"Using 1/76th - 1/72nd kits for 15mm" Topic

Just posted this, incidentally Armies Army just painted something similar.
castrarunis.blogspot.com

His Btr's would look good next to mine.Another item to the long list of " I want these, have to get them " sigh…….

Oh btw scroll down the page also to see the Gzg Genom Powersuit & Acp Valkyrie comparison pics.

Hope you like them
Z

That chieftain is brilliant, love it!

Fantastic paint job, puts mine to shame!

Is that a wall plug for the turret?

Glad you like them AA.
Can't wait to get your BTR's ( eventually :( ).
Yes that's a wall plug…would you believe I bought 2 packs of different sized screws just for the plugs ???. :):):)

Z

Hahah

I do believe it indeed! I've been using some as sensors and I was thinking of using them as posts in force shield fender or something, I went looking for more at the local DIY store. Was asked what I was looking for, had to say I was browsing!

AA ,If it's any help , those plugs are made by a company called " Friulsider " , I got me 6mm dia x 33 + 45mm L ones. These are the best imho for 15mm barrels , though the larger ones can be used for buildings etc.

Z

Wow I really like the looks of those, they look right if you know what I mean, I'll have to look around at those scales, IMO I believe tanks will get larger, more armor, more engine power and bigger main guns

Cheers Z

Ill look them up

Keith

A friend of mine is building a large Slammer's force with conversions of 1/87th Minitanks so – on that basis – I expected these to look vast.

They are big, granted, but not stupid big.

I like 'em (and the wall plugs are terrific!)

And; yeah: I like them both but the 'King' Chieftain (or whatever) is superb!

John T

Here is a Fujima 1/76 JGSDF Type 90 tank alongside a Matchbox Oshkosh and Khurasan Modern U.S. 15mm trooper.

Some discussion of the size difference between it and an ideal 1/100 vehicle here. link

I've also been using 1/87 Roco Minitanks since "back in the day". And by back in the day I mean alongside Martian Metals figures and vehicles.

Id say that works!

I've also been using 1/87 Roco Minitanks since "back in the day". And by back in the day I mean alongside Martian Metals figures and vehicles.

You're not the only Ancient One in the room, mister. In fact, I just dug up some old Rocco models I'm going to refurbish into 15mm sci fi AFVs as it is…

No school like the Old School…

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

My early 15mm sci-fi collection (1983 and abouts)was almost exclusively based on Minitanks plus two 1/76 scale Heller AMX-30 variants that were the basis for an AA vehicle and an artillery vehicle. They turned out OK enough that I still have them and I will see if I can find a current shot of at least the super-heavies I built.
Thanks,
Pat

link

See if this works…
And try to be a little kind, they are 30 plus years old.:)
I will try to take some shots of the rest of the force tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks,

Pat

Very cool!

No school like old school ,yes indeed Black Widow,…

Patrick those Roco vehicles look exactly the part & lets face it,in this day & age it would be a crime to let models like these stored in some dark place.

Those plugs seem to have been a hit, I should consider trading them :):):) ….. just goes to show what can be done with the simplest of things.

John, the Chieftain was Britain's mbt till around till the late 90's , & imho it was one of the greatest looking tanks ever .

Z

Daddyslittlemen,

That is one excellent site sir.

I am very impressed.

I like 'em, Patrick! A very neat use of such classic plastic models. I for one am a sucker for such things:

link

Now yer gettin' me all stirred up about those old Rocco models I dug up….

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Leland,

I have always enjoyed your site and also your reasoned defense of the French Army in 1940.

Oops John T , just realised , when you said the Chieftain is superb I thought you meant the tank not the model… my bad… :(

Thanks glad you like it
Z

Z,

That Chieftain is superb. It has a nice, brutal,"pound 'em to dust" look.

Very cool.

Thanks Patrick & indeed the real thing & its name almost screamed " Rule Brittania " …..

First there was the Comet ( which I have a Matchbox 1/76th model of & will paint in Merc colours also) then the Centurion,then the Chieftain & now the Challenger, if I'm not mistaken. One has got to love British Wargear names .

Which reminds me Matchbox 1/76th WW2 Kits are even more ideal than most for 15mm.Unfortunately they cost an eye on e-bay !!!!

Z

My dad worked on Chieftans in the REME, however they were not allowed on deck of the vehicles as the tank boys didn't want the scratches on the paintwork caused by the REME boots!

Keith

HaHa , they're worse than the RAF boys , then.
Scratchless tanks ? Impossible :):):) .. That's part of the fun.
A spotless tank would look out of place on the gaming table like a car in a showroom.

Z

Some of the Roco Minitanks a friend and I modded back in the 80's included:

2 Leopard 2's with tracks pulled off and gun barrels cut down.

Also a Sheridan and an M8 scout car were also cut up.

I think the Sheridan is a very good candidate for this kind of treatment. If you can put some Grav plates or a Hover cushion on it you've got a really cool looking vehicle.

We go one better and just use 20mm for Sci-Fi.

SHQ made a brillant line of figures in 1/76 called Blade. They are small 20s and most "15mm" has now caught up with them.

We converted lots of old Mini-Tanks and whatever else we could lay hands on.

We use a variant of Combat Command for rules.

Wish we could find more of the old SHQ Blade figures.

TomT

Tom,

the figures for the granddaddy of all sci fi ground combat games -Starguard!- were all 1/72 scale. They're still in production, and I suspect a number of them may help you fill out your 20mm sci-fi needs:

tin-soldier.com

I realize that the Starguard! figures are not of the same quality as the later Blade line, however the aliens, the robots, and perhaps some of the vehicles would work for your purposes. I had some of the Blade figures years ago, and compared to the Reviresco Starguard! figures they're a tad smaller and thinner, but again, when dealing with aliens, one needn't worry quite so much.

Hope this helps!

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express Creative Content Team Evil Genius in Residence
metal-express.net

Upload some more pics at the top of the post.

castrarunis.blogspot.com/2014/02/using-176th-172nd-kits-for-15mm.html

Z

Those are all brilliant!

I have a couple of Osprey model-building and armor-specific books from the library, but because they are usually 1/72-centric, I thought perhaps the techniques were too much for 15mm. Now I see my error. Another of my favorite blogs updates with yet more inspiring tanks.

I won't feel so bad when I'm looking at model kits in the store and they don't have any 1/100 (or 1/87, or 1/96, or 1/120). Maybe I should try some 1/72 armor to hone my beginner's skills.

Lovely work.

Glad you like them Grommet37,
You should try 1/76th & 1/72. These are great scales to work with & all vehicles in those scales should work very well with 15mm.
There's nothing like building a kit and you might also be able to find cheaper older kits.

Z