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i like the steam scout tank, but the rivets seem pretty out of scale. too large by far. also, i like the aesthetic of the mud flaps, but they seem rather superfluous, or in the wrong place to actually stop much mud.

by that's just my opinion. (you asked for c/c....)

 GawdamSumbish wrote:
i like the steam scout tank, but the rivets seem pretty out of scale. too large by far. also, i like the aesthetic of the mud flaps, but they seem rather superfluous, or in the wrong place to actually stop much mud.

by that's just my opinion. (you asked for c/c....)

Hi mate, thanks for the comments!

I can see what you mean about the rivets perhaps being a little large, but IMHO it really brings out the steam age /WW1feel I wanted! It will be interesting because these are 2mm rivets and I now have 1mm rivets so will use them on my next build

Eith regard to the mud flaps, again it was an aesthetic choice. I just thought they looked cool. Maybe not the most practical design.

Thanks again for the comments & C, C ..... always welcome

 MagosBiff90 wrote:
Trench rails? like the lovely ones OMN does actually...

I think my trench rails would be a little large for your little tank, without a bit of converting anyway.

good luck with the estoc sale!

Impressive abilities at scratch building. I wouldn't know where to start.

OneManNoodles wrote:

 MagosBiff90 wrote:
Trench rails? like the lovely ones OMN does actually...

I think my trench rails would be a little large for your little tank, without a bit of converting anyway.

good luck with the estoc sale!

Hi mate. Thanks for looking in. Yeh your rightthe trench rails wouldnt look right here but I am definetly looking to use them in the near future!

TP^DC Deputy Manager wrote:Impressive abilities at scratch building. I wouldn't know where to start.

Thanks my friend! TBH I had only a vague idea of what this tank was going to look like.... just got to make it up as you go mostly! Thanks for the comments!

Ahoy me hearties!

TFI FRIDAY!!! So the steam scout is done.... And the Mach MK1 is rolling forward slowly but surely.... all depending on how a couple of e-bay items go, I will either be putting in another little order with Machinator or be looking to purchase myself a couple of little paint pots... I think its high time I bought some variety away from grey and green....

My question to everyone would be..... what are your 100% must have paint colours/types...... I am not so worried about washes etc as I feel the coffee effect works well... but what main colours do you have to have, I want to start working moe detail into my models with lenses and cables etc... so I am thinking some primary colours.

Currently I have one large can of black primer, 3 small nearly empty cans of Tamiya spray, grey, green & red. One small Vellejo rust pot and a silver/metal pot. And that's it..... I have a small variety of rust / pigments but again as you will have seen from my previous painting attempts.. they are not exactly varied in colour! haha! No varnishes and that's all. When I get home I will take a couple of pics to show the extend if my range, and would love some help.

Back onto the question of my next little build...... it I going to be what IMHO is one of the top looking vehicles alongside the Macharius and the Spartan..... a DKOK Centaur.

Anyway.... again I am babbling as I watch the clock slip slllooowwwlllyyy towards 5pm....

thanks for stopping in and reading my nonsense!

you say the steam scout is done...is it painted? if so, pics!

as for paint: are you looking specifically for detail colors, or for all-purpose colors? do you have an airbrush? those are questions that will effect the kind of paint you need. i have been collecting paints for years, slowly buying lots on ebay and picking up random other stuff on sale at crafts shops.

craft paints can be a fantastic thing for a modeler--you can get a 2 oz. (~60ml) bottle of acrylic paint for $.77 (~.50 GBP) at craft stores here...should be similar there. you could buy red, yellow, blue, black, white and a few metallics for less than 5 GBP and mix paints for a virtually infinite palette. there's a lot of tutorials on mixing paints, keeping certain colors viable (with a wet palette), getting some shine on craft paints (which tend to dry very matte)...the important part to remember is that if you paint with acrylic craft paints, you need to seal them with a spray or brush on varnish of some kind.

