Been out of town....

Sorry no new updates on anything I have been working on, as I was on a family trip. Visited the big city of Toronto, and of course I found some time to hit a hobby store or two. Some honorable mentions were Dailey Hobbies, just outside of Toronto in Whitby and Hornet Hobbies in Toronto.

Dailey Hobbies is located in Whitby, On just a little off the main drag. Very nice store, clean, well organized and very well stocked. Think I spend an hour just browsing. Lots of kits to look at, new and old stuff. Not very much in aftermarket parts, but I am sure they can be ordered with ease. Staff was very friendly and prices were fair. I managed to find a Eduard 1/48 Sopwith Camel kit to add to my collection, that may make it close to the top of the "to do" pile.

Hornet Hobbies, is in the west end of Toronto, well stocked, with lots to look at. Plenty of aftermarket stuff, to include Alpine figures. Not the most organized or clean store, but plenty to keep your attention for a while.

I also visited NorthStar Hobbies, in Mississauga. Not a great selection, but good, alot of older kits. From their website, I expected much more. I was not totally disappointed, picked up a Dragon 1/35 Panzer IV Ausf. G kit, which will get the winter white paint when I get around to building it.

I look at the stores I saw in Toronto, and wish just one store in the Ottawa area could be stocked like the store I saw in Toronto. I understand the population difference, supply and demand, and all that, but there are LOTS of stores in Toronto, and only TWO in Ottawa, I think one store that stocks like the bigger city stores in our area would do very well. I tend to find my stuff online, as I can't find it in my local shops. If I could find it local I would buy it, even if the prices are a "little" higher. Ok, I will stop ranting now........

All in all a great trip, but hopefully back to modelling real soon.

My Tamiya F4U-1A completed

Well over the weekend I managed to finish my Corsair. Construction was basically out of the box, with the exception of some UltraCast resin parts, to include tires, exhaust, and seat. I also used fine jewelry wire to add the plug wires on the engine. After a coat of Tamiya fine primer from the spray can, the model was airbrushed at about 20psi and my Paasche VL using Tamiya paints, thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinner. After drying, a coat of Future was applied before and after decals. Decals went on great, other then I got a little heavy handed with the SolvaSet in places, I need to learn a little more patience I think. Panel lines were done with a pin wash of Mig Dark Wash, and weathering done with chalk powder. I am happy with the turn out, and I think I would like to do another, maybe a Korean War Marine version.

Build Log 3 - Humber Scout Car Mk. I

Here is the latest update on my Humber build. The interior has been completed, weathered and some aftermarket stowage added. Fitting the roof was a little tricky as the fit is a little bit off, a little putty and sanding will be needed before primer. I have added some of the PE detail to include the racks for the gas cans and the hatch stop. When mounting the front lights, I noticed the plastic mounting brackets(C42) did not match the images I had. After examining the photo etched parts, I notice that the proper brackets(P32) were there, but they are not mentioned in the instructions. And after reviewing the instructions and looking at the PE parts, I notice there are a lot of PE parts not mentioned in the instructions, and some of the parts are a mystery. So I used the PE brackets and added a little fine jewelry wire for detail.

Next up is to complete the exterior detail and prime.

Here is the link to the rest of the build pictures

Build Log 2 - Humber Scout Car Mk. I

Well work is continuing on the Humber Scout Car, most of the interior is complete, only a little more weathering to complete. Working with the SMALL PE parts was a little daunting, but worth the effort. The interior, so far, was airbrushed with Tamiya Flat White, and detail painting was done using Vallejo paints. To add a dirty coloring to the floor, I applied some MIG Neutral Wash, and dry brushed some white to bring out highlights. Since I am planning to leave the back hood closed, I decided not to build the engine. (Might be useful some where down the road). Again I have found more ejector marks to fill and sand as I go, there was a lot more then I realized at first. Constructing the front stowage and wheel housing, I have found a few fit issues, but these were dealt with using some Squadron White putty. This was also true for building the suspension and drive components. The leaf suspension comes in two half and requires a bit of putty and careful sanding.

Next up, complete the body assembly.

Memory Lane....

Thought I would take a little walk down memory lane, of my modelling. My earliest memory of modelling was that of sitting at my Aunt's kitchen table with small plastic model of a bi-plane(make escapes me at the moment), a couple of bottles of paint, and a tube of glue. That was the start of my modelling career.

