Who the hell would fly this?

NARSES2 · May 22, 2006, 05:31:00 AM

Leigh this just keeps getting better

Brian da Basher · May 22, 2006, 05:34:21 AM

Wow Leigh that's some incredible detail work! My hat's off to your imagination, skill and talent! The idea of using those tank parts is absolutely inspired! I'm really enjoying watching this build come togetehr.

Brian da Basher

Captain Canada · May 22, 2006, 07:09:55 AM

Allright, that's it ! Everybody bin your own Airfix GB kit. Way to go, Leigh.....on your way to winning another one. I say we kick the bum out. Or somehow get him back on the liqour !

Aside form my obvious disdain for your talent, i gotta say WOW ! This thing does keep getting better and better. love the seatbelt touch as well. And the wee extinguishers, and the liferafts !

I'm currently working on my CCG Cormorant/ merlin chopper. I was gonna just paint the interior grey and close it up, but now I'm thinking I should try and dress it up a wee bit. But the Merlin doesn't have a ramp...just the side doors.

Anyway, enough about that. Great job, Leigh. She sure is coming along nicely !

Where do you get all those seatbelts ?

retro_seventies · May 22, 2006, 08:18:42 AM

Great stuff Leigh - particularly like the life rafts (you can almost smell them! - you know the smell i mean too...like a brand new Twister mat).

BlackOps · May 22, 2006, 11:17:54 AM

Great to see more progress on this one Leigh, Sure it may be repetitive work but you sure make it look good!

Jeff G.

Leigh · May 22, 2006, 05:41:40 PM

Quote

I'm currently working on my CCG Cormorant/ merlin chopper. I was gonna just paint the interior grey and close it up, but now I'm thinking I should try and dress it up a wee bit. But the Merlin doesn't have a ramp...just the side doors.

Where do you get all those seatbelts ?

Todd the seat belts are just Tamiya masking tape, the seats came from some complete fuzzy bunny in Canada

I would tart up your Merlin even if it's just a little. Amazing how just a little bit of colour brings it alive even if it's just a box painted red. Or make some life rafts those were the easiest thing I've done on this and my fave bit so far.
Just took some heavy foil that seals those large plastic coffee containers (note Folgers have now switched to plastic foil, guess I'm gonna have to buy Maxwell House now).
Cut a strip maybe an inch wide and about three inches long. Folded the long sides over about a 1/16 of an inch with a metal ruler to give it a "thicker" edge, then just rolled it up. Took a teeny square of thin styrene and glued it on the front then a square of foil just a wee bit bigger and burnished it down over the styrene to look like some kind of hard box encapsulated in the rubber. Painted with yellow enamel. the foil takes paint easily , but also it wasn't perfect so I didn't have to worry about highlights or shadows. Then Barry's future sludge and got the look I wanted. Every life raft, oil slicker thingy I've ever seen always seems to be real shiny and dirty/oily at the same time.
Two bits of styrene rod painted red and voila.
This is complete imagination I have no idea wot a real life raft looks like but stuff like this is really effective. From now on all my models will have life rafts even the tanks.

cthulhu77 · May 23, 2006, 06:12:09 AM

Great concept...will have to try that out this week !

nev · May 24, 2006, 05:47:18 AM

I'm sorry Leigh, but I consider taking pictures that JHM has posted, then putting them in your own thread and trying to pass the work off as your own as just, well, poor form. I thought you were better than that.

John Howling Mouse · May 26, 2006, 12:40:37 PM

QuoteI'm sorry Leigh, but I consider taking pictures that JHM has posted, then putting them in your own thread and trying to pass the work off as your own as just, well, poor form. I thought you were better than that.

Ha, ha, ha----Nev, I wish!

Leigh, you've crossed some ethereal threshold somewhere out there in the realms of both Whiffery and sheer talent... without even realizing it, more than likely.

Right up there with the most talented folks I've ever seen in modeling, there is also now the "Leigh" plateau in Whiffery.

I am awestruck.

Gary · May 29, 2006, 04:15:30 AM

Wot he said... and then some!

lancer · May 29, 2006, 07:26:30 AM

QuoteWot he said... and then some!

I second that. I guess Leigh's set the standard for us now. You now have the Leigh standard.

Patrick H · June 08, 2006, 03:26:59 AM

Leigh, I am just without words to say what I think of your wurk soI'l say it like this:

Patrick

Alvis 3.1 · June 08, 2006, 07:50:20 AM

Quote
QuoteWot he said... and then some!
I second that. I guess Leigh's set the standard for us now. You now have the Leigh standard.

If I do something like Leigh would, but a bit less detailed and with less effort into it...would it be considered....

....

wait for it....

a Leigh Light?

Alvis 3.1

Leigh · June 10, 2006, 05:55:06 PM

Thanks guys and I'm not gonna feign false modesty, 'cos I've put alot of effort into this and I'm really proud of it.

As for talent, I dunno I think anybody can do great models if they are willing to put in the time and effort, and I'm still marvelling over Damien's Lego Harrier and how I wish I could do summat that cool. Getting over the fear that you "Can't" do something is the hardest part, but encouragement and tips from you guys usually takes care of that.
What you don't see is the mountains of trash styrene, all the trial and error process, and the stuff that didn't work or just looked plain crap!

So Ladies? and Gentleman (and Radish) after three months I present you with ......

an AIRFRAME!!!!!!!!!

Leigh · June 10, 2006, 06:01:29 PM

WOT? ....
eh?......

Oh you want to see what the inside ended up like? No? Tough 'cos I spent way too long on this to not preserve it for posterity and I want to show it off. Every time I thought it was close to done, I kept thinking of bits to add, fiddling around with bits of wire etc, some worked, some got trashed till finally today I realised I've only got a week to get it finished so it's time to stop the AMS.