Thursday, April 26, 2007

BR-52 - sort of finished















































I took the loco to the club on Tuesday night. The first question as I took it out of the boot of the car was 'Aren't you going to weather that?' I have a few strong views on current trends in BR-52 displays. Firstly, I don't believe that any wartime loco went into 'war zones' with a bright red chassis and wheels. Secondly, I think that smoke deflectors were a post war addition. Lastly, if any loco ever got as rusty as some paint them, the crew would not have taken the loco out because of a risk of the boiler exploding! My weathering was intended to be a) subtle and b) realistic (maybe a personal view). Hence, there is a tinge of rust around some edges and a calcium streak in places following water leaks. The an overall grimy feel. Oh, and yes, that is real coal!

Anyway, as you know, this is the first step in 9 feet of Karl Morser train so it's only the beginning.

Pity that the cab interior cannot be seen unless you take the loco off the track and peer in. For those of you who know the BR-52 kit, the vinyl hoses defeated me so they are not all in the right places. Also, the cab steps are missing. If I have made any other mistake, well I can live with them so please don't tell me - grin.

Just in case you are wondering, I KNOW that the track wasn't painted - smile - I have no real confidence that painting parts of the 9' stretch as I go wold result in an even and compatible finish. I intend to paint and finish the track once I have finished all of the vehicles.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Humber Part 2


I have done a bit more work. As you can see from the instructions, we are now at the 'fiddly' stage.Most of these small bits don't have a clear mounting point so it is tricky to get them in the right place - but we are still 'getting there'.

Yesterday I sent off three reveiw copies to MMI, SMI and MM so we shall see what they do about it.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

SKP Humber Scout Car






Having imported this kit from the Czech Republic and having had a variety of comments on it, I felt that it would be a good idea for me to actually build one.

Firstly, it must be realised that we are talking 'short run' here, not first line manufacturer. I think that part of the issue some people have with the kit is that they have been basically spoilt as armour modellers. If they were into aircraft, then to complete their collection they would have needed to make kits from the likes of MPM, Special Hobby and Classic Airframes. All of these manufacturers make kits of aircraft ignored by the mainstream manufacturers and although they can be tricky to build, they generally make up into a good representation. However, a lot of armour modellers never move out of the Tamiya, Dragon, AFV Club. Trumpeter circle and thus have not been exposed to what 'short run' means. Short run normally means slightly soft plastic, large sprue attachment points, some flash and a bit of work to make some parts fit. It also means that you get an interesting subject that fully represents the target. This is pretty much
where SKP seem to be at the moment.

Right, now to the kit. I am about 1/2 way through and I have found that it goes together quite well so long as you clean every piece up and test fit before glueing. I also had to make up some wire parts myself and drill some holes. None of it was at all difficult or to fiddly and so far I have only had to use my Vallejo putty on three occasions and even then just to clean up a line join - no major filling has been needed. I have to say that I have enjoyed the experience so far and will be very proud of the model when it is finished. My current opinion is that it is a good kit which needs some skill to put together but will regard you with an unusual vehicle in the end.

More tomorrow night.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Quick Update


Good Friday. Had to go into Ipswich shopping all morning. Got a few good books. Managed to spend the rest of the day working on the BR-52.

The BR-52 is almost complete in terms of building. I have about 4 bits to add. Then its - finish the painting and then the weathering - I can't wait. I have a special Vallejo train weathering pack which I am eager to try.

Stopped at 9pm and watched 'The Longest Day'. I forgot that it was in black and white!.

One thing that came out of the film was how fast Sean Connery got promotion - D.Day (Longest Day) he was a private - Arnhem (A Bridge Too Far) he was a general- just shows you what war can do for your prospects!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

So, where was the wheel half?

Sitting in the box, clear as daylight when I sat down to start modelling tonight. Explain to me how I could spend 20 minutes last night looking for the stupid thing when it's there all the time.

This seriously substantiates my theory about modelling proving the existence of time travel. Whenever you lose a piece, its because it has moved forward in time for any period up to 24 hours with a minimum of 5 minutes. Hence, it is pointless looking until the alloted time has passed. Quite why only moulded plastic has this ability, I don't know but I am sure that there is a PhD in it for someone!

BTW, this Mirage kit (1/35th CP7) hasn't caused any problems yet but I am only working on the wheels and suspension so there may be horrors to come.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Must stop working on the T-34






There comes a point where you have to say 'enough is enough'. If I do any more to the T-34 then it will start to go downhill and end up as dark as my Jadgpanzer.

I did make one mistake when spraying it such that I had to pad the Tensecrom Earth with some tissue, which promptly removed the white and the green below. I was left with a quandary. Having layered a lot of colour and weathering, how could I get a basic green background back to the rest of the model. The answer was two fold - 1. I created a shell hit on the panel and 2. This gave me the excuse for the colouration to be different due to some urgent touch up. I think 'I got away with it' (Shades of the Germans in Fawlty Towers - grin). You can see this on the front right panel.

I did say to my friend in the US that it is always tempting to keep working on it - he bet me $1 that I couldn't stop - but I did - so there.

This picture is of the first figure I have finished for the diorama - plus the stuff to go on the back of the Stug - sticking out of the tarp. You have seen this in primer - here is the finished set.

I have now started on the tractor. The first task was to make 18 road wheels. Having cut 18 pairs of 'front and back' I now have 17 completed wheels and one front. Quite where the back has gone defeats me as I have searched everywhere. No doubt Valerie with point it out immediately - she is quite scathing with her comments about my ability to find things - wives - you have to love them ;-)