A Door Closes

One of the joys of working at home is that I get to spend more time with the pets. Of which we have five. Four cats and a dog. William is our oldest cat, at eleven. Suddenly, whilst undergoing routine surgery on Friday, he died. What we thought had been a minor illness turned out to have been much more sinister.
William had always been an indoor cat, shunning the outdoors and staying away from visitors to the house. He was a very affectionate cat with his family though, particularly towards my wife and me. He didn't bother much with his cat companions and became a bit of a black sheep in the house. The children often referred to him as 'The Devil Cat' or 'The Spawn of Satan' since William would not brook any nonsense from mere humans.
His passing has left a big hole in a small household, and all his comrades miss him. He has earned a place in this blog for his companionship and the sheer pleasure he brought to us all.
Goodnight William.

William Goodier
1997 - 2009

Well, they're not Tamiya....

One thing about this job is the wildly varying subject matter. I can't keep doing 1/48 scale wartime aircraft or I'll get jaded, so here are a few subjects in 1/72 scale. There's an He 100 from RS models, a Polikarpov I-180 from A-Model and a Polikarpov I-185 from Eastern Express.



Other than the scale, why do they appeal? They are all prototypes for later fighter planes. The quality of the kits was not great - the parts were crude, panel lines were raised, giving their age away. But I rise to a challenge and can feel proud on completion of a job well done. Always good to stretch your abilities. If I can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, I'm doing my job.

'Free Time' with the Big Sub

With the gorging season now behind us, I like to think of this time of year as 'free time'. With the shops open and the sales in full swing, the rest of the country seems to be on some kind of 'buyfest'.

Fortunately, I am not one who is mesmerised by the need to shop. Only the need to build. So I hope that I, and some people like me, will find some solace and even escape in these articles.

The photos here are proof of my absence from the sales. I've pulled the Revell 'Gato' Class sub out of the mothballs and had a very merry Christmas tinkering it all together. I had made a start a while ago, but abandoned it briefly due to pressure of work. I've made a lot of progress over the last few days. The parts are a bit rough around the edges but do go together quite well. The detail is lovely and will paint up impressively. The only thing to watch out for is prioritising parts to stick and parts not to stick, so that painting progresses in the right order.


The last photo also shows two aircraft models, in 1/72 scale; a Douglas DC-3 and a Russian I-185 fighter (thanks Graham). I think this shot brings home the sheer size and scale of this ocean-going wartime sub.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Hopefully a fresh start and the promise of good things to come.

Completion Day

Just in time for Christmas, here are my latest completions, and what a varied bunch they are.

Firstly, old 'Nick' himself, a pleasure to work on. Mostly built out of the box, needing only a few extras to finish what I think is a miniature masterpiece - thank you Hasegawa. The central point of interest is the cockpit of course. The builder gets the choice of parts for either canopy open, or closed. The undercarriage contains sharp detail throughout and only needs careful painting to set it all off. The radial engines are excellent but are mostly obscured by the large propeller boss. The props can, however, come off for separate display. What extras did I add? Seat belts, naturally, aerial wire with insulators, brake pipe tubing and wired up engines. What else can you give the kit that has everything?



And I built a jet. Yes, yes, a jet, remain calm. On a whim, I bought the Revell F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. A slight change of pace? For someone who builds as often as I do, a little of what you fancy does you no end of good. I found the Revell kit a bit on the bland side though. It has the basics - engraved panels and weapons bays. The landing gear was reasonably good and it has opening engine and intake compartments, and a pair of sparrow missiles and LGBs are also included. I went off to the internet to do some research, and found the Lockheed-Martin website a big help. In the end, I was able to upgrade the cockpit and ejector seat, and adding some additional wiring and photo-etched parts made all the difference.
Careful painting of the weapons and gear bays is really worth the trouble. Decals are included to complete the model for the USAF, the USN and the Netherlands Air Force. Naturally I chose the former and finished the model in a contemporary scheme. I do like the occasional modern jet, but I'm very choosy. Without wanting to sound elitist, I won't build without a lot of initial deliberation. I think I just invented plastic snobbery....



Then I moved onto ships. I have a small confession to make. I've always had a soft spot for ships. There, I've said it, it's out of the way. Specifically wartime naval vessels, mostly in 1/700 scale, waterline. Here are a pair of '0' class destroyers. They're built from the excellent Tamiya kit.
Although mostly built out of the box, I have added a few extras of my own. In the main, it's the painting. Intricate, delicate painting of these diminutive models makes all the difference. I will be building more warships, so be prepared to see more of them on here. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do.

Now that I've had the pleasure of all the above, they can go to eBay. There's only so much shelf space left in my workroom, and for me, the fun is in the building, not the owning.


More completions soon.

The Extra Mile

As yet another year races to an end, with a new one round the next well-worn corner, a look to the future always makes me spare a thought for the past.

Although I've been sticking kits and glue together since I was a boy, I've only been a professional builder for the last twelve years. It still surprises me to think that those last years have been the most intense learning curve of my life. It's not just the diversity of the work - although it has been pretty various - but also I've met so many people, mostly due to the internet. So many different people asking for so many different projects.

Some of my early work consisted of the 1:350 scale Lusitania, the ED209 model from 'Robocop', the R/C Tiger Tank in 1/16 scale, as well as a whole bunch of radio controlled cars and planes. These days the job takes a steadier course, winding its way through scales and subjects but mostly aircraft with the occasional ship or tank thrown in.

Only once or twice have I wondered why I put my wife and myself through this... Generally we have been lucky to have clients who have become friends and share their lifestyle and hobby with us in a way which has enriched my work no end. Projects are a pleasure, and the line between work and leisure is blurred.

When I was building for myself, I could please myself, build what I wanted in the way I liked. All that is different now. I have to build what the market wants, to very individual specifications. It can be hard to come to terms with - I prefer authenticity to creative styling, for example - but I look upon it as a challenge. Because I have to please someone else, my work standard has gone up exponentially. I find myself doing more, adding more, going the extra mile. I take a new pride in my work, and at the end of another year, when the job market has changed yet again and not for the good, I can honestly give thanks that I have a job I love.

More from Old 'Nick'

I deliberated for a while on wiring in the engines. It seems pointless adding unseen detail as the cowling appears quite closed, but I went with it. I think it was worth the effort, as you can see in the photos. The engine detail is already superb and the wiring just adds the finishing touch. Assorted metal shades amd dark brown paint really bring out the detail.


Moving on, with the camouflage complete but still masked , 'Nick' is about to receive its decals. Careful application of greens and browns, applied with the airbrush turned right down, make for a subtly weathered appearance. More later.

So What've You Been Up To Lately?

A good question. I've got three main projects underway.

As you can see, the 'Nick' has moved on a bit, and is awaiting some quality rubbing down.

The Italian CR 32 from Classic Airframes is no surprise; I've built around fifteen of their kits and you just can't get the cockpit to fit in any of them. I take the approach that 'there's only one winner' as a builder friend of mine says.

Finally, the Revell F-35 in 1/48 has gone together very quickly. It's not exactly over-endowed with parts, but it is a big chunky model and looks the part.

I'm also working on retrofitting the B-17 Nose, and putting together a very nice Heinkel 112 from RS Models.

So what are you up to?

I'll be adding more photos of these as they progress.