“Open the pod bay doors, please HAL.” I’ve GOT to get one of those someday!

Cue "Also Spracht Zarathustra"!

https://flic.kr/p/RycFGX][/url]EVA-01 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/24GZ8a2][/url]EVA-02 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

OMG, it's finally here!  I have wanted a 2001 EVA pod since watching the movie as a wee lad, so naturally I was over the moon (or should that be Jupiter) when Moebius announced this kit.  But this thing is huge!  Why are US sci-fi kit makers so obsessed with McDonalds Super-Sized Extra Value Meal portions?  Maybe we as a nation are taken by over consumption.  Or is the mold cutting contractor in China unable to cut smaller parts and keep the details, which may actually be a factor.  Anyway, I hee'd and haw'd for some time trying to make up my mind if I was going to spring for a kit that could basically be used as a helmet.  But I am a sucker, so here I am during my lunch break, staring at a big, heavy box.

And now the downward spiral starts.  Shall I buy aftermarket stuff for the kit?  Ummm, may-be, maybe not.  Do I light it?  I think I have to.  Will I buy a $100 lighting kit?  I'll try not to.  This might be a good project to start designing my own lighting systems from scratch.  Someone is aready fitting actual functioning video screens to his kit, but I'm not going there.  Pinkie promise.  Too bad an astronaut figure was not included, although I'm sure the aftermarket people are scrambling to make various versions (seated, standing, and maybe even a Frank Poole figure, post "accident").

Now to sit back and watch the inevitable ambitious modeler (not me!) to start building a complete pod bay with three pods, Frank Poole and Dave Bowman, with working lights and sound.  And maybe even an AE-35 module.

I rember having the Squadron issue that year!  I was 23 and a couple of years before a few freinds and I went the Squadron store in Chicago and bought a load of tank kits and figures. Seeing that issues brings back a lot of great memories.

Picked up some nice items at Half Price Books.  The Squadron catalog I found behind a group of old magazines. Just so happens it’s the issue from 1973, the year I was born. 1/72 scale Airfix kits for $1.50!  The Nick Carter books are a quick read but action packed.  He was James bond before there was James bond. 

What can I say Bruce, I am immensely impressed. That is indeed a sweet fleet.

Oh I’d love to have that Eugen!

Bruce, NICE! Gotta love the Japanese heavies. I built the Eugen a couple years back and it makes into a very nice kit, especialy if you add some PE and wood deck. 

@MM,

I like that Concord too! And those Wallace & Gromit kits look really fun.

@Pat,

The Pick-up Rod looks like a steel!

Stick,

Nice! I got one like that at last years Squadron spring clearance!

As for me, I've been on a 1/350 ship kick

That’s a cool looking rod there Pat.

As for me, yup... it’s an addiction. Squadron had this seriously discounted on clearance as part of their Spring Cleaning sale last week. The wonderful USPS delivered it yesterday...

Lindberg 32 Pickup Rod, 2 for £11.50 off ebay UK. One built and one still in bags. Will try to paint built one whilst thinking of how to further customise the other.

Devil Dawg

 

 

snapdragonxxx

This is now in my grubby little hands:

 

For those who are interested, it is the same kit as their original release with the clear upper hull.

The changes are the following:

The clear sprue that contained the clear upper hull and turret parts is now in standard plastic

There is also a cut away sprue too

This should please both modellers who like to build the interior then hide it or the others who can now build a museum type display kit.

BE WARNED:

I have had chance to look through the instructions. The cutaway sprue is NOT REFERENCED in any way, and the builder must make their own substitutions.

ALSO, some interior parts will have to be altered such as the firewall and the upper hull support behind the driver/radio operator IF you use the cutaway. RFM didn't think about that one!

Still, this promises to produce some fabulous builds but spend time and PLAN your build, especially if using the hull cut out shell.

My dilemma is just how to paint the cut out portion edge red, and when!

Aber have brought out a metal barrel for this:

http://www.aber.net.pl/detal,1481.html

Which I have aquired this morning! 

