Modelcraft Centurion III

1
April 1, 2024
A first look at the sprues, which are originally by Academy.
2
April 1, 2024
3
April 1, 2024
4
April 1, 2024
5
April 1, 2024
6
April 1, 2024
This kit was motorised in earlier versions
7
April 1, 2024
The green sprue is more like vinyl than styrene. Hope that won't cause any issues down the line.
8
April 3, 2024
Slow progress, so far, as it's all fill...
9
April 3, 2024
...sand...
10
April 3, 2024
...repeat.
11
April 5, 2024
The bottom part of the turret is in two halves and the top fits on like a cap. However, the top and paired bottom halves are not a very good match in terms of profile, so I had to deal with mismatches in various places. The worst was an overhang at the rear of the turret. Some brutal sanding was required there. The sides are a bit out, but the turret bins (which I can already tell are going to be a lousy fit) will cover most of that. The front corners above the smoke launchers needed attention too.
12
April 5, 2024
However, there is nothing that can't be corrected. The mantlet cover was also a poor fit and neede some plastic scraping away along the bottom and solid clamping. It will require a bit of filling too. Note the hinges for the commander's hatch cover. They are vinyl parts. The original kit was motorised, so some parts were designed to move. CA is required to fit them in place.
13
April 5, 2024
All but one of the suspension units fitted perfectly. The last one seem to be slightly bent and needed some solid clamping!
14
April 6, 2024
Fitting the longer turret bin was always going to be an issue. Firstly, you have to make sure it doesn't interfere with mounting the smoke discharger mounts. However, that's not how the part naturally wants to sit.
15
April 6, 2024
You can see the gap all the way along the top edge, but that can be filled later. I've had to scrape some plastic away around the bulge of the cupola as the bin needs to be mounted a little more to the rear than it naturally fits. The bin also seems to be twisted and rocks on opposite corners. I've gone with getting the front edge fitted in place correctly as it butts up against the smoke discharger mounts. Any issues at the back end can be dealt with later.
16
April 6, 2024
Part D22 is missing. Fortunately, it's a 1mm thick flat part with a bend in the middle, so it should be easy enough to fabricate by any half decent modeller. Anyone know one?
17
April 7, 2024
Bit of a gap to fill here!
18
April 7, 2024
The slot for the towing hook is a bit askew, but as the hole is too big anyway, it's no big deal.
19
April 7, 2024
A bit of a test fit.
20
April 7, 2024
The top and bottom parts of the hull were never designed to be a great fit as the batteries were inside the hull in the motorised version. A bit of creativity will be required.
21
April 7, 2024
The smoke dischargers have huge sink marks on the rear and they will be visible if you don't fill them.
22
April 20, 2024
Primed with Mr Surfacer.
23
April 20, 2024
It has now been given a black base coat and a first thin coat of the camo colour.
24
April 21, 2024
AFV Club's "clip-together" tracks. Calling them utter garbage is being nice. They don't build into a straight line and fall apart every time you move them. Destined for the bin!
25
April 21, 2024
The second coat of green is on & looking better.
26
May 18, 2024
Having finally shaken off a bad cold, I'm back at the bench. I have to say, I'm impressed by Modellers World Acrylic Doctor. Two coats of AK acrylic thinned with it and you have to look very close to see it's brush painted and not sprayed.
27
May 18, 2024
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May 18, 2024
29
May 18, 2024
Works on the aluminium barrel just as well.
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May 18, 2024
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May 18, 2024
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May 18, 2024
33
June 16, 2024
Clear coat and green shading are done.
34
June 16, 2024
I'll shade the mantlet cover once the green has cured fully.
35
June 19, 2024
The mantlet cover is shaded and the tools painted. Still no news on the tracks.
36
June 19, 2024
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June 19, 2024
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June 19, 2024
39
June 21, 2024
The decals that come with the kit are best described as the comic relief part of the kit. I thought I was going mad trying to find the "T351970" decals, until I realised that the decal is printed as "1351970". "PINE HILL" is "PINE HIEE" and "BUCANEER" is "UCANEER". Several others have text different to what is shown on the (very vague) instructions. Maybe I'll skip the decals and do it as the prototype my Dad worked on, prior to getting any markings.
40
June 21, 2024
The exhausts are on, the cupola is mostly done and the return rollers are fitted.
41
June 21, 2024
I'm going for minimal weathering on this one.
42
June 21, 2024
Until the new tracks arrive, I can't do a great deal more, other than a bit of grease here and there.
43
June 22, 2024
The road wheels are fitted. The hubs are poly caps, so when I test fitted them, the paint flaked off. Repair is under way.
44
June 22, 2024
There is still a co-ax MG to add to the turret.
45
June 22, 2024
The mounting holes for the fire extinguishers are way too large. I'd recommend filling and redrilling.
46
June 22, 2024
47
June 22, 2024
The smaller of the surrounding parts above the periscopes on the commander's hath was missing, so I've had to scratch one.
48
June 22, 2024
49
June 24, 2024
Test fit of the side armour with the rubber band tracks in place.
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June 24, 2024
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June 24, 2024
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June 24, 2024
53
June 24, 2024
54
June 24, 2024
And while taking it all apart, it sheds a bit more paint.
55
August 7, 2024
Well, well, look what's finally hit the doormat! First ordered 27th April, arrived 7th August. It came all the way from Beijing in just a jiffy bag, so when it arrived, I had a bag full of loose track links as the box had been squashed flat and the ziplock bag was open. They don't beleive in packaging thing well in China, in my experience.
56
August 7, 2024
The track links themselves are beautifully done, but I'm wondering if burnishing fluid will work well on such shiny metal. Failing that, will that surface take paint well? An aluminium gun barrel is one thing, but metal tracks are moving parts, so I'm betting any paint will wear off pretty quickly.

