Scale modeling! Big things come in small packages.

[Smoke]

And just like that the P-70 is also done.






Not a bad kit, it comes with a lot of excess parts as it allows for a bunch of versions of the original plane the P-70 is based on. The kit's also not a Revell original but was made by MPM Production. It is a lot of work however as there are very few alignment pins and I had a fight with the fuselage and its internals to get everything together correctly, which is part of the reason I put it on the backburner for a while. Doesn't help that there are mistakes in the instructions as well and there's a lot of effort put into an interior that's barely visible in the end. The instructions are also a bit vague in that there are part choices offered that don't match between the rest of the instructions and the final paint guide, as well as other moments where the parts depicted don't match the parts indicated.

Up next is a kit I've built before as the Nimitz, but this time it's the USS Theodore Roosevelt instead. I built this kit as the Nimitz back in the day, it was a Revell boxing that I picked up during a Eurohorsie, this is the Italeri boxing depicting another ship in the same class. The mold itself dates back to 1978 so it's older than I am. The Revell version also came with a length of steel wire for some parts, the Italeri instructions have you use stretched sprue instead but I'll most likely pick up some wire instead as there's like 16 pieces needed.

[Smoke]

Another build done:









Zvezda's Airbus A320 in Aeroflot livery. I got this one along with a few other kits (The Blackbird and the Fokker Friendship) for my birthday back in 2020 so you can imagine how long it's been on the shelf. The A320 family is the highest selling airliner in the world and there's a lot of them around, I've flown in several. The kit itself is pretty much standard fare for a 1:144 passenger airplane but has a neat addition that's not common: The flaps, slats and gear come with extended variants to model the airplane as it's taking off on its stand, which is what I went for here. It also has options for the regular in-flight version or on its wheels on the ground with the front door open. There's a reasonably detailed cockpit present as well for this purpose, but little remains visible when done. As always there's no passenger interior either. Overall it's a fun build with a few minor issues: The order you build the engine in swaps mid-build and there are some minor part swaps. The livery is also pretty dang nice but would have benefited a lot from including some masks or at least a picture in the right scale as a guide as I had to use the decals for guidance. I got close but not all the way there so minor touchups were needed after decals were applied. On that note, the paint guide includes not just Zvezda's own line but Tamiya references as well while I've seen the same kit with Humbrol paint references, all three having a different shade of blue. Might be worth doing some research as Zvezda's own suggested color is way too bright based on the conversion charts.

Next up, no airplane but a helicopter! Trumpeter's 1:72 CH-47D Chinook. Unfortunately all three options are the same color but I'll probably go for the German version for decal reasons.

[Smoke]

Well, there has been a distraction of sorts. My wife's parents came to visit and brought one of those dollhouse-like kits, so of course I started on it and just got done. It's made of a variety of materials that are all included, only things you need to provide are glue and some cutting implements.











Overall a nice diversion and they're apparently sending another kit my way soon. Only annoyances are that the instructions aren't always clear when it comes to identifying the books that go on the shelves so you have to work with a process of elimination, and some of the flowers are quite tricky.

Now it's back to plastic models as those have been on hold for a while.

[Smoke]

And almost 2 months later the Boxer is also finally complete, just before the end of the year. Life has gotten in the way for a while so I was slowed down.







Overall a pretty neat little kit of a very interesting subject. It's a bit fiddly as it has quite a few very finicky pieces and the instructions aren't always the clearest, especially when it comes to the gun arrangement on the top of the module but overall it works out pretty well. Incidentally I also happen to know that the construction order for this kit as well as the 1:35 version from Revell matches the way the real life vehicle is built. Kind of to be expected considering these are licensed vehicles.

For background the Boxer is designed as a multirole armored vehicle and this is its command post version as used by the Dutch army. It's a modular system where the rear unit can be swapped out depending on its role in the field, and it has also been made in various troop carrying, ambulance, AA, engineering, repair/recovery and other configurations. In the future I might build the 1:35 version if I come across it in ambulance configuration.

The Chinook is well underway in the meantime and I might be able to finish that one off this year as well. I've also started on another kit, which was a recent Secret Santa present, the Space Shuttle and the Boeing 747 carrying it. Already unboxed it for some preliminary fitting, I might have to break out the Kristal Klear for the windows.

