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

ICM 1/35 Fordson WOT6 truck

I actually built this kit a couple of months ago but forgot to put a link to the build review I did for The Modelling News so here it is;

The Modelling News

In the review I couldn't understand why ICM had the starting handle attached to the front of the chassis plus it was too short. I extended it with 1mm dia. polystyrene rod, glued it into place and forgot all about until I visited the Shuttleworth Collection, Bedfordshire here in the UK a couple of weeks ago.
The collection has a Fordson WOT and while looking at it I noticed that the starting handle was attached to the front of the chassis so ICM had it right. The handle has a spring on the shaft so obviously you push the handle in, crank the engine and when it starts the handle disengages via the spring.
Obviously this needed attention on the model so I removed the handle, made a new shaft then using fine fuse wire (the 5 amp stuff) I wrapped it around the shaft then glued it all into place.
Not a big deal I know but it was bugging me that I made this error. Anyway here's the before and after pics

Just goes to show you learn something every day.

It's been awhile....

Owing to a major change in my life I've been away from the model bench since December when the last post I made was about the Poste Militaire hussar.
In a nut shell I separated from my wife and moved into a new home along with my new partner so the model making had taken a back seat, however I was recently asked to do a build review for The Modelling News of the new ICM 1/35 British Fordson WOT 6 truck hence this post.
You'll be able to read more when I finish the build but so far it has been quite enjoyable with only a couple of minor issues to deal with.
This is where I am at so far;

This will be built straight out of the box to show what you get for your money

Poste Militaire 90mm trumpeter, 13th regiment of Hussars, Jerome Napoleon

The model is almost at the cleaning and priming stage as after some thought and research I managed to figure out where the reins go as the instructions are very poor. The head and pelisse have been mounted on brass rods so that they can be handled while painting, I just need to do the same for the horse and figure;

The horses tail needed some attention as the attachment point for when it came out of the mould left a blank spot so I used the end of an old compass to rescribe the detail;

As stated before figuring out the reins was difficult due to the poor instructions but with the help of a Histoire & Collections book about Officers and Soldiers of the French Hussars and some careful studying of the instructions I finally understood where the reins fitted;

This has been quite interesting to put together and I can see why my neighbour gave up on it as it is a pretty involved subject. You do have two options in the kit, one of them being a trooper carrying a carbine rifle but looking at the references the emblem on the sabretache is different so I've gone for the trumpeter.
I don't suppose it would be that hard to convert the sabretache but I'll stick with what is supplied.
After the horse and figure are mounted on brass rods I can give the model a clean then when dry get a primer coat on it. Even when partially assembled this is quite an impressive piece, measuring some 7 inches (18cm) in height;

I'm quite looking forward to painting this one!

Edit; I was wondering how to fix the horse to something so that I could paint it when I remembered this stand I bought from Jon Page at Sphere Products a couple of years ago;

Ideal!

Poste Militaire 90mm trumpeter, 13th regiment of Hussars, Jerome Napoleon

I was given this kit a few years ago as a neighbour of mine was having a clear out and was going to throw it away.
He asked me if I wanted it and of course I said yes and gave it a new home.
A couple of weeks ago during the process of moving out of my home of 31 years due to a separation with my wife, I was having a sort out myself when I found this kit in the stash and decided that once I had settled into my new place I would give it a go.
Anyhow I've been messing around with it, most of my time being spent trying to understand the photocopied instructions but this is where I am at the moment (the horse had been assembled by my neighbour). It's coming together VERY slowly and will be a long term project.

In the second pic I filled the joint on the saddle with Revell model filler then dabbed it with liquid glue to try and blend it into the detail. 

Quite how far I will get with it is another matter as it will be a long term project that I will come back to. Considering the age of the kit (1984) the metal is in good condition with no sign of the 'pitting' that you can get with white metal. 

Life Miniatures WW2 German King Tiger Commander

After the recent Scale Model Challenge show in Eindhoven I was inspired to start painting this bust again seeing that I hadn't touched it for nearly a year.
I finished the head (apart from the cables for the throat mic and headphones) and have started on the rest of the bust, beginning with the shirt and Iron Cross.

I'm quite happy with the results so far!