Angus Tura

Dave, Thanks for that. I was a bit troubled by the improbability of anyone being on deck on arriving off Scarborough. To set this, as you say, in that moment of departure for Scarborough would be better. Not having to heart-search about modelling waves breaking over the bow is definitely a boon. It is also a boon to know the flagpole is called a Jack Staff and not a Bowsprite. I love that second picture you've posted. I don't think its Derffinger: there's no B-turret and the secondary armament was above the main deck on the Derfflinger. Whatever, it would make a marvellous model in 1/700. While I've got you, do you know a reference for how the Jack would be rigged up to the Jack Staff? That is to say, where do the ropes go? TIA, Alan

Hello. This groupbuild has crystallised an idea that has been swimming around for me for, literally, years. Here are a couple of Hecker and Goros 54mm figures: I do love these figures. They are properly 54mm, or 1/32 scale. The officer has been in my stash for ages but the rating I just bought. I have thought that the officer would be good posed on/in a wedge or section of a battleship to contrast his puniness with the massiveness of the industrial-military complex. I had thought too that I'd like the battleship to be the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger, because it has the coolest crest. This GB has made me think about possible figures involved in bombardment, and how I might continue with a Yorkshire theme. On 14/12/14 the German battlecruiser group sailed over the North Sea to bombard towns on the East Coast of England, in the hope that the Royal Navy would give battle. Derfflinger and Von der Tann split from the other battlecruisers which sailed towards Hartlepool and Whitby. Derfflinger and Von der Tann sailed south to bombard Scarborough. So, I thought that would make a pretty cool build. I have given a lot of thought as to where to put the figure on the ship. I thought that it would be easiest towards the stern, especially as the freeboard is least there. I got the Derfflinger plans book above to think about this and, having failed to find a place on the ship towards the stern where there wasn't a massive amount of deck stuff to scratchbuild, have ended up thinking that the easiest place to do would be right in the prow. That will let me have the crest which appeared where you might think the name of the ship would go. The bow will also be structurally the easiest, or at least least difficult, bit to make. It begs the question as to, "what these chaps would be up to standing on the prow just as they got to Scarborough?" As they were hoping to draw the British out to fight I think that it's credible that the Derfflinger would be flying its battle-flags. The model then is going to be of two of the crew of SMS Derfflinger off Scarborough at about 8am on 14/12/14. They have just hoisted a battle flag on the bowsprite. I've expanded the relevant bits of the plans in the Kagero book to 1/32 scale. That is x 11: Looking around, on-line, I also found a very helpful close-up of battle damage to Derfflinger after the Battle of Jutland: https://www.sms-navy.com/bc/SMS_Derfflinger-BatDam_21Jun1916-3.jpg . There are also a number of photos to find with details of planking, rails and guttering on Kaiserliche Marine ships from the period. The Kagero book has really useful 3D plans of some of the deck fittings also. The stem of the ship is 24.2cm in the plan above and I did think this was too high to be manageable but the battle damage photo above shows the boot-topping about 20 scale centimetres below the deck which I think will be better. Allowing for the bow wave, I think it will look OK: So, that's the idea. If anyone has any tips about bow-waves in 54mm, I'd be really glad to hear them! See you soon, Alan

I didn't vote, Tony, but that is definitely the right one I should say. Alan

Pete. Thanks for your erudition. I weakened and looked this up. 'Turns out, "polaris" is an adjective...so, it doesn't really have a plural. 'Serves me right for cleverdick-dom. Anyway, the X-7 has its ramjet and pylon molded in one and I thought it would be easier to paint (i.e. not mask,) if the pylon were on the airframe and the ramjet separate. This has been two holes drilled through the pylon into the missile to take the brass rods; pylon and engine separated, cutting on the pylon side; reassembled over the brass rods and then the lower bit of the pylon rebuilt with magic-sculp. The trolley for the X-7 has cross members which stop the fuselage sitting in its cradle because the ramjet fouls the cross members. On "modeling madness" there's a build of this with the cross members carved out a bit but I couldn't get the ramjet low enough thereby: So, I ended up just dividing it: I've subsequently taken out the front cross bar to let the missile sit further forward on the cradle. Here they all are ready for some paint: The X-55s (white cruise missiles) have just been sanded smoother and the fit of the X-55M to the trolley improved. The X-7 tail has been completely re-assembled after another tiny, and probably fortunate, crash into herself's new vinyl floor. The round white bases on the X-7 and X-55M are just 40 thou/1mm plasticard discs cut with a P-cutter compass. They'll be asphalt-ised. The tomahawk in launch-mode has had its connection to the missile silo replaced with perspex and made longer. See you later. Alan

Good grief man! I was thinking about one of these as a PR34. What's wrong with all these bits? Alan

Yup: I cannot figure out how anyone can do a cockpit in a blitzbuild! Alan

I've selected the "confused" emoji, Dave, in response to your post. That is because we don't seem to have an "upset and slightly offended: that disloyalty goes through me, like a spear"-emoji! Finishing is relative! Alan

That is just brilliant! I'm feeling a bit chilly looking at it. I need some "water" and am very glad to see your use of these products. Alan

