Royal Scots Greys - Part Two

I started these boys back in the summer. The Folland Gnat got in the way amongst other things so I was pleased to finally say they are done.

To show them off I made a movement tray/display base from 1.5mm plastic card.

I listed the paint scheme in the initial blog on these so here's the final pictures. Hope you like them.

Comments always welcome.

Airfix Hurricane Mk IIC build - Part One

The model I am using came as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight set. I was inspired to get stuck in to this due to a recent article in Airfix Model World (AMW) by Alan Price - Issue 21. I also recalled an earlier article in Issue 3 by Len Thomson so both of these are on my bench.

I obtained a detailing etch from Eduard through Squadron.com as well as replacement vacuform cockpits. In addition I am waiting on a bunch of resin detail parts from Valiant Wings publishing. Neat little set that contains a new prop, wheels, exhausts, gun barrels and a few other items.

Once the etch arrived I quickly realized if I was going to get this right I needed some reference pictures so I now have a copy of Hawker Hurricane Walk Around number 14 by Ron Mackay et al.

Getting stuck in the first job was to scribe panel lines in place of the raised detail on the kit. Alan Price describes how to do this in a short piece in AMW 15. This was my first time and I was thankful for his guidance. It is actually straightforward. You need a tool to  scribe with. I got mine at my local Hobby shop, Maplewood Hobby. You then need various edges to guide your tool over the model. I had most success with a small steel rule and a flexible steel template. The picture below attempts to show the results on the lower wing. I guess the main point here is you are not trying to dig a trench. I found three light passes was sufficient to start. Then after lightly sanding the edges of the lines and any remaining raised detail away  I was able to re-scribe the line and finish up with a recessed panel line that should show up well after painting and weathering.

With the panel lines scribed I have turned to the cockpit and the Eduard Etch. This is the third kit I've used etched parts on now - the Vixen being the only one I've actually finished. I just get anxious. All the top modellers make it look so easy but to me it requires major concentration. So here's the parts I've made up so far. The cockpit has been sprayed with Humbrol 78 and I've added parts to the seat, made up the cockpit framework, built the instrument panels and one of the cockpit sides.

Next up is to study my references so I can finish the cockpit.

As always any comments are always appreciated from fellow modellers.

What next?

At the end of my last post I mentioned I had made a start on my Airfix Lancaster. well that didn't last long. Somehow it just seemed to big a task for right now so I started messing around with other projects.

I got well down the path with a Games workshop Mumak. Impressive kit but it needs a lot of filling sanding and re-scribing to make it look anything like ready for display.

I think one very important point to make about htis model is that it is essential in my mind to pin all the pieces to be glued to the main body: ears, tail, tusks, trunk should all be pinned otherwise theywill undoubtedly get knocked off at some point in the future.

Once the joins are gone and the other parts pinned in place though painting is relatively easy.

The model was first base coated in Dark Sea Grey. This was applied with an airbrush. Next came a heavy wash of ink mixed from Black and Devlan Mud. Excess ink was removed with a dry paper towel so that the ink stayed in the folds of the model only.

After that I went with successive dry brushing layers of London Grey (VJ) and Fortress Grey (GW) finishing with a mix of Fortress Grey and Off White (VJ).

Tusks and toe nails were all base coated Bone white (VJ) and then got successive layers of Scorched Brown (GW), Bestial Brown (GW), Snakebite Leather( GW) to represent the cuticle aresa. I final light wash of Gryphonne Sepia (GW) blended it all together.

The Saddle and wood and basket work on the back are in progress - not sure when I'll be done but here's the beast as it stands so far.

While all this was going on I was also finishing off my Scots Greys from the summer. They are all painted now and just need their bases done so more of them later. I also painted more Warhammer for my son, Did a battalion if Union Infantry using the Army Painter method and got started on a Scots War band for my Saga game. Phew.

And if all that wasn't enough I got bored with everything and decided I really need to build my Airfix Hurricane Mk IIc so that's what's next ... and this one I'm going to finish, honest.
As always I would love to hear from fellow modellers. Here comes the Hurricane.

Airfix Folland Gnat build - Final pictures

I cant thank Airfix Customer Service enough for sending me a replacement cockpit. Of course I managed to crack it again but that's another story.

The Promodeller Clay wash arrived too so I got stuck in to using that first. The model has a couple of coats of Tamiya Clear on it. The wash goes on straight from the bottle.

The picture here shows the model with wash applied.

After allowing the wash to dry for 20 minutes+ I rubbed off the excess with a damp paper towel. The clay stayed in the detail giving the model some real depth. It also gave a more weathered look too.

A final coat of Lacquer sealed everything in.

