Tomcat's 1/35 Bronco A34 Comet

[BigWall]

It's looking very nice. Very nice details on the kit.

[Stokesy44]

Splendid undercarriage work Sir. Track looks good

[Kevthemodeller]

Really coming together now Neil

I remember some Tamiya tracks being like that when I was a teenager, think I mushroomed the pins by applying heat with a heated nail head, something like that.

I have looked in the book, but sadly there's not that many pictures of stowage in the book. He did have 100's of wartime pictures, of his own but I no longer have access to them as I've lost contact with his son.

[Tomcat64]

It's looking very nice. Very nice details on the kit.

Splendid undercarriage work Sir. Track looks good

Cheers guys

Really coming together now Neil

I remember some Tamiya tracks being like that when I was a teenager, think I mushroomed the pins by applying heat with a heated nail head, something like that.

I have looked in the book, but sadly there's not that many pictures of stowage in the book. He did have 100's of wartime pictures, of his own but I no longer have access to them as I've lost contact with his son.

Thanks for looking Kev & no worries, I've ordered up various bits of stowage to go with the bits already in the stash so I think I'll be able to come up with something

[Tomcat64]

Had another good couple of sessions at the bench this weekend.

First up I tried to add some modulation/variation to the overall greenness of it all. I used Vallejo Olive Drab as the highlight but experimented with this for the shading. I'm not sure I'm completely sold on it yet, but that may just be down to me not quite finding the sweet spot in my ropey airbrushing technique.


Anyway the results were a little exaggerated to start with so I misted over again with the base coat to tone it down a bit, which probably means the variations won't show up in photos now Anyway here it is...


Decals were attached at the front & turret side


And the other end...


These were left overnight to settle in, and then again misted over with the basecoat to start blending them in


The tow cable was included as a length of string, so this was soaked in thin white glue to stiffen it up a bit and prevent fraying (a tip I picked up on the interweb somewhere along the road). After being left to dry overnight this was then painted up in a base of Track Primer followed by a home made dark metal mix before having the ends attached with CA and then being glued carefully in place again using CA


The other pioneer tools were painted up & added down the back end


And then I made a start with the first coat of "Canvas" on the turret cover


So that's how it looks at the moment - I'll continue to work on the canvas cover before giving the whole thing a matt coat prior to weathering proper. I'll also start working out what I want to do in terms of stowage.

Thanks as always for looking

[digger303]

Cool.

[Stokesy44]

Looks superb, paint and shading is subtle and the markings really set it off.

[Kevthemodeller]

Looks superb, paint and shading is subtle and the markings really set it off.

I agree

That shader green something new form Ammo, looks interesting

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Marvelous, the Comet is a very nice tank!

[Parker]

Nice work

[BigWall]

It's looking great! The shader work came out nicely and that's a great tip using white glue on the tow cable string.

[Tomcat64]

Cool.

Looks superb, paint and shading is subtle and the markings really set it off.

I agree

That shader green something new form Ammo, looks interesting

Marvelous, the Comet is a very nice tank!

Nice work

It's looking great! The shader work came out nicely and that's a great tip using white glue on the tow cable string.

Cheers guys thanks for stopping by

I'm going to experiment a bit more with the MiG shaders as I think there's potential there - on the upside they're really easy to clean up if you dump too much onto the kit...

[Tomcat64]

Just a quick update from this week.

I've painted up the canvas mantlet cover and done a little more shade work before giving everything a couple of coats of AK ultramatte ready to start in with the weathering


I also have a variety of stowage sets to choose from...






So I'll have a play and see what fits where - I may have to trim down one of the longer ones to get it to fit where I want it across the rear deck

Thanks as always for checking in - have a great weekend

[digger303]

Keep it coming.

[BigWall]

It's definitely coming along very well.

[ForeverPlasticKits]

very cool choice of storage!

[digger303]

How did you do the mantlet cover. Very well done I thought. Did you over spray with the same color then use thinners to remove to bring the base color through ?

[Tomcat64]

How did you do the mantlet cover. Very well done I thought. Did you over spray with the same color then use thinners to remove to bring the base color through ?

Sorry mate I missed your question - I went old-skool on the mantlet.

It was all brush painted. Gave it a base coat and then a black wash. Dry brushed the base coat back on quite heavily, washed again & repeated and then gave a final dry brush with a lightened shade of the base coat.

It's got a bit stalled over the last couple of weeks but I have broken the oils out so hopefully will get chance to move it on a bit this weekend.

[Tomcat64]

Had a good couple of afternoons in the den this weekend and have made progress on the Comet.

First up I worked on the initial weathering using Abt 502 oils - primarily dirt & grime with a little rust thrown in here and there. I actually started this a couple of weeks back but wasn't happy with the results so stepped away and haven't had chance to go back to it until now. Here's how I picked it up... you can see the difference between the weathered rear deck and the rest...


