I have an upcoming diorama I am collecting items for and one thing I came up with was a wood stove for a checkpoint shack.
The items I used for this are :
Tamiya 1:35 Fuel Barrel, old credit or gift card, aluminum tubing and bits of sprue.
Pretty straightforward, Cut some tubing, drill a hole for the stove pipe. I cut up scrap plastic sprue for legs and the door hinges an handle. The door is a cut up gift card heated and bent to shape.
I painted this with Model Master Metalizer Exhaust brushed on. I will buff spots later and add some details to look like it was heated up before and finish the top of the stove pipe. It would easy enough to use barrels on their side for single and double barrel stoves. this one is going to a WW2 German checkpoint shack, just need to find a 1:35 coffee pot now.
I have always liked the odd vehicles used by the different militaries. The water, transport and supply trucks. The various earth movers used by engineers are all very cool. But I always thought a motorcycle, especially without a sidecar could be a very devious, fast and efficient tool in battle. If that isn't an attraction just watch Steve McQueen in the Great Escape. I know it is a Triumph mocked up like a BMW and he does get caught but it is one cool scene from a very iconic movie.
The BMW R75 was made between 1941 and 1946 they were used on the Eastern Front, Africa, and Europe. A 745cc Flat Twin engine powered it with an optional sidecar that it's rear axle connected to the rear of the R75 so the sidecar had a driven wheel. The was also a locking differential and selectable on and offroad gear ratios as well as a reverse gear so handling and adaptability were improved over older designs.
I did my research on the model beforehand and this is the part of the model building I love, learning the history. I usually start with the decals to see if the model was assigned somewhere and sometimes you even get options. This helps with the paint scheme and weathering especially. The R75 was used in the infantry, with tank groups, as military police, there were SS groups who used them and these decals reflected this. I looked up the group markings and found some direction. I have two complaints with this kit; first, the choices of decals limit you to having two figures belong to one group like Waffen SS and since there are only decals for the two helmets you have at least one guy who is AWOL from and tank group. But hey, I am Hobby Dude so I bet there are some spare decals somewhere, Or more importantly it really doesn't matter. :)
The other complaint is that there are no brake/clutch levers molded into the handlebars. The R75's levers were a little different than what is seen on most motorcycles, they came out of the ends of the bars instead of clamping inboard of the grips. This is really a better design as they would be less likely to snag on other riders, trees etc. So I thought I would add my own.
I used some shrink tubing and 2 staples bent around. A drop of CA glue to set them in them I touched a soldering iron to the staple to make the shrink tubing shrink around the grip without melting the plastic handlebar part.
Sorry for the bad pic, but using a bit of Tamiya putty and some MR. Surfacer then some black flat the grips and levers start to come together. The staple helps to leave an area in the proper place to later add a wire for the cables.
I want to mention some of the supplies I used for this project:
Tamiya White Putty - Not my favorite, I like Squadron brand better but it works.
Mr. Surfacer - There are so many uses for this and I try to keep 500 and 100 on hand, filling gaps is a breeze and I have even used it to make rivets and detail lines. Even a light airbrush coat with 1000 can be useful for prepping some surfaces like buildings.
Tamiya Panel Line wash - I love this stuff for use before as a shading and after as a way to add a lot of dimensions.
For my face figure painting:
White for eye sockets, skin base and tone to start then shade around eyes, ears, mouth etc. I mix on a palet adding a drop of red or yellow from other paints to adjust tones. My goal is to make each skin and face unique each time so there is lots of this and that and mixing it all up.
When it comes to weathering there are so many ways to achieve what you want and I have found a few things helpful:
Cheap makeup from the dollar discount store, bonus if you find earth or Emo tones they work best for most weathering.
Oil pastels, these are endless with ways you can use them, mix a bit with thinner and do some pin wash, apply as is for shading. Another cheap item found that is very useful. while you are there get the cheap sponge brushes, you can get around 25 of them for 1/7th the price the Tamiya package of two.
Tamiya weathering kits, if you can find them cheap, they are great but at 10-$12 each there is not much in there and you will need more sponge brushes since each one has only one to share three colors.
Vallejo make some great washes and I commonly use #74.505 light rust, #515 dark brown, #512 Dark green
Citadel Night Shade - This is sort of a dark blueish wash, I like using in conjunction with the Tamiya panel line wash to achieve multiple dark shading.
The figures in this kit have some decent detail seen once a bit of primer is applied after gluing and prep sanding. Primer helps me see where I still need to putty/file or sand still.
