Thanos Mentzelopoulos

Thank you my friend!!! I hope it will finish soon...or at least by the end of 2011!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you mate!!! By the way, I have some photos with some slightly weathered Lightnings, but the vast majority of them were shiny and glossy...(???), unlike other asircraft with naturasl metal finish (e.g. F-104, F-100 etc.) and I was wondering why...Any suggestions??? Thank you!!!!!!!!

Well, it's been quite a lot of time since my last update, but it's never too late, is it??? This is my latest progress on this extreme makeover project, concerning mainly the cockpit and the roots of the wings... I hope my next update will not take thaaaaaaat long!!! Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!

Thank you both for your kind words!!! As far as the tones are concerned, though, I think I should have used Alclad from the beginning...

Another minor update today with more aluminium, titanium, steel, smoke and blue!!!!!!!!!! Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty good work!!!!!!!! I'll be watching closely, up the irons!!!!!!!!

Thank you my friend!!!

Α little update today, since the Lightning was primed, pre-shaded (unfortunately forgot to take photos...) and given the first colour coat using Testord Stainless Steel from their Metaliser range... Here it is with a coat of primer (Hycote grey) And here it is with the first coat of Testors.......... Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you my friend!!! The idea was that the ship would be 90% ready to sail for tests, so only painting and some minor details are missing.....and the whole diorama is placed at the harbour of Kiel, not a drydock...next update in a few days!!!!!!

Some more photos...... Gentlemen thank you for your time ant attention!!!!!!

Well, the ship is 90% ready, only some minor details are missing...If you look closely you will see some 40 figures on the ship in various places. The flight deck was crowded with boxes, containers and other stuff according to my pictures...

Thank you my friend........you should try something like that too!!!

This first building comes from the Tamiya set... The second building is scratchbuilt without any particular design in mind...Both buildings will be painted and weathered............you know how!!! Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!!!!!!!!

The crane almost ready. I had to improve some points though...Painted with Humbrol enamels, kit will be weathered with oils. The fuel tank. It was improved with a scratchbuilt ladder and other fittings. It was painted and weathered in the same way.

These are the Tamiya harbour sets I used for the scenery... There will also be another scratchbuilt building, vehicles, a train and lots of figures...........

It's never too late to start it my firend!!!!!!! Mine was awaiting for some 10 years to be painted.......Next update will be on tonight!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!

Thanx mate...

Another small update with all the tiny details in place - or at least most of them...The canopy has already been masked and put in place and the model is ready to be primed tomorrow. Hopefully you will see it in a couple of days!!! Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!

Gentlemen thank you for your comments and kind words!!! At the beginning I was planning to build the ship and place it on a plain sea diorama base but then it would look like thousands of similar dioramas...So, after I had already found the pictures posted, I decided to go for something really extraordinary and unique!!! I believe that half of a "successful" or brilliant diorama is just the idea before it...Just wait and see the next update for yourselves...

Thank you my friend!!! Both engines were scratchbuilt...I used plastic rod, wire and white eraser in order to build them according to the bibliography and pictures...

Works are gonna start soon again on Graf Zeppelin...The idea of the diorama is to show the ship 90% ready to sail from Kiel!!! Next update will have to do with the port scenery.....stay tuned!!!!!!!!! Gentlemen thank you for your time and attention!!!

This is the ship painted with Humbrol enamels. Rust and weathering were achieved with oil washes and dry-brushing. There's still a lot of work to be done, I can assure you!!!

...and this is how it looked next evening, with all the necessary conversions in order to take its place in the diorama I had in mind...

My Graf Zeppelin was built some 10 years ago and since then has been patiently awaiting its turn to take its place on a diorama base...This is how it looked like when I re-discovered at the back of my modelling board...

Hello there! This is a project already finished earlier this year, but I'm gonna post it here, since I have all the in-progress photos... The subject is the german aircraft carrier of WWII which was never completed. However, for what you'll see at the end, my project was based on these pictures among others...