As I was feeling Loco'd out, a client brought me something else to build - a Timber Tracks GWR Coaling Stage.
Initial impressions, it's a big kit - in fact Mum when she saw the box assumed it was 3 kits!
First up the instructions guide you in easily, with the relatively simple task of building the tank - in fact this shows the way the whole construction of the kit will go (layers)..
Next up is starting to bui
Back last October, I started construction of an Academy Boeing B-29A Superfortress - however due to railway commission work I didn't get very far (and it was proving a challenging kit)
A big box of parts..
Start of the cockpit..
Test fitting in the fuselage
Cockpit, tunnel & rear crew area test fitted together.
Crew area's painted.
Fuselage nearly ready to
After a little over a month away from the build (and feeling slightly demoralized by the B-29A build - blog entry to come), I felt it was time to complete the Sea Hornet..
Assemblies were given a wash in soapy water and allowed to dry. I then masked up the canopies and used foam to mask up the undercarriage bays..
Then painting could begin...
First up the Sky underside
Then I hand painted the undercarriage bays silver (as
I decided to have a short break from railway commissions, but instead of going back to the Sea Vixen, I opted to start something new..
.. so I dug this kit out of my stash - the Trumpeter 1/48th Scale DH Sea Hornet NF.21.
I'm glad I did to, this kit has gone together beautifully and quickly, with the minimum of flash and only a few minor bits of filling needed (bit like the Wyvern).
Typical of me, I built things out of instruction order!
I started
As sneak peaked in the last part of my Shack build, the mighty Sea Vixen was my next build from Airfix.
I have history with the real Sea Vixen, I worked on one during my time at Dunsfold - speaking of which here she is..
The kit itself is very well molded, the fit is very good - though there's been a few issues, more on those later in the blog entry..
Cockpit assembly, I replaced the ejector seat loops.
Cockpit fully painted
Fuselage buttone
After nearly four months off the workbench, due to Railway Commissions - the Shack is back to be finished.
To be honest there wasn't a much to do - main undercarriage, wheels, props, a few aerials/pitot tubes, some painting and an awful lot of transfers!
Prop assembly - 3 parts to each prop, 8 props and once painted 9 decals per prop!
Painting the main under carriage wheel bays - while I was doing this, the wheels & undercarriage struts & doors where in paint.
A
A slightly different format for this blog entry, I've decided to group several builds together - as they were quite simple builds.
Higgins LCVP
The Higgins is quite a new tooling and went together very quickly - however progress was slowed somewhat due to the large amount of Loco/Rolling Stock Commissions I have..
It took just over a month to get back to work on her, painting didn't take too long - even with the camouflage scheme..
Time for another Shackleton AEW.2 Blog entry and it's rather large..
Brief recap, I was in the final stages of prep and installation, before closing up the fuselage in the last entry and parts were missing (more on that later)
Final parts added to the interior
Fifty Shades of Shack (the fuselage halves glued together)
As this is the AEW version - I decided to model the shorter weapons/bomb bay with the doors closed
Sometimes a bit of gentle persuasion is
The final entry in the Wimpy build...
.. fairly self explanatory really.
The obligatory cameo of a future build and worth noting the decals are far superior to previous builds.
Till next time
TBG
Finally after a few weeks away from the Wimpy due to Loco commission work (& brief venture venture back to WW1 with the Eindecker) & number of exchanges between myself and Airfix (more on that later) - it's been full steam ahead on the with build...
Test fit of the bomb bay partitions.
Making sure all the main assemblies fit together.
And so the fun with Airfix Customer care began..
I noticed that a part was malformed (E2 main under carriage support strut), so I
While I was waiting for Airfix to sort themselves out with some parts for both the Wellington & Shackleton (I will cover those issues in the next blog entries for them), I decided it was high time to start the smallest kit in my model stash - the diminutive Fokker Eindecker E.III.
The kit is very straight forward to build and goes together really well, however for the insane amongst us (namely me) - the kit comes rigging diagrams!
It only took me a few hours in total to build and pai
When this kit arrived direct from Airfix (courtesy of my regular DPD Courier Boran), on opening the box I knew the Shack would be put on hold temporarily will this kit was started.
The Aircraft division of the Hornby/Airfix of the design/research team have done an amazing job of this kit - they've captured the Geodetic structure perfectly.
The fuselage and it's interior is incredibly detailed and takes a while to build (though a number of parts can be left out if you wish)
I promised the Shack would return in 2018 and she has albeit as a different version - the AEW.2.
The build so far, is pretty much the same as the MR.2 version I built last year and so far easier the second time around (I guess).
