Kitchen Modeller

Thanks Andrés - I've actually used the tamiya colours before but found them to be overly dark - Mr Color are a little better but still quite off. I've bought some AK Acrylics as I've heard they are quite good so we'll see how I go with them - endless experimentation! I think it's a subject worth exploring as I have quite a few models in the stash that use this colour scheme. Thanks for your compliments on the oils - I'm still finding way with using these - it's now more a case of learning when and where not to use them, Thanks Some of the modulation was done during the painting stage with the airbrush - further modulation was done with oils - patches of white, green, browns and blues were applied and blended in. I do these colours one at a time - which I find gives me more control over the final look - rather then applying a few at a time. I start with lighter colours and work my way down to the darker ones. Then burnt umber and dark grey were used for more obvious weathering - staining and dirt etc. The oil stains on the underside was done over a satin clear coat - applied some thinned oils to the top and these were streaked down the length using a large brush lightly moistened with thinner - this was done a few times with different colours - I think I used Mig oil brushers - starship filth , buff and burnt umber. Hope this helps Thanks Walter - you maybe interested in this recent documentary screened on Irish Television which is available to view on youtube:

Thanks Dave - yes you’re quite correct - I had to compromise and use the later type as the type As provided by fundekals refused to conform and it became clear that they just were not going to work - I had the later type there so just used them / a shame as it’s not accurate but I thought using the later type was better than no roundel at all.

Hi All - finished up my latest this weekend - Tamiya's older MkV spit. In spite of it's age, it's still quite a nice kit and goes together very well. I added Eduard's cockpit details set and landing flaps. Paddy Finucane is a childhood hero of mine - a remarkable pilot and natural leader who still holds the title of the youngest wing commander in RAF history - He was a hero of the Battle of Britain and was credited with 28 aerial victories - making him possibly the highest scoring ace at that point in the war. As an Irishman myself, it's great to finally have this in the collection. As always I'm far from 100% happy with the finished model - I took a number of attempts to find and mix colours I was happy with - I used Mr Color Lacquers and I feel that their RAF colours are a little off. I think next time I'll try a different brand for these. I used HGW wet transfers for the stencils which worked like a dream - I used a Fundekals set for the scheme which were mostly fine but the main roundels were very thick and wouldn't confirm to the surface - I ended up striping these and using a spare set from an Eduard kit. I had issues with canopy - both getting to fit and then some paint got into the inside which had to cleaned off. I experimented a lot on this using oils for some heavy weathering - some of which looks good but not that happy with all of it. But it's all part of the learning experience. I was happy with the exhaust stacks which I usually make a mess of - they came out nice this time. I know alot of folks don't approve of the flaps down look on the spitfire but I wanted one example for myself - however they were alot of effort and I'm not sure they actually add a great deal to the finished model - so I doubt I'll do this again for the other spits in the stash. Overall though, I'm happy enough and she looks good on the shelf Feel free to share any feedback - Cheers - John

Beautiful work.

Hi Walter - no problem: Mr Color 117 RLM 76 - underside Alclad airframe aluminum Mr Color 121 RLM 81 - lightened this quite a bit as I used Jerry Crandall's book "Yellow 10" as my main reference and the paintings in that showed the RLM as being quite light Mr Color 122 RLM 82 Mr Color 123 RLM 83 Nose colour: Mr Color 124 Dark green (mitsubishi) mixed with a little yellow - though this was as close I could get it / I'd look for a different shade if I was doing this again as I wasn’t 100% happy with how it turned out. Hope this helps. Cheers John

Is the other one my one? Or am I being presumptuous 🤔 Very nice work - love the scheme on this and it does look nice and sleek clean. Top notch.

Thanks for all the kind comments guys 😊 thanks Sam - all in well down here in New Zealand. Just heading into summer now so hopefully lots of bench and beach time (in that order)

Nice job on the camo roger - faded demarcation lines just look better 👍

Hi all - my final completion for 2020 is the Eduard D-13 weekend edition. A nice kit if a little tricky in places - I like many others doing eduard’s doras struggled to get a good fit on the gunbay covers which if you want to display closed, requires a bit of surgery. Other than that, things went together pretty smoothly. The scheme is what drew me to this and I was happy with how that turned out. I replaced some of the kit parts with wire and steel tubing, such as the gun barrels and pilot tube -added wiring to the wheel bay and added some pe seatbelts. Other than that’s it out of the box. Painted with mr color with enamels and oils for weathering.

Thanks 😊 it’s the 1/72 version.

