WHATS IN THE BOX? ACADEMY 1/72. M3 HALF TRACK, 1/4 TON AMPHIBIAN & HARLEY DAVIDSON. KIT REVIEW No 93

[@lllordllloyd]

Clipping the motorcycle parts off the sprue will require some thought and technique. Good luck Andy.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Yeah it was a bit of effort taking it from the sprue @lllordllloyd actually completed ahead of schedule.

[@deanburn3400]

Good video Andy. Other interesting vehicles to add to the D Day Project with another amphibian vehicle. Like the new set up on reviewing the parts. Getting face to face more closely with the parts and easier to spot any flash discrepancies for you or with review followers. Seems a pretty good kit by Academy. Although I had a nightmare building a P47 by them when it came to the transfers. Perhaps something to watch out for if looking at the aircraft kits they have. In between time Ive been reviewing some aircraft ICM kits. These look really good on detail although they are 1/48 Scale. As I suggestion have a look at the B26 Marauder or Beaufort Torpedo or the option Day / Night bomber kits. However, Ive not seen them yet as far as I can tell produce the Beau Fighter version. Airfix made it originally many years ago. Worth a check. Like to see you eventually build one. Thanks again Dean.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hi Dean yes the new view seems to be better. The Academy is really nice and only £12 for 3 vehicles a bargain in my opinion. I have a fair few 1/35 and 1/72 ICM kits including some of their 3 in 1 diorama kits which are pretty decent value for money. 1/48's i only have the one i forget the manufacturer a Japanese fighter, might have to get a couple more 1/48's at some point, will look at the ICM's for sure.

[@PanzermansBunker]

Good kit review. Looks like a nicely detailed kit. Just for your info. Fujimi makes a line of 1/76 military vehicles. Included are both the halftrack and Harley motorcycle. There kits have figures included. Even a rider for the Harley. Bill

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Its a nice kit and only cost me £12 which seems a bargain for 3 vehicles.

[@Alan_Saund_Models]

Yep much better 📸 view...nice review Andy as usual 👍

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Thanks Alan, no idea why i hadn't tried it before, i think i thought the phone would get in my way.

[@the.just.able.biker67]

Ueah, i enjoyed watching it with that view. It's more like how you would normally look at a kit. 👍 That looks like a decent kit. I'm in the process of building the 1/72 airfix Sherman - which is going together beautifully - and I'm looking for other vehicles to go with it in some sort of diorama.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hello again @the.just.able.biker67 i did a Sherman firefly about the same time also, actually ended up buying a 1/35 1/4 ton amphbian based on building this.

[@diyfireking]

Excellent work as always 👍👍

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hello there @diyfireking and thanks for watching. Lots more kits to look at soon, will hopefully even build and finish a few.

[@flightis3dollars]

I'm thinking new view gives a (potentially) tidier presentation.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Thanks @flightis3dollars i am thinking the same, only tried it for the first time last night, no idea why i haven't tried it before.

[@BrianSanders-tn7pi]

Hi Andy. I like the new viewing aspect , it allows us ( the viewers ) a better look at the kit parts and also the finished model. So carry on like this. Now the kit. I have recently built this kit , ( the last three months ) and I can tell you that its a good little kit. As usual I did a lot of scratvhbuilding on mine. So two new bench seats in the back , two large radio set boxes. All the cabling that goes with that and even a set of headphones. I wish that I could send you some photos. The one thing that I will say about these halftracks is look at any photo and you will see these vehicles festooned with stowage. Mate I won,t go on about mine because I would bore you to death. I am looking at the bike right now and its got its first layer of paint on. But that is going to be part of a future project. The amphibious Jeep is another issue. In reality most of them went to the Russians under lend lease, so maybe a red army one in boggy ground would look good. This hobby is what you make it, straight out the box or major scratchbuilding. I tend to do the latter and you the former, but I can tell you that this is a good kit with plenty of potential. I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Good luck bud.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Cheers Brian yes it looks good and i only paid £12 new, no P&P as it came with some other stuff. You really do go to town on these kits, feel free to send a few pics if you like [e-mail] though its my KZbin email and i don't look at it very often, so if you let me know in one of these messages if you do send something. I am thinking about doing a vid for viewer kit pics though really havn't had the time to figure out how to do it yet, another project on the shelf LOL. ha ha ha ha NO STOWAGE will be added to these LOL, TBH i doubt i will return to 1/72 non aircraft any time soon after these are done.

