Xmas Blitzenbuild Chat

[Jinxman]

I did an Airfix Beach Buggy a while back for a Blitzbuild, but chickened out on adding the figures that came with the kit. As we are off to Mablethorpe for a quiet Christmas this year, attempting the figures should mean not many materials and tools are required. Pictures to follow when we get back to base.

[psdavidson]

I'm only going to tease mine for now

I'll be doing an experiment involving two horses, in extremely poor taste

 

/P

[Mig Eater]

19 hours ago, Adrian Hills said:

Scanning them would require removing the distinct orange hue of the carrier film.

If you send me a scan of the decals I can clean them up & remove the hue, send me a PM if you're interested.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Mig Eater

[Tim R-T-C]

For the Storch - an easier solution if German decals were desired - a generic sheet of decals in 144th would probably fit just fine on the small Storch fuselage. I did this with the Tamiya 1/100 Me-163.

 

However I do like the look of that captured scheme - especially the hand painted roundels.

[Adrian Hills]

3 hours ago, Mig Eater said:

If you send me a scan of the decals I can clean them up & remove the hue, send me a PM if you're interested.

Hi Mig Eater, thanks for the kind offer but I think I will go with my original idea of painting decals. It will fit in with a few of my other very old models that have the national markings recessed into the plastic as a painting guide ! Cheers Adrian

[Zephyr91]

On 30/11/2023 at 12:52, 2996 Victor said:

I've never taken part in a BlitzBuild. Is a bit of pre-preparation allowed? I'm thinking only in terms of painting components like cockpit or wheel well areas of aircraft, definitely no actual assembly of course.

 

Thanks,

Mark

Hi Mark.  I noticed your post didn't seem to have had a reply.  I think Enzo posted the rules  here

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235118942-welcome-and-rules/

 

Tagging David @marvinneko as he has expressed an interest as well.

 

I don't think you can pre-paint but can remove "major parts" from sprues in advance.

 

I had my first try in the summer.  Greatly enjoyed this form of "pressure fest" and almost completed it but was thwarted by 2 things -

 

1. I only gave myself 2 days rather than 3 (went on holiday on the third!!!).  Ha!  Planning eh? 🙄

2. Although the Airfix 1:72 Bf 109E is a nice kit, it was overly complex for this exercise.  Far too many tiny bits ..... 

 

I also had a major problem with the transparencies (now where've I heard that before ?) but I did have time to add a few cockpit bits like seat belts.   The main thing is to choose a simple kit and with a minimum of different colours in the paint scheme.

 

I really don't think I can join in this Christmas as I don't have the modelling space and we are having all 3 daughters and partners to stay.  So it will be well nigh impossible to sneak off.   But I'm keeping options open for a while     I'll certainly be watching if not.

 

If I do manage it, I have chosen from my stash an old Revell Heinkel He 100 as the candidate.

 

Do have a go.  The "community" is very supportive and throws up some entertaining encouragement.  But being still a newbie here, I haven't quite figured out the references to eggs yet ........

 

cheers

 

Rob

[2996 Victor]

3 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

Hi Mark.  I noticed your post didn't seem to have had a reply.  I think Enzo posted the rules  here

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235118942-welcome-and-rules/

 

Tagging David @marvinneko as he has expressed an interest as well.

 

I don't think you can pre-paint but can remove "major parts" from sprues in advance.

 

I had my first try in the summer.  Greatly enjoyed this form of "pressure fest" and almost completed it but was thwarted by 2 things -

 

1. I only gave myself 2 days rather than 3 (went on holiday on the third!!!).  Ha!  Planning eh? 🙄

2. Although the Airfix 1:72 Bf 109E is a nice kit, it was overly complex for this exercise.  Far too many tiny bits ..... 

 

I also had a major problem with the transparencies (now where've I heard that before ?) but I did have time to add a few cockpit bits like seat belts.   The main thing is to choose a simple kit and with a minimum of different colours in the paint scheme.

 

I really don't think I can join in this Christmas as I don't have the modelling space and we are having all 3 daughters and partners to stay.  So it will be well nigh impossible to sneak off.   But I'm keeping options open for a while     I'll certainly be watching if not.

 

If I do manage it, I have chosen from my stash an old Revell Heinkel He 100 as the candidate.

 

Do have a go.  The "community" is very supportive and throws up some entertaining encouragement.  But being still a newbie here, I haven't quite figured out the references to eggs yet ........

