Italeri M-32 B1 Done

[reserve]

Painting figures the way I do means 20 minutes work and then 12-24 hours drying time depending on conditions. Therefore, while I creep thru the M-10 crew, I started this. I have heard so many bad things about this kit it's not funny, I may just post it on Armorama so I can enjoy the screams.

001 by Mark Hartig, on Flickr

002 by Mark Hartig, on Flickr

Would I have rather had the state of the art but nearly impossible to find Tasca/Asuka offering? Why yes. Did I want to pay some scalper two and a half times the manufacturer's MSRP or pay $30 shipping from Japan and then waited six months for it to float here? Why no. Thirty bucks from the LHS. So here it is for better or worse. I know how to convert and scratch and Prime Portal has excellent exterior pictures of a VVSS M-32B for reference.

Since I'm gonna do open hatch I'll knock together a rudimentary driver/bow gunner compartment concentrating on basic shapes and blocking holes to nowhere as when the upper hull gets stuck on very little will be visible. Better, I sez, than just a blank space

Regards,

Mark

[BUCKY]

Interesting subject! I'm here to follow along!

[JCON]

Cool, I'll follow along also!!!

[JEFF]

Count me in, please.

[Deleted]

Nice one, I always thought it was a pretty good kit myself

[dogfish7 (R.I.P.)]

Hold on. Gotta get my chair.

[Dukemaddog]

Looking good. UM Models has one of these in 1/72 scale and I think I have it in my stash somewhere. It is at least as difficult to build as this one you're building. I'll be following along with great interest.

[reserve]

Welcome aboard gents

It's high noon and four degrees outside so paint on M-10 figures is drying slowly. Therefore it's onward with the endless file and scraping pin marks and mold lines necessary in these older moldings.

Proof of life shot

006 by Mark Hartig, on Flickr

I'm beginning to think the guys who whine about this kit so much just don't like cleaning up parts; it's not so bad as I was led to think

Regards,

Mark

[JCON]

Looking fine to me Mark!!!

[tony]

I've read a lot of reviews from people that bad mouthed kits about clean up and or fit but when I built them didn't see that they were as bad as I was lead to believe.
The Marder II i'm building right now had a negative review but it's been smooth sailing  so far.

Tony lee

[Beekster]

The critics who pan the kit, myself among them, often aren't concerned about the clean-up issues. What I take issue with is the general accuracy of the thing. For one thing, the small-hatch dry-stowage hull was the one used to convert M4A1s into M32B1s, not the later large-hatch wet-stowage types as Italeri provides. The upswept return roller brackets are thus also incorrect since that feature appeared with the wet-stowage hulls. The diameter of the boom tubes is too small, though admittedly this is difficult to notice. There ought to be four crew seats hanging from the base of the turret, not two, and the two that are there are too large. The turret is also missing the rectangular port in the lower rear wall though which the cable can be run out to the rear. That's a sampling of the accuracy issues with the kit. That being said, it does look like an M32B1 when built up. I built one some years ago, but used a resin small-hatch hull and Academy suspension to improve the looks somewhat. I've got a pair of Tasca kits in the stash and will likely grab another along with a set of the relevant sprues whenever Asuka restocks them. For me, they are worth the extra money.

[JCON]

Just shows how lazy lots of people have become in making a kit work... they all seem to think it should be a shake and bake!!! LOL!!! Takes the joy out of making a model your own and really bringing it to life!!! If it isn't a challenge why do it in my humble opinion!!!

[JEFF]

That's looking very nice, Mark.Good progress, Buddy.

[tony]

Accuracy is a different can of worms Beekster and is what you as the builder can decide just how far you want to take it where as clean up and fit are things your stuck with.

Tony lee

[Beekster]

Dec 26, 2017 18:02:18 GMT -6 tony said:

Accuracy is a different can of worms Beekster and is what you as the builder can decide just how far you want to take it where as clean up and fit are things your stuck with.

Tony lee

Indeed, it is a different can of worms, Tony.  But I'm simply the sort that will always come down on the side of accuracy, even if it is more expensive.  That's why this particular kit isn't one I can recommend.  I would rather fix small stuff and make alterations that replicate a particular factory (Pressed Steel Car, or Lima, or Baldwin, for example) than having to make major changes to get the basic configuration right.  I had to do that fifteen years ago with the Italeri kit, but that isn't necessary any more, so I'll happily take a more expensive option if it is a better foundation for a more accurate replica.

[tony]

I agree.
The better the starting material the better the finished end product will be.

Tony lee

[Deleted]

swift building & looking good

[reserve]

Thanks gents

Decided to do a bit of preshading over primer.

002 by Mark Hartig, on Flickr

003 by Mark Hartig, on Flickr

I've done black preshade but never white before it'll be interesting to see if it makes any difference. I'm thinking it will as long as I keep my paint thin and coats light

Regards,

Mark

[BUCKY]

That looks pretty cool!!

[JCON]

This will be a fun experiment!!!