Alas, the time has come where this blog's service life has come to an end.
I will keep it 'online' as a handy gallery of past projects, etc. However my main point of contact is now my dedicated Facebook Page.
Saturday 29 June 2019
Wednesday 13 March 2019
On the Workbench - Another Lancaster (Again)
March has mainly been building multi-engine types. First up is this Lancaster in 1/72 scale - slightly different to the usual build I do for this kit. As can be seen, it's been weathered. Quite a lot.
I have a constant internal debate as to whether to finish a model 'pristine' or 'used' - especially for models which will be purchased by someone for a collection, a display or diorama. I have had customers specifically request both finishes in equal measure. It is less clear cut when I build a model with no customer in mind - an educated guess is the result!
This example will be going on Ebay this week so it's a case of hoping for a buyer who is after the weathered look.
In all other respects - this is a standard Revell kit built out of the box. Putting to one side the issue with the wing dihedral it would be my recommended Lancaster kit for anyone wanting to build up one of these in 1/72 scale.
Next on the production line is this 1/72 EE Canberra B2. This is a commission build and specifically requested to depict a 617 Squadron machine using the S&M models kit. The kit is good and in this colour scheme - it looks very good!
I have a constant internal debate as to whether to finish a model 'pristine' or 'used' - especially for models which will be purchased by someone for a collection, a display or diorama. I have had customers specifically request both finishes in equal measure. It is less clear cut when I build a model with no customer in mind - an educated guess is the result!
This example will be going on Ebay this week so it's a case of hoping for a buyer who is after the weathered look.
In all other respects - this is a standard Revell kit built out of the box. Putting to one side the issue with the wing dihedral it would be my recommended Lancaster kit for anyone wanting to build up one of these in 1/72 scale.
Next on the production line is this 1/72 EE Canberra B2. This is a commission build and specifically requested to depict a 617 Squadron machine using the S&M models kit. The kit is good and in this colour scheme - it looks very good!
Also on the go (but not pictured) is a pair of Bristol Beaufighters and a Boulton Paul Defiant. More pictures on those to follow...
Thursday 14 February 2019
On the Workbench - January Roundup
Yes, I realise that this post entitled 'January Roundup' is being written in February...
The start to 2019 was an interesting one - plenty of new builds and a foray into some kits I wouldn't normally work with.
Matchbox Gloster Meteor NF 14
This is a commission build and the kit provided was the venerable Matchbox NF 11/12/14. Until something better comes along, this kit is one of the few ways you can built a 1/72 twin-seater Meteor. Other methods include doing some major surgery to a single-seater or by kit bashing a combination of kits to make one.
I won't pretend it was an easy build - no kit from the 80s is going to be utterly perfect in every way - but the finished result looks every bit like the aircraft it is supposed to. This photo was prior to weathering and finishing - so it looks very 'new'.
Airfix Messerschmitt Bf 110 E Tropical.
This has been lurking around on the display shelf for a while now, to make the model look a bit less 'toy-like' I decided to opt for some weathering. Out came the washes, pastels, chalk powders and paint chipping materials - below is the final result of some washing/chipping/splattering/any other thing you do when weathering a model.
Airfix Hawker Typhoon IB (Late)
Another single-seater that got weathered and battered. Probably my favourite fighter of WW2, the Typhoon really looks good in whatever scale you make it. The real thing was quite a big old thing and this translates even into smaller scales like 1/72. It makes a Spitfire or Bf 109 look a bit weedy by comparison when you stick them next to eachother!
The start to 2019 was an interesting one - plenty of new builds and a foray into some kits I wouldn't normally work with.
Matchbox Gloster Meteor NF 14
This is a commission build and the kit provided was the venerable Matchbox NF 11/12/14. Until something better comes along, this kit is one of the few ways you can built a 1/72 twin-seater Meteor. Other methods include doing some major surgery to a single-seater or by kit bashing a combination of kits to make one.
I won't pretend it was an easy build - no kit from the 80s is going to be utterly perfect in every way - but the finished result looks every bit like the aircraft it is supposed to. This photo was prior to weathering and finishing - so it looks very 'new'.