Like everything else, there are countless ways and methods to paint faces and I am always open to new methods but I will share what I have done.
I typically start with a white on the eyeball, if it were larger figures I would cut a little yellow into the white. Next, I use either dark brown or Blue to make an iris, then I shade a darker skin tone to the underside of the brow and above eye socket. Lighter skin tone goes below the eye and inside ears. Using that same mixture of paint I add a tiny amount to red, mix and apply to lips. After each step, I apply gloss clear to lock in what I have done so far and to allow a smooth surface for washes if I decide to use at any point. I fill in the rest of the face and neck with varying skin tones. When I am finally done I will use some flat clear to cut back any un-natural gloss.
I still have a lot of detail and cleanup to do but they are coming along alright. In reality, only about 25% done.
When it came to assembling the motorcycle and sidecar beyond the brake levers I knew I wanted to add some plug wires and the sidecar needed to have seen some action.
Exhaust still needs its treatment and I still have saddlebags to make up and finish the rifles as well as the figures.
This is a very fun kit and should make a cool little display when all done.
That is where I live, at least mentally and philosophically.
As a kid, I took my first trip to Barter Town with Hotwheels Cars. I never cared much for the Double Vision but Jeff Muxlow, a classmate liked it and was willing to part with his Red Baron in trade. From there it went to Football Cards, Yo-Yos and bicycle parts leading to a lifelong residence in Barter Town.
Take a look at most people's garages, basements, and closets and it is easy to say that interests and hobbies come and go at times. Check those roller blades you bought with all good intention during the Clinton administration, or telescope, skis or that Bedazzler Gun you bought late night on the home shopping network.
Amazingly enough, some of these things taking up that valuable closet real estate can be worth something to others and this is what Barter Town is all about. There are two types of people that live in Barter Town. First, you have the "NH's" which stands for "Near Hoarders" While having the appearance of hoarding there is actually an ebb and flow of stuff, they acquire, they trade. The second group, are the collectors. They very well may have just as much stuff as the NH's but it is organized and cataloged. When they acquire it is with an intent to fill a void in a collection or series etc.
My mother called me a "pack-rat" many times and while I will admit to being part of the evolution of collecting, that guilt just never stuck. It is all subjective though as people may gaze upon your built and unbuilt models wondering about your priorities as they forget about the jet ski sitting their shed for the last 3 summers. I may have started off as a kid as a pack -rat but when you want something new as you open that closet and remnants of your past relationship with Ron Popeil are revealed it is time to take a trip to Bartertown.
Like any city I have my share of second hand and Goodwill thrift stores depending on the decade I have frequented many of these stores looking for diecast cars, vinyl records, guitars among many other things. A few years back I found an old CB radio in a goodwill marked $5 so I grabbed it to reuse the microphone in a ham radio project and maybe rob other parts. I took it home and hooked it to power and an antenna and it worked like it was 1977. The brand and model was a Pace 166 and after looking it up and finding 2 currently on sale for $300 and $500 on eBay it turned out this particular CB was the stock GM CB radio that came in the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am/Firebird/ Smokey and the Bandit Edition! So not being greedy I put it up for an open auction and let the bidding begin. I ended up selling it for $350. There have many finds that turned me some coin to toss at another interest.
There's a cool little retro type thrift store called "Time Bomb" near me I knew to have some models, he also has clothes, records, toys and lots of cool stuff from years ago. I trucked in there with some vinyl records to trade and came out with a cool pile of models.
I am excited to start the Patton Tank, especially since I scored so much to go with it.
Vietnam theme with a Mutt and resin figures from Verlinden to add to the M48A3.
Love the detail on resin and there are a few extra heads, weapons, etc. in these kits as well.
Also got a BMW R75 with a sidecar which I started already and will be posting it soon.
Lots to build until the spring rain and winds go away to inspire getting back to my RC plane project.
I had not built an Airfix kit in some time, they are not that common to find on a store shelf. I think I can add Airfix to list of companies we need to see more of in the U.S.
These two kits are well worth the sub $10 prices. Great detail and decent fitting parts for the small scale. The smaller the scale the more a good mold is needed, those tiny details need to be sharp. The Tiger 1 kit had a little more flash than the Sherman but nothing to complain about.
