Mojo starter

Hi folks,

Well I've been struggling to acheive much modelling wise, lately, instpred by a few things and have lots of started but not finihsed builds.

Luckily I was browsing the UAMF when I came across a group build that was starting that, I had enthusiastic joined, when it was mooted, and had forgotten about. Just the thing to kick start the modelling. Something I have to regularly work on, post about, to avoid the embarrassment of letting the group build members down.

So the UAMF is having a twin prop fighters group build, runs all this month of February, and is progressing well after teh first week. There is great a range of subjects, ( and some very friendly fellas and a fellass ) quite few Airfix Me110, a couple of P-38s, Mosquitos, and Whirlwinds, a F82, a Revell Kawasaki Ki-45 'Toryu' "Dragon-Killer", with a couple of rarer ones, the Airfix Do-217J, a Heller Potez 631, and a Planet Models Xp-38 Chain Lightning.

I am doing a Fujimi 1/72 Me 110, as a C-6 night fighter using some Owl decals I have. 

So a bit of scratch building for the gun pod, and a nice black scheme.

 She will be crewed up and inflight, luckily the kit has a couple of smallish crew.

 No detail the in the cokpit, so scratch build some imagination detail.

All painted up and ready to join so, I can crave out the channel for the gun,

I back the floor of the nose cone with plasticard, in case of fill through and filed a groove.

 Using the nice plans in the Owl decals, I cut out some forms for the gun pod, which I've filled with milliput.

 While letting the milliput to harden up, I attacked the wings, the under carriage doors are best meant for using open.

Also boxed in the radiators and after a bit of filling and sanding we have much better looking closed under carriage doors.

 Also modified the oil cooler intakes on the engine nacelles, the unmodified kit part is on the right. Trimmed the centre hump down and then opened up the intake..

Much nicer.

If you'd like to join in the group build pop on over to the UAMF and join in, they are a very friendly bunch.

Cheers
Jim

Sprue Cutters Union #26 - Glue

- What glue(s) do you use, and how do you apply them? -

A simple one this one, what we use and do..

Glues used on the dinner bench are, from most used to less used:

Tamiya Extra Thin

Used for all the major construction on a kitset, and applied with the great fine brush supplied with the bottle.

It's my everday cement for plastic parts, I love how you only need a little, and how it evaporates quickly if you get it where you don't want it, just don't touch it, or you'll be repairing a smear mark.

Super Glue/CA cheap thin stuff, and Selleys thick type

These I tend to use mainly for filling and dissimilar materials, metals to plastic etc.

Applied with one of these two applicators:

Toothpick with a section of fine copper wire wrapped around it. Can pick up small amounts of glue, and when tip gets build up on it, just pull a bit more copper wire out.

When I need a large dollop.. 

It's sewing needle, stuck into ta bit of wooden chopstick, then the tip of the loop snapped off, and lightly sanded the sharp edges off.

I made a couple of these and use them for applying CA accelerator as well. Lets you get a small amount of accelerator onthe CA with out it flowing everywhere.

Helmar Tiger Grip PVA type glue

This stuff, I found in a craft store and is my favourite pva type glue, sets up quite quickly, thins with water. I use it for glazing windows, occasionally canopies, little canopy fill jobs and attaching parts during the final assembly after paint.

Normally I apply it with a tip of a toothpick, or a paint brush.

Tube Poly Cement

I use tube glue for the large four engine builds I have done, for the wing root attachment points, where the fit isn't as good as it should be, and I want to make sure I get a bond all the way across the joint surface.

Applied with a toothpick or when feeling brave, straight form the tube.

Five Minute Epoxy

Cheapo five minute epoxy, which I've use for reinforcing joints. 

Applied with a toothpick, or a thicker stick.

All the best.

Jim

Stick around with the other unionists:

The Garage Gamer
Yet Another Plastic Modeller
Miniature and Model Painting

Doogs' Models

Scale Model Ink

Motorsport Modeller

Mattblackgod's World

The Eternal Wargamer

The Combat Workshop

Sprue Cutters Union #25 - Time Management

- How do you find time for the hobby? -

I could do with one of these for the hobby...

also essential to sort out that stash....

