Monday 27 September 2010

EMHAR WWI WHIPPET & CREW 1/72.

Hello again,its been a busy weekend.This is an attempt at tarting up an old model.I did this tank when I started to get back into the hobby,a nice simple kit that I highly recommend.Its only got about 20 or so pieces and the tracks come as on complete piece,bonus!The decals are a pain in the arse,or its just me not knowing what I am doing.That is why there is a large amount of Mig pigments all over the place,to hide the crap job I did with the decals,looks liked it worked.The original paint job was completely the wrong colour,bright green.With some dry brushing, Tamiyia weathering stick, Mig pigments(Dark mud and Iraqi sand),I think I have rescued it from the Ebay pile.Looking on the airfix tribute forum There is a lot that I could have done,like filling gaps on the top,handles etc,etc.But I will be getting one or two more kits because you get no less than eight different decal options.For a propper review please follow this link to the "on the way site"Emhar whippet kit review from on the way.

The crew are from Emhar WWI British infantry,Emhar WWI British infantry and tank crew.I cocked up by not noticing the mould lines till after I posted the pics on Benno's forum.Mould lines are the bane of my life,if there was three thing I rid this world of it would be War,hunger and bloody mould lines, I will save Rolf Harris for another day.They are made from hard plastic so getting rid of the should not have been a problem,not having a couple of beers when painting them would of also helped.There is a couple more figures from this set that could have join this dio but I think I might save them for another day.
The base I am NOT happy with.I could have sunk the tracks in a bit more,put foot prints in the mud,made puddles with some water in,barbed wire on and on the list grows.I used the normal sand and glue method,with painting,dry brushing,and Mig pigments.I am struggling to come up with new base ideas to be honest but I think I need to stop getting side tracked with new projects.


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Sunday 26 September 2010

REVELL FOKKER DR.1 TRIPLANE 1/72.

Well I bought this on ebay after a lot of searching and actually got it for a reasonable price.I had to paint it in the "Red baron colours"it would have been rude not too.If I have the good fortune to obtain another one then I would not hesitate to try the cammo schemes that I have seen on the net.If you do get the chance to buy one do,the detail in the cockpit is a lot better than the normal Revell WWI planes because it has some!It was well worth doing a bit of research on the kit build on this one,especially on the advice about painting the wings first before construction.Shame this kit did not come with a pilot,but dark dream studios do a great set of WWI pilots and ground crewDark dream studio WWI pilots that will fit nicely.This kit deserves to do painted with a bit more care than I have and will get a bit more attention and better basing in the future.....promise!
I am not into the first world war that much and my knowledge is limited but the colourful planes are hard to resist and an interesting addition to my collection,this isn't my first and will not be my last(I can hear you all and my wife begging me not to buy any more).


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CAESAR ITALIAN SOLDIER

This soldier came to me by way of some bad packing or very clever advertising.As I was opening my set of Caesar British commandos(bloody great set by the way)all the way from Bryan at always models in Taiwan,this fellow fell out.I do not know if they put them in to encourage people to buy the other sets or what,but it works because they are next on the list.It has happened to me before when I got a German in a greatcoat before they were released.Didn't know what I was looking at at the time other wise I would have painted him up and shown off"oohhh look at me and my new figure".Strangely Modern Kiwi has three of the modern brits that they STILL haven't released yet,Chris I am jealous as hell mate!

Anyway back to the figure,I know very little about Italian uniform or kit but they look the part and as some else said its great to have a set of Italians doing something other than running or armed with A heavy machine gun. Not sure if the colour is right but after watching "EL Alamein" on the telly(which is well worth a watch,nice to see the battle from another point of view)it looks close enough for me.The base was made or should I say thrown together on A4 paper and loose gravel placed around the base.Some have said it looks like kitty litter,I say "cheeky gits".I had to rush to get the picture taken after work to get some daylight,living in Britain where we have the same amount of daylight as the north pole in winter time is limited(I should buy a descent light or two).Anyway when I buy the set I will knock a few more up and give it a better base...promise.

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Sunday 19 September 2010

VIETNAM AIRSTRIP.

This was an entry in a competition on Benno's forum,mind you it didn't get very far got though the first round and was soundly beaten.This was some of my earlier work,I think it would have benefited from a background rather than my kitchen work top but you live and learn.The ceasna bird dog was the first plane I had built in about twenty years(as you can tell).It's an airfix model that I picked up from my local model shop.the kit was going cheap because of the age of it.The decals fell apart on contact with water so that explains the hap hazard placing of them.I have now invested in some microsolve decal restorer and can only sing its praises.I tried to put some foliage in the wheels to give the impression of low flying exploits and dare doing,but I don't think anyone noticed.
The figures are from ESCI NATO pilots,they are more for the 80's than Vietnam but close enough for my liking.I could have done a few more ground crew but ran out of time,so one day I might just add a couple more blokes.
The jeep is from Academy's WWII jeep set,which is well worth getting.the extras like fuel cans,drums,crates and other bits and bobs are worth the money on there own.I messed up with the wind shield when I made the kit I should have put it down on the bonnet but by then it was too late.
The lean too is from Airfix's jungle outpost,very quick and effective model to put together even for an idiot like me.the other bits like the oil drum trolley is from Airfix's USAF set and ESCI.The ground work was done by spreading a load of PVA glue on the base and covering it in sand,wait for it to dry and then painted a suitable reddy brown colour.Then the grass was added a there you go.


