Bear Repair Part 2

The bear is now looking much better after I finished shaping and sanding down areas that needed filler and his first coat of black paint to restore the shiny coat. Another coat will go on soon then I'll gloss the bare wood areas before finally airbrushing his nose and mouth with flat black.

ASLAV-PC Further Work

I've now fitted all the lights, removed the masks on the periscopes and painted the indicators. I also added two strip lights above the main headlights using some square clear sprue which I stretched over a candle. Also at this stage I went ahead and fitted the wheels. Due to the sloppy fit of the rubber tyres I decided to see if I could glue them on to the hubs.

I tried VMS flexy 5K CA and to my surprise found that it held the tyres in place with ease. A bit of fine tuning was needed to get the wheels lined up too. The figures have also been test fitted and I'm very pleased with how they look on the model. I will now start the final weathering using a combination of good old tamiya buff and pigments.

ASLAV & Chieftain Matt Coat

Today I finally got the matt varnish down on both models using the brilliant VMS varnish. The models have both had a few pin washes and filters added. The chieftain also had some wear and chipping added using a sponge. I didn't bother with any oil dot fading this time as I want to try to add more variation using pigments as both will be pretty dusty and dirty later. Once the matt has cured for a few days I'll be able to get some muck on.

IPMS Gloucester Show Report

Another pleasant weekend & another show to attend. This time it's IPMS Gloucester's show. Brian came with me this time and for a change I didn't have to drive which was nice. As ever the show is held at the Churchdown community centre which is a nice venue. 

I was very impressed with the amount and variety of traders attending, there was certainly something for everyone with some bargains to be had. There was also lots of choice for sundries such as paints, glue and other bits which we all need from time to time. 

Moving onto the displays and I was again impressed with the quality of them. Sometimes it's just too easy to zone out endless models just sat on the tables but many of them really stood out for me as they were displayed on interesting and enhancing bases. The clubs were split between three areas and apart from the inevitable backpack dance, (you know the one when everyone comes to a show with a pack on and then stands in the middle of a corridor) there was plenty of room to admire the models on display.

Stash wise I picked up a Meng Gepard and one of those Mr hobby paint stands & a tube of putty. We also enjoyed a rather nice burger from the van parked outside the entrance. On the way home a pint was the order of the day so once again a great trip with a very nice show visit, modelling bollocks and a pint to finish it all off. Living the dream!

Chieftain Small Update

I've done a little bit more to the model now and have started to add some wear to it. I won't add too much but just concentrate my efforts around obvious areas of heavy traffic. The exhausts are all painted up and fitted and the padlocks are also all done.

Should be getting washes etc down over the weekend with any luck.

Bear Repair

Something very different is now on the workmate, he's too big for the bench! This is a chainsaw sculpture belonging to my sister in law, he's had quite a journey starting out in Minnesota where he was purchased. He then moved to Florida and finally came over the ocean to the UK. 

The bear was kept outside on balconies in all weathers so he's looking slightly worse for wear with some major cracks and some savage chewing from various insects. However he will be kept inside after I've repaired him. I started out using some wood strips to fill the bigger cracks and plenty of wood glue. Shaping and filling has been done today & I'll leave him for a few days before final sanding and shaping.

I will then stain the exposed wood to blend it all together and repaint his black coat a shiny black like he was when new. I'll leave some of the minor splits in the wood and the insect burrow marks alone as they add a nice bit of age to him.