Jump to content

Ron Bell

IPMS/USA Member
  • Posts

    1,875
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    177

Everything posted by Ron Bell

  1. I wanted models of two derivatives of the British Cromwell tank, the Avenger and the Challenger, but the only kits that existed were very expensive resin ones, so I resolved to build my own. Both are based on a Cromwell chassis that is lengthened by one road wheel, so for the Avenger, I used two Revell Cromwell kits and for the Challenger, because the Revell kit was no longer available, I used two Airfix kits. In each case, one kit was cut from the back and the other from the front so when combined, I had a hull with six road wheels instead of the Cromwell's five. Both vehicles needed a new central hull section and there were numerous detail variations as well. In both cases, I used Milicast kit turrets, the rest of the kits being un-usable, The Avenger was an open topped vehicle, so that meant making a turret basket and a lot more interior detail. Here's the Avenger, And here's the Challenger, And just for comparison, here's a Revell Cromwell I did,
  2. Try them sometime, if you can. They are excellent paints with incredible shelf life. I have some that are years old that after a quick stir, are just as good as new. Their only problem is they come in the little tinlets that are a pain to pour from just like the WE paints.
  3. For what its worth, treat them just like Humbrol. They are really good paints.
  4. I may be wrong here, but I think, and I'm getting up there in years, that there was an IPMS convention decal from sometime back in the 80's that had these markings on it. I thing I even used it on a P-12 a long time ago. I may have all that wrong, but maybe not.
  5. Any hints on working with small scale PE?
  6. One of the benefits of generic awards. You can re-use them year after year. No useless leftovers that become model bases.
  7. Congrats, Gil. Sounds like a nice show. Wish I could have been there.
  8. Hey, what's the status of this project? Your airfield is defenseless without it.
  9. I hope you took a look at that Cromwell kit, it's reallly very nice. Not quite the Revell Germany kit, but pretty darn close.
  10. Been quiet out there for a while. Here's a golden oldie to try to bring this thread back to life. This is the ancient (like mid 1950's) 1/76 Airfix Churchill tank. Still the only small scale model of a Mk VII, but really dated and pretty crude. I did what I could to bring it up to snuff by cutting off molded on detail and replacing it, correcting problems in accuracy and fit and adding detail to dress it up.
  11. AH. Otherwise the model for Hawkeye would have been Doogie Howser.
  12. Interesting, but if he was 77 when he died and it's 2012 now, that means he was born in 1935, which means he was 10 when WWII was already over and only 19 at the end of Korea. Even if there is a typo on his age, if it's off by, say,10 years and he was actually 87, that would make him only 20 at the end of WWII and 29 at the end of Korea, ruling out being a qualified surgeon in WWII and at most only barely so at the very end of Korea. Unless the reference is that he served in WWII, but not as a doctor, but was a surgeon in Korea, if barely, and both these only if he was not only 77 when he died.
  13. I second that. Great book. Good section on builds of kits in various scales, including everything from 1/600 to giant scratch built ones. Good info, good photos, good plans.
  14. OK, now you're scaring me. First it's a 1/48 jeep for an airfield diorama, then it's Tamiya 1/48 armor kits "for fun" and now a limited run resin kit!!! Careful, you're going to lose your airplane-makers approval rating from the airplane guys. Seriously, another tip on the tracks is a hair dryer. Soften them up in the warm water, then use a hair dryer with one of those narrowing attachments to direct heat where you need it. Even though much may flake off when you put them on, paint them before mounting them. It's easier to do any touch up than it is to paint them in place. Do any washes/drybrushing before hand as well, but you can pastel them once mounted.
  15. I've seen a Stirling in Nazi markings. Can a Lancaster be far behind? Wasn't the airliner version of the Lancaster called the "Lancastrian"?
  16. Hannant's in the UK is a great supplier and extremely reliable. You can save on postage if you and several friends go together on an order on goods not normally available in the US and split the postage. If you are a member of a local club, you might even mention it there to see if anyone wants to participate. Only provision, they pay up front.
  17. Mark, Gil's right on. You are just the sort of guy the World Modeling Tour is designed for. No one could appreciate the English Scale Model World show more than you. 99% of the models on display are not in competition, but rather in club and SIG displays. We're a long way from having any prices yet, but it is by far the most economical and easiest way to see an incredible number of excellent museums, historic sites and take in this huge model show. For you and all of a similar approach to modeling, start saving your pennies now, it will be well worth the investment!
  18. Don't get too excited yet, but we may be bringing back the World Modeling Tour to take a group of US modelers to the 2013 UK show in Telford. Stay tuned for updates.
  19. They are billed as OO (1/76) scale,but they fit on HO (1/87) scale tracks nicely, so what scale they really are is up for grabs. They are static models, but I've seen them mounted on a motorized main frame so they work as well. That would be a lot of work, so I think they are mainly for display and/or background on a layout.
  20. I posted my photos in the Photos,Photos, Photos section. You might want to move them to the new Misc. category.
  21. For some reason, recently, I got interested in the early Airfix RR subjects. While at SMW in England this fall I purchased a 2-6-2 Prairie Tank Engine from the Great Western RR. I did it OOTB with the exception of adding Woodland Scenics "coal" in the coal bin. It went together pretty well and was a fun build. The decals were pretty much toast, so I cobbled together some markings from generic lettering.
  22. I recently started doing some of the old Airfix RR topics, but I don't know where to post photos on this forum. Please advise.
  23. Ron Bell

    Spitfire MK1

    Depending on the color of the plastic, give serious consideration to primering. You won't get a brush painted acrylic light blue for instance to cover a dark green plastic without doing 4-5 coats and then you'd have a huge paint buildup. White is best as a primer, but in brush painting, it just won't cover. I'd suggest a neutral and/or light grey as a first coat. Remember this all depends on the color being used and the color underneath. If you paint the brown upper surface first, the green will go over it ok. However, if you do the green first, you may find the brown just doesn't look right if applied over the green. It goes without saying that you paint the lighter colors first and move on to the darker ones. As to technique, it will all be in the thickness of the paint. Too thick and it will "glom" up and leave brush marks. Too thin and it won't cover. Also, try as much as possible to only go over an area once. If the paint is thinned correctly, it will flow out and not leave brush marks. If you go over it again, you may streak the paint leaving poor coverage and brush marks. If you do need to do two coats, let the first coat really dry well. Then lightly wet sand it with 600 paper to remove any uneven surface and to provide some tooth for the second coat. I say wetw sand because if you try to dry sand acrylic paint, will will just ball up and make a mess. In addition, over large areas, try to brush the second coat at a 90 degree angle to the first. This will also help to avoid brush marks. I've seen very nice brush paint jobs where you could hardly tell them from spray finishes, so it can be done. I can't do it, but it can be done. Good luck.
  24. This project pre-dates those kits by several years. I think I'm done with the M-10 for a while.
  25. I wanted a Hudson, but the old Airfix kit is so tragic I tried the Italearie one. It's a rebox of an MPM or someone elses Hudson II,. It has lots of interior detail, none of which either fits or is visible when it's assembled. After a first attempt failure, on a re-rtry, I omitted the interior except for what could be seen and was much better off. I did mine as a Coastal Command aircraft as I like that white/gray scheme.
×
×
  • Create New...