Lorcan Nagle
Mongoose
if you use the dip method the floor polish in it will also harden the plastic and protect the paint.
Just bought World at War - Comments and Questions
- Thread starter Murphy
- Start date
Dark Warrior
Mongoose
I use the hard plastics from Valiant Miniatures for my Germans and soon my Americans. The Minis are made of the same material as, for example, GWs plastic minis, they take glue very well and are easy and fast to paint (which is true for almost all 1/72 scale models). 8)
Ok, as promised some early photo's of my American Armoured Infantry.
The Italeri M8 (Drybrushed but still needs detailing):
And a group shot of the Revell infantry with the M8 (infantry is only basecoated so far):
Still lots to be done and not the best miniature photo's I've taken, but if gives you an idea of progress so far.
The Italeri M8 (Drybrushed but still needs detailing):
And a group shot of the Revell infantry with the M8 (infantry is only basecoated so far):
Still lots to be done and not the best miniature photo's I've taken, but if gives you an idea of progress so far.
Rabidchild
Mongoose
Nice! What did you use on the bases to cover up the models' built in base? I'm assuming they're on pennies just like mine. 
The bases are standard Bank of England one pence pieces, I think they are ever so slightly larger than American cents but slightly more expensive 
My super glue didn't always stick the model to the base, some of the models came unstuck when I started painting. So I glued the models again and then used Milliput to build up the coin to the same level as the moulded base. GW green stuff would work just as well. The bases were then given a coat of Goblin Green.
When painting is finished I'll put some flock/static grass on the base to finish it off.
I picked up a couple of Italeri Fast Assembly M3 half tracks at the weekend. It almost looks like an army.
My super glue didn't always stick the model to the base, some of the models came unstuck when I started painting. So I glued the models again and then used Milliput to build up the coin to the same level as the moulded base. GW green stuff would work just as well. The bases were then given a coat of Goblin Green.
When painting is finished I'll put some flock/static grass on the base to finish it off.
I picked up a couple of Italeri Fast Assembly M3 half tracks at the weekend. It almost looks like an army.
Rabidchild
Mongoose
That just gave me an idea; I have some pumice left from when I played Flames of War. I bet that would fill in the base and give great texture.
I'm interested in your thoughts on those Italeri M3 halftracks, I almost picked some up myself.
I'm interested in your thoughts on those Italeri M3 halftracks, I almost picked some up myself.
Iain McGhee
Mongoose
I picked up four of them for my Russians. They're the version with the MG mounted in the back rather than over the cab. Simple to put together and pretty sturdy.
Ok, some more details on those M3's.
The models are Italeri Kit 7509, part of their Fast Assembly range.
I picked mine up for £6.50 for one of my 2 local model shops, you can probably get them cheaper off the internet but I like supporting my local shops and it avoids any postage charges. My Italeri M8 Greyhound was £7, so for 50p less you get 2 models instead of one.
Ok, it's not quite a direct comparison. The Halftracks don't come with a sheet of decals or a full set of instructions. Instead there is a single exploded diagram on the rear of the box. With only 14 parts for each halftrack the diagram gives a clear idea of where each piece goes, but does not give correct order to assemble the parts in, more on that later.
The box says that glue/poly cement is required to assemble the model, but in reality the various pegs and clips fit together tightly enough that gluing is not required. The headlights are the only item the needs a spot of glue to ensure they both stay at the same level.
This is perhaps where I made my first mistake, I decided to speed up painting by spraying the sprues with Chaos Black before removing the parts from the sprue. The parts fit so tightly that even a thin undercoat made the parts hard to slot together. I'd recommend not trying the same short cut I used
Problem number two was Part number 11, the windscreen. With only a single diagram to assemble by I'd assumed that the best way would be to put the parts together in number order. If you take this approach it's not possible to insert the windscreen/dashboard part into the chassis. I'd nearly finished the first model when I discovered this, then I found that the Fast Assembly system also made it very hard to take the model apart. It took me longer to pull the model apart than to assemble it in the first place.
Once together the models look right at home next to the M8. While there isn't the same level of detailing/stowage items etc. the models feel really sturdy and should hold up really well to wargame use.
As Iain said, the MG is post mounted in the rear of the truck, not cupola mounted over the drivers seat. This doesn't make too much difference to me, but might to some.
If you ignore my assembly mistakes the models are fantastic for the price
you pay. I'm planning to pickup a pair of the Fast Assembly Jeeps (Italeri 7506) for my Mortar and MG teams so I have a fully mechanised army. Without these Italeri modes I suspect the price would have put me off.
The models are Italeri Kit 7509, part of their Fast Assembly range.
I picked mine up for £6.50 for one of my 2 local model shops, you can probably get them cheaper off the internet but I like supporting my local shops and it avoids any postage charges. My Italeri M8 Greyhound was £7, so for 50p less you get 2 models instead of one.
Ok, it's not quite a direct comparison. The Halftracks don't come with a sheet of decals or a full set of instructions. Instead there is a single exploded diagram on the rear of the box. With only 14 parts for each halftrack the diagram gives a clear idea of where each piece goes, but does not give correct order to assemble the parts in, more on that later.
The box says that glue/poly cement is required to assemble the model, but in reality the various pegs and clips fit together tightly enough that gluing is not required. The headlights are the only item the needs a spot of glue to ensure they both stay at the same level.
This is perhaps where I made my first mistake, I decided to speed up painting by spraying the sprues with Chaos Black before removing the parts from the sprue. The parts fit so tightly that even a thin undercoat made the parts hard to slot together. I'd recommend not trying the same short cut I used
Problem number two was Part number 11, the windscreen. With only a single diagram to assemble by I'd assumed that the best way would be to put the parts together in number order. If you take this approach it's not possible to insert the windscreen/dashboard part into the chassis. I'd nearly finished the first model when I discovered this, then I found that the Fast Assembly system also made it very hard to take the model apart. It took me longer to pull the model apart than to assemble it in the first place.
Once together the models look right at home next to the M8. While there isn't the same level of detailing/stowage items etc. the models feel really sturdy and should hold up really well to wargame use.
As Iain said, the MG is post mounted in the rear of the truck, not cupola mounted over the drivers seat. This doesn't make too much difference to me, but might to some.
If you ignore my assembly mistakes the models are fantastic for the price
you pay. I'm planning to pickup a pair of the Fast Assembly Jeeps (Italeri 7506) for my Mortar and MG teams so I have a fully mechanised army. Without these Italeri modes I suspect the price would have put me off.
Rabidchild
Mongoose
Cheers for the quick review. Sounds like they're a solid kit. I wonder how difficult it would be to give it the forward turret ring, since that's what my one halftrack has.