It only remained to paint the cockpit up and give it a dip in Future before fixing it on and finally finishing the model. Here's how it looks. I learnt a lot on this one not least of which is how good Alclad products are.

For anyone remotely interested I decided to make a start on my Airfix Lancaster. I have a massive etch to detail it with so this one will take some time. But that is for another post.

As always feedback, comments are appreciated.

Airfix FollandGnat build - Part Six

Good news. Customer Service at Airfix are sending me a replacement canopy! Thank you Airfix.

So having got over my depression from wrecking the original canopy I forged ahead and completed the painting and decal fixing. There are numerous small decals on the provided sheet some of which almost disappear against the metallic finish but the Red, White and Blues really contrast great with the orange. Micro Set and Micro Sol were used to attach the decals and everything is locked in with Tamiya Clear.

So now I am waiting for the post to deliver the replacement canopy and then I'll finish it off.

I'm going to try one more new product on this model. I have a bottle of ProModeller Dark Wash coming from Flory Models in the UK. These guys have a good support web site for their store with some valuable resources.

Here's how the model looks so far.

Once I have the canopy in hand and have applied the dark wash I'll post some final images. For now its time to consider the next project.

I will spend a few days finsihing off my Scots Greys and some of my sons Warhammer Space Marines. After that I have to figure out do I build another model or hit my figure stash.

Possibilities include:

Airfix Vulcan
Airfix Angel Interceptor
Airfix Chipmunk
Airfix HMS Fearless

Perry Confederate Infantry
Perry Zouaves
Indian War Party - Muskets & Tomahawks
Scots - SAGA

Anyone care to make a suggestion?

Airfix Folland Gnat Build - Part Five

Mixed feelings today as I will explain.

Firstly I was able to use the amazing Alclad II paint system to put a very realistic looking coating on the aircraft. I purchased Aircraft Aluminum which needs a gloss primer before application.

I sprayed on Testors Gloss Black for the primer - two coats. I let this dry for 24 hours and then applied two plus light coats of the Alclad II Aircraft Aluminum paint. This product sprays straight from the bottle. Its lacquer based so you need a cleaner  that will handle lacquers afterwards.

The first picture here shows the aircraft after a single coat of the Alclad and then the finished article. The Alclad gives a beautiful finish. I learnt a few things:

1. The better the gloss primer finish the better the Alclad looks. I noticed in some areas of the aircraft where perhaps my primer was not as well sprayed on/dense the appearance of the metal was not as convincing as where I knew I had a good gloss coat such as the wing surfaces.

2. Spray light coats only in a single pass. I noticed where my passes overlapped (or I was a little more heavy handed) the finish was not as smooth as in other areas.

Having said all that it is an incredible product and definitely one I will use on any model requiring a metallic finish on its parts.

 

When I removed the masking tape the aircraft just popped . The metallic finish contrasts terrifically with the Orange. Check this out.

So then came the big issue. I started to clean up spots I had missed, remove over spray etc. One area I had to clean was the cockpit glazing. I had not protected the inside of the glazing and so some spots of spay had got inside. No problem I thought. Out came the Humbrol Enamel thinners and a piece of tissue paper. One swipe with the thinners and the spots were gone but then all of a sudden the plastic started to get crazy lines in it and it actually split at the front where it is thinnest!!

I've never seen that before. Maybe some of you already knew this but there is yet another lesson learnt ... mask the whole canopy inside and out! Problem now is I have a model 80% finished and no canopy.

Airfix Folland Gnat build - Part Four

With the model surface rubbed down with Micro mesh 1200 I proceeded to apply the masking necessary to apply the orange paint. As always I used Tamiya masking tape and then filled in the large gaps with some 3M masking tape.

With the tape in place I sprayed a primer coat of white.

With the primer dry i then mixed the main color for air brushing. I used the Humbrol Color from the kit instructions; Gloss 209, Fluorescent Fire Orange.

I used Humbrol enamel thinners and mixed it a little more than 2  parts paint to one part thinners.

I did about 5 coats to get the depth of color allowing the paint to dry between sprays and rubbing down with Micro Mesh 1200 after the third coat.

The first picture here shows the model ready to receive the primer. The second was taken after the first coat and the last is the finished article. I have a bit of over spray to deal with but you can see how the successive coats gives a very rich deep color to the orange.

Next up will be the bare metal of the airframe. I am going to use Alclad II products for this so stay tuned it's my first time!

Airfix Folland Gnat build - part three

Bit of a delay in working on this model. My son recently got into Warhammer 40K so I have spent the past two weeks painting up Space Marines, Terminators and Hellbrutes for him!