Also these turned up this week


However when I went back to open up the turret hatches I realized that somehow I'd managed to attach the top of the cupola 90degrees anti-clockwise from where it should have been... as a result the hatches were opening fore & aft rather than left & right... as you can see in this build shot from back in October


No idea what I was playing at - but anyway I decided to try & rectify it and the only way to get the part off was to deploy the razor saw & scalpel and carefully cut the top off...


After some gentle sanding to smooth any edges it was reattached with the doors open...


Then sorted out the paintwork


And test fitted Captain Casual... actually I had to chop his feet off to get him to sit on the hatch properly


So I think I got away with that (just) and finished off the oil weathering...


Other side - I've deliberately gone a bit heavy on the turret sides as this mostly be obscured when I've finished I think


And then made a start on working out the stowage - this is blu-tacked on at this stage


I've deliberately weathered the hull first to try and build up the layers of dirt etc


So once the stowage is painted and permanently attached we'll add another layer of dust & grime


That's where we are for now - next I'll finish the cleanup on the stowage & commander and start painting that up.

Thanks as always for looking

[Stokesy44]

Lovely oil work on the hull and the stowage looks good. Should be a painter's dream with all that texturing.

Nice save on that hatch too.

[BigWall]

Very nice save! The stowage is really going to look great once it's painted.

[digger303]

I like it, it has just the right amount of busyness and as Stokesy says plenty of opp to be artistic. I had to have a quiet laugh though when you laid yourself bear with the cupola problem. I thought I was the only one to do such things....damn good rectification slash save though.

[Kevthemodeller]

More lovely ork there Neil, your on the home stretch now

[Tomcat64]

Lovely oil work on the hull and the stowage looks good. Should be a painter's dream with all that texturing.

Nice save on that hatch too.

Very nice save! The stowage is really going to look great once it's painted.

I like it, it has just the right amount of busyness and as Stokesy says plenty of opp to be artistic.

More lovely ork there Neil, your on the home stretch now

Thanks guys - happy to have got it moving again

I had to have a quiet laugh though when you laid yourself bear with the cupola problem. I thought I was the only one to do such things....damn good rectification slash save though.

Oh trust me you are definitely not alone with this kind of screw up... I still can't figure out how I managed it coz I remember looking hard at the instruction to try and find out which way it should go and still managed to get it wrong!

Felt like a mix of these when I realised...

[Tomcat64]

Progress this weekend started with the stowage. This was primed in Ultimate Black & Grey and then had various Vallejo Model Air base colours followed by washes (Games Workshop Nuln Oil & Vallejo black & brown) before picking out the straps & cords in contrasting colours. It was all then attached to the tank with CA.


Whilst rummaging through my accessory drawer the other week I came across this...


And since several of the photos of the Comets I've seen in action have netting over the turret I thought I'd give it a go


It was attached with white glue working from the top down & cutting to shape and size as I went


Once I've finished with the final weathering I'll stick some foliage into it as well


The mesh is a little tighter than I'd hope so it effectively obscures everything underneath but I think it'll work in the end

Next up a little more stowage and final weathering before finishing up the commander and hopefully calling it a day

Thanks as always for looking

[digger303]

I like that camo net, looks better than another type I have seen.

[Kevthemodeller]

Great looking stowage and cammo net is superb Neil

[Stokesy44]

Cracking stowage and camo net. Looks awesome.

[Rugash]

Very nice work mate, looks great!

[Quax]

great job with the stowage and the cammo net, they've come up a treat!

Paul

[DRUMS01]

WOW!, now that is a nice way to top off a great build.

Ben

[BigWall]

I have to agree with everyone about the net. It looks better than any other I have seen. Great work with the stowage as well.

[Tomcat64]

I like that camo net, looks better than another type I have seen.

Great looking stowage and cammo net is superb Neil

Cracking stowage and camo net. Looks awesome.

Very nice work mate, looks great!

great job with the stowage and the cammo net, they've come up a treat!

Paul

WOW!, now that is a nice way to top off a great build.

Ben

I have to agree with everyone about the net. It looks better than any other I have seen. Great work with the stowage as well.

Thanks guys - I've got a couple more bits to throw at it and will hopefully get it finished in the next week

[Tomcat64]

I've managed to get this one finished up this week

The commander was painted up using a variety of Vallejo colours


Installed into his turret


And with foliage added


On the hull I added something to the back end...


And after some additional weathering with oils & pigments it's just about ready...


The reveal is now up here

Thanks to everyone that followed along & offered encouragement

[Stokesy44]

Great finish.

Cant get over the detail on that bike. Brilliant edition to the kit

[Kevthemodeller]

Superb, weathering, lovely figure work the bike is a stroke of genius Neil

[ForeverPlasticKits]

Such nice details, the paint is awesome!

[Tomcat64]

Great finish.

Cant get over the detail on that bike. Brilliant edition to the kit

Superb, weathering, lovely figure work the bike is a stroke of genius Neil

Such nice details, the paint is awesome!

Thanks guys

I just realised I meant to post up a photo of the bike kit for completeness but completely forgot!

So for those that are interested it was one of these...


