iwik

...in 1/144 scale. Hi y'all! Felt like building a jet. Quickly though, it's only a jet. Something small, and fast. Took me longer than I thought though... But here it is. Hope you'll like it. Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! After adding some tiny bits such as different handles, here it is finished at last! Hope you'll like it. Thanks for watching and see you soon! Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! Almost done here... Those darn pilot's heads are too big for the canopy to fit... Had to use the kit's... After I've applied the decals, I let a black oil wash run along the panel lines, except on the tail where I used gray. The tail took a much darker look than when first applied. Oh well... Before putting together all the sub assemblies and spraying a matt varnish, I've applied another pin wash of dark brown oil paint along the panel lines around and on the engine acces panels. Then I've sprayed the exhausts stains on top f the tail. Another few bits here and there and I'll be done! Ciao Iwik

Hi Neil. I'm surprised. When I test fitted the skid it was definitely tail heavy.... Ciao IWik

Hi y'all Well, if you want to build a Cobra in Vietnam, you don't have much choice. A nice one that is. Nothing interesting in either 1/48 and 1/32 (yet). So I decided to build the Special Hobby one. And it's a beauty. However, I decided to add the Brengun photoetched parts and the air intake, much more accurate than the kit's. I also added the CMK pilots. At this scale theinterior details are limited, so the addition of pilots will compensate for this. Unfortunately, these are sculpted for those who want to use drybrushes and washes technics. Angles are very sharp and folds deep. Not my cup of tea. I've done what I could. You can basically keep your putty in the drawer. All you need is careful sanding and a bit of white glue here and there to fill in some gaps, that's it. However, to make sanding easier on the bottom of the helo, I decided it best to completly erase the acces panels and redo them in fine plastic card parts. The fuselage halves assembled with the accurate brengun air intakes. I've also started to paint some of the armament. I've also bought the brengun resin chin turret, but as an idiot, I closed the fuselage without putting any lead in the nose... So I eneded up using the kit's turret (which is actually just as nice) and fillied it up with as much lead as I could. A piece of advice here for those who would want to build this kit; don't glue anything in the cockpit. Everything can be glued in the end and that will prevent any accidents from happening during the many handling of the kit. Like almost losing the dashboard. And now the paneling. Such a thrilling moment.....NOT! I've used as many as 5 OD shades. I've applied masking fluid with a piece of a sponge ont the edges of the masking tape for each panels prior to painting them over the base color. Once you remove them you get a nice effect of wear. Once the whole kit was done, I've again applied masking fluid along all panel lines and sprayed some OD+black along them. The top of the tail has received a layer of very dark grey and different shadings. That's it for the moment. By the way, that's the version I want to do. Unfortunately, that's the only picture I have of this particular aircraft before its accident (shark teeth applied, and tail rotor on the left side). I have three other pics of Wretched Mildred but after the accident. Moreover, the decals are not very accurate when compared to the picture above. If you had any other pics.... Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! Assault 26 was the call sign for Lew Jenning's Cobra. After reading his book "19minutes to live", I decided to tacle this old Verlinden figure. I found it too rigid in its posture, so I added a CAR 15 SBG in his left hand and replaced his right arm. I sculpted both gloves with Magic Sculpt. The inspiration for the Confederate flag on the helmet came from a photo. Painted with acrylics only. Hope you like it! Cheers! Iwik

Hi! Thanks a lot for your kind words! Ciao IWik

Hi y'all! Another extraordinnary kit from Bandai, in chase of the MF in an asteroid field! A real meteorite serves as the base. Treated like a miniature with highlights and shadows brush painted. A pin wash with dark oil and the some small details painted with an almost white light grey serve to accentuate the contrasts. Hope you'll like it! Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! As I was reading the awesome autobiography by Guy SAJER of his experience on the eastern front during WWII, I wanted to paint a german miniature. I have plenty in store (who hasn't? ) and I took my linkings to this Panzer Art miniature. However, I did change the head for a more juvenile looking one, and for this Alpine Miniatures heads are perfect. I also changed the original ammo box (way too thin) for a photoetched one. I also added a white camo painted helmet to further give the impression that winter, if not there, was close past or coming. Painted with acrylics only. Hope you'll like it Ciao IWik

Hi y'all! It had been a while since I wanted to represent a non fighting military personnel. It's now done. I used the beautiful tankist figure from Evolution Miniatures (great cast and perfect fit, I really like this brand). Acry only. Hope you'll like my modest tribute. Ciao Iwik

