Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'desert'.
Found 23 results
-
Afrikakorps Soldier Prodding Unwilling Camel (F72391 & F48392) 1:72 & 1:48 Special Hobby During WWII in the African theatre of operations, both sides used the tools available to them to fight and transport themselves to the next battle, so naturally the camel featured at some point. The camel, known colloquially as the ‘ship of the desert’, is a large mammal that is as cantankerous as it is capable, having a huge fat storage hump on its back that allows it to travel for up to 40 days without a proper drink, its long legs and feet making it a capable of travelling vast distances without taking one step forward and two back in sand dunes. They’re still used everywhere there’s a desert, although 4x4 transport is taking over where the need arises. A reviewer of mostly military models and accessories must be flexible, so when the first set of camels came in, I thought “fair enough, a once in a lifetime thing. No problem”. Now we have two more camels in to review. An unexpected sequel, but now I’m just waiting for the next one. These two sets are 3D printed in both main aviation scales to go with your Afrikakorps or Luftwaffe desert diorama, whether it’s in the background or playing a primary role. The set name is a little misleading, as even the drawings show that the soldier is simply holding the reins of the camel loosely in his hand, probably waiting for Humpfrey to get up so he can finally make some progress. Both sets are supplied in the usual clamshell box with card header, the colours and branding different by scale for reasons that aren’t immediately apparent. The instructions are simple, and are hidden between the resin part and the backing, consisting of a simple visual of the model with painting examples. Both scale sets still have many supports attached to the underside, and to support the head of the beast, as well as the horizontal parts of the hopeful rider, who is wearing a peaked cap, which needed support during curing. I have nipped the supports from the larger model to show off the face, and as you may have already noticed the designs are the same for man and beast, just the scales that are different. 1:72 (F72391) 1:48 (F48392) With only a little work to do in order to remove the attachment pips on the underside, it should be ready for paint pretty quickly, and the detail is superb, leaving you to provide the harness controlling the animal’s movement, as well as it can be at least. Conclusion Detail is fabulous, with every aspect of the rider and camel carefully replicated, including the shaggy, wrinkly texture of the animal’s fur and its goofy face, however it still looks a little too happy based on the camels I’ve met before. Camels are a miserable, cantankerous species. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of -
The idea behind this diorama/collection started with the Chevy 1533 as a stand alone model but then as I got into researching the old photos, etc. I saw that I could create a Ford F30 by converting the IBG Models Chevrolet C30A CMP Steel Body. Then I needed some extra jerry cans as the F30 was apparently a thirsty beast, so I decided the best (cheapest) way to get some was the Tamiya SAS Jeep model. Of course this then became the pilot car for the patrol. So here we are in a wadi in the Western Desert with the F30, dragged out of retirement due to vehicle shortages of the newer Chevrolets, needing some attention on the engine to keep it running. The driver of the Chevy (carrying the Boys AT gun) is chatting with the driver of the F30 as the gunner in the Chevy takes the Lewis gun off and waits for the Boys. Then we have the patrol commander and the pilot car driver discussing the plan for the day ahead. Hope you enjoy these images. Then I had a bit of a play in Photoshop to age some photos in black and white to try and replicate originals. Thanks for looking.- 17 replies
-
- 41
-
-
-
- LRDG
- north africa
- (and 1 more)
-
This is the kit I was trying to find before I bought and built all the LRDG stuff. That was a costly misplaced birthday present. Anyway, this was only a quickie build whilst waiting for bits to arrive for the Toyota build. 1/76 is a bit fiddly for me these days, think I'll stick to 1/35th. This was however the truck and gun my Grandad was a team leader on in North Africa at El Alamein and then up to Monte Cassino, Italy. The only one of three brothers to be called up. He never spoke about it to us, but from our Nan we believe sadly half his gun crew was wiped out in a direct hit at some point. A lovely man whom my son is now named after. Enjoy. Thanks for looking.
- 9 replies
-
- 21
-
-
- AEC Matador
- north africa
- (and 1 more)
-
I got these 3 1/35 figures on EBay. They seem to be looking for lost treasure in Egypt to me.
