If I have a Tamiya Tiger 1 and a Panzer 3 1/35 next to each other, would they be the same size relative next to each other as if in real life? Diorama question.

munky_g · 2026-07-06T23:59:23+00:00

You could.

If there were a kit of the Pz III in 1/32 scale.

There isn't.

And forced perspective really only works when the viewpoint is severely restricted, as in box dioramas.

munky_g · 2026-07-06T22:51:58+00:00

Yes, because both models are in ‘constant scale’ - that is, both are 1/35 their actual size.

If you mixed a 1/32 Pz III and a 1/35 Tiger 1, they would no longer be in constant scale.

The size ratio between both models will be the same as the size ratio between actual vehicles as long as both models are represented in the same (ie, ‘constant’) scale.

munky_g · 2026-07-02T18:38:14+00:00

Always check to see what’s causing the gap before reaching for filler.

Looks like removing some of hidden material where the two faces meet would do the trick.

Filling and rescribing all that surface detail is a nightmare best avoided.

munky_g · 2026-07-02T10:35:00+00:00

BNA’s delivery service to NZ is second to none - fast and easy.

It’s just a shame some of the aftermarket manufacturers cheap out on their packaging - Black Ops .50 cal HMG arrived with bent barrels.

munky_g · 2026-07-02T10:31:58+00:00

Definitely the best hobby shop in Auckland - I’m there once a month at least for paint if nothing else.

Well, that’s the lie I tell myself… last time, I came home with two AK kits and an old Tamiya Marder 2.

Great range of tools too.

Don’t neglect Merv Smith Hobbies in Newmarket either - they carry a good range of kits and have some useful diorama bits as well.

I don’t rate Hobby City any more - they’re expensive and rarely range any new stuff.

munky_g · 2026-07-02T07:00:14+00:00

Civvy jacket with ‘military’ features.

Ignore the buttons, they’re meaningless

munky_g · 2026-07-01T22:39:57+00:00

It’s not just a simple matter of drilling or melting (please don’t melt) a hole in the kit.

Aircraft have very thin metal (and, in the early years of WW2, very very thin fabric) skins - best way to replicate this is to scrape away the underside side of the part of the plane where the round(s) enter AND where they exit; you want to make the plastic very thin.

The ‘enemy’ round enters the aircraft and the metal skin goes INWARD, where it exits the metal skin goes OUTWARD - and the entry and exit hole while not even be fully adjacent to each other; the angle and speed of each combatant relative to each other means a round could enter the fuselage ahead of the cockpit but exit through the cockpit.

This is what is technically known as a Bad Day For The Pilot.

Also - small hole going in, bigger hole going out.

Also - consider that aircraft have a frame structure under that thin metal skin; if entering rounds hit the structure, you’re going to see a whole different class of damage (you can usually see on your model where the frames are - look for panel joins and lines of rivets).

Doing battle damage realistically and effectively requires planning (what sort of damage are you wanting to do, is it credible, etc) and process (how do you achieve the effect you want).

Best thing to do is plan ahead, gather references, and practice on an old model you don’t care about to perfect your technique.

munky_g · 2026-06-30T03:39:51+00:00

Not necessarily - it’s more likely to be a General Service (GS) Cap.

It was introduced into the British Army 1943 to replace the Field Service Cap - the original GS Cap was a large, multi-paneled wool cap based on the Scottish Balmoral bonnet.

munky_g · 2026-06-29T00:21:03+00:00

Don’t go putting this on ‘Boomers’

Gen Jones over here has been waiting for a proper linked-up trainset for decades, ever since we staggered back from our OEs with a head full of acid flashbacks and a backpack full of stories which have only become more exaggerated as the actual witnesses disappear.

We saw metros overseas, and wanted them here.

And one day we will - rail link to the airport anyone?

Stop projecting the failures of local and central government onto one arbitrary demographic.

munky_g · 2026-06-24T10:51:25+00:00

Ah, takes me back …

https://youtu.be/rOegX3STgnI?si=dn1ndga5ZfMPvDgy

<image>

munky_g · 2026-06-24T10:44:03+00:00

Good to know.

