Saur's big bunch o' Stuff - now featuring more than ships! Black Eagle/Harrier!

[Sauragnmon]

Cap, my biggest problem with this Airfix Scooter (I think, she's out of a Falklands War set) was the absolute lack of stores, short of the two wing tanks - I have to fill those gaps in order to do anything, and I'm just goofing around to get a pair of Bullpups on the wings - the second surviving tank (I used the clean half of one to make the spine) will be turned into a centerline tank.  If it had more pylons, I might have thought of hanging a pair of winders on the wings to boot.

I Do agree - the scooter just looks dead sexy in the RCN colours, the clean lines and the tail flash just make her so damn sweet.  The challenge for me will be painting her maple leaves on, as I do all markings by hand.

[Cliffy B]

I Do agree - the scooter just looks dead sexy in the RCN colours, the clean lines and the tail flash just make her so damn sweet.  The challenge for me will be painting her maple leaves on, as I do all markings by hand.

Try making masking tape templates for the maple leaves.  Haven't tried this but it sounds plausible; draw a maple leaf, lay a piece of tape over a piece of glass, carbon transfer the leaf to the tape and cut it out of the tape.  You should be left with a nice piece of tape with a maple leaf shaped hole in it that you can tape to the plane and paint away.  Probably won't get more than one or two uses outta it but it's worth a shot.

[Sauragnmon]

The only problem, really, is my scale - 1/72 - so getting the fine detail on the points of the leaf is the most problematic part of the paint.  I might manage to edge-in the points though, I won't know until I try.

[Weaver]

I Do agree - the scooter just looks dead sexy in the RCN colours, the clean lines and the tail flash just make her so damn sweet.  The challenge for me will be painting her maple leaves on, as I do all markings by hand.

Try making masking tape templates for the maple leaves.  Haven't tried this but it sounds plausible; draw a maple leaf, lay a piece of tape over a piece of glass, carbon transfer the leaf to the tape and cut it out of the tape.  You should be left with a nice piece of tape with a maple leaf shaped hole in it that you can tape to the plane and paint away.  Probably won't get more than one or two uses outta it but it's worth a shot.

I tried that in order to make some white circles on my Trainers with Teeth builds for the transparent decals to go on. The problem is that as soon as you get the tape off the glass, it distorts, and it's difficult to be sure that you've stuck  it to the model dead straight. To get around this, I stuck another piece of tape on top of the first one as a "carrier" to keep the first one straight, stuck the whole lot on the model, then peeled off the top layer to reveal the mask.

Lesson learnt: leave a bit of the carrier tape flapping with a pice of plain paper under it as a release tab, otherwise it's hell trying to pick up the edge of the carrier tape without lifting the mask tape when it's on the model.

[ChernayaAkula]

Hey Saur, I thought you might want to check out THIS WOLFENSTEIN CLIP featuring a missile-armed Tirpitz. 

[Sauragnmon]

Weaver, I'd probably mark the north point of the marking too in the case of stenciled leaves, so I know "This Way Up"  But I'll probably hand paint them, like I've done others.

Missile Tirpitz, Moritz, is interesting - I posted comment on it elsewhere.

[dy031101]

I was going to ask why the Japanese ships would keep the bulky torpedo tubes as the world's naval armaments entred the missile age, but then I realized that the Soviets also equipped their ships with 21" ASW torpedoes......  

Interesting ideas.

[Sauragnmon]

The USN as well kept 21" tubes for ASW torpedoes, the catch being, that my Republic of Japan ships keep the 24" tubes for better range and warhead, as they can carry heavier torpedoes.  Let us not forget, that even in the missile age, the torpedo's destructive power has not been seen ineffective, and even now, most ASW missiles use a torpedo for the warhead.

[Captain Canada]

How come you paint on the markings ? There's CDN decals by the boatload out there these days !?

[Sauragnmon]

much as the painted markings are a challenge, I hate decals even more, Cap.  That and it helps me keep focus on my handiwork - I like to challenge myself to focus a little harder, and the brushwork is good.

[Brian da Basher]

The Scooter is pure whiff magic all the way! Love what you've done with it! Those boats are none too shabby either!

Brian da Basher

[Sauragnmon]

Thanks BdB - she's turned out well, I shelved her for a bit, as the impulse took me to get back to work on Hind-A-Mania - pictures of that soon, the first installment.

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, new project - this one I was kicking around for a while, I had the interior done, but I had to get inspiration for the camo and markings - here it is, courtesy of Logan.  Backstory being the Chinese captured a Vietnamese Hind-A, or it was sold to them for equipment, who then reverse engineered the chopper, upgraded it, and pressed it into their own service for ground support, wearing the infamous Scaly Lizard camo.  This is part one of four, of Project Hind-a-mania.  Pictures!







She started life as the Hasegawa Hind-A, the interior was additionally improved with stuff from a dead Hind D from Italeri - interior, front and back walls, some extras in the cockpit, and the undernose electronics, as well as the disco lamp up top on the fuselage.

As always, questions, comments, queries and rude remarks are welcome.

[chrisonord]

Now that looks excellent Simon,
The Hind really does suit that colour scheme.
Chris.

[BlackOps]

Really love the paintjob!!!    This is going to be sweet!