Bertie's Year 2021

[Bertie McBoatface]

I didn't think I'd completed anything in the early part of the year but I was mistaken, as my diary revealed.

 

 

First the Canadian Ram Tank (all armour is 1/35) from Bronco.

 

 

A British Mk.IV Tank finished as a Beutepanzer in the service of the Freikorps. This is a Takom kit.

 

 

I switched to figures with this 'Android Gunner' modified with battle damage. Ebay bargain from China, brand unknown. She's about 120mm high.

 

 

There was another Mk.IV which was finished in January bur returned for a guest appearance later in the year in a diorama built for the Whippet. This is Takom again.

 

 

The Takom Grant CDL was the last to be finished in January.

 

In February I started but later abandoned an Airfix M7 Priest and a Takom St Charmond. Not much wrong with either of them but there were family distractions which interrupted modelmaking for a long time. In July I joined Britmodeller and got going again.

 

 

My first WIP and first build in half a year was the Takom Whippet Tank which made it onto a simple diorama with the earlier Mk.IV.

 

 

In the Phantom GB I knocked out a 1/72 Hasegawa F-4G

 

 

And then returned to my usual aircraft scale of 1:48 for an Italeri F-4J.

 

 

A bust was next. This is a 3D print but I can't remember where I bought the file or who the sculptor was. It's about 120mm tall.

 

 

Next came the Renault Taxi De La Marne in 1/35 from ICM. This was my French Fancy GB entry.

 

 

This was a bit of a laugh. It's an Airfix Spitfire starter kit painted as if Baron Von Richthoven flew for the RAF in 1940. It took a weekend to do this one.

 

 

My fourth WWI British tank of 2021 was this Meng full interior kit, blown apart by artillery fire and under inspection by some British infantry from MasterBox. This one was in progress for four months.

 

And that was my year. It's been interesting compiling it here.  I had been dwelling on my failures and was pleasantly surprised that so many kits had actually reached a satisfactory conclusion. One a month on average. I think I can improve on that in 2022!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Is it immodest to describe your plans for the coming year here? I've seen it done a couple of times and I found it very interesting and not at all showey-offey so I'm going to nail my colours to the mast and follow suit. I'm hoping that will give me that little extra incentive to get to work on the can't be bothered days. 

 

 

First to be finished should be this, converted to the factory prototype version as a starter to a long series of Valentines and derivatives. It's already well along. As opportunities come up between other builds, I'll try to do a few more of the series. These are the ones on hand at the moment.

 

    

 

 

 

The Canadian built Mk.VI will be a suitable candidate for the Canadian GB but long before that one, I'm taking this...

 

 

...into the F/A-18 GB starting in January.

 

 

Also starting in January is the Bomber GB which I'd like to enter with this one. Two big aircraft at the same time worries me slightly, but I do like having two projects in hand to keep me fresh.

 

 

In March we hit Big and British and a 1/32 Lancaster is both of those in spades. Just the nose though. I think that will be about as intensive as a 1/35 tank with interior. 

 

   

 

And just by coincidence, at more or less the same time I'm committed to psychiatric care to both this full interior M3 in the M3/4 GB AND the Achilles! What was I thinking?

 

Then there's the Canadian GB starting in July with the Vally as already mentioned. and the final GB of my year is the Armoured Cars and Half-tracks GB. 

 

 

Isn't that the most beautiful vehicle you ever saw? You can keep your E-Type Jags and Mustangs, I want one of those for popping down to Sainsburys. That last GB runs until February 2023 but I'd certainly hope to be finished in '22. So that's the GB and Big Valley projects declared.

 

In the copious free time between those kits I aim to fit in some random WIPs of my own.

 

 

I bought that beautiful great thing for the non-running Leopard GB (Two votes short. Shucks!) but also because I was feeling rather inadequate at the time. 🤣 It was a Christmas present which I opened today and it's huge, like a crane. It will dominate my display cabinet, and pretty much my entire flat...

 

 

...especially as I'm planning to sit it on this other behemoth. I've never done anything like that before so I'm very excited, as the actress said.

 

 

Finally there's a tribute to the lads which it would be cool to finish in early November.

