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Maddog Manufacturing 2018 Production Line


Mark Deliduka

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It has been a very rough week and a half lately but I still managed to get a few short sessions in my hobby room to make some progress. I didn't get nearly as far as I'd have liked, but I'm happy to have moved forward. That is the reason for this short update.

I'll start with the one aircraft I managed to improve.

After shooting the dark blue over the top of my Japanese F-2, I masked it off with the Silly Putty:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_X.jpg

Then I re-shot the Intermediate Blue along the edges:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XI.jpg

After that dried, I removed the Silly Putty and then shot a gloss coat over it so it would be ready for decals:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XII.jpg

 

Since I had the airbrush out, I also shot a bunch of colors on more armor.

First off, I got a basecoat on the two British Airfield vehicles:

The Tilly first:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_VIII.jpg

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_IX.jpg

Then the Bedford fuel truck:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_X.jpg

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XI.jpg

I also got the windows on the Russian truck masked so I could re-paint the cab roof since it got scuffed up when I put it on:

WIP_Russian_ZIS_5V_Truck_XII.jpg

You can see I also added the wheels and headlights and painted them up.

Next up, since my German MAN truck was already painted black, I masked off the black I wanted to keep with more Silly Putty:

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XI.jpg

Next step: shooting the brown color....

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XII.jpg

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XIII.jpg

Once that was all dry, I removed the Silly Putty to see how it looked. I'm very pleased:

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XIV.jpg

The cab is still loosely dry-fit; after all, I have to repaint the interior and then add the glazing to the windows.

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XV.jpg

Here it is sitting on the chassis:

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XVI.jpg

Since I was doing all that to this truck, I also completed all these steps with the German M-109. First the Silly Putty over the black:

WIP_German_M109_XXII.jpg

Next the brown color over the exposed areas:

WIP_German_M109_XXIII.jpg

WIP_German_M109_XXIV.jpg

And later removal of all the Silly Putty:

WIP_German_M109_XXV.jpg

WIP_German_M109_XXVI.jpg

Now I need to find the missing decals.... or use some alternates from my backup stash.


Finally, I painted the seat and interior of the Vauxhall ambulance:

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_IX.jpg

Afterward, I temporarily added the cargo bay and shot the whole thing with gloss to prepare it for decals:

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_X.jpg

Now I have at least eight or nine models ready for decals. Once I get the time and energy, I'll make an attempt to roll some of these eight or nine over the finish line.

Until then, thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Looking like you have some winners there Duke!

Keep it up.  I wish I could get something finished already (close but no cigar).

Bill

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Okay, now I finally have a bit of time to get some progress posted. It's been Decal Week at Maddog Manufacturing, as it's been too hot to shoot paint.

Here's my aircraft first...

I pulled out the decals for the Boeing 737 and got two thirds of them on. I had a lot of issues, especially since they were so delicate and broke quite a bit, despite my coating them with a couple coats of Liquid Decal Film. You can see where some parts shattered and the seams where they broke. Hey, they are ancient Aurora decals so I went into this with expectations that this would happen. Still, I tried to get these as close to perfect as possible, but I'm gonna have to settle for this as it is. Later I'll try to touch these up with paint:

WIP_Boeing_737_XVa.jpg

Later I'll get the other side on when I have finished shooting another gloss coat on this to seal these in.

Moving on, I got the decals on my two Italian aircraft. The F-16 was the easiest:

WIP_Italian_Falcon_XIV.jpg

Then I got the decals on the Italian Harrier:

WIP_Italian_Harrier_XX.jpg

Now I got my two Italian aircraft approaching the finish line....

WIP_Italian_Jets_I.jpg

Next up were a couple helicopters I added decals to. This first helicopter had a total of six (6!) decals just on the nose. These were the first three that I added:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XVIII.jpg

You can see where I had to punch the guns through the bottom one. The next two decals then went on over these:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XIX.jpg

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XX.jpg

Finally, the last decal was added to the top of the nose:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XXI.jpg

I went on to complete the decals for this helicopter, but apparently forgot to take the pics of the fully decaled bird. Next update.....

The second helicopter is my EH-101 Merlin that I finally added the interior decals to. There were a lot and I like how they look. First is the seatbelts and center console on the cockpit:

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIIa.jpg

Then I added the main instrument panel to the front. It was tough getting it in there, but I succeeded:

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIIb.jpg

Next up was the anti-submarine operator's panels and the seatbelts for their chairs as well as the passenger chairs:

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIIc.jpg

Finally, here's an overhead shot of the whole interior:

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIId.jpg

Now I've already added the windows to the fuselage halves and now I can close this up inside. Yes, I will leave some of the doors open to show some of this incredible interior.


Moving on to my armor, I managed to get some brush painting done on my RAF Airfield vehicles. It was easier to brush paint the darker camo pattern on these instead of masking and spraying.

First the Tilly:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XII.jpg

Then the Bedford tanker:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XIII.jpg


On the rest of my vehicles I got all of the decals done. I now have at least three armor/vehicle models approaching the finish line.

First off, I got the decals on my German M-109. They aren't accurate as I had to steal them from an old decal sheet from an M-113 APC model I'd built a couple decades ago. I'd lost the decal sheet to this model and; instead of trying to contact Revell of Germany during their transition, or search forever trying to find them, I just moved on as best I could. I'm so tired of being delayed by such crappy, avoidable setbacks!

Here it is looking acceptable enough:

WIP_German_M109_XXVII.jpg

Next I added the decals to the German MAN truck. They only went on the front and back:

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XVII.jpg

I already fixed that decal that silvered....

Finally the British Vauxhall ambulance got all the decals applied to this model:

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XI.jpg

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XII.jpg

That is now ready for the final detail parts and painting do be done. I might even have a few of these ready for Phoenix!

That's as far as I got so far this week. Next week might be a non-working week as I'll be heading out to the San Diego Comicon for almost all next week. I'm so glad it's all been paid for already! After I get back from that, I will try to dedicate some time to finishing off all these that are so close to being done.


Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Well, it has been quite some time since I've had the chance to update this, much less build anything. With Comicon and the IPMS Nationals as well as other issues, I barely had any time to do anything until recently. When I finally got some time, I went full bore to try and finally finish all these models that were inches from being done.

Here is that update now. I'll start with the aircraft, or rather, my helicopters.

This is my Marine AH-1G that I've been trying to finish. When I picked it up to put the final parts on (weapons load) everything started to fall apart once again! See here:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XXVI.jpg

What you don't see is one of the skids also came off, but I'd already glued it back on. Then all these parts came off as I was putting the last weapon pod on. The main rotor broke and the main disk that holds it to the fuselage disappeared. So, I used an old T-34 idler wheel to replace it. It was the right size and so I sanded the bevel into it before drilling it out. Here it is partially sanded, showing the bevel I was adding:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XXVIa.jpg

Here is the beveled hole it is supposed to go into:

WIP_Helicopter_SPAM_GB_XXVIb.jpg

Needless to say, I got it repaired, added all the weapons pods to this and now it is finished.


I also fixed the ruined skid on the British Gazelle but didn't get pics. It is now finished as well.

