Kallisti's 2020 - the weirdest year on record!

[Kallisti]

So 2020 is nearly over and frankly good riddance to it! I've been fortunate in that I have been able to carry on working from home and my employment is as secure as any employment can be. This makes me very fortunate and I've felt for those who've lost their jobs and incomes. Count your blessings! Well enough pondering over this ridiculous year, what about some models?

 

At the end of 2019 I was building the 1:35 scle Aliens APC by Halcyon. This got completed in early January:

 

 

 

 

 

Build here: 

 

RFI Here: 

 

 

Next up was the 14" Eagle Transporter from Round2/MPC. This is a scaled down version of the 22" models I've built several of in previous years and in fact would build another of later in the year. You'll never guess what I'm currently in the middle of building as well right now???

 

 

 

 

 

RFI thread here: 

 

Next is a rather nifty idea I came up with for a what-if. What if Spectrum from Captain Scarlet was found in the 1960 rather than the 2060, what would the Angels fly? Well th answer seemed pretty obvious, the F-104Q Spectrum Angel Starfighter and here posing beside it is Galadriel Angel

 

 

 

 

This was built from the Kinetic F-104G Starfighter kit as a bit of whimsey. The idea seemed to catch on though... 

RFI thread here: 

 

 

 

 

Next was what seemed to be a brilliant idea in my mind that turned out to be a bit of a damp squib in the end. In 1971 there was a story of Dr Who called The Daemons and in it the Brigadier utter those immortal lines:

 

"Jenkins! Chap with wings there, 5 rounds rapid!"

 

So I had to build it! Using a 1:35 Italeri Land Rover and some customised figures, this was the result

 

 

 

The figure of Bok was custom made and the UNIT logo was custom decal printing. Build thread here: 

 

 

When the year reached April the weather improved and I was able to recommence a massive model I had begun back in 2016, namely the Studio scale Shado Mobile from Kits for Cash/Simian Stuff. This was an enormous resin kit that could only really be built outdoors in the garden. It took a lot of work as the large pieces of resin suffered from differential shrinkage so there were lots of gaps and P-38 came into play a lot!

 

 

 

 

You can't see the driver easily so here he is before he got installed

 

 

Build thread: 

 

RFI Thread: 

 

 

It was the end of May by the time that was completed and then it was time for the brand new kit from Round2/MPC, the one I've been waiting 3 years for, the Laboratory Eagle and Booster pack! This is in fact two kits that I got imported from the USA as for some reason buying them over here is unbelievably expensive! It was of course lit as usual with LEDs in the cockpit and landing pods!

 

 

 

 

 

Build thread: 

 

 

...And now for something completely different! In the heat of the summer, thought naturally turn to fire engines so I dug out a kit I'd had in the stash for a couple of years to do something out of the ordinary - at least for me - the 1:23 scale Ford Model T Firetruck from ICM

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of small and fiddly Alclad Brass was painted and I was very pleased with the result! RFI thread: 

 

This stirred me to carry on with civilian vehicles and so I dug out another kit I've had for a while, the 1:35 Hitachi ZC50T-5 Vibratory Road Roller from Hasegawa which is a tiny model only about 3.5" long, but was huge fun to build and weather.

 

 

 

 

Build thread: 

 

 

For the Battle of Britain GB, I decided to build a diorama using the 1:48 Scale Hurricane Mk 1 from Hasegawa I've had in the stash for some time alongside the Airfix Albion 3 point refueler to depict an airfield scene. I didn't want to get caught up in the mistake so often made by having multiple jobs being done on the aircraft at the same time. When you refuel an aircraft you keep everyone away who doesn't NEED to be there!

 

 

 

 

 

Build Thread there :

My second build for the GB was supposed to be a 1:32 scale depiction of a Spitfire Mk 1 in the workshop. There are no kits of a Spitfire Mk 1 in 1:32 but there is the Mk II from Revell and I was going to use this along with parts from a HobbyBoss Mk Vb to allow me to take the engine cowlings off and show the engine. Sadly I was unable to complete this for a variety of reasons but the hanger base got someway 

 

 

Plus lots of workshop tools and accessories werer planned

 

 

But it never really came together at all

 

Toward the end of summer I turned back to civilian vehicles and the 1:24 Ford FT-40, Le Mans 1968 from Fujimi, a build I thoroughly enjoyed even though it was well out of my comfort zone!

