Continuing SAGA

Only a short post today. I have been continuing to paint my 4 Point Viking War band for the new SAGA game. Pictures below are of the first 6 completed Vikings. the group includes one naked berserker, the Chief with hand painted shield plus a couple of vikings with shield transfers from Little Big man Studios.

These are proving to be a delight to paint. The sculpting is straightforward so no major challenges. I have stuck with a limited color palette using colors I think were available to these guys at the time.

I tried a different paint combo for the spear and axe shafts than I normally do. I went with a Brown Sand base (Vallejo) and used Bestial Brown (GW) highlights to hint at the wood grain. I think I like this more than my usual Scorched Brown/Bestial brown combo.

SAGA - Hairy Vikings

After the Sea Vixen I wanted to get back to doing some figure painting. Having recnetly taken delivery of some Gripping Beast Miniature Vikings and Anglo-Saxons for the new Saga Skirmish game I was detemiend to give these guys a lick of paint.

First thing that I noticed was what a hairy lot they are so I wanted to make sure I had a diverse range of hair colour for the group. I have a list of at least a dozen hair colour combinations ranging from White to Black with lots of browns and blondes in between.

So here are a few pictures showing some of these hair types. If I can figure out how to attach a file for download to this blog I am going to post my list of paint combo's. Watch out for it.

Airfix Sea Vixen build - Part Six

It's done said Frodo!

And so is my Sea Vixen. The application of the decals was a true marathon. I hit the wall at one point thinking I would never get to the end of it but fortunately I did. There has to be around 500 individual decals on this model ranging from the large wing numbers to tiny decals the size of a pin head.

They clearly make the model however, I used Micro sol and Micro set in their application and then put a coat of Tamiya clear coat over them to lock them in.

The model was completed with a couple of coats of Model master Semi-Gloss lacquer.

Canopies were dipped in Pledge with Future to brighten them up.

I made a few mistakes on the model such as messing up some of the decals but overall I am really pleased. Airfix have produced a lovely model that goes together well and has a pleasing level of detail.

As for the after market bits that I used I think most of them were not really necessary except for the True Detail Ejection seats. They really add something to the kit.

So here are a few pictures of the finished article along with a snap shot of all the things I used to build this model. Hope you like it and are inspired to make your own one day.

With the Para's in Helmand - a review

The full title of this book is "With the Para's in Helmand. A Photographic Diary" and it's author is Craig Allen.

Before I start I must declare a bias. I was fortunate to serve with both 15 Para and 4 Para in the reserves from 1984 until 1990. The Parachute Regiment is a remarkable organization and one I am fiercely proud of. When I saw this book mentioned in a modelling magazine I was reading (Airfix) I immediately logged on to Amazon and ordered my copy.

It arrived two days later and I dove in. The first thing that impressed me about the book was the solid feel of a well made hard back book and the well composed cover sheet. The quality of the paper and the clarity of the pictures told me this was a well put together book, well worth the cash I had dropped on it.

The author has all the credentials needed to put a book like this together having served a full career himself with the Para's. He has been able to draw on his personal experiences in other theatres such as Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq to describe both in words and pictures the real life of a front line "tom" in "the Reg".

For the Military enthusiast there is a mass of crystal clear color photographs that provide all the detailed information you could ever need about the modern day paratrooper fighting in Afghanistan. The detail is all there from the mixing of different uniform elements to the wearing of both issue and privately purchased kit. Knee pads, tattoos, pouch attachments, GPS devices , Sig pistol holsters, it's all there. Anyone interested in modelling these fine soldiers has a wealth of information to use.

The text however is what draws you in to the daily grind and life of the soldier. No surprise Mr Allen uses the soldiers vernacular that he is used to. This means you will read about contacts "kicking off", being "licked out" after a particularly rapid advance and getting up "early doors" to start a patrol.