 

 

 

Hi, James! When building US Navy aircraft, many of them have the edges of the landing gear doors outlined in red. The very easy way to paint them (and your tank's cutaway outlines) is to use a Testors paint marker (I'm sure there are other brands available, as well). These are felt-tipped markers with real enamel paint in them, but they work just like a Sharpie or Magic Marker. Makes it really easy to paint any edge, and you can do it as the last step in your painting.

Hope this info helps! Good Luck on the tank build.

Gary Mason

 

Thanks for this Gary. I shall investigate As I have a particular shade of red in mind

Steve - That's the ex-Heller Kit from 2004. The problem will be finding room for it when it’s built!

Gary - I found those on EBay.  The ultimate find would be the Anti-Pesto panel van from Curse if the Wererabbit!  I also bought this fella which is a combo of the other two. 

I like that Concord 

Mopar Madness

Picked up some Airfix goodies and an old Frog!

Cool!!! I love Wallace & Gromit! Where did you find them?

Gary Mason

snapdragonxxx

This is now in my grubby little hands:

 

For those who are interested, it is the same kit as their original release with the clear upper hull.

The changes are the following:

The clear sprue that contained the clear upper hull and turret parts is now in standard plastic

There is also a cut away sprue too

This should please both modellers who like to build the interior then hide it or the others who can now build a museum type display kit.

BE WARNED:

I have had chance to look through the instructions. The cutaway sprue is NOT REFERENCED in any way, and the builder must make their own substitutions.

ALSO, some interior parts will have to be altered such as the firewall and the upper hull support behind the driver/radio operator IF you use the cutaway. RFM didn't think about that one!

Still, this promises to produce some fabulous builds but spend time and PLAN your build, especially if using the hull cut out shell.

My dilemma is just how to paint the cut out portion edge red, and when!

Aber have brought out a metal barrel for this:

http://www.aber.net.pl/detal,1481.html

Which I have aquired this morning! 

Hi, James! When building US Navy aircraft, many of them have the edges of the landing gear doors outlined in red. The very easy way to paint them (and your tank's cutaway outlines) is to use a Testors paint marker (I'm sure there are other brands available, as well). These are felt-tipped markers with real enamel paint in them, but they work just like a Sharpie or Magic Marker. Makes it really easy to paint any edge, and you can do it as the last step in your painting.

Hope this info helps! Good Luck on the tank build.

Gary Mason

Picked up some Airfix goodies and an old Frog!

That Tie set looks pretty darn cool!

I thought the turret looked familiar, and yes it does. The recent conflicts have brought about an interesting selection of vehiles that make a nice change from the heavy armour.

Bish

Nice little haul there Stik. That M1117 looks interesting, not seen that vehicle before.

 

That it does Bish. It’s an updated version of the Vietnam era Cadillac Gage V-100 armored cars with add on external ceramic armor, and the turret used on later LVTPs/AAVs. To me it looks like it could be in Aliens.

Nice little haul there Stik. That M1117 looks interesting, not seen that vehicle before.

It’s an addiction... I swear it is...

So at IPMS this past Friday, I picked up this little gem for a great price....

and then I picked up this Fujimi 109K with a few goodies (resin cockpit, PE detail set, white metal tail wheel and strut) for trading purposes

since Clint here had picked up this baby, long on my wanted list, and was looking for a trade... Clint, yours is en route, and this beauty arrived the other day

Then a stop by the local Hobby Lobby found this nifty little set... too bad it didn’t come with a second TIE to round out the trio

Well, that’s all for now with my habit...

Snapp, that looks like it will be one sweet looking project! A much better way to show off all of that interior compared to clear upper hull and turret parts.

This is now in my grubby little hands:

For those who are interested, it is the same kit as their original release with the clear upper hull.

The changes are the following:

The clear sprue that contained the clear upper hull and turret parts is now in standard plastic

There is also a cut away sprue too

This should please both modellers who like to build the interior then hide it or the others who can now build a museum type display kit.