 

cheers

 

Rob

Thanks, Rob, that's very helpful  To be honest that's what I was thinking, re pre-painting, but the trouble is that painting small components is one thing that takes me ages    I've been thinking about it and I'm not sure I can take part, really, as it's not very conducive to domestic bliss. I'll certainly have a go at one the mid-year ones next year!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Adam Poultney]

I'll play. Maybe something from the stash, maybe something new.... maybe something ambitious, or maybe something simple...

[marvinneko]

5 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

Tagging David @marvinneko as he has expressed an interest as well.

 

Thanks Rob! Our Xmasses are stress-free time off so it might actually work out  

[Bertie McBoatface]

This Xmas is the 50th anniversary of my leaving home (at 16) to enlist in the RAF. The anniversary of the enlistment date sticks in my mind because was the beginning of the leave year so it was a date to be carefully administered each of my 23 years in the mob so that leave entitlements weren't lost (untaken leave could not always be carried over). I also think of that time as the 'official' end of my childhood and the start of my adult life. This year I began to collect my 'Old Age Pension' and I consider this to be the 'official' beginning of my retirement, despite self-funding a recent seven year holiday.  😀

 

I know that there's a First Kit Build GB in proposal for 2025 and I have plans for that one but that chatter tickled the little grey cells. I thought that it would be satisfying to  build an old, but well remembered kit to connect Young Me to Old Me. I built most of the Airfix and Revell ranges in childhood with the occasional Matchbox, Monogram and even Tamiya kits too. I'm not bothered about which one was first; I can't actually recall the order of the builds, so any one would do.

 

It happens that there a guy with a stall on our local market who has a box full of such oldies for sale right now, so things seem to be coming together rather well. My enlistment anniversary isn't exactly Xmas day but it is close enough that doing this little 'ceremony' on the Blitz build will be perfect. 

 

I first thought of building as I did as a child with no painting of interiors, badly painted exterior and decals mostly in the wrong place. That wouldn't take long but it wouldn't really satisfy me either. That was how I modelled when I was eight. By the time I left home though, I had improved considerably. I even had a spraygun of sorts; an external mix Badger powered by an over inflated car tyre.

 

I have no idea what's in that box of oldies on the market, but I'll buy one today. I'll use skills acquired during adult life but try to build it as simply as I would have at sixteen. In brief, this means no aftermarket, decals as supplied, airbrush allowed but only with the biggest needle, no fancy painting but some simple weathering. Acrylic paint only will be used in the 'spraygun' for health reasons.

 

And of course I'll build it in a single day. I read somewhere that no-one does the Superman option and I can't resist an implied dare like that - I'm 16 remember! It will be this year's excuse for refusing invitations to spend the day with family. Glue and paint smells so much better than people. 🤓

[JeroenS]

Instead of the Diamond T, I might throw this one on the table. 

 

[JeroenS]

26 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

And of course I'll build it in a single day. I read somewhere that no-one does the Superman option and I can't resist an implied dare like that - I'm 16 remember! 

Sounds good Bertie! Glad you will be joining up like you did al those years ago.

 

I'm hoping that you will get something that requires the full 24 hours to build 

[Bertie McBoatface]

7 minutes ago, JeroenS said:

I'm hoping that you will get something that requires the full 24 hours to build 

 

Another dare! You evil man. 😬

 

I will have to spend three hours dog walking. So my actual build time is a maximum of 21 hours. It will be a 1/72 aircraft. What do you suggest? Of course, I'm limited by the contents of the market stall.

 

[Heather Kay]

6 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

I'm limited by the contents of the market stall.

It is a fun idea, to be sure. However, expect to be very disappointed by the transfers. If they have survived they might be fine, but more likely they’ll be shot and unrecoverable.

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 minute ago, Heather Kay said:

It is a fun idea, to be sure. However, expect to be very disappointed by the transfers. If they have survived they might be fine, but more likely they’ll be shot and unrecoverable.

 

I have no spares of aircraft decals so I'll have to improvise. 😉

[JeroenS]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

It will be a 1/72 aircraft. What do you suggest? 

Sorry, I'm the wrong person to ask, I know very little about aircraft and even less about aircraft kits!

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

I'm limited by the contents of the market stall…

… and by the fact that the market was cancelled this week due to high wind risk! 
 

How on Earth did the Council know I’d been eating Brussels sprouts?

