Water Scorpion

[Captain Canada]

Great idea. Such a cool little kit with so much potential. Have fun !

[Dizzyfugu]

How about Thailand? I know that Thailand has a Marines corps (I even did a turboprop Sea Fury for them...) - the Water Scorpion would fit well, since they operate armed and armored landing vehicles.

[Weaver]

Auntie was fine this morning, then had another episode tonight while I was at work, thus forcing my other auntie, who's supposed to be in isolation, to go round and sort her out...

Going to have a word with work tomorrow about letting me have my phone on, given the extraordinary circumstances. Mind you, depending on how they read the runes, tomorrow might be the last day at work anyway...

Might do some work on the Water Scorpion later tonight.

[Weaver]

How about Thailand? I know that Thailand has a Marines corps (I even did a turboprop Sea Fury for them...) - the Water Scorpion would fit well, since they operate armed and armored landing vehicles.

Yeah Thailand's a definite possible. The army has Scorpions and the Marines had LVT-4s in the past, although they've got LVTP-7s now.

One problem with any real-world one is if it carries elaborate markings. I don't have a working printer at the moment and decals of obscure marine corps' vehicles are non-existent.

[Weaver]

Okay, so 'last night' might have been hopelessly optimistic, but I have built one side of the running gear this morning. Whew those are lots of tiny wheels! Still, it does go together reasonably well if you apply a little forethought. I cleaned up all the road wheels first, then stuck them all to the inner plates (training links are moulded in), then quickly put the sponson box on dry to act as a jig to get them all straight, and left it for a bit. Very carefully lifted the sponson off again, stuck all it's detail bits on, then glued it up and it's all still straight.

One thing to watch out for if your eyesight's not 100% is that you get the pin on each roadwheel in the actual hole, not in the 'nook' between the trailing arm and the side panel, where it fits almost as positively.

[scooter]

How about Thailand? I know that Thailand has a Marines corps (I even did a turboprop Sea Fury for them...) - the Water Scorpion would fit well, since they operate armed and armored landing vehicles.

Yeah Thailand's a definite possible. The army has Scorpions and the Marines had LVT-4s in the past, although they've got LVTP-7s now.

One problem with any real-world one is if it carries elaborate markings. I don't have a working printer at the moment and decals of obscure marine corps' vehicles are non-existent.

Hi Rez here

Insignia:

[Weaver]

Other side of the tracks done this morning, in between phone calls.

I've also found some decals which I can pinch to make a particular Option 3 work...

[Weaver]

Hull together.

I had to cut the tip off the bow plate to get the glacis plate to fit, but it was too short anyway so the Evergreen replacement will make it better.

I keep ending at a point where the model's buried in clamps, which is why I'm not taking pics. Should be better over the weekend.

News next week about what our company's doing: might get furloughed, might get laid off. We shall see...

[Weaver]

Okay, an actual picture:



Had a surprising amount of trouble with the turret. The mould's getting old and the fit wasn't great, but also, my Scoprion box has the remains of at least three kits in it, but when I came to build the tureet, I found I was short of a couple of critical bits, namely the mantlet pivot block and the back of the rear stowage box. Fortunately I bought a couple more Scorpions at Telford two years ago, so I raided those, but they're in the tan-coloured plastic, hence the turret's patchwork look.

I also spend ages trying to cut the co-axial MG off the sprue without breaking it, only to break it when I picked up the assembled mantlet up ten minutes later... Rather than destroy another plastic part, I've drilled the mounting and put a length of brass wire in it.

I'm toying with the idea of putting the side MGs from the Buffalo kit on the sides of the turret in similar fashion to the ones on the LVT(A)-4.

Another thing I'm toying with is raising the turret up on a shallow plinth above the general roof line. Why? Well because the turret is in the middle of a large, flat roof plate which severely restricts gun depression. Since LVTs are very tall, this prevents the vehicle from firing at something close to it, like ambushing infantry. This wasn't a problem on the LVT(A)-4 since that had a much narrower superstructure, but the LVT-4's superstructure goes right out to the edge of the track guards.

The white strip on the bow is the replacement for the bit I cut off to get the hull to fit. This extended lip, by the way, is the easiest signifier that the LVT has the armour kit fitted. The applique bow plate sticks up like this, but the underlying hull plate doesn't. You can also see the step when the bottom edge of the armour plate doesn't go all the way to the bottom on the model, but that's harder to get a look at on a real vehicle.

I've also put a slightly over-sized plate over the bow MG and driver's window to show up-armouring. The driver will have to use periscopes only (some real-life LVT mods were like this).

[zenrat]

Looking good H.

How's Auntie?

[Weaver]

Looking good H.

How's Auntie?

Cheers.

She's worryingly rambling in phone calls, but we've had no more emergency call-outs, so I think the extra attention from Adult Social Care may be doing the trick. I'm going to see her tomorrow to see if she needs any food bringing in.

[loupgarou]

Looking good H.

How's Auntie?

Cheers.

She's worryingly rambling in phone calls, but we've had no more emergency call-outs, so I think the extra attention from Adult Social Care may be doing the trick. I'm going to see her tomorrow to see if she needs any food bringing in.

Is that not normal in aunts, old or not?

[Weaver]

Looking good H.

How's Auntie?

Cheers.

She's worryingly rambling in phone calls, but we've had no more emergency call-outs, so I think the extra attention from Adult Social Care may be doing the trick. I'm going to see her tomorrow to see if she needs any food bringing in.

Is that not normal in aunts, old or not?

It wasn't normal with this one until a few months ago, unless she was having a sugar-low or some other problem. However I've just got off the phone with her and she seems fine today. I'm going to see her tomorrow morning.

[PR19_Kit]

Good work on the Buffalo H, and on Auntie too! 

[zenrat]

You're a good boy H.