PlaStix's brush painted 2016 - Photoshopped MTO GB diorama images added on page 2

[PlaStix]

My modelling year has been spent in GBs and, although I've had a great time, I have missed just being able to take my time with a build. I have plans to do a few more builds outside GBs next year so we'll see what happens!

 

First completion of the year was a 1/48 Tamiya kit built in the Made in Britain GB:

Crusader Mk.III / British Cruiser Tank Mk.VI

T126799 - 6th Armoured Division - Tunisa

Kit: 1/48 Tamiya

Paints: Humbrol and Revell - all applied by brush.

The tank is built OOB but I have added some stowage items

 

WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The next kit to be finished was another 1/48 Tamiya kit but this time in the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt GB:

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt - WZ-P - No.226551

As flown by Lt.Col. Benjamin Mayo, 84th FS, 78th FG, Duxford Air Base, 1944

Kit: 1/48 Tamiya "Bubbletop"

Paints: Citadel, Humbrol and Revel - all applied by brush.

Built mostly OOB apart from a few bits of scratch-built plastic and wire in the cockpit and wheel wells.

 

Work In Progress: Here

Ready For Inspection: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The Hawker Hurricane STGB was next and this was my chance to build the 1/72 new tool Airfix kit:

Mk.I Hurricane - L1592 KW-Z

No.615 Squadron, RAF Kenley, England, August 1940

Kit: Airfix 1/72 Starter Set

Extras: PropBlur, EZ Line aerial cable and some scratchbuilt bits and pieces - gun-sight, struts in the radiator, etc. I also thinned the trailing edge of the wings and removed the fabric moulding behind the armament bays - this work included a small amount of re-scribing.

Paints: Revell and Humbrol acrylics all applied by brush.

The base was made a while back for my first 1/72 Spitfire and all I have done is add the clear perspex rod to display the Hurricane.

WIP: Here

More photos: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The Starter Set GB was next and my entry was:

Airfix's 1/76 Cromwell Mk.IV

WIP: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The Spitfire Tribute GB for Edgar Brookes was next and I decided to build Tamiya's 1/72 Mk.Vb:

Mk.Vb Supermarine Spitfire

EN821 from No. 243 Squadron, Fighter Command

Kit: 1/72 Tamiya (No.56)

Extras: Eduard Photo-etch Zoom Set SS213 and EZ LIne

Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel acrylics all applied by brush

WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Patriotic War GB started in May and I decided to build two IS-2s - Tamiya's 1/48 version:

Russian Heavy Tank IS-2 - Model 1944 ChKZ

88th Independent Guards Heavy Tank Regiment - April 1945

Kit: 1/48 Tamiya 
Extras: Hauler Photo-etch HLX48324 and stowage from a Tamiya Jerry Can set 
Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Railmatch and Citadel acrylics - all applied by brush
WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

.........and the 1/72 Italeri version - which was a gift from Sgt.Squarehead:

Russian Heavy Tank IS-2 1943 Version

Unknown unit - Berlin - April 1945

Kit: 1/72 Italeri 
Extras: Tow cable produced from 0.2mm Lead wire and stowage from a variety of other 1/72 figures sets. 
Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Railmatch and Citadel acrylics - all applied by brush
WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

Then in the Vignette GB I made a base for the Tamiya 1/48 JS-2:

"Road to Berlin" - 1/48 Tamiya IS-2

Kit: Tamiya 1/48 IS-2 (built for the Great Patriotic War GB). WIP: Here. RFI: Here.

Figures: Tamiya and ICM

Base: 4mm MDF mounted in a Wilkos 7in x 5in picture frame

Scenery: Filler over expanded polystyrene, painted with Humbrol Dark earth and then a variety of turf scatters, grass tufts and trees from Woodlands Scenics, Greenscene, etc. applied. The fencing was wooden coffee stirrers mounted on square strips of softwood and the road sign was created in Photoshop.

The Vignette:

One of the IS-2s in the Russian tank column, en route to Berlin, is passing the female army traffic controller who has just given permission to proceed. Just at that second there's an alert that there's possibly German troops/armour in the fields/forest to the south. Some of the IS-2 troops/crew are more alert than others and instantly spring into action - the others are getting there more slowly as the tank commander smiles as he brings his large gun around ready for firing.

