How To Build A Bunch of Tanks

Recently I was able to pick up a few Paul Heiser Models M4A1(76)W Sherman Medium Tank, HVSS Track, Late Production, Large Hatch resin models in HO scale.  My hope is to get a full battalion of 54 of them but for now I have a dozen of them.

First I review the model itself and the instructions.  I also look at photos of the real tank, ideally in the wild rather than in museums or of other models.  Sometimes those are the only choices if it is a rare vehicle.

Then I scope out the parts very carefully, gather my tools and get started.

I use little trays to keep each project together so things don't get lost and they can be moved around easily.

First thing I do is build one sample of the model to get an idea of how the parts really fit together.  Sometimes I decide to leave parts off, and I decide what alternate parts to use and any special parts that I may want to add to the kit.  After building a few individual kits I then start mass production of the kits. For the Sherman I am building seven of them at one time in these photos.  I built two, one at a time, and then built four all at once, and finally the remaining seven all at once.  They are built assembly line style, all the parts are removed from the sprue and lined up in their tray.  All parts of a specific type are all done at the same time.  First the flash is removed on all the parts.  I did the wheels first, then the track links, and finally other parts.  Then construction proceeded in the same way.  All the little wheels were glued on first on all the tanks.  Then the other pieces followed until all the tanks were done.
I have done as many as twenty tanks all at the same time in this manner.  For this tank, 12 down and 41 to go.

Alice and Her House

 A new Disney Doorables set.

I got four of them a while back but now there seems to be a few more of them.

I think they are based on some cartoon I never saw and likely never will watch.

As part of my American Cities Project I am building Disneyland, I used to live right down the street from there and it was always fun to go there before they started allowing men with moustashes to dress as princesses.

So the Doorables are going to be use as part of my Toontown section.

My Disneyland is not representative of any specific year, as I have mixed and matched rides and attractions to fit what I like and what is available as models.

Disneyland has people dress up as characters and walk around the park and I will use this figure as one of them.  The are often just like this a caricature of a real person.

Here Alice is with two 1/72nd scale figures, a pretty good size.  She and the other Doorable figures will likely also participate in my James Bond Junkanoo parade also.

The cardboard background is pretty good to, so I saved it.

Not sure how I will deploy the background but it was too good to toss out.

It might get used just like it was in the package as background for this figure and building.
 

Workshop

The three main items I was interested in the Polly Pocket set.

Without the packaging.

I have set them up with a little Santa's Workshop theme.

The presents are wooden blocks from Hobby Lobby painted purple, the tree is from one of the Dollar Tree Christmas sets, the hobby horse with the ring on the back is a party favor for a baby shower, the battleship is from Eagle Games from one of their sprues of colonial troops.  The snowman is a pencil eraser from Dollar Tree, the candy canes are from Amazon, the Wooden Solder from Walmart and the signage came with a building from somewhere or other.

It makes a pretty decent Santa's Workshop when collected together.  It needs to look more industrial and that will come later.
 

The Return of Polly Pocket

About 20 years ago when my daughter was little girl I got her Mighty Max and Polly Pocket toys.

It seems that Polly Pocket has returned.

Now the playsets are in the guise of little houses or office buildings.

This one I guess is a toy store.

I think they are intended to fit several together.

And then you have a little shopping district.

At $8 this is likely the only one of the four I have seen that I am likely to buy.

The building is not bad but will probably get some modification before it is fielded.

The figure is about 1/72nd scale but the proportions are way off, however I think it will end up as a participant in the James Bond Jamaican Junkanoo festival.  What I really wanted was the teddy bear and the rocking horse.  They will make good furniture for civilian homes and for Santa's Workshop.