-
Several P-40Ns and P-39Qs operating from Gilbert Islands within the 15th FG were painted Desert Pink topsides and Azure Blue undersides. The reason for such a camo oddity is frequently explained, as the a/c were prepared for the North African campaign and then redirected to the PTO. Maybe... But for me it still apeears strange that less than hundred of P-39Qs (of almost 5000 built) and P-40Ns (>5000 built) were painted especially in Pink//Azure, while other hundreds reached units in standard OD/NG finish. Moreover I have never seen neither the P-39Q nor the P-40N operating in the Mediterranean in Pink/Azure camo. Some 40 years ago I've seen (in Scale Modeler IIRC) the Soviet P-39Q in these colours (white "13" on fin, red fin top and white "Za Rodinu" on port nose side), but nothing from the MTO. Is this only my opinion or were there Pink/Azure P-40Ns and P-39Qs flying over the Med? And if this was only the Pacific-applied "specialite de la maison" did this also apply to the 15th FG P-47s operating in the same period from other Pacific islands? Cheers Michael
-
After a rather protracted battle with a Special Hobby Avia B-33 which involved a lot of filling, sanding, groaning, and some useless landing gear attachments - I needed a pick me up. I thought Eduard's Spitfire would do the job. And it did. It's a lovely kit to build, with lots of detail, and all the usual Eduard extras - canopy mask, photo-etch, lovely full colour instructions. I went for a desert Spit for variety - but had forgotten how challenging I find desert schemes. They always look rather toy-ish to me, and as a result I went a bit overboard on weathering... Was the usual oil wash, followed by some post shading and fading which I think in certain portions went too far and resulted in the 'quilted' look. Then I brushed on a top coat of slightly watered down Vallejo satin acrylic varnish before applying some dust effects on the landing gear and area of footfall on the wing roots. I also had a mishap with one of the roundels which managed to attract an errant bit of masking tape... I decided to cut some rectangles from spare decals and told myself it looks sort of ok, and like some hasty patching in the field. Anyway - I fully recommend the kit, goes together very nicely. Thanks for looking - all comments and criticisms most welcome!
- 15 replies
-
- 28
-
-
-
Hello BM's, May I present Airfix's P-40B in 1.72 from the Pearl Harbour 75th AGS... with a difference: I modelled this P-40B to represent Flt.Lt. Clive R. "Killer" Caldwell's mount in 1941. Caldwell was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties, including an ace in a day. In addition to his official score, he has been ascribed six probables and 15 damaged. Caldwell flew Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks and Kittyhawks in the North African Campaign and Supermarine Spitfires in the South West Pacific Theatre. He was the highest-scoring P-40 pilot from any air force and the highest-scoring Allied pilot in North Africa (source Wikipedia). No new techniques on this one, but I thought I'd try and display the craft after a good few months in the field, sand blasted, dirty but well serviced and ready for action. Decals are from Xtradecal, courtesy of @murfv after a trade up. Hope you enjoy the pictures and as usual critique always welcome. Cheers, JB.- 13 replies
-
- 32
-
-
Hello guys i found this photo on Google. Is this RAF insignia on this aircraft but painted like RSAF panavia tornado ? I would love to paint aircraft like this, so if this is correct i will go shop today !!!
