Mike

I had that done on both my wrists either side of my son being born, so almost 14 years ago now. It makes life difficult for a while being one-armed, but it hopefully won't slow you down for too long. It'll take about a year to fully heal, but after a couple of weeks things will gradually start getting better

SS-100 Gigant Update sets (P48010 & 8068 for Tamiya) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby The Hanomag Gigant was a German WWII prime-mover that was originally a pre-war civilian tractor that was impressed into military service to tow aircraft, Vidalwagen V-2 rocket launch transport units, and Meillerwagen V-2 erector systems. Tamiya released their 1:48 kit in 2017 as an aircraft tug, and re-released it in 2019 towing an 88mm flak 37. These sets are intended to upgrade the detail on these kits, addressing the slightly simplified hollow tyres, and adding extra detail to the prominent radiator at the front of the vehicle. As usual with CMK and Special Hobby's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Front Radiator Mask (P48010) The name of this set is slightly misleading, but it supplies a new radiator grille and the core behind it, both 3D printed in orange resin and consisting of two parts on a single print base. The two parts are liberated from the base and are glued together, inserting the radiator core behind the grille after painting, and removing the raised nose section of the kit’s bodyshell to fit the new assembly, which locks in place thanks to a block on the rear of the radiator core. It should massively increase the realism of the area, as the individual grille louvres are printed separately, so the radiator behind it will be visible in good light. The grille also has the word Hanomag in raised letters above it, and a filler cap on the top. Wheels (8068) This set replaces the kit wheels that are a little simple, particularly in the rear twin-wheel axles, which have hollow inner sides. The single front wheels are drop-in replacements for the one-part kit wheels, giving much more finesse to the detail, while the rear wheels are mounted in pairs, correctly rendered with both sides of the tyres, and the particular hubs that permit their mounting in tandem, as per the real thing. A separate hub part is also included for each part. The spare tyres is moulded with a larger cut-out in the centre along that is flashed over on the casting block plus bolt-holes around the circumference, and comes with a pair of clamps that attach it to the rear wall of the double cab of the vehicle. Review sample courtesy of

"Soon" is one of those 'how long is a piece of string' type statements. Galactically speaking, the sun will turn into a red giant relatively soon, but that's several billion years in our tiny short measurement scale.

Terse? Moi? In fairness John (Martin), it says in moderately sized letters "Introduce yourself to the members here." at the top of this area, and we also have a rule about people engaging in Buy/Sell/Want ads, which is they must have 100 posts before they can use the specific area set aside for the job, which you can find here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/39-buy-amp-sell/ There's a thread at the top of each of those areas that gives you the reasons and rules. You might want to have a read if you're able. I've removed your want ad, and as you're the topic starter, you can edit it to say hello to the members instead. N'kay?

Handley Page Halifax – Early Merlin-Engined Variants Photo Archive Number 27 ISBN: 9781908757395 Wingleader Publications The second of the RAFs famous four-engined heavies to enter service in WWII, the Halifax was originally designed to meet the same Air Ministry Specification as the Avro Manchester. In common with the Manchester, the H.P.56 design was developed from a twin-engined design into the four-engined bomber that we are all familiar with. Although overshadowed in popular culture by the Avro Lancaster, the Halifax was built in substantial numbers and served with distinction. The type’s first operational raid was on the French city of Le Havre on 11 March 1941, but by the end of the war it was reckoned that the Halifax had dropped 224,207 tons of ordnance on Hitlers Fortress Europe, at the cost of nearly 2,000 aircraft lost. The Halifax was a versatile design and it could be adapted for a wide range of roles including anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. The Halifax continued to serve after the end of the Second World War, and examples of the type were still in service with the Pakistan Air Force in the early 1960s. The B Mk.III was the main production variant and utilised the Bristol Hercules radial engine in place of the Rolls Royce Merlin. It featured a glazed nose with single machine gun and apart from the first few examples, extended wingtips. This twenty-seventh volume in the series details the early Halifax, covering with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engined airframes that were initially built after the cancellation of the ill-fated Rolls-Royce Vulture, which proved to be too advanced for its time, using an unusual X-24 piston layout that was so complex and laced with pitfalls that it was only perfected by the end of WWII after extended development efforts. Some of the photos are staged of course, but there are also many candid shots, a very few of which are in colour, without much in the way of battle-damaged aircraft, other than two aircraft lying wrecked on the airfield after a post-mission landing with a damaged engine resulting in asymmetric thrust that drove it off course into another parked aircraft, effectively cutting its victim in two. There are a great many photos taken of development aircraft that were used to improve the performance and durability of the aircraft in subsequent guises, and there are dozens of differences noted between the early variants that are called out in the captions accompanying all the photos. A visually impressive book with plenty of reading material into the bargain that will have you coming back to it again and again. This is the first of a series of volumes that will detail the history of the Halifax, although they’re currently a little vague about the number of volumes there will be. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

That's an impressive age.

