Originally Posted by
Rex Ross
I can't believe what you can produce in metal and the engines to run them. I can't even begin to come close. If the guys on this hobby forum ever get together for a big awards dinner, I will be happy to be allowed to sit at the Kiddy Table and quietly play with my plastic toys while the big guys get their trophies.
Awww shucks Rex I'd be honored to sit at the kiddie table with you. I can't paint worth a damn and it takes me forever to do anything. You are one of the most creative
clever people in this hobby that I know. Many thanks for the kind words.
I have a dark secret regarding these models: if I work on any particular one for too long I OD on it and I won't touch it for long, long periods of time. My King Tiger is an example.
To be fair to myself work continues to exact a toll and by the time I'm done at the end of the day it's all I can do to do chores eat and maybe spend 1/2 hour late at night in my
shop doing something. Lately I'm trying to discipline myself to do
something every evening even if it is just finding a piece of material or cutting it for the next night. Right now I'm trying
to work out how to make the handles and latches for the end caps of the stowage tube. I'm hoping to form .010" steel shim steel I have. Just trying to cut a piece from the tightly wound coil without it killing me is a challenge.
I only have a few more things to do to this model before I can paint it and consider it done enough. I need to make the safety clips for the nuts on the inner part of the rear hatch, the inner handle for that hatch; the locking parts for the split hatches on the roof( I believe these also require a inner handle on one side); revise the antenna mount block; inner locking handle for the spent case hatch. If you look closely you'll see the ultra high tech nails I'm using for hinge pins everywhere - these will be replaced with proper pins. There are other things to do but this is the bulk of them.
I cast several parts in bronze or fabricated some from brass - most of these I electro plated with nickle to hide the brassy look - I need to finish a few more including the fire extinguisher ( not mounted in these photos) but have to research whether or not that is appropriate. I believe some of the originals were brass but not late war versions - I've seen examples that
looked pretty rusty.
The bow machine gun is another one of Geisswerk's parts, I plated it, and is articulated. I plan to mount a micro servo to allow movement.
One of these days I want to reproduce something I saw in a German model video- simulate firing the main gun and have a spent casing thrown out the rear hatch. It's one of those
'someday' sorts of things.
Jerry