Lend-Lease GB (1/1/09-7/1/09)

Today I went to LHS, and stocked up on the paints I need to actually start and finish all the builds I have planned for this year. Spent about $20.00 on paints, but there was no way around it. I also decided to head to Hobby Lobby, picked up a new brush at 50% off. So all and all, today wasn't such a bad day, just a bit rough on the wallet.

Thanks to my trip to the LHS, I was able to start paintin' my scout car, will try to get pics up soon.

Hey mg.mikael, I think it was Hobby Lobby, not Michaels that had the 50% of on brushes. I don't get out to Hobby shops often, and since my LHS closed most of my wallet wounding occurs online. Anyway managed to make a go of the Buffalo. Not really much to show. The fuselage halves were joined together and sanded BB smooth, rescribed a few panel lines. Added a harness to the pilots seat. The Beer Barrel construction has officially began.

 Mobious

Since I was able to get my paints, I was able to start painting. YAY!

Using ModelMaster Acrylic Olive Drab, and as you can see the base coat is applied on the lower structure of the vehicle. Hope to start painting the muffler soon, and putting in the suspension later today.

The tires have ben masked off with silly putty. So now I can start painting the rubber part of the wheel. Will be using Floquil enamel Weathered Black for the rubber.

All comments/questions welcome!

Hey mg.mikael, that's an interesting way to mask the wheels. looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

 Mo

Ooops, for some reason I have a double post here.

After a very busy year of modeling in '08, I needed a little time away from the work bench at the start of '09 but today (MLK day) I found myself home alone (no wife, no daughter) so ... I began working on my Buffalo for this GB.

This is a tiny little bird for 1/48 (I knew it would be far smaller than most WWII warbirds in this scale, but I must admit I was a little surprised at just how much smaller than, say, a P-47 this Buffalo really was).  There's not much in the cockpit, and that's not to say this mold is like an old Monogram kit - there just was not much in there.  I painted the entire interior, applied a wash, put the kit IP decals in place, and buttoned up the fuselage.  (All while beginning work on a P-36 for another GB).

 Nice work Aggieman, the pit looks good. The decals look great. I see your building the Buffalo in service of her majesties armed forces. Aside from the fact it's the "Pacific" Buffalo, it would have been nice for Tamiya to include decals for the Finnish Buffalo's, where they enjoyed a markedly better combat record during the Winter War and the Continuation War. One thing I thought was kinda cool were the Hurricanes also in service with the Finns.

 Mobious

That's some seriously good work there, fellas! mg, I like that masking technique for the wheels, and if I ever get dragged back to the dark side, I'll have to give it a go. Aggieman, excellent job on the office! - nicely weathered but not overdone. The detail still looks crisp and well defined.

The 'pit on my 'cobra is done and I was all set to take some pics tonight so I could continue on with the build, but I'll have to wait until the camera battery is fully charged.

OK guys - as promised, here's a few pics to let you know where I'm at. I'm loving this kit so far. Great fit, and the detail is exceptional. The only thing I added to the 'pit was an Ultracast resin seat - the rest is OOB. The cylinder and small rectangular box above the nose gear are for ballast. They are hollow, filled with tungsten powder to keep her sitting right. The doors are only taped in place for the pics. They'll be open for the completed build. Comments (on anything other than my total lack of photographic prowess ) are encouraged.

[

 Very well executed, impressive and top notch. The cockpit looks the business 

 Mobious

ruddratt, your build looks stunning so far!! Just plain stunning, now I'm anxious to see more pics.

Pavlvs - I *may* join you with a ship, which are my first love....  Really look forward to your build.. gorgeous avatar by the way! (the ship!).  I will look into my 1/700 stash and see what I can find. Really cant help with deck colors... maybe browse over at ModelShipWrights ?

Bushi - Looking good so far, I love the M-10... lets us know how you find building that kit.

Stikpusher - I know what you mean about AB and temp... my AB set up is in an attached (and unheated) garage, temps dropped to the 30s inside..could not AB even with a floor ceramic heater going.

mg.mikael - Good job so far in the Zvezda kit... turning a hard kit into a winner.

WarHammer25 - Looks great so far, great texture.

Mobious - Michaels is my "LHS" since I have none near me.... All my supplies are picked up there except paints. And our local newspaper circular has 50% off coupons, and monthly sales on Winsor oils, which are great for oil washes and dot filtering technique. And yes, AWESOME brushes, well worth the extra money, last a lot longer than cheaper ones.

Aggieman - look forward to that Buffalo! Excellent job on the pit....

ruddratt - worth the wait! Great pit job...

JMart wrote:

Bushi - Looking good so far, I love the M-10... lets us know how you find building that kit.

Well guys it has been a fun build and fairly straight foward not any problems until last week. I am having fit problems with two pieces and I am try to figure out how to go about the fix for it.  This is why I haven't posted as of late. I have a four days off this week so hope to have some pics up by no later than Tuesday.

