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1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part IV

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Part I | Part II| Part III | Part IV

Welcome to Part IV of the MiG-21F-13 build. At the end of Part III, the Fishbed was painted, chipped, and had just had the markings masked and sprayed.

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Now, it’s time to continue the journey with some weathering.

Wash & Strut

Handling the MiG-21 with the nose strut only installed was becoming tiresome by this point, so I said f- it and installed the main gear struts as well. The fit of these into their mounts is frustratingly wobbly, but somehow my “CA-and-pray” approach worked just fine ,and the plane appears to sit level. Now…it does appear to sit taller in the rump than most images I’ve seen…but I think that’s a case of the oleos being at full extension or something.

In addition to strutting the MiG, I also applied Vallejo Light Gray Wash. Vallejo’s washes are something I’ve recently discovered, and used properly they are fantastic. The darker colors really have a much stronger effect, but the gray wash quite subtle and helps to bring some cohesion to a really visually disparate paint scheme like this one.

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Like I said. Subtle. (more…)

Continue Reading1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part IV

1/35 Hobby Boss T-26 Mod. 1933, Part 1

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At the beginning of April, Large Scale Modeller kicked off its first armor-only group build, focused on the Eastern Front from Barbarossa to Kursk. After batting around the idea of another T-34, I decided I’d go in a different direction and build a Soviet light tank instead – the T-26.

Hobby Boss – which, along with Trumpeter – appears to be on an “All Things Russian” tear at the moment – already offers several flavors of T-26, with more on the way. I chose the Mod. 1933 because, well, I don’t know really! My intention is to do this one quick and to have fun with it, not get all bent out over accuracy.

hb_82495_title (more…)

Continue Reading1/35 Hobby Boss T-26 Mod. 1933, Part 1

1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV, Part 3

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Welcome to the Main Event

The T-80BV has been a slog of a build up to this point. Not a bad kit, by any means. Far from it, in fact. But still, the complexity and the high parts count make it rather…involving.

Now, the building is (mostly) done, and it’s time for the fun.

When we last left the T-80BV, it was ready for paint.

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So…to paint!

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Continue Reading1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV, Part 3

1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV, Part 2

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The T-80BV build continues.

In Part 1, I tackled the tracks and running gear. This time around, it’s all about plowing through construction to get to the part I really enjoy – painting and weathering.

If you want the TL;DR version – this kit is a slog. It has a ton of parts, many of them tiny, and requires a lot of focus to get things where they need to be. On the plus side, everything fits rather well. (more…)

Continue Reading1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV, Part 2

1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV , Part 1

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Back in December, I pulled Tamiya’s Challenger 1 from the stash on a whim. Modern armor isn’t exactly my thing, but building the Chally has certainly piqued my interest to a certain degree.

So I’ve decided to keep the modern thing going with Trumpeter’s new 1/35 T-80BV kit. And, because the kit only includes glue-em style indy tracks (which I HATE), I decided to spring for Trumpeter’s separate Workable T-80 Track Set.

The T-80BV Main Battle Tank

(more…)

Continue Reading1/35 Trumpeter T-80BV , Part 1

Armor – Getting Interestinger and Interestinger

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When I got back into modeling in 2010, it seemed like the overwhelming trend in new armor kits was backfilling basically every single possible variant of every single World War II German ground vehicle.

Of course, that trend continues and, given the popularity of German armor, I doubt it will ever really go away. But over the last year-ish, I’ve noticed some definite changes afoot in the types of kits – and even in the manufacturers themselves – that are hitting the market. (more…)

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1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part III

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Part I | Part II| Part III

At last! Welcome to this build’s big moment of truth. Making this:

Look something like this:

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Or…similar. While I was tempted to go for 100% fidelity…the “AMS” side of the Force…I have found that stressing so much about complete accuracy doesn’t really do anything except suck the fun out of builds. So for my forays into 1/48 jets, I’m making a conscious effort to strive for verisimilitude over exactitude.
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Continue Reading1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part III

1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part II

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Part I | Part II| Part III

With the cockpit sorted, it’s time to move on to the build portion of the build.

Overall, Trumpeter’s kit is straight-forward and hiccup-free. Still, there are a few areas to watch out for, and it’s probably a good idea to have a sanding stick or five on hand.

Salting the Shock Cone

Before construction can really begin, there are a few central bits that have to be sorted out. Namely the cockpit, engine, gear bays and the MiG-21’s distinctive shock cone. This cone can move forward and back, essentially regulating airflow into the jet engine. The MiG-21F-13 has a noticeably smaller shock cone than later Fishbeds such as the MiG-21MF and MiG-21bis, in large part because later variants placed the radar behind the cone.

For this particular build, the shock cone required some serious weathering.

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Here’s how I tackled it. (more…)

Continue Reading1/48 Trumpeter MiG-21F-13, Part II

1/35 Tamiya Challenger 1, Part 3

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The Challenger continues!

In Part 1, the Challenger itself got built and received it’s initial paintjob.

In Part 2, I shifted direction to work on the display base.

This Part 3 has been a long time coming, as the Challenger got sidelined for a time so I could focus on finishing off the Me 262A-2a. In this build post, it’s all about the weathering, and making a second attempt at a display base. Read on! (more…)

Continue Reading1/35 Tamiya Challenger 1, Part 3