 GawdamSumbish wrote:
you say the steam scout is done...is it painted? if so, pics!

as for paint: are you looking specifically for detail colors, or for all-purpose colors? do you have an airbrush? those are questions that will effect the kind of paint you need. i have been collecting paints for years, slowly buying lots on ebay and picking up random other stuff on sale at crafts shops.

craft paints can be a fantastic thing for a modeler--you can get a 2 oz. (~60ml) bottle of acrylic paint for $.77 (~.50 GBP) at craft stores here...should be similar there. you could buy red, yellow, blue, black, white and a few metallics for less than 5 GBP and mix paints for a virtually infinite palette. there's a lot of tutorials on mixing paints, keeping certain colors viable (with a wet palette), getting some shine on craft paints (which tend to dry very matte)...the important part to remember is that if you paint with acrylic craft paints, you need to seal them with a spray or brush on varnish of some kind.

Hi Mate! Thanks so much for the info and comments! Sorry taken so long to respond.... RL been keeping me on my toes recently!

Sorry, what I meant is the steam scout is finished being put together... although I am having a look this evening about putting together a slightly more robust looking crew hatch. I also got my hands on some small Russian propaganda transfers I think I will add once it is painted...

I am not sure regarding the paints... with all of my works to date it has just been a basic spray can basecoat and then sponge work with a couple of colours of rust/ damage / pigment etc...

I think you are right however to have a core base of strong primary colours with black and white. Would give a nice basis and allow me to really pick out things like cables / lenses etc...

I think to be honest my real enthusiasm for the whole hobby has caught me slightly off guard.... I have been here for over a year now and when it started I was only really interested in building things... but now I am really into it and as well as building, I really want to up the quality of my painting.... however my budget for the hobby still only stretches as far as to buy more glue when required and the occasional cheap find on E-bay!

Anyway... enough of my woes... lol.... I will definitely check out some paint auctions on ebay......

thanks again for your comments! Really appreciated

Can't wait to see the finished steam scout! also I have bought over time many dropper bottles from Reaper Miniatures, they have paints for sale as well. But local hobby and craft stores may have more of what you can afford. Variety is the spice of life when it comes to paints!

Hey all,

Shaz, thanks for the comment! Will definetly get out there to have a look around!

Had a couple of little disasters with the steam scout...... but...... onward and upward..... got a basecoat on and a first layer os sponge scratches and coffee wash.......need to head to work now but will explain more when I get there...

Also had a first attempt at a super sculpy/green stuff mould and cast.... a little hatch..... prettyhappy with how it hascome out!
Cheers all,


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I am sure this will auto append... but here goes...

Sooo.... had a couple of issues with the steam scout..... firstly the paint I used (Tamiya british green) has come out looking wayyy to shiny and actually given a horrible coverage. I tried to add some chips and a quick wash but it REALLY doesn't look good.. the picsures, however terrible, actually don't do justice to how bad it looks! so it is going to be put on the shelf until I am able to get another colour..... going to give it a light covering of black primer to cover the horrendous green....

Also..... I stupidly put the tank in the oven @ a very low heat to dry the paint quicker..... (something I have done previously and worked) ...... but for some reason this time the front section with the chain hooks and the boilers chimneys have warped pretty badly.... I think the front section can be salvaged as "battle damage" but the pipes will have to be replaced...

Its a shame because I really love this little tank... but the good thing it the green paint is only on a thin coat so I should be able to cover it and start again without any loss of details or anything! PHEW!

the green stuff mould on the otherhand IMHO has come out pretty well.... needs to be sanded smooth but apart from that I am happy! Going to do a few sections of individual tracks next for the Centaur I am planning on doing next!


So.. the main lesson for me here is...... don't just use any paint you have lying around!!!!! Have patience!!!

Oh dear, I do hope you can fix up the little feller. If not, it can be a wreck and serve as an interesting terrain piece. And of course, you'll need to build another one.

About the paints... For terrain, craft paints will do just fine, and some of then serve well for miniatures. Not sure of what brands are available in the UK though. And you can also use artists soft body acrylics too, like Liquitex or Golden. Although they can be a bit pricey ( not quite GW pricey, it seems), but they go a long way with miniatures.

