Spots on the Internet (2023)

[Guest]

I think if I were doing the cover for the book and had a photo like that available, I would use it too

TBH, they’re both better than the cover of the original edition:

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Because this is a restored vehicle at some kind of military vehicle rally rather than a tank actually in use, and it even has its tracks on backward.

[Gern]

Because this is a restored vehicle at some kind of military vehicle rally rather than a tank actually in use, and it even has its tracks on backward.

What sort of problems do backwards tracks cause - apart from driving modellers doolally 'cos we all spend loads of time and effort to get them right!?

[Dave Ward]

On the Meng Facebook page - an upcoming release


Dave

[Guest]

What sort of problems do backwards tracks cause - apart from driving modellers doolally 'cos we all spend loads of time and effort to get them right!?

Nothing really major in practice, especially with the tracks on this particular Sherman — they appear to have been fitted backwards to a lot of tanks because it’s not very clear which way is “front”, and I suspect these work just as well in either direction. The wide bar should be at the bottom of the link on the front of the tank, but it’s at the top here. Other track types, like with a V-profile, work better in mud, loose sand, etc. the right way round (V pointing down at the front). But that doesn’t mean they were never put on backwards either, both on Shermans and other vehicles. Whereas for tracks with simple flat blocks, US Army manuals actually recommend to turn them around every so often, as this will even out wear.

[Dave Ward]

From MiniArt - new kit coming soon

Dave

[Andy the Sheep]

New from Amati Model: Venice gondola 1:22



Andrea

[Guest]

Odd scale, 1:22, and subject … but it looks like a nice model if you want something entirely different

I just noticed this on Scalemates:

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No idea what material, but plastic would be very nice … It’s also unclear to me if it will also include the other bits needed to make a Crab (stowage racks, stationkeeping lights, chalk bins, lane-marking post holders, etc.) but I would expect (hope?) it does.

[Mark1]

New from Amati Model: Venice gondola 1:22



Andrea

A wooden kit, will take some work to get the finish in that picture.

[Gary MacKenzie]

No idea what material, but plastic would be very nice … It’s also unclear to me if it will also include the other bits needed to make a Crab (stowage racks, stationkeeping lights, chalk bins, lane-marking post holders, etc.) but I would expect (hope?) it does.

https://armorama.com/news/lanmo-sherman-crab-mine-flail << only looks like the front end in the kit

[Guest]

It does — big missed opportunity, and on top of that, the chains are wrong. These are just generic chains (because they’re easy to get by the metre in brass, of course) while Crabs had very distinctive chains of varying designs, that are rather hard to replicate in 1:35 scale.

[Guest]

From ICM - boxart for an April release
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Dave

Where does the torpedo pilot sit??? I'll get my coat.....

[Dave Ward]

From MiniArt - 'new kit coming soon'

Dave

[The Smythe Meister]

Interesting terminology....
.... What's a "Traffic Tractor"?!!

[Andy the Sheep]

Interesting terminology....
.... What's a "Traffic Tractor"?!!

Educated guess: a tractor with front and rear lights and a car licence plate allowing it to pester normal road traffic.
They reach the apex of their evolutionary path when coupled to a manure trailer on a mountain winding road (the road slope and potholes add that "plus" turning your trip into an unforgettable experience) :smiling4:

[The Smythe Meister]

Educated guess: a tractor with front and rear lights and a car licence plate allowing it to pester normal road traffic.
They reach the apex of their evolutionary path when coupled to a manure trailer on a mountain winding road (the road slope and potholes add that "plus" turning your trip into an unforgettable experience) :smiling4:

Ha!....
Living in this part of the country we have more than our fair share of trailered tractor mobile roadblocks, they're one of the most reviled things on our roads,(after bloody Caravan towers of course!!).
But they don't have to be a specific "Traffic Trailer"... any old type with plates and lights can use the roads.