Starfighter painting started

YAY! I've managed to get some paint on it the other day starting with light grey for the underside and I've just finished masking it off today so that I can do the upper surface colours. The paints being used for this model will all be from the Mr Hobby range but what exactly I'll use for varnish is another thing as I still had problems with the stuff frosting.
The favourite at the moment is Winsor and Newton with matt and gloss from the Galeria acrylic range although I will be doing some tests first on an old model. The matt varnish needs a couple of coats and works well but I've yet to try the gloss, having said that I received a bottle of the new Humbrol Clear varnish for review (which is VERY similar to Johnsons Kleer) and initial tests with that were very good.

Meanwhile.....

While the EBR-11 is drying out after a bath I refilled the rivets that had been missed on the 1/48 H/gawa F-104. I find that using Mr Surfacer on a primed surface then giving it a rub down with wet and dry after works pretty well as putting it on bare plastic tends to wash out some of the stuff when using a cotton bud and IPA.
Anyway the model is looking a bit distressed at this point but I'll give it another blast of Halfords Plastic Primer this week and it SHOULD be ready for some paint (that's if the bloody weather warms up here in the UK first).

Hobbyboss 1/35 French EBR-11 built

I've just finished the build so here's a couple of pics;

It just needs a wash to get rid of dust and grease then I can get some paint on it.

New photographic background

I recently got this new background from Calumet so here's a couple of test pictures;

It is a Cobalt Cloud Graduated PVC Background and is available from www.calumetphoto.co.uk. It does make the final image look better but it marks VERY easily so if you get one be careful. Also I don't know whether it is suitable for magazine work as designers prefer a single colour but for general use and for my blog it's perfect.

F-104 update

Finally for today (told you I had been busy) we've had a break in the weather (finally) so I've been able to get a primer coat on the F-104 at last using Halfords rattle can Plastic Primer. It still needs some bits filling in as Hasegawa saw fit to mould loads of rivets into the fuselage and wings and although I filled them in with Mr Surfacer some are still showing so it'll take longer to finish. Still it's getting there as they say :o)

Hobbyboss 1/35 French EBR-11 armoured car

This kit dropped through the door along with five others, again all for review and although French armour is'nt my area of interest I was putting the turret together for measurement purposes and before you knew it I had a half-built model on the bench (yes another one). Again Hobbyboss have done a decent job of it and obviously it will need tweaking but basically it's a good kit. Keep looking in Model Military International (possibly issue 85) for a full review in a couple of months time;

I've been busy

While waiting for a break in the UK weather so that I could undercoat the F-104C I started the Masterbox 1/35 kit of the Mercedes Type 170VK Radio Car;

I reviewed the kit for Model Military Int'l mag a couple of months ago and was quite taken with the model so I'm building it straight from the box. The only things I've added so far are a folded roof on the back from tissue paper, various grab handles from copper wire, and a new holder for the shovel on the front wing. I'll be making a cover for the windscreen from Milliput as the frame broke into a couple of pieces.
On the whole it's a nice little kit with good detail but talk about FRAGILE! Cutting parts off the sprues was 'interesting' to say the least and along with the windscreen I broke a couple of other bits too.