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 hours ago, JeroenS said:

I'm hoping that you will get something that requires the full 24 hours to build 

I think any 1970s 1/72 Airfix kit can be  built OOB (or OOB) in 12 hours by a sixteen year old modeller with no family commitments on Christmas Day, right up to the B-29 and Sunderland. I’ll buy the biggest one he has. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 04/12/2023 at 20:56, psdavidson said:

I'm only going to tease mine for now

I'll be doing an experiment involving two horses, in extremely poor taste

 

/P

As long as no animals actually get hurt, I say you can tease yours with whatever fantasy works for you. 🤣

[psdavidson]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

As long as no animals actually get hurt,

They may be slightly miffed, but will be physically unharmed

 

/P

[JOCKNEY]

I'm still deciding on my victim of choice from the stash for this years event  

 

However one tip I would like to share from previous Blitzbuilds is, watch out for the time some enamel paints take to dry ! And from bitter experience don't try to rush dry them near a radiator !  

 

I've actually now started to get a set of acrylic paints together for blitzbuilds which I hope will prevent a reoccurrence of previous disasters 

 

Cheers Pat 

[Bertie McBoatface]

I realised last night that with my local market being cancelled this week and me going away for next weekend, I'd have only one chance on the 23rd to buy from my local hobby stall. I needed to find a model from somewhere else - pronto!

 

I searched eBay for Airfix /172 with the resolution to get the first red striped or bagged aircraft that I recognised from back in the day. Well, first up was a Hawker Hart, not the biggest thing they ever made. I couldn't help looking further down the page and believe it or not, the next one to qualify was a B-29! 😱 A lucky escape, especially at the price asked.

 

Last time I built the Hart, and I remember it very well, I was defeated by the struts so I just stuck the top wing to the fuselage with a lot of glue. 😁 That was good enough then but I hope to do better this time 50+ years later. So I'll be entering a tiny biplane, with half silver dope and half polished metal, and a reasonable amount of rigging. With or without decals, it should be a pretty little thing to play with on the 25th.

[theplasticsurgeon]

I'm thinking of building this.

On 11/30/2023 at 10:40 AM, JeroenS said:

Hi Adrian, the rules are pretty simple: build something in max 24 hours. You can do a full 24 hour shift (although I don't think I've ever seen someone do that, as in go the full 24 in one go), most people do it so they have multiple building sessions over the three days and add up the total time spent. You will need to show starting and stopping time in your posted photo's as evidence 🙂 

I've entered 4 previous Blitzbuilds, Master, Skyraider, Bf109F, & Butcher Bird  and have complete my model within 11 hours in every case, so this time I might spin it out to the last minute.

On 11/30/2023 at 12:52 PM, 2996 Victor said:

I've never taken part in a BlitzBuild. Is a bit of pre-preparation allowed? I'm thinking only in terms of painting components like cockpit or wheel well areas of aircraft, definitely no actual assembly of course.

 

For my Miles Master, I did some prep: 

I copied full size painting masks.  

I deburred some of the parts.

I checked my paint supplies were adequate, and 

I dunked the canopy in Klear.

 

Oh - and I mentioned the food prep. 

 

One major problem with Blitzbuilds is letting paint set.  My Master was mid-summer so dried off relatively OK - but not really hard.

Something that I can't remember for the Skyraider, but was a definite issue with the Bf109 and Fw190.

[2996 Victor]

5 minutes ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

I'm thinking of building this.

I've entered 4 previous Blitzbuilds, and have complete my model within 11 hours in every case, so this time I might spin it out to the last minute.

For my Miles Master, I did some prep: 

I copied full size painting masks.  

I deburred some of the parts.

I checked my paint supplies were adequate, and 

I dunked the canopy in Klear.

Sounds perfect - very nice build, there

 

Don't think I'll be able to take part this time - not fair on the domestic authorities!!! However, I'm definitely going to have a go next year!

 

Cheers, 

Mark

[Adrian Hills]

2 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

 

 

One major problem with Blitzbuilds is letting paint set.  My Master was mid-summer so dried off relatively OK - but not really hard.

Something that I can't remember for the Skyraider, but was a definite issue with the Bf109 and Fw190.

 My advice for fast drying paint is airbrush Gunze Acrylic with 30% paint to 70% isopropyl alcohol. dries instantly. My first ever 'blitzbuild' thirty years ago was a 1/72 Henschel 126 with Black green/dark green covered in disruptive sand colour. the underside light blue. decals on finished in 12 hours.