Welcome to December. Virtually the end of the year!

Merry Christmas to you all. May you all have a great time and a better 2021!

Welcome to our ninth

month of Lockdown.

December 2020

The Earley Risers have kept busy.

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

... Thank you Phil, Martin, Jeff, Roger, Les B, George, Hugh, Andrew, Les V and Mark.

Click on the images to see most of them larger!

Martin

Barn coming along very slowly. Various 'posters' printed, stuck to plastic card and fixed to walls. Tarp made/weathered and draped over bus. More stuff to do before our next meeting including building shelves and 3-ton crane..

In my defence I have fixed my mates 1970s Chad Valley vibro car race game. Tomytronic Top Shot Pilot to get working next.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. Take care and stay safe.

Phil

As promised, herewith my December input. Maybe 2021 will see us creeping back to ‘normal’ - let's hope so!

Funny sort of month for me. I wanted to finish the Bearcat and nearly have, as you can see from the pic. It just needs the prop and the stores fitted, and the canopy frames painted. There are decals for the latter but they are nigh on impossible to fit, so I decided I’d freehand paint them. I sprayed the prop but it came out badly so I have stripped it and it’s on the bench awaiting my next airbrush session.

Mid-month I got side-tracked on a bust which I hadn’t planned to start, but you know how it is, you prep it and before you realise it, you are halfway through it. It represents a Bolshevik soldier from the early 1920s. I decided to paint it in the colours of the OGPU (forerunners of the NKVD security services). It came out OK, and on the figure front I am tilting a little towards busts, so you may expect to see one or two more as we go on.

Next project is the Copper State Minerva WW1 armoured car on which there should be some activity for January’s meeting. I’ve also got a Roden 1/48 NA Trojan to do, so watch this space!

Stay safe all, and enjoy a relaxing Christmas and a happy and positive new yea

Les B

Les has had a few problems with his Halifax/Halton. He is however, making progress with his Alfa Romeo 250F.

Jeff

My progress this month has been very slow. I am still working on the following items:

ITALERI 6546 Opel Blitz Maultier Nebelwerfer rocket launcher.
The interior mostly painted, with just a few bits to touch in and some decals to add to various bits. Then it’s down to painting the outside and final assembly.

TAKOM 8003 Porsche Jagdtiger
Again, still adding tiny parts to the hull before getting paint on it. Really lovely mouldings and very crisp too. Hope to finish this soon.

I have also ordered some bits from Antics as a Christmas present to myself which include the Tamiya Marder 1 Lorraine-based tank destroyer. As well as Panzer IV J4 and a Volvo F16 canvas back truck. So that should keep me busy for a while.

I hope all the other club members are keeping well and have a good Christmas, and that we can get back to club meetings next year.

George

He's packed up
for the Festive Season and will start up again in the new year

Roger

Well that was an interesting year, so far this month "I've been busy doing nothing working the whole day through, I'd like to be modelling but never do seem to have the time what with all the snooker on the TV". So with my office/modelling area now more or less sorted I decide to buy another model from Amazon to get the free freightage - in fact it is one I did when it first came out - the Revell 'Harbour Tug Boat' which comes in bright red plastic, (do not remember that colour, must be an age thing !).

So before I start on the tug boat, and all the other models I have under my desk I will finish off, (could be a Freudian slip there), my Eduard Fokker E.II which I started some months back. However, beforeI actually start doing that I am going to spend the rest of the month importing my transparencies and B/W negatives onto my computer.

My apologies to Vaughn Monroe for changing his lyrics. Have a good Christmas and let us hope we can all meet up in the New Year, maybe at Easter so instead of mince pies it will Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs !!

Hugh

Slow progress on the Chiltern; waiting for the red to fully harden before masking off to spray rest of the airframe silver. Still a few small items to attend to such as moulding a new windscreen and making a few markings so unlikely to be finished in 2020! Which means l have completed one model this year and that was started in 2017 (l think).

Makes me appreciate the motivation provided by you guys in ER, shows,& SMW in a normal year. So Happy Christmas and here’s looking to 2021.

Meantime to house all those models l’m going to build, l’ve bought a new display cabinet, just adding a few licks of varnish before installing.

Have a safe Christmas

Andrew

I have just finished the Miniart Soviet tank crew ammo loading set. In British parlance they are ‘bombing up’ their vehicle, in this case on the dining room table!

Then we have the T-60 factory 264 also from Miniart. Sadly its fully detailed interior is disappearing, although you can just get a glimpse of its engine.

Finally we have the Hobbyboss BA-10 armoured car. Somewhat easier to build than Miniart, but not a lot. Will replace its vinyl tyres with resin in due course, here you can see its bare bones.

Regards to all

Les V

Les has found a box of Airfix Buffalos, so he's started another mammoth build. Both straight builds and conversions. He has 3 ready for painting and another couple on the go!

Hope you have a relaxing Yultide and that you manage at least some modelling, or just a little plastic fuddling!

Most importantly
STAY SAFE/MODELLING

Mark

Recently finished a Revell 1/32 AH64 Apache, which is a huge kit, and the Hasegawa Hurricane. I prefer the results with the Apache.

Now I have started the Tamiya F4U1 Corsair. So far the cockpit is assembled. I reckon another 2 months or so to complete it. I have bought new decals, though regret it as I think the kit ones would have been fine. Oh well.