[Smoke]

Wel, the Chinook is done. It's pretty huge and was an interesting build, however in the process I've discovered that Trumpeter kinda sucks at instructions and paint schemes. Ended up referring to the instructions for the Revell version of the vehicle to fill in the gaps, get the correct paint colors and clear up some minor confusion. The decals also aren't great: There's too few of some and too many of others, and some go unused in all 3 offered options which are only slightly different. But the end result is neat, especially for someone who mainly knows it from Command & Conquer.








And it looks quite imposing with other vehicles in the same scale (Although the Landrover is 1:76)


Anyway, short review. The kit goes together quite well even if the main hull was a bit of a challenge and the cockpit glazing required the addition of some Kristal Klear to fill in a few gaps. Paintguide as stated earlier was a tad confusing and not helped by very few color callouts during construction. I purposely left the blades until after decalling was done because they'd only get in the way, so if you plan on building this kit (or any other helicopters really) I recommend doing the same. For some reason you're left with a few spare parts and quite a few tiny spare decals, as well as wonder why there's some missing. I ended up using others of similar size to stand in. It's also quite neat that the kit lets you build it with the rear hatch open giving you a glimpse inside. Overall: Good but could be better.

I've decided to already get started on one of this year's Secret Celestia presents next, the Trumpeter 1:144 German type XXIII U-Boat. I'll also be referencing the Revell instructions for this one as the paint guide actually manage to confuse itself with the three versions you can build and I'd like to do a bit more than just grey. Based on what I can find they were two-tone in real life too

[Smoke]

And just like that the U-Boat is finished.




It's a neat little kit that goes together quite well and quickly. There are no decals included and the three versions only differ in the conning tower: One's an early version, one the most common version and the third apparently a test version that was made to see if it improved performance. I went for the most common one and cribbed paint instructions from the Revell kit to make it a bit less entirely gray. The paint instructions also manage to be a bit confusing here as they're shown in a different order than the actual build, although in practice it doesn't make any difference. Could have also used some decals though.

Next I'm gonna build something a little different that's been in the stash for a while: A fishing trawler. This one's in a bit of an odd scale as it's 1:142, reason being that it's a victim of box scale and it's an older kit with the tooling dating back to 1970.

[Kronos]

The sub looks amazing! As for decals, you could just say that the sub was undergoing sea trials and hadn't been assigned to a kriegsmarine unit yet, since going off of what I recall of my visit to U-505 years ago, the only real unique markings would be the hull number and the emblem on the tower, both of which I figure wouldn't be too hard to add down the line.

As for me, I'll add pics of the latest model I've made: a Tamiya 1/48 Howitzer Motor Carriage, a.k.a. the "M8 Scott" done with decals for the 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Group as deployed in Germany in Feb. 1945.





I haven't been making tanks long (only built one other which also makes a guest appearance later) but even with two under my belt, I'm stunned to see how much of the exterior of these things are used as storage for tools and can really contrast with the base color of the tank. The way it was done here on the Scott is also odd - half of these tools were separately cast while the other half are actually cast directly on the hull itself. All the wood on the tools should be the same color, but what happened is the original color I used I decided looked better as the leather straps on the canvas, so I meant to repaint all the wood. I don't mind, though, I think the shovel being a different color gives a little character as it looks like they had to replace the tool at some point.

The steel cable is an interesting detail on the kit, totally optional, but it's a black string you have to cut to length (the full length included is over twice the necessary amount) and glue the ends into the hooks, which you then have to thread the tie-rings through and then attach. You also need to paint the entire cable which was really awkward. Worse still, even fully painted, the string doesn't like to 'hug' the hull contours like it would on the prototype since these would be heavy cables, but I'm cheating a little here by stuffing a bit of the string under the turret itself which keeps it sitting pretty and proper.



What's cool about this kit is that not only does the turret move (the canvas roll on the back barely clears the antenna mount but just enough that it'll never hit) but the cannon itself can move up and down, while at the same time you can look from above straight through the turret to the vehicle's floor panels. The metal weights that give the model some heft are hidden just forward but you'll never see them.


And here's the M8 with the aforementioned first 'tank' I ever built; a Tamiya 1/48 Panzer IV Wirbelwind (still need to track down what happened to its small gun, hence why there's an unpainted piece of scrap brass wire shoved in it). The M8 came with its own little commander figure but I haven't painted him yet, so here the commander from the Wirbelwind stands in to provide a sense of what a tiny little box the M8 is compared to a mainstay WWII tank chassis.

