After a couple of days away from the modelling table I made some further progress on the Stuka.

I brush painted the engine covers with a Tamiya Dark Green (XF-61) which approximates the colour used at this time on German aircraft. Writing it up in my blog also serves as an aide memoire for me. My intention is to airbrush the main fuselage but being detachable for maintenance these parts did get knocked about a bit and I can weather these parts more. It also avoids any overspray on the painted engine but there are noticeable gaps from the dry fitting hence the break to consider my options for whether I fill the gps and if so, what with. At this scale (1/24), this could impact on the finished build. The propeller blades have had some sink marks filled and the prop and spinner is dry fitted for now. I am leaving off the airbrushing on such a large build until we have a few days of milder weather and I can spray with the door open. I don’t have a spray booth and I have to be mindful of the fumes from paints and other chemicals, not just on me but the family including the cats. 

Talking of which, we have been trialling Winnie with short stints in the garden to acclimatise her to going out. She is nervous which is understandable as she got lost and traumatised last summer when she went out. We also have to ensure Mindy doesn’t go out as she attacks and chases Winnie away from the house.  Today is mild, clear and sunny skies and she spent a short while out but my eyes are itching and I have been sneezing. It surely can’t be hay fever this early in the year, can it? I have taken an anti histamine to be on the safe side and Sue has also complained about hay fever symptoms.

Winnie squeezed herself in with the boys last night although this peaceful scene soon broke up when Sherlock realised they were both near him!

TTFN.

 

Progress on the various current builds with the 1/48 Airfix Spitfire Mk.V Douglas Bader build nearly completed. It needs a wash and some light weathering and it is then finished. A nice build with the canopy being the only issue as the rear part doesn’t fit. It is a known issue with this kit and there are other errors compared to the real aircraft but it looks like a Spifire and will do for me.

The Stuka is slowly progressing and the canopies are masked inside and out for airbrushing. At 1/24 scale it would be very noticeable if not painted inside. I am trying to sort out the fit of the engines covers as there are some gaps but I am getting there. I plan to airbrush the camo on the upper parts but brush pint some of the smaller pieces. The main concern is keeping Winnie away from it as she has developed an interest in it!

I have made a tentative start on the next planned build, a 1/32 scale Nieuport 17 which was a WW1 French aircraft. I made a scratch built control panel for the cockpit as there was none in the kit. The kit itself will be straightforward but at this larger scale I shall try out some new techniques with rigging as the wires will require turnbuckles to attach the wiring to the aircraft. There are aftermarket parts for this as well as homemade parts from suitable wire. At this larger scale this should be easier to do and to rectify any mistakes I might make. I have a lot of WW1 biplanes in the stash at various scales and this will add to my experience and skills.  The Stuka as my winter build should be completed within the next four weeks and it has been a great project so far but apart from the Messerschmitt Bf 109 at 1/24 scale, I shan’t buy any more kits in this large scale. There are modellers who only work in large scales, primarily because of eyesight and other health issues. 

Today has been a mild and somewhat dry day, making up for the rain over the last few weeks. No.1 son has even hung out some washing to dry although rain is predicted for this evening so hopefully dry by then! I plan to take the car out for a run as I do very little driving these days and it doesn’t do it any good sitting unused. It will be due an MOT in a few weeks time and hopefully will sail through that. The plan is for No.1 son to use it for work later this year and next year I will consider our transport needs. I’ll be eligible for a pensioners bus pass next year but I would like a little runabout, preferably an automatic. With a sedentary lifestyle and mobility issues I want to address those concerns this year as a priority. The CBD gummies were ok initially but they haven’t really made a noticeable difference. Pain relief and adopting a sensible approach when I go walking should help as will making some dietary changes. A local animal rescue was looking for dog walkers but looking at the dogs, all large breeds, I had to accept I cannot currently manage that. Perhaps next year as I opted out of the animal rescue voluntary work as I had one call out in nine months and I had expected more. 

I must away as this mild dry weather won’t last and I would like a drive to the local woods for some tree hugging and fresh air.

TTFN.

 Progress with the 1/24 scale Stuka…

It is a big beast in this scale and ensuring space to build and paint on the desk has been awkward at times but I am getting there. It is about 80% assembled with the figures and some parts painted and ready to cement on. However, I have the clear canopies to mask and airbrush both internally and externally. 

 I tried the fit of the figures again and that’s ok, they need some dry brushing with highlights to accentuate them. This build is in its eighth week and it remains enjoyable as well as challenging at times, mainly because of the size. I have a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G5 in the same scale but I shan’t be buying or building any further kits in that scale as displaying them is a problem. The other two builds, the Saab Viggen which can be seen in the background is complete but I broke the tube at the front so I will replace that. The Spitfire Douglas Bader build in 1/48 is ongoing as can be seen below.

