Search the Community

Hi folks, I've been messing around assembling some GW stuff since I finished the Viper but haven't really got my teeth into anything. And then I spotted an interesting part in a kit, turned it upside down, and went and got my big Chris Foss book out... I've wanted to build some '70s or '80s sci-fi for a while and this should scratch that itch. The part I found (can you spot what it is?) looks great when inverted as an under-slung bridge. I did a couple of designs around this - one as a tug or recovery vehicle, with a hexagonal body and arms sticking out the front, and one as a more conventional starship with a pyramidal body. I taught myself to use Sketchup (very basically) at the weekend and worked out the dimensions, so last night I was able to cut some parts and tape them up: The core is a plate of 2mm styrene, and the rest is 1mm. I laid it out with a ruler and dividers, taking the dimensions from the Sketchup model, and cut the parts out with a Tamiya scriber. Amazingly, it fits quite well despite the model not accounting for thickness. I did have to build a second version of the rear plate though since my first attempt had the angles very slightly out. The idea is to cover it in plating and nurnies (flat ones on the surface, dense ones in the notch around the bridge) and paint it with bold stripes! First of all though, I need to cut out various access hatches and internal access holes, then make the bulkheads to fix the angled plates to the core. Cheers, Will

Another two 1/350 scale subs just completed to add to the collection.... The first is the Mikro-Mir Soviet Whiskey III Class Diesel-Electric boat..... The second is a bit of a whimsey - but it did exist. The Balao-Class USS Menhaden was decomissioned in the 1970's and re-fitted as a remotely-controlled, unmanned acoustic test vehicle, known as the 'Yellow Submarine' serving with the Naval Underwater Systems Center until she was scrapped in 1988..... The model was built using two AFV Gato kits - with the hull from the GUPPY IB kit and the sail from the GUPPY II kit. Decals are from the spares box........ It was built for a bit of fun - but it stands out in my collection - and should cause some comments when displayed. Ken - (wonder if I should do the pink one from Operation Petticoat ???)

Hi folks, I was waiting for paint to dry on something else and decided to clean up the parts from this little resin + etch tug. (click for bigger) Just a dry fit so far. It's pretty nice, but needs some attention in places. The casting blocks are biggish (especially the one at the back) and need to be removed with damaging the (rubber bumper?) detail - I used a razor saw followed by files and sandpaper. There were also quite a few tooling marks on the curves of the hull - I'm pretty sure this is cast from a 3D-printed master and this wasn't cleaned up 100% leaving some visible stepping. I've fixed it in some places and left it in others, e.g. the foredeck, where it won't be very visible. Looking at the picture it would be worth making some effort inside the curved corners at the stern. I also removed the Zodiac, which had no undercuts and looked like a vacform I chopped it off with an etched saw and sanded down the deck, then thinned the boat itself and curved the underside. I'll need to make a simple mount for it. One other problem - my kit had the small parts sprue misaligned. I've cleaned up the funnel and small deckhouse, as well as the mast. The mast still looks ropey and it might be better to re-make the beacons (?) on the front from plastic rod? Not sure how fast this will proceed - it's not that complicated but I'm supposed to be finishing a couple of other projects before this one. Cheers, Will

Just finished..... the 1/350 scale resin kit of the British submarine HMS M1 - fitted with a 12 inch gun.... The kit is from the Czech firm of R O P o.s. A few more photos here Ken

Just finished another one for my growing collection of 1/350 scale submarines. This is the resin kit from Japanese firm Seawolf of the Soviet guided missile submarine of the Juliett Class.... I have modified the kit to have one twin missile launcher raised and the other one down..... I also added doors to the rear of the launchers and drilled one tube out to show the SS-N-3 'Shaddock' missile about to be launched... I added railings to the recesses in the hull sides and had to source decals from other kits - none are supplied... Note the nose of the Shaddock inside the rear starboard tube - made from round sprue.... Here's a closer view of the ready-to-fire missile.... Ken PS The build photos are here. PPS Doh !! :doh: I've just realised, the Juliett's are diesel-electric - so the label should read SSG, not SSGN

Just finished over the Christmas hols....... The excellent Micro-Mir kit of the first US Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile boat - the USS George Washington.... Ken