[@BrianSanders-tn7pi]

@@TheNoviceModeller Hi Andy. I know that you build 'as is'. Thats absolutely fine, most people do it that way. You know what it is I look at pictures of vehicles that I have and notice that some things are not right. So I then take it upon myself to convert them to how they should be. Perhaps thats why I have so many books , before the internet thats how we did it. Now its easy to find pictures of vehicles that you might want to build. I don,t think that I ever build out of the box anymore. I am sitting here now at my bench looking at the Harley that comes in that vehicle set, and even on that I have added the brake and clutch cables as well as the spark plug leads. I have even put on the levers on the handlebars , bloody anal or what ? You know what it is, I know that their there so I try to replicate it. Like you I am a digital dinosaur so if I can work out how to send you some pictures I will let you know. I look forward to your complete diorama set. Happy building mate, good luck.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hi Brian, TBH i'd love to fill these with crates, barrels and boxes, i think when i get to doing some of my 1/35's i will go down that route, i have lots of trucks, trucks need filling with stuff, i have noticed that the stuff is expensive so would be interested in potentially learning some scratch building for that, obviously you can get these 3D printers now, i had a mooch at one and thought "hurdy gurdy LOL i'll break that in a couple of weeks." I have seen vids of people building there own stuff and think that is the way to go, though like everything so far on this journey, i am just having to put things in to two categories 1. = can do now, 2. = shelf for later; i am going to need some more shelves LOL. As for your 1/72 Harley and the mega detailing, admiration for you there, but the ability to even think about doing that is something that comes with experience and devotion, so for me, perhaps one day. cheers Brian enjoy your building.

[@BrianSanders-tn7pi]

@@TheNoviceModeller Hi Andy. I know that I go to town on my kits with the scratchbuilding but you are right it comes with a lot of practice and experience. The one thing I will say to you is that yhe bigger the scale the more you have to create. In the smaller scale your selling the impression that there's something there and then allow the viewer to use their imagination to create the rest. I put a scratchbuilt ladder on the left side of my halftrack but you would be hard pressed to see it , was it worth it ? For me , yes. For the viewer maybe not. There are tutorials on scratchbuilding crates and tarps but when you look at some vehicles they are smothered in them. So again , sell the idea. I put box like shapes of plasticrd under a piece of tinfoil or tissue soaked in PVA or even a bit of putty and then gently press it down to give the impression of the things you want under it. You can spend a fortune on bits and pieces of stowage but you can also spend an awful lot of time on creating things that you will barely be able to see. So its a trade off. Money over time or time over money. You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes. You will definately get there as I feel that you have the inclanation to do so. You will start to replace parts to suit your own personal taste. Good luck to you buddy.

[@conorduggan6682]

I just bought this kit. It was only $20 CAD (around £11) so it made its way home with me. I've only just started building kits after a few years of buying dust gatherers and spider homes, aka unbuilt kits. I reckon I want to build this kit next, so off to KZbin I went to see a few build videos. I clicked on this video purely because of the channel name, which pretty much sums it up for me, although I'm passed the midlife crisis at this stage and merrily rolling down the road to old age and beyond.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hello there @conorduggan6682 and thanks for watching; LOL i think i am going to learn all about dust gatherers and spider homes as since i started this channel in February i have managed to amass a collection of about 400 kits PMSL, part of my midlife crisis LOL and an important "medical document" i discovered is well worth a look (link below), my bank manager and therapist are very concerned about all this. I think i paid around the same amount for this kit, i built it May/June as part of a D-Day series i did (link below) and i thought it was a really nice little kit, the amphibian jeep prompted me to go buy the 1/35 version and the halftrack has some nice details. hope you enjoy building it. regards andy. d-day series playlist studio.kzbin.infoPLq7NxxVyTV6ATGKbwHZMApOHRfOWTseMm/videos important medical document for the midlife crisis kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYqWpX13obKErbM

[@philjones6054]

Excellent presentation. Really appreciate all you do!!!

