Wednesday 17 December 2014

From MartinN - 28mm M3 Halftrack & US Crew (14 Points)

I really didn't expect to get something presentable done before the holidays but these four chaps were not overly difficult to get ready. So this entry is far from being a points bomb others seem capable of but one more tiny step towards the goal.


The figures (except the driver) are plastics from Warlord Games from their "American Infantry" boxed set. They were slightly converted to fit them as passengers into the newish plastic M3 Halftrack. The Halftrack itself unfortunately doesn't count points wise as it was begun before the challenge.



It only needed some cutting and gluing to make the figures fit. Well, almost... as you can see they're a little taller than the Halftracks side panels leaving their helmeted heads exposed to enemy fire. I'm not entirely sure as of how accurate this is as I could only find one picture showing how far above the panel the helmets would stand out.



Into the bargain these chaps are sporting the brodie helmet, so I still believe the figures are slightly too tall but I don't care.



As you can see on the picture below they made themselves pretty comfortable on the passenger seats.




The figures were a pain in the ass to put together and I definitely didn't enjoy painting them. Except for the weapons and the faces the detail is quite soft and the overall sculpting is pretty weak. The netting on the helmets for example was a real shame. In fact so much that I completely removed it from one of the helmets. Compared to their newer USMC and Blitzkrieg Germans as well as their rather nice Soviets these were a complete disapointmant and I'm quite happy I didn't buy the whole box but only the one sprue fur just that purpose.


The Halftrack itself is quite nice a model but I wasn't entirely happy with the way the plastic .50 cal and .30 cal looked so I swapped the former for a metal one and left the latter off completely.



The stars on bonnet and grille were painted by hand as I couldn't get those darn decals to fit.



All in all I think the crew really added to the look of the Halftrack and I'm pretty pleased with how it all turned out. As the figures have no basing and the driver has no feet at all I would rate them for 14 points unless The Snowman in all his wisdom decides otherwise.


From Curt:
Gorgeous work Nick! I've always admired your smooth paint style and these crewmen show it off quite nicely. That M3 is a wonderful lump of OD Green and rust. I love the weathering and you did a cracking job on freehanding those stars on the grill and hood. Brilliant stuff.

23 comments:

  1. Great work Martin and that M3 looks fab (shame it doesn't count).

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  2. Excellent painting - the figures have convey a lot of character

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  3. Excellent work all around Nick! I really enjoy the weathering you did and look forward to seeing it in person!

    Christopher

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  4. Really nice. Great job. cheers

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  5. to quote the fast show - "Nice"

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  6. That is a great piece... Grand shading and weathering .top job

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  7. Unbelievable work, I shouldn't be allowed to post on the same page as you. Perfect work in all the details! I love the corrosion.

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  8. Crikey, that sure deserves more that 14 points. It's wonderful work from beginning to end!

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  9. I have gotta agree with Millsey. (More points for quality).

    Seriously the best thing in the challenge so far! I wish I could paint as well as you.

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  10. This is top of the line work. A real show piece and I hope you put it in a display cabinet behind glass.

    A pleasure to behold!

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  11. Lovely stuff. It's the little touches like crew, which aren't necessary on the tabletop, that really makes things stand out. Consider me inspired!

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  12. Amazing work! Great weathering on the half-track

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  13. Wow. Beautiful brushwork!

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  14. That's just stunning. The positioning on those passengers is perfect and the weathering... just wow.

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  15. well done! the weathering is top notch!
    even if you dislike them , you done a master piece;-)

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  16. I had to double take the Star comment, it's so sharp. All round a great job, shame you did not enjoy them

    Ian

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  17. Excellent painting work. The weathering of the vehicle is wonderful!!!

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  18. Gorgeous! Like Anne said, deserving of cabinet display. The figures really finish the piece.

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  19. Amazing work. And that half track looks awesome. How do you get that greasy finish on the green? Excellent.

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  20. Great work! I like the weathering and hand painted decals. The boys do look comfortably spread out! Good job there too! I don't often take the time to convert riders. They look very good and cozy in the truck.

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  21. I didn't really notice anything but the excellent work you did on their faces. An excellent job of directing the eye where you want it.

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