John Hughes
Hi Andy, yes, it is a fairly basic kit, but that's due to the fact that it was originally a motorised Academy kit. That being said, the molding is nice and I think it has posibilities. As for country/era, I'll certainly be doing a UK version. The paint/decal instructions in the kit are all in Korean, which is not helping a bit. However, as my father worked on the prototype for the Mk.III, it might just get a basic green coat & no markings.

7 April, 13:21

James C
👀👍

20 April, 17:35

John Hughes
Avoid AFV Club's workable tracks at all costs. They are the worst modelling product I've come across so far. Each link has 4 EP marks, so that's 864 to deal with for a full track set. They don't clip together very well and form a curve by the time you have a full run of 108 links per side. If you move the track, or actually try to pick it up, it falls apart. How the hell you are supposed to actually put them on the kit is beyond me. Don't waste your money on them. I'm replacing them with a Sanxin set of metal links with brass pins.

21 April, 13:11

gorby
Looks like you're managing to beat this kit into submission.
I'm curious to know why you chose this old kit to build rather than one of the other remarkable kits in your stash?

18 May, 15:17

John Hughes
Hi Gorby. My Dad built part of the prototype before he was demobbed after the war. I've got the Tamiya 1:25 one too.

18 May, 16:03

gorby
Ahhh, so it's personal connection. 👍

18 May, 16:04

John Hughes
Yep. Centurion III: This time it's personal!

18 May, 16:38

gorby
😄 😄 😄

19 May, 06:58

John Hughes
Well, the Sanxin tracks came all the way from China and then Evri left them "at a secure location at your address", i.e. shoved through the bars of the entry gate between the two houses next to mine. Wonder where they are now? Another six week wait for a replacement set in the offing.

16 June, 18:38

gorby
Have the tracks gone missing?
It the luck of the draw with Evri whether you get a good courier or a crap one. Our current one is great and we get every package. The one before him was a thief - half of our delivers went 'missing'.

22 June, 07:44

John Hughes
Hi Gorby. Yes, the tracks were stolen from where they were left. Our usual Evri guy is good, but this was a new one that had only been with them two months. The most annoying part is that it takes 4-6 weeks for a new set to arrive. I'm hoping they will be a good product as they're white metal tracks with brass pins. Should be more durable than the usual resin pins most use.

22 June, 09:08

gorby
Hope it goes better next time.

22 June, 11:02