1

Editorial (aka Rob’s Rantings)

AMMS Brisbane News

QMC was cancelled, and

other members, like me,

had an entry already pre-

pared which they then put

into the February comp as

well as the entry for Feb-

ruary.

Maybe not, too, and we

are seeing a new resur-

gence in enthusiasm for

the QMC—we can but

hope.

Last but not least, does

anybody know of a source

for scale drawings of a

Bergepanther, in particu-

lar the winch ? I have the

full set of Tank Power

books on the Panther, but

they’re very light on inte-

rior detail.

Don’t forget that Firestorm

is coming to the April

meeting—save those dol-

lars. See

you tomor-

row.

For those few of you who

may not have noticed, I

have been for some time

a fan of models by

Dragon. However, I am

continually surprised by

some of the apparent

bloopers in their kits and

instructions.

A classic case in point is

their recent M7 Priest.

The kit is provided with

early M4 suspension, with

a central return roller on

the top of each bogie, and

no alternatives are pro-

vided.

The tracks provided are

M48 chevron type. Fine

so far.

One of the marking op-

tions is for ―Crazy Helen‖

from Company A, 231st

Armoured Field Artillery

Battalion, 6th Armoured

Division, Germany 1944.

The same vehicle is illus-

trated on the front cover

of Squadron/Signal’s ―US

Self Propelled Guns in Ac-

tion‖, clearly showing up-

swept trailing bogies and

T51 rubber block tracks.

The same vehicle is also

illustrated in Squadron/

Signal’s ―M7 Priest Walk

Around‖ again showing trail-

ing upswept bogies and T51

tracks.

Come on, DML, did you not

at least LOOK at the refer-

ences?! Makes you wonder,

doesn’t it?

Now what do I do, raid the

spares box for bogies and

try to get a decent set of T51

tracks or try to live with the

shortcomings outlined above

(and they aren’t the only

ones, either, just the worst)?

On a happier note, our fear-

less leader seems surprised

to see so many entries in the

February QMC. Perhaps the

reason for the profusion of

entries is that the November

Inside this issue:

David’s drivel 2

Modeller profile 3

Japanese Armour Snapshot 2 4

February QMC pics 5-7

Special points of interest:

Japanese Armour Snap-

shot 3

February QMC pics

03 March 2012

Volume 8, Issue 3

CORRECTION

In last month’s newsletter,

I attributed the article on

making a mini sander to

Keith Fainges, when it

was actually provided by

Ian Cousens—my apolo-

gies.

A couple of new figure sets from Dragon, thankfully not in violent action poses, perhaps reflecting the saying that

combat is “99% sheer boredom and 1% sheer terror”

2

David’s Drivel

Page 2 Volume 8, Issue 3

Model Bases Custom Boards - any material, any size, polished or stained. Contact Paul Pearson -

Mob. 0423 758 578 eMail pearsonpaul6@gmail.com

The Base Place - bases, plaques & shields, trophies, routing services, manufacturer of timber trophy compo-

nents. Contact Matt Fulton Tel. 07 54839900 fax. 07 54937200 eMail enquir-

ies@thebaseplace.com.au web. Www.thebaseplace.com.au

Hello fellow armour modellers, welcome to March. First up let me say WOW, what a great start for the QMC, 14 or so

entries into the comp was great to see...

Perhaps we should look at making the interval between competition meetings longer if that's the number of entries

were going to get ? I was quite pleased to see a fairly even spread between the theme comps and general modelling

subjects being presented too, that indicates to me that there's still strong interest amongst the member base for the

themed categories subject matter (perhaps that's to be expected tho, the topics are chosen from your suggestions) I

won't go on here about the QMC tho, I'll leave that to the CJ to wax lyrical over during the meeting.

