Work is progressing well on the model, the resin canvas tilts fit very well and only need a little bit of sanding to get squared up. I've started to add some of the missing details on the kit as well as replace some molded details such as the tie down loops on the cargo body.
The rest of the details are just plastic rod, card and wire. To be honest tamiya have not missed that much on this one. I'm debating at the moment whether to fit the front winch or not as I gather winch fitted vehicles were not that common. Anyway here's the model so far.
Today I've spent a good few hours sorting out the man cave and building up my new display cabinet. Not too much modification needed to be done I just took out the old area where the kids used to do their homework and moved my small cabinet to a different wall.
The cave was long overdue some tidying and reorganising & I'm hoping to re decorate sometime during the summer. Finally it's almost mine! The new cabinet gives me much needed display space and has plenty of shelves which has given me room to change the displays around and provide more space for future builds. I think I will still need to dispose of a few old builds in the coming months and will probably use ebay for this.
It feels good to have a sort out and clear up, makes it feel like spring is around the corner!
Again the first show of the year for Stonehenge modellers and as usual it followed the familiar format of a rather easy drive down on Friday afternoon followed by a (for us) very restrained night out on the town. We must be getting old! Anyway that ensured we were in excellent order the next day for the show and saved my ears somewhat not having to listen to Brian bleating about how hungover he felt.
We were located in our usual spot with Modelworx next to us which ensured plenty of banter and laughter throughout the day. It was great to meet up too with old friends and new. Plenty of visitors seemed to be the order of the day during the first part of the show, say up to lunchtime then it did slow down slightly. However there was still plenty to see and people to talk to and I for one had a very pleasant time.
To lighten the wallet there was plenty of choice with some interesting items on offer especially from traders from across the water. I however went small scale for some bizarre reason, more on that later. There was also some splendid models on display from the various clubs in attendance and the competition looked to be well supported. There was a marked increase in aircraft entries this year which I think surprised everyone. As ever the standards of the builds were very high.
My purchases as mentioned were all small scale this year. Influenced possibly by the 1 tonne and light gun build and by the discovery of a very nice 1/76th Stalwart from S&M models. The 1 tonne ambulance was a real rare find too.
So a great start to the year and a great day out too, thanks to matador models for again organising the show and thanks for the invite.
After a protracted selection process looking for the next build which involved digging through the stash not once but twice and debating the merits of many models I eventually selected tamiya's marvellous Gama Goat. Also to go with it I have a nice set from Perfect Scale Modellbau which has canvas for the rear and front.
After a couple of hours this weekend I've got the bones of the model built up and have test fitted the rear canvas cover. It all looks pretty good so far and as you'd expect from the big T everything fits perfectly. Around the cab area I will be adding a few missing details using plastic card and rod and as you can see I've made a start filling ejector pin marks here.
After a busy session at the bench finishing off the base today the model is now all done. Grass tufts and stretched sprue plants were added then the base was sprayed with tamiya buff. Some of the stones and pebbles were then picked out with vallejo colours and the plants painted as well. Finally some of the pigments used on the model blended everything together and helped tie the model to the base.
This has been another enjoyable and easy to build project and having the Venezuelan markings option makes for something most people will probably not have seen before.
Here is yesterday's progress on the base. After a layer of plaster fine sand, grit and medium size stones were added to the base before a sheet of cling film went over the top and the model was pressed into the setting plaster. Once everything had set after a few hours the sand,gravel and stones were set in place using AK gravel & sand fixer.
Overnight the base has fully dried and can now be painted. With the model in place you can see that the incline does set off the model nicely and conveys a sense of movement too.
The final stages of weathering on the model have now been completed and here I've used very small amounts on the upper hull just to show some contrast and dust build up. The overall effect is just what I was looking for so it's all good!
The base build up has also been done and again I'm using an Ikea picture frame and some foam board and dense foam for the ground work base. The groundwork will be angled up slightly to show off the angular lines of the model and give the display a more dynamic feel. I should hopefully have this all finished by the end of this weekend.
