Greif8

Arctic Decals, Kellerkind Crew, Rexx exhaust, CSM wheels, LF propeller.
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, everyone.
After 20 years without sticking and painting plastic, after admiring so many beautiful constructions I decided a few months ago to resume this activity.
Long live retirement!!!!
So I started building this FW 190 F-8 from Revell.
The model is pretty, quite precise, rather detailed even if the assembly of the cowl engine remains quite problematic because of its many parts that compose it.
The WIP is here.
 
The engine is quite complete, I only added a few ignition wires and rockers.
An accurate painting, a little panel liner to emphasize the reliefs and ca is enough because it is not very visible once installed in its place.
 

 
 
I set about engraving all the rivet lines on this FW 190...
 

 
 
The cockpit has been improved with an Eduard set.
 

 
 
An Archer set for mobile control surfaces.
 

 
 
The painting started with a BB'ing.
 

 
 
The paints used are MRP only.
 

 

 
 
I used the Reskit wheels and a U/C set from Eduard :
 

 
 

 
And also a set of Montex masks that caused me some problems but in the end it gives this:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Thank you to everyone who came to visit my WIP, your messages and encouragement helped me a lot and I hope you had a good time with me.
A huge thank you to Max and William who are for something in the finish of this model.
I give you an appointment for another WIP but this time there will be no black crosses but red stars.
 
Merci à vous les amis, c’est un vrai plaisir de partager ce moment avec vous.
Denis.
 
 

Greetings all,
 
An Easter holidays completion from me - Revell's 1/32nd scale Hawker Hunter FGA.9 more or less OOB, other than some aftermarket decals from AeroMaster and some home-made FOD guards. This kit is really under-rated in my humble opinion - it has lots of detail OOB and beautiful surface detailing from a time when Revell were at the top of their game. I had no issues whatsoever with the build - it's about as close as you can get to building Lego - and it went together in a few days. Paints were Xtracolur enamels with a splash of Humbrol Matt Cote to finish it off. Some light weathering was done with Mig pastels. 
 
All in all a very enjoyable build - and it only cost me a tenner under the table at a show!
 
All the best,
Tom
 
Hawker Hunter FGA.9, XG207, 58 Squadron, RAF Wittering, mid-1970s. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A fair amount of work finished for a small update.  As the shrouds/ratlines on the fore topmast look pretty much like the one for the main topmast I will spare you all a bunch of photos that look almost the same.  This completes the topmast and top gallantmast shrouds/ratlines for all three masts.  Overall they turned out fairly nice and look much better than the soft plastic pieces that are in the kit.  I should now be considered an Able Seaman when it comes to tying clove hitch knots!  
 
Following are two shots of the finished work.
 
I tried to take a photo showing the center line that is run for all topgallant shrouds.  On actual ships of the time these were tied off on or near the lower center deadeye to provide stability.  I ran and tied off the line as it would have been on the real ship.  You can just make it out running behind the shrouds/ratlines.
 
Finally, here is one of the sails, it is the Foretop Sail, I had made to use on the build.  It is made out of a material called Silkspan and whoever the seamstress is that made the sails he or she is very talented - the sails look great.  Shaping and attaching them are going to be a yet another first time challenge for me. And I see some very slow methodical work in my future.  I'll have to attach the Fore and Main Courses, and all three of the Royal Sails (which will be very loosely furled) with the yards on the masts.  Because I opted to rig both the main and fore yards more realistically then called for in the instructions those to yards had to be attached to the masts fairly early one.  As for the Royal yards, that was a stupid mistake by me gluing them to the masts.  I am sure attaching the sails to those yards is going to be as fun as a barrel of monkeys. 
 
 
Ernest 

Very nice work, the weathering is well executed.
 
Ernest

A fair amount of work finished for a small update.  As the shrouds/ratlines on the fore topmast look pretty much like the one for the main topmast I will spare you all a bunch of photos that look almost the same.  This completes the topmast and top gallantmast shrouds/ratlines for all three masts.  Overall they turned out fairly nice and look much better than the soft plastic pieces that are in the kit.  I should now be considered an Able Seaman when it comes to tying clove hitch knots!  
 
Following are two shots of the finished work.
 
I tried to take a photo showing the center line that is run for all topgallant shrouds.  On actual ships of the time these were tied off on or near the lower center deadeye to provide stability.  I ran and tied off the line as it would have been on the real ship.  You can just make it out running behind the shrouds/ratlines.
 
