Welcome to our eighth 

month of Lockdown.  

November 2020  

The Earley Risers have kept busy.

Here's what we've all been doing
this month, in roughly the order
the responses arrived...

... Thank you Jeff, Phil, Martin, Mark, Tref, Les B, George, Sean, Hugh, Roger, Andrew and Peter.

Click on the images to see most of them larger!

Jeff

"I have not a lot to report this month, but I have been back revisiting some kits that were started some time ago.

IBG 35020 CHEVROLET C15TA armoured car
This is quite a small model in 1/35 scale and has lots of small parts and photo etch as well. The build is quite nice but there are a number of large ejection pin marks in the engine bay area to be filled before painting. Lots of fiddly small parts to go inside the vehicle as well. Still it should look OK when assembled and painted.

ACADEMY 1333 FLAK PANZER 4 WIRBELWIND
This is again something I started a long time ago and have been fiddling around with for what seems forever. I have filled all the motorising gaps in the chassis and built most of the quad 20mm flak gun assy. Just needs to get some paint and tracks onto the beast now. I think it should look OK as I have been busy hollowing out the gun barrels for a better effect. Hopefully completed soon.

AIRFIX QUICK BUILD MCLAREN P1 sports car
I took out of the box this afternoon and started putting it together, the main parts assemble like Lego, so everything clips together. Really quick to build and just a few self-adhesive decals to go on. Not a bad looking model for the starter series and it is 1/24 scale as well. nice change of pace. Just a few bits to paint as well.

All of the other kits previously mentioned over the past few months are still on the go or very nearly finished so I shall have to keep going at them as well.

Hope you are all keeping well."


 

Phil 

"Hi all. Since last time I have been quite busy on the model making front. I have started the Academy 1/48 Grumman Bearcat, which is a nice kit. I detailed the cockpit with an Aires upgrade and Eduard belts. Everything is awaiting masking and undercoat/topcoat. The kit has decals for South Vietnam and Thailand and not sure which one I’ll use as yet. The scheme will be Dark Sea Blue."

"Next on the ramp will be either the Sword Douglas Skyknight in 1/72, the earlier issue, or the Revell F-89D/J Scorpion in 1/48. Watch the skies!

I have also completed another bust, this time a Blackfoot Indian, a very early (1998) release from Bonapartes Miniatures. An eBay purchase to keep my eye in on busts, but it is an abortion, badly sculpted, badly cast and anatomically suspect. It nearly went in the bin a couple of times but I persevered and the result is as the photo. I also started another figure of which more next time.

We are lucky to have such an absorbing hobby in these trying times, don’t you think? Stay safe all!"

Martin 

"Progressing my VW barn find and Land Rover. Bought some accessories too. Base will be built up with garden stuff (stones, dirt, twigs etc). Not sure when enough will be enough!"

Mark

"I haven't done much modelling this last month. The gloomy weather in winter tends to dissuade me from going to the modelling shed!

I have started a Revell 1/32 AH64 Apache that my son gave me for father's day yonks ago (15 years or so!). I have rubbed off all the raised rivets.  Unfortunately the canopy wouldn't conform so I resorted to an infill in the front of the screen. The plan is to finished in a tired, faded way using Internet pictures for reference. 

I am also building a 1/200 Cyber Models Vulcan B2. It will nestle with its parents, a pair of Airfix 1/72 Vulcans! To be honest, though it looks the part, there are questionable errors in the instructions (4 nose wheels!), and I worried the undercarriage won't fit. Anyway it should be finished by the end of next week."

"I have a 6th Hurricane started (6 this year), a Hasegawa 1/48 mk2 that will be desert scheme and may feature in "Here's one I built earlier" next year.

Then probably the Tamiya 1/32 F4U1-A."

Tref

"Attached is some evidence that I might actually complete a kit this year for the first time since 2017...!"

"BAE 146 is the Revell kit, decals from DRAW Decal for Air France Express/Jersey European. Paint is the usual mix of Halfords spray for the white, Humbrol and Revell enamels and Tamiya Acrylics. Bare metal foil for the wing leading edges, etc."