Thanks Richard

Thanks Z - fully aware that this was a Gavia kit - their name was all over the sprues - might be wrong but think this was the first kit eduard released although it’s a rebox - the decals are by eduard - and they were pretty thick though they seemed ok until I started putting down washes 😖. If I had cut the carrier film from the edges like I should have, they probably would have been fine. You live and learn. Thanks guys 😎

Thanks Opus - that's just thinned down oil paint applied with a brush - then used a dry brush and cotton buds to blend it and create the patterns - I used a gray colour which worked quite well.

Hi guys - finished this off a couple of days ago - Bandai X-wing in the Blue Squadron scheme - painted with Mr Color and alclad lacquers.

Thanks mate - yes I’m enjoying 1/48 but still have a few 1/72 in the stash which will get cracked open at some stage. The x-wing will be blue squadron in honor of the best Star Wars movie since empire. Looking forward to it even though i suspect there will be a lot of masking😎

Nice work - I also ended up doing the landing lights with clear sprue but only after failing to get the kit lights to insert correctly. This is a nice kit but it's tricky in places and wouldn't recommend it to a beginner - your resulting model came out great. Well done

Thanks guys Thanks Sam - I've been quite busy with work so haven't done any WIP's in a while - still doing lots of sanity modelling though Thanks guys Thanks Nikola - I thought so too - a bit different to usual yellow nose. Thanks Dunny Thanks Jack - I was worried about weathering that white nose and some of the effects I tried here didn't really come out but I was pleased overall.

Thanks Sam - I've started a Bandai X-wing - going for some simple easy construction after 2 Eduard kits - I love how Eduard models come out but getting there can be a challenge Thanks mate Thanks Woody Thanks Andrés - I've done alot of modelling over those 2 years - I'd say my average is 2 hours a day so I'd say that's the main reason I've improved. It took me quite a few attempts before I started to get nice results using oils - for me it was about finding the correct method that worked for me. There are hundreds of ways of working with oils so it's a matter of finding what works for you. My basic method is putting the oils down on a semi gloss coat initially. I put tiny amounts of paint in the places I want it, straight from the tube - I use a fairly pointed bush for this - then blend the paint in with a dry blending brush - using the correct brush for the blending is very helpful - once I got the correct brush, the technique really took off. I use a soft curved blending brush. And I use a stippling motion and some brush strokes. I then do the same thing over a matt clear coat - on this surface, I thin the paint first with odorless thinners - then apply using the same technique - I use cotton buds to remove unwanted paint and for blending, This method is better when you want to cover larger areas. And for things like exhaust and smoke stains. When you've done a couple of layers in an area, I let it dry for a day, then put a more layers on top which creates nice depth. The best thing about this is that if you don't like what you've done, you can clean everything off with some thinner and cotton buds - even after a couple of days. Hope this helps - I think you would really enjoy this process so it's well worth a try It takes time to get the hang of it but it's worth it.

Thanks Wulfman Thanks Andrés - weathering with oils has become my favorite part of the build - it's very relaxing and great fun.

Thanks guys!

Thank you Gary / I will keep them coming 👍 Thanks - I loved this scheme when I saw it - had to do the kit. Thanks guys 😊

Thanks guys😎

Hi all - This is the old Eduard La-7 in 1/48 - I struggled a fair bit with this one - I think it's been my longest build to date, not helped by my attempted modifications - adding extended landing flaps and few others additions. I had a few fitting problems which required many hours of filling and sanding, especially around the wing roots. I attempted to create a fabric wing effect with paint and weathering which I'm more or less happy with. I also needed to grind down the sides of the canopy to allow an open cockpit which I'd never attempted before - this came out quite nicely I think. I also tried a few new weathering techniques and feel like I'm getting better with oil paint weathering. Areas where I failed was a few ghost seams making appearances in a few places - also I mucked up on the decals with some visible silvering and carrier film. But all up, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Thanks for looking John

Hi all - this is the Eduard E-3 - a very nice kit if a little tricky in places - I did make a few little little mistakes during the construction but nothing I wasn't able to sand and fill my way out of. I replaced the gun barrels with some turned brass aftermarket but otherwise it was all out of the box - though being a profipack, it came with masks and some PE. Painted with Mr Color Lacquers and weathered with Mig Washes and Oil paint - it was an enjoyable build. Battle of Britain scheme. This build kind of brings me full circle - the first model I posted in Britmodeller was a 109E - posted just under 2 years ago. I still love that little E but this is certainly a nice upgrade. My skill level has improved since then and hopefully will continue to improve, 2 years in and I feel like I've just touched the tip of the iceburg Thanks for looking John

That's a lovely Jug