I haven't built a kit for ages,and had always intended to do "something" with a pack of Airfix 1/350 aircraft,as sold for the 1/350 Illustrious. I managed to miss the release of these,at a SMW Telford several years ago,and only discovered they were available,afterwards-probably thanks the BM. As I was leaving the UK imminently, I phoned Airfix,hoping to order them directly.They took my order but very kindly sent my order FOC and they were at my home when I got back-how good is that? I think they made a pretty decent job of the planes and helos,but I could see some room for improvement,and set about chopping around a couple of them. As some of you know,I work in a smaller scale,so it would be a diversion to see what could be done,and a sort of "homage" to the likes of the people that got me started on plastic modelling-those of a certain age will remember Chris Ellis,Gerald Scarborough,Terry Gander,Alan Hall,and especially Peter Hodges,and his detailed conversions of Airfix 1/600 ships. Tiny,grainy black and white photos and all.... I thought I'd have a go at the Merlin,it is about right shape wise,and I have a liking for these impressive birds. Merlin 1 by plastichacker, on Flickr First job was to remove the cabin area and back fill,so that some cabin windows could be built in-unfortunately,I didn't start taking pictures until some time after (because once the enthusiasm for the project wore off it just sat in a box for about 3 years),here the cabin area has been modded,and some of the many lumps and bumps have been started. Merlin 2 by plastichacker, on Flickr Merlin 3 by plastichacker, on Flickr The nose has been tidied and some work on the underside-I haven't got a clue what half these things are,just bits to be made and fitted,sorry to any current/ex FAA that know far more about these things than me! Merlin 4 by plastichacker, on Flickr mtd

Hi, I have my Trumpeter Dreadnought nearly finished but am still struggling with the cage aerials. I tried the WEM set but first failed using their star shaped spreaders and now have started rigging up the round ones included - I am not too happy with my efforts. Main problem is that all the kinds of spreaders only have these little groves for the thread and I just cannot get that rigged up straight and proper. I have now seen the Dreadnought set by North Star models on the net and it seems to have correct spreaders (star shape, eight 'arms') but the online image is not clear enough to show wether they have only a groove at each arm's end or a 'real' hole for the thread to drive through - which I consider would make things much easier. Does anyone know? An enquiry about this has not yet been answered by NS models. TIA Ingo

Been having a modelling dry patch for the last 6 months, so completed this as a quick build. Nice kit (recommended by Murdo back in January) picked up at a model expo a few weeks ago. Completed with brush painted Tamiya acrylics and a Italeri Acryl flat coat. Sorry for the dodgy iPad photos. Thanks for looking.

I have been in the model making doldrums for a while, so thought I might try something different to get my mojo back. Picked this up at a model expo last week and thought I would a quick build on it. First step - adding a little weight to the hull to make it just a tad more stable on the stand. Then gluing up the hull, went together OK. slight step, nothing a bit of sanding won't deal with. I am going to do it without any scopes up (it is a quick build after all). Left it overnight before sanding and polishing the seam and glueing on the other parts - looking pretty good so far. There is some photo etch pieces, the little circles went on OK (just visible near the bow), bit there were some absolutely tiny bits that defeated me - so I treated them as optional. First coat of paint - Tamiya acrylic NATO black. Beginning to look quite menacing.

Royal Navy cruisers have long been an interest of mine, great looking ships with busy careers, but almost completely ignored in kit form. So in a challenge to the manufacturers to release a kit just before I finish the scratch build... ...I've started work on the Fiji-Class Cruiser HMS Jamaica. The real ship spent much of her war escorting Arctic Convoys and was at both Battles of the Barents Sea and North Cape so fits nicely with the HMS Sheffield I built a couple of years ago. Here's a couple of quick shots of the current status: Still a long way to go, but the basic shapes are coming together quite nicely! Andrew

