1/32 BMC customs updated 7/26

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:42 pm

I am tired of waiting for more armor from 21C in 1/32. They have only been averaging a new release every two weeks so far in '08 which is waaaaay too slow for me (1/18 only fellas, begin envy now).

I received a BMC amtrack in trade from MG42 and I loved the way it turned out. Because of the good results with it I have decided to purchase some 1/32 low cost, low detail injected molded pieces from Classic Toy Soldiers to paint and detail up. On it's way now are:

-WWI A7V
-Daimler armored car
-Two types of 105MM howitzer
-Chi-Ha
-BMC landing craft infantry (12" long!)
-Churchill Mk?
-Churchill Crocodile with trailer

There is virtually no chance of seeing any of these from 21C in the near future with the exception of the Churchills so I figured, what the hey? I say low cost but with shipping I am out $120 and need to stock up on paint now. I look forward to getting these and will post photos as I complete the customs.

Anyone interested, here are the links:

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

http://classictoysoldiers.com/cgi-bin/c ... )%20

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:59 pm

Oooh, I've been wishing for a Dalmier Armoured Car! Might look sweet painted and modded up a bit.

Lots of interesting stuff, thanks!

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:46 am

Here it is. I am no Hun but I thought it turned out OK considering the quality of the BMC piece.

Jagdpanther · Post by **Jagdpanther** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:11 am

Olifant I no mitch sent you the BMC but did that come from classic toy soldiers?

Light.Inf.Scout · Post by **Light.Inf.Scout** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:16 am

Classic Toy Soldiers is a great Company. I use them alot. They have great playsets.

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:31 pm

Holy cow that is a nice AMTRAC!

Would be cool for someone who is really good at customs to take the turret off a Stuart, make a top deck and make the fire support LVTA1!

Probably not easy but I can dream!
Lots of versions, check out the A1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_Vehicle_Tracked

Also, check out the new EFV, sorta looks like the oldschool version on steroids! Too bad it's development isn't going smoothly.
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/xml/new ... _story.JPG

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:12 pm

schizuki wrote:You're evil. Just when I thought I had all the 1/32 I wanted now that I've got the FW-190, you and Oli are parading armored cars and cool conversions in front of me.

I'm sending you guys the bills.

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:04 pm

Jagdpanther wrote:Olifant I no mitch sent you the BMC but did that come from classic toy soldiers?

I'm not sure where Mitch got it from. It came to me poly bagged sealed with no markings. These seem to be available from numerous on-line sources with little variance in price: usually between $12-14. I used some plastic sheet to make a drivers vision hatch, added an antenna and cut out the plastic between the suspension and track. I couldn't build a model to save my life but this was within even my modest skill set.

I have an old Stuart that is really only good for parts I was planning to use on an LVT4 mod. I would love for someone to beat me to the punch so I can learn from their mistakes!

jlspec · Post by **jlspec** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:14 pm

Are the Classic Toys Armour in kit form or preassembled? Do you know what kind of plastic? There are a couple I saw that were of interest
Thanks

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:48 pm

So I got my shipment today and was very excited when I opened it up. That wore off a little bit when I realized what I got: a box of $120 toy soldier tanks! (I don't know what I was expecting...K&C?) I think some serious customization is in order before I begin posting photos.

Here is the lowdown. All of these are pre-assembled jlspec; the Daimler AC has a sprue tree with some of the stowage and antennae attachments. The Churchills require turret installation but it takes but a few seconds.

Now, piece by piece:

- The two Churchills are heads and tails above the rest. These are well detailed and will look good with minimal modification. Downside is these are significantly underscale. I am guessing 1/43.

- The Daimler is not too bad but has a terrible shiny finish due to the plastic used. I think it will turn out nicely after a little work. Scale is close but it appears to be a little too wide.

- The Chi-Ha tank hull and tracks are molded out of a single piece of plastic and there is a distinct opening where the manufacturer did not continue the hull front down far enough. It will require some styrene sheet so it does not look funny. Detail is fair on the hull but the road wheels and suspension seem to "float" in the background plastic. This is pretty well represented in the photos you'll see on the vendor web sites so I am not too surprised. This is a little bit under scale, I am guessing 1/35+/- but it is not too bad as it is a small tank on the small side. I think this will turn out OK.

- I was really excited with the photos of the 105MM howitzer with the gunshield when I made the order but it doesn't look nearly as good in person. The shield and tow arms are very loose and swing wildly when handled. I think this piece will turn out OK also.

- The shieldless howitzer barrel and breech come in two halves which must be assembled and have lots of flash on them and seem to match up poorly. That being said this looks better than I anticipated and I think this will look great when painted up.