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Many thanks @philjones6054, all i'm doing is having fun, i appreciate you taking the time to watch my bizarre channel. regards andy.

[@BobbyG-bp9xr]

Hi Andy. This looks a cracking little set! Never seen it before. You're throwing in some fantastic reviews of some really interesting kits. Love the new video set up too mate, spot on. Easier to see the detail of the kits, a much more immersive experience! (Don't know where that word came from!!)🤣🤣 Nice work mate. Loving your work! 👍 Be seeing you...

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Cheers Bobby, TBH i only intended to get the 2 D-day kits, was buying a few interesting odd aircraft for the future and this turned up from the same ebayer £12 i paid. went together nice the little amphibian is cute only complaint no clear plastic for windscreens which seems a bit odd. The new set up PMSL why haven't i tried it before? FML, so much easier. Be seeing you.

[@BobbyG-bp9xr]

@@TheNoviceModeller £12! It would be rude not to!! Know what you mean about the set up. I struggle to see a better way of doing things even when the answer is staring me in the face! I think its a man thing!

[@c123bthunderpig]

Andy, that's a really nice kit with all those vehicles. 1/72 in aircraft scale as I found out on the Spits,, challenges patience. However, your armor kits at 1/72 looks like more fun and offers some nice details. Two days left for the big reveal :-) You've done a lot of research and work. I do like the new format it shows more of the kit. Another aspect I like is learning about new libation :-) That Sassy looks pretty good Cheers BOB

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Thanks Bob, libation i learnt a new word today. This was a great kit only paid £12 for it posted free as it came with a bunch of other stuff, challenging but not overly complicated and went together with no huffing and puffing, erm yes its ready for priming. No idea why i hadn't thought of putting the camera in front of me before doh. Sassy all gone.

[@Slycockney]

Hi Andy, great video and I have a lot of catching up to do. The camera aspect is good but if I'm being critical the lighting is a little harsh. Maybe some sort of diffusion without breaking the bank. Apologies, I worked in photography for many years and can't help myself. Hope you are not offended. Cheers

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Hi @Slycockney its pretty hard to be offended by something you dont understand, PMSL, diffusion? TBH you lost me at D. Lighting has been pointed out to me before and something that got worse this evening as the blind on my velux window which is right above my head broke. Basically i film this in a cupboard in the eaves of an attic conversion, it measures 4ft 2 inches by 12ft long and the only place i can stand is where the chair is because thats where the recessed window is, directly behind me is the door. The current lighting is sunlight previously shaded by the blind which is now in the bin, the lights are some sort of circular tube things that flicker on screen when used in daylight, the only additional lighting i have purchased is one those cheap ring lights £12.95 off Amazon. You see my dilemma LOL. My long term solution is to move the whole operation to another room, which may happen, but it poses a whole new set of problems, plus i like my cupboard. If you can offer any advice on an inexpensive solution taking into account my rather odd current size restrictions i'd be very grateful. thanks regards andy.

[@Slycockney]

@@TheNoviceModeller Difficult if you are working in a confined space. Reflected light off white card is good as it helps eliminate shadows and reduces contrast, although it does lower light intensity. Purpose built studio lighting costs a fortune so you don't want to go down that route. Even something simple like some tissue paper over the lights can help, as long as it doesn't get hot and catch fire. Keep going, great videos Cheers

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Moving in to another room is the logical option and i do have a plan for it but it is an added expense and as i am still figuring this KZbin malarkey out i need to try and justify the expense and the obvious hassle of creating a proper KZbin studio/build/display room. Paradoxically i have had no issue justifying to myself spending £1000's on a madcap collection of kits that will take me 10 years to build. I think i need to book another trip to the therapist LOL.

[@Slycockney]

@@TheNoviceModeller It's so easy to keep buying kits isn't it, I had to rein it in as my stash will certainly see me out. But of course there are always exceptions....

[@TheNoviceModeller]

@@Slycockney ALWAYS!

[@PanzermansBunker]

New video view is better.

[@TheNoviceModeller]

Cheers bill dunno why i didn't think of this view before