Now, At the last meeting, I collected my usual magazine purchases sent to me by Firestorm Models via Andy Reid

and found myself making the statement to Andy that these were particularly well priced issues (due in no small part

to the strong Aussie dollar) I also noted that the other publications available locally were also well priced of late. Later

that evening when I got home I found myself taking a cursory glance through the articles, reading a few of the image

captions an advert or two then casually throwing them down with the rest of the ever growing pile of unread periodi-

cals I have in my model room.... It then dawned on me that this wasn't particularly good buying if I wasn't going to

actually read them. So, I made a conscious effort to make time & read one of the magazines from front to back. I

have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the reading, and whilst the subject matter wasn't to my exact taste

(not one WW1 build !) they were quite informative & I managed to get a better grasp on one or two of the more re-

cent techniques being employed by the authors.

I wonder how many others out there do the same thing ? Buy the magazine, flick through to see the contents then

discard it with the intention of returning later only to find that the next issue is out & it too goes in the same place as

the last one ? I have no answer to this, nor is my commentary being aimed at anyone in particular, it is simply an ac-

knowledgment of my poor use of funds & time... I do acknowledge tho that I think I've found my New Years Resolu-

tion... Read what I purchase before buying a new issue [but please note, no promise is being made or implied in re-

gards to the vast pile of unread issues... Just the new ones !]

I hope everyone's busy squirrelling away funds for the upcoming Firestorm visit, I'd strongly recommend getting in

touch with David if there's something in particular that you'd like him to bring up, he manages to pack a mountain of

product into his vehicle but you can bet that if there’s something you particularly want it'll be the one item he leaves

behind.... You've been warned, get in now & order to avoid disappointment, same goes for the club discount. It's due

BEFORE the visit, so if you want the discount, pay the Firestorm Buyers Elite discount to AMMS & remember to re-

mind David when you pay for your purchases (he will have a list of names for those who've paid & are eligible, but

you'll have to remind him on the day)

And with that, I think I'll sign off now & go get a cuppa tea and a magazine & settle down to read all the latest &

greatest there is in this wonderful hobby of ours, till next month.

Happy modelling.

Regards,

David Scorer.

AMMS Brisbane Coordinator 2012

3

Modeller Profile—the Story of Me (thanks Michael Flynn)

Page 3 Volume 8, Issue 3

The story of me, modeller. I still have a clear memory of the distant past. It was in the mid-1950s when my father

took me to a shop in Queen Street, Brisbane called The Scientific Hobby Shop (real name). Oh boy, look at all this

stuff! My eyes latched on to the box art of a Grumman Cougar jet and the brand name ―Revell’. When the man be-

hind the counter told me you had to glue all the parts together to make the model I lost interest. Dad then took me to

another ―toy shop‖ where we bought something else.

A few years later,1957, I did build my first models – two aircraft, a Messerschmitt 109 and a Heinkel 111 by the Ger-

man model railway company, Faller. My modelling technique was basic. Break parts off sprue and glue together.

Painting, too hard. I made a mess of the decals for the ―109‖ so for the Heinkel I cut out each one and stuck it on with

sticky tape.

Soon after that adventure I discovered Airfix, then Frog, Revell, Monogram and Aurora. There were also car kits from

AMT and Jo-Han. At this time I started to make more of an effort and my efforts looked more like….well, models.

This lasted until the mid-Sixties when Other Distractions took over. This modelling hiatus confirmed for me that the

internal combustion engine was beyond my understanding and the prospect of parenthood and a mortgage terrified

me!

Fast forward to 1974. One day during a lunch break, I chanced to walk through the arcade of the old MLC building in

Brisbane wherein was a hobby shop. Oh, boy! Look at all this stuff (again) . ―Tamiya‖, never heard of them but it all

looked good. The bug bit again and I bought a few kits – BMW/Zundapp combo, Kubelwagen and a figure set. I have

been at it ever since.

For the next 25 years I modelled in splendid isolation. My only contact with the outside modelling world was via

magazines and visits to hobby shops.

