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Ghostbase

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  1. And two years later... This huge model has its very own 'shelf of shame', it is that large! I have a few days at home and I wanted to get re-started on this build. I the reason I stopped was twofold: 1) The huge variations in metallic panels on the Monogram Hustler's delta wing are unrealistic, compared to the real thing; and 2) The four turbojet engine pods were and are going to be a real challenge. I decided to start on the rear fuselage and tail section halves which I had cemented together a long time ago. This time I just used kitchen foil straight from the roll - no rubbing with Brasso to get different metallic shades - and I have completed one side. It isn't all foiled, I used a spraycan of Humbrol Acrylic11 Silver for the rear cannon and radar pod as well as the tail fin top. It worked out quite well: 20240301_172723 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I then decided to finish foiling the top of that huge delta wing, it is completed to the point of the rearmost cockpit window, with the exception of the corner of the foremost leading edge which needs to be painted black: 20240301_172822 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The next stage was to start on one of the four turbine engine pods. I had previously sprayed them with Lifecolor Acrylic UA 795 Steel ( see two years ago) and I decided to spray the intake area with Halfords Automotive Aluminium in case I am unable to foil this area. I started foiling at the rear of the pod, then forward of the steel area as well as the engine pylon. I had to cut the foil using a French curve tool to cut a smooth curve and it worked well although it is difficult to estimate the curve needed! I have dry-fitted the burner can. This is the result: 20240301_172611 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Yes, happy to have re-started this build but it is still going to take a lot of time, at least I can get a bit more done by the end of this weekend. Michael
  2. Sadly I failed to meet the KUTA Group Build deadline however I have completed the Apollo Astronaut on the Moon and he is on display in the SF and RealSpace section of Britmodeller. Just to say thanks to the mods and also those who commented on this build, your encouragement was greatly appreciated and gave me the push I needed to complete this build after 14 years. I'll see you at the next KUTA! Michael 20240220_135233 by Ghostbase, on Flickr
  3. A build of the Revell 1/8th scale 'Apollo: Astronaut on the Moon', this kit was originally issued in 1970 and this boxing was dated 2009 to mark the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. The diorama is meant to represent Neil Armstrong making that famous first step on the lunar surface. 20240221_113342 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I purchased the kit at a reduced price from Modelzone in 2009, started it, had problems with filling the many joins, and it went onto the 'shelf of shame' soon afterwards. I decided to dust it down for this last KUTA group build and I managed to miss that deadline too! I can't decide if it should be in Figures or SF and RealSpace so here I am 🙂 20240221_113420 by Ghostbase, on Flickr In fact the kit was quite easy to build, it only had 24 pieces, and some parts reminded me of a vacform model. The only issue that I had was the lunar lander leg; this was a large heavy piece of plastic and it didn't like being secured to the base (the lunar surface). 20240221_113447 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I made two changes to the kit. The first was to print that famous photo of Buzz Aldrin with the reflection of the lander and Neil Armstrong on his visor. The kit instructions advise the modeller to hand paint the astronaut's face however my free-hand painting isn't that good so I cut out the visor from the print and placed it under the visor transparency. Technically it is inaccurate - Buzz Aldrin wasn't outside to record that first step - but I think it makes the model look better. 20240221_113509 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The second change was to the lunar lander leg and footpad. The parts in the kit are two plastic halves to make the leg plus the pad, to be painted gold. I looked at the real photos and both parts were covered with gold and silver metallic foil. I just happened to have gold foil from an Easter egg of many years ago, as well as gold cellophane from a similarly consumed Christmas pudding! I added these to the model and I am very happy with the effect. 20240220_135349 by Ghostbase, on Flickr. I was 11 years old when the first moon landing took place and I still remember it very well. It's nice to have a reminder of those historic and heady days. Michael 20240220_135233 by Ghostbase, on Flickr
  4. Very well generally, I applied them with Microscale Micro Set and they went on easily with almost no silvering. The only exception: the two decals on top of the vertical fin, they did not want to wrap round and I had to use Mig Ultra Decal Fix to attach them. They did go slightly flakey and I had to touch parts up with red, yellow and blue paint. The one decal I regret using was that for the air refuelling door, it came from the kit decals and was just awful! Michael