Each model has 2 choices of decals reflecting the placement of Sherman either in Normandy June/July 1944 with options for U.S. or British markings. After doing some research I found that the Sherman kit is not totally scaled correctly as far as the decals. I don't claim to know a lot about armor so weigh in if my research sounds bogus but U.S. tanks should have a number starting with 3, not T2. The group marking triangle on the front I found on later M4A3. Few other odd differences in front of tank and gun barrel when compared to images I found. I found some other reference to these things in some of the scale model forums. The British version seems to have the same issues with its decals. I found less information on the Tiger 1.
One of the things I love about building any model is the prep I put into research and the things I learn as I do. Each thing becomes a history, science and social education. I started this one with finding images of each tank, trying to place the camouflage and paint to the where and the when. I watched tourist videos of Normandy countryside, looked at pictures. Watched a few old war movies with their incredible inaccurate depictions of history. It is like learning from correcting mistakes.
There were something like 50,000 Shermans M4XX Versions made between 42 and 45 with many sold or "Lend-Lease" to the British, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, China, USSR, Poland, and France. A substantial amount did not make it through the D-Day landing. Some had blades equipped to the front to deal with obstacles on the beach. Flamethrowers and other changes in gun size, side floats and one that engineers built bridges with.
With all this in mind, I decided to build a "Somewhere in Normandy June/July 1944 as the Allies pushed east.
I still have the Tiger to finish and only a bit of weather left to do on the Sherman. On the Sherman, I added aluminum tubing for a more realistic gun barrel and made a few sandbags, logs, rope, and wood boxes for the rear. I found some smaller scale Tulle Lace that worked out for the webbing. See my previous post about Tulle Lace Here. When the model is only 3" long it can be a bit of a challenge to make accessories let alone hold on to them, see them or glue them.
On the diorama, I still am waiting for trees to dry to add, as well as more landscape the details are added in layers. My eventual plan is to find some 1:76 or 1:72(I think it would look close enough) German soldiers and U.S. Paratroopers to add in.
There are some nice scale pickups out there but one place they all fall short is the pickup bed. I admit I have seen some amazing models done where the modeler did a 1st class job on painting the bed but I have not seen the decal in the bed convincing as the rest of the truck.
I thought about the time to really make a convincing look with decal or paint or a combination of the two and decided a while back just making one from wood be look a lot better and take about as much time. Wood is easy to work with and even if you make the top of the bed look good there is still the underside that needs to be painted up to look like the underside of a wood pickup bed. There is usually grain molded in on both sides but I grew up with that ugly wood paneling in the seventies and really despise fake wood not mention using plastic to replicate wood seems really bassackwards to me.
I have used basswood on my first attempts and bare metal foil for the rails, it looks ok, an improvement on the plastic. The one I did for the red Ford Pickup in my top image was weathered so it came out really good as weathering always adds that realism fast. This time I wanted to try something different.
Here are the materials I used:
Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, thin craft sticks, they have many names but they are roughly 2mm thick and very cheap, basswood would work as well.
1/16 aluminum tube, not rod - but the tube.
Size 8 13mm sequin pins
Wood or White Glue
Smooth jaw pliers or a vise with a smooth jaw or something like sheet metal you can line the jaw with.
Emery cloth or sandpaper and other basic hobby tools like a ruler and knife cutters.
I started by measuring bed area of kit and determining how many bed planks I wanted then went about cutting strips of wood with a razor knife so the sum of them would match up with bed area. I glued them together side by side using masking tape to clamp them down to my bench. Later I sanded the wood to a nice finish and clear coated with acrylic clear. I chose for this one to leave the wood natural but it would be very easy to add color or stain to it. I had selected pieces of wood so I ended up with some cool grain patterns and I positioned the darkest two on each side of the centerboard. This is one bonus to using the popsicle sticks over basswood as the basswood is mostly bleached and has very little grain pattern. I am sorry I did not get a pic of this part but I think it's all pretty basic stuff, just gluing sticks together.
I took the aluminum tubing and essentially smashed it making a flat rail. The reason for "smooth " pliers or vise is you want to have the least amount of dimples or teeth marks in the tubing when you flatten it. Ideas started propping up in my head of how I could make a model metal roller or press and do this properly. The next step is cleaning up the aluminum where there are any teeth marks. It easily polishes up.
I plotted out holes and drilled and cut my rails, really wish I had a mini drill press here, especially if I could make the holes have a countersink for the pinheads. After gluing I snipped the remainder of the pins sticking through the bottom. They could be pre-cut to length but they get really hard to handle and see for me when they get that small.
