Wessex Review

Having now had a few hours of drooling over the kit parts I will now divulge my humble assessment for you.
The first thing of note is that Italeri has the aircraft designation wrong, it should actually be "HU.5" not "UH" as shown on the box. I believe that the "UH" designation is actually for US aircraft.
The model is moulded in a light grey plastic and comes on five sprunes plus a fret of photo etch and some mesh. The decals are very well printed and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. The clear parts are blemish free and look very easy to mask. The cockpit part has some nice raised rivet detail on the frame too.

Moving onto the "D" sprunes and here we have some excellent rotor blades, each one has been cast with the correct droop in them. The main wheels have flat spots as does the tail wheel and these look just right.

The main fuselage halves have some very nice details such as panel lines and rivet detail. Some of the horizontal panel lines look a little soft but nothing a quick pass with a scriber won't sort out. The cockpit and cargo areas look nicely done and are a good starting point if you want to add more detail but would look fine as they are.

The nose section on sprune B is very nicely done with plenty of details on the parts.The etched fret has seat belts, and instrument panel and various grills for placement on the fuselage and the sheet of nylon mesh is for the nose intake. However I would replace this with some suitable brass mesh.

Markings wise there are four options to choose from,
"A" Royal Navy No874 squadron Falklands 1982
"B" Royal Air Force No84 squadron Akrotiri Cyprus 1987
"C" Royal Navy No771 squadron Culdrose 1987
"D" Royal Navy RAE Farnborough 1982

I think it's great to see an all new model of the venerable Wessex and am very impressed with the kit. The drooping blades, weighted wheels and the ease of the assembly are all plus points for me as well as the very reasonable price, £25.99 here in the UK. Out of the box you will have a very nice looking model, with a small amount of detailing you will have a stunner.

No doubt the after-market boys will go to town offering all sorts of upgrades and improvements in the near future but to be honest I don't think the kit needs that much. Just a few wires and cables especially around the landing wheel struts and a few more knobs and buttons in the cockpit to busy it up are all that's required should you feel the need. I personally can't wait and will be starting the kit soon! Once I have trawled the web for suitable pictures and info that is.

Italeri 1/48th Wessex UH.5

Oh god I've bought another model! this time it's Italeri's new Wessex. I only went to the local hobby store for some paints but saw this and before you could say "I have to many kits already" it was in the bag!

A quick dribble over the kit contents revels a very nice looking model. I will be posting a more in depth review later at some point. I think this is going to the top of the pile as it looks so cool and I have not seen many built up.

Seriously On A Roll

Three posts in a day! good grief something is bound to go wrong soon. The main construction of the 254 is now finished and as predicted it was a very quick and painless process. A few improvements where made but nothing too taxing.

I used a bit of Mr surfacer here and there and added some texture to the exhaust. For such a complex kit there where no real problems and the build was a complete joy. So the model will be off for a bath later so expect the painting stages soon!

Mirror models Chevrolet C15TA Armoured carrier

Here is a new manufacturer which has caught my eye, Mirror Models will soon be releasing two very interesting vehicles, the CMP Chevrolet C15TA armoured carrier and a C15TA with a truck body. Both highly innovative and interesting subjects. I am very interested in the armoured carrier as I can just visualise the model festooned with kit!

Check out their web site for more details and pictures, Mirror Models The test shots look excellent and should make up into a superb model. You can purchase direct from Mirror models and for the very reasonable price of 43 Euro(about £35) which includes postage I have ordered one for myself!

Tracks Finished!

I knuckled down last night and finished the right side track run and again managed to get a nice tight run. I have also opted for wheels up on the model and fixed the rear axle in position but left the front axles loose at this stage. It makes it easier to fit the tracks later on.

as you can see I have also started to add the hull fixtures. Parts B4 & B31 the engine hatches need some sanding down on the undersides as they stand too proud of the hull. Also part B5 the side hull hatch is not a good fit. I had to add a piece of plastic card behind it to close up an annoying gap. I also replaced etched part PE-26 with a plastic card item as the etched part just did not fit.

