Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 Evening Everyone Time for another 56th scale kit. This time from Bolt Action, the M3 Stuart. The only ever Stuart I've built was yonks ago, the old Matchbox one, and tried painting it in the Caunter scheme... It didn't really end well, I suppose it would have given the enemy something to laugh at. This one is different from the Comet in that its not resin. The plastic for the kit is made by Italeri. Another difference is this doesn't have a single molding of the track and wheels, this kit has separate track pieces to add. OK, here's the bits... 5 versions can be built from the kit, 2 British, 2 American and a Russian one, and I've never seen this variant every before, but you can also build the Flamethrower tank. Someone mentioned a couple months back that you rarely see any early war American armour, so a nice inclusion is the US Tunisian front version. And a small sheet of decals is included. Ill show more detail as the build progresses I shall be doing the British desert scheme and trying not to make a mess of it... 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dixieflyer 5,431 Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 Ooooo, I'm going to like watching this! Having grown up reading the comic "Jeb Stuart and the Haunted Tank", the Stuart has always had a place in my heart. I'd love to do at least three or four. I do love the yellow stars US armor sported in North Africa, and a lot of them had blue serial numbers too. Quite colorful for US armor IMHO. Looking forward to more. 5 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Milan Mynar 1,775 Posted November 11 Report Share Posted November 11 It looks like good detailed kit in the interesting scale. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TeeELL 682 Posted November 12 Report Share Posted November 12 I’d not known of such a scale previously but just across from our club display is an outfit specialising in 1:56 scale ! 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gorby 21,593 Posted November 12 Report Share Posted November 12 Looks a good kit, I do like the Stuart. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tolvcat 5,096 Posted November 12 Report Share Posted November 12 4 hours ago, TeeELL said: I’d not known of such a scale previously but just across from our club display is an outfit specialising in 1:56 scale ! It started as a wargames scale[1] but the kits are big enough and detailed enough these days to work as display models too Andy [1] Wargamers do seem prone to scale creep. Witness 25mm figures which got chunkier and chunkier until they were officially 28mm and a complete new scale. 1/56 seems to be the result of a similar creep from 30mm figures and there are already rumblings that the figures are getting to be out of scale with vehicles and equipment 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 13 Author Report Share Posted November 13 Evening Everypeeps Blimey, haven't wargaming kits changed. Back in my teenage years it was Airfix, Matchbox and Esci kits on an old door on trestles in the garage. When I moved upto Joburg I found a wargaming club and joined but very few chaps played 72nd scale. I noticed the majority were playing with 15mm figures, and nearly all of them were unpainted, so I stuck my hand up and said I can paint figures.. I spent three years happy as a pig in poo painting armies and actually making a goodly amount to boost my Bike Courier wages. I painted everything from Ancient Britons to American civil War and everything in-between, my favorites being Aztec Jaguar Knights. I have absolutely no photos of them (never occurred to us to take photos) until it all changed to Warhammer Fantasy Battle and 40k, ooh and Bloodbowl. (and the never ending pit that is Dungeons & Dragons) Anyway, enough reminiscing... (Please feel free to add you own waffling) These Bolt Action kits are quite a bit simpler than the Rubicon kits The entire lower hull is just 6 pieces. The detail though, is excellent and the molded on suspension is actually quite good. After a quick squirt of XF Desert Yellow... I've been looking for a nice colour layout for the Caunter Scheme, and eventually ended up on the Italeri site where we have the exact vehicle I'm building. Only a 2 colour scheme, Sand & Dark Gull Grey, which I think I can rustle up one of the Tamiya Greys. I actually think I'm going to buy another one to build the American yellow star version. More to come, thanks for watching. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gorby 21,593 Posted November 14 Report Share Posted November 14 When I was a kid three of us used to take a load of our models to one of their garages and reenact WWII in 1/72 during the summer holiday. One friend had mainly figures, another had mainly AFV and I had mainly aircraft. The friend how mainly had figures was into proper wargaming as well, the other two of us couldn't get our heads around why you'd want to use a dice when you could just say "BANG, that ones dead". That way was much more fun. 