Nice work. The boot leather looks good - what did you use for that? I dabbled with the speed paint/contrast stuff, but couldn't get the effects I wanted for the most part. When I have time, I'm going to have a go with glazing. Seems to be what the Eavy Metal painters use, but they also have talent, which is something I'm looking forward to acquiring some day

That's not a nice name to call your wife!

Thanks for the kind words and likes folks

It was supposed to be chucking it down here today, but all we've had is a quick smattering at about tea time. For early April Oop North (other locations are available), that qualifies for good weather Good job too, as I kept having to go back and forth getting different screws to hang a shelf on what I thought was plasterboard, because you never get the right ones the first time, or the second, third or fourth time It all worked out well in the end, but I certainly got a few extra steps in. I needed a lie-down after

That's purdy

Clear Box (100-Box01) Special Hobby Storing your models can be just a case of putting the finished work on shelves in a cabinet or on an open shelf, but that leaves them open to damage by incautious hands/paws, and of course, the dreaded dust. Dust has a habit of resolving itself over time into a self-adhesive layer that’s best not thought too deeply about, in case we realise what it consists of. Display cases are usually some combination of quite expensive, heavy or not of the required size, so it’s hard to find one to fit your modelling output. This new clear-topped display box is about to change that, particularly for 1:72 or smaller armour builders, or anyone that needs a display box with 5cm of headroom, measuring 13.4cm x 7.7cm at the base, internally, tapering to 12.8cm x 7.6cm at the top of the box interior. It has a clear upper of course, or you wouldn’t see much, and a black plastic base onto which the top fits neatly, although not tightly. If you grip the clear upper, it will come away without effort from the base, so to keep the atmosphere out, you’d need to glue/seal the two halves together with an adhesive that won’t mar either component. The black base has a lip at the bottom on which the top rests, and a bevelled edge around it that extends diagonally 8mm into the base. This gives 12.1cm x 6.5cm of useable flat space on the base, which is ideal for 1:72 armour, 1:43 vehicles and other such reasonably-sized models. The box arrives in a clear shrink-wrap film, with a sticker on top telling you what it is, and in the process it protects the case from scratch damage in transit. There is nothing stopping you from adding ground works to the base, the diagonal section adding a separation between your diorama/vignette and the clear sides. You must ensure that you don’t use any solvent-based adhesives or putties to create your masterpiece however, for fear of melting the base, and you should also ensure that all paints, glues and potions have fully cured before you drop the lid on your model for eternity, as it’s possible that off-gassing could result in partial melting, or frosting of the clear top, ruining your case. That’s for you to look out for however, as most cases are plastic, and the same rules apply unless you can afford glass cases. Conclusion A simple, effective and cost-conscious way to protect your creations from dust and ill-advised touching from fingers or paws. Fingers crossed that some larger boxes will arrive in due course. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Russian Fighters Version 4 Acrylic Paint Set (02.112) Jim-Scale via Hobby Colours Jim Scale is a Russian-based brand of modelling supplies that concentrates heavily on painting and finishing, with a great many products aimed at the modeller of Russian Federation or Soviet subjects, but with a broad range that will suit almost any genre. Their location might cause concerns for some of our members at the moment, but these products have come to us via Hobby Colours from Greece, and might appeal to some of our members around the world, providing that supply doesn’t eventually become a problem. The range contains products that are water-based and alcohol-based, the water-based product codes beginning with 01., and with the colour or product number after the full-stop. This is good to know, as the packaging is written almost entirely in Russian, which isn’t a language many native English speakers are familiar with. Fortunately, our mobile (cell/handy) phones are becoming more competent with every generation, and translation from one language to another is the work of moments, simply aiming your phone’s camera at the text and tapping translate. This set provides three colours often seen on Russian fighter aircraft, particularly the Su-34, which is mentioned on the rear of the set, along with a profile and a few details about the aircraft. It arrives in a bubble package with a cardboard backing card, a clear vacformed front holding the paint bottles in place until you slide the card out from behind. Each bottle contains 18ml of paint, and is topped off with a dropper tip and yellow cap that screws onto the nozzle, preventing leakage. There is also a hefty shaker ball inside each bottle to assist with mixing the paint before use, and we are told that the paints can be sprayed or brushed just as easily. The 01. code tells us that this is a water-based acrylic, and there is little to no aroma from the bottles, unless you place the nozzle just under your nose. The three colours are as follows: 01.189 Light Blue (Su-34) 01.192 Light Blue 01.193 Green Blue (Su-34) As is usual with my tests, I used plastic spoons that had been prepared by a light roughening with a very fine sanding stick, and the bowl was sprayed with primer to prepare and harmonise the surface. Based upon the results of other tests that I have run with this system, the paint will adhere equally well directly to the spoon without primer, with no discernible difference between the finishes. I can also confirm that the paint brushes out well, reaching opacity in 2-3 thin coats using a flat brush to minimise brush-marks, which were negligible and could have been a result of my inexpert application, as I’m unused to painting large areas without an airbrush. Spraying was carried out by first laying down a medium coat now that I am more confident with the system, which was given a few seconds to gas off before adding another heavier layer, repeating extra layers as necessary to improve vibrancy. The paint went down very well with no spluttering, stoppages, or other issues, and as it dried the surface became very smooth with a slight sheen visible from some angles after initial drying had occurred. The patterning I had experienced previously during the mist-coat stages didn’t occur this time, as I had brushed the surface to remove dust with an anti-static brush by Tamiya, and was more aggressive with application. After several hours of drying, the paint had taken on a matt sheen that is pleasing to the eye, across all colours in the set. Two days after spraying paint on both primed and un-primed sides of the original tests, Tamiya tape was applied to all surfaces, burnished down firmly, and torn off 20 minutes later, with absolutely no caution whatsoever. This paint is as tough as old boots, and there wasn’t any lifting of the tape, regardless of priming or otherwise, so you can paint and mask to your heart’s delight and it won’t let you down if you prepare your model’s surfaces. Conclusion Now I have tested their primers and two paint sets, this system is really growing on me. It goes down well, doesn’t lift on removal of masking, the finish is excellent, and the sets aren’t expensive. I can live with the slightly longer curing time for the paint, as my modelling is sporadic anyway, and there is always something else to do in the meantime. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

