Bertie's Unexpectedly Brilliant Year of Modelling Fun - A Belated Reassessment

[Bertie McBoatface]

The year 2023 had some real life issues, as they all do for all of us. However, it's not all been tumult, turbulence and turmoil and here are the year's modelling successes. 

 

 

These two pretty boys are trolls I think. I enjoy painting the occasional Games Workshop figure but since I don't play the games or know the lore, I quickly forget what they are officially called. They are two and a half inches tall.

 

 

The trolls provide the reason for the terrified look in the eyes of my old wrecked robot built several years ago. Sci-fi entropy?

 

I built a couple of armour kits after that but they left no trace, no photos, and never made it onto the display shelf.

 

 

This fellow was the next completion. He's a trumpeter in Napoleon's Grand Armee on the way back from Russia in 1812.

 

 

Realistic figures are lots harder than fantasy subjects and I know that I have a long way to go before I come close to mastering the painting, but I like this one, despite the flaws in the casting. He's four and a half inches tall and it's just over a quarter of an inch from helmet peak to chin.

 

 

Shading the drapery was great fun. I left the base in washed out tones to concentrate attention on the soldier and the cannonball.

 

 

Number three onto the shelf of pride was a vignette based on the Meng 'Wasp' flamethrower jeep. This was a stupidly dangerous project experimented with by Popski's Private Army in Italy and my scene is an artistic interpretation of Monty telling Popski to "knock it off because I have no use for special forces mavericks."

 

 

The Wasp was never completed in real life but the kit is really sweet and gave a lot of scope for being creative with the Heath Robinson pipes and tanks etc.

 

 

'Popski's' face is awful! The mechanic tinkering with the machine is working very quietly so that he can hear every word of the conversation for replaying in the Sergeants Mess that evening.

 

 

I tarted up the engine a little adding wires and pipes, and the little thing that made the most difference (in my opinion) was the data plate on the inside of the wing, which was a cockpit placard transfer originally.

 

 

After a long fallow period I produced this. Le Renard is a French privateer cutter from 1812. Building this was brilliant. The kit had many shortcomings, and so did I, but I treated it as a training project and tried out as many different techniques and mods as I could think of.

 

It's the most complicated rig that I've ever done. In fact it's the most complicated ship that I've ever completed. I learned a great deal during the build and to my surprise, the end result isn't too bad. I didn't correct my mistakes for fear of discouraging myself, but I learned from them and if I'd made an error on the port side, I was sure to get it right on the stbd.

 

 

That's the good side of the deadeyes. 😉 The lanyards between them are straight an properly rigged (even if the spacing between them in way too big).

 

 

I think that lowered staysail was the highlight of my modelling year.

 

 

The thing I struggle with most is photographing the rigging. It's mostly fresh air and the autofocus goes nuts trying to lock on to something.

 

 

Just last week I finished this New Bedford Whaleboat of 1860.

 

 

I started it in the Salty Sea Dog GB and finished it in the KUTA.

 

 

It's 1/16 scale so there's plenty of detail work to be done. I built it clean, museum style as I'm not yet up to weathering maritime style.

 

 

And that was Bertie's year. Overall, given the IRL circumstances, I think I did OK.

 

And finally, my Xmas Blitzenbuild. The old Airfix Hawker Demon from 1968, which was the year in which I last built it. I think my second attempt came out a little better. 
 

It was great fun and has revived my interest in aircraft modelling in the old scale which I haven’t enjoyed for nearly 40 years. That’s a big win for me!😃
 

When I first made this post, I titled it Bertie’s Bad Year and was quite disappointed with my output. However, in the meantime, I have reassessed my modelling year and I am now rather pleased with it. It’s true that there aren’t many finished models, but I think the quality is reasonable. For me that’s much more satisfying than any amount of mediocre builds.  I’ve done some new things, learned some new skills and enjoyed myself. What more can I ask of the hobby?

