Collectors of Armour ?

[mustang1966]

Hi guys I know most people in here are cars head as I am. Is there anyone out there who collects Tanks, APC's etc. I have seen one or 2 in here for sale and was wonder on how they are, build quailty so on.

As an ex army guy and a driver of an M113A1 APC I am looking for any models that may have been made of this type APC, even better if it has the T-50 Turret (Australian Varient). I am also after a Leopard 1 Tank. I see there is a Leopard 2 coming out but as the Australian Army has the Leopard 1 that is what I am after.


Cheers
Mark

[v8coupe]

I wish I could afford to buy the planes. Armour, They look fantastic.
Unfortunatey, I'll have to stick with just the cars for now.
I might get a few one day.

[mustang1966]

V8coupe there are plastic kits you can buy but I dont really have the time or skill to build/paint plastic models and have them look the goods. I think it would be nice to have a coupe of models of the AFV's I have driven to go with some old army stuff.

[v8coupe]

I can't put them together to well. I'll be sticking to the Diecast already made. Had some given to me as a kid, glue every where.
2nd got better, but could still see the glue.
Plus don't know how i'd go painting them. Just as bad I presume.

[mustang1966]

Yeah and die cast seems to be more sturdy with the kiddies running around.

Just have to watch the Mrs after she dropped my Dick Johnson XC, 2 days after I brought it. :( I had to laugh and said " at least it was not the XE"

[berkut76]

Quality Diecast models of military vehicles are few and far in between. Here are the ones I'm aware of:

1/50: Solido and Verem

1/43: Victoria/Sunstar, and a bunch of expensive (i.e. $160AUD+) handbuilts from Russia and Eatern Europe.

1/48: Hart Models of the UK. Those are the best in my opinion. As a matter fo fact, I've seen some on eBay offered by an Aussie-based delaer (Traffic Toys?).

1/32 & 1/18: Here in the US, the company called 21st Century toys offer very well-made (and realtively inexpensive) 1/18 and 1/32 scale models of World War II vehicles:

http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/products/productlis t.asp?line_id=5&series_id=9#cat10

http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/products/productlis t.asp?line_id=6&series_id=9

1/32 scale models go for like $15US and are of tremendous value.
See for yourself at http://www.21stcenturytoys.com

[admin]

Originally posted by berkut76
Quality Diecast models of military vehicles are few and far in between. Here are the ones I'm aware of:

1/50: Solido and Verem

1/43: Victoria/Sunstar, and a bunch of expensive (i.e. $160AUD+) handbuilts from Russia and Eatern Europe.

1/48: Hart Models of the UK. Those are the best in my opinion. As a matter fo fact, I've seen some on eBay offered by an Aussie-based delaer (Traffic Toys?).

1/32 & 1/18: Here in the US, the company called 21st Century toys offer very well-made (and realtively inexpensive) 1/18 and 1/32 scale models of World War II vehicles:

http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/products/productlis t.asp?line_id=5&series_id=9#cat10

http://www.21stcenturytoys.com/products/productlis t.asp?line_id=6&series_id=9

1/32 scale models go for like $15US and are of tremendous value.
See for yourself at http://www.21stcenturytoys.com

And don't forget Minichamps tanks, field guns etc in 1:35th. Terrific detail for the dollar... www.biante.com.au under military

[thekid_600]

if anyone out there is interested in modelling plastic kits tanks, the best manufacturer i think is Tamiya. it requires a high level of skill - but that just comes from experience. the finished products look great, and the accessories are very versatile. although, they do take patience and time to build.

[Odin]

I just discovered the military side of models :D . Anyways I was having a browse around the military section of this site and all the armour/tanks I wanted to buy are sold out or production planned. Can any staff tell me when or if they will be back in stock???
thx

[Esses]

I don't know about the level of skill involved in plastic modelling, its just putting parts together & getting better with practice. Sure, there are tricks you learn as you go along (such as NOT using Aquadhere glue on a Sunderland flying-boat then putting it in the bath, it's water-soluble!) but it's not that hard. My Dad was RAAF, so I was mad on aircraft as a kid. At one stage I had a double bedroom full of 1/72, 1/48 & 1/24 aircraft, even a couple dozen swinging from the ceiling. By the time I'd graduated to the 1/24 Airfix Superkits (Spitfires, Messerschmidts, Stukas, Mustangs etc) I'd got good enough that photos were often mistaken for the real thing, especially the Australian one-offs I converted, & achieved 6 straight "A's" in Year 12 Model-Engineering. In my humble opinion the real geniuses are the scratch-builders out there in Model-Train world, & the converters on this forum, though I wouldn't dare touch one of my Diecast models!

