David's Dithering Desk - Northern Edition

[iggie]

Looks great David

[Bissyboat]

Nice work on the Chally David.

[DavidWomby]

August 20.

The decals are on the Challenger. Now I need to spray this and last year's Chieftain with a flat topcoat but the weather hasn't cooperated for two weeks. Every day has been too humid or too windy (or too busy) and I need to do this outdoors with a rattlecan of Revell flat clear. Hopefully I'll get them done soon then all that's left is to paint a couple of minor details.

August 22

So, while awaiting the right day to spray the Challenger, I have made a start on the Comet. We are leaving in about 10 days. So this is unlikely to be finished this year but the plastic was beckoning.

Based on my research, it seems the Revell (ex-MBox) Comet is a bit of a kludge of versions. It has a sloped area at the rear of the exhaust grille whereas all the pics I found show the Comet with a completely flat exhaust grille. It also has the later style front (idler?) wheels but neither the Normandy exhaust shrouds of the Mk1A nor the exhaust tips and smoke grenade launchers of the Mk1B. Nor does it have the spare tracks carried on the turret sides.

I am making mine as close to a Mk1B as I can. I have nice choice of decals on Star Decals sheet 72-A1074 British Comets in WW2 and the Cold War. So I have cut off the sloped exhaust area and cobbled together something that resembles a flat replacement. I have yet to add the fishtail exhausts and put back the tail lights and telephone box that I removed while extending the exhaust box. I have added some lifting eyes to the turret.





Here's a couple of the things that have been distracting from modelling during our time here. My cheap and nasty ( and a bit wobbly) dock for kayaking.



I recaned this chair (I do one each year).



David

[Stuart]

Nice work on the chair and the dock David - the Comet looks good too!

[DavidWomby]

Nice work on the chair and the dock David - the Comet looks good too!

Thanks, Stuart. The dock will need more work next year to stabilize it. It floats because the water you see is a river estuary and has a a tide of about 6 feet. The pic is high tide.

David

[iggie]

Very nice work on the cane-work

[AndrewR]

Nice chair David.

We'll be in Halifax at the end of August, moving Mara into university residence. Flying tomorrow and having a week in PEI first.

[DavidWomby]

The Challenger finally made it to the 'spray booth'.



Low humidity and the 'booth' is sheltered from the wind by the garage.

David

[PaulBradley]

A man of many talents!

[DavidWomby]

August 24

Here's everything done to tart up the Comet. Turret lifting eyes, searchlight, smoke grenade launchers and two extinguishers. I also replaced the teeny blobs MBox moulded as headlights although one disappeared overnight and it's replacement isn't perfectly aligned. I will try and add some tools on the rear decks.



The whole thing got a brushed coat of flat grey enamel as a primer. The turret needs a canvas mantle cover. As an experiment, I have applied KwikSeal caulk for that! The hull machine gun mount in pics of late Comets looks different than that in the kit. I've approximated it with a bit of carved sprue.




The tracks were nicely moulded but had flash and lumps on the inner sides where the ejector pins were. The only way I found to cut them off was to use nail clippers to nibble away the excess vinyl/rubber. Knives were too hard to control on the bendy material.



August 25

Wheels all painted and fitted along with tracks. I am leery of the durability of the track joint. So I have glued the track to the bottom wheels as reinforcement. The paint on the rubber wheel rims got a bit scuffed. So some touch up will be needed.

When I build my usual victims, aeroplanes, I usually model them in flight because I hate painting wheels and tyres. So I spent much of the day today wondering what the heck I am doing making little armour kits that are endowed with an overabundance of the blooming round things!!!!!



David

[Miko]

Tanktastic!

Great work on the chair, what scale is it? Ha!

Miko (don't think I have an AFV in the stash at the minute?)

[iggie]

Stick to hovercraft in future David
Good progress though

[DavidWomby]

August 27

The Comet gained a few implements at the sides of the rear decking, spare track links on the turret (cut down from old Tiger tracks!) and two antennae. The paint is brushed on Vallejo Bronze Green. The decals are from Star Decals and depict a Comet of 1 Royal Tank Regiment based in Hong Kong in the late 50s. I found a photo online of that actual machine. I also discovered, too late, that I have mis-positioned the decals on the turret sides **SIGH** The whole thing was sprayed with a rattlecan of Revell Flat Clear.











The Challenger is also complete now its lights are painted on. The decals are out of the box for the Royal Hussars, BAOR 1986. Despite glossing before they were applied, they have silvered a bit.











Here are all my British Cold War tanks from this year and last.





That's it from the Northern Edition for this year. I have a Churchill Crocodile here too but doubt I would get far with it in the week I have remaining here. It qualifies as a Cold War tank as the Crocodile variant was in combat (albeit only used as a regular tank not a flamethrower) in Korea.

Hopefully I'll be in Florida mid-September and I am looking forward to joining in the Vampire GB.

David

[Andy Dighton]

Excellent stuff David.

[Stuart]

Really nice David , I really like what you've done with both those builds and I like your Cold War collection.