As I got older, it was trip to downtown, to visit the "bigger" hobby stores on a Saturday. I could spend hours browsing the shelves, dreaming of building that kit, or another. With my paper delivery route, I would save to buy a new kit, now and then. After which retire to the basement to the table my father set up for me to start building. Mostly aircraft, the odd tank. Mostly Matchbox kits, I loved the kits. Molded in two colors, paint schemes on the back of the box (usually the reason for buying that kit), and they went together well enough and were quick to build. My skills were very basic, simple brushed painted schemes, most seams still visible, and the odd glue spot. But I had fun.

Then I remember discovering Tamiya 1/35 kits, and Historex 55mm soldiers. I beleive mostly because of the colorful Tamiya catalogs. I remember I could hardly wait till the following year, to see what amazing Francis Verlinden diorama's would be in the catalogs. It was then I decided I wanted to be a better modeller. The only information available to us back then, was one or two magazines, Military Modeller being my main. And also hanging out in the hobby stores talking to other modellers. And when I was about 15, I had the opportunity to work in a local hobby store. I remember starting to take more time, and more care, building my models. I saved up and bought a very simple Badger 150 airbrush, and used an old tire, that I pumped up with a foot pump, as my air source. Kits I can remember building were a M1 Abram, M3 Halftrack, 75mm German AT, M113 APC(with interior), M60 Patton, M42 Duster, and a German Opel with 20mm AA. I would spend hours at my desk, enjoying my time.

I guess then I became an older teen, found girls, socializing, etc. Well the rest is history, but now I am back, and finding the same enjoyment.

Build Log - Humber Scout Car Mk. I

I have started work on my Bronco 1/35 Humber Scout Car Mk. I. I have to say it is a real nice kit, with some minor flaws I have discovered so far. The kits is full of detail, to include interior. The molding is crisp, with very little flash, and include PE parts. One minor issue I have discovered so far is the ejection mark, especially on the interior, where they will be seen if leaving open, which I am planning to do. There will need to be filled.

So construction has begun on the interior, with filling ejection marks and adding some of the details. I have decided to add some of the wiring, missing from the kit using jewelry beading wire. The wire is fine, and I find easy to work with. Once most of the details, I will prime with Tamiya fine primer and paint, using Tamiya acrylics and Vallejo.

One issue I see, and wondering how I will deal with it, will be the exterior painting, with the hatches open, but it will be a problem I will tackle then.

Some of my favorite Internet places........

Well I thought I would start with a list of some of my favourite sites and online vendors. In this new digital world, there is a lot of information to be found on the internet. Since returning to the hobby, I have found vast amounts of helpful tips, reviews, and information that a modeller could want or need. This is only a partial list, and I will add more in the future.

http://www.armorama.com/ - an excellent site for the armor modeller. Full of reviews, tips, and modelling news.

http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/ - a sister site to above, but for the aircraft modeller.

http://www.spruebrothers.com/ - an online vendor, with excellent prices and fast friendly service.

http://www.ultracast.ca/ - an online manufacture/vendor. Maker of some excellent aftermarket resin parts and figures, as well as a vendor for some other brands. Fast and friendly service, and I have had the priviledge to use some of their parts, and I must say I am impressed with the quality.

http://www.cybermodeler.com/index.shtml - again another good site, with modelling news and reviews. Lot of information.

And of course http://www.google.ca/ - it is amazing what you can find with a few keywords.

I will add more in the future, but I hope this you find this information helpful.

Welcome back to modelling?

Well after years away from the hobby, I am back to building models. I never realized what I was missing. At times I feel like a kid again, spending hours in hobby stores admiring the models on the shelves, dreaming of building one, and adding to my collection. And then the time sitting at my model desk, the smell of the glue, the small pieces flying onto the floor, and the crawl to find them.

The biggest think I have noticed on my return to modelling, is the vast amount of resource information available today, mostly on on the internet. I am finding the internet adding another enjoyable aspect to building models. I look up the history of the vehicle or aircraft I am building, read review of kits I thinking about buying, and read other peoples tips for building/painting a specific kit I may be working on.

I think with age, I have become more patient, and I believe it has improved my model building skill from when I was younger. All I know is I am enjoying my time building models again. I plan to use this blog to document my experiences in my model building quest. Sharing my experiences, hoping they will help other modellers.

Thanks for reading my blog, and stay tuned for more posts.