 

~~~~~~~~~
 

Next year? Perhaps a couple of sailing ships, with a side order of interwar aircraft in 1/72, and a 1/10 bust for dessert. 

[Farmerboy]

That’s a nice range of models Bertie, and thank you for all the nice and encouraging comments you give everyone.

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 minutes ago, Farmerboy said:

That’s a nice range of models Bertie

 

Thanks very much. They are at least varied if not numerous.

[MRMRL]

An excellent group of models. I think you have higher standards than me and I expect most of your models that fail to make the gallery are still pretty stunning. Your wooden ships are especially spectacular.

[Bertie McBoatface]

6 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

An excellent group of models.

 

Thank you very much.

 

6 minutes ago, MRMRL said:

I think you have higher standards than me and I expect most of your models that fail to make the gallery are still pretty stunning. Your wooden ships are especially spectacular.

 

You'll never know! 😉

[JeroenS]

Those are all excellent builds Bertie! The trumpeter, very nice indeed. The jeep is a cool build and Le Renard, it's a beauty! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, JeroenS said:

Those are all excellent builds Bertie! The trumpeter, very nice indeed. The jeep is a cool build and Le Renard, it's a beauty! 

 

Thanks Jeroen.

 

Take a look at the thread I started tonight for my next ship. Now she really is beautiful.

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Wow, the cutter, whaler,  jeep and Napoleon's figure look exquisite,  so do the Gaming trolls , awesome work and paintwork Bertie. 

Chris

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 minute ago, bigbadbadge said:

Wow, the cutter, whaler,  jeep and Napoleon's figure look exquisite,  so do the Gaming trolls , awesome work and paintwork Bertie. 

Chris

Thanks Chris 😊

[AliGauld]

What a lovely varied collection.

I'm particularly impressed with the wooden builds and all that rigging.

Beautiful.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[LorenSharp]

Just OK Bertie? It's a heck of a lot more than that I'd say. Especially the Privateer. Great job on them all.

[Bertie McBoatface]

17 hours ago, AliGauld said:

What a lovely varied collection.

I'm particularly impressed with the wooden builds and all that rigging.

Beautiful.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

Thanks Alistair. I've discovered that rigging is the most fun part of the build, though not always the easiest. 😁 In fact, it might be the rigging that's pulled me back into aircraft modelling in the Xmas Blitzbuild - I'm building a 1968 edition Airfix Hawker Demon.

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 minute ago, LorenSharp said:

Just OK Bertie? It's a heck of a lot more than that I'd say. Especially the Privateer. Great job on them all.

 

Yes, I think "OK" is a fair self-assessment. You see, I know how far short of the mark they all fell. It's OK that they are only OK because I'm a newbie to boats and haven't much more experience with figure painting so this year has been quite experimental. Next year I'm aiming for 'good'. 🙂

 

I'm quite happy for anyone else to judge them higher but save some superlatives for when I really get on the pace. You ain't seen nuffin' yet! 😄

[LorenSharp]

Good Man. Forward into the Fog! I await to be well and truly Gob smacked in 2024.

[Bertie McBoatface]

6 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

Good Man. Forward into the Fog! I await to be well and truly Gob smacked in 2024.

 

You'll see two fully rigged boats, a few 1/72 biplanes, and at least one figure, all rated good. (That's my ambition anyway. )

[Pete in Lincs]

A great show, Bertie. The prettiness of the whaler makes up for the ugliness of the trolls. I like the cowering robot, good add.

I remember reading about Popski years ago. A law unto himself. Great jeep model and a barking idea.

The big boat looks good to me, not that I know much about them. I smiled at your description of the focus problems.

And your trumpeter is impressive too. I think a lot of people have failures on here, but most don't admit it.

Or the shelf of doom gets another dust magnet. Never mind. Better luck next time. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

15 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

 

The big boat looks good to me, not that I know much about them.

 

That's why I build them here. Everybody thinks they are good because nobody knows about them. 🤣

 

15 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

I think a lot of people have failures on here, but most don't admit it.

 

I always do a WIP so my fails are public property. (Sigh)

 

15 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Never mind. Better luck next time. 

 

Thanks mate. You wait, next year will be a belter!

[Muchmirth]

Great collection Bertie! My fav is the Le Renard, I know nothing about boat building but looks spot on to me, must have taken a long time with all that rigging. 
Paul

[Bertie McBoatface]

15 minutes ago, Muchmirth said:

Great collection Bertie! My fav is the Le Renard, I know nothing about boat building but looks spot on to me, must have taken a long time with all that rigging. 
Paul

 

Thanks Paul,

 

Yes it seemed to take a long time but that's just value for money! 😁 The rigging was the best bit actually. It was nowhere near as scary as I had expected and great fun seeing it getting busier and busier under my fingers.

[Lightningboy2000]

Fantastic quality builds there Bertie! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

27 minutes ago, Lightningboy2000 said:

Fantastic quality builds there Bertie! 

 

Thank you very much. 😊

[Bertie McBoatface]

Merry Christmas everybody and best wishes for a modeltastic New Year!

[Yg Models]

big boat with full of ropes is cool.

this also a kind of kits not popular in HK.

[Bertie McBoatface]

14 minutes ago, Yg Models said:

big boat with full of ropes is cool.

this also a kind of kits not popular in HK.

 

Thank you.

 

These wooden models are not popular here either. There are many thousands of plastic kits built for every wooden one.

 

Did you like the figure?

[Yg Models]

Just now, Bertie McBoatface said:

Did you like the figure?

 

 

i like painting miniatures. it improves my touchup technique a lots. 

however GW raises the price too much within this couple years. so buy less, and shift to paint AFVs.

you could find lots of miniatures in last few years 's annual reviews.😉