Your 'Festive Fancy'

Yes, they are nice cakes, but also it's a name for that terrific kit you've had your eye on.  This year don't be shy, show us what you got for Christmas.  I'll show you mine!  I want to thank everyone who supports my blog and to wish you a fabulous Christmas and a very plastic New Year.

 

"Take care, Will Robinson"

On yet another visit to the model emporium I noticed a litttle box sticking out from the science fiction shelf.  Since I'm currently building Moebius's Jupiter II, I suppose I had a subliminal eye out for 'Lost in Space' accoutrements.

This one turned out to be the robot from that long ago TV series, so, add to basket!  A straight forward build like this wouldn't disrupt the bigger projects I'm currently working on.  Besides, I can try out that new Alclad chrome finish that's burning a hole in my paint box.

As you can see from the photos it worked out well. The plastic was a bit on the thick side, which gives its age away.  Transparencies were surprisingly clear and part fit was great.  The robot is of diminutive size, requiring little commitment in the way of display.  I'm anxious to finish the ship and see him in context.

Hot jets

Isn't it funny - for years you don't see a single jet then three come along at once!

First is the superb new release from Airfix.  I do enjoy these cold war jets and the Javelin is well overdue.  The detail is good enough for any enthusiast, but there's still room for the odd update set  or two.

Next is the new Great Wall MiG 29.  The kit comes beautifully packaged; the upper wing/fuselage section is in its own box, and even the weapons are in a separate blister pack.  The detail is sumptuous, the transparencies flawless and the decals look fabulous. The fit of some of the parts is not without problems but they are not insurmountable.  The two engines are superb, although again the parts don't always want to meet smoothly but there's only one winner.  The cockpit looks good, but will look even better with a colour etched replacement.

Finally, and by complete contrast is this Heller kit.  The Mirage IV is the subject of this kit, and is the victim of some dodgy 1970's technology. Thick chunky plastic, raised and scant detail throughout might put some modellers off.  But this is the only kit available in 1/48 scale and I believe it will build up into something rather special.  Also, it will be nearly a foot and a half long!  I have the Neomega cockpit set, resin afterburner cans and new landing gear.  This will become a classic model of a beautiful classic aeroplane.

More to follow in due course.

Day of the Tentacle

It's always good to have a bit of variation from the norm.  I've been enjoying a slight change of direction in my own personal building, and when this kit from Pegasus first appeared, my boyhood tv memories came right back and I knew I had to have the squid and its prey......

When I started to root in the box, I realised that even though it was a good kit, it could be better.  The thing I needed to bring it to life was a lighting set.  I had a surf around, knowing that there is always someone somewhere making just what you want, no matter how obscure or arcane. VoodooFX are often the go-to guys for this, and sure enough, they offer the perfect set for illuminating my tentacle-tangled Nautilus.  I send off for it, and after a short wait the set duly arrives, amid much excitement from a grown man.  And that's when the build comes to an abrupt halt.  Circuit boards, resistors, lights and diagrams - I am all at sea.  Not for the first time, I have over-reached.  Rescue comes in the form of good friend,  model-retailer and all-round genius Mr John Guiver, who comes round to solder, drill and fix. Between us we get the lighting set integrated and John adds a bonus sound effect - sonar blips.  Yes, I know it wasn't strictly invented then but hey, this is my fantasy model, and I like the way it sounds.

Construction forges ahead, revealing stunning surface detail and not just on the sub.  The squid and its rocky base are resin and look superb. The photo-etched parts - braces, hand rails and hand grips - are easier to fit than they look.  The whole kit is a joy to build and paint.  Other Nautilus builders have chosen different colour schemes but I an enamoured with my blue squid and mineral-glinting rocks.  At £50 it's a terrific kit (though lighting was extra of course), and I was lucky to have such a helpful collaborator.  This one is definitely not for sale....

Here's that two squid I owe you....

With so many projects at different stages of completion, I thought it would be interesting to look at a few right here.

First is the new Nautilus from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  The kit is from Pegasus and features photo etched parts and a giant squid cast in resin.  Extra features are the lights and sound on this collaborative build. At this stage it's hard to know whether there are more tentacles inside or out....   Fantastic!  More on it soon.

Next up is Airfix's new Lancaster, with its odd fuselage/wing assembly and warped fuselage.  I like it though. I decided to deviate from the hallowed path of brown/green/black camo and take the road less travelled, with this unusual but colorful Canadian scheme.  There is still plenty of work to do on it.  Ten minutes here, ten minutes there....

Third is Italeri's new Hurricane in 1/48.  Although it has plenty to commend it - it has an engine and some photo etched parts and it's cheaper than Hasegawa's -  the fit of the main parts is ponderous to say the least.  The wings will be anhedral if you don't lean on them a bit!  I'll finish it soon, and it will look like a Hurricane should.

Academy's awesome CH-53 in 1/48 scale is terrific.  It's a big complex piece that I've been working on (and off) for ages. It's slowly but surely coming together.  Eduard's finest cockpit is installed and an excellent set of decals is waiting in the wings as it were.  Next, exhaust stains.

Finally, the new Tupolev Tu-2 in 1/48 scale from the new Chinese company Xuntong Model.  Even at this early stage of construction you can tell it's a bit of quality.  Lovely interior, great engines - you get two.  Are those bombs or pontoons from a drilling platform?  Really unusual and certainly memorable.

