Hobbyboss 1/48th P-47D

As promised work has started on the P-47 and I must say it's a nice looking kit. It only has 44 parts, a one piece canopy and the main wheel struts are integrated with the undercarriage doors. Also the engine detail is moulded in the nose section. Even though this is a simple kit the detail is very nice with some very well rendered panel lines and rivet detail. Of course the purists will not be happy but for a quick and trouble free build you could do a lot worse.

The cockpit is a very easy build and it locates very positively inside the fuselage, a word of caution if you test fit the fuselage halves together they locate VERY well indeed and are a devil to get apart again! The only additions I plan to make are some seat belts for the cockpit, brake cables on the undercarriage and drill out the main gun barrels.

Back In The Mood To Model

After a couple of months with no entries to the blog I am now feeling in the mood to model again. After returning from holiday I felt very much under the weather and had no enthusiasm to do any modelling, so I have been getting on with some essential jobs around the old homestead as well as getting back into the swing of work again! 4 weeks off and it was a shock to the system to be back on 12 hour shifts I can tell you!

Anyway today saw me potter off to the annual IPMS Avon show at Yate near Bristol. This is the first model show I have attended since probably March this year. It was a superb show, plenty of excellent models on display and plenty of mouth watering models to purchase from the various traders. Two kits grabbed my attention and my wallet, a hobbyboss 1/48th P-47D and Sd.Kfz 254 in 1/35th scale.

So to ease myself gently into things I think I will build the Thunderbolt first as it is a very simple kit to build with a low parts count and nothing too complicated to assemble.

In The Wars Again!

Well it's been an eventful few days to say the least! on Saturday morning I had some extreme pains in my stomach so the wife took me to hospital where I was diagnosed with Appendicitis. Subsequently I went under the knife on Monday and had it removed, thankfully via keyhole surgery. To say I had a painful weekend in hospital is an understatement I can assure you. However I am now home recovering and hopefully will get some modelling done once it's comfortable to sit at the bench. It was a bit of a panic as we are off on holiday in two weeks time but I have been assured I should be well enough to enjoy it!

God Save The Queen!

Well it's been a fantastic weekend of celebrations for the Queen's diamond jubilee here in the UK even though the good old British weather has played it's usual hand in the proceedings, yes it rained again! Here in Devizes we have had various street parties and a big music concert on the green yesterday. I popped down for a while and could also hear the music back in the den on returning home.



On the modelling front I am afraid that I seem to have lost interest in the chopper and the tank I am building at the moment. Possibly due to other factors which have got in the way lately so they will be going into the pile of doom until I get the enthusiasm to finish them off! Oh well that's the joys of modelling In suppose, I do find that sometimes if I am not 100% into the build it quickly turns into a chore so for me that's the time to stop.

So for now whilst I rummage through the stash for a suitable model to re ignite my interest I will leave you with a picture of a model I'd rather like to drool over!

Not At The Bench!

Well after my promise of some updates I am afraid I have failed miserably due to the wife going into hospital and then having to look after her once she got home plus the simply superb weather we are currently having here in the UK. Just had to get out in the garden and sort it out! Oh and it's perfect bbq weather too so plenty of beers just had to be drunk!

Should be back on track by the end of the week, I am on a course at the moment running about in the hot sun cooking inside a combined get up of tac vest and body armour, really at my age I should be taking it easy!

Yo Sushi!

Work on the type 90 and the helicopter has been somewhat slow over the last week as I have had many other things to keep me busy but some work has been done. As you would expect the type 90 just flies together with the usual tamiya quality. So far I have only used two or three bits from the eduard etched set. I have however added some handles made from brass rod on the engine decks, these replace the moulded solid kit items. I was surprised by the size of the model, I expected it to be small for some reason but it's of a comparable size to the German leopard tank.

I should be getting some paint on the chopper over the next few days and also painting the newly arrived alpine figure for the GMC so watch this space!

JGSDF Type 90 MBT

Continuing my current two models rule here is the next bit of armour to grace the bench, Tamiya's superb Japanese Type 90 tank. This kit has the ammo loading crew set included plus I have a bit of Eduard etch to chuck at it. It has been in my stash for some time but has recently climbed the heady heights to the top of the "to do" pile! It has been ages since I last built a Tamiya kit so I am looking forwards to this as it's a real beauty.