 

 

 

 

 

RFI thread here: 

This then got me into thinking about the OTHER matchbox toys I had as a kid and one that stood out was the Lamborghini Miura! So I found a kit from Hasegawa that also included "Italian Girl's Figure"... spot the erroneous apostrophe-s!

 

 

 

 

 

There have been a couple of other builds that I haven't photographed and posted because.. .well frankly they were not very good. One of these was the Supermarine Attacker in 1:38 from Classic Airframes which I had so much trouble with and forced myself to finsish but I'm not proud of it. Another kit that I had immense trouble with the paintjob was the AIrfix Meteor FR 8. This is currently on the shelf of shame waiting to be paint stripped for the 3rd time and repainted.

 

I'm currently trying to complete a 1:48 Tornado F3 for the Tornado STGB at the end of this week and I've also been building a second 14" Eagle Transporter which I might be tempted to sell when its finished if I do a good enough job! I've also been pootling away at another 1:8 scale Dalek from Comet Miniatures for a bit of fun! If anything else gets completed before the end of December I'll post it here

Lets look forward to a much more promising 2021!!!

 

Edit: One more completed build before the end of December: The 1:8 Gold Emperor Dalek

 

 

 

RFI thread: 

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Kallisti

[PlaStix]

So many kits there I would love to have built!! Back in t' day I mainly built sci-fi stuff but seemed to have gravitated away from it. I think I have one or two stashed somewhere. I have built the Halcyon Aliens APC - a long, long time ago...probably not long after it was released. Wish I thought to do what you have done! Lovely job. Having said all that, I think my favourite of yours from this year is the road roller. Lovely little build. Really like the finish you achieved. Your Sci-fi builds were some of the first things I looked at and followed when I first discovered Britmodeller. So lovely to see they still are part of your output. 

Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. 

Kind regards, 

Stix

[whitestar12chris]

Cracking selection of models Kallisti, look forward to hopefully seeing them in the flesh in 2021.

 

All the best Chris

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Excellent group of builds ! 

[Kallisti]

Thanks for your comments, its much appreciated

 

Edited to display the Gold Emperor Dalek

Edited December 16, 2020 by Kallisti

[VolkerR.]

I love them all, but the Ford T Firetruck is my favourite.

[Roman Schilhart]

A really diverse selection of different modelling genres.

The Hitachi Roller is the one I like best!

And hey, is that Bill Paxton at the door of the Alien APC?

[Kallisti]

3 minutes ago, Roman Schilhart said:

And hey, is that Bill Paxton at the door of the Alien APC?

It is indeed, the figures are supposed to represent Vazquez, Hicks and Hudson, although that isn't the same order they come out in the movie.

[bigbadbadge]

Oh wow what a collection of wonderful builds, great work. It is a shame that the Spitfire diorama wasn't completed that would be amazing I am sure.  Faves would be the Hurricane dio and the GT40 and the Road roller, it certainly looks more like a large scale model with the detailing and weathering etc. 

Chris

[Andy Moore]

Superb collection of builds Kallisti. I love the Hitachi roller in particular.

 

Andy

[tonyot]

Crikey,.... so many diverse subjects and all top notch,..... I love the Eagle transporters,..... reminds me of Sunday`s at home after playing football in the morning as a kid in the early 80`s,..... and so well built and painted too.

Cheers

          Tony

[JamesP]

Some unbelievable builds there, hope to see some at shows next year. 

[Kallisti]

I forgot to add the 1:48 Revel Tornado F3 that I completed for the Tornado STGB earlier in December:

 

 

 

[Kallisti]

Also finished last week is the second 14" Eagle Transporter from Round2

 

 

 

 

 

Here are both of them from this year side by side!

 

 

[John Laidlaw]

Brilliant! I especially love the Eagles and the SPECTRUM 104 - inspired.

[Kallisti]

Final completion for 2020 in the last hours.

 

1:48 Angel Interceptor, a resin kit by UNCL, build thread here

 

 

 

[Kallisti]

Well it appears I missed out one from my yearbook earlier as I'd forgotten to put the link into my profile!

Its another Spectrum Angel 'What-if' using a 1:48 Eduard Mirage IIIc kit, with a backstory that continues on from the Spectrum Angel Starfighter from above.

 

 

 

 

In the stash is now a 1:48 SAAB Draken from Hasegawa and I'll give you three guesses what THAT is destined to become!