Airfix Messerschmitt Bf 110 E Tropical.
This has been lurking around on the display shelf for a while now, to make the model look a bit less 'toy-like' I decided to opt for some weathering. Out came the washes, pastels, chalk powders and paint chipping materials - below is the final result of some washing/chipping/splattering/any other thing you do when weathering a model.
Airfix Hawker Typhoon IB (Late)
Another single-seater that got weathered and battered. Probably my favourite fighter of WW2, the Typhoon really looks good in whatever scale you make it. The real thing was quite a big old thing and this translates even into smaller scales like 1/72. It makes a Spitfire or Bf 109 look a bit weedy by comparison when you stick them next to eachother!
The next update will likely be bigger than this one, simply due to having no less than 6 (!!!!) builds on the go at the moment.
Friday 18 January 2019
On the Workbench - Avro Shackleton AEW + Beaufighter TF 10
Just a quick update while waiting for the filler to cure. I finally started the Revell Shackleton AEW last weekend - since the thing has been sat in the stash for a few years. (I bought the thing when it first came out). It makes a nice sideways change from the usual favourite of Lancasters.
This pic shows how the Shackleton is quite a different beast from it's Lancaster cousin - a fair bit bigger in wingspan and length. The main drawback I foresee is the considerable number of aerials, antennae, radio arrays and all the other bits just waiting to be pinged off to the carpet monster.
The plan is to paint it in sub-assemblies - the fuselage, the wings + tail (dry-fitted without glue at the moment) and engine pods. The whole lot is Extra Dark Sea Grey so masking is limited to the clear parts - ironically the paintwork will take less time than the Lancaster.
Lurking in the background is a finished Airfix Beaufighter TF 10 - an excellent kit in every respect aside from needing five hands to put the engine nacelles together. It turned out well in the end (after some muttering and cussing). Below is a pic of it just prior to having it's props and main gear fitted - the offending engine pods offering no evidence of the pitched battle to assemble them!
This pic shows how the Shackleton is quite a different beast from it's Lancaster cousin - a fair bit bigger in wingspan and length. The main drawback I foresee is the considerable number of aerials, antennae, radio arrays and all the other bits just waiting to be pinged off to the carpet monster.
The plan is to paint it in sub-assemblies - the fuselage, the wings + tail (dry-fitted without glue at the moment) and engine pods. The whole lot is Extra Dark Sea Grey so masking is limited to the clear parts - ironically the paintwork will take less time than the Lancaster.
Lurking in the background is a finished Airfix Beaufighter TF 10 - an excellent kit in every respect aside from needing five hands to put the engine nacelles together. It turned out well in the end (after some muttering and cussing). Below is a pic of it just prior to having it's props and main gear fitted - the offending engine pods offering no evidence of the pitched battle to assemble them!
Monday 7 January 2019
On the Workbench - Jan 2018 - Lancasters
It seems to be the case that Avro Lancasters are my most in-demand build. No sooner than I put one together - it gets snapped up and I then (of course) need to build another one. Unlike some models (triplanes.... shudders) I don't mind this one bit - most modern Lancaster kits are nice to build.
First up is this Airfix example in Tiger Force colours. Any future Lancs in this livery will be done using automotive rattle cans for the white bits if nothing else - because airbrushing white primer was an absolute pig to get right. I now remember why I don't do it! This has since sold at the end of last year.
Next up was a tandem build - that is, putting together two similar kits at the same time.
Building a gaggle of single-engine types like Folland Gnats, Spitfires, etc. is one thing - but assembling, painting and finishing a pair of Lancaster simultaneously?
You can indeed build 2 big models together with some organisation and planning. The painting of both was completed in one go, as was the decaling, final assembly and finishing touches. Only a few specific modifications were needed for the Dambuster; mainly the deleted upper turret and unique bomb cradle underneath.
One is a Mk III and the other is a Mk I (Special) - both Revell 1/72 scale. The finished Special is immediately below - the Mk III was pictured lying in bits on the side while the decal solution dried off.
