What's on my desk? Part 118.
Hello and welcome!
Easter holiday started, the weather's nice, and the Summer Time allows for longer modelling sessions. Good times.
Next week Tuesday, the 14th of April, Modelist will be closed for some minor reorganization/redecoration. There (probably) also won't be a blog post, although I might do one the next day. Date was moved to the 28th. I'll keep you posted here
Otherwise: normal opening hours for the rest of the holiday.
Last week, I've focused on the Focus.
The side view mirrors still needed to be stripped of the glossy black paint. That went well, using VMS Clean Slate remover.
The previous owner cut the included mesh too large, so I had to remove it. One of my regular customers could provide me with some PE mesh (thank you Jan!). I stuck some 18mm tape over the instructions to make a template. Tamiya tape is a bit translucent and low-tack, so you can remove it even from paper.
I cut out the printed shape carefully, but I still cut too deep and into the instruction sheet. I stuck a piece of regular Scotch tape over it, then had the luminous idea to use that as a barrier for the other pieces. Works pretty well; lesson learned for the future...
Once I had the shapes, I stuck these over the PE, trying to use the space as efficiently as possible:
Then I used an old (!) knife blade and a steel ruler to cut out these shapes from the PE. This will completely ruin the knife blade, and it's one of the reasons I don't throw away old blades immediately. They still have a million uses...
The edges don't need to be perfect, as they're hidden underneath the engine hood.
Meanwhile, the decals were applied, the window edges were masked and sprayed and the rear spoiler wing was finished:
Underneath the holes in the engine hood you can see the mesh and the two pieces that provide an illusion of an engine bay.
So: nearly finished. The body needs another gloss goat and a bit of a polish, then I can do final assembly and apply the last decals on the windows.
One picture of the Bloch: I masked the tail and the underside grey, then sprayed a coat of Intermediate Blue:
Needs a post-shade and a polish as the paint finish is a bit rough.
Work on the Viggen has stalled somewhat; I've lost my mojo a bit for that one...
I did make some progress on the T-72. I finished the side walls and inside upper front glacis. First off, I gave the details an Interior Wash, wiping off the excess with Q-tips and paper towel. Next, the various cables received some colour using oils. I find oil paint is perfect for this kind of work, as it flows nicely off the brush. Of course, it dries very slowly, so I tend to do this on a Saturday to give it two days time. It's all still a bit shiny; next step is a Satin varnish.
I gave the autoloader trays a second coat of green, then dry-fitted them to the carousel:
Looks good!
Finally, I took delivery of a new brand last week: UGears from Ukraine makes laser-cut wooden mechanical models. They gave me a couple of samples to build myself, a very nice touch, because of course I like to know what I'm selling...
There's small models, like this bicycle:
I fits together without glue, and there's plenty of spare small parts in case you break one. The parts are attached to the frame with very tiny connectors, so you can just push them out. I used the backside of a paintbrush, but had I read the instructions properly, I'd have noticed that a pushtool is included on one of the frames... This one was built in just a few hours.
The other model I got is this race car:
As you can see, a lot more parts. It's operated by a metal spring that you have to crank to make it go. This one will take a bit more time to build, so keep an eye on this blog to see more.
That's it for now.
See you next week!