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Loopy 2,538 Posted November 14 Report Share Posted November 14 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Gorby said: When I was a kid three of us used to take a load of our models to one of their garages and reenact WWII in 1/72 during the summer holiday. One friend had mainly figures, another had mainly AFV and I had mainly aircraft. The friend how mainly had figures was into proper wargaming as well, the other two of us couldn't get our heads around why you'd want to use a dice when you could just say "BANG, that ones dead". That way was much more fun. Placing suitably-sized firecrackers* in said 1/72 models and lighting the fuses was fun, too. BANG!!! Kids, eh? * That was back in the days when you could buy fireworks for cracker night. Last one that we had in Adelaide was in 1974. Too many animals, letter boxes, school lockers, human body parts, etc., were being set alight . And that wasn't fun - or funny. Still... Edited November 14 by Dr Loopy 1 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 14 Author Report Share Posted November 14 We also started with figures. Had a copy of some tabletop rules from somewhere which we thought were daft so we re wrote them. (Oh we knew EVERYTHING then didnt we...) Much more fun. Then i think we got one of those Lets go Wargaming booklets and used the example set of rulres. I think we modified the vehicle rules as well. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DC3 4,778 Posted November 14 Report Share Posted November 14 54 minutes ago, Mad Steve said: We also started with figures. Had a copy of some tabletop rules from somewhere which we thought were daft so we re wrote them. (Oh we knew EVERYTHING then didnt we...) Much more fun. Then i think we got one of those Lets go Wargaming booklets and used the example set of rulres. I think we modified the vehicle rules as well. Once a bloody anarchist, always a bloody anarchist. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 14 Author Report Share Posted November 14 4 hours ago, DC3 said: Once a bloody anarchist, always a bloody anarchist. Still, could be worse... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hutch6390 3,293 Posted November 14 Report Share Posted November 14 I started with a book - "Introduction to Battle Gaming" by Terry Wise, a much-respected wargamer. I still have the book. My mates & I bought and painted loads of Airfix Napoleonic figures (I still have some of those, too) & played on one of the lads' snooker table -the sort you put on trestles. The Stuart's looking good, Steve, I look forward to seeing more 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 14 Author Report Share Posted November 14 My mom and dad bought me the Airfix Waterloo set for one Christmas, absolutely loved it. I later fell out with Napoleonics. (Had nothing to do with just not being arsed to paint them ) and the first lot of 15mm figures I got to paint?... French, Waterloo, Foot, Cavalry & Cannon.. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 15 Author Report Share Posted November 15 Evening Everyone I Iove these kits. Tracks fitted, took less than 30 minutes. Tracks were first painted Dark Iron, then the center pads dry brushed Rubber Black and I'll do the aluminium dry brushing tomorrow probably. 6 pieces each side, and no gaps in the tracks where they fit together. very impressed. Thanks for watching 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Loopy 2,538 Posted November 15 Report Share Posted November 15 Very impressive. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vaastav 3,265 Posted November 17 Report Share Posted November 17 Looks great Steve. It is turning our to be a neat little kit, is the fit good? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 17 Author Report Share Posted November 17 Morning V. It is actually, better than I expected it to be. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 20 Author Report Share Posted November 20 Afternoon Everyone A bit more progress The upper hull and turret finished and painted sand and weird blue colour. It needs to be sanded up a bit I must say, these plastic jobbies don't go together as well as the resin ones. The Italeri plastic is a bit thick and needs some coercing in places. Anyway, onwards with getting dirty bit 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gorby 21,593 Posted November 20 Report Share Posted November 20 Looking really good. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dixieflyer 5,431 Posted November 20 Report Share Posted November 20 I really like that weird blue color though. Looking good so far. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted November 21 Author Report Share Posted November 21 Evening all Just a little update I gave the wee jobbie a light misting of Tamiya XF Buff, and a coat of flat clear washing and drybrushing next 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hutch6390 3,293 Posted November 21 Report Share Posted November 21 That's toned it down nicely, Steve 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Loopy 2,538 Posted November 22 Report Share Posted November 22 Nice Caunter scheme there, @Mad Steve :). Nice little model, too! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mad Steve 25,051 Posted Sunday at 04:26 PM Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 04:26 PM Afternoon Everyone Memsahib and I had a nice day out, and I did a couple hours when we got home. I've removed the 2 inch smoke mortars a most vehicles seem not to have them, (well ones I looked at) So today I just added the decals (Heeeeey, before I do weathering, I'm learning ) I'll let those dry off and start dry brushing this coming week. 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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