AndyRM101

You can also get the same clippers with Meng branding, which are identical apart from the logo. Those ones may be a little easier to get hold of (I believe HLJ used to stock them; not sure if that's still the case), but they'll probably cost a little more than the original Dspiae ones. As Mike and others have said, the quality of these clippers is outstanding. I've been using them for about a year now and I've never damaged or broken part since switching to them*. They're also still as sharp today as when I first got them. *Disclaimer: I've damaged and broken many, many parts, just not as a result of using these clippers) Andy

You've ended up with two great looking builds. A much better reward than loosing 5kg Andy

Absolutely love it! The red and black scheme looks amazing. Andy

Thanks iwik, Never done any historical figures, but I'd like to do some at some point. No small scale SW either, only the 1/12 Bandai stuff. Andy

Great start phlarris, The issue with the suspension was down to the two insert pieces, C3 and C4, sitting slightly too high when fitted in the hull. It resulted in the axle mounting pins on those parts being out of centre with the holes in the hull sides. That, in turn, made the swing arms sit at an angle when fitted. It's an easy problem to fix, by simply trimming about 1mm from the bottom edge of the insets. On my own build, I only realised what the issue was after I'd firmly glued the inserts in place, so the swing arms remained at an angle. To be honest though, once the tracks were fitted you couldn't really tell the wheels weren't straight. I believe Meng have made a running change to the parts now, so that's probably the reason you didn't encounter the issue. Andy

Thanks Plasto, Yes, I do use a macro lens occasionally, but these are all shot with a regular Sigma 17-70mm. I use an aperture of around f20 to keep as much in focus as possible. Andy

It's taken me a while to get around to the masking process, but I finally started sticking tiny bits of Tamiya tape on the Blockade Runner last night. It's taken about 5 hours and around 250 slivers of tape, but I got the back end finished earlier today and managed to spray the first of the blue panels. I'd thought about masking the whole thing in one go, but it was just too impractical, so I'll have to try and replicate the paint mix when I do the front half. The blue was mainly Tamiya XF-8 with a drop of XF-23 added to lighten it. I managed to avoid any significant over-spray by luck as much as anything, but some of the panel edges will need some cleaning up where the thickness of the masking tape meant the spray didn't get right into the corners. I'll probably lightly glaze some of the blue panels with a paler blue to add some variation too. The blue panels aren't a perfect match either in colour or in position, as the digital model created for Rebels doesn't match the surface detail of the original Tantive precisely. I'm not too worried about it being an exact replica though, as long as it's close enough to tell what it's meant to be. The next step will be to spray the front half which I'll try to do in one go, although I might end up having to do the top and bottom separately. Hopefully, that'll be done over the next couple of days. Andy

Cheers Stew

Thanks guys, Glad you've found them. The quality of their figures really is first class. Local too (to you and me) as they're based in Nottinghamshire. Andy

Okay, finally found some time to get a little more done on the Blockade Runner. The engine section has been finished off and painted, and some areas have had an acrylic wash. I've left the remaining weathering for now though so I can complete the main painting. The engine section was masked off, and the rest of the fuselage sprayed with AK Cream White mixed with some Gunze GX clear to lessen the very matt finish of the Real Color lacquers. You can see the partial weathering on the engine section better below. The lower half has had a wash with the same dark rubber/glaze medium used previously, while the top part is still in the plain grey base coat. The unweathered areas will be finished off once I've completed the main painting. There'll now follow a few days of finicky masking to mark out the blue sections. I'm hoping to spray all the blue areas in one session, as I think it will require a custom mix, and I'd rather not have to mix it twice. It just depends on how awkward the masking proves to be. Andy

Fantastic collection Will. I'm still amazed you created the graveyard base to such a high standard so quickly! Andy

Not quite as interesting a list as Trumpeter's 2019 offerings, but some nice subjects all the same. More than anything though, I'm looking forward to the down-scaled 72nd releases of the MAZ trucks.

Great start Dennis. I like the extra detailing you've added to the mid section. One word of advice; where possible, it's a good idea to lightly ream out the holes for the connection pins. Doing so lessens the tight fit and removes the tension that some of the parts are under. Andy

Lovely collection Plasto, especially the TA 183 Andy