First up is this Airfix example in Tiger Force colours. Any future Lancs in this livery will be done using automotive rattle cans for the white bits if nothing else - because airbrushing white primer was an absolute pig to get right. I now remember why I don't do it! This has since sold at the end of last year.
Next up was a tandem build - that is, putting together two similar kits at the same time.
Building a gaggle of single-engine types like Folland Gnats, Spitfires, etc. is one thing - but assembling, painting and finishing a pair of Lancaster simultaneously?
You can indeed build 2 big models together with some organisation and planning. The painting of both was completed in one go, as was the decaling, final assembly and finishing touches. Only a few specific modifications were needed for the Dambuster; mainly the deleted upper turret and unique bomb cradle underneath.
One is a Mk III and the other is a Mk I (Special) - both Revell 1/72 scale. The finished Special is immediately below - the Mk III was pictured lying in bits on the side while the decal solution dried off.
One of the advantages of building the Revell tooling is that the wings can be built up as their own sub-assembly - then attached at quite a late stage in the build. It makes masking/painting so much easier.
Next up - perhaps the ultimate relative of the Lancaster - the Avro Shackleton.
Friday 16 November 2018
On the Workbench this Week..... Everything!
Sometimes us modellers get into a bit of a 'high' and build lots of things on the go at the same time. There are many reasons why you shouldn't try to build half a dozen kits simultaneously but alas that's the way it sometimes goes.
The finished examples are below. First up - a pair of Airfix 1/48 Spitfires (both of them have since gone to new homes). The top picture is JH-C - a flyable Spitfire that can be seen (as of 2018) at IWM Duxford. The bottom picture is of the Seafire XVII - one of the later Spitfire models adapted for naval use.
ANOTHER Sea Harrier FA2 (the ongoing battle to trim down the jump jet collection continues).
An Avro Lancaster B I - built up using the Revell tooling. I'm on to an Airfix Lancaster next, so it'll be interesting to see how well it goes together compared to the slightly older Revell one.
Last of all, a Russian MiG-31B. I've never built one of these before and certainly had no idea how big the real thing actually was. It's really big. Even scaled down into 1/72 - this translates into a 'fighter jet' that is bigger than a WW2 bomber.
Coming up next week - another Avro Lancaster (Airfix new tool), a Bristol Beaufighter and Bristol Blenheim.
ANOTHER Sea Harrier FA2 (the ongoing battle to trim down the jump jet collection continues).
An Avro Lancaster B I - built up using the Revell tooling. I'm on to an Airfix Lancaster next, so it'll be interesting to see how well it goes together compared to the slightly older Revell one.
Coming up next week - another Avro Lancaster (Airfix new tool), a Bristol Beaufighter and Bristol Blenheim.
Friday 5 October 2018
The Flying Triangle
There are some 'musts' when building scale model aircraft. Building a Spitfire is pretty much mandatory. Hawker Hurricanes, Mustangs, Bf 109s, Lancasters - all this iconic stuff really does belong in this list of planes you should build at least once. If you build models for a living you may well end up building them quite a lot.
One candidate stands out in my personal hit list. The Avro Vulcan.
There is only one mainstream kit where the Vulcan is concerned and that is the old 1980s vintage Airfix offering. 'Vintage' is another way of saying 'old and probably past it's best'. This has been a bit of a pig to build, fill, sand, fill a bit more, sand, fill even more....and so on.
However, once you get past the assembly stage you are left with this - a substantial lump of plastic.
It only gets better from this point onward. Adding a few coats of paint really does bring it to life - first the uniform Dark Sea Grey and then the Dark Green over the top. A few clear coats and some decals later..... one Vulcan B2.
Note that the actual camouflage is 'hard-edged' and not soft-edged as shown here. This is a result of me free-hand painting the Green camouflage patterns without the use of masks - by tidying up the edges with a narrow spray pattern the aim is to give a hard/soft-edge (if that makes any sense).
So there we go - one of the Aviation 'Must-Builds' successfully built. If Airfix were to release a new-tool Vulcan (similar to their Victor and Valiant) I would go out and snap one up like a shot. Until then, this old-school tool still scrubs up well!