One other helicopter I worked on was my EH-101 Merlin. I finally added all the bits and bobs that I could that would not break off during handling (if I'm careful!). This bird is now ready for paint once I mask off all the windows and canopy:

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIIh.jpg

WIP_Royal_Navy_EH-101_Merlin_VIIg.jpg

 

Moving along, I painted the interior of the Italian Falcon's wheel wells and prepared the wings for the weapons pylons:

WIP_Italian_Falcon_XV.jpg

Later I added the landing gear and let it dry:

WIP_Italian_Falcon_XVI.jpg

Then I added the pylons:

WIP_Italian_Falcon_XVII.jpg

Finally, I added the wheels to the landing gear:

WIP_Italian_Falcon_XVIII.jpg

Finally, I added the ordinance and when it was dry, I moved this to the finished shelf.

I had also added the ordinance to the Italian Harrier and it is sitting on the shelf next to the Falcon.

Finally, I managed to get more done on the two F-14 Tomcats I was working on for a review. I started by removing all the Silly Putty from the wheel wells of both aircraft. I'm only showing one aircraft here:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_SPAM_Review_XXX.jpg

Next I added the landing gear and wheels:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_SPAM_Review_XXXI.jpg

On the F-14B I also added the weapons pylons and targeting pod on the underside along with the landing gear:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_SPAM_Review_XXXII.jpg

Later I added the landing gear doors to both of these and set everything aside to dry while I went to work on the ordinance. As mentioned, these did not come in the kit but the instructions mentioned using their aftermarket weapons sets. I pulled out two sets I had, one air-to-air, one air-to ground. I started on the air-to-air weapons first:

The Sparrows and Sidewinders:
WIP_F-14_Tomcats_Weapons_SPAM_Review_II.

The Phoenixes:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_Weapons_SPAM_Review_I.j

After painting them up. I had a full weapons load out for the F-14A:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_Weapons_SPAM_Review_III

I had also pulled out the air-to-ground ordinance and chose four Mk 84 2000lb bombs for the F-14B. After painting them up, I had my load out ready:

WIP_F-14_Tomcats_Weapons_SPAM_Review_IV.

Once these all went on the Tomcats, I was able to declare them finished.

 

 

Now stay tuned for part II showing my armor progress...
 

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Continued from above:

 

Moving along to my armor, I was able to get four of them done. This is the progress I was able to show on three of them. The fourth one was so close all I had to do was touch up and weather it, so I didn't shoot pics of it in progress.

I'll start with my German MAN truck. I installed the wheels on this. I had also removed the window masking early so it went back on so I could shoot the dullcoat on it:

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XX.jpg

WIP_German_MAN_5-ton_Truck_XXI.jpg

Later, I dullcoated this and then weathered it. I was finally able to call this one done.

Moving on, I also added the outer road wheels to the German M-109:

WIP_German_M109_XXXI.jpg

WIP_German_M109_XXXII.jpg

I had then added a couple extra missing parts to this:

WIP_German_M109_XXXIII.jpg

WIP_German_M109_XXXIV.jpg

After this, I dullcoated this and added the tools and tow cables before weathering it. Now it sits on my shelves.


Next up, I worked some more on my British Churchill since it has been giving me problems. The bar broke out again so I had to reinstall it with a more reinforced box. Here it is all roughed out so far:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XIX.jp

Since this kept popping out of the track, I decided it was time to add some slots to the base of this track:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXa.jp

Later, I refined the box and got it ready to put back on the model:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXb.jp

Now it is installed with a plate underneath which keeps it inside the track and allows it to move properly:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXc.jp

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXd.jp

Now to move on and get this finished....

Finally, I was able to finish my British Vauxhall Ambulance. First I added the wheels and other additional parts I forgot earlier:

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XVII.jpg

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XVIII.jpg

Next I painted the details and newest parts and then dullcoated this:

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XIX.jpg

WIP_British_Vauxhall_Ambulance_XX.jpg

Now for the great Mystery of Life: I have no idea why those decals remain silvered. I punctured them with a brand new Exacto blade, added a half gallon of Micro Sol and let it dry. When that didn't work, I punctured them again and used a half gallon of Solvaset this time. They are still silvered for some unknown reason. I'm stumped....


Anyway, that Ambulance is also sitting on my finished shelf.

There you have it, my modeling work from the last week and a half. My final progress that allowed me to finish another ten models this past week. Feel free to check them out in their respective sub-forums. Meanwhile, thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Here's another two-part update.

Okay, all this past week and a half, I've been dealing with the extreme pain of a pinched nerve in my back between my shoulder blades. It has all but incapacitated me; making my left arm numb and making it uncomfortable for me to sit; lying down is painful, and driving extremely dangerous due to not being able to turn my head to the left. Not to mention the heavy doses of pain meds I'm taking just to get through a day. I have been seeing a Dr. and  chiropractor to get this fixed and it's helping a little, but I really messed myself up! That being said, amazingly enough I am able to work on models without too much discomfort; in fact the combination of meds and modeling almost lets me forget I have this pain... till I try to turn my head again. So I've been spending a lot of time on the bench when I'm not sleeping or watching movies. Here is the result of this past week's work. Let's go to my Hobby Room.

Sylvester was standing guard as I worked all this week:

Standing_Guard_I.jpg

To start with, I wanted something fast, easy and uncomplicated to get myself back into this since this pain started. That's when I noticed this truck from my Mystery Box haul:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_I.jpg

It is the Revell snap together truck we used to get for the Make-n-Takes at the Fullerton Airport. The first thing I did when I pulled everything out of the bag was to paint the console LED screen and then dry-brush the rest of the console to bring out the detail:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_II.jpg

Five minutes of blissful building later, I had this:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_III.jpg

You can see I even did a black wash in certain areas where the detail was recessed enough, and I lightly dry-brushed the front of the grill in chrome to bring out the grid pattern. Sylvester took a break from guarding the door to check out my work. He also approves:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_IV.jpg

No I didn't paint the body first. I did polish it afterward though. You'll notice that there is no left hand rear view mirror. That's because this kit only came with two right side mirrors. What do do....

I took and cut off the post on one of the right side mirrors and re-shaped it slightly to fit on the left side:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_V.jpg

After gluing it back together,  put it on. It isn't an exact match to the right side, but it does pass muster for me:

WIP_Snap-Tite_Truck_VI.jpg

I debated chroming the "Ford" logo on the front grill and back tailgate. I might still do that.


Now that I got all warmed up, it was time for some serious modeling....

Even though I was starting to get more serious, I still wanted something simple and easy. So, I pulled out this Italeri Train station I'd gotten some time back and got it all basically assembled:

WIP_Italeri_Train_Station_I.jpg

There's still a lot of detail parts to add to this but the basic structure is done. This kit even comes with clear plastic for the windows.

Now it was time to move forward on some models that had been sitting for awhile. As I was re-arranging things from my marathon finishing session, I found this ancient MPC Mi-24 Hind I started some years back. I was going to make it Nigerian. So, I pulled it out and added all the extra detail parts to this  that I could so it would be ready for paint:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_I.jpg

The canopy got messed up from some paint and other substance spilling on it so I need to find another Hind model to nick a canopy from. Until then, I might just mask the open cockpit and still paint his anyway.

