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.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Modern British army conversions 1/72.

Hello all,

Here are some conversions I did ages ago using  Revell modern Brits and Airfix NATO ground crew.Blogger is still being a dick and not playing ball.So this will not be a long rambling like I normally bore people with.The trouble with Revell Brits is like me they are a little bit short.I wouldn't try making the cold stream guards using this set but I would say they have Gurkha's written all over them!These are more 1990's squaddies due to the lack of body armour, the crap hat dates them a lot, but reminds mew of a corporal I used to know who would never been seen with out it in the field.
The body is Revell and the head is from Airfix.

The daysack came from another Revell figure.

The body is from the LAW firing figure and the top half from the sniper.

I know snipers are normally prone or sitting but I fancied something different.

The bottom half is from the sniper (waste not,want not).The top half from the firing bloke.

I was surprised they didn't include a kneeling bloke in the kit.

The head is from CMSC but I messed up and didn't connect the Jerry can to the blokes hand.
He is meant to be from the Blues and Royals.

I bulked out the combats with Vallejo plastic putty and tried to give that woolly pulley look by painting patches on.
I quite like the DPM on these figures and I think the Revell set is cracking for conversions.I have loads in different stages of production.I started these ages ago and should really finish them off.

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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Sunday 9 October 2011

CP MODELS British Royal marine Falklands 1982 1/72. (just for Al).

Hello all,                                                                

This bloke is from Mark at CP models, .He is one of the cracking Modern forces range of TQD casting.
I hope to god Mark can get some Argentinians made for this range because it would make my day!
I thought I would try DPM again but I don't think I have quite got it right.The oche colour is missing, or rather lost when I did the wash on him.

 The beret is not quite right either, it needs to be a deeper green and the blacked out cap badge isn't how it should be.Saying that because you can't really see it should mean its right!
I suspose that I could claim he meant to be a rather rained on bootneck which would account for the dark  colour of the smock.The picture I used off the net is a bit lighter than I really wanted but it was free so I can't complain. 

The good thing about these figures is the fact you get a choice of heads and bergens so you could make a great line of Marines Yomping of into the distance.I really like all the small details on these figures, thing like the gaiters for example, and the crap lenny the large pack.


The base is one of the many MDF I got at a model show a while back.PVA glue, sand and some self cast woodland scenic rocks are the base of this dio.A good coat of Vallejo brown earth topped off with MiG dark mud weathering pigment.Silfor tufts and some rock debris was next.I tried to get some lichen on the rocks with a bit of yellow paint, not sure if it has worked.

This was for Al to make up for the "Cabbage head" comment, we all love boot necks mate!Not the best DPM I have ever painted but I think I know were I went wrong so I can have another go.


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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Trumpeter Russian BTR-80 1/72.

Hello all,

This is another Trumpeter kit and one that I have wanted for a long time.I always wanted some modern Russian armour and found the ACE stuff a nightmare to knock up, so this was a bonus.
 The kit went together like a dream, no problems at all.So far I have built three Trumpeter kits and had no issues.Top kits every one.A bit pricy but worth every penny!
 To be honest the colour is not quite how I thought it was going to turn out.It looks a bit too WWII Russian tank green for my liking, but I only have a limited Vallejo model air selection at the moment and I am not brave enough to thin my normal Model colour stuff down.
 I gave it a bloody good wash of Pro modeller dirt brown over everything and that has seemed to  worked.
 Then after some MiG rust weathering powder on the exhaust pipes I gave it a light dry brushing of grey.Next was a light wash of MiG dry mud and thinner to fix it.This time I didn't go mental with the weathering powder like I did with the T-55.
The one thing I really like about these kits is the fact the wheels are separate.I hate painting wheels, my hands just aren't that steady.
I more trumpeter kits in the stash and my airbrush is itching to be mucked about with.I must get off my arse and finish some base's for the AFV's to go on.

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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Italeri ACW Union soldier 1/72.

Hello all,

Long time no post!I have been off the modelling scene for a bit trying to get motivated again.
Blogger has not been helping either.I still can not post in my normal format.Being an old git and fear change this has got on my tits!I have been looking at everyones posts but not commenting but that doesn't mean I don't think everyones work is cracking.

This is an American civil war Union soldier I did a while back for a duel with my my Cole on Benno's.For some reason I won the duel, which was a surprise because Cole's entry was bloody amazing!

The figure is from the Italeri set, rather than the old ESCI issue set, (which is still good if you can get hold of it).I know nothing about the ACW except what I learnt from watching Ken Burns brilliant series "The civil war".I loved that series when I was a kid and watch the re runs on the History channel.Still nothing really sank in which is no reflexion on the the show.
The first thing is the trouser's (or pants if your from that side of the pond)They are not dark enough.Faded would be pushing it so I will hold my hands up.I also used gloss coat to fix the MiG pigment instead of thinner, what a knobber!!!!!
Well for a first bash at the ACW I don't feel that I did a bad job at all.I have not be idle in this time away from blogging so watch this space.

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