More photos here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, in August, I completed my first Fw.190 in the STGB of the same name:

FW190 A-8 'Brown 6'

WNr 175140, JG26, Melsbroek, Belgium, July 1944

Kit: 1/72 Airfix Starter Set

Extras: Tamiya tape seatbelts and EZ-Line aerial wire

Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel acrylics all applied by brush

WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

Also in August I spent one frantic weekend building this Tiger 1 in the Blitzbuild GB:

 

German Heavy Tank - Tiger 1 (Early Production)

No.931 - 3rd Panzergrenadier Division - Totenkopf - Kursk, July 1943

Kit: 1/72 Zvezda - OOB

Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel - all applied by brush

Build time: approximately 19 hours

WIP: Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

My four final builds of the year have been in the MTO GB which is, as of posting this thread, is still ongoing. My first completion for this GB was:

Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.L No.1

10th Panzer Division 1943 - Tunisia

Kit: 1/48 Tamiya Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.L

Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush

Extras: Stretched sprue aerial and Tamiya stowage items from the Jerry Can set. The rope for the stowage was made from some of Mrs PlaStix's thread.

WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

Next completion in the MTO GB was:

Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I (E), SdKfz 181 No.131 in Tunisia

Kit: 1/48 AFV Club Tiger 1 Ausf.E Early Version

Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush

Extras: Skybow Tiger 1 tracks, plus wire and plastic strip for the grab handle and step that were a feature on the front of the hull

WIP: Here

RFI: Here

 

 

 

 

 

The next two are just about finished but I haven't taken any RFI photos yet. First off is another Tiger 1 - this is the 1/48 Tamiya Initial Production kit:

Tiger 1, No.731, 'Norbert'

 

 

 

 

This model below will probably be my last completion for the year although I intend to make a base for these 4 which I hope will be done in the next week. I will add some pictures in this thread when it is finished.

 

The final one is this one:

Fw 190 A-4 of II./JG 2

Flown by Hauptmann Dickfeld, Tunisia

with working propeller

 

 

 

 

 

The diorama for the above models is now complete and the full set of photos of it can be found in the Diorama section Here.

 

Here are four photos as a sample:

 

 

 

 

Well I have completed 14 projects this year - that's the most I have ever managed - more than one a month!!! All my kits this year have been brush painted and I thoroughly enjoyed making all of them. I have had fantastic advice, encouragement and support from loads of people on Britmodeller who, I believe, make a great deal of difference to my modelling - so thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment in my threads.

 

I have already got some ideas of the kits I want to make next year and I'm looking forward to taking part in some more GBs - possibly not quite as many though!

 

Comments and Suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

Edited January 11, 2017 by PlaStix

[giemme]

 Great modelling year, Stix.  My only suggestion would be to do more aircrafts, but I'm kinda biased here  

 

No matter what you do, the results are brilliant!  

 

Ciao

 

EDIT: BTW, I love that flying FW190  

Edited December 14, 2016 by giemme

[Whofan]

I'm so impressed with these builds, if I had to choose winners the Mark 1 hurricane - loved the wheels (almost) up pose, and the Road to Berlin dio would be difficult to separate.

 

[Ozzy]

Nice going Stix, fantastic brush work.

[Rodders154]

Great builds

 

Rodders

[fewr9fkr9595]

Wow thats some good skills on show there...

Wouldn't have thought they were brushed at all! Very smooth pal keep it up 👍🏿

[maltadefender]

I think the Spit is my favourite but only by a hair's breadth from... everything else! Consistently lovely builds.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

All beautiful Models, but Norbert is my favourite.....Even if he is 50% too big. 

[PlaStix]

20 hours ago, giemme said:

 Great modelling year, Stix.  My only suggestion would be to do more aircrafts, but I'm kinda biased here  

 

No matter what you do, the results are brilliant!  

Ciao

EDIT: BTW, I love that flying FW190  

Hi Giemme and thank you very much. I do have plans for more aircraft but at the moment I'm thoroughly enjoying the AFV builds.

 

19 hours ago, Whofan said:

I'm so impressed with these builds, if I had to choose winners the Mark 1 hurricane - loved the wheels (almost) up pose, and the Road to Berlin dio would be difficult to separate.

 

Thank you very much Whofan for your very kind comments.

 

17 hours ago, Ozzy said:

Nice going Stix, fantastic brush work.

Thank you very much Ozzy and thank you for all your comments and support throughout the year.

 

17 hours ago, Rodders154 said:

Great builds

Rodders

Thank you very much Rodders.

 

16 hours ago, Tony Oliver said:

Wow thats some good skills on show there...

Wouldn't have thought they were brushed at all! Very smooth pal keep it up 👍🏿

Hi Tony and thank you very much for your comments too. My brush painting is all down to learning from the real brush painter artists here on Britmodeller.

 

16 hours ago, maltadefender said:

I think the Spit is my favourite but only by a hair's breadth from... everything else! Consistently lovely builds.

Hi MD and thank you very much for you very kind comments.

 

15 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

All beautiful Models, but Norbert is my favourite.....Even if he is 50% too big. 

