BIG X Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 Once everything had dried out it was time for the slow stuff... the boys were lounging about and their boots really needed 'bullling up' to get rid of all that 'mud'... ...next they needed their hands and faces washing... ...next up will be the headgear, which I may get done tonight. There is some right rubbish on the box - but SWMBO has the remote in her lap and she has been out to work - so I dare not make a fuss. Oh and yes - I am stalling again - I know - I know - there is all that webbing to do arrggghhhh... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 I did get the tracks and wheels done too... These will need a bit of rust and some touching up too - why is it when I brush paint I spend as much time repainting my splashes The spare wheels went OK though... I had a first mess with the radio... This is actually painted in hellblau - as all the pictures show these with a sky blue fascia. But I think I will paint the outer casing - I don't know what colour though... I also got the tarps painted too and messed around with a couple of different colours for the sake of variety... I really like the one on the right - but I'm sure they'll all look OK after a bit of a wash. So that's everything for today - unless I get those helmets done. Thanks for looking in and if you have any ideas about the colour for the radio casing - please chip in Steve 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sairou Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 A very dark green casing would contrast nicely with the blue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 39 minutes ago, Sairou said: A very dark green casing would contrast nicely with the blue. I agree. Stirling progress so far! Really staring to come together now. Figures are looking good. All the best Ben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Very late to the party.....Great work on some cool little kits, a lot easier on the sanity than IBG and that's a fact! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 2 hours ago, Sairou said: A very dark green casing would contrast nicely with the blue. 1 hour ago, badger said: I agree. Stirling progress so far! Really staring to come together now. Figures are looking good. All the best Ben ...hmmm Very dark green eh - sounds good - maybe a luftwaffe black green - Schwarzgrün - to go with the hellblau front... I'm liking it - a lot - it would contrast very nicely with the SCC15 - which is quite pale by comparison - see you in a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Very late to the party.....Great work on some cool little kits, a lot easier on the sanity than IBG and that's a fact! Hi Sarge - Thanks for stopping by. I have not done an IBG kit - yet - but I do have a QLR in the stash - but it has millions of fiddly bits that have been putting me off. They are coming together quite nicely - if you ignore the meagre instructions and add a few bits just for fun then they are just that - a fun build that may not be completely accurate - but I bet it gives the old Airfix 1/76 kit a run for it's money. If you spot anything or have any tips - it's not to late to shout up. Cheers, Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5054nz Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 What a fantastic thread, I love everything you're doing. I recently built an Airfix Carrier and from memory this kit is leaps and bounds ahead of that in terms of parts count and detail. The Airfix one didn't even have a Bren!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 7 hours ago, k5054nz said: What a fantastic thread, I love everything you're doing. I recently built an Airfix Carrier and from memory this kit is leaps and bounds ahead of that in terms of parts count and detail. The Airfix one didn't even have a Bren!!! Morning... or is evening over there... No matter - I'm pleased your enjoying the build. I only build for fun - I'll never win any prizes - but I do have a good time and that's the important bit. I am amazed the Airfix kit doesn't come with a Bren - they might have thought about that a bit more... The parts count isn't actually very big - excluding the crew the sum total is 21 parts. The difference is - you get 3 kits in the box and I am a beggar for trying to add things to these kits. They are actually just 'war gamer' 'toys' really - but compared to some old kits on the market they 'scrub up' well if you compare them to pictures from the internet and then 'fettle' them a bit. I'm sure if I was working at 1/35 then everything I am trying to achieve would be there - but where is the fun in that 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 you're fairly nipping on with these! I think though I need to see the 1p shot as these things look TINY!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Lawzer said: you're fairly nipping on with these! I think though I need to see the 1p shot as these things look TINY!!!! Hi Ian - I was thinking the same myself - I just need to find that comedy penny - it's MASSIVE I've been busy all morning with a new radio - I'm really not happy with MK8 - BUT - MK9 should look better - famous last words eh... Stay tuned listeners... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 Time for an update... I really wasn't happy with the radio in the end. It was my 8th attempt and the more I messed with it - the less happy I became - I painted dark green and gave it a test fit... I even asked the radio operator's opinion... ...he wasn't impressed... So I binned it. Now this morning I thought - 'I will be beggared if I let this beat me' - so I fished it out of the bin and set about making MK9. I have just finished it and will upload the gory evidence for your opinion. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 OK - whilst you have been reading that - I have been writing this... The morning started with a quick measurement of the radio - AGAIN... ...it actually fits perfectly without slipping down into the footwell. So all I had to do was get another block to 'exactly the right size'... ...sometime later - as they say I managed to get a piece cut to the right size. Now it needs a step under it to lift it to a suitable height... Then it was time to create a 'hood' out of 0.5mm plastic - taken from a 'stiffener' in a shirt I bought recently... BINGO The crowd goes wild... Now it was time for priming... ...and painting - hellblau for the fascia and swartzgrun for the hood... On 2 previous versions I had tried decals using sections of instrument panels and to be frank the results looked like - sections of aircraft instrument panels However - not to be deterred I had another rummage and came up with these - from a 1/24 cockpit placards decal set... ...if your worried about the round ones - don't be - they really look like these on the real thing - well they are only 1mm after all... so it was out with the magnifier and on with the decals - 3rd time lucky... ...leaving just enough sky blue background - which had been the problem when using aircraft IP's. ...but the 'thermos' thing for the top was super glued to MK8 - so I needed to make another This time I glued 2 of those star things together - to make it thicker and painted it before applying it to the 'flask'... I'm happy now... In the time it has taken me to build this I could have built a real radio - but Hey Ho - small things amuse small minds as they say. I've spoke to the lads and they seem well pleased - apparently they are going to listen to the Liverpool v Man City match on 5 Live tonight - c'mon you blues... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 Tell you I'd have been happy with that in 1/72!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 1 minute ago, Lawzer said: Tell you I'd have been happy with that in 1/72!! Ah - my furry friend - I forgot - the penny shot... ...there you go - don't spend it all at once 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawzer Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 (edited) that makes the radio all the more impressive! But does it have DAB? The above manufacture will come in handy for me - got 2 ju87 kits with NO radio gear at all and I while back when looking in the boxes I pondered how to make something - now I know! Learn something new every day (at the expense of forgetting something too....) Edited April 4, 2018 by Lawzer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 All this messing around with radios brought to mind a favourite album of mine - can you guess the title - here is a clue folks... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 That's some great work on the radio fella.....Would a fine disc cut from a length of plastic rod be helpful in giving you some stand-off for the star knob things? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 1 hour ago, BIG X said: All this messing around with radios brought to mind a favourite album of mine - can you guess the title Thomas Dolby - the Golden Age of Wireless. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 11 minutes ago, Gorby said: Thomas Dolby - the Golden Age of Wireless. ...and the winner is... Well spotted that man 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, BIG X said: ...and the winner is... Well spotted that man I'd nearly forgotten about Thomas Dolby, but when I saw the cover, his name jumped into my vast, empty echoy skull cavity. I look forward to my prize - I seem to remember you mentioning a Spitfire flight (or was that those voices in my head?). Good work on the radio by the way. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 1 minute ago, Gorby said: I'd nearly forgotten about Thomas Dolby, but when I saw the cover, his name jumped into my vast, empty echoy skull cavity. I look forward to my prize - I seem to remember you mentioning a Spitfire flight (or was that those voices in my head?). Good work on the radio by the way. NO - The prize is a flight in the back of a Hercules - where they open the rear cargo door and you get to stand on the edge as they fly over Wiltshire at about 50ft. I couldn't afford the extra money for the safety harness - but you'll be OK - 50ft isn't high Great album and thanks for the support on this build - it's good to know you are looking over my shoulder, but will you stop nudging my elbow when I'm trying to paint all that webbing on the uniforms 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: That's some great work on the radio fella.....Would a fine disc cut from a length of plastic rod be helpful in giving you some stand-off for the star knob things? Thanks Sarge The knob actually sits fairly flush... ...it's just the etch was so thin it had zero depth - but 2 stuck together seems to have worked. Fiddly though... Glad your chipping in - I can always use inspiration from the 'tiny tank' guru himself 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chillidragon Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 3 hours ago, BIG X said: small things amuse small minds as they say Mmmm... Microbiologists, Particle and Quantum Physicists... I see instead, my comrade, your patience, skill and attention to detail. Admirable work! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 Apart from the radio - I did get some 'real work' done today - but first off - how did I miss this before priming... ...all nine helmeted heads have this super lovely seam going right across the top - nice... Luckily because the helmets have some 'foliage' on them a rough hack with a scalpel to remove the line worked out OK and any new scuffs could be put down to camouflage. I also got all the webbing done too - being careful to remove a little paint from the neck area so the glue can catch... and after a quick sand of the neck region it was time to choose which head everyone got... This particular chap could be a young Dennis Healey - judging by the eyebrows... So now everyone can see what they are doing... With the two and a half extra crew - front 50cal gunner / soldier sat on the top divider / top half of a radio operator - I had to be careful I put the heads on the right figures... 3 x front gunners / 3 x drivers / 3 guys for the left rear / 3 guys for the right rear - leaving a couple of spare bodies that will doubtless come in handy at some point... ...and whilst all this was going on I had the footy on the radio - I think this guy is a scouser... He certainly looks pleased with himself - Liverpool 3 v Man City 0 - damn you Jurgen Klopp 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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