Moving along, I also worked on a British Type 42 destroyer that had been sitting for far too long. I finally added all the extra bits and bobs that I could:

WIP_HMS_Daring_VII.jpg

WIP_HMS_Daring_VIII.jpg

After all that, I noticed that the main superstructure; when glued on, had a noticeable overhang on one side, and a slight one on the other side. I very carefully sanded this down smooth and added some acrylic putty to the seam:

WIP_HMS_Daring_IX.jpg

WIP_HMS_Daring_X.jpg

Some time later after I got all the detail painting and touch ups done, this is ready for clearcoat and decals:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XI.jpg

WIP_HMS_Daring_XII.jpg

This next model is a commission build for a friend on another Forums. He sent me a Cyber Hobby 1/72 scale F-6 Hellcat and wants me to build this with the wings folded. I started with the cockpit first, naturally:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_I.jpg

There are still some side walls to add to this but only after painting. Next I assembled the engine and mount. There is quiet a bit of detail in here:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_II.jpg

Finally, since he wants this to be the night fighter version; I assembled the three parts for the radar dome:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_III.jpg

 

That's the first half. Continued in Part II below....

 

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Continued from Part I above...

 

Moving along from here to my armor, I got a considerable amount of progress done. In the vein of trying to move existing projects along, I added the decals to the RAF Vehicle set. First the Tilly:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XIV.jpg

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XV.jpg

Then the Bedford Tanker:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XVI.jpg

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XVII.jpg

Next I added the decals to the Churchill bridgelayer:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXI.jp

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXII.j

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXIII.

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXIV.j

Later, after I dullcoated this, I pulled the bride portion off and started to weather it. I used Tamiya weathering powders of mud, sand and light sand to spread across the top of the bridge with a wet brush. I got this result:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXV.jp

It's still a bit wet. Once it dries, I'll be wiping off a lot of that to represent dirt removed from vehicles passing over it. Then I'll dry brush this with steel afterward.

 

Now for the armor models I started.

This is the Soviet SG-122 I got in Phoenix. I figured it was a simple enough kit to build. I forgot it was Military Wheels! It was a bit of a challenge to say the least. I started with the assembly of the lower hull. Good start:

WIP_Soviet_SG-122_I.jpg

Then I added the upper hull and rear engine grills to this:

WIP_Soviet_SG-122_II.jpg

Still not too bad, despite poor instructions and very vague attachment indicators.

then I tried the upper casemate. That's when it got rough with me. After awhile, I beat this into submission:

WIP_Soviet_SG-122_III.jpg

Moving along, I decided I needed another easy model to work on. So why not two? I pulled out the Dragon Humvee twin set with the cargo truck and the steel-plated gun truck. I started on the upper interior first, then moved on to the chassis:

WIP_HUMVEES_I.jpg

Once they were done, I assembled the second one. Here they are together:

WIP_HUMVEES_II.jpg

The next assemblies is where the similarities on these diverge and so require different assembly steps.

Finally, I decided to build my Roden WWI gun, thinking it would be fairly simple. After all, it is only a gun right? But it's a Roden gun so it gave me a fight.

I started with the main carriage, getting most of the basic pieces on:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_I.jpg

I then moved on and built the barrel:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_III.jpg

While that was drying, I assembled the gun trailer. I forget what it's called... it'll come to me:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_II.jpg

I then went back and added the gun trunnions and recoil track to the main carriage:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_IV.jpg

After that, I went to go look at the wheels. Oh joy! This kit gives one some vinyl tread plate for the main gun wheels! It's a Roden kit:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_V.jpg

So, I pulled out my trusty Tire Glue to add this track to the wheels:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_VI.jpg

The best way to do this was to glue half of it to the wheels, then wrap it around the rest of the way when the first half was dry:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_VII.jpg

Man, what a pain! While they were drying, I tried to add more detail parts to the main gun carriage and trunnions. Notice the ling thin piece number 16E and where it is supposed to go. Now notice the piece 16E I added to the gun. Notice how it is far to long:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_VIII.jpg

It's a Roden kit.

Piece 16E did not make it onto this model.


Getting back to the wheels, you'll notice that the vinyl parts do not stretch all the way around. They stop just short:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_X.jpg
 
It's a Roden kit.

I'll figure something out later about what to do with that. Meanwhile, I added the wheels to this to see how it looks so far:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_XI.jpg

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_XII.jpg

Not bad, despite the ill-fitting parts and the crappy vinyl parts. Here it is with it hooked up to the trailer:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_XIII.jpg

This beastie will be hand painted... too many easily broken details all over this to mask and spray.

And for fun, I hooked that up to the FWD 3-ton ammunition carrier that would normally have pulled this in the war:

WIP_WWI_Howitzer_XIV.jpg

Well that completes my update for this week. Thanks all for looking in. Comments are welcome.

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Here's another small update showing my latest work from the past three or four days now. Thank God for this great Hobby keeping me distracted through my ordeal!

I'll start with the Churchill bridgelayer tank. I finished the weathering on the bridging section now. It's kind of hard to see well here but I'm happy with the result:

WIP_British_Churchill_Bridgelayer_XXVI.j

That tank is now finished, so I moved on.

I found another Shelf Queen when rummaging around the Hobby Room. This is a little ACE kit of a Japanese Kurogane pickup truck that I'd started a couple years ago and then stopped because I thought a vital piece was missing. Another Shelf Queen that was shelved due to missing parts....

Turns out, I was mis-reading the instruction sheet and the 'missing' part had been there the whole time. So, I went back to work on it. I started out by finishing the chassis and suspension:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_I.jpg

That was fairly easy, although getting the axles to line up was a bit tough.

Next I moved on to the cab. Not too bad:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_II.jpg

I then built the bed and then test fit the parts of the cab to see how it would fit since early ACE kits are notorious for poor fit. This one is no exception. In fact, it is even worse than many ACE kits I've done before:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_III.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_IV.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_V.jpg

Yeah, that's gonna take a lot of work. But I want this Shelf Queen finished so I painted the interior to prepare for the eventual fight to close this up:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_VI.jpg

I still need to touch up a few things inside and then add the windows and then I'll be able to move on.

Since I had already completed the other two vehicles in my RAF Support Vehicles set, I completed the last one here. This is the little motorcycle that came in the set. Yes, I did have to build it; there were three pieces to assemble after all:

WIP_RAF_Airfield_Set_XVIII.jpg

After some touch up painting here, I was able to call that one done.

Next, I worked on the F-6 Hellcat commission build. I got the instrument panel painted up using a lightened flat black for the panel itself, then I painted the dials with a Metallic black to simulate glass covered dials:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_VI.jpg

I then painted up the entire cockpit and installed the instrument panel:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_VII.jpg

WIP_Bruce_Comission_VIII.jpg

This kit came with photo-etch seatbelts that I'll need to paint and install next. I then assembled the wings; using the linkages for folded ones:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_X.jpg

Afterward I assembled the center section that attaches to the fuselage. Here it is with the assembled wings:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XI.jpg

You'll note that one linkage is white; while test fitting the wings to the center section I broke one off which then disappeared. Strip styrene to the rescue!