[Smoke]

The sub looks amazing! As for decals, you could just say that the sub was undergoing sea trials and hadn't been assigned to a kriegsmarine unit yet, since going off of what I recall of my visit to U-505 years ago, the only real unique markings would be the hull number and the emblem on the tower, both of which I figure wouldn't be too hard to add down the line.

Unfortunately it's a subject that doesn't have much in terms of actual wartime period pictures, but all I can find indicates some line markings at best as shown on other versions and one version in the Revell kit that's got U-lettering on it. Still, I kinda like it clean and somewhat anonymous. There's apparently also some debate on the dark color as it also might have been anti-fouling red but I kinda like the way the two-tone like this looks.

Researching the subject did lead me to this kit of the type XXI which I've seen around before and now am tempted to obtain as well considering it has an interior. I've only ever visited one sub before (USS Pampanito) and I remember it being quite cramped.

Nice work on those tanks! 1:48 is one of the big scales I haven't ever worked with, although I did recently pick up a kit in that scale for the sole reason that the second paint option is pretty dang cool. Might be a while before I get around to it as the stash is decently sized at this point.

[Smoke]

Another kit done, the Academy Boeing 747 + Space Shuttle in 1:288. This was part of the Secret Celestia gifts from 2022 I got from Factory Factory and I should have gotten around to it much sooner.




I had to fight this kit a little as the instructions are vague and somehow pixelated, and the paint callouts just use names rather than paint numbers or even references to the right paints, and "grey" is a very broad range. I ended up downloading the instructions for the Revell version so I'd have color guidance because it's the same subject even if the kits aren't even in the same scale, and that also offered some additional details not present in the instructions. There's also no glazing for anything other than the Boeing's cockpit so I pulled out the Kristal Klear to make some windows. The landing lights on the wings also didn't fit very well (And one managed to fall out while decalling and vanished because they're also tiny) so that's Kristal Klear as well. Still, a neat little kit that goes together quite well, even if it's underdetailed.

Continuing to clear out my backlog as I'm also starting on the Tamiya P-51D Mustang. Gonna build the pictured version but it also has two additional options. Not the first one I'm building as I built this one many years ago so it'll be nice to compare them. Also deciding between using either aluminium or silver for the metal part, as I'm a bit worried silver would turn out to be too shiny.

[Kronos]

Nice work on those tanks! 1:48 is one of the big scales I haven't ever worked with, although I did recently pick up a kit in that scale for the sole reason that the second paint option is pretty dang cool. Might be a while before I get around to it as the stash is decently sized at this point.

Thanks! My main scale is actually 1/87, I do HO scale trains, but working in other scales keeps things refreshing and new. Currently got a pair of 1:25 cars in progress for practice alongside a Revell 1:35 M34A Sherman kit which is waiting for some aftermarket detail parts to make up for the lack of molded detail. Also a 1:72 Avia B.35 that I've been procrastinating on, just can't work up the nerve to figure out how to do the green and brown camo splotches on the wing/fuselauge properly (I have an airbrush but I don't know the best way to mask the base color).

Continuing to clear out my backlog as I'm also starting on the Tamiya P-51D Mustang[url]. Gonna build the pictured version but it also has two additional options. Not the first one I'm building as I built [url=https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-04148-p-51d-mustang--140005]this one many years ago so it'll be nice to compare them. Also deciding between using either aluminium or silver for the metal part, as I'm a bit worried silver would turn out to be too shiny.

Definitely go for aluminum since more often than not it was a bare metal finish and pilots were not looking to keep their planes spotless. Also, the pictured plane is of John C. Meyer, with whom my great grandmother's cousin served with in the 352nd FG (though they were in different squadrons within that fighter group), known as the 'Blue Bastards of Bodney'. I have a book of firsthand accounts and photos (including rare color photos from the 1940s of the airstrip and some of the planes taking off) that my relative authored and signed - if you want any reference photos of 'Petie 2nd' just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up.

[Smoke]

Thanks for the offer but I'm gonna probably wing this one like all the other kits I've built. For me it's important that the end result looks nice to me over being accurate, and it turns out there's a lot of material on the plane out there already.

In other news, I finished the Roosevelt.








