Welcome to our third

month of Lockdown.  

June 2020  

The Earley Risers have kept busy.

Here's what everyone's been up to,
in roughly the order the responses arrived...

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

Click on the images to see most of them larger!

Hugh 

"Berg Dl finally finished."
 

"Next project hopefully to complete the Copperstate (USA) Grigorovich M5 “sonofabitch” which l started 6 years ago. Only thing standing in the way of this lofty ambition are some 36 scratchbuilt struts and that rigging. Should be fun fun fun!"

George tells me that he's finishing off a 1/48 Proctor from Dora Wings, as well as a load of 3D printed RN figures in the same scale.

Martin

"I’ve parked the bus pending arrival of some paint and moved on to a Martin B-26B-25-MA Marauder. It is tail heavy so needs 12g of nose weight but looks like there’s nowhere to put it..."

Liz

"Enjoying my Lego!"

Les
Les is making progress on his Itala car. He's modified the cab, based on photos of the real thing, and the underside to wood.

Tim

"I’m not sure whether there may be more progress before 21st June but there’s definitely something starting to take shape on my bench. Hobby Boss 1/35 scale CCKW-352(short wheelbase) in foreground; Tamiya CCKW-353 behind and Tamiya Bren Carrier with Riich Models Tracks and crew figures to the right. All painted with MRP lacquers."

Phil

"Since our last meeting I have been having some of those 'what shall I get on with next' moments.  
I have finished the old Otaki 1/48 Zero (a 'first' as I’d not done one in this scale before, but also a full circle return to where I came into the hobby, if you read my member profile!). Slightly modified out of the box, it came out better than I expected, so I might well do another." 

"I have also been getting on with a figure for a commission; thankfully the guy isn’t in a hurry to have it!  There is an Academy oldie in process (1/72 McDonnell Banshee) and I have started scaling up some drawings for a 1/35 scratchbuild."  

"Finally a Hannants order has just arrived with a couple of 'must haves' and CSMs Minerva WW1 Armoured Car is on backorder."

Roger

"What can I say, I have been very busy tidying up the cupboards in the kitchen and utility room, adding shelves as and when required. Then it was down to the garage and the Garden Tool shed and the Work shed - all three are now nice and tidy and clean. As well as the garden.The golf club is now open and I have managed to get in two games a week, though we did get rained on the other day - Well the garden needs it.

The image shows how much, scratch that, how little I have done on the modelling front. Have again managed to lose a small bit of plastic in the vortex which hides somewhere in my workroom, shall have to speak to Hugh about moulding some replacements. 

Just remember I have gained a number of brownie points for all the work I have done, which are always worth having."

Nearly finished, one or two missing items to add after the glue and the final bits of painting have dried.

Jeff

The Trumpeter SU152 has ground to a halt awaiting paint, I have run out of that colour. I am hoping to get some more supplies soon to finish it off.

I have rediscovered the following models part built and have set to on them again.

All the other kits listed last time are still being finished off mainly due to getting access to the spray gear at the moment due to lack of space with lots of bags of rubbish stored in the garage.

Italeri 6444 Crusader 3 AA Mk 3 (twin 20mm oerlikon guns)
Have added the exhaust fishtail behind the rear grills and fitted the top of the hull, only the guns and turret to go. I have also got replacement barrels for the guns so hopefully will be completed soon.

Italeri 6465 Crusader 3 AA Mk 3 (single 40mm bofors gun)
I have added the exhaust fishtail as per the previous item and assembled the hull, just have to finish the turret and gun with a replacement barrel for the gun, and then paint.

Dragon 6779 Panzer IV D Tropical Version (smart kit)
This is a real trial, something I started many moons ago and then forgot about it. Having rediscovered it, I had more or less completed the turret which has a full interior and an awful lot of spare parts. (As they just put in loads of sprues, when you only need one or two parts from them - let alone the etch parts to replace parts or add parts on the model!) I now remember why I suddenly stopped on this one, still it is now making good progress and should be finished shortly as a DAK vehicle in Libya during 1941.