Here is one of the wings test fit in place. It does look good:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XII.jpg

Finally, I can't post an update without showing the engine. I got it all painted up and ready to install. I also ran it for a bit to test it and it purrs like a kitten. LOL! The pics don't do it justice here:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XIII.jpg

 

Finally, the Maddog Manufacturing Shipyards laid down three more ships since I needed a break from aircraft and armor. This first one is the hull for a 1/700 scale Liberty ship, the USS Bootes:

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_I.jpg

In the next slipway over, we laid down the hull for a 1/700 scale WWII Japanese fleet oiler:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_I~0.jpg

Finally, in my larger slipway used for carriers and battleships, we laid down a new Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force aircraft carrier; or as they call it, an aircraft carrying through-deck escort cruiser. This is a review kit of the 1/700 scale DDH Izumo being reviewed on another Forums. The first part of the assembly involved assembling the hull. This kit gives you some strong bulkhead pieces to keep the hull in the proper shape. I also added the bow plate, the stern, and the side hanger deck elevator and door to make this hull complete:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_IV.jpg

The fit of this kit is exquisite! No seams at all; everything seemed to just 'snap' into place. A few extremely minor ridges occurred but that is easily fixed with a few swipes of the sanding stick:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_IVa.jpg

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_IVc.jpg

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_IVb.jpg

This is one exceptionally well engineered kit with incredible detail.

Following this, I added the flight deck to the hull. On the tops of the support bulkheads, there are nubs that need to remain; do not sand them off. They correspond with holes on the underside of the flight deck which keeps this piece perfectly lined up with the hull. I glued this in place and it had no seams or fit issues whatsoever:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_V.jpg

You can see here the excellent fit; I left a small bead of glue there to sand down later to eliminate any seam this might have. I didn't even need to clamp this:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_Va.jpg

Next up, I started the island superstructure. It has two sections that need to be assembled. Here are the two of them assembled and lined up. Again, exquisite fit with no issues to speak of:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_VI.jpg

Here she is with the island dry-fit to the deck. This was after about a half hours' work assembling this:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_VII.jpg

This is a much bigger ship than I imagined, considerably larger than their Osumi class of LST/through-deck destroyers. Just to show you, I shot a pic of the Izumo next to the hull of the Japanese fleet oiler to show you the massive size of this ship:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_VIII.jpg

 

And that completes this week's update so far. Today is Hobby Day so I'll be getting more done later on. Until then, thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.   

 

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Okay, here is another small update for this week. I managed to get this work done over the past three days.... in between meds-induced naps.

I'll start with my aircraft. For something different, I started my Israeli F-16I Sufa since I've been wanting that in my collection for awhile.

Of course, I started with the cockpit. It was fairly un-detailed, but I'll have decal instrument panels and pilots inside so....

WIP_Israeli_F-16I_Sufa_I.jpg

Next I assembled the air intake:

WIP_Israeli_F-16I_Sufa_II.jpg

Once that was dry, I installed it on the lower fuselage:

WIP_Israeli_F-16I_Sufa_III.jpg

While looking for more sub-assemblies to do, I found the dorsal hump and built that. There are still a few detail parts to add to this though before it is done:

WIP_Israeli_F-16I_Sufa_IV.jpg

Here it is dry-fit to the upper fuselage for now:

WIP_Israeli_F-16I_Sufa_IV.jpg

That was as far as I went on that. Next I went to the commission build to get more done on it.

Starting out, I added the photo etch seat belts to the seat, starting with the lap belts first; then the shoulder belts:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XIV.jpg

You can see the shoulder belts are all over the place. I glued the top of them to the seat with Gator Grip Glue and waited till they dried. Once everything was dry, I took a semi-rounded rod and pressed them into the seat:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XV.jpg

They aren't laying the best, but in this scale, it's tough to see anyway. Once these dried further, I painted them up:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XVI.jpg

Once that was done, I finished the cockpit assembly...

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XVII.jpg

...and then installed it inside the fuselage:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XVIII.jpg

Finally, I assembled the tail wheel, added it to the fuselage half and closed everything up. Then I cemented the center wing section to the underside of this model and added the horizontal stabilizers. I also dry-fit the engine to the front to see how it fit:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XIX.jpg

Just for fun, I dry fit the wings and the cowl to this to see how it was coming along, as well as check the fit of all these parts:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XX.jpg

Looking over the model later; I decided to take my acrylic putty and fill in the small gaps on the ends of the wings that I couldn't glue shut, even with clamps:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXI.jpg

I also had a few very minor seams on the center wing section to fill:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXII.jpg

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXIII.jpg

Furthermore, while looking over the sprues, I encountered these parts and for the life of me I could not figure out how they fit on the model:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXIV.jpg

The instruction sheet was as clear as mud about the placement; if it was to be believed, the part on the right was supposed to be glued on one end with a very fragile join to the center wing section and the other end was supposed to swing in the wind as there was nothing to connect it to. I tried as much as I could to figure it out, even looking at reference pics but could not come up with a solution. Therefore, these parts were not added to the model. As they are in the underside, they wouldn't be well seen anyway. I don't know what else to do about it. Finally I moved on and assembled the center drop tank:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXIV.jpg

Now this model is ready to mask and paint.

 

I'll continue this post below with shots of my armor and ships progress...


 

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And continued from above....

 

Moving on to my armor, I added the glazing to the windows on the Japanese pickup truck:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_VII.jpg

Now I can fight this beast to get it together.

Next, I started the interior of the Humvee gun truck. I assembled the "basket" that goes in the bed:

WIP_HUMVEES_III.jpg

It fits well inside, as seen here where it is dry fit in place. The box in front of it fell over when I shifted this to shoot the pic:

WIP_HUMVEES_IV.jpg

Next I added the extra parts to the suspension and chassis. I then dry-fit the whole thing together to see how it fit:

WIP_HUMVEES_V.jpg

I added the same parts to the chassis of the troop carrying Humvee as well:

WIP_HUMVEES_VI.jpg

Now I have to find the 'tilt' for this so I can finish it.

Here are both of these Humvees almost ready for paint:

WIP_HUMVEES_VII.jpg

After this, I decided to start another model for a Group Build on the Missing Lynx forums. This is the PST ZIS-5 fire truck. I started with the simplified suspension:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_I.jpg

From there I moved on to assemble the cab, leaving the roof off so I can add the windows later and paint the interior:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_II.jpg

I set that aside to dry and assembled the water tank next:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_IV.jpg

Then I built the hose reel:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_III.jpg

Later I'll put all these together and get this painted.
 

Speaking of getting something ready for paint, I went back to my shipyards and finished adding all the superstructure and some additional bits and bobs to my Liberty ship to get it ready for paint. Here it is sans gantries and cranes; I'll add them later when there's less danger of breaking them off:

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_II.jpg

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_III.jpg

Furthermore, I also added the superstructure to my Japanese Fleet Oiler:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_II.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_III.jpg

I then moved on and added some additional deck pieces and the stack to complete this ship some more and have it ready for paint:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_IV.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_V.jpg

 

Well, that completes my small update for the past few days. Hopefully I'll get more done soon. Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Once again, here is a small update showing what I was able to get done over this past weekend. I tried this time to get further along on a couple models I'd been neglecting or having trouble with. I also started another ship since I seem to be all fired up to increase my naval forces some more. Building ships has become quite appealing to me lately.


I'll start with the one aircraft I worked on. This is the Australian HAP Tigre I'd started some time ago. I had base coated this in the green color and then started to mask it. I finally finished the masking on this helicopter:

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_VIII.jpg

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_X.jpg

Next I shot the second color on this:

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XI.jpg

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XII.jpg

There's a third color I need to add so I'll have to continue to mask the brown before I shoot the light black. Hopefully I'll be able to do that tomorrow. Then I'll be able to clearcoat this for decals.

