Saturday 24 December 2011

Merry Christmas everyone!

I would like to wish all my blogging mates and their families a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Cheers Rich, Claire and Alex!

Sunday 18 December 2011

Under fire miniatures Vietnamese civilians 1/72.

Hello all,

60,000 page views,thanks people for looking, but they must be something better on the net to ogle!

Well back to figures, here is some civilians from Under fire miniatures.There is 7 figures in this set one of them is a squaddie.These two are meant to be toiling hard in the rice paddy.They would be if I had made one that is.
I do like these poses quite a lot.The bloke picking rice is  really good.

The hoe was nearly snapped and hanging by a thread, till I got my hands on it that is and finished it off!!!
Thank god for loctite I say (I never thought I would say that!).

The usual Vallejo paints have been used with a good wash of colours as well.A little dry brushing on the basket finished it off.

No this isn't an arty shot it is to show his face off!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME!

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Caesar WWII Italian paratroopers 1/72.

Hello all,

Just a quick post tonight,to show some of the new Caesar Italian paras that I knocked up on the weekend.I know Caesar produce way too many WWII German sets but I love the weired and wonderful sets like these.
I am trying to paint the camo scheme but it is turning into a nightmare to get right.





I will post some more pics of the blokes wearing camo if I ever get it right!

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME!

Cheers for looking,   Rich.

Monday 12 December 2011

Revell Fokker D VII Finnish trainer 1/72.

Hello all,

I thought it had been a while since I built a Bi plane and this one I have had my eye on for a while.
I like this plane because it is different, well it a Fokker D VII so it is not that different just the decals and story behind it.
At the end of the first world war not all the Bi planes were handed over.Some were put in sheds and stored away by their loving pilots, but three made there way (smuggled) to Finland to be part of there training "fleet".
Two crashed in 1920 and the last one was taken out of service in 1924.The used ski's and the normal wheels.
Not a lot to add about this build as I have already built one,but I do like these simple little kits.

This one took three hours  from opening the box to putting on the last decal!
It was not meant to be built in one night but I had spent a further three hours tiding up the second bedroom to start building again.The wife was watching a load of "Women stuff" on the telly so I stayed out the way!

I tried masking off the camo scheme but that went tits up so I did free hand, which is not bad after seven bottles of beers!

When I first bought this kit on EBay for £4, I received it without ht e decals.I was going mad calling them a load of robbing ba#$ards.After contacting the bloke he sent me another one with the decals and said keep the other one, top bloke!!!!

Well after clearing out the room I found I had about seven more Bi planes to do so expect more!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME!

Cheers for looking,   Rich.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Zvezda Greeks 1/72.

Hello all,

A change from the normal the modern stuff, I got myself into a duel with Paul from  Paul's bods,.I thought I would try expanding my knowledge of the Ancient world and get a quick duel thrown into it for good measure.
What I learnt was that Paul knows a bugger site more than I do!!!!Check out Paul's entry over here Duel.
I got a well deserved arse kicking.
The duel was any two blokes from the ancient world, doing anything they damn well wanted!

I have quite a lot of ancient sets that I have not done anything with, so this was a good reason to crack a set open.

I was hoping the base would swing it for me but Paul's photography was amazing and the ground work better than mine, oh and the figures were better too!

The base is a photo frame with several woodland scenic rock casting place together and joined with a layer of  plaster poured on to the bottom to secure the lot.

The foliage is from ....you've guessed it "Woodland scenic".A good coat of  Vallejo brown sand and a dry brushing of Iraqi sand finished it off.
All in all a reasonable dio that was soundly beaten by Paul.Hell even I voted for Paul's.

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME!

Cheers for looking Rich.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Caesar Israeli defence force check point 1/72.

Hello all,

Here is a few pictures of the new Caesar IDF .I quite like the look of this set and it has a few conversion possibilities already.The base was knocked up today and the figures I managed yesterday before the England game and beer halted painting.
Here is the full picture, a Palestinian being frisked.

Another angle, the bloke peering round the corner has gone on a NAAFI break, honest!

Shame the rifles on this set are crap.No real detail to them at all.

I used Panzer Aces British tanker green for the uniform and Vallejo brown violet for the webbing.A bloody good wash of burnt umber all over finished them off.

The Jersey barrier is from GEM and the building are from EBay that I have had knocking around for ages.

The base is sand, PVA glue, and MiG pigment Iraqi sand.


The crackle is made by painting the sand just before it is dry.

I really should painted a few more but beer is calling and I have two days off work and intend to  enjoy them!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME.

