Jump to content

nheather

Gold Member
  • Posts

    1,086
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by nheather

  1. It will blow you budget a little, but I think you will struggle to get an airbrush and compressor for £150. But just received an email from these guys about things they have on sale. https://www.everythingairbrush.com/compressors/as-series-compressors/ab-as196-twin-cylinder-mini-piston-type-on-demand-compressor-with-receiver-and-dual-switch-for-airbrushing.html?utm_source=Everything+Airbrush+Newsletter+subscribers&utm_campaign=f7521c3132-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_11_30_11_44_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_216d3ebd6c-f7521c3132-311650141&mc_cid=f7521c3132&mc_eid=c76eea7945 Cheers, Nigel
  2. I decided to go with a 1938. It really doesn’t matter, it is for a wargaming model and the stats don’t differentiate anyway - a 1938 and a 1939 are identical in terms of gameplay. It was just my OCD kicking in. I decided, in my mind, that at the time of the invasion, the 1938 would have been much more numerous, with 1939 being built to replace the losses. Cheers, Nigel
  3. When you say 1mm is that the size of the star or the scale. Can’t imagine it would be the scale because you would need a microscope to see it but you never know. If the size is that diameter of the circle that the points of the star would sit on? And assume you mean a star on its own, not with a circle around it (AVF style). Give Tumbling Dice a call, they don’t show any on their website but I know they hold a stock - they may have something to suit. http://www.tumblingdiceuk.com/product-category/1600 Or would any of these work https://www.minibits.net/i-94-decals/american/ Cheers, Nigel
  4. Are you talking about the original British Matilda from the 70s or the ‘new’ British Matilda from 2009? Those kits are world’s apart so if you are seeing a price difference with the original then I am not surprised However, if you are seeing a big difference between the the Russian one and the 2009 British Matilda then that is more puzzling as I doubt there is much difference. Someone mentioned the old one had rubber tracks only - true of the 70s version but not the 2009 version, that comes with both rubber (which are pretty good) and ‘link and length’. If there is a big price difference with the 2009 version then maybe it is just that the Russian one has come out at the Tamiya new kit high price. Cheers, Nigel
  5. Many thanks. Yes the 1938 and the 1939 have the conical turret. In fact they don’t look a whole lot different. The main difference is the extra sloped armour added to the 1939. But while this sounds like a distinctive change it isn’t really that big. The conical turret sits on a small under-turret assembly which sits on top of the chassis. On the 1938 the front of this under-turret is vertical but on the 1939 it is sloped. But this is only a small part of the superstructure so faced with photos of the 1938 and the 1939 you have to look very carefully to spot the difference. Cheers, Nigel
  6. I know that the 1938 and 1939 versions were essentially the same, the 1939 had some minor changes such as increased armour thickness on the under-turret assembly. I can also find production numbers but only for the two combined - 1,975 But does anyone know the relative numbers. When German invaded Russia in 1941 would they have seen 1939 variants or would they have been pretty rare. My first thought was “1939 that was up to three years before the invasion, there could have been plenty of them. But then I read that tanks built after 1940 would have been the 1939 variants. So now I’m thinking that the Germans would have encountered 1938 variants or earlier. Any Russian amour experts able to comment. Cheers, Nigel
  7. I have a Sparmax, a 620 I believe. Before that I had one of the generic chinese ones you see frequently on eBay - that had a tank, regulator and moisture trap and to be honest it was fine and did the job. But I bought the Sparmax when I treated myself to decent airbrushes and it is a leap up in quality and engineering. Whether it makes much difference in real terms I cannot say, it just feels and sounds much smoother. Like driving a well engineered car compared with an old banger. Both do the job in getting you from A to B but one just feels so much nicer than the other. Don’t regret my purchase. By the way, Iwata don’t make compressors - the ones that they sell badged with Iwata labels, are made by Sparmax. Cheers, Nigel
  8. I’m 95% sure that Iwata do not make compressors. The ones that Iwata sell are made by Sparmax. Cheers, Nigel
  9. Import duty very generous in the US, up to $1,600 for personal purchases is free of import tax. I can imagine Trump would like to tighten that up. I've only imported on very few occasions because I always calculate the worst case price and compare with buying in the UK. Usually there is still a saving but not large enough to risk warranty hassles so I don't bother. But on a few occasions the savings have been worthwhile and sometimes I have been hit with a tax demand and sometimes not. I have never asked a seller to understate the value - apart from being immoral, it carries the risk of being under-insured whilst in transit. Cheers, Nigel