I've built this a few years ago before we moved to Bulgaria in a Revell boxing as an early version of the Nimitz. This one's got a decent amount of parts differentiating it from that kit, as well as some additional other materials. The instructions are on occasion confusing though as there are multiple parts with the exact same number on a different sprue and the only way to be sure which parts are intended is the start of the instructions showing the parts list. I got caught out by this halfway through building the bridge and had to replace 'em quickly. The antennas on the side are actually just bits of wire (Instructions would have you make them out of stretched sprue) but they're very sensitive to being touched as you can see in some pictures, I straightened 'em back out afterwards. One other big issue is the decals. Where the Revell boxing had custom decals of the right length for all the striping, this one just gives you a bunch of the same length and you're supposed to cut and angle them all by yourself using the raised detailing on the deck as a guide, which is not all that easy.

Next up, I'm starting on the biggest kit in my stash, the XB-70 Valkyrie in 1:72. It's going to be 80cm or so long when done, and the kit already takes up a lot of space before even being assembled. I'm going to brushpaint this one so it might take a while to get done. Gonna have to keep it away from Starfighters too...

[Smoke]

So I've been distracted for a few weeks as I've built something different once again, this time a pet shop:









It's somewhat different from the book store in that there's no painting required and a bit less furniture, as well as less flowers to manufacture. Putting the pets in in the end did require some tweezer work, as well as pulling through some of the wiring. Overall a fun build and a nice result.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming including continuing work on the three kits in progress.

[Kronos]

Finished the Revell M4 Sherman! This one's a weird model, being the mold dates back to 1955 and is a hodgepodge of details from various models of Shermans (I.E. the turret and rounded body is likely based on the M4A1, while the HVSS suspension in the tracks is from the M4A4 which would have a bigger cannon and angled hull) and was originally designed as a motorized toy. Still has the mounts and slot for the rubber band motor drive internally. This allows the vinyl tracks to turn but only by hand - there isn't enough grip from the plastic wheels to simply push it along.

I also got a good discount on this kit from the hobby shop, because it was inexplicably opened. Which made sense now that I think about it given the body was cracked in two places and so it must have been a returned kit. Fortunately, all the parts were still there and bagged, which is probably why I didn't notice until later.



Stowage and Sandbags are from a resin set I bought off eBay to make up for the relative lack of details. The sandbags serve a secondary purpose in hiding the remnants of the main crack which went down the middle.




The decal on the back was actually supposed to go over the engine cover vents, but obviously because there's now luggage there, I moved it to the back for visibility.



The black camo was inspired by the preserved Sherman 'Dunern' which itself has camo based on tanks from Operation Cobra in July, 1944, also as a measure to make up for the lack of details on the almost 70 year old mold (the date on the bottom indicates this was a 2017 printing!)



Overhead shots




The commander figure came with the kit and he kinda gets shoved into the cupola hole - he's got legs and feet and was designed to be removed since this was originally meant to be a motorized toy. I'm still working on my miniature people painting so I might redo his face in the future. But for now he's not being removed from his post anytime soon.



And these two army men dudes came as well. They don't really interact with the tank but I gave them a glow-up for display alongside 'Black Magic' regardless.

[Smoke]

That turned out pretty great! Revell's older kits from that era are usually not very accurate I've found, and quite often you'll find one in box scale rather than one of the more "standard" scales. How are the vinyl tracks to work with and paint? My only experience so far is with link and length as I don't build a lot of tanks, but there's a few kits I'm considering that have vinyl or bendable track.

Meanwhile, I finished the Mustang last week. Tried some different things on this one such as painting a few panels on the top of the wings with enamel aluminium while the rest was done in regular aluminium. Unfortunately some glue got onto the windshield and seems to not want to be taken off.







Many years ago I also built a different Mustang, this one was a Revell kit of a P-51D with the original mold being from 1963. The difference in quality is night and day, and that's not just in my painting abilities.






So, this is a very nice little kit. It goes together very well with barely any sanding or clamping needed, it's full of details even if the interior details will only barely be visible after completion (But you can build it with an open canopy) The decals also go on perfectly even if in hindsight I should have left out a part until after decalling as it rides right up against one. The Revell one has smooth wheel wells, this one has lots of tiny details. The instructions are also quite clear as to the three versions you can build.

To clear out the backlog and since the Valkyrie and the fishing trawler are still a ways away from completion I've started on the second of three Apache kits. I built this one a while back in the Dutch scheme, now I'll be building the US Army scheme. Same colors, just different decals and some parts.

[Kronos]

That turned out pretty great! Revell's older kits from that era are usually not very accurate I've found, and quite often you'll find one in box scale rather than one of the more "standard" scales. How are the vinyl tracks to work with and paint? My only experience so far is with link and length as I don't build a lot of tanks, but there's a few kits I'm considering that have vinyl or bendable track.