 

I say finally, but there might be a few little spaces in the schedule, maybe a weekend at a time for figure painting.

 

   

 

I have a Ripley bust (but I'm taking tablets for that). She reminds me of the ex-wife, believe it or not. Well, actually the film reminds me of the ex. I think the rat from the 'hood, inna hood, is just charming. And then there's another ex - the Mother out of Law. Seriously, the resemblance has been remarked on by all. 

 

Can that lot be done in a year and a week? Now I see it on screen, I seriously wonder. I certainly wouldn't put money on it. However, I read something this morning on the Christmas Blitzenbuild pages where some crazyman is doing a 1/72 Victor in 24 hours! Go and see the carnage, do! @bianfuxia, by name, he wrote:

 

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done

      But he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

      Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

 

I love that verse, it sounds like Kipling to me and I've always liked to kipple so ... Yes I'm going to give it my best shot and finish those 18 models before the end of 2022. Maybe they will look rushed, which would disappoint me, but maybe, I'll find that the more I push myself, the better I get? There are yearbooks here today with much more than this on display and of much higher quality than my standard. Maybe Stalin was right and it's true that "quantity has a quality all of its own"? It will be interesting finding out, won't it?

 

[AliGauld]

Seriously excellent stuff there, that man.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Bertie McBoatface]

3 minutes ago, AliGauld said:

Seriously excellent stuff there, that man.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

Thanks Ali

[bigbadbadge]

Cracking collection,  not bad considering you thought you hadn't completed much, loving the WW1 tanks , must finish my Whippet stalled for several years!!!

Great work 

Chris

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Berti, you've done some very good models there. I rather like your WW1 tanks. The Android Gunner's quite nice too. 😉 Regards, Jeff.

[JeroenS]

Hey Bertie! I've been following your excellent "blown up tank" build, I enjoyed that very much. I hadn't realized you're a relatively new member here, may we see more of your builds in 2022 I say. I like those figures too, do you have some planned for next year?

[Bertie McBoatface]

9 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Cracking collection,  not bad considering you thought you hadn't completed much, loving the WW1 tanks , must finish my Whippet stalled for several years!!!

Great work 

Chris

Thanks Chris. Yes the WWI tanks are pleasantly chunky aren’t they. I had assumed that the five (!) January finishes were late last year. It was only when I reviewed my diary that I realised. 

 

4 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday Berti, you've done some very good models there. I rather like your WW1 tanks. The Android Gunner's quite nice too. 😉 Regards, Jeff.

Thanks Jeff. 
 

 

1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

Hey Bertie! I've been following your excellent "blown up tank" build, I enjoyed that very much. I hadn't realized you're a relatively new member here, may we see more of your builds in 2022 I say. I like those figures too, do you have some planned for next year?

Thanks J. Figures, yes I’d like to do a few more. So far I have three aircraft, a bunch of Valentines and other armour projects, and three figures on hand. I’m forsworn from buying more kits this year (though we’ve all said that) because of my massive overspending on the hobby since coming here. I have to learn not to get carried along with Everyone’s enthusiasm, just selected members…

[Heather Kay]

What a selection! All excellent. 
 

I've said elsewhere there are many kits and models and scales I have no real interest in, but I do enjoy seeing a well-made model of almost any subject. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, Heather Kay said:

What a selection! All excellent. 
 

I've said elsewhere there are many kits and models and scales I have no real interest in, but I do enjoy seeing a well-made model of almost any subject. 

 

Thank you Heather.

 

Indeed, variety is the spice. I've some very strange figures on hand for the new year and well as some quite unusual kits. When I've opened my Christmas presents in the morning, I'm going to amuse myself by editing my first post here to include a tentative plan for 2022. Then I'll forget all about it until next December and see how accurate was my forecast.

[PlaStix]

That really is a stunning collection of builds for the year Bertie. Awesome modelling all round!

Kind regards, 

Stix

[Bertie McBoatface]

2 hours ago, PlaStix said:

That really is a stunning collection of builds for the year Bertie. Awesome modelling all round!