Without getting on his soapbox Mr Allen clearly explains the struggles the military have in getting sufficient assets on the ground to complete their mission. For example a common theme throughout his book is the shortage of helicopters for moving men and equipment. Rather like a bus service but running on a Sunday schedule.

Of particular interest will be the description of the weapons used by the Toms. One point that is very noteworthy is how the role of sniper has been adapted to the conditions and used to great effect to keep the enemies heads down.

I read this book in a couple of sessions. It's an easy read and the narrative is extremely well supported by the accompanying photographs. I don't think there is a single page that doesn't have at least one picture.

And one final bonus. You get a free "feel good" token as each sale of the book results in some money going towards the Afghan Trust which benefits the Regiment's soldiers and their families.

Buy it.

Airfix Sea Vixen build - part five

Finally got the main paint scheme sprayed on. Couple of coats rubbed down with micromesh in between. Finally a couple of coats of Tamiya XF-22 Clear coat to help lock everything in and provide a smooth surface for decal application.

In the first picture here you can see I have attached the refuelling probe. This is in fact an after market item from www.luckymodel.com . They sell a pack with replacement resin wing hinges and it also includes a brass refuelling probe and two very  fine alloy pitot tubes. I didn't need the hinges but the probe and tubes are excellent, and robust.

Next to the aircraft you can see the probe from the kit and one of the new pitot tubes.

Next step is to start applying the decals. This looks like it is going to be a marathon job. We'll see.

Airfix Sea Vixen build - part four

I feel a little guilty having started these few blog pages to cover my Sea Vixen build only to have raced ahead somewhat without posting any updates. Actually raced is probably not the right word. Since I put the fuselage halves together after completing the cockpit I have spent some time getting to know Mr Surfacer products.

I used Mr Surfacer 500 as a filler for the few tiny gaps and imperfections I had to deal with. In fact the most notable was the one along the side of the nose which did not take much to eradicate. The Mr Surfacer product is great. Its easy to apply with a brush, dries within an hour or so and is made of such a fine compound that sanding it to shape is so very easy.

Anyway I took my time and then followed up with attaching the wings, tail booms etc and finishing off any imperfections resulting. Once done I gave the whole model a spray with Mr Surfacer 1200. This stuff is outstanding as a primer. It is so smooth especially after a light polish with some Micro-Mesh 6000 from Revell.

So here are a few pictures of where I am up to right now. I have already sprayed the underside white and applied Tamiya masking tape over the white in preparation for the Dark Sea Grey upper surface color. I love this tape. I generally just use the 10mm variety and a very sharp knife to cut edges around shapes. Couldn't be easier.

I am using Vallejo Air spray paints which go straight from bottle to air brush with no thinning - good for me! I am not an expert with an air brush this being only my third model where I have actually used on in anger however I learned the importance of keeping your brush clean with this project. After dragging out my basic Testors brush to do the white I found it was past redemption so went out and bought a new Badger 350 that was on clearance at my local Michael's store. This is a basic brush but its is just fine for painting large surfaces such as aircraft fuselages AND its way easier to keep clean than the Testor brush I had.

A first for me on this model was pre shading some of the panel lines on the underside before applying the white. Works a treat so hopefully will show that off when I get to the finish.

Airfix Sea Vixen build - part three

With the seat finally finished off I began putting the fuselage together. The fit of the parts is really good. Judicious use of clamps and elastic bands ensures everything sets up tight with no gaps. The join line between the two halves forward of the cockpit will need some sanding and maybe a little cyanoacrylate to make it disappear but nothing horrendous.

I have continued to use the Eduard etch components where I felt comfortable. This included the air brake and the arrestor hook area.

Here are some pictures of the cockpit after the fuselage halves have been joined.

A few points worth noting. I am using this web site as a color reference for the airframe Thunder & Lightnings so the wheel wells, airbrake inner area and arrestor hook inner area got a coat of light grey before going into the fuselage halves. The air brake door, arrestor hook door and the area of the wings which are under the flaps all got a coat of white.

Following this the areas got some weathering with a very thin black ink wash.