 

Moving on to my armor this time, I finally managed to win the fight with the cab of the Kurogane pickup. This thing is together now:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_VIII.jpg

I then glued it into place on the chassis:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_X.jpg

Once that was dry to my satisfaction, I masked off the windows in preparation for paint:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XII.jpg

I then masked off the wheel posts on the underside so the wheels would glue better:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XIII.jpg

Finally, this has paint! I even tried to modulate the color a bit with some faded olive drab after I shot the basecoat. It is not all that visible in these pics, so you'll have to take my word for it:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XIV.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XV.jpg

The glob of Silly Putty on the roof panel is to cover the spot where the spare tire goes. I want it to be able to glue as well.

Moving on from that, I worked on my two Humvees since I wanted to do something easy after all that fight with the Japanese pickup. To start, I masked off the areas that I didn't want paint on:

WIP_HUMVEES_VIII.jpg

I had to mask off the inside of the cabs as well to keep the windows clear. After that I dry-fit the cabs onto their respective chassis to see how things fit:

WIP_HUMVEES_IX.jpg

You can see that I masked off the sides of this one with the Silly Putty. That is where the photo-etch armor pieces will go, so I wanted to make sure they would glue well:

WIP_HUMVEES_X.jpg

Speaking of armor plate; I sprayed them in the rusty brown color I'm seeing in the box art pics:

WIP_HUMVEES_XIII.jpg

Now these two Humvees have basecoats:

WIP_HUMVEES_XI.jpg

WIP_HUMVEES_XII.jpg

WIP_HUMVEES_XIV.jpg

WIP_HUMVEES_XV.jpg

You can see I haven't shot paint on the top side of the cabs. I had these taped upside down to shoot the paint so they wouldn't get blown away by the airbrush. I should have no problem shooting more paint later. The troop carrier with the tilt will be painted a three-tone NATO pattern while the gun truck will be only in green.

 

Moving on to my shipyards, I started out by shooting the photo-etch parts for the HMS Daring destroyer:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XIII.jpg

There's only a few of those parts I'll use.

Next, I painted the hull and deck of the USS Bootes Liberty ship after adding most of the little greeblies it needs:

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_IV.jpg

Later I did the same with the Japanese fleet oiler:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_VI.jpg

Both of these ships have been clearcoated for decals.


Finally, my shipyards laid down the keel of yet another ship. This is one I'd been wanting to build for awhile, so I pulled it out and started it. This is the USS Sacramento an AOE unrep ship. I started of course, by adding the deck to the main hull:

WIP_USS_Sacramento__AOE2CI.jpg

Next I built the main superstructure which stretches almost the entire length of the ship:

WIP_USS_Sacramento__AOE2CII.jpg

There's a disturbing number of holes on the top of that superstructure....

Here's how it looks all dry-fit together:

WIP_USS_Sacramento__AOE2CIII.jpg

I also test fit the lower hull to see if I wanted to make this a full-hulled version. I was surprised at the deep draft of this ship:

WIP_USS_Sacramento__AOE2CIV.jpg


That's all I have for this weekend. I'll see what else I can get done this coming week. Until then, comments are welcome, thanks for looking in.

 

 

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Nice strides made for just a couple of days....Do you have trouble with the masking putty when you handle it? I've been able to get it into place, but then have it flatten out or shift due to handling while painting a second or third color. Makes it nearly useless for getting a "soft" line...

 

GIL :cool:

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Thanks Gil! I've had some occasional trouble with the putty but nothing that isn't easily fixable. Yeah, it is tough getting a soft line with it. I tend to go with solid hard lines on my camo since in 1/72 scale it is more accurate looking. It is a challenge sometimes to get just the right amount of thickness that will keep it from shifting, yet will still stick to the model, After all this time using it extensively, I think I'm getting pretty good at it so far.

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Okay, I had some time to spare for a couple days so I spent a lot of time in my Hobby Room trying to get several models moved forward. Now that my camera battery is dead, I'll go ahead and upload what I have so far this weekend. I'll start with some of my aircraft first.

I had shot a grey underside on my Nigerian Hind, and then masked it off in preparation for the upper camouflage pattern:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_II.jpg

Speaking of upper camouflage patterns, I shot the final color on the Australian Tigre and then removed all the Silly Putty:

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XIII.jpg

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XIV.jpg

Moving on, I had finally shot paint on the F-6F Hellcat I'm building on commission. I had shot the whole thing in dark navy blue.

Fuselage:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXVIII.jpg

Wings:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXVIIIa.jpg

Afterward as you can see, I added the night fighting radar to the one wing since I'd forgotten to do it before painting.

Cowl and drop tank:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXVIIIb.jpg

Cowl needs touchup, that'll happen...

Next, I decided to attempt to glue in those parts B-7 through -10 that I couldn't figure out before. A pretty good idea struck me as to how I could get them to glue properly. After gluing the two parts together, I took the retracted landing gear parts and snapped them into place. Then I carefully glued the parts B-7 through -10 in place; lining them up with the 'retracted' landing gear:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXIX.jpg

Later, when I snapped off the retracted gear parts, the two sections stayed in place where they are supposed to go:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXI.jpg

Here's another shot of the wing that got the radar pod:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXX.jpg

After getting more information about the interior section of the wing fold being dark blue like the rest of the plane; I shot a new coat of blue on the bare sections, as well as touched up other places. Here's the cowl:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXII.jpg

Here's the wings:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIII.jpg

As you can see, whoever mentioned the long gun barrels being prone to breakage cursed me! Gonna have to replace these as I lost the one completely.

The wheels, struts and landing gear doors were next:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIIa.jpg

And finally, the fuselage top and bottom:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIIIb.jpg

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIIIa.jpg

Some of that paint got a little dull so I'll have to go over it again. Then hopefully I'll be able to apply the decals.

 


Moving on from there, I decided to do something simple and almost mindless. I had two buildings waiting for paint so it was time to get that done. First I masked the windows (and the hole in the roof) from inside on both the train station and the Berlin House:

WIP_Italeri_Train_Station_II.jpg

WIP_Berlin_House_V.jpg

Yeah, in that second pic, you can see the Federal Disaster Area that is my workbench right now.

Next I shot the basecoat on the train station:

WIP_Italeri_Train_Station_III.jpg

I used the same color for the upper story of the Berlin House as well:

WIP_Berlin_House_VI.jpg

I then used an RAF Ocean Grey for the bottom story as a base coat:

WIP_Berlin_House_VII.jpg

Later I used a medium grey to dry-brush the bricks on the lower story, as well as paint the top section around the roof:

WIP_Berlin_House_VIII.jpg

This is looking quite nice already if I do say so myself. Now where is that church I also have.....

Okay, that's all I have for this short update. Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

 

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Here's another large update showing all the work I got done in my Hobby Room since Monday. This is a long one so I'll be breaking this update into three posts on these Forums. My aircraft will be in the first one, then my armor/vehicles in the second one, and ships will be in the final one.


Without further ado, let's start our tour of the hanger....