Honestly, the vinyl tracks for the old Sherman were pretty easy to work with. Just hit them with primer, then a base of gunmetal, followed by rustall compound 1 (an alcohol-based mixture meant to simulate rust, works great for general dirt too), tamiya flat spray, and some weathering compounds.

The only problem is even the primer didn't like attaching to them. Due to the way the turret attaches, I needed to leave a way to break the model down into components if something goes wrong I.E. the stoppers on the turret's underside fall off (not much room for glue). As a result, the point where the tracks tab into themselves is worn down to the original black vinyl, but since those are on the underside they generally are out of view.

Anyway, here's some stuff I've been working on:


The AMT 1932 Ford 'Phantom Vicky' is the first car model I'm really happy with and I'll be taking it to a show/contest this weekend. I don't expect to actually win anything but I want to try getting into more contests and improve my craft that way. It won't be the only entry - the Mustang isn't going (several of the decals went on poorly which take it out of contention as it was a learning mule for me) but I'll get pics of the whole group later.



My current armor project: Dragon Models 1/35 Flammpanzer III F1

This one's been pretty fun to put together, lots of fun details to go everywhere. Dragon can go to absolute hell with their stupid 'Magic Tracks' though. The instructions are less than useless when it comes to figuring out how to put them together and they're a nightmare to assemble - can't push them into each other even after the glue is set, because they'll just fail the glue joints (which HAVE to be malleable to make the bends work) and then crumble into individual links again.

[Smoke]

The fishing trawler is also done. The rigging was the hardest part, had to kind of cheat by applying CA glue in strategic points to get it to do what I wanted and not come off as I was tying it down on the other side.








It's an old kit dating back to 1970 and was also released as a Russian spy ship at some points, and it kind of shows. The scale is odd, 1:142 is pretty much a box scale and even that doesn't seem completely right as the figures feel relatively large for it. The mold also had a bit of flash in some points as well as mold lines on certain parts, and the detail is somewhat off here and there. It does go together well even if a bit of clamping is required, and the end result looks quite nice. There was also a pretty visible hole from the top chimney to the interior but I used a spare slab of sprue from another kit (the waterline insert from the Theodore Roosevelt) to close it off.

The XB-70 Valkyrie is also getting close to done. I'm down to finishing up the windshield and putting that in as well as the black on the nose, and I've already started on the decals. Some of them are pretty dang huge but it does break up the sea of white quite well. This thing has cost me two pots of gloss white so far just to get decent enough coverage. I can barely put it on the desk because of the size too, so some stuff has been done with it on the floor.

EDIT: Forgot to add, next kit I'm starting on is one of the Secret Celestia gifts: The GAZ 233014 Tiger. It's a kit with lots of small parts and some planning will be required, but quite manageable. Converting the Zvezda/Humbrol paint codes to matching Revell paints was a bit interesting though as there's clear mismatches between some of them.

[Kronos]

EDIT: Forgot to add, next kit I'm starting on is one of the Secret Celestia gifts: The GAZ 233014 Tiger. It's a kit with lots of small parts and some planning will be required, but quite manageable. Converting the Zvezda/Humbrol paint codes to matching Revell paints was a bit interesting though as there's clear mismatches between some of them.

Looking forward to it!

[PonyHag714]

Very nice.

[Smoke]

And the Valkyrie is done.








This is the biggest kit I've ever built and it took quite some effort, mainly in terms of assembly and painting. The kit's not bad but the age shows and there are some fitting issues requiring some heavy clamping to get it all together. There was also some filler required due to various gaps and the landing gear took some minor effort to get in. This is also the only kit of the aircraft available in this scale other than a vacuum-formed one that would require even more work to build. Not for the faint of heart, and if you do decide to build this make sure you have your clamps and putty ready, as well as a place to put it because of the size.

Next I've pulled out a somewhat older kit I built about 9 years ago: A Viking ship. This one's also reasonably large and is mostly brown, but it has 64 shields to paint and decal to go with it.

[Smoke]

Well, viking ship and other kits are still underway because I kind of got distracted. Along with being busy around the house I also picked up a different kind of kit:







The 1:144 Gundam Mk2 from Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta. It's the Real Grade version so it's got a nicely articulated internal skeleton and a lot of tiny stickers to apply. The build was nice and quick as there's no paint or glue to be applied, the stickers did take some extra time though.