When using the 1/16" tubing the result is a 2mm wide strip. I glued each rail down over the joint where each plank meets up making sure to get glue into the pinhole I drilled in the board.
I cut out the bottom of the original bed in the kit and now it real wood top and bottom. It is fun to do real metal fabrication on a model at least in the scaled sense, it won't get me on the Velocity Channel with my own show but makes my pickups look better.
I realize how long it has been since I last posted but when I find the time that is void of back pain or numb hands I gravitate towards the paint and glue rather than the keyboard.
So a few updates:
Christmas was good to me and I hope for all of you as well. All my family was home and it was a holiday that returned us to the gift of time with each other rather than a mountain of wrapped boxes. Even with that said mine was still bountiful and model themed!
Tools and more employees to add to my garage. I mentioned in my last post I had my eye on a Tamiya "College Friends" kit with figures and a Vespa, well I returned to the store to look at it and I passed. It wasn't as detailed as I had come to expect with Tamiya. So now I have a number of mechanics for my garage with the addition of this Tamiya Rally crew kit. The detail is good but it is listed as 1/24, the same scale as my Testors kit but the Tamiya guys have amazingly small heads in comparison. It comes with very nice detail hand tools, Laptops with cases, and few other things great for a diorama The Fujimi Tool Kit is excellent. I have already built up a few of the tools and very pleased with quality and detail. My only complaint with Fujimi is Where the heck are the decals? For at least the A/C unit and engine analyzer. Luckily the Tamiya kit came with decals for the laptops and I have already scanned them to aid in detailing the Fujimi kit.
I opted to cut some basswood and convert the tire rack into some shelves since I already have a tire rack. Built up a few of the other items to populate the garage. The poster seen there is not in the kit, I had printed out some vintage scale posters and wanted to try my hand and making some for the garage. I used basswood as a base, washed it brown(stain) and used acrylic clear (60% gloss+40% flat) to adhere the printed image to the wood panel. Worked out well I plan to make more.
The jack stands are adjustable, I tossed the little plastic pins and made some from a hard wire. There are shelves inside the bench cabinet and the door opens and closes!
So progress is good and soon I will have a lot more to update as far as my garage project, new Christmas models coming!
I hope everyone's start of Modeling in 2018 I starting as fun as mine!
When I was a kid I hated painting the pilots that came with Airplane Kits. I should re-state that with some honesty; I didn't hate it, I didn't know how to yet and I hated my finished (usually not finished) figure. Through the years I learned technique, I learned what colors to have on hand to do figures properly and I got better. When I was building lots of RC aircraft I really had the chance to practice my skills on pilot busts.
My garage Diorama needs figures so I browsed the G Scale offerings, others I could find from Fujimi, a couple from Tamiya and the random figure from various kits. I found this Testors/Fujimi kit dated 1988 and picked it up as a start.
Detail is good and I have some options for positions although none of the positions stands straight up to work under a car lift. Need to go stock up on my skin tone colors now. I have my eye on a few other kits with 1/24 1/25 scale figures I can use. I plan to re-visit a thrift store that I saw the Tamiya "Campus Friends" had a few figures and couple Vespa Scooters if it is still there it is coming home with me.
I started on another piece for my garage, an engine hoist. Looking at a tool catalog and using my scale calculator I think I have a good start.
If I am building items for a diorama and I have all these great ideas for it why not just get on it?
Some of my big ideas include covering a 4'x2' shelf with garage, parking lot, paint booth, maybe a drag start with a light tree. This endeavor proved to a bigger project to start with as I started sketching it out.
I decided to make a garage for a smaller shelf that could later be a module in a bigger project. I like this idea of using modules especially for what I originally had in mind making it a lot easier to relocate at a later time.
I grabbed some foam board and craft sticks at the dollar store and broke out the razor knife and straightedge and got busy. It will have the footprint of about 1'x2' White glue worked great for assembly.
I rustled up some scrap clear plastic from packaging (a good reason to buy a pie) made a few windows which later I plan to add a photo of some scenery on the outside.
My ending result so far is 3 walls. I have not secured the walls down to floor yet this pic is me just laying out to see how it looks.
I had some trash left from a broken window fan and with some bits of plastic and imagination, I was able to make a car lift.
I still have to make my garage front, decide whether to make the space where the orange 32 Ford is sitting an office or a car display and I did start on a staircase for the office option. The area under the awning is where my GMC Tow truck will park. I also plan to make a flat frame only for the roof and then wire up with lights. More to come!
