discussion 1/144 Military vehicles

[vizenz]

Hello,
I would like to introduce you to a new project.
My crafting area is under the roof and it is unbearably hot there at the moment. I tried to use the kitchen table, but that is very impractical. You need a lot of things to build a 1/72 model like this. And I don't feel like putting everything there for a few minutes of crafting, only to put it away again.
So I looked for a mini project that I could basically build out of a box on the kitchen table and that doesn't require 100 different tools etc.
And because I just love building, painting and collecting military vehicles, I'm going to get a few mini vehicles in the wargaming style.
I chose 1/144 as the scale. That is big enough that I can still paint details and recognize the different vehicle variants. That's something I find difficult with smaller scales. I also have access to a very large collection of 3D files that can be scaled to 1/144 and still look good. The other more common scales (1/100, 1/72, 1/56) are too big to finish lots of vehicles quickly.
I'm not actually really a wargamer - I do have a few books on the subject because I've always found it fascinating, but I live in the middle of nowhere and simply don't have any playmates. Maybe I'll manage to get my children interested in it at some point. So at the moment, the playability of the models or troop lists are not a criterion, so I can build across all eras and nations - just as I feel like it.
Here in this thread I'd like to show you some progress, maybe explain a few things or just get some new motivation. I hope you like mini models and that the whole thing doesn't get too boring for you.
Best regards,
Andreas


For the start a few Victrix Mini-Tanks that I purchased.


And a few 3d printed Swedish vehicles (from the 1980's and brand new "Mjölners".

 

[Andy the Sheep]

I'll follow your project with interest, Andreas.

 

[scottie3158]

Nice idea I will follow along.

 

[Guest]

Cool. I built a number of Dragon 1:144 scale models about ten, fifteen years ago, and still think they’re an interesting thing to be building, so it’ll be fun to see what you make of these.

BTW, if you want a big 1:144 scale model to go with them, Trumpeter has an LCAC in this scale

 

[vizenz]

..., so it’ll be fun to see what you make of these.

If only I knew that for sure! :tongue-out3:

Today I gave a few Swedes their green base coat - but then what?

At first I thought I would do a light color modulation - but that would take a lot of time per vehicle and one of my goals is to be "fast".

So no color modulation. But I will need a drybrush otherwise the vehicles will look too boring - and a wash too, of course.... And generic markings... I'm excited to see where the journey takes me! :thinking: :smiling5:

 

[Guest]

I just washed and drybrushed the ones I built, that looks quite good in this scale, IMHO.

 

[vizenz]

Hello,
after a week of experimenting, here are the first results.
A few Swedish vehicles.

Granatkastarpansarbandvagn 90 (Grkpbv 90) "Mjölner", in Swedish service since 2019, 2x 120mm Mortar, Crew of 4



Pansarbandvagn 302 (Pbv 302), in Swedish service since 1966, 20mm Canon, Crew of 3 + 8 Infantry



Why did I start with the Swedes? Firstly, I had some pre-supported files, so it was not much work to print them - and besides, I love the Swedish names for the vehicles! "Granatkastarpansarbandvagn"! Say that three times fast! :tears-of-joy: :tears-of-joy:

 

[Guest]

Those look pretty good, and you even have markings on them What are the antennas made from?

"Granatkastarpansarbandvagn"! Say that three times fast! :tears-of-joy: :tears-of-joy:

And because it’s Swedish, you can bet any non-Scandinavians will say it wrong anyway Most of the word is obvious enough, but I wonder what kastar means, though … “thrower”, I suspect, cognate with English “caster”? Ah, yes:

kasta (present kastar, preterite kastade, supine kastat, imperative kasta)

1. to throw; make an object fly through the air
Han kastade ett spjut ― He threw a spear

 

[PaulinKendal]

I read you were just going to use a wash and drybrush and thought they'd be unremarkable, but these look superb! If this is a first attempt I look forward to watching progress - I'm in!

 

[Richard48]

Look superb.Think i spy a Strv 104 Centurion?,Like Swedish Cents and the camo really stops me making one.I built a 1.100th kit other week and only took me 1 hour.
Watching with interest..
Richard

 

[vizenz]

Those look pretty good, and you even have markings on them :smiling3: What are the antennas made from?


And because it’s Swedish, you can bet any non-Scandinavians will say it wrong anyway Most of the word is obvious enough, but I wonder what kastar means, though … “thrower”, I suspect, cognate with English “caster”? Ah, yes:

Thank you very much. The antennas are made from the bristles of a plastic broom.

"Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" is my new favorite word. You have to pronounce it in a very German and "hard" way, then it sounds like a Monty Python parody of a Hitler speech. :tears-of-joy:

In reality, the Swedish words only describe the vehicles. "Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" means nothing other than armored grenade launcher vehicle.