It also fits in nicely with other kits I've built, here is it pre-stickers:





I'm also painting the tiny Kamille that came with it.

[Kronos]

If you can, look for the HGUC Dodai-Kai, its basically an air support unit that the Mk. II and many other mobile suits from Zeta Gundam used. You probably could do a lot with it given your expertise with airplanes.

[Smoke]

Yeah, I'm kinda limited in what the local store offers as getting one from another country tends to mean I pay a lot in shipping or duty fees. I actually looked at getting a waterslide decal sheet for the Mk. II but shipping cost twice as much as the sheet, and adding another kit to it made it even more spendy. Might pick up the HGUC Zaku 2 though.

[Smoke]

And of course I picked up the Zaku. HG is a lot quicker to build than RG and there's a lot less stickers, so this one got done in a few hours:









Still decent articulation and the end result is pretty sweet. Over time I might pick up some more, but for now I'm going back to the regular stuff.

[Kronos]

One of two 1/35 M3A1 Stuarts that I'm working on. The kit comes with decals for multiple tanks, including two from the same Marines unit from the Battle of Bouganville, 1943, and I managed to snag a duplicate kit (same mold, later release box) for a steal because it was missing the decals. As an added bonus, there was a metal lathed barrel upgrade piece that the seller hadn't disclosed (likely didn't know about it) which looks a lot nicer than the stock two-piece assembly. The metal upgrade barrel is on the tank cannon pictured here.



The Academy 1/35 Stuart is a really nice kit overall thus far, comes with a LOT of extra parts that easily could be used to customize other tanks, and it has a full detailed interior. Even has the ability to be built as Soviet Lend-Lease variants with different engine vents and only one of two external fuel drums.

[Smoke]

I haven't had much time for regular models lately, but there's always a way to squeeze in some more gunpla. First there's Jim, or the RGM-79GS "GM Command Space". An older kit, low on the parts but still fun to build. He did need some paint slapped onto him though, as that left hand with the beam saber is a single part cast entirely in white. Nothing some grey and luminous red can't fix. I also picked out some details on the shield.




And next, Char's Gelgoog. Char's answer to being beaten by Amuro is to just get a bigger bot, it seems. Also had to put some paint on there as the inner part of the shield is entirely in yellow. This one also gives me Protoman vibes due to the shield and color scheme.





And a group shot of the boys together:



The other kits are still being worked on, I just finished putting the shields on the viking ship (There's 64 of 'em and they all have decals) and painting the sail, just need to finish the rigging and add the oars and sails. The Tiger is a bit more work as it's full of tiny parts.

[Smoke]

Finally finished the viking ship. All the decals slowed me down a bit, but after the shields were on I sat down today to do all the rigging and the oars.






I built this one before back when we lived in Belgium, so over 8 years ago, but it was nice to come back and build it again. Everything still goes together pretty well and fits correctly but there was some flash to deal with, which is to be expected of a kit of this age. Overall still a good kit though, even if the giant viking head decal just looks ridiculous. The included string is kinda bad however as it's not very flexible.

Up next I'm building a car again, this time it's the Audi Quattro Rally. It's kinda low on detail and doesn't have an engine, but it should still look nice enough when done.

[Smoke]

Finally finished a kit this year, it's been quite hectic lately so I haven't had nearly as much time as I wanted, but I plan on changing that this year. It's a kit I started in the background to have something to do, and it's an Su-27 Flanker. I got it quite a while ago but didn't start it until a few months ago.






Neat little kit, like many of Revell's 1:144 Russian fighters there's no cockpit to speak of and detail is a bit limited. It still goes together pretty well though, and some mixing is required for the blue in the camo. It would have been nice if more decal options were available, but just the one is par for the course these days.

I should get back to the other kits in process, but I'm also gonna start on the Boeing 737-8 Max as it should be a reasonably quick build outside of having to paint it white.

[Smoke]

Well, I actually forgot to post this little guy here when I finished it a few weeks ago. It's the same kit I've built a while back but using the second decal option instead. I also skipped on the decals for the Hellfires and rocket launchers as they're absolutely tiny and hell to get on correctly. Construction also got delayed because the decal sheet was damaged.