-
Hello all, I'm currently researching the Vokes filter for my Hurricane IIC build. None of the plans seem to fit the filters I see on the period photographs. Also it would appear to have slight differences between the filters. Maybe some were field replacements and others factory-installed? I have also seen the words 'Aerovee' or 'Aero-Vee' associated with 'Vokes'. What are they? Brand name, variants? I'm counting on you Hurricane fans to shed a light on that matter. Thank you for your help, Cheers, Quang
-
Hey! Didn't really know where to post this topic :/ I'm currently making an AH-64D Apache Longbow (Revell's kit) in 1:48 scale. I'm gonna be bored over the summer, so I was probably gonna have a crack at making an Middle Eastern diorama focused around the Apache. It will be just before a mission, so there will be people loading ordnance, maybe a quick bit of maintenance and nothing much else really. I was looking at Hussein El Kaissy's 1/32 one on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjPWS18rTQ . It looks really nice. So, my question is; Where can I get these diorama accessories in 1/48? - A collection of modern weapons, such as a TOW Launcher (looks so cool ) etc. Much like Italeri's collection, but in 1/48! http://www.italeri.com/scheda.asp?idProdotto=2530&idCategoria=5&idSottocategoria=55 - A maintenance kit, for example a tool case, military mechanic figure, tools and a laptop thing/walkie talkie. - An rearmament set, with a winch, missile trolly etc. - A belt feeding kit for rearming the chain gun. - 90's/00's U.S.A.F figures, including a pilot and gunner. Please note that these need to be in 1/48, and apologies for any dumb mistakes, e.g. naming or describing something wrong because I am more of a WWII modeler. Thanks )
-
Tah-da! 1/76 Matilda is done! Base also done - Caunter colours, El-Alamein - slightly off historically - no Caunter camo left by El-alamein time, but, artistic licence :-) Enjoy - crit always welcome! Maybe too much weathering....not sure! -
Hi all, didn't want to bump up old threads so I'm opening a new one. I'm looking at the announced camouflage schemes for the new 1/48 Airfix Hurricane Mk.I trop. Nice and colorful. But Brick red and Green over Aluminium? Has some new information been found? I thought it was pale blue and green over aluminium, or pale blue, grey and purple. Is Brick red a stand-in for purple? Vedran The milimeter brigade -
Hi guys, My most recent build, the 1/48 F-16C from Hasegawa. It was the Idolm@ster F-16C with very unattractive markings and yellow plastic. I decided to build her as Bahraini F-16 when used in Desert Storm 1991. The Hasegawa F-16 has a challenging inlet but whit some filling, sanding and TLC it came out quite nice. I normally build "old" aircraft so this is my first modern fighter, hope you like it! Erik- 19 replies
-
- 40
-
-
Vickers Wellesley, one of those forgotten types from the unfashionable side of modelling. Here's the very first boxing that I will be using for the build: Typical Matchbox kit, basic but accurate to the eye. I'll add a few details but won't be going rivet crazy - actually theres very few rivets in the design as it is a smaller brother to it's more famous stablemate the Wellington and shares it's fabric covered geodesic structure. As befits the simple kit it's appears a simple build: Schemes are two similar green/brown birds differentiated by their engines. Option 1 is a standard short cowl Mk1, but option 2 is more interesting as it is a form generally associated with just 3 aircraft of the Long Range Development Unit that flew from England-Egypt-Australia with the longest leg being 7300miles (in 1938!). But to confuse matters the kit decals arent for one of these 3...but more on that later
-
For my next trick - the rarely seen, desert exiled brother of Wellington... Anyone know of a Wellesley workaround or source of reference pix. There are plenty of generic exterior shots but not in much detail, nor is there a huge number of interior views. There are a few detailed models out there but I would like to judge a selection from the real deal, especially as I intend to so a LRDA as opposed to a standard mk1. Trust me to choose the difficult version... Actually I looked at the Matchbox decals and had doubts as they've seen better days. If they so end up u/s then the LRDA aircraft will allow a Wiff option I have in reserve. ... Thx in advance.D.
-
Hi everyone, this is my latest aircraft diorama. I had an old Academys F-84 thunderjet kit and I didn't want it to throw away and so I decided to make small vignette with it. I was inspired by the new Star wars: The force awakens teaser trailer when I saw the x-wing and the star destroyer in the sand. I started digging into reference if any thunderjet crashed in the desert, pilot was killed in the crash, so that is my interpretation of this event. I hope you guys like it!