At my most productive, (three years ago), I was pretty determined at setting modelling times, and I regularly joined group builds, so with that being a good incentive I would get up at 0530, get an hour in before the family arouse. As we had a little one in the house who still had mid day naps, I was able to grab an hour at lunch time, then at the end of the day, after the kids were put to bed, and after I had read a couple of stories to them I used to get an hour or so. So with aound 3 hours a days I used to get through a few kits happily.

Unfortunately, the time hasn't been as easy at find over the last year, a bit of volunteering at the kids school, and some paying evening IT work, saw the modelling drop off the radar. Now I am lucky if I manage to steal an hour in an evening. 

I think one of the reasons, is that I am a kitchen table modeller, so things have to pulled out to start doing anything, and popped away afterwards, just a bit of a mental hurdle to have a nibble of modelling.

I have committed to a couple of group builds coming up, and this photo:

 has inspired me to dig out an old Hornet kit, so hopefully a bit of incentive to keep it bit more regular.

All the best

Jim

Heres how the other unioinists time travel:

Miniature and Model Painting
Doogs' Models

Motorsport Modeller

Mattblackgod's World

The Eternal Wargamer

Yet Another Plastic Modeller

Greg's Models

The Combat Workshop

Sprue Cutters Union # 24 - Pet Peeves

- What do other modelers do that gets under your skin? -

Cat pictures and selfies they really get my.. oh hang what Modelers do..

Honestly I don't care what other modellers do, I used to and thought, how could you possibly do that, but then I realised, woop de bloody do, do what you like, I'm not paying for it. I have no buy in to how you build a kit, do it the way you like, and I'll look at and maybe copy a technique, a scheme or not, and I'll do it my way too.

It is such an individual hobby, that you really make it your own, with your own idiosyncrasies of doing things, that's cool, probably one of the enjoyable things about the hobby, seeing how all of us produce differing results.

The thing that really gets me, is the online behaviour of people who think a kit is a real life object put in a shrink ray. Really? really? these kits are not a miniaturised real life object, they are representations of an object, and end up being your individual representation of a subject, which will be completely different to my view, or to the next modeller, or to my wife or children. Just chill and enjoy the fun of it.

Probably due to the reaction I have had to posting pictures of my models with prop blurs. To some it really is the anti-deity risen: "You don't see the blades blur in real life, they only look like that in photos!"  Shit a brick, I'm not making a real life plane, its a model guys! I like prop blurs on a subject, get over it.

Cheers
Jim

Here's what peeves the Union:

Motorsport Modeller

Mattblackgod's World

Miniature and Model Painting

Yet Another Plastic Modeller

The Eternal Wargamer

Plastic Models

A-10B Conversion - Moulding time...

Hi all,

Got the old  modelling mojo back, and over the last couple of days I've gridded my loins and started moulding the crew figures..

I modified a figure I had, got two right arms, one holding a rod as a joystick and the other slightly extended, like reaching for a panel. Also got a second head and added the visor cover, so there is an option of two heads for the figure and two arms.

Got some silicone mould making ingredient and some resin and started off. Out came the Lego and plasticine..

 Mixed and poured one half, after a coat of vegetable oil as a release coating...

 Removed the plasticine a bit more oil, Legos to box, mix and pour sliicone again..

And we have a mould.

So today out with the resin..

and we have the first casting out...

A bit of feathery flash to clean up but looks ok, so on to number two.

Since I like having crew in my models, I quickly run out of plastic figures, so this will hopefully save some time and effort. I need to do about four copies as I have a Tornado as well as the A-10 to crew up. The next time I do some WWII crew, I'll make a mould as well, and should solve my lack of crew.

Off to pour some more resin..

All the best

Cheers

Jim

Sprue Cutters Union # 23 - Something to Talk About

 

The topic for the union is:

- What three topics would you like to see the Union address? -

Number 1.  
Finding time, how do you find time for the hobby? Are you super organised and have a set modelling schedule or snatch what hours/minutes/seconds you can?

Number 2.
Is the hobby still a pocket money hobby?

Number 3.
Are you an assembler, or do try to does each model become individual to you? That one little mod you have to make, or scheme that is slightly different.

All the best,

Cheers
Jim