Construction should be swift now as there are not many more parts to add.

Testing Tracks!

Well I have now completed one side's worth of track. It took me an age to get the correct tension without any sag! It really tried my patience. However I now know that it's better to start from the top and allow each section to dry off for about an hour. Then on the final links use a few drops of super-glue to ensure a solid bond.

As the drive sprocket is loose I can remove the tracks with care and paint & weather off the vehicle. Only the other side to do now!!

Here is a picture of Buck after a hard days scrounging and being fed tasty morsels on Saturday during our annual family BBQ. The weather for once was fabulous and I must say I did drink far to much pimms and beer!

Tiny Tracks!

With the suspension units added to the hull I am now working away on the tracks, as you can see they are really small and fiddly to assemble. They also require a fair bit of clean up with three attachment points to cut then each track needs a pass of a file. A very time consuming task as individual track links have never been my favourite!

I plan to build the tracks in top and bottom runs so on the model I have glued the rear idler in place but left the drive sprocket loose (the rear idler is not a very positive fit) This helps in securing the track run to the model with some tape whilst it's drying.

The instructions show 127 links per side so we will see if that is the case. So far I haven't lost any links to the carpet monster! The wheel units look very nice once on the hull and the whole thing looks very complex. The tyres are also smashing with a lovely tread pattern. I just have to decide on wheels up or wheels down.

Hobbyboss 1/35th Sd.Kfz 254 Tracked Scout Car

On to the next project and yes it's another Hobbyboss kit, this time something slightly more complex. The Sd.Kfz 254 is a vehicle I have always though extremely quirky so obviously it has to have a place on my bench! I believe that a resin kit was produced many years ago but at the time it was well out of my league due to the high cost involved.

The actual size of the model is tiny so it's right up my street!

Construction starts with the wheels which are simple to build up. Here I deviated from the instructions and glued the main hull components together as I wanted to ensure a proper fit. I had to add a small shim of plastic to the rear hull section as there was a slight gap. The hull parts have some very nice weld details too.

P-47D Thunderbolt Done!

Well my first model in some months is now finished. In the end I liked the clean look so did not add too much wear and tear. The build has been a lot of fun even though the kit is quite simple the end result is very pleasing.

Bolt From The Blue

Well I must say the thunderbolt has been an absolute joy to build and paint. Last night saw the decals go on and today I added a small bit of staining using thinned tamiya smoke as well as a panel wash using pro modellers dark weathering wash. Next a coat of matt varnish and I have now started to add some weathering in the form of pigments.

All that's needed now to finish her off is some light chipping and a re paint of the canopy as my first attempt was not very tidy! I also need to paint the navigation lights.

s

As you can see in the pictures the panel wash has shown off all the lovely panel lines and subtle details, I really think it's the biz.

Thunderbolt Progress & A Weekend Away!

The main painting is now completed on the Thunderbolt, I went over the grey areas with a slightly lightened mix of the base coat to help pop out the panels. The invasion strips and the red portions came out better than expected and really set off the model.

I have also been away for a long weekend to Bruges,Belgium and a great time was had by all with plenty of beer and chocolate consumed! As luck would have it the festival of the golden tree was taking place during the weekend and we witnessed a fabulous parade on Sunday afternoon. I even found two model shops which was a bonus!

Thumping Thunderbolt!

I'm pleased to say progress has been very swift on the thunderbolt, so quick in fact that I am now at the painting stage! My plan to drill out the machine gun barrels failed due to the very soft nature of the plastic so I used some of my dwindling supply of minimecca tubing. Looks just the job. I did not bother in the end to add brake lines to the undercarriage.

Paint wise I went for tamiya colours which are XF82 RAF ocean grey, XF81 RAF dark green and for the undersides XF20 medium grey. I have also sprayed D day invasion stripes and a red nose and tail on the model. I need to do a bit more work on the camo at the moment probably by going back over with a lighter mix of the grey on the upper surfaces as at the moment it looks far to clean!