It's the second time I've used one of these (the first was in the epic "Stug in the dining room" dio from 2017) and it went together much easier this time as my abilities with PE have obviously improved a little

[CrustyModeller]

Great build.

I have built the Bronco Comet (and also the Bronco 17 pdr Anti-Tank Gun), and I have a few gripes:

Tiny, tiny pieces that could be moulded in
Visible inaccuracies (I have photos of the WWII Comet at the Tank Museum in Bovingdon)
Tiny bits of photo-etch that are barely visible and easily lost from the tweezers, or the superglue welds the part to the tweezers
Virtually no positive location slots or holes, just the occasional slightly raised square.

I have just received the Tamiya 1/35 Comet (I ordered one, but received 2, for some reason) and have started on the build. My observations:

The minute lights at the front of the tank. On the Bronco kit, the reinforcing rail is moulded in, and you have to put that tiny light behind the rail and somehow locate it and glue it in place. On the Tamiya kit, the reinforcing rails are separate, and they slot into the forward deck with the tiny lights moulded in. This is pretty much the same for all tiny parts, or for ones where you have to decide the angle at which they must be set
More accurate turret shape. I know; I've seen the real thing.
Positive location for EVERYTHING
Canvas mantlet cover included. That's an extra purchase for the Bronco, and you have to butcher the turret ring very carefully with a razor saw.
Positive orientation for the one-piece gun on the Tamiya (two-piece mantlet). Not on the Bronco
Moulded Normandy double cowling rather than photo-etch on the Tamiya. They really don't look bad at all. The photo-etch ones on the Bronco I found impossible to form Tabs would break off. They wouldn't glue to the deck. On the Bronco model, I ended up buying two kits, just so I could scratch-build a two-part Normandy cover out of two moulded double-length cowlings. The Tamiya has both in moulded form.
The "birdcage" gun sight is better on the Bronco, but it's a bugger to build and very fragile. The Tamiya one is moulded and not as accurate, but it is easier to build. I have slimmed down the struts as far as I dare

The Tamiya kit is just an easier, more enjoyable build. There were so many fiddly parts on the Bronco kit that were dwarfed by my tiniest tweezers. The Bronco build was frustrating all the way. Tamiya pulled some clever tricks to make assembly easier, and it isn't much less detailed than the Bronco, and the few omissions are easily rectified with a little scratch-building.

I give Bronco's version 3/10 for building and 6/10 for accuracy.

I give the Tamiya version 10/10 for building and 8/10 for accuracy.

[digger303]

Great build.

I have built the Bronco Comet (and also the Bronco 17 pdr Anti-Tank Gun), and I have a few gripes:

Tiny, tiny pieces that could be moulded in
Visible inaccuracies (I have photos of the WWII Comet at the Tank Museum in Bovingdon)
Tiny bits of photo-etch that are barely visible and easily lost from the tweezers, or the superglue welds the part to the tweezers
Virtually no positive location slots or holes, just the occasional slightly raised square.

I have just received the Tamiya 1/35 Comet (I ordered one, but received 2, for some reason) and have started on the build. My observations:

The minute lights at the front of the tank. On the Bronco kit, the reinforcing rail is moulded in, and you have to put that tiny light behind the rail and somehow locate it and glue it in place. On the Tamiya kit, the reinforcing rails are separate, and they slot into the forward deck with the tiny lights moulded in. This is pretty much the same for all tiny parts, or for ones where you have to decide the angle at which they must be set
More accurate turret shape. I know; I've seen the real thing.
Positive location for EVERYTHING
Canvas mantlet cover included. That's an extra purchase for the Bronco, and you have to butcher the turret ring very carefully with a razor saw.
Positive orientation for the one-piece gun on the Tamiya (two-piece mantlet). Not on the Bronco
Moulded Normandy double cowling rather than photo-etch on the Tamiya. They really don't look bad at all. The photo-etch ones on the Bronco I found impossible to form Tabs would break off. They wouldn't glue to the deck. On the Bronco model, I ended up buying two kits, just so I could scratch-build a two-part Normandy cover out of two moulded double-length cowlings. The Tamiya has both in moulded form.
The "birdcage" gun sight is better on the Bronco, but it's a bugger to build and very fragile. The Tamiya one is moulded and not as accurate, but it is easier to build. I have slimmed down the struts as far as I dare

The Tamiya kit is just an easier, more enjoyable build. There were so many fiddly parts on the Bronco kit that were dwarfed by my tiniest tweezers. The Bronco build was frustrating all the way. Tamiya pulled some clever tricks to make assembly easier, and it isn't much less detailed than the Bronco, and the few omissions are easily rectified with a little scratch-building.

I give Bronco's version 3/10 for building and 6/10 for accuracy.

I give the Tamiya version 10/10 for building and 8/10 for accuracy.

Yes Bronco can be challenging, but to be fair this was one of their earlier kits and they were trying a little too hard. Plus the Tamiya kit is 2022 and has a 17 yr head start.