Building the Zvezda BT-5 1/100

While I was putting the previously reviewed Hanomag kit together I thought to myself, "What the heck, I'll do the BT-5 as well". And here it is. Another gem, this went together without any problems.

don't do this! the lower hull also connects to the track units 

and should be joined to the chassis before the tracks are put on

sometimes I should actually read the instructions

Building the Zvezda Katyusha BM-13

Having spent last weekend building and painting a towns worth of 28mm buildings I decided to take it easy and give the Zvezda 1/100 scale kits a try. I was interested in the BM-13 in particular as I had a great deal of difficulty with the Battlefront model that I had attempted. As noted earlier the Zvezda kit is a snap-together model and is very cleanly cast. I decided to start with the part that had given me the most trouble before, the launch-rails and elevation frame. This went together like a dream, despite being made of four tiny parts. The fit was perfect and the parts snapped cleanly into place (I glued them anyways).

the frame and elevation post

be careful to push the frame tips all the way trough the launch-rails

 the pins pop out the top and form the locators for the rockets

Some other subjects, 1/100 scale tanks from G A Models

      I am sure that at least a few of you are growing weary of my endless natterring on about 1/100 plastic model tanks......I must say that they are very cool and I like them a lot. The truth be told I have a great many models from other sources, some of which involve no plastic at all! One very important source is G A Models, Craig makes a staggering variety of small scale tanks for nearly every significant combatant. These come assembles and painted (sort of) or unassembled and in the raw resin. Prices are ridiculously cheap at US$4.00 each with nominal shipping costs. I have nearly a hundred of his tanks and armored cars and they are all well done. Sorry no rivets on the suspension support members, but they are still very good looking. I often kit them out with machine guns and other storage bits from the parts bin and add crew figures from the Comand Decsision range from Grandiosity (who also sell a lot of other really neat stuff).  So, for all you resin and lead - heads out there here are a few pictures of some M-3 Armored Cars that I built a little while ago.