  5. This was a nostalgia build, the Monogram 1/48th scale General Dynamic F-111A in the colours of the 366th TFW / 391 TFS based at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, USA. 20240217_130258 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The original kit was issued by Aurora in 1966 and there were several later iterations. Monogram issued the kit in 1981 (this one) and four years later as part of their 'Call to Glory' series based on a long gone TV series. The kit has not been released since. 20240217_130420 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Painting was a mix of Vallejo Model Color and Model Air acrylics applied with an H&S Ultra airbrush, matt black undersides were applied from a Humbrol rattlecan. Decals were from the kit and an old Superscale sheet 48-393 which dates back to 1995. I was going to use the Caracal F-111A decal sheet but as it was a nostalgia build I went for the older sheet. The walkway lines on the upper surfaces were from the spares box. 20240217_130757 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I sourced the kit from the second-hand section of the Big H, as soon as I saw it I had to buy it! I tried to build one of these a long time ago and inevitably it went wrong and got binned. I figured I could do better this time round and I was curious to compare it with the later Academy and HobbyBoss offerings; I have built the HobbyBoss F-111A and finished it in light grey and I also wanted to see what the 'Vark looked like in a S.E.Asia camouflage scheme. 20240217_130713 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I started the build just before Christmas and finished less than two months later. The kit has 50 pieces in total and I used 38 of them! She is built to be displayed with her wings swept back although they can equally be swept forward except the weapons pylons are fixed. It isn't an accurate depiction of the real aircraft, there is a long list of errors and faults which I won't go into, and I guess that is why the kit has not been issued for nearly 40 years now. 20240217_130611 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The build went remarkably well, I was quite surprised, the only area which required much care was the lower / upper fuselage fit by the cockpit which has a very coarse and angular join; some filler and sanding was needed and the join can be seen close-up but I am happy with that. The model is HUGE and it felt like I used gallons of paint! I have made a few mistakes, the worst was leaving the fitting of the vertical fin to last and it wouldn't go down onto the fuselage fully. Oh well, another three footer! 20240217_131030 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The final verdict? I really enjoyed this build. I am a real fan of the 'Vark and she looks like a low mean dragster on the display shelf, reminding me of the great days in the 80's when you could go to an airshow in the UK and usually see a bird from Upper Heyford or Lakenheath in the static display. ❤️ Michael
  6. Managed to find the correct community centre, a nice venue though could be described as a bit 'snug' in the main hall 🙂. I did like the selection of exhibitors and the variety of scale modelling themes. It was good to see two figures sellers, I have never really taken any notice of these but some of the figures on display were works of art so maybe one day... Will be back next year 👍 Michael
  7. I have been taking a look at some of the NASA photos of the Apollo 11 moonwalks and the lander legs and pads are covered with metallic foil strapped over what looks like thermal insulation; gold coloured on the outside and silver on the inside. I started by finding a couple of sheets of kitchen tissue roll and wrapped them around the plastic cylindrical lander leg. This is to give an impression of the layer of thermal insulation. Next I have taken the foil and first cut a leg length strip of the silver to cover a third of the area on the inside of the leg. I attached it with pieces of Tamiya masking tape folded 180 degrees so sticky on both sides. I then cut another length of of the gold side and attached that to the outside of the leg in the same way. I then cut lengths of 2mm width Tamiya masking tape and wrapped them tightly around the foil/tissue every two inches to pull the metallic foil in. I will cut some strips from the gold cellophane to go over those and stick them down. 20240114_180553 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So far I am cautiously pleased with the result. The only challenge is the ladder which attaches to the lander leg, I'm not sure how I am going to attach it but that's a problem to be solved another day. The lander leg pad is next. Michael
  8. Where did the time go? A quick update on this KUTA. I have sprayed the astronaut in Humbrol acrylic matt white, painted his camera black and the harness blue. I also started to paint the landing pad and module leg in gold and this is how the diorama will eventually look 20240112_143542 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit instructions say the Apollo lunar lander leg and pad should be painted in gold. Looking at photos from the time they were actually covered in what looks like gold foil so I am going to see if I can replicate that look using foil from a long-ago-consumed chocolate bar, or cellophane from a similarly dated Christmas pudding 🙂 20240112_143719 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Michael
  9. Century Series fighter - what more needs to be said? Count me in 🙂👍 Michael