More on these soon.

My Wife Calls Them Vanity Projects

In the last few weeks I completed these two pieces.  I'm really enjoying 1/72 scale in a way I never thought I would.  The detail seems much improved from what I remember, and it's been great fun.  It's meant that the kits have needed minimal aftermarket enhancements - always good.   Less has seemed like much more, although I have put in as much effort as a 1/48 model requires.  Very satisfying and highly recommended.

A Mixed Bunch

Of these three new releases only one is a re-issue.  The F-89 was first tooled in 1991, and yes, it is a bit rough around the edges, but nothing serious.  It is nicely engraved and riveted, well weaponed and offers two colourful aircraft to choose from.  You can also pick a D or a J version.  It's a kit I've been looking forward to building for some time.  Bare metal and bright orange red.  Fantastic.  I've actually started work already.

                                                                                                                                                                 

The other two, well more on those later.  Oh yes, HMS Eskimo.  It's a boat.  I like boats.

The Stalker

It doesn't seem to matter where I'm working in my room, the eyes follow me....I'm not used to company so it's a bit unnerving.  And the teeth!


I've had a brief departure from aircraft, just long enough to build this vinyl beast.  The 'Spitter' from Jurassic Park was a tough act but no match for my hairdryer.  He's been wrangled into shape and now he's in a cardboard box, headed for life in the big city.

   

Little and Large

Here are two projects I've recently completed.  The first one needs no introduction, but I'll do it anyway.  It's Tamiya's classic Fairey Swordfish.  And why is it a classic?  Because there is practically nothing wrong with it at all.  One quick moan - the metal rigging set is not included in a kit that costs £60 - but the fit, the detail and the accuracy are all spot on.  Marvellous!

The second is an Airfix kit.  Yes, I'm building Airfix kits again!  And it's the new and very reasonable Typhoon in 1/72nd.  So what do you get for your eight quid?  Engraved panel lines, nice cockpit, detailed canon and gear bays. and a great decal sheet with two schemes.  Any problems?  An odd wings-to-fuselage fit but that's it.  I was so taken with it that I went a bit mad.  Full rivet job, extra cockpit detail, seat belts, levers, that kind of thing.  Oh yes, and I spent eight days on it!  In my defence, see the photos.  It was worth it.  Lovely.

These days I'm taking Airfix a bit more seriously.  Hornby seems to have rejuvenated the brand.

Eduard's 'Spit'

Eduard has finally thrown its hat into the very large Spitfire ring and produced what is probably the best kit of the lot.

Inside their substantial and rather stout box is a Mk.IXc late, but it also has parts for the early version. Included too are outlines for alteration for their Brassin accessory items - engines, cockpit and flaps.  The kit may be considered a jumping off point that could end in a superb diorama, should modellers so choose.

There are five sprues, including one for transparencies, plus one colour etch fret, a masking set and two decals sheets. There is exquisite rivet detail, and finely engraved panel lines that even Castle Bromwich would find a hard act to follow. The instruction booklet is beautifully presented and concise, and gives excellent  detail for all six aircraft the kit allows you to choose from.

In my view, if Hasegawa released the same model today it would have half the detail for twice the money.  You don't have to be a big Spitfire fan to enjoy this kit.  It has a great deal to offer any modeller.

Kit for review provided by ModelsRGo

Lamarr, The Blue Prince

With his head held high and a trot not unlike a dressage horse, Lamarr had been a part of our family for fifteen years.  He combined demanding with snooty in new ways, and never failed to communicate to you exactly what he wanted, whilst garnering everyone's ultimate respect.  He had a penetrating stare that could pin you across the room and when he shouted, you answered.

For a cat who spent so much of his time sleeping and the rest eating, he was amazingly lithe and could swipe a sausage from your fork with lightning speed. Indeed, his leaping, swiping and sprinting made him a force to be reckoned with.  And yet, he would bestow the most tremendous affection on you and made you feel like a king, albeit an under-king, in the Kingdom of Lamarr.   He made full use of the nine lives available to him, chewing through electric cables with apparent impunity, and confounding all the vet's worst fears with a laconic eye and a cheeky resilience. Weighing in at only 8Ibs, he was a diminutive boy, but when he suddenly became thinner still, we worried with good reason.  Over a few short weeks his life was stealthily taken from him by disease. No more lives were available to him.  Yesterday, he was lost to us - the sad end of what was for the most part a healthy and happy life.  We love him, and miss him so.

The Beast is Back

A couple of years ago Academy issued their 1/72 SB2C, a superb kit.  More recently another Helldiver appeared, this time from Cybermodel.  Not cheap but another excellent kit.

But What of Revell's effort that was issued way back in 1997?  Three guesses what I found in my stash.  When I was asked about a Helldiver as a build, I remembered I had one somewhere.  I had forgotten just how good it was - subtly rendered panel and rivet detail, lovely detail in both crew positions, and open bomb bay, engine and landing gear. There is even a set of brass etched parts - the brass dive brakes are beautiful.  I felt I should  make the most of this bounty, so I added an Eduard colour etch set, a set of brake pipes, engine wiring and a full rivet job.  It was an intensive build but it was great fun.