Hi! Excellent all over a usual! Ciao Iwik

Hi! Really looks like the "real" thing! Love it. Ciao Iwik

Hi! Thank you all for the nice comments! IanC you probably looked at the close-up pic where the weathering does show up. But this was taken before any weathering done with oils and other. It is much more subtle in the end. 72modeler: so I heard! But nothing really bad happened. As of all twin boomers, you have to be extra careful to align everything correctly, but it went on like a charm. So did the fit of the canopies. No issues there either. However, the kit does require a bit of putty, but nothing to be really upset about. On the other hand, I did commit some blunder as I built one of the engine upside down and realized my mistake and all weathering was done. So I carefully unglued the engine and did everything all over again. Make sure you insert the engines correctly unlike since mine, certainly because of the lead I inserted inside, were a little bit too forward. Other than that... Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! Here's Skippy! Famously known P61A. A great little kit with very nice panel lines. Cockpit from aires (cut in half to allow better painting). Hand painted propeller hubs and front wheel (taht was fun...) Opened canopy. Aires wheels. Replaced side antennaes since the original molded ones are a centimeter too up front! Painted with acrylics. Weathered with oils and acrylics. A few pics of the built: I usually do 1/48 but due to lack of place I will make big twin engined planes in 1/72 from now on. Mostly. See you later for a He219 of the same brand. Ciao Iwik

Absolutely. There were a few though. I have gathered a couple of more pics since last time. Mostly armed with water cooled .30.

Hi y'all! In spite of my extensive research amidst my books and on the net, I've only been able to find 2 pics of armed Jeeps (carrying a .30 cal) in the PTO. Anyone here with a collection of those? Ciao Iwik

Hi! Excellent work. Probably the best Hetzer I've seen. Would have liked more close up pics, but well... Great work on the figures as well. I love this kind of small dios. Gives a minimalist story, and who needs more? Ciao IWIk

Hi y'all! Here is my latest. A Black Dog miniature with a replacement head from a Wing Cockpit one. I added a oh so british mustache! The aircraft is Eduard's 1/32 Spitfire MkVIII. Hope you like it! Ciao Iwik

Thanks to you all! Ciao Iwik

Hi! Maybe I should have indeed. Plenty of 57thFG and 79th (and here 324thFG) FG in North Africa retained the tail flash. I don't know if these were P40s intended for the RAF or if it was an additional mean for ID (although plenty of US P40 in NA didn't the tail flash eiter...). However, on march 13th 1943 P40F from 314FS/324FG battled with some Bf109. In the melee Major F Wortley was shot down behind ennemy lines and successfully belly-landed. He managed to walk back to his unit. There is a photo of the downed aircraft (taken by allied troops once the front line shifted) p45 in the Osprey book "P40 aces of the MTO". Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! I have a few doubt about that P61A named "moonhappy", with the woman lying on top of a big crescent moon.] According to this site http://www.skylighters.org/special/night_fighters/p61info.html with its serial "425527" it shouldn't have a dorsal turret. But so does not "Jap Batty" (25528) for exemple, which of course it does. Could that site be wrong? Now I'm wandering if that serial has not been wrongfully attributed to the wrong "Moonhappy". Crews Habermann and Mooney have shut down a plane with a P61 also named Moon Happy but with a different nose art. On the left side of that (?) aircraft they applied a victory flag. [/url Are the two moonhappy the same aircraft? Two different ones with of course different serials? Could THE Moonhappy also wear the victory mark? I'm lost. Help. Ciao Iwik

Steve, I've been given a build 1/32 B-24 of which I will only use the nose for a mini scene with two wingcockpit figures. 😉 Ciao IWik

Hi y'all! Decided to put this here. Spitfire MkVIII Eduard 1/32 and a DEFmodels miniature of a German pilot gloating over his latest victory. Hope you like it! Ciao Iwik

Hi y'all! Thanks for the kind words! No dnl42, no WIP. But here are the few changes/improvements I've made on this kit: -rescribed the panel lines -thinned the propellers -differentiated the turrets (one Consolidated and one Emerson) -erased the lateral gunner positions -added break lines on the main gears -replaced the guns with copper wires -replaced the front landing gear doors -cut a good part of the ventral turret -added both pitot tubes and their supports -added armored plates on both sides of the cockpit -added (lotsa) weight in the nose -replaced observation cuppola with a big drop of cristal clear glue. That's "about" it. Ciao IWik

Hi y'all! After many small improvements on this little kit, here it is done at last! It's been a while since I've done a (whole) model kit, so here it is: Hope you like it! Ciao Iwik