Saturday 23 June 2012

Empress miniatures WWII German Fallschirmjäger 1/72.

Hello all,

Work has had me on a course which involves bloody homework, HOMEWORK!!!! Right in the middle of the Euros as well. So the rate of painted work has suffered but the amount of built armour awaiting the spray gun is amounting 9 at the the moment.
Back to the figure. This was for an airborne duel with the great Zoran (Zzed) over on Benno's. After the spanking I got last time a little honour was restored with a close victory, check out the duel over here,Airborne duel, A big thank you to every one who voted in the duel and thanks to Zoran for the duel.
This figure is from Empress miniatures new 20mm range.

The wall is from Italeri wall set and the rubble is from gale force 9.

I tried to copy the camo from an osprey book, which doesn't look to bad in the end. I had never seen it before but thought why the hell not.

I fact it was a direct copy down to the colours referenced in the book.

The weathering was a good going over with dry brushing and MiG pigments.
I quite like the new Empress miniature range and have already bought a few sets so expect a few more sets to appear.

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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Weefriends Modern British AFV crew 1/72.

Hello all,

A quick post this afternoon before the Italy  Vs Spain game of a Modern British AFV crewman which is destined for a  "modern British AFV" of all things!
I really like the Wee friends range of figures but are a little bit shocked at the postage they want to charge for there figures, £3.50 for 4 or 5 metal figures really come on! All the same they are the dog's bollocks for Modern Brits so I am lucky I already have most of them. I do have a modern Brit AFV already built, painted and weathered a bit of a rescue job but a bloody good one. I only have to do the base and hey presto.....!
He does look like the wife after I have been on a night out, all he is missing is a rolling pin!

Again a really good figure from a great set.

I think he only took about twenty minutes to paint.

I think he will need a mate join him in the turret.

The set does give you the option for UN peace keepers with a coat of blue for the helmets.
A great set to add to any AFV or MBT that can be bothered to have an open turret hatch that is!

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

Cheers for looking,  Rich.

Saturday 9 June 2012

Revell Russian WWII Lavochkin La-5FN 1/72.

Hello all,

Planes are not my strong point, but they are something I intend to crack! The canopy's seem to be my Achilles heel. I  have tried masking tape, masking fluid and even by hand and I never seem to get it right.
This is a nice little plane to build with no real problems a part from my own making. The wheel struts are the wrong way round and the bloody canopy leaked where I didn't glue the f#$ker together!!!!!!
I wish I had airbrushed this one but I am looking to move house and have to TRY to keep the model room looking half descent.
The masking is getting better, I masked the metal panel and ally rings around the engine housing, I didn't need to do the because I didn't know you got bloody decals for it but it did turn out alright in the end.

The camo scheme is not quite right but I can live with it.

The decals went on a dream but that could have something to do with me now varnishing between steps.

I even bothered to use filler on the wings and sand them too. It is worth doing the extra bit to get that look, I am still a hell of a long way off but learning.

The classic front on look, showing the pissed wheels.

Top shot of the bird.

Side on and not a bad job on the aerials either, first time I have tried it. A lot of buggering about bu got there in the end.
 Wish I could have given it a wash to bring out the panels and that but time has been against me, that and the Euro 2012 has started.

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

Cheers for looking Rich.

Tuesday 5 June 2012

ESCI Napoleonic French officer 1/72.

Hello all,

Something totally different tonight and something I swore I would never do again (no not trying to milk a cat or try to dance in public sober). As a mod on Benno's forum I have been involved in sorting out peoples arguments over how many buttons on a chuff to the wrong coloured underpants, mainly due to Napoleonic uniforms. So it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I started this figure.
I have hundreds of these ESCI nappy figures from my childhood when I bought several battle sets and thought that I might has well give them a try. I have tried once before to paint a  Nappie figure and it was crap!
To be fair this only took me an hour and a half to paint this figure which might explain the standard of this job.
I ALSO PAINTED IT STRAIGHT FROM THE ART WORK ON THE BOX!!!!!!!!!DON'T BLAME ME!
Always a dramatic figure and always reminded me of the TV series "Sharpe" and yes I know the book came first!

I started by using the  wrong colour blue but soon changed it to a more realistic colour.

I still think I might have cocked this up, its the best I could come up with.

the base is from GW and cover with Vallejo dark mud effect with a mix of MiG pigments.

A lot of fiddly braids and hat plates and of course my favourite colour white!
All in all not to bad for a second go, but compared to some of the stuff I have seen crap. I might even do another one........one day!

Sunday 3 June 2012

TQD Casting Falklands war British soldier 1/72.

Hello all,

Well the anniversary is coming up and my Dad did go down south to help liberate the Falklands back in 1982 so painting up one of these great figures from TQD casting was in order.
Painting British DPM is a sod at the best of times so I found it much easier doing it after a few beers!
The only thing missing from this pose is the union jack fluttering from a radio!

The great thing about these set are the choice of Bergen's and heads.

I choose the helmet for this figure as it was wore during most battles rather that the berets, even Paras and boot necks aren't that mad!.

The base is a GW effort with Vallejo mud effect and silfor tufts.

I did give this figure a good going over with weathering powder on the inside legs and webbing.
Just a quick post tonight, so that's all folks!

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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Trumpeter Char B, Airfix garage and Pegasus WWII French infantry 1/72.

Hello all,

This was a for a duel that I lost with a mate in Germany (The great Thomas.D), I was soundly beaten by a cracking dio,Attack duel, well done Thomas!
I thought I would try and go for something different, I don't think I have ever seen a dio on the French going on the offensive.I think people forget that the French army put up a brave fight and was not a push over.
This is also one the largest dio's that I have ever done! Eight figures, a tank and a building! Shame there is a bucket load of faults with this one.
A good choice of arms for these blokes with multi part arms.
I like the fact they weapons come with slings.

A great pose, full of action.

A few mold lines on the figures but not hing a knife can't sort.

Fun and games removing him from his base.

The figures I am more than happy with, the dio base on the other hand is the main problem, it just looks to clean for my liking. Many people have said it looks to clean for a bombed out building.
A good choice of running figures.


A bit fiddly putting the arms together.

Front on view

Side view of the counter attack.

The bricks are made from evergreen plastic strip cut up. Same goes for the roof tiles in the rubble, just made from flat plastic.

The corrugated iron and window frame is from SGTS Mess rubble set which is highly recommend.

The Char B is from trumpeter, a bloody great kit to build. The paint job is by hand after a disaster with the airbrush. The black lines around the camo  was done using a black pen and sprayed with varnish to seal it in, learnt a lesson from another French tank on that one.
Should have made the track marks more visible and sink the tank into the base a bit more to stop it looking like its floating.

The Aeriel is a brush hair, very handy for a clumsy sod like me!

The tarp  was made by placing PVA glue soaked tissue paper over some boxes, painted and weathered.

It does look to clean, which has annoyed me because I stopped adding stuff to not over clutter it.

An over view of the dio.
I think I should re visit this one at some point and see if I can do anything with it, the figures and tank are alright just the base.

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

Cheers for looking,    Rich.