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Sunday 6 November 2011

CP Models WWII Russians and UM Armoured Railroad car 604 1/72


Hello all,
I hate blogger "STILL!!!"I just cant post how I want and have to use the caption box!!!!
Anyway, here is some CP  models WWII Russian infantry and a UM self propelled railroad car.



The figures were a dream to paint, I got them as part of a lucky dip 8 blokes for a fiver from CP models.I quite liked the idea of something turning up and being a bit of a surprise.

The armoured car was a simple build and my first time with photo-etch.A weird job but something that has promise in the future for me.I managed to cock up the turrets by not dry fitting it a finding them to tight. A bit more sanding would have sorted it out but hey ho!

I know I shouldn't have mixed helmets and soft caps but I always wanted to have some Russians so why not.

The base is just a photo frame with a bit of shaped polystyrene, sand, and static grass.The rails came with the model and the gravel (called ballast by all accounts) is from hornby.

Apart from cocking up the decals by putting them on after the weathering and the turret , oh and the flaps over the wheels I was quite chuffed with this one.
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME!

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Italeri USMC AH-1T Sea cobra 1/72.

Hello all,

I have tried another chopper again (OOHHH EEERRRRR MISSUS), with the mission of beating it (it gets worse).Helicopters and me have a love hate relationship going on.I love them, they hate me with a passion!!!!I have built two Gazelles and failed both times.This time it has gone a little better but my old enemy canopy's.
From the reviews I have read on this kit the canopy does not fit that well any way, but my insistence on trying things beyond my ability knows no bounds!I used micro sol canopy glue (or something like that), as well as Vallejo liquid mask.The bloody mask hadn't dried when I tried to fit the canopy to the fuselage, so I thumbled about and knob it.What didn't help was the seven beer's I had before that but that is another story, wait till you see the next figures I post!
The airbrush problem looks terminal, I think I must have tried juggling it and dropped it.I have air leaking out of the side and it is bubbling and spitting out paint.A small dent at the business end has spelt the end for this one I think.

The canopy join looks shit in my opinion and has wrecked the finish.My own fault but I have learned a lesson.

I managed to finish the paint job with a very cheap airbrush that does the job, a bit of a blunderbuss but has not let me down yet.

The build went okay and the only problem I found was I put a bit on the right pylon round the wrong way and only realised at the very end.

I thought I would go for a more Iraqi theatre camo scheme of light grey.I have been watching "Generation kill" on he telly and thought this would look good.

I put the decals on and it looked a hell of a lot better,.Then it got a wash of Pro modeller black but I don't think I stirred it enough.
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME.

Cheers for looking,     Rich.

Thursday 20 October 2011

New Airfix WW2 British officer 1/72.

Hello all,

This is fresh from the postman and out of the box.I have to admit I am not that impressed with the sculpting of the set but to be fair Airfix have been out of the game for twenty years so they are no Zvezda.It took me back nearly thirty years though opening the box, the familiar spruce layout and the figures are very "Airfix" in style.I hope they improve the sculpting because they have knocked some stunning sets like the DAK and 8th army boys.
I only did the officer, all I had time to knock out.

The base I had already done and is the normal MO.

The features are a bit flat and need a bloody good de-greasing.

All in all I am  glad they are back so I hope they keep trying!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANT COMMENTS MORE THAN WELCOME.

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Trumpeter Swedish Strv103B 1/72.

Hello all,

Blogger is still being a dick so I cannot post how I want (Booooo Hisssssss).This was a bit of a nightmare to finish .The kit went together like a dream but the paint was a sod.
This is a funny looking modern tank, I thought I would never see a turret less tank ever again.It must work for the Swedes though.

The build went like a dream up until the turret gun.It was a bit of a pig to get off the spruce and I nearly snapped it.

I thought I was going to have a drama when I snapped the drive sprocket but it was cunningly hidden by the mud guards, bonus!

The air brush packed up half way through spraying the finishing coat.Bloody airbrush.To be honest I don't really know what I am doing with the thing really.I don't think I am cleaning it correctly, so off to YouTube I think.

A subtle dose of MiG weathering powder (African mud of all things) seems to have worked.I also gave it a wash of pro modeller dirt brown.

Only a few decals to apply and they went on without a problem. A few pencil  rubbings to give it a scrapped lived in look.

Suffering the sin of pride on this build,I think the pictures don't do it justice.Very happy indeed,less so with my airbrush but thats another story!

PLEASE CLICK  ON IMAGES FOR A LARGER VIEW AND ANY COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME.

Cheers for looking,  Rich.