I read you were just going to use a wash and drybrush and thought they'd be unremarkable, but these look superb! If this is a first attempt I look forward to watching progress - I'm in!

Thank you Paul, I'm glad you like them. I'm really enjoying it at the moment, so I hope I can do a few more before I think of something else. :smiling5:

Look superb.Think i spy a Strv 104 Centurion?,Like Swedish Cents and the camo really stops me making one.I built a 1.100th kit other week and only took me 1 hour.
Watching with interest..
Richard

Well seen Richard! A few Strv 104s are on my to-do list. If I keep going I might also do a few Strv 81s. If I read that correctly they were just unmodified Centurion Mk.3s.

Here a few more printed Swedish vehicles. But I'm going to have some other fun and try to make all the military vehicles that the forum members here build "large" make into mini vehicles scale.

 

[Richard48]

Thank you very much. The antennas are made from the bristles of a plastic broom.

"Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" is my new favorite word. You have to pronounce it in a very German and "hard" way, then it sounds like a Monty Python parody of a Hitler speech. :tears-of-joy:

In reality, the Swedish words only describe the vehicles. "Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" means nothing other than armored grenade launcher vehicle.

Thank you Paul, I'm glad you like them. I'm really enjoying it at the moment, so I hope I can do a few more before I think of something else. :smiling5:

Well seen Richard! A few Strv 104s are on my to-do list. If I keep going I might also do a few Strv 81s. If I read that correctly they were just unmodified Centurion Mk.3s.

Here a few more printed Swedish vehicles. But I'm going to have some other fun and try to make all the military vehicles that the forum members here build "large" make into mini vehicles scale.

Im not sure on Strvs.I seem to recall a version with original engine and some reactive armour.My mate in Sweden would know.Dane Cents are cool too.Especially late version with range finder and thermal sight.
Richard

 

[Guest]

The antennas are made from the bristles of a plastic broom.

I would not have guessed that, but it sounds like a very suitable material.

In reality, the Swedish words only describe the vehicles. "Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" means nothing other than armored grenade launcher vehicle.

Swedish isn’t too hard to read well enough to get the gist of, IMHO, but any Scandinavian language when spoken just sounds like gibberish if the only Germanic languages you know are Dutch, German, English, and a bit of Afrikaans

I might also do a few Strv 81s. If I read that correctly they were just unmodified Centurion Mk.3s.

I think so, when upgraded the last number usually goes up.

 

[PaulinKendal]

"Granatkastarpansarbandvagn" is my new favorite word. You have to pronounce it in a very German and "hard" way, then it sounds like a Monty Python parody of a Hitler speech. :tears-of-joy:

This reminded me of the (probably apocryphal) original word for 'tank' in German: Schützengrabenvernichtungspanzerkraftwagen
As a small boy I relished committing this ridiculously long compound word to memory, and I can still recite it from memory today, fifty-plus years later. Isn't it odd what tickles us when we're little (nerdy) boys?

At the same time I was memorising English monsters like:
Antidisestablishmentarianism
(opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England),
and:
Pneumonoultramiscrosopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
(a lung disease).

Happy to help! (Sorry for going off-topic).

 

[Guest]

The thing is that English has just as many compound nouns, and can make them to the same arbitrary length as German, Dutch, Swedish, etc., but you don’t generally realise it because most of those compound nouns in English are written as separate words. Except when they’re not, but hey, it wouldn’t be English if it wasn’t both inconsistent and unpredictable

German is “worse” than Dutch here, BTW, in that German generally just writes everything together while in Dutch there’s a semi-official (Dutch has no official body that regulates the language) recommendation to insert hyphens for legibility as you see fit. Despite that it does suffer from what linguists call “English disease” in which words are written separately when that actually changes the meaning.

 

[A_J_Rimmer]

Those are superb Andreas!

 

[vizenz]

Hello,
Another week has passed and I was able to paint a few minis.
First of all, my Swedish Granatkastarpansarbandvagn obviously needed a bit of protection from low-flying aircraft! So a bit of modern Swedish air defense!

Luftvärnskanonvagn 90C (Lkv 90C), in Swedish service since 2002, 40mm Canon, Crew of 7.



And for the next two vehicles, I got the idea from Jakko. Let's call it a tribute to his great build - or a stealing of the idea, whatever you like. :tongue-out3:

Sherman Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (BARV), in British service since 1944, Crew of 5.



I have to say that the enlargement is not good for the little ones. I think the models are much prettier in real life than in the pictures.

Other than that, I tested how my children handle the mini vehicles and unfortunately my attempt failed. I like this small scale and am currently having a lot of fun painting such models. But to be honest, I will need something bigger and more robust to get my children into wargaming. So probably another project... We'll see.

Best regards,
Andreas

 

[Steven000]

Lovely models! Well done

 

[Guest]

Looking very good I wish my BARV was as quick to build as those, though …

 

[A_J_Rimmer]

Super little things they are - well done.