Finally, here is one of the sails, it is the Foretop Sail, I had made to use on the build.  It is made out of a material called Silkspan and whoever the seamstress is that made the sails he or she is very talented - the sails look great.  Shaping and attaching them are going to be a yet another first time challenge for me. And I see some very slow methodical work in my future.  I'll have to attach the Fore and Main Courses, and all three of the Royal Sails (which will be very loosely furled) with the yards on the masts.  Because I opted to rig both the main and fore yards more realistically then called for in the instructions those to yards had to be attached to the masts fairly early one.  As for the Royal yards, that was a stupid mistake by me gluing them to the masts.  I am sure attaching the sails to those yards is going to be as fun as a barrel of monkeys. 
 
 
Ernest 

Thank you gentlemen.  I think I will be finished with the fore topmast shrouds and ratlines, and the fore topgallantmast shrouds in the next day or two; so I will have some progress to post then.
 
John, I do not care for heights so I know I would have been terrified to climb up the masts.  
 
Mike, thank you again man.  I am trying to achieve a high level of craftsmanship with this build and I am generally pretty satisfied with my work thus far.  There is still a long way to go and plenty of time for me to screw something up though!
 
JGT, I really like the Master and Commander movie and I think it does a decent job showing both shipboard life and combat during the age of sail.  Most of the midshipmen were indeed very young, but there a few were as old as 30+, having failed the test for promotion to Leutnant several times.  The young man who commited suicide in the movie looked like one of those midshipmen who struggled in the Royal Navy (RN).  You are right about the other young kids on board many of the RN ships, most being servants to the captain and other officers.  Excellent observations man!
 
Ernest

A fair amount of work finished for a small update.  As the shrouds/ratlines on the fore topmast look pretty much like the one for the main topmast I will spare you all a bunch of photos that look almost the same.  This completes the topmast and top gallantmast shrouds/ratlines for all three masts.  Overall they turned out fairly nice and look much better than the soft plastic pieces that are in the kit.  I should now be considered an Able Seaman when it comes to tying clove hitch knots!  
 
Following are two shots of the finished work.
 
I tried to take a photo showing the center line that is run for all topgallant shrouds.  On actual ships of the time these were tied off on or near the lower center deadeye to provide stability.  I ran and tied off the line as it would have been on the real ship.  You can just make it out running behind the shrouds/ratlines.
 
Finally, here is one of the sails, it is the Foretop Sail, I had made to use on the build.  It is made out of a material called Silkspan and whoever the seamstress is that made the sails he or she is very talented - the sails look great.  Shaping and attaching them are going to be a yet another first time challenge for me. And I see some very slow methodical work in my future.  I'll have to attach the Fore and Main Courses, and all three of the Royal Sails (which will be very loosely furled) with the yards on the masts.  Because I opted to rig both the main and fore yards more realistically then called for in the instructions those to yards had to be attached to the masts fairly early one.  As for the Royal yards, that was a stupid mistake by me gluing them to the masts.  I am sure attaching the sails to those yards is going to be as fun as a barrel of monkeys. 
 
 
Ernest 

A fair amount of work finished for a small update.  As the shrouds/ratlines on the fore topmast look pretty much like the one for the main topmast I will spare you all a bunch of photos that look almost the same.  This completes the topmast and top gallantmast shrouds/ratlines for all three masts.  Overall they turned out fairly nice and look much better than the soft plastic pieces that are in the kit.  I should now be considered an Able Seaman when it comes to tying clove hitch knots!  
 
Following are two shots of the finished work.
 
I tried to take a photo showing the center line that is run for all topgallant shrouds.  On actual ships of the time these were tied off on or near the lower center deadeye to provide stability.  I ran and tied off the line as it would have been on the real ship.  You can just make it out running behind the shrouds/ratlines.
 
Finally, here is one of the sails, it is the Foretop Sail, I had made to use on the build.  It is made out of a material called Silkspan and whoever the seamstress is that made the sails he or she is very talented - the sails look great.  Shaping and attaching them are going to be a yet another first time challenge for me. And I see some very slow methodical work in my future.  I'll have to attach the Fore and Main Courses, and all three of the Royal Sails (which will be very loosely furled) with the yards on the masts.  Because I opted to rig both the main and fore yards more realistically then called for in the instructions those to yards had to be attached to the masts fairly early one.  As for the Royal yards, that was a stupid mistake by me gluing them to the masts.  I am sure attaching the sails to those yards is going to be as fun as a barrel of monkeys. 
 