Halt! Police!

Over the last few days I have been working away on the chopper detailing the seats with tape and plastic card as well as ensuring that everything fits as the locations of most parts are vague at best! The passenger doors are a particularly horrible fit so much so that I have decided to have one side open as the gaps where too big to fill. The glazing has also been test fitted and adjusted for a good fit later on. however the parts count is low and the plastic is very easy to work with. It's now ready fro primer and painting the cockpit.

The GMC is on hold at the moment while I wait for a figure to arrive and work out a diorama for the model. I will be adding the final stages of weathering once I have decided on the base.

More Features Added

I have now added a very useful feature to the blog, Google's translator. You will find this on the right under the blog archives.
Hopefully this will be of benefit to those of you who have difficulty understanding the drivel that I write!
Pete

Esci 1/48th BO-105 Police Helicopter

Here is the next build on the bench, ESCI's BO-105 police helicopter. This was a recent bargain purchase from ebay and considering the kits age, it was produced in 1983, it has stood up to the test of time well. The decals are still in excellent nick and the kit on the whole looks very nice indeed.

This is not my usual cup of tea as it's a rather clean finish, something I tend to shy away from but it's such an interesting subject I will attempt to do my best! The cockpit will get some enhancements I suspect and maybe a few more tweaks will be administered here and there but overall it will just be a fun build.

Vickers Light Tank Finished

The Vickers has now been completed with just a light dusting of tamiya earth followed by MIG pigments. The base was sprayed in various earth and grass tones then the weeds where picked out in different greens. Finally the base had a dusting of pigments and the water was simulated using tamiya clear.

This has been a thoroughly enjoyable project, the kit is a real gem and is simple to construct too.

Vickers Tank Base

The last couple of days have seen me working on the base for the Vickers. I decided to slightly elevate the base for this model and incorporate a small ditch at the front. For this I cut some dense foam board and then edged it with plastic card. I then added some polyfilla mixed with acrylic paint and white glue and spread this over the base. Finally some fine sand and stones where added.

The weeds are carved stretched sprune and the reed type plants are Kamizukuri paper items. I plan to have the reeds edging the ditch with a hint of water at the bottom of it.

Once the base has dried I will be adding some static grass then spraying in earth and grass tones.

Tour de Force

Well I am certainly surging ahead on this one, good job really as I am running out of suitable French phrases! The model has had a few more dark pin washes added then once dry a matt coat. Today I have added the spare barrel, windscreen, spare fuel cans, front grill and spare wheel plus painted the lights and added some lenses to the front lights. I have also gone over the model and added metallic wear to selected areas using graphite powder. I am very pleased with the variation in tone on the model thus far. Next is my favourite stage adding some dust and mud.

Avant garde

The GMC is coming along nicely and I have added some micro chipping with a fine sponge as well as pin washes and a couple of filters. All the stowage has also been painted using various vallejo colours. The wooden portions of the model have toned down considerably. Further washes and some oil fading are next on the cards as well as painting some more stowage for the vehicle.

Resistance is Futile!

Well I tried to resist honestly but I just could not help myself and went and bought the new Airfix 1/48th Lynx. I know I am weak but it's yet another model I have always wanted to build. The BO-105 was an ebay bargain I just could not pass up so there you have it, two more kits for the ever growing stash!

Big And Small Part 2

Both models are progressing nicely and I am especially pleased with the Vickers. I have added some very subtle pin washes and oil fading of the paint work. Not too much as I find that on really small vehicles the initial colour scheme can be lost under subsequent layers of weathering. It's now had a matt coat and will be finished off with a dusting of tamiya mud and buff then some pigments. The figure has been painted with vallejo colours khaki with a drop of Japanese tank crew colour added.

The GMC has now had the decals added, I used a spare allied star for the bonnet as none are provided in the kit. I have also started painting the stowage in various shades.

Next I will be going over the model with a sponge adding some micro chipping and toning down the chipped wooden deck.