- 10 replies
-
- 11
-
-
- aircraft diorama
- f-84
- (and 8 more)
-
For many years I have been dreaming that someone decided to produce a kit of this "ancient"style light tank that can be considered the true joining link between the horse mount and the steel mount for the hussars regiments. I think only of the pictures depicting it running in the desert plains of Africa. So, I've already bought two boxes of the Vulcan models first issue, the kit no. 56008, with the purpose of assembling them in different versions. The first one of course in France and the second one in North Africa. To do this I got the Echelon first decal sheets no.1 and 2. Now I've seen that the Vulcan gentlemen issued a third box, always for the Mk, Vi B but specific for the desert front. My question is which are the differences between the boxes? It's only a matter of decals and some water/fuel additional tanks or there are true differences? I'd like to avoid an unuseful purchase .... Many thanks to all! Ezio
-
Well I finally completed the Spitfire IXc from Pacific Coast Models. I'm now going to try doing a base and figure for it as well, but at least the aircraft is complete. And for saying it was such a beast of a kit to build, it's turned out quite nicely. Build pics are here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234934724-pacific-coast-models-132-spitfire-ixc/ Pics of the squadron aircraft suggest that they were late getting the IFF aerials, if they ever got them, although they had upgraded to VHF from HF radios. Hence no aerial wires anywhere. Some subtle exhaust staining...a little too subtle perhaps? And a smudge from the fuel filler. A lightly weathered prop. I'm working on the basis that they had a metal prop at least at one point. No hard evidence to suggest this didn't happen... Weathering based on wartime pics of desert Spits, some of which were even grubbier. The thread I used was here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234945703-oil-stains-on-spitfires/page-3#entry1478890 North Africa early 1943, I figure there was some mud and muck that got spread around the tailwheel as well. Light wear on the starboard wing root as well.
-
Got that new beautiful Airfix Gladiator, checked some available books (Warpaint, Mushroom Gladiator monography and "Desert Prelude", Kagero 112 squadron, other)... ...and I'm confused. I know that in the early period of 1940 desert fights Gladiators were in "normal" Dark Earth/Dark Green camouflage. But later? In Egypt/Lybia? In Sudan, East Africa? In SAAF? Mushroom in "Desert Prelude" for example even gives some strange colours I've never heard (light blue, some browns other than Dark/Light Earth)... What was the "desert camouflage" for Gladiator? Truly desert, I mean, not the DE/DG/Night/White?
-
I am busy with a number of builds (My Malta/N Africa Phase) I want to achieve a "In service" look and I am mindful that these aircraft would have had a bit of a bleached look. I bet there are a number of products and as many ways to achieve a good end result. I am mindful that I need to consider the decals, as well. have used AK interactive products for the cockpit and these have worked a charm. I was thinking of adding a bit if white to the colours, but I am not sure if that is the best way to go. ALL SUGGESTIONS WELCOME. This all fits in nicely with the wonderful info going around about 81 Sqn Thanks Sean
-
Feb up with double dogfights VB I started (real bad production and raised panel lines). I gave in and bought a descent kit (profipack IX). I am still keen to do a spit in desert camo however the sources are somewhat scare on desert mark IX's/ Yes I know it was over by the end of 1943 and the boys were moving up towards Italy. I have read the other post on Britmodeler. I though that I had hit the jackpot when I found a few pics of Mk IXc EN520, FL-A, 81 Sqn Tunisia April 1943. However these seem to be models and the one B/W pic of this aircraft seems to show early cannon blisters. Colin Gray then flew MA408 which seem to be a late production MkIX. The Polish Spits of 145 sqn all seem to be of the Early C wing too. I am open to suggestions? I am busy with the cockpit but my build seems to have stalled because I cant make up my mind on what to finish her in. Most of the kit options all have D-Day stripes and that is the last thing I want. Looking forward to the replies. Yours Aye Sean
-
Started this about a month back been a bit slow , and a few set backs ,carpet monster stole a few important bits , i had to fabricate new bits , some succesfully some not .Will post more as i go just thought would be nice to put up ,
-
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc MA574 'A' GC 1/7 'Provence'. Armee de L'Air, Algeria. Late 1943 I have been able to find out to much about this plane other than the WWII records show she was produced at Castle Bromwich and shipped to Casablanca and handed over to the Free French Air Force. I found one wartime Black and White photo of her and from this I have based most of the build. Her fate is unknown, but I did find one reference to her having been lost around Lyon later in the war. There also seems to be lots of references on the web to another Spitfire with the same registration, serving with a polish Squadron and it crashing in Kent. The date given was the same as the arrival date of this Spitfire in Casablanca. Was there two Spitfire Mk.IX with the same serial? Or more likely the reference to the 'Polish' one has had the serial recorded wrongly. Anyway, enough of the history and on with the model. Kit: Tamiya Scale: 1:32 Paint: Tamiya Weathering: Tamiya Decals: Kit and OH Models Extras: None, OOB Build: Photobucket Library Thanks for looking