One candidate stands out in my personal hit list. The Avro Vulcan.
There is only one mainstream kit where the Vulcan is concerned and that is the old 1980s vintage Airfix offering. 'Vintage' is another way of saying 'old and probably past it's best'. This has been a bit of a pig to build, fill, sand, fill a bit more, sand, fill even more....and so on.
However, once you get past the assembly stage you are left with this - a substantial lump of plastic.
It only gets better from this point onward. Adding a few coats of paint really does bring it to life - first the uniform Dark Sea Grey and then the Dark Green over the top. A few clear coats and some decals later..... one Vulcan B2.
Note that the actual camouflage is 'hard-edged' and not soft-edged as shown here. This is a result of me free-hand painting the Green camouflage patterns without the use of masks - by tidying up the edges with a narrow spray pattern the aim is to give a hard/soft-edge (if that makes any sense).
So there we go - one of the Aviation 'Must-Builds' successfully built. If Airfix were to release a new-tool Vulcan (similar to their Victor and Valiant) I would go out and snap one up like a shot. Until then, this old-school tool still scrubs up well!
Works in Progress - Lots of Harriers!
Given my unintentional leaning towards buying model kits of Harriers at seemingly every opportunity - the stash has had an overabundance of jump jets for as long as I've been modelmaking. I have built more Harriers than any other kind of aircraft - the build count sitting just shy of 50 models.
Despite building and selling Harriers at a semi-regular rate - the shelf seems to always have a ready supply of them. It has gotten to the point that the 'Harrier Stash' is almost as numerous as all my other kits put together.
Step One to cure this malady is to not buy any more Harriers. Will do.
Step Two. It would also be wise to build up a few of the ones I currently have in stock and thus trim down the Harrier population before the stash shelf starts to buckle under the weight.
The Airfix Sea Harrier FRS.1 and FA2 are both close relatives in kit-form that can be built in tandem. The plan here was to do the first and last Sea Harriers - hence the Mark 1 being in operational evaluation colours and the Mark 2 being in it's final livery before retirement.
Next up we have a pair of GR7/9 kits (also Airfix). Again, they're the same kit with a few subtle modifications depending on the version you want. I wanted to depict one (GR7) as it was in-service and the other (GR9) in it's special farewell colour scheme just before the Harrier Fleet was retired.
Despite building and selling Harriers at a semi-regular rate - the shelf seems to always have a ready supply of them. It has gotten to the point that the 'Harrier Stash' is almost as numerous as all my other kits put together.
Step One to cure this malady is to not buy any more Harriers. Will do.
Step Two. It would also be wise to build up a few of the ones I currently have in stock and thus trim down the Harrier population before the stash shelf starts to buckle under the weight.
The Airfix Sea Harrier FRS.1 and FA2 are both close relatives in kit-form that can be built in tandem. The plan here was to do the first and last Sea Harriers - hence the Mark 1 being in operational evaluation colours and the Mark 2 being in it's final livery before retirement.
 |
| SEA HARRIER FRS1 |
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| SEA HARRIER FA2 |
Next up we have a pair of GR7/9 kits (also Airfix). Again, they're the same kit with a few subtle modifications depending on the version you want. I wanted to depict one (GR7) as it was in-service and the other (GR9) in it's special farewell colour scheme just before the Harrier Fleet was retired.
 |
| HARRIER II GR7A |
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| HARRIER II GR9 |
If in around a month's time you discover the online marketplace is flooded with Jump Jet models looking for new homes - now you'll know why.
On the other hand, if you happen to be after a 1/72 Harrier of some description you'll be well catered for!
Monday 17 September 2018
Gallery Updated!
As per the post title - I have cleared out some of the older pictures and added a fair few recent builds. Since starting to 'properly' build models in a professional capacity I have made the transition from brush painting to airbrushing, from enamels to acrylics and from being utterly terrified of building helicopters to actually enjoying putting them together.
A few of the highlights in the new gallery are below - the rest are in the gallery!
A few of the highlights in the new gallery are below - the rest are in the gallery!
