[Italian F-104 1/32 Scale real metal skin]

Most impressive Rick! Not sure I would have the patients that you do to apply the aluminum. From the looks of it you’ve mastered your skills applying it.

Chris

[1/10th scale Young Miniatures WW2 USAAF Fighter Pilot]

Thanks Dick

Chris

[Simulating snow in a diorama.]

Thanks again Ron and Rick. This stuff is really easy to work with

[1/10th scale Young Miniatures WW2 USAAF Fighter Pilot]

Rick,

I copied these off of the box art. I’m assuming they are waypoints, or TRP,s (Target reference points).

Chris

[1/10th scale Young Miniatures WW2 USAAF Fighter Pilot]

Thanks a lot Tony!

[1/10th scale Young Miniatures WW2 USAAF Fighter Pilot]

                 A great bust, with a lot of detail. I purchased this bust, and another one, from the SABOT Miniatures website for a very reasonable price. Went together pretty good. The headset/oxygen mask wires were a bit tricky to form. The entire bust was painted with a combination of acrylic paints (Tamiya/P3 Formula). I still need to work on painting eyes, and blending flesh tones/ 5 o'clock shadow. I used spare decals from my stash for the first aid kit, and the life vest. The stitching on the webbing was a challenge. On to the next one.

Chris

 

 

[Simulating snow in a diorama.]

Thanks Ron, and Rick.

Chris

[Simulating snow in a diorama.]

Gentlemen, 

     I’m going to build a rather large armor  diorama depicting a scene from Bastogne. Can anyone tell me the very best medium that I could use for snow. Somethings that won’t yellow. Thanks in advance.

Chris

[The Duke Finishes Two in August]

Mark,

        Really interesting subjects. Very nice work.

Chris

[1/48 Tamiya A-10A Thunderbolt II - with Lighting!]

Dave,

      As always, your builds are amazing, especially this one. I love all the lighting that you’ve incorporated in construction process. Keep those builds coming.

 

Chris

[Jolly Roger: Hex Marks the Spot]

Man, that is so cool. Outstanding job with all of the painting. Would love to build a kit like this.

 

Chris

[Model Donation to UPS Aircraft Maintenance]

Thanks Guys. 

[Model Donation to UPS Aircraft Maintenance]

                  With the help of two members of our local model club (one, a UPS pilot, the other, a recently retired manager for UPS aircraft maintenance), I was able to donate the 747-8F that I had built. The  photos below are of the actual aircraft (N608UP).

 

Chris

[1/48 KH FJ-2 Fury]

Beautiful work on this one Gil👍👍. Got my copy of the journal last week in the mail. Great article of yours.

Chris

[F-104 Starfighter all metal skin]

Great work Rick. That was a very ambitious project. It definitely paid off in the end. Can’t wait to see more of your work

 

Chris.

[The Busts of Summer]

Wow! Really love the last three figures. 
 

Chris

[Greenwell's Medusa]

Stunning work!

Chris

[Completed Military Bust]

Thanks guys.

Chris

[REDO, MJ Miniatures Bust]

Thanks so much for the feedback Kevin.

Chris.

[REDO, MJ Miniatures Bust]

All,

             After taking the figure painting class here in Louisville, I wanted to strip, and repaint the bust. I was never really happy with the first attempt. After trying to fix areas on his face, with no improvement, I decided it was finished. After some careful disassembly, I began the stripping process. His hat was the only thing that was not stripped. In a small metal cup, filled with Lacquer Thinner, I used an old brush to start removing the paint. With my first attempt, I used a combination of acrylics, enamels, and oils. The thinner did not attack the resin. After the paint was stripped off, I let the pieces sit for about 15 minutes.

               During our class, we were given a very detailed "Step by step" process on painting our figure. The first time I painted it, I used a combination of Vallejo, Model Master Enamels, and AK Products. (All, very good paint products) For the second attempt, I used the paints that we were provided in class (Formula P3). The one thing that stands out with these paints, is their pigment saturation. Even after being thinned with water( and I mean, thinned) they still retained their pigment. Brett Avants  quote for the day, "Thin is in". Because of the pigment, the thinned paints, allow you to, gradually build up the layers as you go. 

               Granted, I've got a ways to go, but these paints have made things easier for me. Happy Painting!

Chris

P.S. In my second attempt, he seems to have contracted "Lazy eye, in his left eye.", which I'm eventually going to fix. 

[CH-46E Lady Ace 1/48 Scale]

Rick, 

          The helicopter turned out great. The interior is what I’m most impressed with. Your attention to detail is top notch. 
 

Congrats 

Chris

[Roden 1/48 OV-1C Mohawk]

Dave,

       A great job, on a very rough kit. You hit this one out of the park. I built this one a few years ago. Very disappointed with the quality of the kit. I’ll probably never build another Roden again. 
 

Congrats

Chris

[Scratchbuilt 1/48 A-18 Shrike II]

Wow! Amazing work Gil. She looks beautiful.

Chris

[Rick from Rhode Island Alfa 8C 1/12 Scale]

Outstanding builds Rick. Really Impressive!

Chris

[Completed Military Bust]

                I'm giving Aircraft a break for a while, so that I can work on improving my figure painting.  In July, I had the opportunity, with 8 other modelers, to attend the Sabot Miniatures Painting Academy here in Louisville Ky. Our instructor for the day, was Brett Avants. Our day started at 7:30AM, and ended around 5:00PM.  If your serious about improving your figure painting, or just want to hone the skills you currently have,  this class is a MUST attend. Our project for the day was Young Miniatures Siege of Bastogne bust. 

                We learned everything from advanced flesh painting techniques, to simulating woodgrain with different ink colors. A lot of things I had never done before. By the time the class had ended, we all had a mostly completed figure. It was an intense class, but well worth it!

 

Chris