Hi all, I built this little S-boat over the past few weeks, probably not that much actual modelling time involved until it got near the end as I was working on it as a break from something else. I thought it'd be good for developing my maritime skills - the Bronco etch was incredibly thin and soft and I was surprised that I managed to get it all (or nearly all - there's a piece missing from one of the guns) fitted on. I'm also surprised that nothing snapped since I kept knocking bits and having to un-bend them! It's a nice kit with a sensible breakdown of parts - nearly all the detail is moulded into the deck, so there aren't a load of fiddly bits to attach. You do need to use the etch though as while some parts (rudders etc.) have plastic alternatives, many others don't. I didn't have too much trouble with fit apart from the lower hull to upper hull join which took a fair bit of filling and sanding to correct. I painted it wIth a mix of Tamiya paints over Alclad grey primer, with the initial finish masked and then various details and fiddly bits brush-painted with Tamiya and GW paints. Weathering is mainly MIG washes with some AK dust effects and engine oil. The torpedoes are sprayed with Alclad and Tamiya paints, as are the depth charges, and the other metallics are AK steel pigment (graphite powder). Figures are from Fujimi and are a bit ET-like in places Some details: And finally an overall shot for scale. The base is a wooden letter "I" from a gift shop with a hole drilled in it. It's a bit of a dust magnet unfortunately. Thanks for looking, and to everyone who commented on the build thread. It's much appreciated! Cheers, Will

Hi folks, I was hoping to use this for the under-a-tenner GB but it worked out at slightly over a tenner, so no dice. I bought the kit from the wonderful Ace Hardware in Berkeley during a recent work trip to San Francsisco, one sprue of plastic parts and one etched fret plus some decals. The fit so far has been decent, although the lower-to-upper hull joint required quite a bit of putty and sanding. (click for bigger) I spent an evening fitting the etch, apart from the railings. I had to give up on the two handrails around the rear gun since I couldn't get them to stand up long enough to apply glue. I tried a replacement from 0.3mm wire but it was overscale, so I'll just leave it I think. Next job is to carefully rub some rough spots with 1000 grit and then get the hull and deck colours on. I'm not sure if I should try and mask and paint the superstructure, or just spray the deck and brush-paint the fittings. Cheers, Will

Well after over a year in the making, im calling this one finially done (well until I decide to tinker with her again!) Ive build about half a dozen other kits since starting this one, but at long last I got around to finishing her! (and just im time for a model show tomorrow, which may or may not have been the kick up the backside I needed to finish her!!) Anyway enough of this chit chat! Here she blows..

Here are my recently finished models of two ill-fated russian submarines - the K-19, that suffered severe reactor damage back in 1961 (I think it was) and K-141, tragically lost in the Barents Sea in 2000. K-19 is first.

Hi folks, Six weeks work and it's finished! Build thread is HERE (click) for top tips on converting the stock Tamiya kit into a late-war, round-bridge Fletcher. Photos courtesy of IPMS Farnborough website. These photos were taken with an old mobile phone, hence the washed out appearance - the model was still awaiting its pennant numbers and flags to arrive! A few build notes if you can't stomach the build thread: Tamiya 1/350 kit with Gold Medal Models PE set L'Arsenal 40mm Bofors, 20mm Oerlikons, Mk51 AA directors (excellent pieces all!) Scratchbuilt ECM mast, fwd funnel siren and searchlight platform, midships gun sponsons, bridge equipment, 5" practice loader Trumpeter "Sullivans" kit donated fwd 40mm tubs, aft deckhouse and fantail 20mm gun tub Rigged with Uni-Caenis thread and 0.16mm monofilament fishing line Seascape built from wood & polystyrene base, acrylic artist paint, clear silicone sealant, acrylic gloss gel. I'm really proud of this result, only the second ship I've built in 1/350. And I couldn't have hoped for a better result with the sea base, although the presentation could be better if I was a bit more proficient in woodwork!! Thanks a lot, Al

