Stikpusher

So I am calling this one done, aside from the crew figures. The kit itself was built OOB, although I did add a Combat Series brass machine gun pintle mount and took an Academy M1919 Browning .30 cal. from my spares bin for the gun itself. Most of the stowage is Value Gear, aside from the jerry cans, which are a mix of Tamiya, Academy, and 3D printed. Base paint is AK Real Colors. Most of the kit decals self destructed due to age, so replacements came from my spares... [/url Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome.

Well here is an unexpected update on an old build that I finished back in late 2018. This past Tuesday, IPMS Phoenix had the theme of Braille Scale builds for February's meeting contest. Any subject, any era, just be 1/72 or smaller. Seeing that this is my only 1/72 build in my possession since 1983, I dusted it off, packed it up, and took it to the meeting. Lo and behold, it took 2nd place. Mind you, IPMS Phoenix is a VERY 1/72 oriented chapter, and there was plenty of good competition! Ya just never know what will happen ;

Nice additions to your stash Mark! That Airfix zoo is too much! Well I've been wanting this kit since I first stumbled across it awhile back. Not one, but two British Airborne jeeps!!! This one will be a soon project. probably early '26

Something I acquired on this past Saturday at AMPS. No money was paid, it was a giveaway from a guy thinning his stash, so I can honestly say, "Honey, I didnt buy anything at model club" 😉 It's two BA-20 kits that the previous owner was giving away. I've been wanting to add some Soviet armored cars to my collection, and being something of a modeling masochist, these just might be fun. Even had enough AM resin wheels for both kits! Looking at the sprues, they remind me of the old Italeri/Zvezda BT-5 or Alan/Dragon Su-76 that I've previously built. At least they will fill a gap in my collection, of pretty much all WWII Soviet War Wheels types.

Awhile back I had won a gift certificate to Brookhurst Hobbies in CA. On Labor Day Weekend I placed my order and it arrived late last week. The Mig looks absolutely gorgeous, and I am curious to try out the Revell Aqua paint.

Yeah, my favorite easy use primer so far is Mig Ammo One Shot, from what I've read, supposedly the same as the Badger stuff. But its availability is hit or miss at the local shops... But for something like styrene figures this stuff will do nicely

Kev, the AK primer is ok. Not fantastic, but easy to use. I picked up the white mainly to put over AK black primer from above for use on figures using a method that I saw Nightshade using in a video of his.

So this is my latest completion, Tamiya's 1/48 HMMWV M1025 armament carrier. I built it OOB and added a .010" music wire antenna. Paints are AK Real Colors and weathering is AK pigments. A really great kit for recharging your modeling mojo batteries Thanks for looking... comments and critiques are welcome

My birthday gift from me to me this year, picked up at work today.

So which one of these new scores is gonna be on your work bench soonest Mark? 🤔 Within the past week I have picked up these items...

Thans Kevin! Im happy with the final build. It's no contest model, but looks good enough on my shelf.

Instead of making us look up each product if we dont know the item number, why not also provide the item name/description?

This is the Tamiya 1/35 Komatsu LAV that I built for the annual So.Cal.AMPS 12 Hour Challenge. As many of you know from past years, you know the parameters are: each entrant selects three kit choices and submits them to the group of fellow entrants for voting as to selection. The entrant then builds the kit selected by the others in three separate four hour sessions that are done during Zoom meetings. I built this kit OOB aside from adding an AM antenna Instead of the typical JGSDF Brown and Green camo, this kit comes with the markings and colors worn by the JGSDF contingent in Iraq during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom Anyways, this kit is a gem to build and quite troublefree. I used all the Tamiya recommendation for paints aside from a few Vallejo or AK 3 Gen. for detail colors as needed. Wreathing was done with pigments and some airbrush work Thanks for looking… comments and critiques are welcome…

Well she's not in the right pose for Cheech and Donna 🤔 Very nice work on your Aztec Princess figureI must say 👍🏼😉

Thanks for the kid comments guys! Gil, this is my 4th Otaki base kit that I've built so far, and Id put it as one of their better efforts, at least among those four. I have at least that many more to go in my stash, so only time will tell in the end on that. 😉 Paul, those photos are great! Thanks for them! I've seen P-51s at a few air shows, but unfortunately never got the chance to see this particular one.