"737 is a 737-900 extended from a Revell 737-800 kit. Engines are resin from Contrails Models, winglets are from a Daco Models 737 classic kit. Painted with Halfords car paint for speed. Will be finished with Korean Air markings from various sources. This was supposed to be completed for whichever SMW had "Blue" as the theme..."

"I've also got a Revell 777-300ER (Korean Air), Blue Angels Hornet and two Zvezda Tupolev Tu-134s (Sibaviatrans and Kaliningrad Avia) painted up and ready for decals, etc. A KLM MD-11 and 737-700 are waiting for painting (but that will have to wait until the spring now) and an Avro RJ100 (Crossair) is in the early stages of building."

Les B

“Here’s a picture of the Halton. I haven't made much progress due to problems with the undercarriage (or landing gear as our American cousins call them). I’ll probably have to buy a set of w/metal landing gear to fix this issue!”

George

He's finished his Merit Flycatcher
and has now started on a
1/50 scale Gazelle

Sean

"Slow progress this month

Tamiya Thunderbolt P47M 1:48 OTB.  

Main focus this month has been on the Thunderbolt

Hopefully by the time you read this the decals will be finished and the whole model sealed and ready for weathering. This is being built straight out the box with the kit markings.

Hobby Boss Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) Ausf.G 1:35

Back to earth with a tank. Currently weathering with oils, very subtle effects but the layers are slowing building up. I keep seesawing between putting it on a base with a figure or just finishing it. We will wait and see…..

Other stuff 

The BT-7 is on hold until I finish the Pz 38t.

For the Sherman dio I’ve been playing at making stain glass windows. I found some images on the interweb scaled them to fit and printed them onto film. Will see how they look once in place

Finally, after being inspired by the stuff you guys have done, I brought my first bust. Starting on something simple but what have I got myself into. If it all goes horribly wrong this might be the only picture you will ever see of it!

Hope you are all well, stay safe and hope to see you soon."

Hugh

"Progress of a sort. Tailplane tacked on for photo op. New cockpit surround to be blended in. Scratchbuilt cockpit alongside. In 1:48 it is smaller than a 1:72 Hurricane.
Powered by a mighty 32hp Carden. Hopefully finished for December meeting."

Also tailskid, pitot tube & prop with new spinner

Roger

"Not much has happened over the last two months but at least the office is now redecorated though I cannot remember where I stored a lot of my stuff!

So after some consideration I decided to refurbish one of my Dinky toys, in particular the British Rail Horsebox, until I can find where everything is. But before starting on the model I consulted the oracle about airbrushes, thanks again Hugh, and have now treated myself (for my birthday), to an upmarket model to replace my original one which only cost £25.

Work on the Dinky model first consisted of drilling out the rivets and then tapping the pillars for the new base fixings. The model was then stripped of its paint, not so easy these days as Nitromors is not as good as it used to be, and then it was down to painting. The colour scheme is not as it would have been when purchased but after some searching on the web I found some examples of how it may have looked, not helped by the fact that most of the pictures where in black and white. It now only needs to have the decals fixed and it will be ready for display.

So now it is back to looking in all the drawers, cupboards and the loft for the rest of my modelling boxes and equipment."

Andrew

"I have been taking a leaf out of your book and building two kits at once. A Takom Panther Ausf. A and a Dragon Ausf. G late. I have been cursing myself for choosing the bizarre late war camouflage on the G. Both interesting kits and constructed in different ways.  Have been using the AK range of paints on the G which generally I like although you need a strong stomach because of their odd smell!"

Peter

Here are this month’s minor updates:

Airfix Mauretania

A little further progress. A few extra llifeboat davits and some lifeboats added this month.

KP Benes-Mraz Sokol
This one’s nearly finished. I need to stick the canopy in place and add the propellor.

Revell Saturn V
Further bits stuck together and painted white. I have some black bits to mask and paint, which I’m not much looking forward to.

Fujimi Matilda
Mostly assembled and some camouflage added. I still need to add some mud and dust. Possibly a lot of it.

Miniwings JP5
Here’s a new thing. 1/144^th scale, so not many parts and not very big. Typically, I forgot to add the nose weight before sticking the fuselage halves together. It only needed one gramme in the nose. I suspect it will need three behind the cockpit.

Welsh Models Vulcan
Now looking more like a B1A. Coming along OK, I think.