  10. Actually I didn’t have an angle, just stating what I have ascertained from numerous online discussions on various forums over the years -I have actually imported very few items myself. But that is the nature of business I’m afraid. You could equally argue that online stores have undercut physical stores and put them out of business. In another recent thread a guy in the US ended up importing an H&S Airbrush from a UK retailer because it was cheaper than buying locally, especially as he would avoid paying sales tax that way. Cheers, Nigel
  11. My experience is this: Asia - open to under-declaring. US - play by the rules. I put this down to the US authorities, like the UK ones play by the rules and come down hard on any business not following the rules. In contrast Asian authorities are more lax National mail service - less likely to get checked Couriers - more likely to get checked It used to be that the customs officials selected parcels for further inspection. Limited resources meant that there was chance of escaping selection. But now the courier companies filter out likely parcels because they have realised the 'rip off' admin charges make them more money than the postage fees. Wasn't an issue for me though as I was in the US when I ordered and received my Iwata HP-B Plus - different rules. Cheers, Nigel
  12. This is true. Iwata are cheap in the US (if you can call any airbrush cheap). To give examples, I bought an Eclipse CS (which included moisture trap handle) for £80. And my HP-B-Plus was £100. The pound was stronger back then, so add 20% but still a lot cheaper than the UK. But from what I have heard, H&S are pretty expensive over there. One thing that makes this so is that you don’t pay import duties when you buy something from Japan. So no VAT and pesky courier charges. I bought my HP-B-Plus from a Japanese shop selling on Amazon. You could probably buy the same on the UK Amazon but chances are you have to add 20% VAT and £15 courier fees. Cheers, Nigel
  13. On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple was involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting they began to wonder; could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter arrived, they asked him if they could get married in Heaven. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out," and he left. The couple sat and waited for an answer... for a couple of months. While they waited, they discussed the pros and cons. If they were allowed to get married in Heaven, should they get married, what with the eternal aspect of it all? "What if it doesn't work? Are we stuck in Heaven together forever?" Yet another month passed before St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informed the couple, "You can get married in Heaven." "Great!" said the couple. "But we were just wondering; what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?" St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard on the ground. "What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple. "OH, COME ON!" St. Peter shouted. "It took me 3 months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea how long it'll take to find a lawyer? Cheers, Nigel
  14. Not an expert in Naval Ships but I have visited Portsmouth Naval Dockyard many times this year and I think all T45s appear to be in dock at the same time. I think one has just left or about to leave to take over tanker protection near Iran. But I don't recall seeing any of them with Harpoon fitted yet. It was one thing I was looking out for and pretty sure I didn't see a single one. 99% sure I saw the Red Dragon though. But that is all minor, fantastic build, looks great. Cheers, Nigel
  15. If I could have bought a Robart at a sensible price in the UK I would have splashed out and bought one. But oddly UK distributors don't carry them. You can still find them but only as US imports at silly prices. So I bought a nail polish shaker from Aliexpress. Cost me less than a £10 including shipping from China. To be honest I wasn't expecting much from it but it works fine. Handles Vallejo Paints which have been stood upright for over a year which is about the worst you can throw at it. Hard to imagine how the Robart one at 6x the price or more could be any better. Cheers, Nigel Caveat - the electric stirrers are better. I have one too, Badger or Trumpeter can't remember and it does a faster better job BUT you can't get it in a Vallejo style bottle. Some have said to modify the stirrer but never tried that. Also there is taking the nozzles off and invariably there is thick paint in those. So all in all with Vallejo style bottles I stick with the shaker but if the bottle allows I use the stirrer.