 
Ernest 

Ernest
The movie and the book series it's based on are among my favorites. I would LOVE to see Russell Crowe play the part again; he did a great job portraying Lucky Jack. It's still possible. By book 20, Aubrey is pretty old! It's my favorite movie to watch with people who do not know much about history. Most parents today won't let kids the age of the young mids out of their sight, let alone sail away for months or years on a wooden ship. It can be mind-blowing! The Johah Mid is another one of those shocking moments.
 
It was almost an entirely different world than we live in. 
 
 

Superb work Rick!  I really like how you displayed the finished result as well.  Special kudos for the excellent painting work on the pad, it looks like real leather.
 
Ernest 

Progress continues to creep along.  I finished the main topmast shrouds and ratlines and have rigged the fore topmast shrouds.  Below are a few shots showing the work.  The ratlines are a challenge to get right, and I am not quite there yet, but the finished one are not too awful - far from perfect though.
 
Starboard side shot of the main topmast shrouds/ratlines.  Again they
are far from perfect but look better then the kit part.
 
Another view of the shrouds/ratlines.  I managed to tension the shrouds
so that the top mast is both straight and very stable.  You can also see
the main topgallant shrouds; these also firmed up the main topgallant
mast very nicely.
 
Starboard side of the fore top mast.  Like the main top, I managed to tension 
the shrouds so that the top mast is both true and firm.  The next step
will be tying off what feels like several hundred clove hitch knots to
make the ratlines.
 

Progress continues and I am beginning to understand why tall ships take so long to build when you try to get the rigging fairly accurate - it is a very time intensive process.  I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed that I don't end up making a real mess of the rigging.  My lack of experience is really showing now as I have to keep referring to sources and triple checking to make sure I am running and tying of line right; but I am getting more efficent and, hopefully, better.
 
The mizzen topgallant shrouds are finished.  I made a couple of slight changes to how the line are run based on the sources I have reviewed.  These turned out to look ok.
 
You can see how crowded some of the areas on the mast gets with line and blocks.
 
I finished running the main topmast shrouds as well.  Like the mizzen mast shrouds they go a long way towards stabilizing the masts.  Running actual shroud lines is a fair amount of work, but I can't imagine that the flimsy plastic shrouds/ratlines the kit provides either look better or provide any sort of support.
 
 
 
The shroud lines ran nicely on both sides and I managed to get the deadeyes pretty even with good spacing.
 
This photo really shows how crowed and complex the rigging lines get - and this is just the standing rigging.  Once the lines are run and tightened things should look much more shipshape. 
 
Wrong photo above, the correct one is below.
 

Thank you gentlemen.  I think I will be finished with the fore topmast shrouds and ratlines, and the fore topgallantmast shrouds in the next day or two; so I will have some progress to post then.
 
John, I do not care for heights so I know I would have been terrified to climb up the masts.  
 
Mike, thank you again man.  I am trying to achieve a high level of craftsmanship with this build and I am generally pretty satisfied with my work thus far.  There is still a long way to go and plenty of time for me to screw something up though!
 
JGT, I really like the Master and Commander movie and I think it does a decent job showing both shipboard life and combat during the age of sail.  Most of the midshipmen were indeed very young, but there a few were as old as 30+, having failed the test for promotion to Leutnant several times.  The young man who commited suicide in the movie looked like one of those midshipmen who struggled in the Royal Navy (RN).  You are right about the other young kids on board many of the RN ships, most being servants to the captain and other officers.  Excellent observations man!
 
Ernest

Hello everyone.
 
This is my last finished 1/32 Hasegawa, Ki-61-I “飛燕 (Hien)”
 
I chose this model as I still wanted to explore metal cladding. Hien is a suitable aircraft for this purpose because it was shipped from the factory in bare metal and then various camouflages were applied by units. I used the usual kitchen aluminum foil and water-soluble glue for the metal cladding.
The hand-painted random camouflage applied to Hien is another attractive point for modelers. So, I hand-painted a crooked camouflage pattern on the fuselage and wings with an airbrush like a mechanic of the time. It was the most enjoyable thing in this build.  One of the advantages of metal cladding is that you can redo the camouflage paint as many times as you like.
 
