My new year

Building on commission has its frustrations - you really want to build something else, in another way! But I heed the brief and enjoy the process, grateful to be doing what I love for a living.

But now and then, someone comes along and wants something that I have been longing to build. And lately I've had not one of these but two! The Hasegawa P-40 and Tamiya's Fiesler Storch are two kits I've wanted to work on for some time. I'm not going to do a blow by blow account of these builds, because any modeller knows what to expect of such manufacturers. I needed to pay a little more attention to the Storch -- part fit was demanding -- but I kept a sharp eye out and was suitably rewarded.

Everyone builds the Storch in the tropical scheme, but this time I was reproducing the winter scheme, and I was very pleased with the results . There are also a few accessories that went with.

The P-40 just builds itself and weathering it was a dream - it's the perfect subject for this. And the decals are wonderful.

This is what I've been doing with 2011. How about you?

A Fine Pair

Midget submarines have caught my attention recently - they have featured in the latest model mags and I got a couple of kits for Christmas. Santa brought me the ICM Type XXVVII Seehund (Sea lion) and the Biber fron Italeri.

The Sea Lion is a very straightforward injection moulded kit in 1/72 scale, and very easy to construct. I decided to weight the hull, because I feel this gives the finished piece a little more credibility. A project like this also depends on paintwork. I felt that painting it in the same way as I would an aircraft would be appropriate, but with modifications. A brown/black wash worked well, followed by some heavy duty dry brushing. This turned out well and I was pleased with the results.

The Biber was broadly similar, but in 1/35 scale. This kit offers a small photo etch fret with parts for the hull and inside the conning tower, and a very convincing instrument panel. I used a similar paint routine as on the Sea Lion, but with heavier shading.

I have included photos of both models with others in their corresponding scale - the Sea Lion poses with the 1/72 scale Gato Class sub, and the Biber with Italeri's own PT boat. I think these settings speak for themselves.