North African GB "All Subjects" (Start NOW - Finish 31st of Oct)

Tom "K for Kremps" is looking good. Where's the nose art though? Good luck with your weathering experiments.

Bob Looks like you are getting used to that AB. From what I can see, you did a good job of it. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Bob (and thanks Rick, I forgot to say that earlier) - Bob - good start! yeah AB'ing takes time to learn, but there is no time like now to start using it! Practice will make you better, but your mistakes will teach you more then you could imagine! (Me and Castrol Super Clean are very good friends, I can't count the parts I have had to strip for one reason or another... )

Trying something different on this kit, using artists oils to highlight panel lines and such... also using it to simulate access (such as the gun covers on the wing) with greasy hands... just a light touch here and there. I will take a pic tomorrow. I broke the rudder off and it is drying as we speak...

Hey, it's a start . Good luck with that Stang. It's a very nice kit.

Regards, Rick

Tom, the Marlett looks great. Will have to add one to my build list at some point in the future. As far as batteries, just hard wire it to the house circuit.....220...221...whatever it takes

Well, a journey of a thousand miles starts will going to Mapquest.com....or something like that. Got the air compressor and air brush hooked up, practice a little bit (not nearly long enough, but....) and got started on the F-6A for this build. Think I'm gonna love the AB, just gonna take a lot of time to learn mixing of paint, how much (got a bunch of zinc green left over, should've gone into the stash and pulled out everything that needs the interior painted-but that's my automotive mfg. coming out....). Anyway,.....

Rick - I've burned through 3 nicad packs just this week... doing a panoramic just to get all of her really takes up juice!!! Maybe a car battery....

Looking good Tom. Batteries do have a habit of dying at just the wrong time. Maybe you should cut back on photographing Kremps

Regards, Rick

Here she is in the middle of decaling and the start of weathering. The "Black K for Kremps" is mid way through! I faded the control surfaces a bit with very dilute Vallejo and will wipe them when they are a bit more dry, decals are going on well except I tore the leg of the K visible in this shot but it went together well, the roundel nearest in the pic on the wing needs a bit of drybrushing of white where one of the rivets shows through it. Same with the fuselage one.



Next after the rest of the decals go on (no stencils in either the kit or the Eagle Strike decals!!! will find some from spares) I will use the oil streaking technique used in this months FSM on the Phantom. A little pastel for exhaust and gun stain, and I am ***thinking*** of dusting the kit with yellowish brown pastel chalk to simulate sand accumulating in the panel lines and crevices. i have to think that one through some more.

---edit---

Comments on my techniques, or build are welcome as usually I am not into weathering much... I know there are people here very accomplished in it!

---edit 2---

Rick - the ironic thing is right after I snapped this pic my battery went dead... Maybe I poked at Jules and Tanky too soon!

Sounds good Tom. Waiting for the pics.

Regards, Rick

ok... got the roundels on Kremps' mount... one of the cowl K's might have flubbed a bit but I will see if I can get it to lie down with some Microsol once it dries a bit. Otherwise I am excited as it is looking more like the picture now. Before, because of the drastic differences in the colors it was looking more like a Reno Racer.

BTW: the batteries in my camera are charged, so no excuses from me! I'll post pics once the decals are stable to handle the plane with..

Rick -yup... Kremps loves that thing... although she does complain when it comes time to save... I think she has one of those tape recorder setups...

Karl - I've used M$ mostly because of compatibility with a lot of the tools I work with. I do plan to set up a linux machine here at the house to play with.

Kremps swears by her Atari 400. Wouldn't dream of upgrading.

Regards, Rick

Tom That's what the network boys here keep saying, but all the IT architects are in the thrall of Mr Gates' products. All this despite that fact we run 2 dirty great IBM mainframes, but then, they don't mainframe!

I use an Apple at home, have done since using them at uni many years ago, so I know just how stable Unix based OS's can be.

Karl

Karl - being an old Unix guy I was pleasantly surprised how similar and easy to use SUSE is, and how fast it runs even on an old 1GHz AMD chip. We (my partner who is attending class with me) are already talking of taking some of our web database services and migrating them to Linux. With a licensing cost of $0 US, $0 for MySQL, $0 for Apache web services, etc.. it's a win/win situation!