Anyway back to the Gnat. Seams were fixed using Mr Surfacer 500 filler. I love this stuff. It can be applied using a small brush so you have complete control over where it goes. It dries quickly and is easily sanded.

Once that is over with I spray a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000. This shows up any blemishes that need to be dealt with and then polishes up with Micro grit to provide a good surface for painting.

The model fit is quite good. I would recommend fitting the engine intake cowlings to the fuselage halves while they are still on the sprue.

I must have been day dreaming because I installed the undercarriage prior to spraying. Not too smart and not something I would normally do. At this scale the parts are very fragile. Anyway its done so I'll just get on with it.

Next up will be spraying on the orange paint!

Airfix Folland Gnat build - Part Two

Continuing with the build I completed painting the ejection seats and cockpit panel details and then started the process of putting the cockpit together so I could join the fuselage halves.

I was pleased with how a little careful painting picked out the details in the panels and the seats looked good.

I still found I had to file the Pavla parts down in order to get the fuselage halves to mate. In the end I still had a small gap ahead of the nose wheel that I will need to deal with before moving on.

Installing the wheel wells and main undercarriage legs at this point also made handling the model tricky but I didn't see a way around it.

Airfix Folland Gnat build - Part One

I have a very dim memory of seeing my first Gnat on the Island of Anglesey back in the mid 60's. Since then the Gnat was a prime steed for the Red Arrows until the Hawk took its place. I'm not sure of it was that early memory or the fact that this is a newly tooled model from Airfix but I felt compelled to build this one.

As usual I looked around for any after market parts and found that Pavla have a resin cockpit detailing set available. After the parts arrived in the mail this past week I dove into things.

First up was to remove some of the moulded detail in the cockpit area in order to accommodate some of the Pavla parts. Not too much to do here. I then glued the new cockpit side walls in place followed by air brushing on some light grey.

I then used a black ink wash to highlight details followed by a dry brush with more light grey.

The pictures here tell the story so far. I did find I had to lightly sand the sides of the replacement cockpit floor in order to ensure the fuselage halves joined together without a gap. Nothing serious though.

You can also see the two lovely ejection seats. I have already base coated black in preparation for final colors.

Royal Scots Greys - Part One

In July Historicon will open in Fredericksburg. I noticed on the Architects of Wars web site that there was going to be  a competition for painted Perry figures. It just so happened I had a complete regiment of 12 Scots Greys ready for painting so I decided to see if I could get them competition ready in time.

In the past I have painted horses using a 3 color method but for this project I decided to try out the oil paint method.

Step one was to prime the models with cellulose car primer. I used two colors; white and grey.

I then smeared Paynes Grey oil paint over the models and began to wipe away the excess using pieces of foam soaked in thinners. this left the oil in the recesses of the model and gave the flesh a nice texture.

The models were then left for a week to let the oil dry. Following this I base coated all the tackle in preparation for painting with acrylics.

It took some time to find the resources I needed for the correct uniform colors. In the end I found an Historex color plate that I used as my primary reference. This was later supported by a purchase copy of the old Osprey Men At arms series from 1972 - Royal Scots Greys.

Here are some pictures of the first completed model off the line.

The color scheme I used is as follows. All colors are from Vallejo unless otherwise indicated:

Flesh:

Undercoat- Dark Flesh (GW)

Base -

Wash

Highlights

Hair:

Undercoat - Green Ochre

Wash - Devlan Mud

Highlights - Green Ochre, Sand, Buff

Jacket:

Undercoat - Black Red

Base - Flat Red

1st Highlight - Vermilion

2nd Highlight - Orange Red

Trousers:

Undercoat - Adeptus Battlegrey (GW)

Base - Mix London Grey and Adeptus Battlegrey

1st Highlight - Mix London Grey and Light Grey

2nd Highlight - Mix Light Grey and Off White

Facings:

Undercoat - Regal Blue (GW)

1st Highlight - Intense Blue

Trim:

Undercoat - Iyanden Dark Sun (GW)

Wash - Gyphonne Sepia (GW)

Highlight - Golden Yellow (GW)

Water Bottle:

Undercoat - Intense Blue

Highlight - Grey Blue

Wash - Blue Ink (GW)

Water Bottle Strap:

Base - Calthan Brown (GW)

Highlight - Brown Sand

Haversack:

Base - Mix Snakebite Leather (GW) and Ivory

2 subsequent highlights using more Ivory and less SL

Black items:

Base - Black

Highlight - Black Grey

Metal:

Base - Boltgun Metal (GW)

Wash - Black ink (GW)

Highlights - Boltgun Metal (GW) and Chainmail (GW)

White Straps:

Base - Light Grey

1st Highlight - Off White

Leather:

Base - Leather Brown

Wash - Brown Ink (GW)

1st Highlight - Mix Leather Brown and Bestial Brown (GW)

2nd Highlight - Cork Brown

Wood:

Base - Scorched Brown (GW)

Highlights: Various colors, Bestial Brown (GW), Iraqi Sand

Brass:

Base - Brass

Wash - Gryphonne Sepia

Highlight - Brass

Footnote: Never made it to Fredericksburg. Lots of excuses but at least it got me started on this project. My next post should be the completed unit based and ready for action.