The Gaahleri airbrush has a problem spraying despite disassembly and cleaning several times. I will try it again for the green camouflage and if it remains an issue I will contact the company. Happily, I have other airbrushes and the trusty neo iwata was used. I will use a product called Mig Masking Putty which sticks to the plastic in any shape and the camo can be airbrushed on. The putty is removed and after a time in the tin it regains shape and any paint on it is absorbed and it is reusable.

This is it getting the Winnie seal of approval soon after she attempted to climb on the Stuka! 

The weather remains mild and very wet with reports of flooding around the country. Talking of which, the council is opinion polling the public about a prospective build of 3+ thousand houses in an area of natural outstanding beauty. There is a spring, a natural chalk stream and lots of wildlife including various deer, wild parakeets, water voles, kingfishers, otters, etc…Unsurprisingly the overwhelming response from us in Joe Public is a resounding no! There remains a lot of brownfield sites available for housing but greedy developers and the incompetents in central government will push for this to go ahead. The amount of new housing estates within a ten mile radius is astonishing and doesn’t look like stopping but, the crazy thing is, many of those new builds remain unsold and a couple of developers have gone bust. One in particular has a record of starting new builds and then going bust leaving half finished houses. The stink of fraud and  dodgy dealings is often alluded to in the local comments whenever these issues come up regarding the developers involved. I shall stop there because I do need to keep my blood pressure down. I shall go and watch cats doing funny things on video.

TTFN.

 Third attempt…

I have had problems logging into google to upload any new entries to the blog over the last couple of days but today it seems ok. We have the standard default UK weather, cold, damp and drizzling rain with grey cloudy skies but it is February after all. I airbrushed a couple of the builds this morning and I had no problems with the airbrush apart from again using the pliers to remove the needle. I padded the pliers with tape to avoid any damage to the needle, thoroughly cleaned the needle and airbrush parts with cleaner and it worked fine. Stripped and cleaned it after each use and that should hopefully keep it in good order. 

The Spitfire canopy doesn’t fit so fettling was required and I will fill the gap at the rear of it. Looking online and the fit is an issue as the canopy isn’t correct for this model. It was cheap and it honours Douglas Bader who famously flew combat missions despite having lost his legs. I admire his qualities as a pilot and fighter but I don’t think I would have liked him as a person. The second model is the Saab Viggen which was sprayed bright red and the kit isn’t great but it will do. But the airbrushing with a new needle in the Neo Iwata airbrush is good practice for when I spray the Stuka upper surfaces. As that is so big on the table I need a day when the cats are occupied elsewhere and there is a reduced chance of them jumping up to investigate! 

I do have a few Spitfires in the stash plus several I have built over the years. The Seafires are the naval version and there are two in that box with a Pegasus kit as part of the purchase. I follow several yt modelling vloggers and some are rather sniffy about these older short run kits from small manufacturers but I really like them. You need some passion and perhaps some vision to build the machinery to produce these model kits in your garage. 

I have had two nights using the CBD gummies and it’s too early to say how effective they are. I’ll take them for the next two weeks and see how they are. 

TTFN.

 

Current update on the Stuka build with the underneath airbrushed in light blue and flaps cemented to the port wing. The latter took several attempts as they kept falling off and I eventually applied some CA glue. The photo shows the relative scales with the Stuka at 1/24, a Spitfire Mk.V in 1/48 scale yet to receive paint and a current supposedly quick OOB build and lastly, a 1/72 scale Spitfire. The Stuka is slowly coming along as my big winter build and I am enjoying the more leisurely build. 

The Saab Viggen in a primer coat of grey and will be airbrushed bright red before the Swedish decals go on. Another quick build but it has fit issues as a basic kit from a 1971 mould which is showing its age. It’s also good practice for different thinners as I try to improve my airbrushing techniques and some scratch building to tidy it up.

In other news, I have ordered some CBD gummies to help with my various aches and pains. I had previously tried CBD oil which was a present for my mum but she didn’t get on with it and she passed it back to me. It certainly helped with sleep but I hope this will help as an adjunct to pain relief. I’ll see how it goes but I’ll also look at other natural remedies that might help. Hopefully with this and once we have better weather I will get out more. Otherwise we have survived a generally dull grey and damp January although there are predictions for more cold weather to come. Happily, the days are getting longer. Work has also started on the old Haven Mill opposite us with the two large fire escapes removed over the weekend. The plan is to convert the building into flats and alongside the building of the new housing estate noisy and disruptive work continues. Progress I guess…You will have to excuse me if I sound less than ebullient but I heard the news yesterday of the death of an old friend and work colleague and I am still trying to let it sink in. He had a troubled few years but these last several years he found peace and tranquility so it is a shock to hear of his death. It’s the cycle of life so best we enjoy whilst we can.

TTFN.