Shanghai Dragon 6803 ISU 152 
This has now got the tracks on and just needs a few more bits adding then decals fitting. I am going to do this one as a Polish army vehicle in late WW2. Then just a bit of weathering to complete.

Sean

The He 162 has been painted, glossed and is now getting its decals. The big ones are done but lots of little ones to go.

The Stuart diorama is chugging along. Plants have been added to the building and the building has been bedded into the base. The tank is being weathered, I’m going for a very dusty look seen on the vehicles in Tunisia.

Once the tank is done I’ll blend it into the base.

Mark

Since finishing the Blenheim, I have spent 4 weeks on the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IX. I am not used to the extra work required in this scale, there being so much more detail than in 1/48 scale kits.

This will be finished using AML decals for MH356 of 312 Czech Sqn based in Kveten in 1945. I have been using AK paints that George kindly gave me, but they didn’t flow well, and looking on the web I see others have had similar experiences. If anyone can tell me how to overcome the issues (it seems to be premature drying on the airbrush needle), please let me know.

I have had fit issues with the removable engine panels/cowling. But now there is paint applied the fit has improved! Inexplicable. It will probably be displayed with the side panels removed, but the top one in place. The lower panel is glued in place so is not removable. That was because of the fit issues. I suspect something isn’t quite aligned correctly.

I reckon it will be another fortnight till it’s finished. I have been watching some YouTube videos from Will Pattison. I find that he is rather slow and long-winded, but a superb modeller and I plan to watch more of his series on the new Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire I to see how he achieved his weathering. The videos alone will take a week to watch!

After this I plan to do a quickie Sea Hurricane, then move to a Trumpeter 1/32 F105G for a friend. He wants a scene with ground crew giving the thumbs-up to the pilot. He has ordered Eduard cockpit placards, 2 Aerobonus figures for the cockpits (which come as a moulded combined seat and figure), canopy masks and metal u/c. He might also want to add replacement engine/exhaust petals.

Andrew

Am currently working on the 1/72 Arma Hobby Yak-1b kit. The real thing isn’t large, so in 1/72 it’s tiny even by my standards. 
Anyway its a jewel of a kit!

Peter This month's update:

1. MikroMir Argosy is finally finished. At least, I’m finished with it.

2. Aeropoxy Spartan Cruiser: Cockpit trimming is proceeding. It might even be finished by the next update, though it wasn’t helped by my printing the airline logo on white decal paper. So that needs to be done again.

3. Amodel Hawker Hector: Slow progress.

4. Arrow Active: This one is waiting for me to finish the Aeronca 100 (on which little progress this month). But it is a bit more silvery than the matt grey last time.

5. AZ SG38 (EoN Primary): Sixteen parts in the kit, nine of which aren’t used. Two kits in the box, so the other will be an Eton or a Slingsby Grasshopper.

6. Matchbox Citroen Light 15 Cabriolet: Now I’ve forgotten what went wrong with this one, I’ve got it out again to continue with it. Maybe.

7. Matchbox Monty’s Caravan: I went for the desert option so I can print some replacement transfers.

8. Matchbox Daimler Scout Car: Similar to Monty’s caravan, in need of new transfers, even if they are very small ones.

9. Some transfers, including ones for the Hector, Primary, Daimler and caravan, plus some for the DC-9 that would have been on the list if I had made them the right size. And the right colour. So now I need to fill up another page of things to print so I can get on with it. I originally started it some time in the last century, so I guess it can wait a bit longer.

Simon

I've not done anything for myself this month, fingers crossed for Sunday, but I've been helping a work colleague (Steve is his name) out with his diorama base. 

Helped with the gravel, static grass and the rubble bits. I also helped build up the false interior for the building frontage. Until next month when hopefully I will have finished something Happy Modelling