The Model Guy

What is in the water in Ontario? Another master class.

Must not get distracted by squirrels, but man I’d love to do this Razorback:

The MiniArt decals are performing flawlessly. Mr Mark Setter and Tamiya Mark Fit Strong have them laying into the rivets and panel lines with a painted on look. Easily the best out-of-the-box decals I’ve ever worked with.

Main airbrush painting complete. A few touch ups to be done and then on to decals.

Colour down on the Jug. Tomorrow night will see some more work on the ocean gray so it looks rougher like the real paint.

Throwback to 2022 when my Japanese aircraft expert friend brought an original piece of a Zero to a model show so I could check my colour mix.

He wanted to show me it was wrong.

Thanks Woody 🙂

Just some wing root clean up and it’s ready for paint.

Main assembly complete on the Jug. The kit has some stunning detail. My only serious complaints so far are that you have to install the radio mast and blast tubes early on. This makes things dicy as you can snap the mast and have a difficult area to clean up between tubes.

If you’re not following John’s page, you are missing out on a masterclass in aircraft weathering.

A change-up at the bench over the weekend as construction of the MiniArt P-47 began. It has great detail out of the box!

John said he wants less talky talky and more buildy buildy. Cockpit is nearly complete (needs another thin gloss layer in the MFDs) and then the gear well can start paint.

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I’m very fortunate to have also received one of the early copies of the new Jug from MiniArt! There will be a full build review of this kit and I’m really looking forward to it.

Getting a bit closer to paint. The rear gear bay bulkhead won’t be visible so theres no need to get crazy in there. What is crazy though is making sure the lead wires line up from the front bulkhead to the roof. May finally see paint this weekend!

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Used some 3d printed hydraulic fittings for the gear bay of the Big Planes Kits C-40A. Hydraulic lines are made from lead wire of different sizes.

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Big Planes Kits C-40A office gets it’s details from decals. In 1/72 in a very small space you won’t really see, that’s acceptable. But I’ve been working a lot in Fusion 360 and this is great practice for 3D printing. Everything test printed so far looks great. Some adjustments to how things prints will make them easier for installation. Those tiny switchs are .12mm in size.

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This photo is currently making the rounds (again) as an example of a heavily weathered aircraft. The problem is, the photographer slid the contrast bar way too far to the right.

If you’re building weathered stuff, make sure your references are legit. The haters are waiting for you to slip 🙂

It’s only been in develpment for what seems like 20 years.

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I’m very excited to have received a copy of C-40A/B Clipper! It means a lot that they’re trusting me to build it and showcase it on my social media. I hope I do your company proud!
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Pin wash down on the Spit Pit and ready for some more oil work.

Can’t get much done at the bench on Hallowe’en so it looks like Murphy and I are streaming youtube modellers while tossing candy. Here’s a peak as well at where the Spit is heading

My first buddy build with ! This is Kotare’s 1/32 Spit and something we have been sorting out since she was on the SCU podcast. I’ve been doing some research on this earlier grey-green colour for the office the RAF used. Sophie is definitely flying along while I find a rabbit hole!

Took a break from rescribing tonight and got some paint into the office. Plans are to use putty on the seats for a more organic look. #1/72

If you are wondering why some builders insist on needing to prime before paint, John shows one of the reasons why.

The primer lets you check the surfaces for any imperfections before moving to paint. Black is my favorite as well because it will show any imperfections in the surface below.

Rescribing complete on the bottom of the Aurora and horizontal stabs. A light grey acrylic wash to check that everything is completely done.
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I’m no but I think I have everything for the Aurora: Razor Saw, label tape, 1:1 blueprints, mechanical pencil and the creme of the cake: sewing needle in a pin vice.

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The CP-140 returns to the bench for some more filling and assembly. Engine nacelles line up decently but will need work at the top. I figured this was an easier area to clean up than the bottom. #1/72

If you ever want to make yourself nuts, try masking Chinese Nationalist roundels. Now that everything is under a flat coat, it will be ready for oils tomorrow. That will help blend in the cleaner looking roundels.

Here’s where things get interesting. Black green for the first chipping layer followed by NATO black for the second chipping layer. Next step is to seal it all in clear for masking the markings.

Two thin layers of chipping fluid misted on and followed by a thin coat of black green. Once this first layer is chipped, it will get sealed under a semi-gloss coat for protection and the process repeated. Long story short, I’m going for what a Chinese Nationalist Air Force bf 109F may of looked like.

Base colours down on the 109F. Tomorrow will see painted over markings and maybe decals.

As an aircraft builder, I was really surprised that my M31 build received recognition at the Alberta Military Modellers Show and the shows.

Gold in Detailed Armour
Best Camouflage
Best British armour

Maybe I need to do more armour builds?

Hanging out at the GOMBs show in Calgary!

These Eduard Weekend Kits are a great way to quickly get into paint. After three nights at the bench, it’s ready for primer.

In case you are looking for ideas how to weather the bottom of your tanks for Nats 24, Sam has you covered.

Time for something completely different. I’ve taken on a commission job that’s a “What If” scheme. The client is a fan of Chinese Nationalist Air Force aircraft and requested a bf 109f in their markings….and heavily worn. His story is “what if Japan never attacked the US and the Germans never cut ties with the Chinese?” It’s definitely something that will be fun and a challenge.

Cowling alignment won’t be a problem if there’s no cowling.

From the comments I’ve read on Doogs Models videos, I believe this is a sign of a successful project: when people criticize your language.