KrokoHunters Workbench

Finally ready for a coat or two of grey primer

So .. I guess, that once you’ve decided to make one .. you just have to make the other as well …. and since two Despatch Pods were built … well …. I had to build 2.

The 223-version is very much like the 232-version .. but where 232 is based on 5 sd.kfz 232 hulls (hence the name) .. the 223-version is … (you’ve guessed it) based on 5 Tamiya 1/35 Sd.Kfz 223 upper hulls

But this one is actually a bit more “heavy” on the detailing-side ….. meaning more details .. more greeblies …. mo’ money

The rear-plate hasn’t been a 100% identified, so I went for a bit of artistic creativity here, with a heavy influence from the other guys’ builds.

At the moment, I’m working with the remaining details …. a couple of parts were misaligned, so I’m removing them again and replacing them with new part.

More pictures very soon…

About 3 months ago I had somewhat of a mental block at my TIE-Bomber project. I couldn’t really progress on the project, and it kind of spread to my other modeling-related project. So I needed a booster project… and this was it!

I’d followed a couple of guys on RPF, researching and building this little gem. The Imperial Probe Droid Despatch Pod, seen only briefly (and blurry) in the opening scene of “The Empire Strikes Back”, where the Star Destroyer Avenger, launches a bunch of space pods, and we see one of them crashing on the surface of Hoth, where a Imperial Probe Droid emerges from the debris.

This model and it’s LR223 counterpart might be some of the easiest Studio Scale projects from the Star Wars Universe. However each of them still contains parts from over 20 individual donorkits. However it turned out, that I had close to 75% of the needed parts .. so a small kit-hunt, plus some good friends, who were so kind to donate a couple of parts for me, got me started.

I started by assembling the hull, using 5 upper hulls from the Tamiya 1/35 sd.kfz 232 8-RAD

Furthermore I closed up the front, rear and turret-holes with styrene, plus added some details with more parts from the Hasegawa 1/72 Mörser Karl (5 are needed)

On the frontplate I added a roadwheel from the Tamiya 1/25 T34/85 (the SU-100 will also do) plus parts from 5 Tamiya 1/35 Flak Vierlings.

Parts were ordered from Plastruct…….

Which let to this

And then I had to wait for a package of donorparts from my friend Mark Dickson …. due to a loooong shippingtime (I actually concluded that the package was lost) the project went a bit on standby … but a couple of weeks ago I received the parts, and last weekend I finished the assembly of this project .. next step is primer …

more pics soon to come……

I see, that my blog is rather Maschinen Krieger heavy .. However, for the last year or so, my focus has moved more and more towards studio scale projects, and more and more away from Ma.K. … Not to say that studio scale is brand new to me.. I’ve been collecting info, references and donorkits for 6 or 7 years .. but I didn’t really build actively until a year ago … and more recently I started a couple of projects a couple of months ago that really did the difference for me.

So I’ve kind of decided, that I want to focus on studio scale projects and garage kits, and have a small selection of Ma.K, Anime figures and 1/350 IJN ships, to use as filler- and/or break-projects.

So I’ve looked through the piles of Ma.K. kits … and decided to sell a bunch of it, to make room (both physically and economically) for the bigger studio scale projects, and the more expensive studio scale garage kits.

So expect to see less Ma.K. and more Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica studio scale projects on this blog!

Another Ma.K. kit finished this fall: The Raccoon

Built more or less OOB with sculpted joints, and a custom base. The suit is textured with Mr. Dissolved Putty, brushpainted with Vallejo Air and weathered with MIG Pigments

Some WIPs:

and the final result:

So I’ve finally finished a built, that has been going on for quite a while … well mostly due to lack of activity

The project started as a complete resin kit from the company T.H.A.T., but since the casting quality was .. hmmm how to put it … well bullocks …. I decided to use only the resin body, and exchange the arms, legs and detail-parts with original parts from a Nitto Gustav and Heinrich kit.

This is what it looked like at the beginning:

Then I added some texturing with Mr. Dissolved Putty, and started on the primary colors:

Next step was to work on a camo-pattern

And this is where, I kinda forgot to take pictures …. so no pictures of the rest of the painting-, decals- and weathering-phase .. sorry

So lets get down to business … Here’s the end result:

I’ve just finished my 1/20 Wave Snake Eye …

Not much to say, built out of the box, switched the pvc-”hoses” with Wave springs.

Textured with Mr. Dissolved Putty, brushpainted with Vallejo Air and weathered with MIG pigments

Here’s some pics:

I’m so thrilled .. so excited …. so .. well high as a kite ..

Yesterday I received a new kit ….. a kit, that I’ve been wanting for years, and finally I found it, with a fair pricetag … so voila …. it is mine .. all mine .. MINE .. MINE .. MINE I SAY .. MUAHAHA …

sorry about that

The kit is a 1/4 Figurine sculpted by the very famous japanese sculptor Bome. The figure portraits the character Kanu Unchou from the Manga-/Anime-series Ikkitousen.

It’s worth mentioning, that when Bome labels a kit as 1/4 .. it’s actually closer to 1/3,5 .. so I knew, that this baby would be freakin’ huge … oh boy oh boy oh boy

So here’s the parcel… It measures 30x30x15 cm

I’ve taken some pictures of the parts layout. I’ve put in an old. greasy iPhone for size comparison

2 months ago I finally got back to this project, when I borrowed a small lathe-setup, so I could lathe the circumventing panellines. That let to this:

After this I focused on the “centerpiece” between the two main tubes (also called the “chilidogs”). The part is scratchbuilt and detailed with parts from various 1/700 ship kits, and some 1/72 and 1/35 panzer. It goes without saying, that the parts are identical to the parts on the original filming miniature of the TIE-Bomber.

This and some smaller details end up in the current state:

Since this picture was taken, I’ve actually made new “chilidogs”, since it turned out, that the holes for the cross-tube was actually 1,5mm off center … oh bugger.

At the moment I’m awaiting certain donorkits, to be able to proceed. It has been in the mail for nearly a month now, so I fear that it is lost (not the first time that happens to me .. hmmmmpp )

I started this project over a year ago, but due to certain issues the project was put on the backburner fairly quick.

This is how it started:

A big pile of donorparts are PVC-tubes … not all donorparts are present .. some has been added since the picture was taken, and some are still to be purchased.

So this was what the project more or less looked like until 2 months ago….