Unlike other Japanese airplanes, Hien was equipped with a liquid-cooled DB601 engine produced under license. However, it suffered from low reliability and low mission-capable rates due to insufficient craft quality and frontline supply, and the inexperience of mechanics on liquid-cooled engines. However, as long as it was up and running, it performed as well or better than its elder brother Bf109E.
 
I adopted a paint scheme inspired by the 68th squadron that fought in Papua New Guinea. The squadron was one of the first to receive the newly developed Hien. Papua New Guinea was far from its homeland and probably one of the harshest battlefields in WW2. Many died not only from battle but also from starvation and disease as supply lines were destroyed. It is said during the war: “Java is paradise, Burma is hell, and you can't return home from New Guinea even if you die”. Actually, most of the members of the 68th squadron, as well as many other soldiers, are still lying there.
 
It’s basically OOB build. I just used metal gum barrels and pitot tube. The squadron marking is a combination of hand-painting and some extra decals. I also slightly modified Hasegawa’s lovely kit figure to one that resembles tropical pilot uniforms. (One more thing, I would like you to assume that my model is a reproduction of an aircraft whose tailwheel was lost in an accident on the battlefield. The tailwheel is still lying somewhere in my room.)
 
I hope you all enjoy the model. Sorry for my plastic cup as usual!

Thank you gentlemen.  I think I will be finished with the fore topmast shrouds and ratlines, and the fore topgallantmast shrouds in the next day or two; so I will have some progress to post then.
 
John, I do not care for heights so I know I would have been terrified to climb up the masts.  
 
Mike, thank you again man.  I am trying to achieve a high level of craftsmanship with this build and I am generally pretty satisfied with my work thus far.  There is still a long way to go and plenty of time for me to screw something up though!
 
JGT, I really like the Master and Commander movie and I think it does a decent job showing both shipboard life and combat during the age of sail.  Most of the midshipmen were indeed very young, but there a few were as old as 30+, having failed the test for promotion to Leutnant several times.  The young man who commited suicide in the movie looked like one of those midshipmen who struggled in the Royal Navy (RN).  You are right about the other young kids on board many of the RN ships, most being servants to the captain and other officers.  Excellent observations man!
 
Ernest

John I think you will like the movie.  It is too bad it did not do well enough at the box office to generate sequels.
 
Ernest

I need to track that down and watch it.   It was on the list and then I completely forgot about it.   Thanks for the reminder.   Once I'm done bingeing a sci-fi series, I'm starting on the books as well. 

I find it really interesting, and so few people know that the Mids were kids! And they were not the only kids on boards. The movie Master and Commander really did a good job showing this.  It's a real shame it did so poorly.
 

Ernest, 
I don't want to blather away with superlatives...
A workman like effort has been turned in, resulting in a reasonable facsimile of the real ship.
So, good work!

Amazing work, those masts and rigging are stunning.  Just read a great book called The Wager, about a Royal Navy frigate circa 1700’s.   In it, a RN Midshipman talked about the terror he felt the first time he had to go “up”.    Wooden ships, iron men for sure.  

Thank you gentlemen!  It is very kind of you to compliment my work, though I admit that I do not think it is some of my best work, but it looks ok.
 
Gary, the ratlines do have a "scalloped" look in real life.  That is part of the reason I am not completely satisfied with how mine have turned out so far.  I am finding it nearly impossible to get the ratlines to react to gravity at 1/96 scale as they are not heavy enough.  To be fair, nearly all the ratlines I have looked at that some excellent model ship builders have made look pretty much like mine.  At this point I think I have to accept how they look and not worry over much.
 
Ernest 

Progress continues to creep along.  I finished the main topmast shrouds and ratlines and have rigged the fore topmast shrouds.  Below are a few shots showing the work.  The ratlines are a challenge to get right, and I am not quite there yet, but the finished one are not too awful - far from perfect though.
 
Starboard side shot of the main topmast shrouds/ratlines.  Again they
are far from perfect but look better then the kit part.
 
Another view of the shrouds/ratlines.  I managed to tension the shrouds
so that the top mast is both straight and very stable.  You can also see
the main topgallant shrouds; these also firmed up the main topgallant
mast very nicely.
 
Starboard side of the fore top mast.  Like the main top, I managed to tension 
the shrouds so that the top mast is both true and firm.  The next step
will be tying off what feels like several hundred clove hitch knots to
make the ratlines.