STRV 103C (Trumpeter)

Lost_Erik
Looking good. Love the cat in the background too!

Nathan Dempsey
Watching this one.

Treehugger
There is supposedly a simple way to make the tank angle down, but I haven't tried it myself, might be worth checking into.

Treehugger
Btw, the front "box" seen on the right from the front, contains two machine guns. I had no idea until way later after starting the project. I've seen something similar in the smaller newer Swedish attack boat design, two machine guns in a pod facing forwards.

Gary Dahlström
Yeah those two MGs were fed by an autoloader as well, meaning if you ran out of ammo someone had to get out to reload the trays. One of the few "iffy" design features of this tank killer. I do like the idea of depressing the main gun, but alas, the hull is glued up. I would suppose the mod would involve shimming the rear; but yeah, way past that point. Thanks all for feedback - I'll pass it on to the shop supervisor pictured above.

Gary Dahlström
BTW, The Chieftain on Youtube has a 3 part STRV walkaround on his channel...interesting stuff.

Gary Dahlström
Got the tracks on, no small feat based on my build sequence. 3 of 4 camo colors applied, hoping to get that last layer on today. Then on to rusting and detailing; the only parts left on the sprue are the pioneer tools and spare tracks. I'm not a big on building dioramas, but I've been thinking of putting it on a small base in a defensive position behind a berm. The point of this would be to illustrate the 103's low silhouette. I decided to forgo the "fence" on the bow, but if i do the diorama thing I may decide to retrofit. Thoughts?

Nathan Dempsey
Looking nice. Can't wait to see the weathering.

Rui S
I agree. Nice camo 👍 I'm looking forward to that dio😉

Gary Dahlström
Last camo color complete. I wasn't happy with my first go at the sand hue, so went back around, deepening the shade. Loki, the shop apprentice, looks on.

Lucas C.
Very nice! How were the tracks? Easy to build and fit?

Jeremy Wiltcher
Seems you were well "supervised" during your project, beautiful work.

Gary Dahlström
@Lucas - The tracks were only a little tedious to assemble, but a bit tricky to mount with the jerry cans in the way. i had to gently feed it from the stern all the way to the drive sprocket, and then slowly advance the track so i could button it from the bottom. The links hold well, and i only had one accident where i dropped one track and a few links scattered to the concrete floor. I did manage to find them all. They do give you about 10 extra links in the kit.
@Jeremy - It's all fun and games until you have to pick cat hair off your still fresh glosscote!

Gary Dahlström
Minor progress with weathering and rusting. Since the boss is looking over my shoulder, I foresee getting down to business later today with the pioneer tools and adding the last of the PE tie-downs. Trying to be judicial with the washes and filters; this is a well-maintained peacetime vehicle and I don't want to overdo the dirt and grime, but do want to show everyday use. Luckily the internet is rife with good pics. Also starting to rethink the fence on the bow, I may install it. Naturally, I have 1.2mm plastic rods in the shop but the spec is for 1.0mm. Might mean a trip to the hobby store!
Also dealing with a local shortage of toothpicks/cocktail sticks.
Is there ANYTHING people won't horde? Best to all.

Dave Flitton
How many cats do you have? Unless your cat can change colors, I see at least two interested parties in your model. Oh, and your tank looks cool too.

Gary Dahlström
@Dave - You are correct sir, I live with two cats & I use them in many photos to distract from my poor handiwork. Pictured in the most recent photo is King Oskar - an experienced workshop cat who mostly follows the rules regarding workbench etiquette, e.g., stepping around tools and projects, and not playing "f*&k this thing" with various small objects. My black cat Loki, on the other hand, is still a rookie apprentice and is not above laying across the keyboard or looking for a little lap-time while I'm gluing up small pieces. His focus wanders and he can be a bit clumsy, but he's lovable.
They're good company, and unlike the rest of the family they seem to take an ongoing interest in what I do with my spare time. 🙂

Dave Flitton
Awesome!!! My cat just ignores me, unless she wants to be fed.

Nathan Dempsey
I have several helpers as well. They are fairly respectful of my projects and have only had a few mis-steps over the years. Also I thought I was the only one with any Polly-Scale paints left. Nice!

Gary Dahlström
I'll trade you some paint for toothpicks!

Dave Flitton
Oh, Polly Scale - I ache for new paints

Spanjaard
very nice model, and beautiful helpers 🙂

Lucas C.
I still have a butt-load (technical term) of Polly Scale paints in my paint stash. Sadly, some of them have started going bad.

Gary Dahlström
After I dusted off the cat hair I've been getting to work on touch-up, dulling the gloss on some stray CA & decals and PE on the jerry-cans. Then I think I can clearcoat and do some evening out of weathering and rust. I'm probably <10 hours to completion. After the next dullcoat I'll get some better pics with a macro lens.

Rui S
That beatiful inspectors are dangerously close. Aren't you in panic yet? 😮 there's always a first time...

Gary Dahlström
Almost there! Too hot & humid inside and out to get the final cleaning and clearcoat done this afternoon. Today I'll nitpick at some small details and hopefully wrap this up tomorrow. I'm still thinking about final display. I don't want to spend too much time on a 'diorama' but I was thinking one of two ideas: a simple earthen base and the tank behind partial cover in the form of a) a brick wall, b) a berm, or c) a lovely Swedish picket fence and some light garden foliage. Since Sweden is largely a peaceful nation, the notion of it being suddenly thrust into war could be an interesting visual dichotomy.
Don't forget to vote on my next build! So far the B9 robot has the advantage, much to the chagrin of my best friend. Recently I dialed up some old Lost in Space episodes and was reminded how bluntly sarcastic that robot was. Cheers to All!

Gary Dahlström
Three ideas, yeah that's it, three.

Paul Juliano
Where can I get that 1:1 scale cat?

Gary Dahlström
@Paul - The kit is discontinued, but Round2 might reissue it.

Gary Dahlström
I think I'm more or less done here, at least with the model. I have to make a hobby store run to pick up a few things to make an appropriate base, so I'll save that for the weekend. Still not sure of the context for the base. I may turn over the finished product to my son, and let him display it in his room. All in all the kit was an '8' on the fun scale.

Nathan Dempsey
Looks like it came out great. The furry supervisors have done well.

Lost_Erik
Lovely finish! 👍

Paul Juliano
Wow, very nice work!

Gary Dahlström
Thank you gentlemen. My son is excited about putting this up on his dresser; it's nice when the kids appreciate my efforts. I'm going to work on a modest display base over the weekend. My shop is upside down digging out electronic bits to light my Bird of Prey project. Cheers!