Hey Guys, 'thought I'd cure my 'Modeling Mojo' by re-commencing a major re-build of the Tamya Enterprise. here's how she looked during the strippdown....... ......along with the new airwing I had modeled her in her 1982? refit (most commonly seen) but as a bit of a challange I decided to remodel her in her late 2000's configuration, with all the 'grey mushrooms' and Superbug's. *edit -this photo must be ~2007, due to the presence of S-3 Vikings on deck, and the last refitt of 'mushroom' radars* I have no perticular connection to the "Big E" other than being an ex-(RAN)sailor. And I did concider building afresh an HMS Ilustrious. Certainly, this would have cost a lot less than the $$$'s I have put into this project. I have aquired; Gold Medal models decals - 350-8d Tom's Modelworks carrier catwalks - 3518 Tom's Modelworks Enterprise Floatation baskets - 3569 Modelmaster brass whip aerials x6 Flyhawk grating mesh (for seasparow platform) White Ensign - 'The Ship' PE-3522 White Ensign - Modern USN 'carrier anchors Additional railing packs x2 Trumpeter's Carrier Deck Equipment x2 with Trumpeter aircraft, to do Carrier Air Wing One (2010 deployment) 06233 F/A-18C hornet (+ 8 Tamya hornet) 06221 F/A-18E hornet x 2 06235 F/A-18F hornet x 4 06222 E-2C hawkeye 06237 EA-6B Prowler 06239 Oceanhawk 06240 Seahawk I just couden't get away from the iconic presance of the "First and Finest" 'Nuke' carrier. The first step was to re configure the running gear, with support for the inner shafts. currently I am drilling out the catwalks to implace the perforated ones installed in 2009 ? -anyway, its a start. And I have a BIG project to re-inspire me.

Here's my Airfix Type 45 destroyer as HMS Dragon. This is my first modern warship (surface vessel) for at least 15 years or may be more. I used the WEM PE-set for it, repositioned the anchor according to information found here on britmodeller and put some crew members (L'arsenal resin) on board. This is all so tiny (I am more into 1/48 and 1/72 aircraft usally) But it was fun and I might do some more ships so I would appreciate any constructive comments, hints, tipps or anything you might consider worth pointing out - in order to improve the next model. I have to add that this one is a 'what if' and the bulk of the images is to be found in that section. I do not really know why but I 'had' to build it this way and in consequence had to invent a little story to go with it. Hope you don't mind finding this one in two categories. Ingo The Grey does not have this greenish tint to it - must be my lighting for the photograph.

Hi All, One more ship completed this year - it's the USS Dortch, a Fletcher-class destroyer converted to the late-war anti-kamikaze AA configuration of 14x 40mm Bofors guns and 12x 20mm Oerlikons. The model is the Trumpeter "The Sullivans" kit which makes an interesting comparison to the more highly-thought-of Tamiya kit. The Tamiya version is severely limited in how much you can make out of the box, whereas the Trumpeter gives you the option of two different configurations (1943 and 1945) and therefore far more options. Unfortunately it's not the best kit in terms of detail, and I added loads of scratchbuilt bulkhead details and antennae for the mast and ECM rig. I also used L'Arsenal Bofors and Oerlikons plus the GMM PE set for this kit. Paint was WEM Haze Gray 5-H and Navy Blue 5-N enamel with Tamiya XF-17 Sea Blue acrylic for the deck colour . I finally added crew figures from Eduard. The seascape was my favourite recipe - polystyrene base, Acrylic paint and gloss gel, and toilet paper waves. Pics courtesy of IPMS Farnborough website. Cheers, Al

Hello fellaz, I have been away from the forum for quite some time cause of busy work schedule etc but I kept building models on and off so in the last few months I completed 4 and about to complete the 5th... Here is one of them, the biggest model I have built so far: Regards

Hi folks, I started building another sub, so my plan for 1/350 (build easy ones to learn and work my way up) seems to be working. This time it's the Surcouf, again from a Hobby Boss kit. Not much to report so far - I've put the hull together and added the staggered props and finny bits. The deck and superstructure are staying loose, the idea being to prime it all together than separate the parts for colour painting. That way all the gluing surfaces should remain free of paint. (click for bigger) The hull seam on this one is pretty good - the hull is split vertically and there's no detail on the underside that gets in the way. The duck-like tail didn't fit too well and needed some putty, but the rest was fine. The superstructure has been a bit more difficult, I still need to re-sand the turret front join because it cracked away during a previous attempt. I might also cut open the hangar hatch at the back, so I can show the seaplane being put together. Cheers, Will