  10. I didn't plan 2023 to be an old, large and heavy year but that's the way it ended up. Starting with a build of the 1980 era Hasegawa 1/32nd scale GD F-16A 'Fighting Falcon' or 'Viper'. She is finished in the markings of the 89th TFS 'Rhinos' who were an AFRES unit based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA. This is only my second ever 1/32nd scale model build. 20230413_151132 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This was followed by an equally ancient and large 1/32nd Revell Lockheed F-104G Starfighter operated by the West German Air Force and finished in the 'Norm 83' camo scheme. Everything went well with this build and I was really happy with the final result. The stiletto-like Starfighter works well in this scale. 20230509_124522 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Things got even older with my entry in the Vought Corsair/Crusader group build with this 1957 (that's really ancient!) Lindberg Vought F8U-1 Crusader in 1/48th scale. This kit was based upon the XF8U-1 prototype and I finished it as best I could as that original prototype. 20230709_134331 by Ghostbase, on Flickr My one 'modern' build this year was the HobbyBoss 1/48th scale F/A-18F Super Hornet as flown by 'Maverick' in the film 'Top Gun - Maverick'. It turned out okay I guess but I lost my enthusiasm for this build somewhere along the way. 20230906_152421 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I finished the year with another really old kit, the Revell/Monogram 1/48th scale Grumman F-14D 'Super' Tomcat. I wondered what difference a top quality set of decals (in this case Fightertown decals) would make to an old model kit and I have to admit the finished result looked reasonably good. Large? The Tomcat looks large whatever scale you use! 20231029_155439 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The most fun build was the XF8U-1 Crusader. The build I am the most satisfied with is the F-104G Starfighter. Michael
  11. Another very quick update. I have sanded and attached the astronaut's arms and legs, and painted the moon surface in Humbrol 27 Sea Grey. 20231122_130521 by Ghostbase, on Flickr To be honest I think that the sea grey is too dark however, then again, it will contrast very nicely with the bright white of the astronaut's space suit. The other issue is whether just to leave the arm/leg/torso joins as they are are add filler to them; the left arm join isn't the best. This is a KUTA 'just-get-it-built' build so maybe press on and accept the gaps as they are. Michael
  12. Just a quick update this evening. Does anyone one know the FS colour for the moon's surface? I can't find it logged anywhere 🙃 The Revell kit instructions recommend Revell 75 which is matt stone grey. I don't see a direct match in Vallejo acrylic paints however it does compare to Humbrol 141 which is described as light sea grey. This is a quick 'get it done after twelve years' build and I have a full can of Humbrol 27 matt Sea Grey so that is what I am going to use for the base (lunar surface). 20231121_212428 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I have sanded all the seams on the astronaut's arms, legs, body, and environment pack. I have then sprayed all with primer white to clean them up and see what happens. The initial results are good although one leg has again frazzled at the joins so I guess there is still some enamel paint there. No worry, I will sand it again tomorrow then spray all the parts with acrylic white. Fingers crossed! 20231121_212529 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Michael
  13. Another good idea for a STGB next year 👍 Again, please count me in. Many years ago I built the AMT/ERTL 1/72 KC-135A but never finished it, it is actually sat just a few feet away on a very large shelf-of-shame, but what an impressive sized model! I have two kits in the stash - the AMT/ERTL C-135C 'Looking Glass' and their NKC-135A 'Laser Lab' and I keep meaning to start the 'Looking Glass'. Add to that the excellent Caracal C-135 General Purpose Markings decal set, that would be a good project for 2025. Michael
  14. Could you add me to the list please? I'm delighted with the F-84 and F-86 GB's next year and the F-80 / T-33 / F-94 is a natural fit for 2025. My preferred scale is 1/48 and I have already built an Academy T-33 and the HobbyBoss F-80C, both went together well and look good in the display cabinet. I am sure I have something in the stash, maybe the Monogram F-80. Michael
  15. I think jet bombers have also been mentioned so, looking in the stash, the AMT 1/72 XB-35 and YB-49 Flying Wings, and a Valom B-45A Tornado in the same scale. Also 1/144 Anigrand resin Convair XB-46, Martin XB-48, and the Martin XB-51. The years immediately after the end of WW2 saw the most amazing selection of prototype jet aircraft. A great idea for a group build 👍 Michael
  16. Count me in please, probably a 1/48 Czech Model North American FJ-1 Fury which has sat in the stash for many years 🙂 Michael
  17. I await Enzo the Magnificent's wise advice 😇 I agree, there should be a KUTA of KUTAs!! Yes, the Apollo Astronaut intrigues me too and it is now entered into KUTA 👍 Michael
  18. Thanks, it is very labour intensive and I sort of stitched myself up early by proceeding swiftly with the foil panels and not enough thought given to more difficult areas such as the joins between fuselage sections. It is going to look fabulous when completed though, I just need a quiet day, put some calm classical music on, and sit down and concentrate. Michael
  19. My first KUTA 2023 subject, this is the 2009 issue Revell 1/8th scale Apollo : Astronaut on the Moon. This boxing of the original 1970 kit was to mark the 40th anniversary of the original moon landing, it was also released again 10 years later to mark 50 years. 20231108_221152 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I remember starting this kit just after I purchased it at a reduced price from Modelzone. I think I read somewhere that it was originally produced as a vacform kit; this would make sense becase there are very few parts however they are quite large and made of very thin plastic. The reason I stopped building it was because of the join of the parts. I had added filler then decided to paint over the sanded joins with enamel white. I then decided to add another coat of primer and this reacted with the enamel paint to give a 'frizzy' effect. 20231109_141507 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This has been on the shelf of shame for about 12 years, lets see if I can do a better job this time 🙂 Michael
