Valentine Scissors Bridge finished?

I managed to paint up the model today - a white base coat of acrylic artists gesso, washed with diluted Vallejo Russian Uniform, so some of the white undecoat shows through on raised areas, tracks Oily Steel, Black to help define the rollers.  Very dilute Army Painter dark ink wash.  Base is a Vallejo desert basing medium painted Flat Earth with spring meadow flock.

Side view.

 Rear view.

Opposite side view.

 Front view.

Whilst it is a far from precise model, for me it looks enough like the real thing at 6mm scale on the table top that I'm quite happy with it taking up it's position in my independent armoured brigades.  So, two more to do and that's my brigade complete.

However, as my Bv206 models arrived earlier this week, I'll be back to painting transport for my USMC Amphibious Brigade - Norway 1985.

Thanks for looking!

Valentine Scissors Bridge Conversion

After some sidetracking with USMC forces for 1985, I finally got around to starting work on the Valentine Scissors Bridge.  I ordered the models from Heroics and Ros, four Valentine IX tanks (B011) and four Churchill AVsRE with SBG (B054).

First off, I filed off the exturnal fuel tank on the left hand side of the aft superstructure of the tank.  Then I filed the locating tab on the end of the SBG.  Then I cut the bridge in two across the middle - this is tricky as it is the thickest part of the model.  I didn't want to use a saw as I wanted to lose the thickness of the saw blade, so I cut it with a craft knife, remembering my Grandpop's (an old sailor) saying;

"Never cut towards your thumb,

Always cut towards your chum".

Anyway, it worked as I managed to cut it and didn't lose an appendage doing it.  I then stuck the two bridge halves together with cyanoacrylate so that the ramp surfaces were showing.  I then cut two short sections of styrene strip (.060x.156") and filed notches in the ends - at one end to fit the countours of the front of the tank model and at the other to act as a recess for some wire.  The wire is to act as an armature for the rollers which form part of the launch gear.

I used a small copper wire armature through the turret socket in the tank hull, glued in place with cyanoacrylate, to build up a small turret (a simple blob-shape) with air-drying clay.  A longer piece of copper wire was used to represent part of the launching apparatus.  Small rounded discs of air-drying clay were used to represent the rollers.  I also had to build up some clay in the gap between the bridge ramps to represent part of the hinge structure.  Once the clay had dried, I smoothed out any irregularities, fingerprints, etc, with fine sand paper and a needle file.

 This is where I've got to so far.  The folded bridge is probably a mm or so short, but other than that I think it does the job.  I'll reserve judgement until I've painted it up, when I'll post more pictures.

Thanks for looking.