BE WARNED:

I have had chance to look through the instructions. The cutaway sprue is NOT REFERENCED in any way, and the builder must make their own substitutions.

ALSO, some interior parts will have to be altered such as the firewall and the upper hull support behind the driver/radio operator IF you use the cutaway. RFM didn't think about that one!

Still, this promises to produce some fabulous builds but spend time and PLAN your build, especially if using the hull cut out shell.

My dilemma is just how to paint the cut out portion edge red, and when!

Aber have brought out a metal barrel for this:

http://www.aber.net.pl/detal,1481.html

Which I have aquired this morning!

https://flic.kr/p/T6onXJ][/url]Chaika-01 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

This isn't my usual thing, but I have harbored a fascination with Polikarpov's ultimate development of it's biplane fighter line since I started buying Model Graphix magazine in the early 1980s.  They had some kind of fixaton with Finnish WW II subjects at the time, so month after month it was Finland-Finland-Finland!  Anyway, after seeing many articles of beautifully tarted up Heller 1/72 kits as well as a full-scale walkaround, I wanted a good kit of this tubby little fighter plane - but it had to be in Finnish markings and have skis!

https://flic.kr/p/24C2bEV][/url]Chaika-06 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

I did get the Heller kit, reboxed by SMER  believe, but it was pretty simple.  I tried to build the 1/48 Classic Airframes kit, but that was before I could tackle multi-media limited run kits.  Now ICM has offered a brand new kit in 1/32 scale.  But it's not some dodgy old-school Eastern European dinosaur that looked like it used hard cheese for the molds, but a thoroughly modern long run injection molded kit.

https://flic.kr/p/24C2bzV][/url]Chaika-07 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

But the old swastika ban rears its head, and so the kit's Finnish national insignia have the trailing "arms" as separate segments.  I know I will just bodge them up and have crazy looking markings, so I got a mask set from Montex, which includes national insignia as well as individual markings.

https://flic.kr/p/24C2bMD][/url]Chaika-03 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

And just to needlessly spend more money, I got an instrument panel from Yahu.

https://flic.kr/p/T6oo19][/url]Chaika-05 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

And on the subject of Model Graphix magazine's "Finland phase", they also had an article of Finnish BMP-1s and T-72s, plus a build of a resin BMP-1.  The splinter camouflage caught my fancy, and so when DML's kit appeared, I bought it and modded it to represent a Finnish vehicle.  The decal sheet even included the serial number of the vehicle featured in the magazine walkaround!

https://flic.kr/p/2faa8Aq][/url]BMP-1 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

DML's BMP-1 has since been superseded by newer kits, so I might have another go at it.  I also have a Tamiya T-72 in the stash, and found a Finnish decal sheet for it!  Oh gosh, that Finland thing is contagious...

Thats a lota armor.

Pick ups from the last couple of months. Got some good decals between ebay and my LHS.

stikpusher

all that was on her deck at that time was a flight of Zeroes. That would be three. And one of those took off... talk about a moment in time... 

Hmmm. You know I like modeling moments in time.

modelcrazy

I orderd the super detail set last night which includes a wood deck for half the asking price off eBay. All I need now is some extra planes (Hase doesn't supply very many) 

 

well, if you model her at Midway in the final moments before Lt Best and the First Division of Bombing Six struck, according to Shattered Sword, all that was on her deck at that time was a flight of Zeroes. That would be three. And one of those took off... talk about a moment in time... 

Again awesome stuff guys!!! 

Steve: That Akagi is amazing! Really looking forward to your Japanese navy GB just to see you build her! And that detail set is the cherry on top of the sunday! 

Armornut: Congrads on your even bigger 1/1 scale pick-up!!! Last new vehicle I had it took me months to try to figure out the radio/MP3 player/GPS system... 

Wow Steve this one looks like a freaking museum masterpiece. Can’t wait to see your majic on this one.