Jeff

 I hope the fit problem isn't too severe, Bushi. Looking forward to seeing updates on the 1/48 armor build.

 Put some paint down on the Buffalo.

 While the silly putty was in place, I added a lighter shade to the Olive Drab. This has been a funk it. I mean a fun kit!

 Mobious

 Hey rudratt, the color reference chart calls it out as Khaki.

 The cross reference called out Hemp that's not the color I remember hemp being. Anyway a couple of pics with the masking agent removed and a little post shading done. 

 And an image with the decals and an acrylic wash applied. Still have to go over it and clean up a few spots, but it should be ready for a dull coat. This being the second WWII aircraft I've painted I had some trouble with the band decals, I wish I'd masked and painted rather than the decal. I ended up brush painting areas that were torn apart or missing completely on the numbers and the band.

 I will try some filters to tone the TAN thing down a bit. The color plates I have indicate a much more green color than khaki. Anyway that's where the Buffalo "Roams".

 Thanks for dropping in and feel free to leave a comment or two, just don't get carried away!

 Mobious

Finally finished the suspension, axles, and muffler. Basically the whole lower half of the scout car is done. After applying a base coat of ModelMaster Olve Drab acrylic, I went ahead and started drybruhing on a dark-steel paint. Which was made from a mixture of Testors enamel Black & Steel. Now I can start the seats, which should take awhile since their is a total of eight of them and I want to make a fabric texture on the cushions.

The tires are finished and here they are without the silly putty mask on them.

All comments/questions welcome.

 Hey mg.mikael, that's a great shot of the tires. Lots of detail and the masking looks like the ticket. 1001 uses for silly putty! The M3 looks like it's coming together nicely. Be looking forward to seeing updates.

 Mobious

stikpusher: Lookin' forward to those pics!

Mobious: Thanks for the comments!

 Hey mg.mikael. The filter toned the khaki to an olive and blended everything together pretty well...that is until I tried a final heavy pass and ended up with a nice run where the tail meets the fuselage. I had the blistering bright idea to use a brush to try and remove the excess. BAD IDEA. The filter I used was an oil base thinned with mineral spirits. Works fine and generally dries quick enough. The filter had already began drying leaving brush strokes, so I took drastic measures. I can't believe I did this but I used laquer thinner to try again to remove the "run". It went from a bad idea to a horrible idea and nearly a trashcan target. I had decal smudges over the entire rear fuselage area. The band, numbers, and National insignia were all effected. I spent the better part of 4hrs doing a massive touch up on the the rear half of the buffalo. The trash can was averted but this one is definately a learning experience of things not to do. 

 I will be sticking with the Future for Future Builds! And any filters will go on before decals(PERIOD).

 Still have a few items to address, this one is nearing completion. Should have it finished up by next weekend. I wonder if I can get paint on that "GreyGhost" guy in the "Freaky Deaky Dutch" flying uniform.

 Mobious

Mobious wrote:

Hey mg.mikael. The filter toned the khaki to an olive and blended everything together pretty well...that is until I tried a final heavy pass and ended up with a nice run where the tail meets the fuselage. I had the blistering bright idea to use a brush to try and remove the excess. BAD IDEA. The filter I used was an oil base thinned with mineral spirits. Works fine and generally dries quick enough. The filter had already began drying leaving brush strokes, so I took drastic measures. I can't believe I did this but I used laquer thinner to try again to remove the "run". It went from a bad idea to a horrible idea and nearly a trashcan target. I had decal smudges over the entire rear fuselage area. The band, numbers, and National insignia were all effected. I spent the better part of 4hrs doing a massive touch up on the the rear half of the buffalo. The trash can was averted but this one is definately a learning experience of things not to do.   I will be sticking with the Future for Future Builds! And any filters will go on before decals(PERIOD).  Still have a few items to address, this one is nearing completion. Should have it finished up by next weekend. I wonder if I can get paint on that "GreyGhost" guy in the "Freaky Deaky Dutch" flying uniform.  Mobious

Sorry to hear about the nightmare situation you had with filters. But from what I can tell from the pics, it looks like you fixed up your Buffalo nicely.

OK, time for less talk and some pics... I have not yet done the drybrushing, but here is my work so far. I cheated on the instrument panel and used a Pro Modeler decal. The Seat is from Ultra Cast with Sutton Harness. I used a base color of XtraColour Bronze Green and a wash of Model Master Burnt Umber.

 Stickpusher, nice looking pit. The Aircobra is an interesting design, being mid engined. Often wondered if the weight distrubution in this aircraft was a favorable asset. The instrument decals look great, I wouldn't call that cheating. Looking forward to seeing updates.

 mg.mikael, I should have taken a picture of it when it was at its worst and nearing the end of my patience. Nearly took the final flight. It looked worse then with the silly putty all over. Thanks for the comments.

 Mobious

 Well the "Flying Dutchman" has had some paint thrown on him. Took a couple of pics. Sorta reminds me of Disco Stew and the Parachute Crew!

 Shake Your Chutie, your Parachutie!

 Mobious