Hopefully you can salvage (that sounds worse than it is, rescue.. no that's just as bad..) the tank.

Can't really help with the paint problem as I am in the minority in my paint choices. You may be aware that I (still) use Humbrol enamels on my models.
Advantages; cheaper than the equivalent acrylics I've seen, and you get more in a pot (£1.69 for 14ml). Work perfectly well in my opinion (see my models and judge for yourself). Some painting tricks are easier.
Disadvantages; smelly (which can be a problem for some people), may need some getting used to if you have only used acrylics (the reverse is why I haven't switched from them). Some painting tricks may not be easier.

For the drying/melting in the oven, I watched this recently and an alternative is mentioned at ~10mins mark (although the whole video is quite interesting):



Keep up the good work.

I hope that the little steamer can be saved fully as well. I have never placed any model in the oven to dry as I tend to use paints that dry themselves in minutes. I recommend Reaper Paints
https://www.reapermini.com/Paints/corecolors

Ahoy all.

Hope all is good with everyone! Wanted to come and say hi and I am still around!

Not much updates of the 40k variety as RL has neen off the chart recently. But I wanted to come and say hello. Managed some quiet time with my wife today and she surprosed me with this beauty!

Gears of War "King Raven" set by meccano. I kmow its not nessesserily a 40k vehicle but thought it would have some appeal on here.

No idea so far of size / scale etc but I will post some pics once I get it opened up and as I put it together.

Cheers all,

sorry to hear about the scout tank...hopefully it isn't fethed up too badly to do something with it.

gnarly GoW heli...i've been looking at the Centaur tank kit they have. Never played the game, as i'm not a fan of FPS, but i like the look of the tank.

Erector sets have come a long way...

Can't wait to see the chopper.

Hey guys,

Thanks for looking in all! Very much appreciated!

I think unfortunately the little steamer has had it..... but.... I am going to create another in the same style with a couple of little additions I had hoped to add to the original design... so I guess it can be like a little phoenix rising from the ashes!

Yeh I cant wait to set stuck into the King Raven... Had a quick little peek last night inside the box and actually.... scale wise it looked pretty good. Although seeing as I don't play any of the games this will be a display piece anyway!

going to get started on it this evening so will be sure to post pics!

Cheers All!

Greeat video Dr H, I wish I was that guy...

Man, that's terrible news about the Steam tank. I had such high hopes for it. Trial and error requires error, I guess. At least you've learned a valuable lesson, right?

Thanks Warboss,

Yes indeed lesson learned indeed..... bit of a stupid error on my part... bu hey ho.... onward and upward... a lot of the original can be salvaged... so its not a total loss... plus it didn't take too much time to put together in the first place... so that's not so bad.... Hopefully "Wee Steamer II" will fulfil the potential of its predecessor!

Thanks again for looking in!

Looking forwards to seeing the revised and second steamer-type

Ahoy all,

Managed to get some time on the King Raven tonight .... its a bit of a beast! Really nice kit though & a lot of fun to put together! Got some scale pics and wip so far.....

Also got the main body of the new steamie and as you will see it is a bit bigger than previously! I intend to add a central troop compartment with firing slits and access ramp. IMHO its looking solid! I also intemd to build a couple more of the original format steamies also to put together a little platoon!

Ve to hear some C&C!

Thanks all!

Okay so a bigger version of the steamer tank? Looks like more than a 2 man crew for it!

Malcador hull next to that helo shows it would be a BIG platoon carrier for a 40k army. A huge aircraft it is, with a large troop carry capacity I see.

Can you show a image of a GoW figure next to say a IG mini? it will help with troop scale.

Kid_Kyoto wrote:Greeat video Dr H, I wish I was that guy...

You're not wrong, KK. I'm jealous every time I see Adam's workshop.

Nice work Magos. New tank is shaping up well.
Shame the little one can't be saved.