  20. KUTA again? Where did my year go 😉 It's a good time to review the shelf of deep shame which has only five inmates, that's not bad by my standards. I have the following partially built models to choose from: This is probably the newest item, it is an Italeri / Testors RF-4C 'Photo' Phantom in 1/48th scale. The build for this one is quite advanced and I had reached the stage of applying second coats of the S.E. Asia camouflage scheme however I ran out of steam... 20231108_220714 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Not really a shelf of shame, more an occasional ongoing project, this is the Monogram 1/48th Convair B-58 Hustler mostly decorated with small pieces of kitchen foil. You really have to be in the right mood for sticking bits of foil on a model, especially with your nearest and dearest trying to keep a straight face while you do so... 20231106_234133 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This was my KUTA entry last year however I got totally distracted and built something else. Oh well... 20231108_220936 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This one has been around a while. It is the HobbyBoss FJ-4 Fury in 1/48th scale. It got to the stage of filler and paint and... 20231108_220836 by Ghostbase, on Flickr And a final model that I had completely forgotten about, the Revell 1/8th scale Apollo Astronaut on the Moon. I was really keen on this model until I sprayed primer on top of another type of paint and it all went frizzy and, well "too difficult" so back in the box it went... 20231108_221152 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Those are the choices for this KUTA. The RF-4C is probably the easiest, the Astronaut is the oldest by far however... 😇 Michael
  21. Maybe a bit too clean! I was going to apply some light weathering because the jet had been in theatre for some time by September 2006, however I ran out of time 🥴
  22. Thank you and yes, you are right, I just checked some Tomcat photos and the main gears should not be splayed as much as that. When I built the HobbyBoss F-14B last year the main gear legs could be attached into a small recess on the fuselage and cemented, however with this build the recess was there but the gear legs didn't want to go up against them. Added to that this model weighs a lot - the plastic is much more solid than the HobbyBoss offering - and that might not be helping either. The model hasn't gone onto the display shelf yet so I will take up your suggestion and see if they can be adjusted 👍
  23. This is the venerable Monogram Grumman F-14D Tomcat in 1/48th scale. The base kit was first released in 1981 and was most recently reissued by Revell as 'Maverick's F-14A Tomcat' for the Top Gun - Maverick film. My build is of the 2001 issue kit. 20231029_155416 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The build is OOB except for the GBU-12 and GBU-38 'JDAM' bombs which came from the spares box. Paint is Vallejo Model Air applied with a H&S Ultra airbrush. Decals are Fightertown F-14B/D 'Bravo Delta Showboats' and depict F-14D BuNo 164342 as 'Bandwagon 100' in sunset markings April - September 2006. 20231029_155439 by Ghostbase, on Flickr It's been an odd scale modelling year for me. On the one hand I want to emulate the magnificent builds which are posted here however, on the other hand, I don't have the patience and building skills and I run out of enthusiasm quite quickly. I just wanted a quick build which would look good from 3 feet away! This was the result, it took me just four weeks. And IMHO it looks good from 3 feet away 😊 20231029_155457 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit cost me £2.99 on a certain auction site plus £3.50 back in 2007! It has about 70 parts, 10 of which make up 90% of the kit. It generally went together OK however I didn't quite get the cockpit section correctly aligned so it needed plenty of filler in the seams. The AIM-7 Sparrow missiles are moulded onto the weapons pylon so I kept those. Sadly the kit doesn't come with fuel tanks. 20231029_155517 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I was very pleased with the three greys of the TPS colour scheme, all airbrushed on with absolutely no problem at all. The Fightertown decals were near perfect and really enhance this classic old kit. 20231029_155701 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This build has been just what I wanted, my mojo is recharged, and for all the faults the model looks good. Maybe it's time to build a more complex present day kit? Michael
  24. What's that adage about falling off a horse? That you immediately get back in the saddle and ride, I think. And so with this build 🙂 I looked at the mess from yesterday and decided to use fine sandpaper to sand the mottled areas, the idea being to remove the excess paint and also to create a better surface for the paint to adhere to. I then used the same Mig acrylic colour and I mixed it again to the same proportions as yesterday. This time I used a lighter touch with the airbrush and I was pleased to see that it seemed to apply much better and, by and large, smoothly. However, again, despite my sanding the area throughly, the paint still refused to adhere to what looks suspiciously like a thumb print sized area on the right hand top of the delta wing. 20231014_194031 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Now I had planned to build this model as a US Marines F-21A Kfir of VMFA 401 using the IsraDecal IAF-69 decal sheet. I have now changed my mind and I am going to use the original ESCI kit decals as below: 20230807_130328 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The orange/black wing triangle will cover the 'thumb spot' just nicely 😊👍 I built an ESCI F-8E Crusader last year using the 40 plus years old kit decals and they went on well with a bit of encouragement from decal fix. Michael
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