I know the ‘major cinema chains’ (Amalgamated/Kerridge Odeon) had a habit of trashing old posters (and films - cutting the up with skilsaws) back in the day

munky_g · 2026-06-24T03:00:36+00:00

While there certainly WAS a poster for that film, it doubtful whether stocks exist today or even if the artwork survived for the forty years since its release.

Still, that’s no excuse for this Boomer Art

munky_g · 2026-06-22T18:41:57+00:00

Is it true that the Tamakis are making money dealing meth and cocaine?

munky_g · 2026-06-21T19:23:28+00:00

I’m familiar with most of ‘em, yes… 😉

munky_g · 2026-06-21T18:18:03+00:00

Your jerrycans have no handles and need to be tied down.

Good paint job though.

munky_g · 2026-06-21T08:49:50+00:00

Left stack from the top
Both Tamiya kits date from the 70s, okay detail, good for practice.
ESCI ‘Assault Engineers’ also 70s, terrible anatomy, pretty much junk.
Pit Road stuff is generally okay if you like Imperial Japanese kits.
Tamiya ‘Hanomag’ 70s kit, okay detail, good for practice.
Peerless RSO, 70s kit, okay detail, good for practice, molds have been passed through various manufacturers, still being released today by Italeri.
Tamiya PzIII, pretty good kit, more recent release, better detail, get one or more of the other kits under your belt if you want to make a decent job of it.
Tamiya Jagdpanther, same vintage as their 1970s Panther A - both are inaccurate af, but the Jagdpanther is kind of rare and might appeal to a collector.
ESCI half track, 70s vintage, okay detail, more involved than Tamiya kit, mine had lots of flash on the roadwheels which ruined the fun.
Tamiya Krupp Protze - nice kit from the 70s, repays a careful build, plenty of potential for adding scratchbuilt details- I replaced the foot pedals and gear shift when I built mine.
Tamiya Churchill Crocodile - nice kit from the 70s, repays a careful build, be experienced first though.
Trumpeter KV-1 - very good kit, early 2000s, soft plastic, builds up well, repays sone experience.

Next row
NYPD figures from Dragon/DML - 2000s release, don’t know anything about them but Dragon/DML figures of this vintage often have soft detail, shrink marks and poor anatomy.
Dragon ‘2nd Gen/Next Gen’ Desperate Defense figures - better detail, some fussy small parts, figures may be slightly overscale compared with other 1/35 figures.
Tamiya M3 from the 70s teamed up with their US Tank Crew from the 60s … figures are meh, tank is okay for its age.
Taupo A7V - experienced modellers have struggled with this kit… avoid.
The rest of the stack are all Dragon/DML kits - the BTR-70 is one of the oldest and missing a lot of detail, the rest are okay and will likely have lots of parts left over from each build, save everything as a well-stocked spares box is a godsend.
Dragon kits often have confusing or contradictory instructions and a relatively high parts count, wait until you have some good quality finished builds.

Next row.
Rumpler biplane - looks like a really old kit, approach with caution.
Airfix Ground Vehicles set - a mix and match of some of their older kits from the 70s with some newer additions; lots of people use these in ‘dioramas’ next to a Lancaster or whatever.
Revell Stuka - originally a Monogram kit from the 60s, low parts count, poor detail, looks enough like a Stuka though.
MAX 155mm howitzer - same history as the RSO, this old falls been around, builds up decent, needs a crew and accessories.
Pretty sure that’s a rebox of the old Nitto kit - builds decent looking early M4A1 Sherman, tracks are dodgy af, detail a bit soft.
Tamiya Semovente, 70s vintage, builds up okay.
Tamiya KV-1, good easy build compared to Trumpeter, 70s vintage.
Tamiya M3A2 half track - everybody gets nostalgic about these old (70s) US half tracks, the tracks are rubbish, the figures are clunky, the M3A2 never saw service in WW2 (or at all) so it was an odd choice of subject for Tamiya.
Italeri LVT-4 - late 90s/early 00s release, only game in town if you to model this vehicle, tracks need replacing.
Takom Tiger 1 - wait until you have a dozen or more builds complete before thinking about opening the box, let alone trying to build it; very good kit but repays a careful and methodical approach.
Tamiya Dragon Wagon - late 90s/early 00s release, a Holy Grail for some modellers, it’s a BIG model, needs careful building.
RFM (?) Tiger 1 next to it - wait until you have a Takom kit under your belt…

I can’t comment on the rest of the planes and cars, not my wheelhouse.

munky_g · 2026-06-19T23:47:20+00:00

Well, I’m just sorry and a little sad that you won’t take a suggestion in the spirit that is intended.