I started with the Japanese F-2A since it was so close to being done. I applied all the decals to this first:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XIV.jpg

After they dried, I shot a dullcoat to seal them, once I finished adding Solvaset to them to remove the silvering. I seem to have a lot of problems with silvering lately for some odd reason; despite my use of clear glosscoats....

After that, I added the landing gear and gear doors, along with the wing pylons:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XV.jpg

Later, I painted the interior of the wheel wells white, along with the landing gear. I also painted the exterior of the doors and the pylons in Intermediate Blue to match the underside:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XVI.jpg

Finally, I added the main wheels to the landing gear and added the missiles to the wingtips. Later I might add more ordinance to the underside of this aircraft but for now, I'm happy to leave it as is:

WIP_Japanese_F-2A_XVII.jpg


That's one down.....


Next, I pulled out my Nigerian Mi-24 Hind that I've been attempting to pull off the shelf of shame. Previously, this helicopter was shot with grey on the underside and then the windows and underside were masked to get this ready for paint. So, out came the airbrush and the first base color was painted on:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_III.jpg

Once that dried, I applied the first layer of Silly Putty to cover the medium green and get this ready for the second color:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_IV.jpg

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_V.jpg

After that, I shot the pale green on this:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_VI.jpg

It's kinda hard to see the difference here in this light, but I assure you it is a different color.

Next I extended the Silly Putty mask to cover the pale green:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_VII.jpg

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_VIII.jpg

The next color was Sand that was sprayed on:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_IX.jpg

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_X.jpg

Now all three colors were finished. after it all dried, it was time to remove all that masking...

Here's the final result:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_XI.jpg

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_XII.jpg

Pretty impressive scheme if I do say so myself. I like these unique camouflage patterns.

Okay, that completes my aircraft update, now it's time to check out the motor pool and shipyards in the next post.

Part I complete, on to Part II...

 

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Now for Part II.

Let's now take a tour of the motor pool to see the latest progress I got done on my vehicles I've been working on. I'll start with the little Japanese Kurogane pickup truck. The fight with this little beastie is almost over. I got the wheels all installed on it and now it is ready for touch up painting and weathering:

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XVI.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Kurogane_Pickup_XVII.jpg


And that's another one down....

Next I started work on the two Humvees. To start with, I pulled the wheels out of the bag to paint. I wondered how I was going to do this since they were packed all loose in a baggie. Finally, I hit upon an idea: I taped a large paint brush handle to make it thick enough to hold these tires and then slipped them on:

WIP_HUMVEES_XVIa.jpg

Painting was a snap after that:

WIP_HUMVEES_XVIb.jpg

Later I wondered why I painted them in the first place but you'll see why later on...

While I waited for them to dry, I added the photo-etch to the two Humvees, starting with the bench grid on the troop carrier:

WIP_HUMVEES_XVII.jpg

Then I added the armor plate to the gun truck:

WIP_HUMVEES_XVIII.jpg

I then painted the bench grid in the troop carrier before adding the canvas tilt:

WIP_HUMVEES_XX.jpg

Finally, the wheels were dry enough so I could install them on the hubs. The problem was that the ridge used to hold the tires on the hubs was far too big to get the tires around them. They were too big to push on through the tires. So, I had to sand down all eight of the interior ridges to make these tires fit over them. The sanded one is to the right:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXa.jpg

Now you can see what I was talking about.

Finally, I added all the tires to the hubs. Here is the first four that I did. You can see what I meant about painting them first; everything scraped off during the installation on the hubs:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXb.jpg

I'm glad that was done. Man that hurt my fingers!

Moving on; I added the cabin doors to the front and then painted the camouflage pattern on the troop carrier:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXI.jpg

WIP_HUMVEES_XXII.jpg

Yeah, that door does look like it's protruding quite far. I tried everything to get it to flush in, but to no avail.

I then painted the undersides of the two Humvees:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXIII.jpg

...and then installed the wheels:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXIV.jpg

Finally, here they are after decals and dullcoats. Now these two are ready for final weathering:

WIP_HUMVEES_XXV.jpg


That's two more down.....


Another truck I started some time ago finally got some more assembly done. My Russian ZIS-5 Fire truck which was in sub-assemblies finally got put together... mostly:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_V.jpg

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_VI.jpg

Later on I added the windows to the cab and then closed up the roof. I also added the ladder framework above the tank:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_VII.jpg

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_VIII.jpg

Once that was dry, I masked the windows with Silly Putty to prepare this for paint:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_IX.jpg

First was a white primer coat. It is still wet in this picture:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_X.jpg

Once the primer dried though, I shot the red over it:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_XI.jpg

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_XII.jpg

That's as far as I got so far on this. I have it drying now.


Finally, I decided to build another truck for the WWI campaign here on the Alliance. I didn't get too far yet, but I have the main cab done so far...

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_III.jpg

...and the engine all assembled:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_IV.jpg

Once I get the chassis done, this will fly.

 

Now for Part III in my shipyards...

 

 



 

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And here is Part III at the Maddog Manufacturing Shipyards....

 

The HMS Daring  destroyer was almost complete. It was time to do the decals on this model. The way Dragon did the helicopter deck decal was totally screwed up! I had to cut all around every strip on this decal. Putting it on the deck was almost impossible, as you can see here:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XIV.jpg

Finally, I managed to get this all laid flat the way it is supposed to look. It wasn't easy but surprisingly, I didn't even break this:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XV.jpg

I later doused this with Solvaset to eliminate that silvering. I'm still having so much trouble with silvering....

All the rest of the decals went on fine, especially after more Solvaset:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XVI.jpg

WIP_HMS_Daring_XVII.jpg

Finally, I added the last of the photo-etch parts; the hanger door, boat deck doors and the safety net around the helicopter deck:

WIP_HMS_Daring_XVIII.jpg

WIP_HMS_Daring_XIX.jpg

And another one down.......

After that, I wanted something simple....

I pulled out my USS Bootes Liberty Ship and added the decals to the bow; all two of them:

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_V.jpg

After that was dry, I dullcoated this and then installed all the final greeblies and masts on this ship to finish it off:

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_VI.jpg

WIP_Liberty_Ship_Bootes_VII.jpg

All that was left was to finish detail painting that and it was done.

Another one down....

Since I was able to finish the Bootes so quickly, I also pulled out the Japanese Fleet Oiler and got the decks all painted up:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_VI~0.jpg

After that was dry, added all the last greeblies and masts as well. I was going to apply decals, but the decal sheet they included in the kit was for a Japanese destroyer. So, no markings on this beastie:

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_VII.jpg

WIP_Japanese_Fleet_Oiler_VIII.jpg

All that's left here is detail painting also.


....and a final one down......

 

Okay, that completes this long and tedious update. My apologies for the length; I'll try to slow down if it helps.


Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome. Feel free to check out the armor, aircraft and ships Forums to see the finished models.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well, after a very rough couple weeks, I have finally managed to get something done worth posting here. I didn't feel like painting or decaling, so almost all of this is construction.

I'll start with my one aircraft.


At my recent SoCal AMPS meeting, we had our annual "Four-Hour Build Challenge" where we were to choose an unbuilt, unstarted kit and build it over the course of the next four hours to see how far along we could get in that time. This was the second time we had done this challenge. The first time, most guys over-estimated how quickly they could finish something so almost nobody completed anything; except for three of us. I finished three models myself that time; all the way to the weathering stage.