So I was able to finish this up yesterday, AMT's boxing of the Otaki 70's vintage 1/48 P-51D. My original plan to use some Draw Decals markings for a Mustang features in "Empire of the Sun" was scuttled when the Draw Decals malfunctioned on me. So I used some Super Scale Decals from my stash combined with the Draw Decals personal markings. Aside from adding a decal IP and seat harness in the cockpit and replacing the kit's 1000 lb bombs with some 500 lb bombs from my spares bin, this kit was built OOB. I used primarily AK Real Colors and Tamiya lacquers for the main colors, with Humbrol and Model Master rounding out most of the rest. This was a pretty much trouble free build with only a bit of filler needed at the wing roots and on the bottom of the fuselage in the radiator area. The actual aircraft used in the movie... and my build with the mixed decals.... Thanks for looking... comments and critiques are welcome 😉

This kit was modified from what came in the box as Italeri had modeled this after a prototype developmental vehicle. I added or altered many details, replaced kit tires with some resin one from TAC Scale Dynamics, added an AK camo net and stowage from various sources, and some Miniart crew figures. I actually finished the build of this back in late December, but waited until I had the crew figures completed before doing the proper all angle views... And now that the crew figures are completed, I can post the all angle view photos. These Miniart figures are excellent for injection plastic, and really enhance any kit that they are added to. and of course, my 1/35 LAV family photo, these have been built over the past 35 years... Comments and critiques are welcome

!!!????24 Hour challenge!!!??? Wow!!! 🫡 That is incredible that you pulled this off in this timespan! Salute!

Mark & Gil, thank you! One of these days Mark I’ll try to get up to your monthly output in one of my calendar years 😉 Gil, I'm working on that figure painting thing. Trying to find what works for me in that respect. Figures do certainly improve most any build if they’re done right.

This year started out very productive, but then I went back to work part time in March after 4 years of retirement, which morphed into full time after Memorial Day... and that seriously cut into my available bench time and productivity. Anyways, here are my completed builds from 2024. First up, a 1/35 Model 1897 75mm Field Gun (mod 1938), the classic "French 75" by IBG. A really nifty kit that I highly recommend if you ever get a chance to buy one next completion was this 1/35 Testors-Italeri Marder III H, a rescue from my shelf of doom, where it had languished for many years. my next finish was another long term shelf of doom rescue, the 1/48 ICM Spitfire Mk.VII HF next up was this Italeri 1/35 Panther A then I completed this Hobbyboss 1/35 Land Rover RSOV, a true gem of a kit. This one was built for a 12 hour online speed build in three separate 4 hour sessions. my next finish was this Otaki-ARII 1/48 Ki-43b then I had a long dry spell before I was able to finish another kit, this Academy 1/35 M981 FISTV... and to close out my year of completions, I finished up this Italeri 1/35 LAV-AD... the vehicle is done, but I am still working on some Miniart crew figures for this... in addition to these builds I did an overhaul of my old Dragon M26A1 Pershing on to 2025!

So I finally finished up with the figures on Christmas Day and took the multi angle photos on Thursday… and with the rest of my 1/35 M113 family Thanks for looking, comments and critiques are welcome 😉

Christian, thank you for looking in and your kind feedback!

Ok, I’m calling this one done. I still need to finish up the crew figures, but the track itself is done I’ll get some full multi angle views up in a day or two

Today I finished up painting the tracks and got a pin wash applied on the upper surfaces… I just need to do final weathering and add the antenna tie down cords

Good deal Mark! I’m getting to know the crew there and your stuff is in good hands.