IPMS Belgium Plastic & Steel Show 11th 12th October

After a three year absence we again made the journey to Belgium for the IPMS Belgium Plastic & Steel show.

This year it was held at the GC Klein Boom in Putte. A new venue and one I think worked extremely well. So after a drive up the E40 and a rather busy and cautious drive around Brussels we arrived at the venue for our usual Friday afternoon set up. 

As ever we were warmly greeted by Erwin and the rest of the hard working IPMS chaps. One thing I noticed straight away was that the venue had much more parking than Affligem the previous venue. The main hall was very well lit and everything was spaced out really well. So after a quick set up it was onto our hotel and a new city to explore. Just down the road, about half an hour away is the beautiful city of Mechelen. We stayed at the brewery, Het Anker which has a hotel as well. 

We were pre-warned as well by the hotel that the weekend also included a beer festival! So all checked in we explored the delights of some rather strong Belgian beers. Saturday morning saw the start of the show and doors opened at 1000 hrs. We then enjoyed the various club stands and the retail opportunities. Our good friend Guy from the Modellers Haven Online forum also arrived with his superb M18 Hellcat diorama for the competition. It was great to catch up again with him and enjoy a nice beer as well.

As ever the standard of the models on display was amazing with so many varied subjects. The competition tables attracted some stunning works as well. Another cool feature of the show was a working replica of a Lanchester armoured car in the hall and a selection of Minervas displayed at the entrance to the show. 

We were busy at the stand both days and it was great to meet old friends after so long. Sunday was again a busy day with the competition prizes awarded later in the day and those last minute purchases to make. Tired but happy we retired to the hotel for a well-earned beer and a very nice meal in the hotel's brassiere.

A big thank you must go to IPMS Belgium for all their hard work organising the show and for welcoming us so warmly. We will be back next year with any luck. 

Panzer I Decals

Decals now on such as they are. I went for the France 1940 option. Hopefully getting some washes and filters down soon.

Panzer I Paintwork

After giving the model a good primer coat using Mr surfacer black I then went over the model with tamiya XF 63 German grey followed by lighter coats using XF 82 ocean grey 2 & XF 2 flat white. I only added some very subtle lighter effects as I felt too much on such a small model would overwhelm it. 

Once happy the detail painting was done using various vallejo colours. Finally a satin varnish to seal it all followed by a blast of gloss where the decals are to be placed and it's now ready for decals once cured. 

Tamiya Panzer I Ausf B

To ease myself back into some modelling and not really wanting to do any work on the Abrams or Sherman builds I decided to have a go at something easy and quick. Tamiya's lovely panzer I ausf B fits the bill perfectly being very easy to build. So easy in fact I've finished the construction in two days!

The only addition was some electrical wiring to the two front lights using lead wire. I really enjoyed building this tiny little kit and think I'll enjoy painting and weathering it even more. Who knows I may even get it finished before Belgium.

Seriously AWOL!

Well nothing since the end of July and I'm afraid life has just been far too hectic and busy since then to get any modelling done. First up was a very nice family holiday to Greece with the grandkids which kept me busy for the week! 

Then once back home a combination of work and a few important projects and improvements to the house took over all my focus and energies. These are ongoing but work will be starting next month on most of them. 

Finally another holiday, but two days before going I managed to slice my finger very badly whilst preparing for a family bbq! Lots of steri-strips and dressings had to be used and I was in some distress I can tell you. So at the moment the finger is still healing although nicely it's difficult to do anything at the bench. So I'm just preparing and planning for our Belgium trip next month.  

My plan to get the Abrams ready for Belgium has been well and truly scuppered but such is life. 

Sherman M4A1 Mid O/D Fading

Some work on the sherman today and the usual method of adding tamiya XF 15 flat flesh to the olive drab to add some paint fading to the model. Not too much but enough on this one to add a bit of variation. 

Aussie Abrams Figures

Well after some fettling I've got the figures in poses I'm happy with and a test fit in the turret looks good. They now need a bit of putty work to blend everything together before painting. I've also been working on stowage so that can all get painted at the same time. 

  

Finally Some Progress!

With the temperature now dropped to more comfortable levels I have finally got some paint on the Sherman. The initial OD being Gunze Aqueous H52 olive drab 1. this will get some fading next but first I need to decide on which colour scheme to paint. I do like the OD and desert yellow pattern but am not too sure that the lower hull and running gear would be yellow. Further research needs to be done. 

Now some work on a couple of figures I have bought for the Aussie Abrams. These are black dog figures and are pretty much the only option for modern Australian tank crew. The casing is not the best and some work will need to be done to adjust the arms to suit my purposes. Likewise new heads are on the way as the ones supplied look awful. Perhaps I should have just used some US figures but I've got these now so will have a go at sorting them out. 

Airfix alvis FV622 Stalwart Mk.2 Review

I've just received the much anticipated Airfix Stalwart and after a good look have done a quick review on on the kit. You will find it in the reviews section on the main blog page.