This time I was far from that successful. I started with a simple bagged Airfix kit of a Saunders Roe experimental jet that had about 14 parts to it. I got the fuselage assembled first, then painted the pilot inside along with what could be seen of the cockpit:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_I.jpg

No, you can't see the cockpit in that pic but I did it. Next I finished off all the wings and tail, then masked off the cockpit for painting. I shot it with a white paint; after fixing the damage that occurred after I dropped it on the way outside:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_II.jpg

Then I dropped it again after painting so I had to wait till it dried and tried to sand out the damage to the paint. Some of it was apparently still wet since I found fingerprints on it afterward. After that dried, I tried again, only to damage the paint again. Okay, enough of that, I moved on to something else....


I pulled out an armor model and tried that. This was the Riich Models M-992 ammunition carrier for the M-109 Paladin. It should have been a simple build and started that way when I first assembled the main hull and superstructure. This was the result after 15 minutes:

WIP_US_M-992_Ammo_Carrier_I.jpg

I then tried to install the wheels and tracks. What a disaster! After fighting this for another 2.5 hours, I had this result; which doesn't show well all the gaps from poorly placed or missing indy links:

WIP_US_M-992_Ammo_Carrier_III.jpg

Part of the reason I had such difficulty with that was because I somehow managed to reverse some of the links near the end of the attempt to install them. That meant trying to find the reversed ones; pulling everything back off and trying to re-glue them all on again. I think I repeated that mistake at least three times before I finally got those tracks right. Finally, after all that and dinner break, I was too far gone to even try painting this so I gave up for the remaining 20 minutes of the time.

After the meeting, another friend and fellow AMPS member came up and offered me his 1/72 scale Dragon StuG he'd started for the build challenge. He had broken the rear idler since the tracks were too tight so he gave up on it. Since he had only done it for the challenge he didn't want to finish it since he doesn't normally do 1/72 scale armor. I accepted. Later when I got home I managed to get the rear idler glued on and then added the tracks. The other idler had been skewed as well so I adjusted it, and then added more glue to strengthen the bond more. Here it is after the repair:

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_I.jpg

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_II.jpg

The white pieces in front of the idlers are sprue scraps that I'd positioned in there to hold the wheels straight while the glue dried. Of course, that tall antenna has already become 'shortened' when this got knocked over; breaking the upper third off. Oh well....


Later on at home, I had a tough time getting the mojo up to work on anything. It seemed every time I tried to do something, I screwed it up so I was constantly walking out of my hobby room in disgust. It's a miracle I got anything done at all. After all that crap, I just simply pulled out some short-run models and went to work on them. After all I figured, if I'm gonna screw something up, it wouldn't be as noticeable as if it were done on a well-molded kit. Besides, there was something rather therapeutic about cleaning all the parts; sanding and test fitting over and over to figure out how best to make the parts fit.


The first little short run model I worked on was this little Military Wheels 1/72 scale Volkswagen 'pickup'. I started with the lower chassis and interior which I did not shoot pics of. I then went and assembled the main cab:

WIP_Volkswagen_Pickup_I.jpg

After building the rear cargo bed, I test fit that, the lower chassis and the front hood all together to see how this little beastie would look:

WIP_Volkswagen_Pickup_II.jpg

WIP_Volkswagen_Pickup_III.jpg

This also allowed me to see where the issues were. I worked on them and added the windows. I then got the body cemented down to the chassis; and added the roof rack; the fender and some other little fiddly bits. I also added some acrylic filler to the seams which needs to be re-done to fill the tiny holes there:

WIP_Volkswagen_Pickup_IV.jpg

WIP_Volkswagen_Pickup_V.jpg

Moving on, I also started another Military Wheels Volkswagen; this one has a larger nose to increase the cargo space in the front. Again, I assembled the interior and the lower chassis but didn't shoot pics of it yet. The upper body was started though; and it was a bear to build due to being in five pieces with no attachment points. I got most of it assembled, leaving the nose off till later:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_I.jpg

You can see how rough this was to assemble, given the crude glue joins from difficult, poorly molded parts. Still, I felt good doing this.

Later I test fit this and the nose to the chassis and interior:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_II.jpg

What a schnozz on that little beetle! Here it is sitting next to the 'pickup' beetle:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_III.jpg

Later I sanded it all as smooth as possible, and then used Mr. Surface on the remaining crevices that were left:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_IV.jpg

That's as far as I got on that one.

Moving on, I started another short-run kit; this time an ACE Russian BREM recovery vehicle based on the BMP I. I love doing ACE kits; it can be so relaxing doing the mind-numbing cleanup on all the parts. I started on the lower hull first:

WIP_Russian_BREM_I.jpg

I then test-fit the upper hull to it to see how well the lower hull was assembled:

WIP_Russian_BREM_II.jpg

I then found out that everything behind the turret had to be removed so I carved everything off and added the floor of the back work box on top of the bare area and clamped it down. I also added the armor plate over the turret ring:

WIP_Russian_BREM_III.jpg

I then found out I'd put in on sideways so I had to carve it off and turn it 90 degrees and re-cement it. Afterwards, I added the sides of that box and the hatches for the driver and TC:

WIP_Russian_BREM_IV.jpg

While that was drying, I added the wheels and idlers to the lower hull:

WIP_Russian_BREM_V.jpg

That's as far as I got with that. I then pulled out the MACK Truck and decided to build the rear cargo bed for that. I couldn't go wrong there; after all it's just a box. Fortunately I was right:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_V.jpg

I then decided to do more with this. I assembled the chassis:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VI.jpg

Once that was dry, I installed the cab and the dry-fit the cargo bed:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VII.jpg

This one will be getting the tilt. I assembled the tilt and added it to the bed to see how it fit:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VIII.jpg

Not bad. This is gonna look good. I am now ready to paint this.

Speaking of ready to paint; I started to prepare the JMSDF Izumo for paint since almost all the assembly is done, except for detail parts. First, I wanted to mask off the area where the conning tower is supposed to go so when I shoot the deck, I won't get paint where the tower goes; allowing it to glue better later. Afterward, when I shoot the deck, I can then mask over the whole deck and shoot the rest of the hull and conning tower. I started by taping where the tower is supposed to go, burnishing it down as close as I can get it:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XII.jpg

I then positioned the conning tower parts one at a time and scored the tape around the edge of the tower:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XIII.jpg

Afterward, I burnished it down again, and had a perfect covering for the tower area:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XIV.jpg

You can see that the area is almost perfectly covered. The rear tower part slipped a tiny bit:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XV.jpg


Okay, that completes what I managed to get done so far. Hopefully this is a sign things are getting better for me. So, enjoy the tour and thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Once again, another long update that will have to be broken up into two posts so it all fits. Here goes nothing........

 

Wow, despite the fact that I felt like I had no time this past couple weeks to do anything in the Hobby Room; I managed to get a surprising amount of work done. I had been working only about thirty minutes to an hour at a time over the course of the past couple weeks; Hobby Day weekend was the only time I could marathon some builds. Now I have a ton of progress to show, so brace yourselves; this is gonna be a long tour through Maddog Manufacturing. All aboard!!

Lets start in my aircraft hanger.