Thank you very much Sarge and thank you too for all your support this year.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[nimrod54]

They are all outstanding builds in my book Stix and testament to the fact that you don't need an airbrush to produce an excellent finish. More of the same next year please.

[SimonL]

Inspiring stuff Stix. My favourite is the Crusader - hopefully will get mine finished over the holiday!

Edited December 17, 2016 by SimonL

[PlaStix]

On 12/15/2016 at 2:45 PM, nimrod54 said:

They are all outstanding builds in my book Stix and testament to the fact that you don't need an airbrush to produce an excellent finish. More of the same next year please.

Hi John and thank you for your kind comments. I do think that, even if I did have somewhere to use an airbrush (which I don't - my main place for kit building is in the kitchen), I would prefer to brush paint. I think I feel more in control of what I'm doing and it's easier to clean brushes!

 

On 12/17/2016 at 8:58 AM, SimonL said:

Inspiring stuff Stix. My favourite is the Crusader - hopefully will get mine finished over the holiday!

Hi Simon and thank you very much too. I will look forward to seeing yours finished.

 

I'm still hoping to get my MTO diorama completed this weekend so I will post some photos here if or when it is.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[Navy Bird]

Beautiful work, Stix. I really admire you brush painting guys - I couldn't brush my way out of a wet Gunze Mr. Paper Bag!  

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Murdo]

That's an incredible amount of cracking work there mate!

[Newbie(kinda)]

Stunning, as always! I'm a huge fan of your brushwork. Love the Spit (actually, I love all your Spits) and the dynamism of the Hurri take-off is superb (I'd have preferred one of your 'proper motor' jobs to the prop blur although in 1/72nd that's probably too big an ask!) but the sheer audacity of an NMF to that standard...flipping brilliant. You really are an inspiration to those of us who still rely on hairy stix, Stix.

[PlaStix]

On 12/19/2016 at 9:06 PM, Navy Bird said:

Beautiful work, Stix. I really admire you brush painting guys - I couldn't brush my way out of a wet Gunze Mr. Paper Bag!  

Cheers,

Bill

Hi Bill. Thank you very much for you very kind comments - and I'm sure you can!

 

On 12/19/2016 at 9:15 PM, Murdo said:

That's an incredible amount of cracking work there mate!

Thank you very much Murdo - that's very kind of you. 

 

On 12/19/2016 at 11:47 PM, Newbie(kinda) said:

Stunning, as always! I'm a huge fan of your brushwork. Love the Spit (actually, I love all your Spits) and the dynamism of the Hurri take-off is superb (I'd have preferred one of your 'proper motor' jobs to the prop blur although in 1/72nd that's probably too big an ask!) but the sheer audacity of an NMF to that standard...flipping brilliant. You really are an inspiration to those of us who still rely on hairy stix, Stix.

Hi Newbie(kinda). Thank you very much for your waaaayyy too kind comments.  I must admit I didn't have a motor handy at the time of the Hurricane take off build, but I will have a look and see if it's possible to fit a motor in a 1/72 aircraft at some point when I buy another. I'm pretty sure that someone used a mini motor from a mobile phone (fitted for the vibrate function) in a 1/72 build but I can't remember who it was. I'm not sure I'd have the skills to extract one from a phone! I haven't got another Airfix motor at the moment but when I do I will check it out.

Thank you again.

Kind regards,

Stix

[moaning dolphin]

A good output for the year, and a stunning collection, truly an 'airy stick wizard!

 

Bob

[Kallisti]

Great stuff, Love the way you pose them with the backgrounds!

[jrlx]

Hi Stix,

 

Congrats for a stunning collection of models! I said it before but I'll say it again: I just can't help being fascinated by the superb finish of your brush-painted models, it puts all of us airbrushers to shame Very well done

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

 

[CedB]

Great collection Stix and a tribute to brush painting - and 1/72, even though they don't look it. Great work.

[BerndM]

This flawless perfection in your builds is truly amazing !

All great builds, my favorite is most probably the IS-2. You nailed the look of this chalked on white stripes, weathering is spot on.

Looking forward of your coming projects for 2017.

Merry Christmas to you and your family

[markg]

PlaStix, wow!

I like to brush paint (mostly airbrush though), but heck, I can't match the quality you achieve. Very impressive work. I don't think any of us would have known it was brush work if you hadn't told us.

[CliffB]

Confession time here, Stix.  I hadn't realised that in addition to your amazing armour, you also produce some great looking aircraft models. I know now!

 

Cliff

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Damn

 

Fine

 

Modelling

 

period.

 

 

Hats & Huzzars

 

Jonners

[Bengalensis]

I may have said this before; but your painting is excellent! These are some very well finished and realistic looking models! Fantastic work!