Main differences besides the decals are the top of the rotor. I've actually got yet another copy of this kit in the stash that I ended up taking the missing decals from but when I eventually build that I'll be coming up with a whole new scheme. Next up in construction is once again a ship, although it's a bit of an older one. The HMS Victory in 1:450. It's in a scale where the rigging is pretty much invisible so that'll save some time. Incidentally I also have a wooden kit version of this same ship from the 70s that I may start on someday after getting some experience with more basic wooden ships.

Along with that I've also completed some more Gunpla. This time it's the RG Z'Gok that I picked up some time ago, completing a quartet of Char suits. It even comes with a tiny 1:144 Char that I'm halfway through painting.

[Smoke]

The Audi Quattro is done!


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The kit itself shows its age being originally from 1982 (There's a lack of detail in the interior, the pedals are molded into the floor and are barely noticeable for example), but the decals make up for a lot. Instructions are their regular Italeri vagueness at points but with a bit of cleanup everything goes together nicely.

Next I'll be building a kit that I got for relatively cheap that based on reviews and what I'm hearing is quite great: Tamiya's F4D Skyray in 1:72. Apparently it's the 1:48 mold shrunk down and simplified slightly. A quick look at what's in the box feels like it's a shake & bake kit pretty much.

[PonyHag714]

Very nice.

[Kronos]

It's been a while but I've gotten quite a few models done since I last posted, even entered a the local IPMS contests back in October.



Got my two M3A1 Stuarts (one all panels opened, one all closed with the bonus metal barrel from its previous owner), the salvaged Revell M4 Sherman, and the Academy T26 with 3D Printed aftermarket treads.



Incredibly, my little 1/48 Howitzer Motor Carriage took 3rd for the 1/48 Armor category, my first big 'win' and I was over the moon I actually won anything. Especially in a field of almost two dozen other entires.

This year I plan on entering again with new models like the following:



Dragon 1/48 T-34/85 "Tank 204", with metal cannon barrel and brass hull mg barrel

I don't know the backstory of this kit but I know what I found at the dealer at the show. A partially started kit that had all the parts plus an unknown number of extra treads from another T-34, aftermarket parts for the cannon and numerous MG barrels, a full set of sanding sticks from some store in Iowa, numerous chisels and scribing tools, a brand new pack of 200 wood toothpicks, and the cover for a pair of Godhands nippers. It was near the end of the day and the seller was already doing an insane 50% off sale to offload as much stock as possible, so I was able to push the fact the kit had been started and what was labeled as $40 on the box was now a $10 kit (I may have rearranged the box contents to hide all the extra bonus stuff I'd found). Absolutely hated those leather straps for the spare tread links, every single one snapped and looks like ass but I might just go back and redo those with something better later.



Academy Mini-Kit B-24J "Rage in Heaven"

Box stock build, decals were a pain in the ass to work with but it was a cheap kit to obtain ($4 at a thrift store) and I used it as a first pass on painting small frame details on clear plastic. Still think it came out okay in the end.



AMT 1/24 1966 Ford Fairlane

This was a nightmare kit if only because the color was so difficult to work with. I could not for the life of me get Tamiya Racing White to behave, because no matter how light a coat went on...it refused to cure properly and after three attempts I gave up. Ended up using Pro Acryl 'Bright Ivory' instead which is a bit paler but it was close enough as I was done trying to get the paint to work. The rear windows also were poorly designed, and it wasn't helped by me trying to use Micro Krystal Klear to adhere them, because there isn't any recessed panels to sink the window into. I've since switched to proper canopy glue for clear plastic and it's a night and day difference. The front chrome grill also was infuriatingly awful to get it attached, not even super glue would keep the bastard on after holding it for a minute and I had to get creative with rubber bands.



Aoshima 1/24 Mobile Food Truck 'Gyu-Donya' (Beef Bowl)

This was a fun, if awkward, kit. The base truck is very well engineered, even has a ratcheting front axle that allows five positions (straight and two degrees of turning to the left or right), and this one in particular had a choice of two chefs that can fit either in the driver seat or in the kitchen in the back. However, because the chef figures have a giant hollow cavity in their back that would require filling in, I opted to put only one in the front to hide this. The decals were absolutely horrendous, though - it was like handing wet tissue paper trying to get the big ones to behave and there were a lot of tears. The box part itself also required filling in several peg holes since there are versions of this kit that have things plug in above the service windows - which I suspect is why the kit includes full body art frames to help cover those up. Still, I think it looks really nice now that it's all said and done, and I happen to have a sibling kit; the 'Star Kebab' variant, in the backlog I'll probably build next year.