Some time back I tried shooting another coat of gloss on my 737. It fell down and got a lot of debris on the fuselage. I tried wiping the debris off but this is what happened to the decals:

WIP_Boeing_737_XVb.jpg

Anybody know where I can source another set of decals for this model? I would love to someday finish this before I die!

Moving on; I had a similar thing happen with the wing of the commission build Hellcat. This time, I left the debris to dry in place:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIIIc.jpg

Once it was dry, I simply wiped it off, flaking it away. Lesson learned:

WIP_Bruce_Comission_XXXIIId.jpg

Just another coat of clear to smooth that out and I'll be able to move on.

Earlier in the week I had shot another coat of gloss on the S.R.-53 to get it ready for decals:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_III.jpg

Later on at Hobby Day I applied the original decals to this:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_IV.jpg

You can see how some of the decals were curling. I had to put about seven or eight coats of Micro-Sol on this to lay them down. In the process I lost one of the registration numbers which came off on the brush and then disappeared. I'll have to try and source another one somewhere. The bottom decals went on fairly well:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_V.jpg

After I'd gotten the decals sufficiently laid down, I finally added all the extra bits like the landing gear, gear doors (most of them; the nose gear door disappeared) the nose probe and the canopy on this model:

WIP_RAF_SR-57_Experimental_VI.jpg

You can also see where I started painting the fire streak(?) missiles. They are all done now and so the next pic you'll see of this aircraft will be in the finished Forums.

While applying decals to this, I also added the decals to my two helicopters which had been waiting for them. First came the Nigerian Hind:

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_XIII.jpg

WIP_Nigerian_Hind_XIX.jpg

Then I did the Australian HAP Tigre:

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XV.jpg

WIP_Australian_HAP_Tigre_XVI.jpg

Next I just have to dullcoat this, remove the masking, add the wheels and weapon systems then mount the rotors and this bird will be done. The next pics of this will be in the finished Forums.

That's all did on my aircraft so far. Moving on to my shipyards, I did get some work on my Izumo carrier too. Since it had been masked off for the deck to be painted; I shot a coat of dark grey on the deck surface:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XVa.jpg

Later when this was dry, I taped off the deck; carefully trimming around the perimeter to uncover where I wanted the lighter grey to go:

JMSDF_Izumo_SPAM_Review_XVb.jpg

Now to shoot paint on the hull and island assemblies. That will hopefully come later this week.

Okay, now on to my armor progress in the next post. Part II continues below...

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Here's part II....

 

Now we can move on to my armor models in the motor pool assembly bays. I did a lot of work on these little beasties and even started two more models. So, let's get to it.......


I'll start with the Russian Fire truck. After all the filling I did with the acrylic filler, I shot another coat of red on this truck:

WIP_Russian_ZIS-5_Fire_Truck_XIII.jpg

Later on I painted details and trim; added additional parts like the hoses and ladders and wheels and ended up finishing this off before I remembered to take pics. Pics will be in the finished Forums.

Next I worked on the crane for the Russian BREM recovery vehicle. It was a fairly easy assembly:

WIP_Russian_BREM_VI.jpg

Here is how it looks dry-fit to the vehicle:

WIP_Russian_BREM_VII.jpg

The top hull is also dry-fit into place. That's gonna take a lot of work to look good.

Moving on, I painted the MACK truck. Here it is all dry-fit together:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VIIIa.jpg

Later on I added the roof to the cab. There was a lot of seams that needed to be filled so I added some Mr. Surfacer 500 to them and let it dry:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VIIIb.jpg

After some judicious sanding, I had a nice smooth roof top:

WIP_WWI_Campaign_2018_VIIIc.jpg


Now, as you all recall I was working on some Volkswagens. I had gotten the pickup version to the paint stage and shot a coat of black over it already, So, I moved on to the big nosed version of this bug (designated Type 230/3) to get it caught up. I painted the interior first:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_VI.jpg

Then I sanded the top of the car to smooth out the gaps and seams and then masked the windows for painting:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_V.jpg

After that, I assembled the whole thing, making sure the gaps were as closed as I could get them. I still had a few to fill:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_VII.jpg

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_VIII.jpg

Afterward I finished by adding the roof racks and fenders along with some other small bits:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_IX.jpg

Now it was ready for paint so I shot a coat of black on it:

WIP_Volkswagen_BigNose_X.jpg

All that was left was to add the wheels, remove the masking and then weather this beastie; along with the pickup version. Pics of both of them will be in the finished armor Forums.

Earlier; as I was going through the stash to pack up some kits to put in storage, I came across yet another Military Wheels Volkswagen. It was a Type 87 modified for use in the desert for the Afrika Korps. I had already built a Type 87, but the kit had parts for the original unmodified bug: the Type 60. So, I pulled that out to work on it too. I started by building the interior as usual:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_I.jpg

Then assembled the body. Here it is dry-fit together. You can see this was a more crude model than the other two bugs:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_II.jpg

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_III.jpg

You can also see the huge gap between the fenders and the engine cover. I had thought that I could press that together when I glued it on so I moved on and puttied the top with Mr. Surfacer 500. I put that on thick:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_IV.jpg

Afterward I sanded it smooth and then added the windows to this:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_V.jpg

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_VI.jpg

After test fitting it I realized the gap was too big to just squeeze out so I had to add some sheet styrene to the bottom of the engine cover:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_VII.jpg

I let it dry and then trimmed it down:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_VIII.jpg

With a little sanding to blend the edges, this looks almost normal:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_IX.jpg

You can see the gap below the engine cover is gone. This was ready to glue into place:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_X.jpg

I glued this all together, then used my acrylic putty to fill the seams. This bug was ready for paint:

WIP_Volkswagen_Type_60_XI.jpg

I later painted it black, then unmasked the windows and added the wheels and fenders and other bits. Like the other bugs, you'll see this next in the finished armor Forums.

Since I was painting, I also shot a dark Panzer grey over the StuG that was given to me by a friend:

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_III.jpg

After it dried, I used a lighter grey to modulate the color:

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_IV.jpg

After a coat of gloss, this beastie got decals:

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_V.jpg

WIP_4-Hour_StruG_VI.jpg

After a dullcoat and some weathering, this StuG was done. This will be joining the bugs and fire truck in the finished armor Forums.

Finally, while packing up models for the storage unit, I also came across this little Italian Lince armored scout car. It looked simple and easy to build and I wanted more vehicles for my Italian army so I kept it out to start.

Beginning was fairly straightforward:

WIP_Italian_Lince_AC_I.jpg

Later I added the full interior to this with grandiose ideas of modeling this with the roof open so everyone could see it:

WIP_Italian_Lince_AC_II.jpg

That was a cramped little area! Later I added the upper part of the hull:

WIP_Italian_Lince_AC_III.jpg

Afterward, I realized I had no idea how to paint the interior and since I was at Hobby Day with no access to references; I just decided to close off the top. ACE gives you a great photo-etch part for the roof:

WIP_Italian_Lince_AC_IV.jpg

Then when that was dry, I started adding the wheel struts underneath:

WIP_Italian_Lince_AC_V.jpg

This little thing is now ready for paint.


Alright, that completes this tour of Maddog Manufacturing again, I hope you liked it despite it's length. I hope to have more done later this week, and I'm also hoping to get my finished models posted soon as well. Stay tuned, more to come. Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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