The photo's are pretty self explainatory, so I won't go into to much detail - unless I have to.
Basic cockpit assembled
Using the fuselage halves as a jig to ensure fit and alignment
Seats painted & fitted, along with the base of the mai
The Messerschmitt BF 109E-3 is finished at last (after a big break due to GWR locos)...
Ready for transfers.
For such a small fighter there's a lot of Decals!
Decals done and final details being added.
Finished and the obligatory next build cameo (I did promise Shack Attack Part 4 would be coming!)
Posing in the late Longest day Sun..
Until the next build or another Loco oriented entry..
TBG
After a brief interlude (okay a month), due to GWR Loco's - I finally resumed work on the Bf 109...
Before I masked up the underside, I painted the wheel wells and radiators.
I masked up the underside and parts of the cockpit canopy - which had I pre-painted prior to fitting and masking up (next three photo's show that sequence)
Once the topside of the fuselage had been given a few coats of BS Dark Earth and allowed to dry. I used the blu-tak & masking ta
Okay, so I've been busy renaming/renumbering/repainting Bachmann Halls over the last few months (eek) - I'll let the pictures do the talking..
First up 5998 Trevor Hall (Mk. 1)
5998 Trevor Hall (Mk.2)
4943 Marrington Hall
This loco had been been renumbered & weathered before..
From 4936 Kinlet Hall to 4948 Northwick Hall and now to 4943 Marrington Hall (in Post War GWR unlined Green)
...Or Should that be Repainted?
A client requested I rename his 4013 Knight of St Patrick to 4012 Knight of the Thistle and repaint/rework to GWR post war unlined green - with a few tweaks (more on those later)
I started tender first and began the tedious task of removing the lining and branding from the tender top. Once this was done the tender top was washed down and allowed to dry. Then masked up and airbrushed a nicer shade of green (Railmatch GWR Post 1928 Locomotive Green), after a
After she made a cameo in my last build and with loco's out of the way it was time to make a start on the 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3.
Being a Collectors Club Model it gives two very different schemes to do one is the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Evaluation version (Bf 109E-7) and the other is a captured RAF version (Bf 109E-3) - I chose the latter.
Compared to my last build, this one has gone together very quickly.. so far.
Cockpit and aircraft interior painted and detailed.
Moving swiftly towards completion..
Test fit of the wings..
For a bit of fun - a size comparison between the Wyvern & Sea Fury..
Decals being added..
Final assembly - Fuselage & center wing section complete..
Outer wing sections fitted..
A cameo..
Posing in the early evening air..
Till the next build TBG..
Part two of this epic build, this kit is more like a 1/24th scale kit due to the number of parts..
Aerial torpedo assembled and test fitted.
RATOG's (Rocket Assisted Take Off Gear) assembled and test fitted.
So many assemblies, so much to paint.
Sitting on her wheels (temporarily) .
Lots of Sky Type S!!
Lots of parts painted.
Masking up the fuselage for top coat.
Painting done and masking removed, very little touching up needed.
Several moons ago a certain member (@46444) suggested I should check out Trumpeter's Westland Wyvern..
I did and little does he know, what a can of rivets it opened....
I acquired the kit on a certain auction sight, it arrived just before I finished the Sea Fury. I also ordered the Eduard Photo-Etch set for it...
The kit is amazing and the instructions are sometimes baffling. However for someone who built Leaping Heaps for a living - not a problem.
Due to the gearb
Once upon at time there was a Castle Class on a Layout thread, far, far, away - ANTB (A Nod to Brent to be precise)
An evil and cruel Weathering and renumbering outfit tried to turn her to the Darkside (well stripey brown if I'm totally honest)
Her owner sent out a distress call to the Malachite Green & Sunshine Yellow Hospital for Sick Bulleids, in the hope that she could be saved from the Darkside...
.. this is 5071 Spitfire's story of redemption and resurrection...
A befo
Many moon's ago (last year to be precise) I built the 1/24th Scale Typhoon, now it's time for her 'Grandchild' the Sea Fury - also by Airfix, but in 1/48th Scale.
The Sea Fury entered service too late to see action in WW2, she was herself a development from the 'Tempest and the Typhoon' and with the coming of the Jet's - the fastest production piston-engined fighter that was built (482 mph).
She saw action in the Korean War and became known as the 'MIG Killer' for the first 'confirmed'
The final entry on this build - for now..
Firstly the masking & the painting....
Last photo shows what's left to paint..
Painting all done, now on with the transfers...
Transfers done & spot the cameo...
Posing in the very cold afternoon sun.
