Back At The Bench

Well I am finally back home and am currently sorting out a few bits around the house as well as trying to get some rest. Should be back working on the WMIK next week so watch out for more updates. I must say I am enjoying the rugby world cup at the moment. For me the best game so far was Australia versus Ireland a really exiting game and a well deserved win for Ireland.

Absolutely No Progress!

Well there has been absolutely no progress on the model over the last week as I have been running around like a headless chicken sorting out everything which needs to be done before I go away. I really shouldn't have left these jobs until the last minute!
I still have the joy of sorting out all my kit and packing yet which should be fun!



However I have been checking out all the new releases which are due and must say I think we are in for a great year. My particular favourite is Vulcan models British Light Tank Mark VI B which looks a stunner. Never thought I would see this in plastic. Also of interest is a new company, Meng models new début release Pickup w/ZPU-1. Very handy for loads of modern dioramas. I am also keen to see what the new Italeri Hurricane Mk1 is going to be like, hopefully it will be as good as the near impossible to find Hasegawa version as I am keen to add a battle of Britain version to my collection.

Construction Complete?

I have now finished building the .50 cal and the GPMG and I have also added the rifle rack from the Legend set plus a couple of other improvements. Hopefully that is all for the construction stage of the project.











Now I really need to clean up the modelling room before I do anything like priming as it's a total dump! Updates may be somewhat delayed over the next couple of months as I am away with work and as far as I am aware there is no internet access where I am heading. A right pain but I am sure I will have to cope somehow!

Back At It

Well after a little break for my holidays(to a very sunny Greece) I have started up on the model again. I have added some superb DEF Model resin wheels and started on the weapons using the Legends detailing set. I found this set so far to be a total pain suffering from poor instructions and warping of the resin parts. I get the impression this was rushed out by Legend as it is defiantly NOT their usual quality product.

Minor Tweaks

I have been adding a few minor tweaks to the kit in the shape of seat belts and the mount for the spare wheel plus a few bolt heads here and there. Not much else I can do now until my goodies arrive.



I have also been going through my accessories for stowage. I have decided to save the legend stuff for a later WMIK and try and use equipment more suitable for the earlier period I am building. Obviously the stowage situation is subject to change!



Now the dilemma is do I start something else whilst waiting for the extras or sit on my hands and wait?

Radio GaGa

I have now finished fitting the clansman radio and associated wiring. At times this almost sent me gaga trying to find info on WMIK clansman fitting so in the end I had to settle for my best guess. Probably not 100% accurate but if I spent any more time on this I would never get the model finished! Sometimes you just have to compromise.







Also added some extra details to the driver and commanders seats which again are the legend items. Now I am just waiting on the legends weapons update set,DEF resin wheels and some accurate armour ammo boxes to finish off the construction stage of the model.

Delightful Defender

More work for you this time I have completed the TUAAM box,added the radio table in the rear and made a start on the seats and made some other improvements.









The biggest surprise was actually finding a clansman radio in the spares box whilst rooting through it for suitable parts to make a radio. It's an old accurate armour item from their ferret kit. As an added bonus it's even the correct radio I need, to say I was pleased would be an understatement!



I have also been looking at the kit ammo boxes and will be replacing them with a mixture of resin and plastic items. The kit boxes look too small to my eyes plus they have some horrible join lines which look a bugger to get rid of. The tan coloured boxes are the kit supplied items in the pictures below.

The Devil's In The Details

Yesterday saw me working away on the engine bay adding extra cables and other components to help busy up the engine bay. I also added some extra details to the engine and made a start on the TUAAM box using plastic card.

Wolfs Clothing

Here is some progress for you, I have now glued the side panels and front wings onto the body and added all the bits to the chassis but not glued the radiator housing,engine or anything else at the moment. The fit is very good indeed apart from the front bumper which comes in two parts and even when glued together is very fragile. I managed to snap mine in half whilst cleaning out the towing recess. Why it's not just a single part I do not know.

The rear stowage bin is a thing of beauty, the etch fitted like a dream. The bonnet has had some bolts added to the underside and I will be using the legend bonnet basket too. I will be adding extra detail to the engine bay over the next few days.

Hobbyboss Defender XD Wolf WMIK

Next on the bench is the hobbyboss WMIK, a superb kit with some fantastic detail.



As you can see I have the legend stowage set as well and will use some elements from this as well as Accurate Armour items on the build. The plan is to build an early version fitted with Clansman radios and set on Salisbury plain or Iraq. Just can't decide yet! Some corrections are needed particularly the TUAAM boxes and bases on the wings for an accurate clansman fit.

It's been quite a while since I built any modern British armour so I am looking forwards to seeing how the kit goes. First steps are building the engine and this is a very nice item. Extras have been added including a new extra alternator which is fitted to vehicles which are fitted for radio (FFR) made from the kit sprue. Not 100% but will pass inspection.









I think the hardest part of the build will be trying to find decent pictures of the actual radios in situ on the vehicle, seems like the holy grail of WMIK at the moment as I have found very little to help me build them. Oh well that's the joys of modelling!

Soviet Sword

Finished off the sub over the weekend very pleased with it even with the rather brittle decals.

Dodgy Decals

What is it with me and decals? I seem to have nothing but trouble with them lately. The decals in the kit are decidedly dodgy in that they are extremely brittle. I managed to knacker two of the flags before resorting to dipping the decals in klear before applying. However the rest went on fine in the end. I think next time I would spray the white pin stripe around the hull and mask much easier than adding the decals.





The base was sprayed gloss back allowed to dry then cut back and then polished. The plaque was sprayed with the base colour then sanded back with a fine sanding stick so that the colour stayed in the lettering then polished and attached with double sided tape.



I have also painted up a few tamiya figures to add to the model.

Awesome Akula

The sub is now assembled, quite a bit of sanding was required for the upper and lower joint line but only a small amount of filler was needed. Unfortunately I had to re scribe the torpedo doors which was not the easiest of tasks! However they look pretty reasonable. The periscopes and assorted bits have all been sprayed with alclad chrome and finished off with vallejo colours. I have also painted the model using tamiya acrylics namely hull red and a mix of german grey and NATO black for the upper surfaces, pictures will be up soon.









So far a very easy and enjoyable build and quick too!