Kitbasher's blog: Too many ideas, not enough time.....

[kitbasher]

No modelling for a couple of weeks, work induced.

And now in sunny Portugal. Was 40 mins from Lisbon's biggest model shop all week. The other day I was tantalisingly close to the Museo do Ar near Sintra, ditto Portugal's biggest model shop (also outside Sintra).

Anyone know of a model shop in Porto? 

[Captain Canada]

That would be painful to be that close !

[DogfighterZen]

No modelling for a couple of weeks, work induced.

And now in sunny Portugal. Was 40 mins from Lisbon's biggest model shop all week. The other day I was tantalisingly close to the Museo do Ar near Sintra, ditto Portugal's biggest model shop (also outside Sintra).

Anyone know of a model shop in Porto? 

Try looking up BigCat modelismo, in Maceda. Bigcat.com.pt  Close enough? Try looking in this list from a Portuguese forum.
http://forum.modelismo-na.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14542
All addresses should be easy to find on your GPS app or google maps. Coming to the south of the country, the Algarve? 

[kitbasher]

Thanks for the tip. Started off in Lisbon, now in Porto but not heading to tge Algarve.  Back home tomorrow.

Did try the link before I left home byt none of the shops were going to fit the itinerary.  At least not without some serious before and after diplomacy!

[DogfighterZen]

Well, main thing is enjoying the trip, never good upsetting the lady...
Hope you guys enjoyed your time here, next time head south! Have a good trip back home.

[kitbasher]

Well, main thing is enjoying the trip, never good upsetting the lady...
Hope you guys enjoyed your time here, next time head south! Have a good trip back home.

Yes had a great time, thanks.  Hope to see more of the country sooner rather than later.

Anyway, modelling opportunities have been rather thin on the ground of late so I'm putting the remaining few days of freedom from work to good use and will be returning to my numerous unfinished builds and a weekend project - an Airfix Hs129.  My younger brother had one when we were kids, and I know it isn't the greatest kit, etc, etc, but I've never built one so it's now or never!  Real world subject to spare decals, so I guess it may yet turn out to be a whif of sorts.

[kitbasher]

Home Alone Day 1 and Day 2 Part 1

So.  Yes.  Modelling.

Put the flags out - actually did some yesterday! 

• Revisited the One Week GB Corsair (trying not to carry it over into next year's 1WGB) with some PSR and a little bit of painting.  As with my Super Sabre FG.1 (http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,40469.msg680560.html#msg680560) I'm using acrylic paints, a mixture of Humbrol and Xtracrylix.  Jury is still out: the Humbrol stuff is a bit thicker than the Xtracrylix (as is the case with the enamels) but results in quit a rough surface.  Xtracrylix needs a lot of stirring and several coats.  The Humbrol tub facilitates thorough stirring, the Xtracrylix bottle doesn't.
• Throwing together a Matchbox Hellcat
• Reassembling an Italeri Hawk (acquired from Nick).  Had dismantled/dismembered this for a bit of cross-kitting with an Su-25 to produce a westernised Frogfoot.  That plan has been binned so the Frogfoot will be stripped an repainted as a real world machine.  Meanwhile the Hawk will still form the basis of a whif.
• Some work on an MC.205
• Some minor filling of an Airfix MiG-15

And this morning:

• Sanded down the filler on the MiG, discovered the need for a little bit more filling (done) and came to the conclusion that I don't like Revell's 'Plasto' filler.  Won't be using it again unless there's a big area of filler that will need a lot of sanding anyway (and when surface detail is not an issue.
• Started the Hs129.  Seat inside the fuselage, engines, wings and gun pod assembled.  OOB effort this - will add a few seat straps and have drilled out the muzzle of that huge gun, otherwise OOB.  Toyed with scribing the panel lines but for now just going with the flow.  May change my mind.

Anyway, some 1:1 PSR and painting of a porch beckons, more later.....

[NARSES2]

I think with Revell's Plasto it depends on the batch ? I've had some good tubes and some not so good. Got some of the newer Humbrol stuff to try out on my next builds that require that much filler. Most of the more modern toolings I build I can get away with P.P.P. However I have a Vallom kit to start which will probably need some filler of a more robust nature.

Hope you had good hols 

[kitbasher]

Home Alone Day 2 Part 2

Decided that the Corsair is to be stripped and priming/painted restarted.  May still use acrylic Hu64 as the primer as just applied some to the MC205 and got a smooth semi-matt finish.  So I guess a combination of the wrong brush maybe, rushing and not stirring the pain sufficiently may have been factors.  I have to say I do get on with acrylic varnishes.  Still to be convinced by colours though.