Hi folks, This is Hobby Boss's 1/350 U-boot, which I put together and painted as a first go at etched railings and the like in 1/350. I found it was tricky but do-able, although I'm not too happy about the size of my glue blobs. I think it'd be quite a slow process on a larger ship though because there's only so much I can manage in one session. I originally bought an I-400 for this purpose, and then thought it was too nice and I needed something easier to practice on. Did the same with a Surcouf, and so I ended up with this little U-boot from the Lucky Model sale for 5 USD. Bargain! I've wanted to build a type VII since seeing Das Boot which sealed the deal. (click for bigger/more photos) It's a good kit, there's enough in the box that I was quite happy to build it OOB, although the hull seam going through a lot of moulded-on detail and needed care to clean up. I had to to a bit of work on the nose which didn't quite want to line up, and I ended up filling in the bow torpedo hatches since I wasn't happy with my rescribe job. With hindsight I should've made them from slips of 0.25mm styrene, that would have looked fine. It's painted with Tamiya grey primer for the upper part (lazy but effective!) and Gunship Grey 2 from an aerosol for the anti-fouling. I got a really nice demarcation on the first try and then realised that I'd messed up and the waterline was about 1.5mm too high, so I had to do it again Second try was a bit messy but my clean-up and patch attempts have ended up being a decent basis for weathering and colour variation. I was going to add more rust streaks but I'm wary of overdoing the weathering in the small scale. I'll think I'll leave it for a bit and see how I feel later. I was very surprised at how small it is - in my head 18cm sounded longer! This was a fun build, so I might try the Surcouf next (or finish off something in the started-and-stalled pile?) Suggestions for improvement would be most welcome - particularly for attaching railings without blobs. Also any tips for rigging teeny weeny ships? Thanks for looking, Will

Hi folks, I bought a Tamiya I-400 a while ago, and then worried that I wasn't going to do a good job of it without some practice. So I found a Hobby Boss Surcouf, which was a bit smaller/cheaper. After I'd admired it I ended up thinking "hmm, still more practice needed" and put it on the shelf. Then last week I spotted this Hobby Boss U-boot for very cheap (5 USD) and so here we are. It has all the etched railings and smooth surfaces of a big sub, but small. I was quite surprised how small actually - I think the description said 18cm but in my head that was going to be bigger (Click to see it in big) So far I've assembled it (about 5 hours work) but left the conning tower off for painting. I thought I'd have more luck getting the railings firmly attached to bare plastic so I'm going to have to work around them when I paint the deck, but leaving the tower off will help with access quite a bit. The first big job was dealing with the seam in the two-part hull, which runs through several moulded ribs and right through one of the torpedo tube hatches as well I seem to have a taken a picture of the slightly less good side - I lined one up first and it came out well, this one needed a fair bit more sanding. I tried to work around the ribs as much as possible, and did a bit of re-shaping the diagonal one which was hard to get lined up. Both sides had the bow panel joint filled with CA (it left a notch and didn't quite line up on either side) and sanded back. I rescribed (badly) the torpedo tubes but they're actually partly filled in with glue again so hopefully they won't be too prominent. I also went around the moulded-on cable cutter teeth with a file to sharpen them - they provide a nice etched version but I didn't fancy matching up the curve of the bow, and the plastic one looks OK to me. The fit of the saddle tanks was excellent, no problems there. I did have to drill out a hole for one of the rudders (it was there on the other side) so if you make one of these I'd check that first - I had to do it after getting most of the stern bits assembled. I broke one dive plane and one prop shaft, but managed to get them back together again. The other big job was the etched brass, which seems to have gone pretty well. I tried something different and tacked it in place with Aileen's tacky glue (PVA) and then applied thin CA afterwards. It means the bases of the railings are a bit blobby, but they are all stuck on and it's set nice and solid. I think I'd do that again, I'm not sure that PVA on its own is enough, and I haven't mastered the art of CA on its own. I do like the gel CA because it's easy to control, but I've had bits fall off other models using just that. Off to prime it next and find out just how bad that seam looks I also need to figure out how to apply the two-tone scheme - probably leave the upper part in grey primer, mask it and spray the bottom, being very very careful for the railings? Cheers, Will