 155 Gun is the most desired alternative. On that basis I will go dig it out of the back-shop and return it to the workshop. I fear it will never get proper tires unless I can figure out where to snatch a set. Perhaps an old Revelle 1/48 truck kit? Must investigate.
For the other folks who expressed concern , Mr. Grief will continue to completion on its current work schedule.
Of course, in keeping with the theme of today's politics, my build policies will continue to blow like a weather vane with the polls
Konrad
PS Not to unleash a firestorm of controversy, but did I mention the Valentine is still sitting over half finished in a box too?
250+ for 1/48 military vehicle/weapons modeling..... (or ) I am disposing of my large holdings of aircraft models since I will never build most of them, and they take up a lot more space to display when built. I will have a SMALL collection of 1/32 aircraft, my favorite types, but that's pretty much it for 1/32. There are a few 1/48 aircraft I want to do, mostly fighters and ground support types that can be used with vehicles in dioramas. The rest is all 1/48 armor.
Gary, both Aurora and Bandai made a "Long Tom". Arii made a 155mm howitzer with prime mover. Years ago I remember reading that the Aurora one was more accurate, but I could be mistaken about that.
Aurora More Accurate but Unfortunately Not as Good Marlowe
July 3 2009, 12:46 PM
I have the remains of an Aurora 8 inch howitzer (that's how I measured the trails and figured out the Bandai parts were too short - Aurora did design from the real thing at Aberdeen) but the detail is incredibly coarse. Amusingly the Aurora 8 inch tube is pretty good though and I have salvaged it and fitted it to the Bandai Long Tom carriage (fits pretty much perfectly but a little adjustment was required as would be expected), so who knows, this build could end up as an eight incher
Ive got to admitt id like to see both as ive never seen etheir in the flesh.Anybody got pics of some of the old bandai suff like the m 12 /m30 as you see them on ebay for sale but never being built, its on my wish list along with the valintine.Hopefully tamiya will just srink their matilda and jagdtiger and id say that would keep us happpy???? thanks wayne
but it's not for collecting. I intend to build every one of those kits, and a few of them are as accurate as anything available in our scale now. The Bandai M12/M30 kits are quite good but need detailing. If Tamiya or someone else brings out a replacement for an older Bandai kit, I'll sell the Bandai.
I correct the aspects that look bad to me, but I'll admit that, at 68.5 years, the days of wanting to correct everything possible, no effort or time-frame spared, are not in my demographic - sorry, Gaston..... I have over 250 kits and conversions, and if I spend six months on each one, I'll have to live another 125 years. Ain't gonna happen.....
Even the old Bandai Matilda is not that bad, but you do have to watch fit and detailing that is dodgy here and there. Some of the Bandai kits take smoe work putting together, especially since even the newest samples of those kits are a dozen years old, and they were done on tired molds. The good stuff is mostly 25-30 years old, and storage can play havoc with plastic.
I turned in the Rx for my close-up modeling glasses today and should have them on Tuesday. So, we may be in business soon. On the ID side, I lost a bid for the vacuum equipment I need, and can't afford the alternative, so there may be delays, or I may just sell the line again. I feel guilty not being able to manage this as a going concern, and it just may be easier to throw the stuff to someone who's prepared top work on it on a regular basis.
Besides, I have a project I want to try, but it's experimental, and having to turn out kits will only delay it. I'm going to try some quick parts molding to see if it turns out at all, and how long it takes. I will be making parts for my own use, and if they are of general interest, I will be offering them on Track48, sort of Faxon-like.....
I have most of the Bandai's, but really should sell some of them when the collector's market recovers. They are all buildable but clunky. The only ones I have finished are the KW, Schwimm, Maultier and Panther, all of which required a lot of work to add/refine/replace the details (the Panther particularly). As has been pointed out to me I also have a half finished Long Tom (WWII style tires anyone) and a pretty far along Valentine (even replaced the tracks on that one) that I need to complete and share with y'all I even have a Jadgpanzer conversion that I started long ago but have never completed.
Gaston and others have pointed this out before, but most of the Bandais seem to have shape issues, some more than others. The Panther series and the Mk. IV's are too long buy about a foot for example, and the US Half Tracks are too wide by about the same amount. On the other hand they are the only game in town right now for some vehicles. I have the kits and Track48 parts to uprgade one Ferdinand/Elephant and a set Fruil's and a metal barrel for one Jadgtiger (the latter will be a real b***h to chop/stretch and correct) and when I have finished some of those WIP's I will consider taking these projects on. If you are going to take on a Bandai it will have to be a labor of love, that's for sure.
Hi Konrad, If you have the Matilda very far along, my vote would be for that as the T48 gallery is empty there. I have one started in a box too, but no plans to finish her anytime soon (also hoping Tamiya would save the pain by releasing this one). But, it is a cool tank nonetheless. Your Valentine had oodles of hours doing those tracks and fenders so that may be the logical vote to complete when the mood for a challenge strikes you. I think it's definitely harder to pick up interest an old project than begin a new one for some odd reason. Whatever it is you choose, you know we'll be watching Cheers
and I have hoped that a few of the dodgier Bandai efforts would see their way into the Tamiya catalog. I know the Matilda is a bear to get together, but where else do you go (and I have four of them....)? On the other hand, the M12 and M30 are pretty good kits. I have downloaded Steve Zaloga's wonderful article in MilMod on building the 1/72 ESCI kits, and we will not have to do half the correcting he did on those, essentially scratchbuilding nearly half of the vehicles. Yes, the finer details are not so fine, but the basics are there.
For the Valentine, I've downloaded your article, collected photos off the web, bought five cheap Russian light tanks for the tracks, and purchased five sets of the new Hauler PE for the Val from Nigel at Parabellum. Can't back out now..... Tim Perry is going to make wheels for the benighted Bandai Austin K5 lorry as the kit tires are truly hopeless. Otherwise, that kit needs just a few mods and some smaller details and it is OK. I just got last week five sets of HB 1/35 SdKfz 251 tracks for my Bandai SdKfz 7 artillery tractors, which should guarantee that Tamiya or Italeri will release one at the end of this year. The things I do for you guys.....
) I am disposing of my large holdings of aircraft models since I will never build most of them, and they take up a lot more space to display when built. I will have a SMALL collection of 1/32 aircraft, my favorite types, but that's pretty much it for 1/32. There are a few 1/48 aircraft I want to do, mostly fighters and ground support types that can be used with vehicles in dioramas. The rest is all 1/48 armor.