Ha ha, Great! This is basically the same as with me. My birthday is also coming up and there will be a lot of nice presents of vintage ESCI and Matchbox kits coming. They always get it perfectly right - just what I Wished for 
1 Like
How is this kit? I have one of the old 1/32 Dragon P-40B kits and was less than pleased with it for reasons I can’t remember now. Is this new GWH version a better kit?
Paul
I assume you mean Trumpeter, I don’t think Dragon did one. While I haven’t actually had the Trumpy kit, I have to say that the GWH version has nothing in common with it past the name of the airplane. This thing is beautiful! You pay for it, but you aren’t likely to need any aftermarket (except perhaps decals, depending on what individual aircraft you want to do). I’m seriously looking forward to clearing the bench for this one.
Michael 
Yes, quite right, it was a Trumpeter kit. I do not mind the high price IF it actually gets built. Far too often other neat kits come along and shove a kit I was very high on aside. I will be following your build with interest.
Paul
I have long been interested in the Mk. VIII “International” tank. Its really cool, huge, ugly and bristling with guns. Vargas came out with a 3d printed kit and I could hardly wait to start it when it arrived. As it happened, there were other things going on that took me away from making models so it sat for several months.
This is one of the latest kits from Vargas and it is much better than some of the earlier efforts. The detail is amazing and very fine. Care has to be used to avoid breaking some of the finer bits off. The parts count is low as so much is created into the parts as part of the 3D process. The rastering or striations that are characteristic of the 3D printed kits are still there even if they are much reduced over earlier kits. Most of the prep time will be spent sanding and this kit is huge - lots of sanding will be needed.
Paul
5 Likes
Replacement parts from Meng for my miss molded track parts. Now I can finish the tracks and start working on the hull. After putting in my problem request with Meng it was 3-4 days till they shipped and 3 1/2 weeks to get to Calgary, Canada by post
2 Likes
Its nice to see Meng is supporting you on this. Did they make you jump through hoops?
Paul
I spent a LOT of time sanding this Vargas Mk VIII tank. The rastering was not huge but it was there and I wanted it off to the extent possible. I used sanding twigs from eBay and could have used something even smaller if I could find it. Here the parts are done and ready for a bath in warm soapy water.
There is one very fiddly bit in this kit. The turret shields are very then and badly warped. The spot where they fit into the sponsons is happily well designed and forces the sheilds into their cylindrical shape. Coaxing them into position is nerve wracking. The first one fit fine but the second split just where the cannon barrel slot is. The damage was repaired with CA gel glue from the inside.
In addition, both shields shed one of the parts that hold the cannon. These cannon will traverse but will not be able to elevate.
Paul
4 Likes
Paul, Meng was great to deal with. They wanted my address, the code on the inside lid of the box and some pictures. I had confirmation that they would ship in a couple of hours. The International looks awesome, and huge!
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Paul, great looking tank. Really something out of the ordinary 
Can, great to hear the tracks arrived in good order. Good customer service is a must these days
The Vargas Mk. VIII is a bit further along. It got a coat of a brighter green which was darkened with a brown filter. I worked this with a brush as it was drying to add streaks and make it look dirty. The tracks got a couple of coats of Steel.
I want to depict this tank as near new in testing. I have this picture of one in back of a Ford Chase scout car taken in the late teens or early twenties. It shows the Mark VIII with one of it machine gun positions plated over so my model will not be exact.
Paul
6 Likes
It looks menacing enough, Paul! 
It will be fun to photograph with the little Vargas Ford Chase posed like the picture.
Paul
I had intended to make this tank good & muddy but took a close look at the picture posted last time. The mud looks thin, possibly washed by rain. The tracks are shiny! I had just painted my tracks with a couple of coats of track wash and they were still tacky. So - I took a paper towel moistened with Humbrol thinner, the most gentle of the thinners on hand and rubbed some of the wash off. Now they tracks look more like the picture.
Next the tank was flatted and it was time to join the main parts together. Once this was done there is no going back so the guns needed to be solidly mounted to the turret shields. If they came loose there would be no getting at the bits inside the model. The mounts were weak to start and one of the two in each shield had already broken off. The shields were installed in the sponsons and once in position the guns were attached by CA glue. Then bits of sprue were glued in place to make the mount good and secure. They will now traverse but not elevate.
Paul
2 Likes
After the guns were installed and dry the main parts were glued together with CA glue. It now looks like a tank and is ready for some weathering.
Paul
7 Likes
That is looking very nice. Tracks look very good
Impressive and menacing… 
What a beast!! Looks good, Paul.