Andy's Modelmaking Misadventures

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Punkawallah

Über Member
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The next project on the list is a bank, and for once I actually started the model instead of getting distracted.

The Bank of Ascension naturally wants to project wealth, stability, and reliability to attract the custom of wealthy tourists. To do this they have commissioned a classical frontage, made from stone brought to the island at great expense. It will feature all kinds of cornices, accolades, scrolls, quoins, and other things I learned about online while researching this project.

In keeping with the general theme of Ascension, the less visible parts of the bank will probably be made of any old rubbish…

All ‘fur coat and no knickers’, eh? Let’s hope their safe is more prudently constructed :-)
 
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After much effort the bank of Ascension is taking shape, such as it is.

After feeling rather smug at being able to make the window and door prints fit as designed, I realised that I now have to paint the rest of the frontage to match the off-white I used for the window surrounds. I’ll also need to extend those corner stones around the um… corners, so that it’s at least pretending to be built of solid stone.

As usual this would be much easier if I actually planned ahead instead of trying to sort out problems as I go along…
 
Time for another story from Ascension Island...

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It’s 1937 and a perfect morning on Ascension Island. The sun is shining, and a southern wind is blowing, fortuitously bringing the smell of the sea and carrying away the whiff of several hundred toilets without mains plumbing.

In the capital of the Island, Georgetown, the tourists are waking, the newspaper boys are delivering the early editions, and the 40 Elephants gang is robbing a bank.

Again.

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Will the gang successfully escape the Island with their loot, or will the Royal Navy Air Service police stop them once again?

Full story here: https://korschtal.wordpress.com/2024/05/04/jewelled-tome-iii-the-heist/
 
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Rather than start Wiggys Modelmaking Misadventures I thought I'd hijack yours if that's ok.

I'm casually getting back into modelling, I'm not much of a painter but the kits that don't require paint do attract me.

Freedom Gundam
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Ok is a Super Deformed version of a giant robot but it took ages to put together, quite happy with this first attempt.

And I've spotted my next project, in Halifax there's a model shop which as well as the usual tanks etc I spotted Wave Crest ship model from The Madalorian. Shop was closed when I was there but I'll be going back to enquire.

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At the back next to a Y-Wing fighter.
 
Rather than start Wiggys Modelmaking Misadventures I thought I'd hijack yours if that's ok.

I'm casually getting back into modelling, I'm not much of a painter but the kits that don't require paint do attract me.

Freedom Gundam


View attachment 731103

Ok is a Super Deformed version of a giant robot but it took ages to put together, quite happy with this first attempt.

And I've spotted my next project, in Halifax there's a model shop which as well as the usual tanks etc I spotted Wave Crest ship model from The Madalorian. Shop was closed when I was there but I'll be going back to enquire.

View attachment 731104

At the back next to a Y-Wing fighter.

A pity you aren't closer; I'd be fascinated to paint that and weather it like it had been in a skirmish or two...
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Rather than start Wiggys Modelmaking Misadventures I thought I'd hijack yours if that's ok.

I'm casually getting back into modelling, I'm not much of a painter but the kits that don't require paint do attract me.

Freedom Gundam


View attachment 731103

Ok is a Super Deformed version of a giant robot but it took ages to put together, quite happy with this first attempt.

And I've spotted my next project, in Halifax there's a model shop which as well as the usual tanks etc I spotted Wave Crest ship model from The Madalorian. Shop was closed when I was there but I'll be going back to enquire.

View attachment 731104

At the back next to a Y-Wing fighter.
Closed on Wednesdays.
 
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German railways are enthusiastically digging up several sections of railway line between here and the family, so last weekend I found myself stranded in my ‘work’ apartment.

I find that on these weekends I have to do something vaguely creative to avoid the vicious cycle of not doing much, getting lethargic, not doing much and suddenly realising it’s Sunday evening and I haven’t even washed the dishes.

I decided to repaint and modify this model for an upcoming project with Elder Son. I gave it what for using a drill, and the model fell to bits in a mostly convenient manner...

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It was Friday evening; I realised that if I primed the model immediately, it could dry overnight and repaint, rebuild and then modify it by Sunday evening.

I took the cardboard box mobile spray booth outside and sprayed the model with grey primer…

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Then went online to research colours and promptly got lost down a rabbit hole…

The next morning, reality hit; I had to fix one of my bikes, and I had a window at the workshop between midday and 2pm to do this. (A simple project had got out of hand and I needed to do some serious rebuilding; do you see a pattern here?) Also, there was that washing up, along with a fair bit of other housework if I didn’t want to disappear under a pile of dirty laundry.

Okay, so dial back a bit and just do the repainting. After the rabbit hole on Friday I’d decided the model should be light yellow, a decision I later regretted because as you probably know, yellow doesn’t cover other colours very well. I ended up giving the model a wash of yellow, doing some housework, then poking the fresh paint to see it was dry. Eventually it was midday, so I left everything in a general soggy mess and went to the workshop to sort out my bike.

I’m sure a sales brochure would describe the result as “gold” or “cream” but in all honesty, it was school dinner custard; not quite cream, more of a dirty yellow colour. The seats were a frankly indecent shade of crimson and the bonnet was silver, just because I’d seen a photo of a car with an unpainted bonnet and liked the look. Anyone planning to tell me that’s not accurate; just wait until you see the modifications.

I took it outside to spray with varnish so it could dry overnight, and then had to leave all the windows open for ten minutes because the wind had blown the fumes into the apartment.

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Sunday was weathering day. I’ve mentioned before that my process for this tends to overdo things, panic, and then start again. However, the model had to be primed by midday so I could rebuild it in the afternoon, so mistakes had to be left or at best, toned down a little bit, although I did manage to clean the worst of the dark ink wash off the bonnet.

The varnish went on in the early afternoon, which tells you a lot about how much time I waste dithering and changing things, then after a couple of hours I could finally glue the model back together.

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I’m calling that a success; I’d achieved what I’d set out to do and can now start planning the silly part of the project.
 
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