My Newest Models (close up):

12/2024 The Priest, M7 Self-Propelled 105mm Howitzer:

This model went together well, for the most part, the hull was straightforward, though the instructions were fairly vague. When it came to the actual gun were reducules, too many small parts, and the fit? the instructions leave a lot to be desired, in the pictures there are arrows, pointing to-this goes on the model around here basically… somewhere? That became a real nightmare, after 3 days- it was cut apart and gobs of superglue all over and heavy weathering calling it done.

now for something completely different!

Taken from the Comicstrip “Wizards” it was made into a movie too, for National Lampoon, this figure, was a mercenary, fighting for the Bad Wizzard, who was the brother of the “Good Wizzard”, who changed this killer, who had never felt love, or freedom, and the villain- “Necron 99” became “PEACE” and starts fighting for freedom.

10.5cm (105mm) Howitzer, Early in the War:

This model was made ages ago, and after the last move (into this home) I busted it up pretty well, it was a short trip, but they are mighty fragile, and it sat in a plastic box with no lid, for years, and now I got tired of looking at it at sais WTF, got nothing better to do and in 40 minutes it was all (Super Glued) together. just splashed it with weather dark wash- and put it in the model case, I think at one point I had a few guys for scale effect, I may add some crewman, but it went into the model case like this with a breath of new life for a while. The model has the early spoked wheels, and ( I think) at the time the only one out there, a metal kit, in 1/35th-and its been tricky to keep together, has some weight to it, and still looks ok, had to be saved. A Greay color paint scheme indicates the earlier half of the War as well, an earlier period of the war, except in the Desert where given time they were oversprayed in desert yellow. later in the war browner and grayer-tan colors were seen leaving the production lines as a base color. where after 1942

PAK 40, 7.5ch (75mm) Anti-Tank Gun. Summer 1943:

I just put this back together, I had broken it into 5 different parts (that I had been able to save) and I’ll find a loader, and some shells to it. I have the pressed wheels, and sports the new Tan/Rgay finish from the factory, and never had any brown or green camouflage over paint on it, nor do the crew wear the (by then) common smock over their uniforms.

8.8cm Flak 36:

This is the old Tamiya kit in 1/35th scale as most of my models are. It was a good kit for the time, very detailed, with extras like figures and ammo, and like most of their modes, designed so that a relatively new modeler could put it together, and for me at the time challenging too. The model here has been through the ringer with several moves causing mass casualties…it just happens that way in major moves boxes get miss-handled, and the nature of models-its like moving uncooked eggs. once again the weapon has been fixed up and is back in the model case. Its being manned by a mix of Wehrmacht and SS personnel, as depicted the weapon used in the heavy bombardment roll, firing a anti-tank and ati-personel rounds, for air bust above the infantrymen, and direct hits on any vehicles, a virtual rad block, it is still very vulnerable to aircraft, of flanking movement, as the gun is deployed on the ground, it would tank near an hour to get it back on the trails and hitched up to a prime mover.

M4 Sherman with Deep Wading Equipment, Landing in France, Following the initial invasion, June 1944:

Can’t tell I love building Shermans, I guess like the real thing they are easy to make, (Tamiya Models are anyway, but there are a ton of great kits out there, and conversion hulls and turrets for them), anyway, there are so many variations, and places they were used, and great stories too, like this, no one thinks about the days following the invasion, but the beaches were very busy. There are but a few photographs of the off-loading on the beaches following the landings, of those are the vehicles driving down the ramps of the landing ships, and through the serf, and that’s it, they disappear into history, going to various outfits pushing into the Hell of the Hedgerows. Few I think made it out of France or Belgium. When I visited a long time ago, there were Sherman Tank Turrets all over the place, on the sides of the roads, at bridges, intersections, and near signs, kind of boggles my mind when I thought that likely, 99% of the fellows that had been in them did not service the experience of being in a tank-that blows up. They held the line though, long enough for the newer updated version that quickly replaced them. (I’ve added a picture with the rest of the Shermans in “The Cabinet” Section- as with the model below now.

M4A3 76mm (WET) VVSS, with Unusale Armor, Entering Germany, 1945.