Kind regards, 

Stix

 

Thank you Stix. I hope to show you more next year.

[MRMRL]

There's some really interesting variety in that collection, good work all round. I really love the tanks, great finish on those, congrats

[Bertie McBoatface]

49 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

There's some really interesting variety in that collection, good work all round. I really love the tanks, great finish on those, congrats

 

Thank you. There's going to be a lot of tanks and figures next year too. I find that I'm moving away from aeroplanes because the bits that interest me, the cockpits, wheel bays etc tend to be separated by acres of relatively empty spaces. Tanks and figures are detailed everywhere. I'm intrigued by their potential for weathering and maybe even basing/vignettes/dioramas too.

[Stef N.]

A fantastic 21 and 22 is geared up to be a busy, eclectic and very interesting year. Top work Bertie. 👏👍

[Retired Bob]

A good output from 2021 Bertie, much better than mine.  No mention of the Vulcan, has that been put asunder?  I will soon start mine again as my club has a V-Bomber GB going on until March.

The stories from your service days were also a hoot, I never got around to telling of the time I was involved in a ban the bomb demo outside the main gates at Marham and a lorry driver attacked me.

So a lot to look forward to in 2022.  I really like the WW1 tanks.

[Bertie McBoatface]

28 minutes ago, Stef N. said:

A fantastic 21 and 22 is geared up to be a busy, eclectic and very interesting year. Top work Bertie. 👏👍

 

Thanks Stef. I managed 12 in seven months so 18 in 12 might just happen next year if I stay focussed.

[zebra]

A very interesting, eclectic collection. Looks like you've got some great builds planned for 2022.

[Bertie McBoatface]

7 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

A good output from 2021 Bertie, much better than mine.  No mention of the Vulcan, has that been put asunder?  I will soon start mine again as my club has a V-Bomber GB going on until March.

The stories from your service days were also a hoot, I never got around to telling of the time I was involved in a ban the bomb demo outside the main gates at Marham and a lorry driver attacked me.

So a lot to look forward to in 2022.  I really like the WW1 tanks.

 

Thanks Bob.

 

"See what I can doo - in twenty-twoo!

 

I didn't mention the Vulcan because it's really dead now. The thread was great but the model, not so much. I wasted much time on the difficult old model too. Next year they are all good quality new moulded kits. 

 

5 minutes ago, zebra said:

A very interesting, eclectic collection. Looks like you've got some great builds planned for 2022.

 

Thanks Zebra. See you in Canada then?

[SallysDad]

Bertie, that is a fantastic build record from this year, beautiful detail, lovely work.

 

I am looking forward to watching absolutely anything you build. Oh... and I love the rat... where did you get him (a guy, right?)?

 

Randy

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, SallysDad said:

Bertie, that is a fantastic build record from this year, beautiful detail, lovely work.

 

I am looking forward to watching absolutely anything you build. Oh... and I love the rat... where did you get him (a guy, right?)?

 

Randy

Thank you. 
 

The rat was a gift from my 3D printing son. I’ll ask him where he found it. 

[Pete in Lincs]

Great collection, Bertie. Keep them coming.

I too like the rat. It looks like it could have come from the Discworld, my favourite alternate universe.

[Bertie McBoatface]

25 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Great collection, Bertie. Keep them coming.

I too like the rat. It looks like it could have come from the Discworld, my favourite alternate universe.

 

I should display it on a stick then.

[SallysDad]

Your son could make a few bucks, pounds, by printing these for a few old nerds like me...

[Lightningboy2000]

Absolutely superb quality collection for 2021!

All the best of fun for 2022 by the looks of it. I started the Miniart Grant with Interior this time last year & still no where near finished with it! Looks like a lovely kit though.

 

Martin

[Bertie McBoatface]

7 hours ago, Lightningboy2000 said:

started the Miniart Grant with Interior this time last year & still no where near finished

 

Lightning boy? Not so much then 🤣

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I guess you mean the Whooshroarrrrrrrr Lightning of old?

 

That Miniart M3 is the scariest one of the lot for next year. I rate my chances of finishing it within the GB as 'poor to none'. I can't even get the bags back into the box!