Whofan's modelling year 2023.

[Whofan]

2023 was a year in a way I wished I hadn't had.

 

In April, my good friend, Ian Stanley, died suddenly, at the age of 64. This was a real blow - and then in September I unexpectedly spent 3 weeks in hospital, after developing a case of cellulitis in my left lower leg. To say I didn't appreciate being in hospital would be putting it kindly. When I went home, 6 weeks away from SMW, the consultant told me I wouldn't be able to go.

 

As a few worthies of this parish can attest, I made it to SMW - both days! So life wasn't too bad after all.

 

I also managed to have a crack at making a few models, though I had a run of poorly designed short run kits which tested my modelling resolve to the limit. In one case, beyond the limit - I simply abandoned it.

 

Others though were far better and my efforts actually resulted in what I thought were some reasonable looking builds.

 

January saw the 1/72 Smer Me 262 receive my attention, ending up as an Avia S-92 - the Czech version. A pretty good kit, as I recall hardly any problems at all.

 

 

Followed in February by the Lindberg 1/48 Stiletto X-3. Halfords gloss appliance white in abundance on this relative bruiser of a kit, again it seemed to go together pretty well without much in the way of drama.

 

 

March saw the Special Hobby 1/72 Seafire Mk 47 on the bench, a nice kit, again no real drama, built in the colours of a Seafire flying off HMS Ocean (my father's last ship before he left the navy) in 1947.

 

 

April was a dark month, and it was May before a completed model - the 1/72 Frog Fokker D.XXI left the bench for the display shelf. A pretty decent kit, this one. I did have some fun and games with the very old kit decals, and I had to get some aftermarket decals in order to complete the decal scheme I chose.

 

 

Followed in short order by the Special Hobby 1/72 IAR-80, which I actually enjoyed making. 

 

 

June saw me enter a slough of despond, that lasted a couple of months when the next 4 kits I started took an eternity to finish (except one ) because of fit issues, bad engineering, possibly a bad workman blaming his tools but I found these four kits just hopeless.

 

In order, the Mistercraft 1/48 Sopwith Camel in a post war Polish airforce scheme;

 

 

the AML Ki-43 Oscar - abandoned due to shocking fit issues; the wings wouldn't close up and the admittedly beautifully cast cowling was too small;

 

 

 

the mistercraft Albatros D.III in a captured (1918) scheme;

 

 

the Arma Hobby 1/72 Hurricane mk.IIc. Yes, an Arma Hobby kit was not a happy experience. Fit issues drove me to distraction, savage cutting and sanding of wheel well pieces, fuselage and wings not fitting together, a lot of filler, sanding and some swearing. And yes, I am positive I was putting the wheel well pieces in the right way around!

 

 

I did finish the 3 kits, rigging the two biplanes was a nightmare and I readily confess that I almost lost the will to live.

 

To say I wasn't impressed with any of those 4 would be an understatement. I was however pleased with the way I'd managed to mask and paint the laminated wood propellors on the two mistercraft kits, but boy, were they pigs to put together!

 

No more mistercraft for me, but yes, I will give Arma hobby another chance.

 

Then in November the RS models 1/72 Nakajima Ki-87 in a captured by the British scheme  occupied my attention, and though it had its moments, overall it worked quite well.

 

 

It is a particularly big plane, compared to other Japanese fighters; so big I did wonder if it was a 1/48 scale mislabelled as 1/72!
 

I closed the year with a Smer 1/72 F4U-1 Corsair, originally boxed by Heller. To my surprise, apart from one niggly bit, a multipart cowling, it went together surprisingly well, and was finished before I knew it. I did enjoy this kit, the funny thing is both the Avia S-92 in January and this corsair are Heller kits re boxed by Smer with some p/e, and both of them were no fuss and no real drama.

Weeell, unless you count the somewhat cringeworthy mistake I made - no doubt you'll all spot it!

 

 

I say I closed the year with the Corsair; actually, I started the revell 1/72 V2 rocket a few days before Christmas, and to my surprise it kind of flew together. The rocket itself was a doddle, the launch platform a bit fiddly,

 

 

and the only issue I had was trying to mask up and paint the prototype black and white paint scheme.

 

 

That was a little trying, especially as the end result was a little wavy in places - but not too noticeable and not too distracting. Owing to circumstances beyond my control (eg Christmas, New year) I finished painting the two wheels on the launch platform "wheelbarrow" a few days ago, but all of the major work took place before Dec. 31st.

 

And here's a little "bonus", the first model I made back in 2019 after 42 years away from the hobby, a retrokitonline resin "bananas" figure, on the 19th hole of the local golf course.

 

 

He's wondering why the ball won't fall in the cup, especially as the wind is going in the right direction to push the ball in!

 

Overall, I don't think I had a particularly bad year's worth of models. I was disappointed with the Arma Hobby hurricane, but I have an Arma Hobby Ki-84 in the stash and I will be building that this year; one thing is fairly obvious, especially models built in the early part of the year; there is a discolouration in the camouflage schemes,which was caused by using some Windsor & newton Galleria matt varnish that had somehow got contaminated, because models made before the Avia S-92 and the Seafire didn't have that discolouration. I chucked that varnish and replaced it, which seems to have worked.

 

Onwards and upwards now for the next 11 and 1/2 months!

Edited January 13 by Whofan
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[psdavidson]

That's a fine collection of models (apart from the Oscar) from what seems to have been a very trying year

 

/P

[JeroenS]

A trying year indeed, hopefully 2024 will turn out better. 

[Whofan]

@psdavidson , @JeroenS 

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Glad to hear you recovered and made SMW, great work on these they look fab despite the trials and tribulations. 

Chris

[Whofan]

@bigbadbadge, 

 

thanks for the kind words.
 

I’m hoping that 2024 will just have modelling problems, nothing else!

[corsaircorp]

Despite a challenging year, you managed to get a fine output !!

Fine collection of kits !!

Congrats !!

Sincerely.

CC

[Whofan]

@corsaircorp ,

 

Thanks for that, a difficult year, yes, but struggling through keeps us on our toes.

 

 

[AliGauld]

An impressive collection especially after the year you've had.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Keeff]

Banana!  Minions just make you smile! 

 

What a great collection! 

 

Keith 😁 

[Whofan]

4 hours ago, Keeff said:

Banana!  Minions just make you smile! 

 

What a great collection! 

 

Keith 😁 

Yes, whenever I see the models at shows I can't help but smile !