My version of an expedient “Jumbo”, M4A3 76mm WETT VVSS Sherman Tank, upgraded with bolt-on armor made from knocked out-Enemy Tanks.

M4A4 Lend Lease Tank.

The M4A4 “Sherman" Tank”, A pretty decent tank, was Chrysler Warren built, and the only one of the 11 factories that had produced “Sherman Tanks” during WWII. Built in the United States, It was powered by the Chrysler-designed and made A57 multibank engine. But they were given to England (in this case), France, and China, to use in during the war, under a Lend-Lease Act, and they did just that, were loaned to our Allies, and hoped they would pay us back later... The American Airborne Infantrymen, are from the American 82nd Airborne Division. They meet up in France and hitch a ride with the supporting English tankers. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

1/35th scale, 20mm Orliken gun tub, on the side of Expediant Built, Escort Carrier of the US. Navy, Operating in the South Pacific during WW2.

I’m a 1/32 scale model maker, That’s the scale I like working with. 1/16 is way too much detail and commitment, but 1/35th shows enough detail and would have been awesome to have Aircraft in the same scale, no they have to be 1/32nd scale, 1/32nd came first, so the Armor model makers wanted to screw with 1/32nd, and that in my view was a big bummer. 1/32nd, 54mm, there again that’s too big for Airplane and Armor, it takes up too much room and you can spend months adding all the details, let alone having detail sets to pick from, otherwise you do the scratch building. But the thing is here with Ships, and Naval Dioramas, it’s too hard to make 1/35th scale ships, hell even PT boats are big at this scale, A Battle Ship or Aircraft Carrier Sceene, might be the size of a real Truck-or Bus, so I figured, this was one way to show some Navy fellows, representing them respectfully, so here is a start. I also have several 1/35 Air Crewmen on the model shelf, but not their Aircraft.

The diorama, I guess you could call it, depicts a hypothetical, make-shift, quickly put into service, Jeep Carrier or ship that had the 20mm Orlikan gun blisters added all over them, everywhere and anywhere they could, as they became available, they could be added in a dry dock fairly easily. They were a good investment for the last resort air-guar dome over the ship if the 5-inch guns and 40mm anti-aircraft guns didn’t take out the enemy, then the 20mm guns and .5 inch (50 Caliber) weapons would have too. And they knew even if they hit the plane, and killed the pilot-the plane was going to hit you, I mean they were flying at 300 miles an hour or so, straight down at you, carrying a big bomb, or bombs, and shooting its machine guns at you as well, not a good situation. If it managed to blow up, its pieces flew on for a very long way, sharp burning hot, metal shrapnel flying from where it had been.

I wanted to show the weapon in its naval use, with the idea I sure could not make the ship, but only a small section. As it all came together, through a rushed search, but slow build, I am happy with the results, I probably should have copied a picture, but most pictures show them with shields and are different, I got these and made them work, they were on the early installment plan is my story, it was nice to do something different, and to represent the Navy Servicemen too. Go Navy, but ya, I spent my whole adult life at sea, and I make models of Armor, there are tanks all over the place! So when looking at the diorama, think about the “don-don-dong” alarm sounding off and across the loudspeakers the alarm “All hands on deck, man you battle stations” incoming air attack. A Marine with binoculars, the other manning the so caliber machine gun, most Navy Ships have a Marine-Gunnery section. Next to them was a Navy corpsman. the next deck down though, Navy Sailors man their 20mm weapons, each weapon, having a loader and gunner, all are observing the sky and water, all loaded up.

1/35th Scale (Tamiya) US. WWII, MP Set.

MPs are an important part of any military and are used for keeping transport lanes open and moving, and for security for command figures, officers protection, and general police duties. Yes, I am going blind so the models are suffering, the Glasses are getting thicker now, and I’m a bit shakey, but I’m not giving up yet.

Two Ifanrty fellers, “Bucket of Blood Division” Luxemburg, 1945:

1/35th scale, American Infantrymen walk in mud. One is a Wireless Operator wearing a Mackinaw Over-Jacket, and the other has wrapped a bed sheet over himself for snow camouflage and another layer for warmth.