- The BMC landing craft has potential but needs some serious changes to make it even close to being believable. On the plus side this thing is BIG and has great potential.

- The A7V is a pretty good representation. All the guns are movable and it seems to be to 1/32 scale. I think this will look great when done and will require little but a paint job and some decals. I have been looking around and WWI style Maltese cross decals are not very common. I think I will have to pay $15-20 shipped to get some.

Cost going up!

I will post before and after photos as I make progress on these. Should I continue the post here or in the C&M forum? I am thinking the 1/32 forum may be the best place.

jlspec · Post by **jlspec** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:33 pm

Thanks, I will look forward to your pictures and progress updates

ltcbj · Post by **ltcbj** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:57 am

26/year is inadequate?

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:04 am

Itcbj: Do you mean 26 1/32 releases a year are not enough? If so, yes!

Schizuki, 1/48 modern decals would probably work great. I was looking for some on-line last night. Seems like Sabres are about the only ones put out though.

Cabe · Post by **Cabe** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:15 am

actually you took the words right out of my mouth/brain
I sa that churchill at hobbytown the other day and saw the detail and since I am doing re-paints anyway of FoV and 21sC I thought, what the heck, I am going to repaint that little bastard when I get done with my marders, hetzers and such

SO look for my Croc here in a few weeks.
I have a thread I am posting here in a sec with my redux of a pz38t that I had painted once, but I did some stipping of my work and repainted it again, the stripping actually gave it even more character

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:43 pm

Okay, I have finally spent some time on these. I am going to keep posting in this thread because, well, it makes sense to me.

This shot shows the Daimler armored car with a FOV Lee and 21C Brit for scale:

Next up is the 105MM and the 155MM guns for scale:

Here are the two side by side. I think these both turned out pretty well for what they are. The 105MM is shown at full elevation. The 155MM does not elevate.

Here is the front view. The 155MM is sent in two halves which did not line up very well. I didn't spend as much time on getting this correct as I probably should have.

Here is the rear view of the two guns. The 155MM doesn't have much breech detail but the 105MM isn't too bad. On the 105MM the arms will swing in and out for towing or set up. On the 155MM you are on your own for towing. It does come with a little hitch that I have been unable to get to fit. I am not willing to glue it on to set it up for tow.

Here is the rear view of the Daimler. Please note that all stowage has been added except for the right hull side box.

Here is a right side shot. Sorry it is slightly blurry; my camera battery died and I am too lazy to wait for it to recharge.

Here is the front view. Please note that the wheels are not centered. They have some slop in them that I did not square up prior to the shot.

The last shot is the left side. I really like the way the spare tire is mounted. This model would not look half as good without the tire detail.

I would definitely recommend the 105MM gun. For the price I think you get a pretty good piece. The 155MM gun is a little more basic. I enjoy it and for $10, hey, what do you expect?

The Daimler is a little pricey for what you get, but it is the only 1/32 Allied armor car in town. I don't think I will purchase any more but if you don't mind it's toy-like appearance go for it. In the hands of a master craftsman I am sure they could turn this into a real gem.

Next up I think I will tackle the Churchills or the landing craft. The Chi-Ha pains me every time I look at it. I don't think I can turn that sows ear into a purse.

Jagdpanther · Post by **Jagdpanther** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 5:14 am

You did a good job! I think the armored car came out quite well.

ltcbj · Post by **ltcbj** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:19 pm

Olifant: It would appear that you are unmarried.

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:59 pm

ltcbj wrote:Olifant: It would appear that you are unmarried.

Nope, married with children...

ltcbj · Post by **ltcbj** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:36 am

It would appear that either:
1) Your wife is kind and understanding and/or you live in a 15 room mansion with plenty of room for 1/32 collections to abound, or
2) You don't buy the new releases, just want to admire them from afar.

So you can really add a model to your collection every two weeks without a problem?

Cool.

ltcbj · Post by **ltcbj** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:37 am

It would appear that either:
1) Your wife is kind and understanding and/or you live in a 15 room mansion with plenty of room for 1/32 collections to abound, or
2) You don't buy the new releases, just want to admire them from afar.

So you can really add a model to your collection every two weeks without a problem?

Cool.

Just kidding you a bit....

olifant · Post by **olifant** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:12 pm

I have found that running out of money is more an issue than room.

I used to get every new release but have cut back of the FOV releases. At $70 shipped I have passed on a few of the newer releases. That is 1/18 money!

ltcbj · Post by **ltcbj** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:08 am

Not surprisingly. Why I stay low rent.