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Sunday 12 September 2010

MESSING ABOUT WITH MIG PIGMENTS.

Yes I know we have seen this base before,but being short of space,money,and time I am recycling(This will not be the last time you see this base).

I when I first got back into the hobby I bought these Mig pigments thinking they were something else,more than likely paint(thicko).Not having a clue what to do with them they sat in the paint stash for ages.

Then looking on various forums it kept cropping up so I decided to ask a few questions and do a bit of research on them.surprisingly you tube has a lot of info on model building.If a picture paints a thousand words,a video screams a million!
How to use Mig pigments 1,
How to use Mig pigments 2,
I decided to try a jazz up a HaT WWI FT-17 with some Dark mud pigment.I did not have the Mig fixer so after some more research found that using paint thinner or white spirit will do just has well.Brushing it in dry and then applying the thinner in two ways.first dabbing and then like a normal brush just to see how it turned out. I think dabbing gives a better look.I went a bit over board I think with it,but hey ho,you live and learn.

Then I tried on the base,using Iraqi sand and dark mud mixed together.Using the same method but with better results.






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Saturday 11 September 2010

AIRFIX/JB SALADIN 1/76

This is an Airfix/JB models Alvis Saladin armoured car.
The Saladin was in use with the British army during the sixties and seventies.
I really like the JB model kits for there simplicity and detailing .Brilliant kits to start getting back into the hobby or to get a quick war gaming army started.

The main problem with this kit is the wheels are too close to the wheel arches.I read on the airfix tribute forum that this can be solved with a 2mm thick bit of plastic card on the hull and suspension points,sods law I read this after I finished mine.
The Ariel's are also a little chunky so they came off and was replaced with florist wire which gives a more realistic finish.
The stowage mainly came from SGTS Mess and CMSC.With a liberal amount of washes and weathering it dawned on me that I hadn't put the decals on yet!
After many minutes searching and exhausting my vocab of swear words I had to admit I had lost them.Luckily I have the land rover set which has spare number plates so all was not lost.

I was very glad to hear Airfix are taking over the JB models range,it would have been a real shame if they just disappeared for ever.I would have loved to have seen what else they would have come up with if they wore still going.


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Sunday 5 September 2010

REVELL 1/72 NIEUPORT N.28

This is another of those dirt cheap Revell WWI aircraft that I think are great value.
Love these colourful aircraft,cheap,plentiful and easy to build for a novice like me.The rigging is made using florist wire,which is a lot simplier than cotton rigging.I will one day try this method(when I am a lot braver).
I am looking at getting the Orion WWI pilots set,which should add a bit more life to the dio's.I have a few more in the stash to do so I will post these when completed.



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Saturday 4 September 2010

First post!

Hello people,

This is my first post on my new blog.The wife "encouraged" me to start a blog on my hobby.I think she believes that this will give her more time with the telly.
I should give you a bit of info about myself to know who's ramblings your reading!I am a 30 something family man who has only recently got back into the hobby after about 15 year break.I start like most people as a child playing with airfix sets and got bored of playing with dull same coloured plastic coloured soldiers.So I decided to liven them up with a splash of paint.I don't think they would have won many prizes but at the age of seven I thought they were ready for trooping the colour.I started using humbrol enamel paint and for many a year they seemed to do the trick
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My collection started with airfix and then to matchbox figures and  AFV's.Then came along ESCI!!!I had the lot every 1/72 figure set the did.And thankfully I still have them to this day,although most have gone through the paint striping phase to reclaim them from massive blobs of enamel paint.

Then girls,football,beer and work put a long break on my hobby and up in the loft they went.How I got back into the hobby could be argued wasn't really my idea.My wife decided that I should give up smoking.So to find something to take my mind off the nicotine and give my fingers something else to do I thought why not give painting figures another go.

After many a night trying to use the paint brush for a substitute cigarette I found Benno's figures forum and it has improved my painting dramatically,which was not very difficult because my first efforts were pants!
I switched to using Vallejo acrylic paints and have not looked back.

I am now a moderator on Bennos figures which I am very proud of. I am very thankful for the support and encouragment that I have recieved so far.Its a great forum that encourages novices like myself to post their work online,which is a very daunting thing to do.To put your work up for people to comment on and critique along side  really great work can put a lot of people off,but the friendly atmosphere and good humour make everyone of every level welcome.(I hope thats enough sucking up to the boss!!!!).

Please bear with me on this blog as it is still work in progress,

Cheers Rich.

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi, This blog is currently under construction, please bear with me and check back sometime