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Ratch

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Posts posted by Ratch

    Why do you collect what you do?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    As a kid I built what my parents and family bought for me. When I started earning pocket money I bought kits that I was inspired by the box art. For a time I built a model railway and built kits and painted figures to go with that. Then I joined the railway and decided to rebuild my layout. I ripped it up and bought some kits to tide me over. I discovered the Airfix Club and the world of on-line modelling. My interest in family history led me to start a project modelling aircraft that flew from Northamptonshire airfields. Other projects were taken up too. I have built all the Airfix 1/12 figures, all the Wildlife series, all the 54mm figures, many of the 1/600 ships, and many Napoleonic (Waterloo) figures.

    1/48 Supermarine Walrus Mk.I (A09183) Build Review

    in Aircraft

    Posted

    I had already painted the propeller tips with Humbrol Acrylic 24 Matt Trainer Yellow and the blades with Humbrol Acrylic 33 Matt Black. 

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    This was then fitted to the Pegasus engine. I sprayed a coat of Klear and then applied the decals using Microset. Then the engine was mounted on the fuselage. 

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    When it came to fitting the top wing, I had a disaster. Somehow, I managed to drop the fuselage, snapping the port undercarriage strut and the rudder. I hope I’ve fixed the undercarriage; time will tell. I shall leave the rudder until the end.

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    Fairey Rotodyne

    in Aircraft

    Posted

    9 hours ago, Dominic Thomas said:

    This type of post is fascinating to follow. I would never have the nerve to do one - I don’t think I could live with a failure that ended in the bin, and everyone knew !!

    I'm just an ordinary modeller like most of us here. I don't mind making mistakes, it helps me learn, and if others learn by my mistakes all the better. 

    Airfix 1/76 Guards Band (A00701V) In-Box Review

    in Figures, Dioramas & Scenery

    Posted

    I know by researching.

    I painted a set a few years ago and used these colours:

    Humbrol Acrylic 61 Matt Flesh = skin tones

    Humbrol Acrylic 60 Matt Scarlet = coat, trouser stripe

    Vallejo Model Color 50 70899 Dark Prussia Blue = trousers, collar, shoulder straps, wings, cuffs

    Humbrol Acrylic 33 Matt Black = bearskin

    Vallejo Model Color 170 70861 Glossy Blacky = boots

    Vallejo Model Color 166 70994 Dark Grey = base

    Humbrol Acrylic 34 Matt White = belts, cuff flaps, piping, grenades on collar, turnbacks

    Humbrol Acrylic 103 Matt Cream = apron, drum skin

    Humbrol Acrylic 160 German Camouflage Red Brown = pipes

    Humbrol Acrylic 11 Metallic Silver Fox = Drum Major’s mace

    Humbrol Acrylic 16 Metallic Gold = lace, drum belts

    Humbrol Acrylic 54 Metallic Brass / Vallejo Model Color 174 70801 Brass = instruments

    Humbrol Acrylic 110 Matt Natural Wood = drumsticks

    Airfix 1/76 Guards Colour Party (A00702V) In-Box Review

    in Figures, Dioramas & Scenery

    Posted

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    The image of British Guards in their tall bearskins and red coats parading in London is familiar to everyone and has been a popular subject for toy soldiers for many decades. When Airfix began making figures, of which this set was one of the first, they were made to complement their ‘OO/HO’ scale railway range, so although this is a military subject, it is very much in a peacetime mode. However, the market quickly developed into one modelling war scenarios, so that even today, well over half a century after this set was produced, it remains one of the relatively few sets that show personnel away from any form of military campaign.
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    The mould for this set cost £2115.00 in 1959, and although there are only four poses plus the sentry box, it accurately depicts a British Foot Guards colour party on parade in full dress, the four poses deliver all that might be expected. The poses are of a sentry presenting arms, an officer with sword drawn, a colour-bearer and, filling most of the box, a marching figure with sloped arms.
    The sculping quality of these early Airfix sets is poor by today's standards, and this was never retooled. Even though the uniforms are quite simple, detail is not good, the faces being almost featureless surfaces with a nose in the middle and hands that are no more than blobs. The only distinguishing feature between regiments would be the arrangement of buttons on the tunic, but here buttons are missing entirely, even on the officer, who directly faces the mould. Having most of the figures side-on to the mould makes matters worse, but the officer or RSM shows that good detail was never a prospect, although he does have a simple strip of medals on his chest. The rifle carried by the soldiers, which should be the L1A1, is here no more than a length of plastic devoid of any features, which must be imagined as a firearm. The mouldings look very clean with minimal flash. Finally, many of the figures have ejector pin marks on their right arms.
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    The full-dress uniform is simple enough, and dates to the 1850s, with only very minor changes since then. So, the uniform is accurate for the date of manufacture, 1959, and indeed it is still largely accurate today, given the simplistic nature of these figures. The size of the bearskin looks good, so there are no real accuracy problems here. What has changed since the 1960s of course is the rifle, but with such a crude rendition it is almost irrelevant.
    The design of the sentry box must have been equally easy to research as these were standing in the streets of London at the time, and indeed boxes of this design are still to be seen there today, so this too is an accurate model. However, like the men, it lacks a lot of detail, being featureless round the side and back, with only the front having the necessary detail. The front part is a separate piece that fits onto the ‘box’ of the other three sides, making for a more realistic model, although still one that only looks decent from the front.
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    Having long been out of production, it might seem that few people were queuing up to buy this set even if it was in the shops today, yet Airfix have re-issued them, albeit in the limited edition of the Vintage Classic range. The RRP of £5.99 seems reasonable to me; - I paid the same for a damaged part set and almost three times for a full old set in the cheesy plastic. It will be interesting to see its performance. At this scale it has no real rivals, yet it is not the kind of subject that usually attracts a lot of sales from enthusiasts today, and since the rerelease is not a new tooling, the poor standard of sculpting may make it a hard sell. It is not a set that compares well with modern standards, but still, many older hobbyists will fondly remember their childhood when these figures provided hours of harmless amusement as they attempted to form them in neat rows and blocks on living room carpets and dining room tables. Given the limited production run of this set, if you really want one do not delay before prices rise again.
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    Airfix 1/76 Guards Band (A00701V) In-Box Review

