alxzinbox

That looks nice!!! The modified pitot and the canopy det-cord are nice refining touches. The smoke looks really convincing as well.

Nice build!! I especially like the lighting along with the hangar. It does look like it was being lit by an appropriate light source in a real hangar. The mottling and the detail paint work is pretty astounding too.

Nice looking build! It comes to life with the excellent photography, layout and the figures.

Outstanding! You've given a new lease of life to this vintage kit. The wood texture on the prop and the superb job on the rigging have my admiration. Additional photos would be appreciated. What's your preferred rigging method? cheers, Alex.

Thank you everyone for your encouraging support! Yes, the Eastern Express seems to be a re-box of the A-Model kit. The sprues are the same. The PE set in the EE kit is missing the wing-flap hinges. Since they are a prominent feature on the An-2, you might want to get the A-model kit if you choose not to scratch build them.

Really cool! The weathering is spectacular!

Superb model! Nice seeing one in Indian colors.

Impressive builds- all of them. The clincher is the tiny Spitfire on your hand- puts the scope of your accomplishments in perspective!

Very nice! The masking on the canopy is flawless

Lovely!! The attitude of the aircraft is killer! Nice concept of the base too.

The Antonov An-2 was widely used in Russia, and neighboring countries. A hardy, easily maintained, Short-Takeoff-Landing aircraft, it proved to be a life-line to many far flung rural communities. This little vignette is supposed to reflect the aircraft in that vital role. The Build: There was some minor scratch-building attempted on the aircraft: The cabin door was molded closed, so it was opened and a basic interior was created before joining the halves together. The engine was detailed a little as it's visible thru the front. The kit was missing the prominent wing-flap hinges, so they were created from 0.5mm styrene sheet. A bi-plane without rigging is no bi-plane at all, so despite the 1/144 scale, it was worth the effort. The cockpit frame was created with decals, unfortunately that area is one of the weaker points of the build. The rest of the scene is scratch built. The base was made from epoxy-putty, with real stones,graded sifted soil and match-sticks for the fencing. Static grass and colored saw-dust was used for the ground cover. Twisted wire and brush bristles dusted with colored saw-dust made the conifer trees. The chocks, access ladder and crates were built from stretched sprue, styrene sheet and choice expletives. Barrels were just bits of sprue. The man and dog were made from styrene sheet and stretched sprue. The man measures around 1cm in height, and had me cross-eyed for a few days after making him. On to the photos! Thanks for watching! Cheers, Alex.

The last image of the MiG29 looks deadly!! Great builds!

Wow!! That's a stunner!

That's one great looking vignette! The spray and the foam look especially convincing. Nice work

Nice! Especially the riveting. Did you use a dual riveter on the fuselage ahead of the cockpit?

Very nice!! The figures add a nice touch of dynamism along with all the interesting details scattered around.

Nice! The rivets while subtle add a whole new dimension of detail to the model. Even the weathering turned out fantastic.

Brilliant builds! The weathering and ordinance turned out super. The first image of the Viper looked like a shot of the real aircraft

Amazing- Great work on the interior details. You really pushed this kit to it's limit with fantastic results!

Great work on the scratch building Tom! Looks flawless

Wow- Amazing model and photography! Always a pleasure watching your builds!

Thanks Mike! Truth be told, I've picked up all these techniques from the vast amount of information on Youtube, Britmodeller and other forums. We are truly in the golden age of our hobby! I would be more than happy to share some of the more interesting links I've found if you're interested

Thank you everyone for your enthusiastic response! You raise an overlooked point. In my defense though, out here instead of a major road, a white line on the side of the road usually means elections are coming up, thus the otherwise potholed road was freshly asphalted and marked. 'Lane Discipline' or any rule of the road for that matter doesn't exist in the lexicon of our language lol!! Damned if you did, damned if you didn't Wish I had your suggestion earlier in the build- it would've been a nice touch

Ever had a project that remained on the bench incomplete for so long, that you finally declare it done one day? This was one unfortunate victim. The kit was donated by a friend, lost a few parts, and became a test bed for some weathering and vignette ideas I had floating around. Unfortunately I never got around to completing the scenery, and I doubt I will ever. So here she is.... The flat tyres were made by softening the wheels on a clothes iron and pressing down, unfortunately it got alittle too soft deforming the hubs themselves. Peeling leather was made by carving out shavings with a new blade. The weathered feel was done by drybrushing. Thanks for watching! Alex.

Your finish makes the model look effortless. Great job!