Returned to the Mr Whippy tank - some window preparation.  Have decided to add the MG sponsons, albeit modified to make for better serving hatches.

Hs129 engines fitted to nacelles and mounted on the wings, cockpit interior quickly painted.  No detail added to the latter as it is very tiny and you've more change of getting a detailed view of the inside of a letter box by peering through the slot than by looking through the tiny canopy!

And due to rain the porch didn't get done, but I did do some stash sorting.

[kitbasher]

Home Alone Postscript

Surprise surprise, the Hs129 wasn't finished but all of the major sub-assemblies are done, some PSR on the wings and fuselage and then it is essentially built.  Shouldn't take long for that to be done and the on to painting and decalling.  That is now number 2 on the 'to finish' list.

Number one is an Airfix MiG-15 ('new' mould, although it came out 6 years ago almost) and this 'quick OOB build' (to be finished in the Hungarian option) has been slowly on the go for over a year.  More stop-go to be honest as the Great Initial Modelling Flourish was overtaken by other builds, diversions, etc. We've all been there.  Anyway, it is still OOB although I'm replacing the main wheels with something from the spares box as the kit items are way under scale and woefully chubby.  The rest of the kit's shortcomings I'm living with as it's supposed to be a therapeutic build. 

Like all of them, right?  Ha!!

Much frustration with all of the ongoing builds at the moment despite the modeling enjoyment the Home Alone time brought:

• The Mr Whippy tank meanwhile is proving to be a tussle getting serving hatches sorted.  I thought there's no way I can get this done by close of GB play but have just double checked and the deadline is 31 August (I was convinced it was the end of July).  Hurrah!  That is joint number two on the 'to finish' list with the Henschel and some progress pics will follow in due course.
• The 1WGB Corsair GR.1 is such a mess that I've started stripping off the acrylic (not all done yet) and will start again with the painting and sticking to enamels.  At least as base coats - will probably use the Xtracrylix Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green as top coats over the Humbrol equivalents.  Number three on the finishing list and once done will post up pictures of the finished article on the 1WGB thread.
• Painting has gone horribly wrong with the MC.205.  Used a colour which is far to orange to be anything like the light brown it should be (paint tin lid suggested it would be OK).  So once the Corsair is stripped that's next for stripping.  Number four on the finishing list.
• A Blenheim whif that's been on the go for nearly two years will become number five on the finishing list.
• Thereafter some unfinished odds and sods will be completed as and when.  Of these an Airfix Battle and a Val are top of the pile.

At least I've now got an Airfix Swift in the stash!  Lovely looking kit, thank you Airfix.  Held up components from the Pegasus Swift against it for comparison and all credit to Chris Gannon - although the Pegasus offering is unsurprisingly clunky the shapes match up very well.  The Pegasus Swift will be finished as F.4 WK198, which I used to see languishing in the famous Manchester Unimetals scrap yard when I were a lad.  I've an Xtrakit Swift in the stash that will be the basis of an F.t courtesy of Freightdog's conversion kit.  Tempted t do all three alongside each other.  when is another matter altogether as I've two new projects that I really would like to have ready for Telford, and a third which has been a long-standing ambition to do but there's no way it could be done 2015 Telford 2016 I hope!

Ho hum.  These things are sent to try us I suppose.  Here's to plodding on then!

[Captain Canada]

So much fun to be home alone eh ? Lovely.

The Swifts sound great. It would be interesting to see some photo comparisons. Can't wait to see them on this side of the pond.

[PR19_Kit]

The Swifts sound great. It would be interesting to see some photo comparisons. Can't wait to see them on this side of the pond.

I can't wait to see one on THIS side of the pond too! 

[The Wooksta!]

Mine arrived this morning, courtesy of ebay...

[Captain Canada]

Really ? Hmmm.....

[kitbasher]

Yay!  90 minutes of modelling!!  The MiG-15 is built, painting beckons.  Surprisingly little filling so far for the Hs129, initial PSR beckons.  The Val attracted my attention, so the fuselage halves and the engine were attached.  Seats plus undercarriage and initial PSR next.

So much for real-world builds.  Decided to cut myself some whiffing slack to help get through modelling block.  It's not that really, just want to get part-builds finished, out of the way so I can turn my hand to a number of ideas that have been rattling away in my head fr ages.  So the Ju88 whif is abandoned and the Do217 whif simplified to an extent.  Finally sussed what to do with the Ta154 - that too will be much simplified.

The Mr Whippy tank meanwhile is to be my focus for the next few weeks, the Corsair's paint stripping will be completed and the model set aside for completion further down the line; ditto the MC.205.  Will whittle away at the Blenheim, but there are a couple I do want to get done for Telford.  Time will tell.