Tuesday 11 September 2018
On the Workbench - A little bit of everything.
Somewhat of a gap in posts due to illness - however the workbench is far from empty!
Red Bull AH-1F Cobra - a 1/48 model based on the old Monogram kit from a long time ago. Revell rebox a variety of models - some good, some less so. I think the Cobra is one of the good'uns - decent fit, low parts count and a fair amount of detail. The main challenge lies in not obliterating the raised surface detail.
Once all of the transfers are carefully layered into position (an exercise in patience if there ever was one) the result is pretty unique. I will have to keep an eye out for another one of these because I did enjoy building it.
Avro Lancaster Mk III - also from Revell. I learned a few lessons from doing the Dambusters Lancaster a few weeks ago - namely that painting the thing is easier if it is split into three main sub-assemblies. The wings and fuselage are all awaiting coats of paint (the yellow wingtips already done and masked off).
I tend to add the clear parts and delicate bits like turrets, landing gear and props last - if only to reduce the chances of damaging them while grappling with other parts of the model.
Lockheed Martin F-35A - the 'Joint Strike Fighter' - very expensive and controversial in real-life. Thankfully Italeri offer a 1/72 F-35 for a lot less cash! I will be doing a step-by-step build review of this and posting it to the blog + facebook page.
Finished last week, the Hawk T1. This is the recent(ish) Airfix tooling in 1/48 scale - goes together well, easy to paint (any colour you like so long as it's black) and a decent project to do over a weekend.
Finally, a pair of Lightnings. One is an F3 and the other is the later F6 - both being an opportunity to practice spraying metallic with the airbrush. More than any other finish - metallic silver really does show every blemish, dimple and scratch on the model. Much careful prep work needed!
Being a fairly recent convert to the world of Airbrushed Acrylics - I've found Vallejo Model Air to be reasonably user-friendly paints that work straight from the bottle. They've come out looking fairly presentable - the silver parts being painted with Vallejo Metallic Steel and the green being Vallejo Dark Green.
Red Bull AH-1F Cobra - a 1/48 model based on the old Monogram kit from a long time ago. Revell rebox a variety of models - some good, some less so. I think the Cobra is one of the good'uns - decent fit, low parts count and a fair amount of detail. The main challenge lies in not obliterating the raised surface detail.
Once all of the transfers are carefully layered into position (an exercise in patience if there ever was one) the result is pretty unique. I will have to keep an eye out for another one of these because I did enjoy building it.
Avro Lancaster Mk III - also from Revell. I learned a few lessons from doing the Dambusters Lancaster a few weeks ago - namely that painting the thing is easier if it is split into three main sub-assemblies. The wings and fuselage are all awaiting coats of paint (the yellow wingtips already done and masked off).
I tend to add the clear parts and delicate bits like turrets, landing gear and props last - if only to reduce the chances of damaging them while grappling with other parts of the model.
Lockheed Martin F-35A - the 'Joint Strike Fighter' - very expensive and controversial in real-life. Thankfully Italeri offer a 1/72 F-35 for a lot less cash! I will be doing a step-by-step build review of this and posting it to the blog + facebook page.
Finished last week, the Hawk T1. This is the recent(ish) Airfix tooling in 1/48 scale - goes together well, easy to paint (any colour you like so long as it's black) and a decent project to do over a weekend.
Finally, a pair of Lightnings. One is an F3 and the other is the later F6 - both being an opportunity to practice spraying metallic with the airbrush. More than any other finish - metallic silver really does show every blemish, dimple and scratch on the model. Much careful prep work needed!
Being a fairly recent convert to the world of Airbrushed Acrylics - I've found Vallejo Model Air to be reasonably user-friendly paints that work straight from the bottle. They've come out looking fairly presentable - the silver parts being painted with Vallejo Metallic Steel and the green being Vallejo Dark Green.
Wednesday 22 August 2018
On the Workbench - The Heavy Mob
Known among flyers as 'heavies' - these are usually multi-engine types like the Avro Lancaster, B-17 Flying Fortress and anything that is big, heavy and having many, many engines. Even in model form you can very rapidly reach the stage where you end up with a whopper of a thing that takes over the living room table (much to the chagrin of family members).