    in Figures, Dioramas & Scenery

    Posted

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    The first British military band appeared in 1678, and today they are a familiar sight at many state occasions such as Trooping the Colour. The poses in this set are as follows:
    a)       Drum Major
    b)      Tuba
    c)       Flute
    d)      Side Drum
    e)      Saxophone
    f)        Cymbal
    g)       Trombone
    h)      Trumpet
    i)        Bass Drum
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    The actual mix of instruments varies considerably between bands, though all the instruments here would normally be used. Several others could potentially have been chosen, with perhaps the most common missing instrument being the horn. However, this remains a reasonable selection. The cost of the mould in 1959 was £2320.00.
    Such a set as this must have presented Airfix with some real problems in sculpting. Musical instruments are normally complex in shape and difficult to produce in a two-piece mould. Some of these figures are face on to the mould, and some side on to it, but still there are compromises. Perhaps the most obvious is the tuba, which is nowhere near the soldier's mouth. Both sizes of drum are separate and slot in to the figure using a peg. The fit is not tight and glue should be used to fix them.
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    The uniform must be the easiest to research, not least because it has not noticeably changed in over 150 years. This set was designed in 1959, well over half a century ago, yet the uniforms are still basically the same today, and given the basic sculpting the full dress of the British Foot Guards is almost correctly depicted here. The figures do not have ammunition pouches (as normally worn) but have bayonet frogs (which are not usually worn). There is no lace or other detail which you might expect on some such as the drummer or the drum major, so some detail painting will be required here! Wings normally worn by musicians are correctly moulded on the drummers but missing from the other figures.
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    This set is of course a real antique by the standards of plastic figures, and the quality of sculpting is short of today's products. The anatomy is fine and well proportioned, but detail is very basic and often missing entirely. Faces and hands are featureless, clothing has few folds if any, although there is little flash on the supplied set. This set was last issued in 1975, and may not appeal to many enthusiasts today, but given the limited manufacture of the Vintage Classics, it is advisable to snap them up early before they disappear from the range again. The set will provoke nostalgic memories in collectors of a certain age!
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    Consolidated B-24H Liberator (A09010) Build Review

    in Aircraft

    Posted

    From August 1943, specially modified Liberators were used on classified missions, codenamed ‘Carpetbaggers’. The missions involved sending commando units and spies (called Joes/Josephines) into occupied Europe prior to the invasion. No 801 (Provisional) Bomb Group was stationed at Harrington in Northamptonshire. 36, 406, 788, and 850 Squadrons formed the 801st carrying out these missions. Their B-24s were painted with a glossy black, anti-searchlight paint, with nose and waist guns and ball turret removed. A ‘Joe Hole’ was used in place of ball turret. Waist windows were blacked out and teardrop blisters added to both cockpit windows. 
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    • Like 1

    Consolidated B-24H Liberator (A09010) Build Review

    in Aircraft

    Posted

    Getting near to the finish line now. I like the way the transparencies are all fitted from the exterior. I run the G-S Hypo Cement around the aperture. The instructions with the glue advise to allow the glue to become tacky before marrying the parts. This works very well as it holds the clear part while I manipulate it into position, and the joint is seamless. I did lose one clear piece to the Carpet Monster, which pinged from my tweezers into the ether. I cut a piece from clear plastic sheet to replace this. The boarding ladder solves the tail-sitting problem. 

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    The teardrop aerial thing had also gone missing from the frame. I thought I heard something ping off a frame last week, but did not know what it was, and couldn’t see anything immediately. Luckily, I had a spare from an Academy B-17 which I used to replace it. The Loran aerial behind the forward astrodome is a piece of short, thin rod, and the Rebecca aerials were from my spares box. 

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    I have several pieces left over on the frames, which indicate to me that further variants will be issued in the future. As far as this build is concerned, all is done.

     

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    Summary:

    I have to say I have enjoyed this journey, even the terrifying bits. As we have come to expect from Airfix, the design team have done an excellent job. The build is cleverly and innovatively designed. My only gripe is the restricted space in which to add weight and prevent tail-sitting. Although the schemes offered did not interest me, and I chose to represent an aircraft that is of relevance to me, everything is OOB except for a few omissions and the addition of the nose glazing, Rebecca aerials, and teardrop blisters from spares. Serials were from a Ventura sheet. I used Vallejo, Humbrol, and Revell acrylics. Thanks to Airfix for supplying the sample, it deserves to sell well.

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    • Like 2
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