The helicopter is looking interesting (in a nice way, I like "interesting"). Meccano has moved on a bit since the last time I've seen any...

King Raven is sweet. And don't worry about the size. A UH-1 (Huey) helicopter would be about 13" long, in scale.

A pair of the tanklings would be really neat.

Hey guys,

thanks for the comments and looking in!

The King Raven is really a sweet kit.. going to get some more done this evening and also get those GOW scale pics!

I am envisaging the new Steamer is more of a mid/heavy version. Maybe with sponsons or firing slits at each side... more like a crew of 4 rather than the 2 of the scout steamers...

Going to be 3 in all ... the larger one and then the 2 scouts. Had a little think about names for them and came up with "Dextro & Sinistro" ... latin for "left & right" ..... thought that could be pretty cool.. the scouts can be the hands of the main tank.

Was also considering adding a turret to the main tank.... maybe something boxy like the French FT17 from ww1....... going for the same original layout as the scout in terms of tracks to the front and wheels to the back... but want to add more in the way of the "steam" design... to this one!

Also.... in more important RIVET NEWS...... I will be mainly using the little 1mm rivets I have on this tank and only using a few of the 2mm to give a bit more variety.... so should be pretty interesting I hope!

thanks agan for the comments folks! Appreciate it!

Ahoy me hearties!

Unfortunately on this glorious Easter Monday I am in the office & the only one here!

But.... it has allowed me to have a think about my next couple of projects etc.

This isn't really an update.... just a little bable about what I am looking to do next!

Firstly....... the Mk1 Macharius..... (I have not forgotten about her) Just the track units remain to be finished and then she needs painted and is done!

Secondly...... the 3 steam tanks.... (1 main & 2 scout) ...... I have the bodies of all 3 put together.... need a lot of detailing & extra rivets! Paint & done!

Thirdly.... I really want to do another bunker / trench / fortress terrain piece! Had a blast with my previous trench piece & really learned a lot from that, that I want to take into a larger and more detailed piece! after seeing the new release from Forgeworld... (Primus redoubt) I REALLY want to give something like that a go.... lots of levels... lots of details.. destroyed sections.. trench bits.... a proper fortress!

will get some sketches put together and hopefully get some up online this evening all going well!

(Added a VERY quick sketch of the layout I am looking to achieve!.. as previously I am going to go for the WW1 / no mans land / battlefield look.)

Take it easy and have a happy Easter everyone!

NOTE TO SELF: (as am sitting in the office)

Aiming to use a mixture of materials and construction types to show a development from bunker to enhanced defensive position in reaction to increased threat / battle damage / attrition / and really look to show the difference between new and old and also the difference between the more permanent trench / concrete works and the hastily created defences.... timber & sandbag...

 MagosBiff90 wrote:
NOTE TO SELF: (as am sitting in the office)

Aiming to use a mixture of materials and construction types to show a development from bunker to enhanced defensive position in reaction to increased threat / battle damage / attrition / and really look to show the difference between new and old and also the difference between the more permanent trench / concrete works and the hastily created defences.... timber & sandbag...

Use photographic references. I searched Normandy Bunkers and got quite a lot of useful images. Damaged Bunker came back with a bunch of useful images, too. I recommend materials like plaster paper, pink foam, and aquarium gravel. Looking forward to seeing the results!

Thanks for the pointers warboss!

I will definetly check some of those images out.
I have a few bits & bobs from a trench piece I did previously and am going to use some of the techniques and details I tried there..... there is a gallery "the cursed front" in my gallery.

Actually tonight I tore that piece apart to plunder it for parts. There is a forgeworld trench gun emplacement I definetly need to use again! And a lot of parts that will come in handy.

I know tjere may be some people who dont agree with or see the point of taking something you haave made and then taking it apart, but I have the images and experoence gained from this piece and feel it is important to evolve and develop into something more. Plus I aim to make this piece playable so it may eventually end up on someones game table.

Anyway... thanks for the input mate, I appreciate your feedback.