Takom 1/35 Bergepanther

I had some bench time yesterday so I tried to get the model finished as it has been sitting in a box for months. Unfortunately I managed to mess up the weathering and to me the model looks awful so it's going into another box and out of sight.
I may rework it at some point but I'm done with it for the time being. Funny thing is I used the exact same weathering powders on the Miniart T-55 and that was fine, this time around it looks dreadful. Oh well....

Takom 1/35 Bergepanther

I decided to paint the spade at the rear a different way so I sprayed it with Vallejo Metal Colour 77.712 Steel. After decanting some hairspray from the can the spade was sprayed with it using an old Badger 200;

I mixed up my own primer red using Tamiya XF-7 with a few drops of XF-9 Hull Red thrown in then the spade was sprayed;

When dry I chipped away the paint using a stiff nylon brush and water;

After using a hair dryer to dry it off,  the spade was coated with hair spray once again then the dark yellow base coat was sprayed over it and left to dry.

Once dry it was chipped off using the same method as before and at the moment it looks like this;

After the weathering process I'll be going over the bare metal with powdered graphite to polish it up a bit but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

The model will receive a coat of gloss varnish prior to weathering as I find washes run better on a shiny surface. 

Takom 1/35 Bergepanther

This was built in 2018 for The Modelling News and although I meant to finish the model, it was shelved while I was sorting my life and new home out.
After finishing the Miniart T-55 over the 2018 Christmas period I've decided to try and get this one finished as it really is too good a kit to languish on the Shelf-of-Doom. The interior was masked off first using strips of paper and tape then the model spray coated with Games Workshop Chaos Black (my favourite primer) and left to dry.
Tonight the model was sprayed with Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow and after I get around to spraying the tracks with a black/brown mix it will recieve a coat of gloss varnish. It's quite an involved model so it took a while to completely spray it but at least it's started.

Hopefully it will get finished this year.

Miniart 1/35 T-55A Mod 1965 finished

After building the model for The Modelling News a year or so ago I've finally got around to finishing it today so here you go;

I still think this is one of the best T-55's available. It's not without a couple of issues which I covered in my build review for The Modelling News ;

The Modelling News. T-55 build review (pt1)

But the detail for an injection moulded kit is very impressive and it certainly outclasses the Tamiya kit (and that was a good kit). Price-wise the Tamiya kit is maybe a bit cheaper but by the time you get all the aftermarket to bring it up to standard, you may as well buy the Miniart one. 

Life Miniatures German King Tiger commander finished.

After nearly three years I decided to get this one done so here it is;

I can't say I'm that happy with it but I did learn a few things along the way and at least it's finished. Apart from the basecoat of Games Workshop Chaos Black the bust was painted entirely with Vallejo acrylics. The winter side of the reversible parka was painted with a medium grey with washes of a thin off-white over the top, with hindsight I should have used a lighter grey for the basecoat but you live and learn.

Old school modelling; Hasegawa 1/48 F-14A

I was going to put this kit up for sale a few months ago but my girlfriend took it out of the pile and asked if I could build it for her.
I've made a start on it with the intention of building it straight from the box, however looking at the nav lights supplied in the kit I thought I would use an 'old-school' technique to improve them.
Using red and green transparent toothbrushes I cut a small block off each and glued these in their relevant positions using superglue. When set they were sanded to shape then using a ladies nail buffer they were polished up. As you can see it's a huge improvement as kit supplied nav lights rarely fit well.
It's not my idea but I felt it worth passing on, just remember to check references as to whether the aircraft you are building has coloured nav light covers.

ICM 1/35 Fordson WOT6 truck

Recently one of my modelling friends posted a link on Facebook to MacOne models in Spain who had just released a set of resin wheels  (MAC35607) for the ICM kit.
As I dislike vinyl tyres (and tracks) in kits I ordered some to see what they are like and within days they arrived. First impressions are pretty good;

The tyres are 'sagged' at the bottom but it is not overdone, more importantly MacOne have included the lettering on the sidewall of each tyre.
Removal from the casting block was done with a razor saw and clean up was minimal, all I had to do was dig out the tread pattern with a craft knife where the casting block attached.
Comparing them side by side the resin parts are slightly wider and the tread pattern better defined;

All you have to do is add the centre hubs from the kit to the resin wheels, drill out the rear wheels for the axle (or just remove the axle altogether and glue directly to the brake discs) and fix them in place.
I was concerned that the resin wheels may have been copied from the kit but with the difference in width and tread pattern then I'm happy with them.
These look far better than the kit items so I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Go to their website for more info;

www.maconemodels.com