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1/35 Scale 81mm Mortar Section


Old Marine
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This has been a good time to dump out all the bits and pieces and stuff I have accumulated over the years and try and make something.   While sorting through all the accumulated models, figure parts and remnants of partially built kits, I found 3 complete mortars and parts of figure sets.  So, with all those bits and pieces I decided to make a 3 gun section in action based on the reference photos I found.  There is still a long way to go with this diorama, but this is pretty much the set up.  The guns are a bit close together, but the size of the base is restricted by the size of the display case I bought for it.  If the guns were spread out as far as they would be in actuality the diorama would just be too big.  So it’s an “artistic license” decision to close them up together.  It looks ok and I can live with it.

 

The guns and figures are all the old Tamiya support weapons set.  Some of the figures were altered and parts swapped around.  The ammo boxes are all scratch made from craft store Bass Wood.  The fiber board shipping tubes are made of chopped up sprue with the ends drilled out.  The Tamiya figures are still pretty good but the helmets are terrible.  They are look too small and have no detail.  To make them look a bit better I covered them with fine mesh roller gauze wetted with white glue, and then added the chin straps on the back of the helmet. 

 

Lars, making those boxes, shipping tubes and helmet nets was every but as mind numbing and tedious as your individual track links, but like your detail work, worth the effort.  The details really do enhance these creations.  Take a look at the skill and workmanship on Lars’ great looking model over on the World Forum.

 

https://www.worldmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/316885-self-propelled-howitzer-sdkfz-1351-135-scale/


Here are a few photos.  I will post more as I progress.


 

 

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Hey Dennis, very nice. Like 'doyler' mentioned, I like how your helmet netting came out. Is that cheesecloth, gauze or Verlinden helmet netting?

BTW: Happy Birthday Leatherneck!

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny

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Dennis, another top project! Love the dynamic of the mortar section in action. Everything is looking super realistic and your ammo boxes are top-notch.

 

Lars

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Dennis,

 

This is looking great. I love to see your work. While the tubes may have been slow and steady, the end result is fantastic!

 

I look forward to your progress....Kat

 

 

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You might consider cutting the bottom cleats off the base plates and te spikes at the bases of the bipods. Those would be sunk down into the ground when firing them. It will change the orientation of the mortar round being dropped down into the tube.

 

I love the way you do these write ups! Keep them coming please!

 

Allan

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Allan, you’re right, I had planned for the base plates to be sunken in to the dirt.  Right now it looks like the mortars are set up on a golf course, or someone’s well manicured front lawn. But, the ground will get a bit more beaten up and world upon as I progress.  
 

thanks for the comments.

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12 hours ago, Old Marine said:

Allan, you’re right, I had planned for the base plates to be sunken in to the dirt.  Right now it looks like the mortars are set up on a golf course, or someone’s well manicured front lawn. But, the ground will get a bit more beaten up and world upon as I progress.  
 

thanks for the comments.

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I bet the soldiers are saying "Thank goodness! For once we get to set up on a nice golf course lawn instead of the usual  rocky, muddy old field covered in cow pies!". 

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Hey Dennis, nice lawn!😄 No really instead of a well manicured golf lawn, it looks like a major league baseball outfield. Just kidding. Like Mikey said, sometimes its nice to set things up in a nice green field. I like it.

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny

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Aw, you guys know this is a military model.  You know the army, even the 1/35 scale army isn’t going to let these guys lounge around in a field of nice soft grass.  so, here is some dirt and bare patches.
 

 

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Very nice progress Dennis. I especially like that rock wall. This is going to be a busy little diorama. But well worth watching the WIP pics.

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny

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On 11/14/2020 at 5:07 PM, Old Marine said:

Aw, you guys know this is a military model.  You know the army, even the 1/35 scale army isn’t going to let these guys lounge around in a field of nice soft grass.  so, here is some dirt and bare patches.
 

 

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Nice work uglying the field up.  Just wondering, if a crew was really were firing from a golf course, would they yell "Fore!" when they fired?  

Mikie

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On 11/16/2020 at 10:54 PM, ArtyScout said:

Very nice progress Dennis. I especially like that rock wall. This is going to be a busy little diorama.

You’re right Manny, this is going to be crowded and busy.  A lot of things going on.

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Very nice, very nice Dennis. This is going to be another excellent diorama. Your sense of realism is extraordinary. I say that because I'm glad that you put out the aiming stakes. Superb!

 

Semper Fi.

 

Manny

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Browninggunner688

Looking good, I love your attention to detail and your painting techniques. Just two questions...

 

Where did you get the mortar rounds from?

 

What sizes are the wooden packing crates?

 

Many thanks.

 

Nick.

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The mortars are moving along. I replaced 2 figures, the standing ammo man and the radio operator with 2 new figures a kneeling ammo man and a different radio man.  I also altered the standing figure with the field telephone to a kneeling position. 
 

  Nick, the mortar rounds come with the TAMIYA support weapons kit. Each kit has one 81mm mortar and comes with about 5 HE rounds and 3 WP rounds.  I looked online for a long time trying to find mortar ammo, and found there were none available.  For what I wanted to depict those few rounds that come with the kit were not enough so I made some resin cast copies of the Tamiya  rounds.  I am not very experienced with resin casting and mold making, so I made a simple one piece flat mold. I glued the rounds to a plastic strip and made the mold.  This left a big blob on the bottom of the resin cast.   I sanded them flat and used them on the bottom of the pile.  I placed the better looking  injection molded Tamiya rounds on the top to  hide the less than perfect resin rounds on the bottom.  It works visually.  The close up detail photo of the rounds really looks pretty bad.  But, from normal viewing distance in context with everything else, they look acceptable.  There is a lot going on and the pile conveys the idea that they have a lot of ammo. Look at the big piles of ammo in the reference photos.

 

The boxes are made of craft store bass wood and wood coffee stirrers with white glue.  The boxes are 24mm x 13mm. The ordnance markings are from an old sheet of custom made dry transfers I was lucky to get a few years ago.  That is the last of the transfers so I will have to figure out something for future projects.  In the last photo is a wood chopper tool.  It’s a simple, inexpensive thing but it works fine to chop up square, even piece for the boxes.  I also used it for chopping up sprue to make the shipping tubes. I think it’s from Micromark tools.  If you make the boxes make sure you use bass wood and not balsa wood.  The balsa is too soft and doesn’t sand very well.  

 

More to come. Thanks for the comment.  I hope everyone has a happy, safe Thanksgiving holiday.

 

 

 

 

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