First on the bench is the Revell Lancaster. A quick internet search will show some concerns about the kit's wing dihedral - it isn't quite as much as it should be on the real thing. In every other respect the kit is a delight to build. For a model maker this always poses an issue. 'Do I correct an otherwise excellent kit or build it as is?'.
I happen to have a completed Airfix Lancaster in my own collection to compare the wings to (Airfix is regarded in this instance to have the correct angle on their model) and the difference was not obvious unless you sat them beside each other. The Revell kit wings do have some angle on them - just not as much as the Airfix offering. In fact most non-aeroplane people wouldn't know what a wing dihedral necessarily was; so it may be a complete non-issue for the majority of the population.
That's the long-winded way of me saying I built it pretty much out of the box. I had a go at airbrushing the camouflage pattern freehand using some pencilled templates as guides. The edges are a bit more feathered than I would ideally like but when the thing is viewed overall it looks pretty good.
Next on the heavy list is another Arado E555 Amerika Bomber. I originally bought two of these kits and enjoyed building the first one to such a degree that I thought I'd continue on a high and build another one. Because why not?
RLM 02 (Grey) and RLM 71 (Dark Green) make up the upper surfaces. RLM 65 (Light Blue) is the underside colour. Splinter camouflage is quite a lot of fun to mask and paint - the current plan is to have some yellow recognition markings painted on the wingtips and tailfins.
The third candidate is the C-47 Douglas Dakota - the famous transport and general do-it-all aviation workhorse. This is actually the first Dakota I've built in 1/72 scale and probably won't be the last if this kit is anything to go by.
If you fancy making a 'biggish' model but don't relish the idea of a big parts count - the Airfix C-47 is a good option that goes together pretty well. The fiddliest bits were the clear parts (the front windscreen is fitted from the outside).
The above photo shows the current state of proceedings - waiting for some transfers/decals after being coated with a few layers of Klear.
Also in the works but not pictured yet is a B-24 Liberator - the old Airfix offering in 1/72 scale. Thanks to having lots of loose fitting moveable parts and being a subject of the 'phantom riveter' - that should be entertaining....
First on the bench is the Revell Lancaster. A quick internet search will show some concerns about the kit's wing dihedral - it isn't quite as much as it should be on the real thing. In every other respect the kit is a delight to build. For a model maker this always poses an issue. 'Do I correct an otherwise excellent kit or build it as is?'.
I happen to have a completed Airfix Lancaster in my own collection to compare the wings to (Airfix is regarded in this instance to have the correct angle on their model) and the difference was not obvious unless you sat them beside each other. The Revell kit wings do have some angle on them - just not as much as the Airfix offering. In fact most non-aeroplane people wouldn't know what a wing dihedral necessarily was; so it may be a complete non-issue for the majority of the population.
That's the long-winded way of me saying I built it pretty much out of the box. I had a go at airbrushing the camouflage pattern freehand using some pencilled templates as guides. The edges are a bit more feathered than I would ideally like but when the thing is viewed overall it looks pretty good.
Next on the heavy list is another Arado E555 Amerika Bomber. I originally bought two of these kits and enjoyed building the first one to such a degree that I thought I'd continue on a high and build another one. Because why not?
The third candidate is the C-47 Douglas Dakota - the famous transport and general do-it-all aviation workhorse. This is actually the first Dakota I've built in 1/72 scale and probably won't be the last if this kit is anything to go by.
If you fancy making a 'biggish' model but don't relish the idea of a big parts count - the Airfix C-47 is a good option that goes together pretty well. The fiddliest bits were the clear parts (the front windscreen is fitted from the outside).
The above photo shows the current state of proceedings - waiting for some transfers/decals after being coated with a few layers of Klear.
Also in the works but not pictured yet is a B-24 Liberator - the old Airfix offering in 1/72 scale. Thanks to having lots of loose fitting moveable parts and being a subject of the 'phantom riveter' - that should be entertaining....
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