Tom They won't let the developer boys loose on Linux here, something about William Gates' products

Tanky Hope you come out OK on the physics, couldn't stand it myself, more of an arts bod, which must explain why I work in IT

It's been hot here, well by UK standards at least, you know temperatures in excess of 10C!!!!! So progress on all modelling projects has been slow. The Semovente is still moving though, spent last night assembling the main track bogies, and filling seams, it might even get a coat of primer over the weekend.

Karl

Physics rocks! Well gas physics at the least... that was one of my more favorite course in college... I guess Psychology was next... it helps you realize just how you are!!! Those were the days... when responsibilities went as far as the next exam...

No work on the Martlet this week, it is still slumbering quietly under the box I placed on top after I futured it. I plan to use some of the weathering techniques used in June's FSM on that Phantom backdate... there were a few of them I really liked. (small pointy brush used to dab on a tiny bit of artists oil, a large flat brush to smear it straight back as in a oil leak etc...)

Tomorrow is the day! I've been in a SUSE Linux class all week so have been coming home quite late! It's some cool stuff though!

Ha. I just finished my last one. Got 100 in spanish and Global. Now I probably failed physics though.

Tanky...

I have spent over 8 hours grading and am still only about 2/3 done-- I am no fan of the regents trust me

Hey Daniel I have the 1/350 Bismark in the stash with a PE set but it looks to daunting at the moment to dive in to, maybe when i fill the cabinet with a few more fighters i'll give it a go

Tom I have the same problem mate. I've got a 1/400 Titanic with two PE sets that I'd like to start, but it means I won't be working on much else for a few months. Last time I did a ship (1/350 Bismarck) it took me 3 months to finish it. I'm almost thinking of making another work bench and leaving the Titanic there while I work on other builds in my normal room.

KArl - I know! I have been contemplating buying the set as it really does set off the kit but it also looks like it will halt any other model building for at least 6 months if not more.. it's too big to be shifted on and off the modeling desk when I get in the mood for something different... but at the same time it looks SO good! (I built one when I first came back to modeling and before I knew the proper mix of colors for it. I'd love to redo it RIGHT!)

I knew it Jeeves! A fellow New Yorker who has to deal with those damned Regents! Except you administer them, Oppressor!!!! lol.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Karl & Tanky Great looking progress fellas. And congrats on that new star Tanky.

Tom I have the opposite problem. I always take the cellophane off the parts and then let it all sit there for a long time. Just can't help mysel take the parts out of the bag to see if I've bought a good kit or a dog.

Tanky Great work on the 109.

Rick & Sean I made a start on the undercarriage last night after posting the pics. The wheels will stay on the sprues for a coat of primer, preshading and sand coat. I'll then take them off the sprues and clean them up before painting the tyres. This should hopefully make it less painful.

Tom And what about the PE for that S-100?

Karl

QUOTE: Originally posted by Tankmaster7 I hope Kremps doesn't make any cabbage casserole as a reward.....

Your in luck Tanky, It's Saurkraut Cheesburgers tonight
BTW your 109 is looking great, well done

Karl i like the look at that AFV, can't wait to see it all done

Jeeves Keep at those decals mate, you can't let em win................

Great looking 109 Tanky!! Good luck on the physics exam tomorrow...I have my students taking their Living Environment exam in the AM so I know how you feel You guys take 3 hours to complete them- and it takes us 8-10 to grade the durn things LOL

Well-- decals are sort of on the Hurricane...but despite generous recoatings of MicroSol, they are quite wrinkled. Somewhat distressing...still trying to figure out ways to solve the problem before I finish up....

Looking good Tankster! and congrats on those exams! (edit) and congrats on the 2000th post!!!!

Tweets - or worse yet the cellophane around the sprue trees... the Revell DE 1/72 S-100 is like that. About 200 parts and 15 cellophane bags to make that boat! And you always hesitate to even take it out of the bags because you KNOW that one external piece will fly off!

Way to go Tanky. Looking good.

Regards, Rick

OK, my long awaited progress pics!

















Sorry, but they kind of go backwards as far as most recentness.

Congrats on your exam results Tanky

Karl, Another reason why I stick with a/c.
Besides, just cause it has more wheels, dun't mean it goes any faster.

Tom, I can relate to the cellophane thing.
A couple of times the wrapping has taken longer to remove than building the kit!

Looking good Karl. All those wheels to paint is one reason I don't do much Armor. I just find it to be kinda boring grunt work.

Regards, Rick