Hi. I'd like to complete a number of blitzbuilds from the last several years. On the far left is the Belcher Bits Polaris A1 which is pretty close but needs gloss paint, decals and details of the nozzles and base of missile painted. The Polaris A3 is complete. In the middle are tomahawk cruise missiles in flying and launch configurations buy Fine Molds. These are complete as far as the instructions go but I was really disappointed that the Gunze C307 and C308 with which its sprayed don't have nearly enough contrast. So, I want to repaint these a bit and while I'm about it I was going to make them Royal Navy specific. I also want to get them onto a base like the Polarises (should that be Polarides?). The white cruise missiles are an X-55 and X-55M by Amodel which I had in the recent Blitzenbuild. The missiles are complete but not gloss painted and decalled while the trolley the X-55M is sitting on has its wheels only blu-tac-ed. The white plane with the silver nose is the Anigrand Lockheed X-7. I was finished only to the point where it went on a stand. The cream resin bits are its trolley. Since it was "finished" it's lost a tailplane and in photographing it just now I've managed to break its engine off also! That is probably a good thing as it'll make painting the demarcation between white pylon and metal engine easier. I've made a start this evening in carving down a bit of the base to hold the flying tomahawk: Alan

'Morning all. Here are two vikings just ashore and making their way through the dunes to Scarborough. Both FeR resin figures, albeit by diferent sculptors. They are mostly painted in oils over enamel base colours and there are a few bits that are still awaiting the oils. Some acrylics on shields, and the metal colour. Thanks for encouragement and helpful advice/infornation. Thanks for the groupbuild. Alan

No bat, but that is your actual emoji-flagellum australis! Its a couple of days after epiphany but I have nonetheless had a revelation: There is a god, and he abhors slightly dishonest entries in groupbuild galleries. I have ignored this celestial message and painted the trousers and stuck the bits together, and the hersir's foot back on. So, here they are, finished-ish: Thanks very much for the groupbuild(s) Rich, and all. A few too many things for me to learn to be entirely comfortable time-wise. More in the gallery. Roll-on Bombers, Ground attack &c. in a fortnight: Scarborough 1914 AD in planning. Alan.

Like it very much I do, yes. Alan

Thanks again. I am cracking on as best as poss. I should have something for the gallery on-time although it might not be 100% I've painted the footprints on the base and its edges with black oil-paint and pressed the grass on top to see where the feet should go, I could then cut out the foot marks and the edged edges, as it were: , and stick the grass to the base. I started with the feet and then, when that was dry worked my way round, trimming and sticking. Or, in the case of the back edge of the grass, sticking and trimming. All 5" epoxy. One is always learning! The fur has a definite "grain", wanting to lie in the direction it is made. Where it's cut across the grain the fur along the cut comes loose and there's a bit of a bald patch , while, with the grain there's no bald patch: No bald patch. Bald patch. Here is the bald patch filled in with 5" epoxy and bits of painted fur cut off the backing material: At the back of the clump of grass, where there's an overhang on the base, the backing of the fur is really obvious but I am going to put some roots under the overhang and then blend them into the grass above with some earth paint/paste: Here's the man standing in the grass before trimming, and the both of them with the grass trimmed: There are a couple of bald areas which need some help and I might trim the grass a bit more. It's about a centimetre now, or a scale foot, approximately, which I think is about right for dune-grass. A couple of things learnt are: to paint the backing with glue (PVA?) before cutting it in future: I think that would prevent the bald patches. And to use the grain of the fur better. You can see that the grass is trying to point to the left in the photo while, if there were an on-shore breeze, it would be better to have the grass coming towards the front. The best of it is that in this photo-angle you can't see their feet! So, I reckon if I paint the trousers. stick on the hindmost man's right hand and front man's shield, take another photo and post it in the gallery I might avoid a visit from Rich and his emoji-baseball bat... See you Sunday, Alan

Couldn't agree with you more Jeroen. Red and green could only be suggested by one of those chaps I've heard about who seem to live for pleasure alone...

Hello, again. I had thought by last week that this was not going to be done on deadline, and spent a bit of time preparing and then failing to complete the Blitzenbuild. While blitzenbuilding I saw that we had an extension on this one. This is great. I wish I had known, and would probably not have started the blitzenbuild. Anyway. I had progressed these a bit before thinking I wasn't going to get there. They've got their hair painted on and the white metal axes, helmet and shield bosses. This was Vallejo Natural Steel x 2 thin coats. The hair is H110 wood and some H103 (I think) cream. These need a bit of texturing. I should be able to get the leather straps and shield bits all done before the end of the weekend. I spent more time on the base than the figures in the last couple of weeks. I want the front viking to be standing in/on some dune-grass and the back one on sand. I found a great explanation of using "Treemendus" fake fur for long grass here: http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1999.0 . I also found some pictures of grass on dunes on-line. Here is a bit of fake fur stained/painted with Mr.Color IDF green. This is one messy job, not least because of the thinners you need for Mr.Color paint. I have spent quite a bit of time repairing the kitchen table (!) Next time I'll use Vallejo and water as the link above suggests. The problem with the fake fur seems to be hiding its backing material. As suggested by the finescale railroader I built up the front and side edges of the base with magic-sculp, albeit I'll need to deepen the ground surface more for this to work. That build-up of the edges, however, has meant I've had to re-finishes the edges of the base, and I can't get that to work without it cracking between to wooden base and the Das clay from which most of the base is made. This is such a pain! I won't be using the Das clay again. I think the problem is its porosity. The paint is black Mr.Surfacer 1500 and I wonder if some other paint might not work better. I got some stone effect spray at B&Q today, which I thought I might try in the hope of covering up the crack. It's maybe a bit too coarse, and its got white flecks in it, which I am not big on. I'll maybe just brush paint it matt enamel and then satin valllejo varnish but if I do the landscaping before the edges are OK I won't be able to spray it again so easily. I'll let you know, Alan