[Glen Alexander]

though I wouldn't dare touch one of my Diecast models!

Depends on which cars you are touching, and what you're doing to them. I'd never customise my Devil Yellow HSV GTS or Sting Red Clubsport R8. Although I did respray my Walkinshaw when it was valued at $240, but that was after I found out more were coming out and the market price would drop.

[vt2envy]

I have collected a few minichamps 1.35 tanks and have found the quality to be very good.I have also collected some ww2 aircraft in 1.48 scale by armour (p51 mustang,fw 190,bf 109 to name a couple)which are also good quality but my favorite would have to be a 1:32 scale spitfire which is made by corgi, very high quality with a few extra features like opening canopy and retractable undercarriage.At around 300.00 it is expensive but worth it..My next will be a lancaster bomber which is also produced by corgie.Done in black it looks awesome..

[VRSS]

Hey Mustang,

Being ex-Army myself (20+ years till 2001), I built 10 different Aust variants of the 113 family including the APC, ACV, Mortar Track, ARVL, Scoprion, FSV, TLC, Fitter Track and one with the 106 mounted as per 5/7 RAR trials.

All bar the TLC were built from Tamya 113 kits with some mods being scratch built by me from plastic sheet and others including add-on kits produced by a German company called Verlinden who make many special mod kits including the T50 turret.

Academy have been making a good quality 113 and a TLC kit for a few years now.

I have also made heavy mods to Tamiya Centurion and Alliteria (sic) Leopard kits to bring them to Aust standards not to mention a few that I haven't done yet.

It helped that I had 4 and a half years posted to Puckapunyal where the Armoured Museum is located.

[mustang1966]

Bob, you drove 113's?

I built up the Tamya kits myself.

Correct there was a company (verlindan) which made a T50 turret as per the Australian 113's. I think this kit came with the twin 30's. I used one of the 30's and used the 50 barrel that came with the kit, and it sloted right in. The only thing I did not do was the filter housing over the cargo hatch. and pissed of those track shrouds.

I also built up an ACV and Mortar track. Didn't the seppo's also have a 113 with mutliple 106's attached?

I also got my hands on a Scorpion 76mm turret from the UK.

All now destroyed thanks to the kiddies.

My problem is the die cast stuff looks much better, to my rather poor efforts.

Do you have any snaps you could share with me please.

It would be nice to have some models of these beasties I used to drive to go with the beret, laynard and stable belt.

Cheers
Mark

[VRSS]

Hey guys, die-cast models are great but building a kit and modifying it to match an actual vehicle which is unlike what the kit intended for is an accomplishment.

Mustang,

Never drove one mate. I wore a scarlet beret. A fellow MP (another avid Military vehicle model builder) and I use to spend hours at a time at the Tank museum. Taking polaroids of various parts or angles of vehicles and taking measurements to scale down and modify off the shelf kits. Polaroid film couresty of the job...hehe.

Haven't got any snaps of the models. They're still in the shipping boxes I made after all the postings and haven't sorted out somewhere here to display them. I know that some will need some minor repairs as well after all the moves. Still got some that I haven't started but have all the mod measurements and polaroids to work with.

I have actually found a great site for Aus/NZ Military Modellers called "Anzac Steel"

http://www.hobbyvista.com/anzacsteel/

Done by Australians about Aus and NZ vehicles. Lots of pics and relevant kit reviews as well. Great site.

[zeitgeist]

Originally posted by mustang1966
Just have to watch the Mrs after she dropped my Dick Johnson XC, 2 days after I brought it. :( I had to laugh and said " at least it was not the XE"

I misread this and thought it was your wife who said that. I thought, "That's one with-it wife"!

BC