[LaserCutCard] Gothic Bastion

[DELTADOG]

Looks like great new additions to your lineup. With the WWI Indiana Jones tank you will make a lot of Pulp Players happy !

[LaserCutCard]

Looks like great new additions to your lineup. With the WWI Indiana Jones tank you will make a lot of Pulp Players happy !

Glad to hear it! We are currently working on scaling down a Cromwell turret based on the exact one from the movie... so hopefully there will be even more to smile about in the near future

[FramFramson]

Are you going to have both options? i.e. the "Indiana Jones tank" as well as a simple Mark IV/V?

[LaserCutCard]

Are you going to have both options? i.e. the "Indiana Jones tank" as well as a simple Mark IV/V?

Yes - there will be a standard MK IV kit and then the "Last Crusade" will be an upgrade option.

We are still working on the parts for all of this but the upgrade will hopefully include:

- cromwell turret
- new deck plate to receive the turret
- front sponson that can accept a "heavy rocket gun" or a "laser cannon"
- alternative weapons options for side sponsons ("heavy rocket guns")

The last two upgrades are to allow you to set your "Last Crusade" a long long way into the future, should you want.

[LaserCutCard]

There was a lot happening on the workbench in the second week of Q3 (10 - 16 July 2016)

M113 R(edux)

The new road wheels and doors are sorted.

The doors (which we borrowed from the Ratel model) open forwards to offer some more protection to dismounting troops. There is also a step plate and a handle to help troops remount.

All doors and hatches can be modeled open. There are some tiny bugs with this file and we want to change the detailing on the sides... the "icon" on the side will be dropped in favour of some more armour detailing. This should be released next week.

Estimated cost will be $12.50, worldwide postage will be $3





MK IV tank
Lots of detailing has been added. We are loving this model! The model is 1% smaller than 1/48 scale. Still some teething issues with the armour plates on the sponsons. The next cut should fix all of these (including bumping the size up to be exactly 1/48 scale)







The kit price is looking at being around $16 but we will try get that down with the production cuts.

Big Bertha

Lots more detail added, and a short range mortar version of the barrel as a test.

We are going to scrap the working cogs and gears and rather ramp up the detailing. The gun will still go up and down in the mount but the side handles will no longer turn. They are fiddly to build and we would rather it looked awesome and not work, than look simple and work.







FT17 and A7V
The "first fit" cuts for these had mixed results. The A7V was a dream... we are moving straight on to detailing.

The FT17 needs a lot of work - this way is hard to build.

[FramFramson]

Will there be more detail to the treads, or is that as-is?

[LaserCutCard]

Will there be more detail to the treads, or is that as-is?

Not really sure on that actually.

The real tracks are not terribly detailed as it is

We could add some "rivets" to the tracks (say 4 per link) but given the amount of visible track, that will add maybe 3-4 dollars to the retail price... which we are trying to keep down.

But on the other hand if the bland tracks put people off, then we might have to just add the detail and ask you to (as they say here) kak en betaal

[tin shed gamer]

I'd recommend that you add the overlap ridges on the track plates (but not for the units in direct contact with the table.) the rivets are redundant on the tracks as they begin to look cluttered at scale.However it's that additional texture which  will set your model apart from similar models on the market.
If you feel that this may put the price up too much.Then I'd recommend a tutorial on your website showing how to add the plate over laps from the waste card,in the kit.

Mark.

[LaserCutCard]

I'd recommend that you add the overlap ridges on the track plates (but not for the units in direct contact with the table.) the rivets are redundant on the tracks as they begin to look cluttered at scale.However it's that additional texture which  will set your model apart from similar models on the market.
If you feel that this may put the price up too much.Then I'd recommend a tutorial on your website showing how to add the plate over laps from the waste card,in the kit.

Mark.

That is a very good idea... thanks. I will try it out and take some photos later today

[tin shed gamer]

Your welcome,
It's worth noting that track plate measurements more often than not include the overlap as part of the depth measurement.
I'd recommend that you start plating the track at the nose wheel of the track runners.Plating in both directions from that point.As it's important that they sit correctly hear (as it's the most visual point of the whole track) it needs to sit as it does in the photograph of the real tank. If it doesn't sit like this then people will feel there's something off with your model (they'll be unlikely to tell you why but they'll know there's something off)as flat surfaces travelling around a curve for some reason just register in the brain in that fashion anything else looks clumsy.
Those five links (three at a real push)need to be individual pretty much the rest of the track can be done as a strip.
(I'll drop you a PM qualifying my post so I don't look like a know it all )
Mark.

[FramFramson]

+1 to all of Tin Shed's suggestions. It's not the rivets which are noticeable in their absence; it's the overlap ridges. As it stand the existing tracks look unfinished compared to the fine detailing on the rest of the model.

[LaserCutCard]

+1 to all of Tin Shed's suggestions. It's not the rivets which are noticeable in their absence; it's the overlap ridges. As it stand the existing tracks look unfinished compared to the fine detailing on the rest of the model.

I got a bit distracted today and did not manage to test this out but I am going to see what adding 2mm wide strips to each track section that is visible.

The limitation we have to work with is the thickness of the card... it is a very sturdy card that is 1mm thick and so adding layers quickly adds thickness - it also means that you can't layer them like scales as they are simply too thick.

Here is what I will try - this is a side profile of the track "links" at their current dimensions - each link is 6.5mm long and 1mm thick. I will see what it looks like to take a 2mm strip and glue it slightly over each join. That should give the impression of the over-and-under effect and also add some visual complexity to the tracks.

Thanks again for all your feedback

[FramFramson]

I wonder if a similar effect could be done using less card with a creased tab or small cuutaway added to sit at an angle to create something a bit closer to the tread ridges?

Like so:



Perhaps that is too fiddly though?

Personally, I think strips would be fine, just throwing out additional ideas.

[DELTADOG]

Hmm You will need to use plastic Rods for the cannons in any case. Why not using the thin Evergreen Plastic-Rod 020" and cut some spacer to fill the gaps? Would look more close to the original then they can achive with the cutted Card?!

[tin shed gamer]

There's no need to add to the costing for such a model.Believe me there's absolutely nothing on any of the mk's of rhomboid tank that require anything more than card or an occasional cocktail stick.
The method selected is pretty much the best solution.A light sanding on the edges will give a better effect than plastic rod.I doubt very much it will need that kind of tweaking.As it comes will be enough for all but the pickiest (the resin tanks on the market have stylised track plates anyway,as it's the simplest way to keep the model functional)
 Neal has kindly offered to send me a kit to play with.So I'll put my money where my mouth is and write a thread/review on how to build one and how to tweak it to stand against more conventional models(if necessary)
Mark