Churchill Weathering

So a small amount of weathering has been done on the model using oils to make some washes and add a pin wash. I'll also add a small amount of oil dot fading before attacking with pigments. 

Now he can get to me in the cave Fang the cat is now my new modelling buddy. Quite distracting when he decides to sit on the bench and demand a fuss!

More D.I.Y

In between prepping the ceiling for painting I've also blocked up the old door to the man cave. Now the cave actually feels part of the house and more importantly it's more secure and warmer. I always used to get a vicious draft coming through in the winter which always made it bloody cold in the evenings. 

Eventually the block work will get plastered, probably when I empty the cave and rip up the carpet. I will be moving the light switch soon though which is a simple job. 

I have been modelling but only doing a small bit of work on the Churchill. I'm hoping to have it done before next weekend, which by the way is the on track show in Folkestone. 

Home Improvements

Just before our holiday we had some work done on our conservatory, having a new roof fitted with a much more thermally efficient rating compared to the old polycarbonate roof. The interior is now ready for decorating but before that gets tackled I've had the new door opening to the man cave opened up. 

Whilst the conservatory, or sun room as I'm calling it now, is empty it made sense to get the new doorway done. This is the first phase of the man cave refurbishment which will be done in small stages. The old door into the cave will be getting blocked up this week too.

Winter Sun

Bet you all wondered what had happened with no posts for a week eh? Well as part of my retirement celebrations we have just had a smashing week in the winter sun on the island of Lanzarote. It was a brilliant week, not least as we missed all the snow, disruption and the cold temperatures!  

This year we hired a small villa perfect for two and I must say the peace and space that provided was very nice indeed. We did very little apart from relax and read! Just the ticket after the busy last few months. Now back home things will pick up with a few d.i.y tasks to do and the start of the man cave renovations. 

Finnish Marksman Fun

Romping along with the build and having fun in the process. Now the lower hull is all done I've started on the turret & gun pods. I thought the model was big before but with the pods on it's bloody huge! Detail throughout the kit is excellent with only the odd area needing slight improvement. 

Marksman Progress

It's all going very well with the marksman at the moment. The tracks have been cleaned up and fitted and I've built up both track guards but kept them loose which should really help with painting later on. The details added to them are excellent but with some tricky plastic fuel lines which need a bit of care and a delicate touch to clean up. I have replaced the plastic rear mud flaps with new ones made from lead foil and replaced the moulded on front guard stays with brass rod.

With the turret on the hull you can really see what a whopper this thing is. I also attempted to add some anti-slip to the model using VMS hull tex air. It has a very fine texture perfect for modern vehicles. However I've not had any luck with it and have applied and stripped it off twice so far. I know I'm doing something wrong but can't figure it out yet! I'll give it one more go and if I fail again then I'll just leave the model as is. 

Takom Finnish ItPsv 90 Marksman SPAAG

Well I just couldn't help myself, I've had to start this bad boy as I've been itching to build it. And with a slot available on the bench I thought what the hell! What's not to like about a bloody big turret, a couple of ferocious guns and an old Polish T-55 chassis? Oh, and of course that funky camo scheme.

So far the kit is building up very well. The suspension units and hull details are very good. The wheels also have some smashing hub details, shame they get covered up with hub caps. On this kit the tyres are separate from the wheels and are ribbed, eww! Not my favourite thing but some heavy sanding soon gets rid of it. I almost bought some friul tracks for this but the rather weedy attachment point and lack of adjustment on the idler wheel made me chose the kit tracks.

Here's a couple of pictures of the real thing and a very cool video of it firing!