Skii

Beautiful work Honza, you must hear that a lot matey

Nice idea Rowan, also in absence of cutting Edge , how about tiles for the space shuttle kits in 1/144 and 1/72 ?

Some serious work there Bill, but then again you are a master at grafting resin to plastic

Wow, those are Stunning !

Great work Shaun, especially in 1/72

The Hansa 581 is a double action, gravity fed airbrush from the German manufacturer Harder and Steenbeck. Specifically targeted at the entry level side of the market, the 581 has a 0.2mm needle, and a 2ml cup - it comes packaged in this compact little hinged case. Like the Evolution series, the Hansa shares a similar mechanism and components, visually the main body of the airbrush resembles the Evolution series. The Logos and individual manufacturing run number are laser etched onto the side of the brush. The small cup unscrews for ease of cleaning. The rear portion unscrews to reveal the needle and nut, its a little tricky to unscrew the trigger assembly and chuck from the airbrush body as the thin knurled edge leaves little for the fingers to grip onto compared to the rubber bands wrapped around the Evo, but after removing this the trigger assembly is the same simple to remove and clean design as the more expensive H&S brushes. Moving to the front of the brush the tip removes to reveal a more compact nozzle design than the other H&S brushes, a small rubber O-ring seals the nozzle to the airbrush body, the air-head unscrews from the tip for the benefit of cleaning (one piece on the Evo) and the needle slides very solidly into the nozzle assembly. So, how does it spray ? Very well is the answer, fine lines are very easy and for detail work this brush is easily as capable as much more expensive models,the trigger action is smooth, doesn't feel quite as smooth as the Evo but nevertheless reeks of quality and refinement. Cleanup is effortless and dare I say it slightly easier than the Evo, maybe it was me but the nozzle felt easier to clean up and the needle didn't drag as much paint out of the rear of the brush, I assume owing to a tighter seal between the cup and the trigger assembly. The 0.2 mm needle is good for detail, not so good for wide coverage so bear this in mind if you aim to paint larger scale models, however properly thinned the brush does an admirable job and airbrushing is more of a pleasure than a chore. The 2ml cup I'm not mad about, I don't really see the point of a small cup on an airbrush, but for detail work the 2ml cup does the job. Conclusion Retailing at under £100 the 581 is a beautifully crafted little airbrush that shares the same kind of performance with the more expensive models in the H&S line, with very few compromises in design. If I had to be picky I'd say its a little trickier to dismantle, and isn't quite as asthetically appearing as the Evo series, but the real test is how it performs as an airbrush which is passes with flying colours. Highly recommended. John Morrey Sample provided by Harder and Steenbeck

Oh I'm liking that fella, you're getting a bit handy with that Airbrush ain'tcha ?

Either discuss the kit in a nice polite manner, or don't discuss it at all. Thankyou.

Oh I do love Emils, thankyou Airfix And thankyou Falke, thats a lovely example, very nice mottling too

Talks are very much in progress fellas Talking of which - here is the kit BPC adjusted to fit the replacement CM - I did this by thinning thr plastic a tiny bit, but most importantly adding a very small rim around the bottom - this ensures a snug fit that completely covers the CM Dismantled here you can see the small circular disk I have mounted on the bottom of the CM in place of where the heat shield would be - this ensures a very snug and central fit onto the unmodified kit service module.

Nice job that Ratch, looks a proper Emil

Cheers Dan, I had google and found the same, looks nice too ! http://www.ipmsusa2.org/reviews2/ships/kit...50_vanguard.htm

I'll have to snap one of these up as well, I'd prefer a Vanguard, but a Trafalgar will suffice

Good stuff mate, I shall be following this thread and attempting to offer words of encouragement and support (inbetween vomiting and wretching)

ahh my favorite 109 , in my favorite markings, and its a bit tasty too. Fabulous !

That is just downright gorgeous!

Very nice Dora indeed Sir.

I know exactly what you mean about lofts and heat, hence I'm getting nothing painted right now. Keep us updated Doc, this is too good to fall off the page

Cheers Jiff I've given it a layer of Halfords primer now, but something like this ?

Lighten some matt black by a teensie amount, Blackbirds' skin is scorched and faded, not completely black, not grey.

Now that is nice

Cheers Neil Yes they have to an extent, but the command module inside is still the earlier shrunken version, if you have no plans to display the command module inside the boost protective cover then it isn't a problem, however If like me you want to remove the BPC and see the command module underneath, job done

Yeah not really sci-fi - but I've been tinkering with my Airfix Saturn V, and was initially horrified at how undersized the command module is in the newly released and improved kit. I'm working on this replacement out of milliput which fits service module a lot better, the chunky kit boost protective cover won't fit now but I'm aiming to vacform a replacement one

Well done mate, and congrats

Thanks again all Alberto - chipping was done with a fine detail brush and Citadel Mithril silver John