As always comments, questions etc all welcome.

Doing it the Army Painter way

All the gaming figures I have painted to date have been handled in what I call a traditional manner using three color layers to create depth and highlights. My first introduction to this was through a Wargames Illustrated Article about 3 years ago but has been improved upon since by adopting techniques from "experts" in the field. Kevin Dallimore and Matt Parkes spring to mind immediately but I would also include Sascha Herm, Julio Cabos and of course the guys at ArtMaster Studio.

Many of us will have heard of the Army Painter method for quickly getting a good quality war gaming color scheme on to our figures but I had never tried it. Recently after spending way too much money on some of their basing materials - love the tufts - I watched a short tutorial on their web site www.thearmypainter.com and decided I had to give it a go.

The bottom line is it took me 8 hours to completely paint a regiment of 24 Perry Union figures to a standard I am very happy with.

I used the information in the tutorial to get prepared purchasing a tin of the Dark Shading dip as this works well with the dark Union uniform.

Step One is to base coat the figures in the primary uniform color. I used Games Workshop Ultramarine Blue and used my airbrush to quickly get the figures base coated. Although the blue looks bright what you have to remember throughout the painting process is that the dark shade dip will tone everything down a notch or two.

Step Two is to block paint the main color areas of the figure:

Vallejo (V), Games Workshop (GW)

Flesh - Sunny Skin Tone (V)
Trousers - Dark Sky Blue (V)
Belts - Black, White (V)
Wood - Scorched Brown (GW)
Haversack - Light Grey (V)
Water Bottle - Dark Flesh (GW)
Hair - Bestial Brown (GW)
Metal - Chainmail (GW)

I started out trying to be as precise with my painting as I normally am but it dawned on me very early on that this method is actually very forgiving. If your lines are not totally precise or you miss a bit between two colors as long as its not an egregious error the dip blends it all together in a way that you will not notice the "rougher" style of painting. In my mind this is what makes the dip method so much faster. You an blow through applying all the colors in very quick order.

These pictures show the base coated figures with block painting in progress and completed.

Step Three is the dipping.

Very important point here is to stir the contents of the dip tin very well. Like any colloid the pigment will have settled on the bottom of the tin so get out your trusty screwdriver or whatever you use for mixing large paint tins and get going.

Once the dip is homogeneous lay out lots of newspapers in your dipping area grab some pliers or similar tool, pick up a figure by the base and dip it! Wait for a few seconds then remove the figure and start to flick it over your newspapers to shake off the excess dip. Its a bit of a messy process but if you don't go crazy you can keep the spray to a confined area for clean up later.

By checking the figure you will quickly get to know how many flicks are needed to get the effect you are looking for. This is the first time you will see what the dip does. Its impressive.

The figures now need to be left to dry for 24 hours.

Step Four, The figures are essentially done at this point.

I spent half an hour adding a few highlights of the original colors I had used mainly trouser creases and the faces. This is purely personal choice. The drum was painted separately and the flags are from the Flag Dude of course!

The figures were then based up and given a spray of matt varnish before I added the flock. The picture here shows the Army Painter Regiment (11th New Jersey) in front of a more traditionally painted regiment (20th Maine). On the gaming table you will not see a difference.

So that's it. We probably dont need another Army Painter tutorial on the internet but I wanted to share my experience here. For getting units on to the gaming table fast this is the way to go. I think if you mix them up with more traditioanlly painted figures you will create the effect you are looking for. My next Civil War project will be some Zouaves. I wont be dipping those.

As always I appreciate feedback, positive or otherwise.

Cheers
Belerephone

SAGA - almost over

Today I completed the painting of my 4 point Viking warband. These are terrific figures to paint and I enjoyed them tremendously. As I have mentioned in an earlier post I did use the Little Big Man Transfers for some of the shields but others I hand painted using an article in Wargame Illustrated as my guide.

A couple of more hours to complete the basing and these guys are ready to storm the beaches of my fair England. Watch out Harald!

As always I would appreciate your comments, critique.

Berserker Hearthguard

Love the Wolfskins

The Boss leading the way

The Hearthguard