A 'Jack' on its own

One of my recent projects is this J2M2 Raiden. The brief called for more than just what Eduard gives in their 'Zoom' set. I was also provided with two other frets, one of them for a George. This was almost enough to detail the cockpit in line with the many sketches and photos I had, and I scratch-built the remaining bits needed.


It's taken time to complete. If you check the photos you'll get some idea of the work involved. I've included additional electrical boxes and wiring, toned all the paintwork and added my own washes to bring out the final detail. The model is ready for overall painting to complement the cockpit. It's so cold in my paintroom at the moment that I feel like Captain Smith every time I go up there.


I've included this series of photographs so you can see the build sequence. For instance, the aperture in the fuselage was large enough for me to install the cockpit after assembly. This was very handy as it allowed me to rub down and prepare the surfaces without the risk of damage to the delicate parts in the cockpit.



More soon.

Subversive!

My last blog saw me talking about ICM's new midget submarine. There has been progress - I'm feeling very pleased with myself as I've finished this cheeky little project in super-quick time and I'm delighted with the results.


The parts went together very well and after 5 0r 6 hours hard building it was constructed. Undercoat was followed naturally enough by overcoat. Weathering consisted of increasingly lighter shades in a cloud pattern. I post-shaded in a black grey and then subtly re-did the panels in a pale grey. I applied a protective gloss glaze and the next day I put on a brown-black wash.

The decals went down really well - there are only a few of them, but they really make a difference. I sealed everything with a matt varnish and carefully dry-brushed the raised detail, of which there is plenty. The torpedoes don't have a lot of detail though, so I did what I could with them and attached them to the brackets.


This was a lovely little project that slotted in nicely between bigger jobs, and gave me a lot of pleasure. Time now to get back to more serious work, after this very enjoyable bit of fun.

To show just how midget this sub is, I've photographed it on top of my 1/72 scale 'Gato' class US ocean-going sub. They're both in the same scale....