It must have been around 1997- 98 when I went to the model railway show at the Ekka and in a building across the

street was a model show so I went over and had a look. Later that year or maybe the next, I went to another show at

The Table Tennis Centre at Windsor. That started the mind ticking over about maybe joining a club and in 2000 I

eventually went along to a meeting of IPMS which was on my side of town.

I joined and attended meetings over a year or so. Nobody took much notice of me and I began to think whether I

would continue when it occurred to me that, since I am in this model club, maybe I should bring a couple of models

along. Not having a high regard for my own ability, I figured the worst they could do would be to laugh. Well, I did and

they didn’t. That broke the ice and it has been all good ever since.

At that time, Jamin Janetski was in IPMS and he kept waffling on about this other mob down in the Logan area –

BAMS, WAMS, AMMS, whatever. In August, 2003 , I sallied forth into the badlands south of the river to an old hall in

Meadowbrook. This looks good thinks I. The next meeting was held somewhere else, which place I eventually lo-

cated. I joined up with AMMS then and so here we are today.

I like to think my modelling skills have improved over the years. Certainly, looking and listening at AMMS (and IPMS)

has been a major factor. I have had my finger in most modelling pies over the years though military subjects have

been the main interest over the past 10-15 or so. I have also done a few all-resin models �± that was another negative

mindset I was able to overcome thanks to AMMS. I must admit to being distracted by the top quality new ship kits

being released.

Thank you and good night

Michael Flynn

Removed for privacy reasons

4

Japanese Armour Snapshot 3—Mud Scrapers (thanks Al Kelly)

Page 4 Volume 8, Issue 3

The light tank Type95 Ha Go and the medium tank Type 97 Chi Ha (early and late versions) were fitted with mud scrapers that were mounted on the underside of the mudguards. In the case of the Ha Go there were three under each front mudguard while on the Chi Ha there was one under the front guard and one under the rear guard (see photos). The scrapers seem to have been simply a stout piece of rubber mounted vertically at right angles to the tracks on the Ha Go and at a forward angle on the Chi Ha to guide mud to the outside of the vehicle. They were very prone to wear and tear, and it seems that once they broke off, they weren’t replaced. There seem to be more pic-tures of vehicles without scrapers than with. They may also have been fitted to vehicles like the Type 1 Ho Ni I SPG

that used the hull of the Chi Ha, but I couldn’t find any photos showing them.

Mud scrapers do not appear to have been mounted on any other Japanese armour - not even the successor to the

Chi Ha, the Type 1 Chi He. Perhaps they were found to be ineffective or unnecessary.

Modelling: Whilst such parts are easy to make from plastic card or sheet brass, in 1/35 scale they can also be found in the FineMolds etch sets MG28 for the Ha Go and MG-64 for the Chi Ha. The bolt heads for the mountings are al-

ready moulded on the top of the mudguards in the FineMolds and Tamiya kits.

Detail of mud scrapers on a Chi Ha (left)

Mud scrapers on a Ha Go at Rabaul (right)

5

Quarterly Modelling Competition Feb 2012 (thanks Peter Battle)

Page 5 Volume 8, Issue 3

.

Dave Scorer’s Char d’Assault WIP Chris Bond’s remote control M$ Sherman

Somebody’s T80 (sorry, PB didn’t know either) Michael Flynn’s Humber Armoured Car

Ian

Cousens’

mortar &

equip-

ment (left)

and yours

truly’s

Sdkfz

10/5

(right)

6

Quarterly Modelling Competition Feb 2012 (cont’d from Page 5)

Page 6 Volume 8, Issue 3

Andy Reid’s M4A2 Sherman PTO Somebody’s Sherman Jumbo

Initial production Tiger 1 by yours truly Wayne Murray’s Sdkfz 234/3

Ian Cousens’ Jagdpanzer IV (left) and Isherman (right)

7

Quarterly Modelling Competition Feb 2012 (cont’d from Page 6)

Page 7 Volume 8, Issue 3

All three of the pics on this page are from the same diorama by

Chris Bond—given the size of the diorama, he’s either not married

or has a very understanding wife!!