  16. Is AK Mig Ammo paint any good for brush painting. I have mostly used Vallejo Model Color up to now but I have to mail order any that I need which is a pain when I only need one or two bottles. I've noticed that I can buy Mig paint easier, from a local(ish) shop. But is it any good for brush painting or is it designed for airbrush. Main purpose us wargaming miniatures so looking for good coverage with a brush. Cheers, Nigel
  17. Yes that is what I use to. I agree with you about the spanner in the box, far to much leverage, doesn't take much finger pressure to sheer the nozzle part from the threaded part. Cheers, Nigel
  18. I think it is the combination of them being small, threaded and by default using the basic spanner to fit. It doesn’t leave much margin for making a mistake or being a little heavy handed. But I agree, I have never broken one and if you are careful I don’t see why you should. I have a nozzle spanner which I think is a big improvement over using the traditional style spanner supplied with the airbrushes. Cheers, Nigel
  19. @azureglo The Iwata Eclipse has a big self-centring nozzle but I agree the other models have tiny nozzles with an eye-watering price tag in the UK. I discovered the Badger range too late - when I visited Barwell Bodyworks - would certainly have given them a closer look had I not already bought my Iwatas. Cheers, Nigel
  20. @Bstarr3 Hi, one thing to bear in mind when reading replies is that this is predominantly a UK-based site - still very friendly and full of great advice, but be aware that we don’t have the same product ranges as you do in the US. For example, we many be aware of Grex but for all intents and purposes they don’t really exist in the UK. Iwata tend to be more expensive here in the UK than they are in the US - in the UK Iwata are the most expensive of the main brands especially for spares. Badger are available in the UK, and competitively priced but probably not as widespread as in the US. But it is not all bad news over here, H&S are reasonably priced, on the whole I’d say a little cheaper than Iwata to start with but a lot cheaper when it comes to spares. Now that Iwata own H&S you may see the prices start to improve in the US. The consensus here in the UK is that Iwata and H&S are pretty equal in quality and performance. Over here, H&S tend to be a little cheaper, you get more ‘bells and whistles’, and spares are a lot cheaper all of which drives up the popularity of H&S. I have Iwata, but the only reason for this is that I was doing a lot of business travel to the US at the time. I was looking at the H&S Infinity 2in1 and had it not been for my business trips that is what I would have gone with. But in the US I found I was able to buy Iwatas for around 50-60% of what I would have to pay in the UK and settled on an Eclipse CS and an HP-B-Plus. I got my Eclipse from Hobby Lobby using the the 40% coupon that is always available on their website. At the moment they are selling it for $150, use the 40% coupon and it'll come down to $90 - I don't think you could beat that anywhere. Cheers, Nigel
  21. Giving away my fetishs here. The thing about fishnet is that you don't need to be that far away for them to look like sheer nylon. So I'm not sure you should be trying to reproduce fishnet at this scale. Cheers, Nigel
  22. The W&N No 7 are at least as good as the Artis Opus if not better and can be found at cheaper prices. https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item-winsor-&-newton-series-7-brush-set-(4).htm And if you are not in a hurry, they often have good sales. Cheers, Nigel
  23. I’m no expert but this is what an acclaimed fantasy figure painter told me - good quality, sizes 1 and 2 and occasionally a 3. He recommended W&N No7 and the standard watercolour rather than the miniature range. And these were his reasons Good quality - because you want a brush that holds its shape Size 1 or 2 - a point is a point - a 0 or 00 or 000 does not have any finer point than a 1. What is more important is for the brush to hold a well of paint which keeps the tip wet and allows a good flow of paint without having to keep reloading Standard rather than miniature - again this is about the well. The miniature range has shorter bristles and therefore, a small well. Ideally you want a good well without getting paint near the ferrule. Cheers, Nigel
  24. Amazing work. I love the way that the more you look at it, the closer you look, the more detail there is. Like the UAV and tow tractor. Cheers, Nigel
×
×
  • Create New...