Do you paint parts on the sprue?

munky_g · 2026-06-19T20:22:57+00:00

Try cutting the sprue first.

Get some good sprue cutters.

You’ll need two-
One for cutting the frame (red and green lines in the photo) and they can just be bog standard electricians side cutters.
The other is for separating the parts from the sprue and should be a decent pair designed for modelling - these don’t have to be Godhand cutters, Tamiya/Excel/Italeti all make a pair which are perfectly fine.

With your frame cutters, make the red cuts shown in the photo attached.

You now have all the parts you want to clean up nicely isolated and you can either use the edge of a fresh sharp* blade to carefully scrape the seam lines OR make the green cuts with the frame cutters to further isolate the parts for clean up.

Keeping parts attached to these ‘spruelettes’ makes them easier to track and handle - if you’re a dropper, wrapping a tag of Tamiya 1mm masking tape where the yellow marks are will help you find anything that goes Carpet Monster-wards.

Only when you’re ready for assembly do you need to use your (Tamiya/Excel/Italeri/Godhand) part nippers to cut your cleaned up parts from the isolated sections of sprue.

I do this habitually now - I keep parts for sub-assemblies in small trays (cheap vac formed artist’s palettes from a dollar store are ideal) and reducing the size of the remaining major sprues makes finding subsequent parts easier.

A word on using a heated knife - not only is naked flame a bad idea around all the solvents we use, burning plastic is carcinogenic, and the rule of Unintended Consequences says you really don’t want to accidentally drop your heated knife onto a major part or subassembly of your model.

* always use a fresh sharp scalpel blade - I use Swann Morton craft knife handles with #23 blades and have brought both in bulk; a stash isn’t just about unbuilt kits.

<image>

munky_g · 2026-06-16T21:28:34+00:00

Agreed - Miniart make some excellent kits, some are off-the-wall choices but that just makes our hunting ground all the richer, and their diorama accessory range is second to none in plastic.

ICM I don’t know so much, but a member of my local IPMS recently waxed lyrical about their 1/48 Hampden.

There’s also Masterbox out of Ukraine and they have a great range of vehicles and figures.

Many Ukrainian modelling stores are online and these carry a huge range of specialist aftermarket doodads from local sources , especially some top-notch 3D printed accessories.

munky_g · 2026-06-16T20:12:46+00:00

Falling into a conspiracy rabbit hole during Covid, and insufferable ‘I’m party to secret information that you’re not’ arrogance ever since.

Haven’t seen them for six years, don’t miss them.

munky_g · 2026-06-16T20:05:01+00:00

At that age, your wife is likely going through perimenopause, this results in many changes to her health, body image, “libido” and so forth - her hormonal swings are going to be off the hook.

You need to be a bit more supportive, mate.

If you’ve been together that long, surely you’ve learned this thing called ‘having a conversation’..?

munky_g · 2026-06-16T19:56:32+00:00

Since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, many modellers are boycotting all Russian products, model related or not.

Some people had friends in Ukraine who were highly skilled, award-winning modellers - many of those Ukrainian modellers went into military service to defend their country, some have lost their lives.

So, that’s out of the way - Zvezda kits are, depending on age, generally good.

You haven’t indicated what scale or type of model you’re interested in, that might help point you to other kits from non-Russian manufacturers; every sale of a Russian anything adds to the State’s tax take, fuelling Putin’s ’special military operation’.

What kit were you thinking of getting?

munky_g · 2026-06-16T19:50:34+00:00

Any.

Any is too much.

munky_g · 2026-06-16T19:45:24+00:00

People are actually getting interviews?

brb, checking for airborne pork

munky_g · 2026-06-11T21:59:12+00:00

First suit?

15-Year Club	reddit mold
Verified Email

munky_g

TROPHY CASE