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Wednesday 13 January 2016

Some scratch-built/modified model vehicles

I recently wrote a review of MINIATURE WARGAMES WITH BATTLEGAMES ISSUE 393 in which I stated that Richard Marsh's article about John Sandars' wargames was the 'stand out' article in that particular issue. I also wrote that 'it is because of him that I built quite a few dodgy-looking World War II-era vehicles based on various ROCO Minitanks and Airfix kits, none of which would stand too much scrutiny as to their accuracy nowadays.'

When I wrote that I thought that I no longer had any of the models that John Sandars' had inspired me to build ... but I was wrong. Whilst looking for something else, I came across three of those 'forgotten' models.





The two trucks started out as broken ROCO Minitank SdKfz 7 half-tracks. The front ends and the chassis of the models were kept, but the original rear bodies were replaced by scratch-built bodies made from Plasticard sheet and the side panels from the body of a couple of Airfix Matador kits. The wheels also came from the Airfix Matador kits as did the main part of the tilt on one of the lorries. The rest of the pieces came from my spares box or were made from Plasticard sheet. The finished models were supposed to resemble the sort of 3-tonne 6 x 6 or 6 x 4 trucks used by the Wehrmacht ... and I think that they past muster when seen on the tabletop.

The 15cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf) began life as the chassis and tracks from a broken ROCO Pzkpfw III. The original wheels were carefully cut away from the tracks and replaced by the wheels from an Airfix StuG III that had been turned so that the backs rather than the fronts of the wheels were visible. The rest of the body – with the exception of the front glacis plate and driver's compartment – was scratch-built from Plasticard sheet, tubing, and girders or using pieces from my spares box. I was pleased with the result, which looks reasonably accurate from a distance.

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful! It is nice to see someone plying the field of kit-bashing and scratch building yet.

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  2. These days I have taken the view that if it looks more like what it is supposed to be than anything else it is not supposed to be, it will do. One can have too much perfectionism on the table top.

    My reason - and this might become a blog posting, has to do with some of the backlog of kits I have assembled in the last 4 or 5 weeks. Quite a few were without tracks, which I supplied using carton strapping, cut to width and over-long, and stapled before slipping over the sprockets, road wheels and idlers. A JagdPzIV, a Tiger I and a SU85 all got this treatment.

    I have occasionally seen John Sandars's scratchbuilding work, and find that they add more than a little to the character of his vehicles and the armies to which they belong.

    Bob, those scratchbuilt/kitbashed vehicles of yours do not deserve to lie idle and forgotten in the back of some drawer.

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  3. Jan Ferris,

    There is something very pleasing about producing something that looks convincing on the tabletop from what would otherwise be junked.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Will McNally,

    Cheers! I must admit that the end results looked quite reasonable to me.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Archduke Piccolo,

    I would be interested to see your home-made tracks on a model. It sounds like an interesting way to solve a problem and needs to be shared with a wider audience.

    Nowadays some wargamers get very hung-up about 'accuracy'; like you, if I can recognise what a model is supposed to represent, it will usually be good enough.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  6. A casual glance, and I thought "Wow! Two FAMO's and a Bison!", not realizing that they were not kits. Good work!

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  7. Bravo Bob. There's a lot to be said for "rolling your own" - we they be seeing action? K

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  8. Steven Page,

    Thank you! I had hoped that they would look fairly convincing, and I am pleased that you think that they are!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. Luvverly! Never knew that you had a SiG 33, Bob.

    Regards, Chris.

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  10. Chris Kemp,

    Thanks. It was probably my best ever scratch-build/kit-bash, and I doubt that I have the patience these days to build another.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  11. Hi there

    Having in the past [ 25+ years ago ] built lot's 1/72[ish] scale kits for wargaming use first thing I did was throw the tracks away ! For the tanks like Shermans where a lot of them had rubber pads I used some plastic sheet with a plank effect having the planks go across the width of the track , round tight curves it could crack so a thin 'lining ' was added. For tanks like the T34 where the tracks were more ridged I used some plastic sheet that was meant to be for representing ' corrugated ' sheet , again with the corrugations going across the width of the track , round tight curves it could also crack so a thin 'lining ' was added.I tend to pack out the sprockets then just filed the track down till it fit inside the sprocket teeth where it needed to to get around it? These were easy to fit as they could be glued to each roller and the road wheels etc they were mad slightly over long and I started gluing them on the upper run and made the joint under the middle. They looked ok when painted and very robust.
    regards Paul

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    Replies
    1. Paul_n (Paul),

      Your comment includes some excellent advice as to how to replace the rubber/flexible plastic tracks found on most 1/76th-scale vehicles. I may well give your method a try the next time I build a model tank.

      Years ago I converted a number of Airfix Sherman's into Israeli ones using the tracks from ROCO M-40 SPGs, new barrels made from brass rod, and a laminated Platicard turret bustle.

      All the best,

      Bob

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  12. such charm and delight! there's something wonderful about kitbashing/scratchbuilding what you want ... something that feels a bit like an echo of the hollywood epic war movies of our childhoods, where Spanish M47 Pattons pretend to be Nazi Panzers at the Battle of the Bulge, or a bit of plywood stuck on a truck make it a german halftrack or some such sillyness... I approve mightily.

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    Replies
    1. Brianne, You may call me Mistressyness,

      I’m please that you enjoyed reading about my scratchbuilt models.

      All the best,

      Bob

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