You might have to change your "pickled Wings" blog to "Sober wings" then

So a girl farted, and they got mad with you? You should sue for Nostril anguish or something

It's already forgotten. No, really. I can't remember a damn thing about it!

Don't worry about it. It caused a wry smile at this end, so it's all good. You can go about your sensible thread now without me interfering

If I wanted to take photos, the Canon would be best, but for shooting down aircraft, I'd recommend guns every time

Looks good from what I'm seeing, but some closer pics would be better, as my old eyes can't make out the details. Crop the background out too, and it'll help focus down on the model

That is a monster I know the real monster is currently under here in the movie, but wowzer. Pretty stunning. What're you going to do with it when you've finished?

It could take some time

Games Workshop launched a 'warpstone' ring for your loved ones, although my email arrived too late, so they're the fools It's getting so I don't believe anything that happens on 1st April. That said, I definitely finished my P.1101... honest!

Like I said, don't read any of it out loud, or it might conjure a modelling purist with a pooh-pooh attitude to anything slightly whiffy

Freehand! I tried to follow the instructions, because that's the pattern on this version, but eventually I had to make up my own shapes just to preserve my sanity. I'd pick a shape from the profiles and try to replicate it, do a few more, pick another few and move on. I did a bit of tidying up afterwards with some 'black', and that's pretty much it. I was using a Gunze Procon Boy PS-770 airbrush, which is a 0.18mm needle, and I added a bit of Gunze Mr Retarder Mild to reduce any dry tip issues, but inevitably, you end up having to wipe the needle off as you go along Thanks for the comments and likes, folks

Topic updated with six new sets at the bottom of the mega-review. The sets are as follows: WWII US Aviation (3047) Wehrmacht Afrika Korps (3049) WWII British Royal Navy Aviation (3050) WWI US Vehicles (3051) WWII Military Vehicles of Britain (3052) WWII German U-Boats (3053)