Cordon Bleu

On to the GMC and things have progressed well. I started by spraying tamiya XF60 dark yellow on all the wooden parts of the vehicle then added two coats of AK interactive heavy chipping fluid. Once dry I used tamiya XF62 olive drab as the main colour and as per my usual method lighted this with tamiya flat flesh. After drying over night I then brushed on water on the wooden areas and with a short stiff brush worked over these areas. The result is very effective and I am very pleased with the AK stuff it seems much less hassle than the usual hairspray method. I have also started to pick out the stowage and other bits on the model.

Little Gem

More work on the Vickers, the model received some light chipping using vallejo Khaki then a gloss coat followed by the decals. As you can see the stowage on the back has also been painted up. I also have a figure to paint and for this I used a passion models figure designed specifically for this model.

Well pleased with the model thus far it really is a "must build"

Big And Small

The Vickers is progressing well. I painted the model using tamiya colours and the instructions paint mix which looks just right. So it's now onto a gloss coat and the decals.





The GMC has had it's primer coat so should be ready for painting soon. I may even have a go at some colour modulation on this model plus some heavy chipping effects on the wood portions to impart a well used look.

Pièce de Résistance

The GMC has again been a very quick and hassle free build. I only added a few bits to enhance any details. As you can see I have added most of the stowage during construction just to save work later on.All the stowage bags came from the spares box. I managed to loose a couple of PE bits which flew off into thin air but nothing major.

I really like the look of this vehicle and the bofors looks very nice indeed with some nice details. Should look great under a coat of paint.

Fact Finding Mission

Due to the recent release by Airfix of their new Lynx kits in 1/48th scale I decided it was time for a fact finding mission to gather some references for a possible build later. So off I pottered today to Middle Wallop the home of the army air corps and the museum of army flying.





It has been quite a while since I visited the museum and was very pleased to find there was plenty of interesting things to see. I particularly liked the layout and lighting which was very good indeed.





However my main aim was to photograph the Westland Lynx AH Mk7 and I managed to get quite a few pictures of the beast with some good detail shots of the airframe. The full walkaround can be found here; LYNX WALKAROUND







There should be plenty there for anyone wishing to add a few extra details to the kit. A thoroughly enjoyable day and very interesting as well, plus they have an excellent and cheap cafe on site too!

Par Excellence

The GMC build has progressed well, the chassis is now almost complete with only a few small items to add. It's nice to have normal plastic wheels for a change instead of the now more usual vinyl or rubber tyres which are supplied in most kits these days. The engine is a very nice item and will benefit from some wiring later on.

French Fancy

Here is the next project to grace the bench, Hobby-boss's 1/35th GMC Bofors 40mm gun kit. It really appealed to me when I saw that it was being released as it's something slightly different. The real vehicles where used exclusively by the free French forces during WW2 and only 32 where built so quite a rare beast. Looking inside the box this looks like an almost out of the box build with the exception of some wiring and some minor tweaks.



Thanks to Sibo at Salisbury model centre for tempting me to buy the kit whilst in the company of the wife! "what another model?"!!

Valiant Vickers

Strewth! that was a quick build, just finished off the Vickers this morning. The Sovereign 2000 set was a breeze to use. Much simpler than all those springs and rods especially as I plan to mud up the lower hull anyway. Another sacrifice to the carpet monster in the form of a section of track! so I had to fabricate a replacement from plastic card after trying in vain to find the missing part. There must be enough parts in my den carpet to stock a decent sized spares box by now!









I added a small amount of stowage to the rear and some wire around the jack. I do need to find a suitable figure for the vehicle and sort out a base. A very satisfying and simple build.

T 90 Complete

Well I have finally finished the T90, the final stages where fraught with problems mostly due to the very delicate suspension arms which broke off with monotonous regularity! Also due to the many delicate parts on the turret it was difficult to hold without breaking bits off. However after a coat of matt I went over the model with some mig pigments and used a slurry mix on the tracks. Lastly final details where added such as the lights and some oil stains here and there.













I thoroughly enjoyed building this model even though it seemed to take an age, top marks to Zvezda for producing a top class model.

Bison Decals Review

Whilst browsing the web the other day I came across this new set of decals from Bison,



the set is in 1/35th and has markings for 7 different vehicles used as the sheet says in the Balkans. The set can be used with the new hobby boss defender hard top and also has two vehicles with soft tops.





The instructions are easy to follow and the decals are very nicely printed.The union jacks look particularly good with nice colour register. I think that with a little mix and matching they will be suitable for most defenders both at home and abroad. I was particularly drawn to the MP marked vehicle as the markings look spot on. Purchased from Hannants for the princely sum of £5.99

My Little Tank!

Over the last week I have been building the Vickers tank in between various other tasks unfortunately not model related. So far I am enjoying the build but could not resist adding a few enhancements. The smoke grenade launchers on the turret where first to receive some attention. I replaced the kit items which where more oval in profile than round with some aluminium rod. The exhaust was also replaced with a section of an old radio aerial and plastic rod with some metal tape for the retaining straps.









The suspension and road wheels have been fighting me all the way, as you may be aware the assemblies consist of two types of miniature springs, brass rod and tiny plastic end connectors. I am afraid that they have beaten me so I have ordered a resin replacement set for the wheels from Sovereign 2000. A simple update which replaces the spring assemblies with much easier resin items, I blame my sausage fingers!

Breaking The One Model Rule

I have come to the conclusion that only having one model on the bench at any one time is counter productive. I set myself this rule some time ago but lately I have struggled to get much done even when I have only the one model to concentrate on. I put this down to far too many tempting subjects residing in my stash and my urge to get at em!

So I am going to attempt two at a time, one in the construction stages and one in the painting stages. Maybe this will enthuse me and also give me a bit of variety on the bench we shall see!!

The next project is the Vulcan models 1/35th scale British light tank Mk VI B. This has been whispering to me from under the bench for a while and as you know I really like small tanks and vehicles so what the hell lets give it a go.

Let The Grime Begin!

As promised over the last couple of days I have made a start on the weathering. For this model I am trying out the new AK Interactive weathering products and am using the NATO weathering set plus streaking grime. I started off with a general wash of MIG productions neutral wash then used the AK wash. This is quite thick straight out of the bottle so I thinned it down slightly with white spirit and went over the model with a fine brush in recesses and around details.



The wash in the set is a very dark almost black colour which works well on the lighter parts of the tank. The filter was next and again this seems too thick to me so I thinned the first coat very heavily. The second coat went over slightly thicker and only in selected places.







As you can see the filters and washes have darkened the initial paint colours down nicely. I now need to add the decals then I will start adding the streaking grime to the vertical sides of the model.

Fame at Last!!

Well I am now back from Portsmouth but still as busy as ever around the house. The T-90 is now ready fro weathering and I will be starting the process this evening so expect some updates over the next few days.

On a different note I am delighted to announce that my W.M.I.K will feature in the May edition of Tamiya model magazine. This is something I have always aspired to do and to finally be able to contribute to my favourite modelling magazine is something of a dream come true! Slightly sad I know but I don't care!



I am also chuffed that the blog has now had well over 5000 unique visitors and 66 followers. So a big thank you to all my followers and visitors for your support and encouragement during some of my more tiresome builds! The future looks bright for the blog as I will be adding more kit reviews and also some walkarounds of interesting vehicles from my picture collection.