Not at all Brian.I admit im rather clumsy and always think my builds tend to be messy.Case of the smoke launchers drooping when i try and glue them.Need to study pictures to see the proper angles.Im not happy with the launcher rails the more i look at them.They dont meet the smoke launcher rails at the bottom edge and are missing a few mounting bolts ive noticed.
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IIRC from long ago, the Italeri smoke launcher parts have a flat underside with a square locating peg. You need to make sure the underside sits neatly against the shelf and the peg is in the hole/slot for it, then the launcher will sit at the correct angle both up-and-down and sideways.
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They can be very fiddly indeed, especially if they’re not that well moulded in the first place (I’m not saying that is the case with Italeri’s efforts), and I always find I get the angling wrong - enter camnets/foliage etc. They do make a difference if potrayed well, and as I mentioned earlier, I feel the chains make a difference too. A sort of defining piece of Bundeswehr kit in a way.
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Oh, I forgot about the carpet pics.
Here’s a 1A5 with carpets on the hull and lots of camouflage netting on the turret.
Did you notice the Leopards during transition from UNPROFOR to IFOR? The green part of the camouflage was painted alright, but they did not have enough black paint, so they only sprayed a thin black demarcation line between the green and the white, until they could get their hands on enough black paint. Unfortunately I am not able to credit the photographer from Bosnia.
Besides, the transition took place in the winter time, so green and white was not that bad.
Cheers
Christian
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Indeed Jakko.I had a go earlier and i used some Mr Cement purple lid glue and it melted a lot of the plastic.Sadly the Italeri launchers and tubes are full of sinkmarks so lots of filling and some of my green coloured kits of the A4 arent nice plastic to work with.They wont beat me tho mate.
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Oh very much Brian.They are little buggers to get to sit in proper angle.Like i mentioned to Jakko the glue melted the shelf mount and that was them done in.Might be easier to make from plastic card for bit more umpff.Im not letting them beat me and ive got x2 Eduard sets with chains so might try and tart them up a bit if my shaky hands dont play up and i f them off to the bin.
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Great pics Christian thanks.Doing the carpet will be a chore but looks great on a model of your leopards.Lots of measuring and careful cutting.Any luck with the mount pics for the mantlet for Hoffman device?.
Cheers from Richard
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Hi Richard.
Damn - ahem, sorry - I thought I had sent them already.
Actually, I sent a rather large mail with the Hoffmann device on 22 April. Maybe too large?
I will try another way.
BTW, being a Leopard addict is definitely a good thing.
Cheers Christian
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Hi Christian.Yes my wife thinks im a Leopard addict,Im already adding to my little hoard.Today i ordered another Italeri 1A5 in the great grey plastic and another 1A4 as im down to my last 3 kits of them.In the past i scratchbuilt the M41 searchlight and the stowage box and air con unit before they came out in resin.Might try some of the Hataka acrylic Danish green as it supposedly is closet to the Kermit green.
Cheers from Richard
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