York Castle Museum

Pzkpfw I Ausf. B / Archive /

Wartime Warsaw / Archive Photos /

Pzkpfw II Ausf. F / Archive /

 

Sdkfz 265 Panzerbefehlswagen

MW Bialystok

Scale Model World Telford 2014 #2

Scale Model World Telford 2014 #1

 

Warsaw Uprising Museum

Hordes of Chaos / Lord of Slaanesh /

Radioactive Honda CBR 1100

Hulk SMASH !!! / Marvel Chess Collection - Rook, Repainted /

The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen #2 / The Figure /

Medieval Knight 1:16

Subject of my next project is a figure of Medieval Knight from MiniArt in 1:16 scale. Kit was bought at Midlands Air Museum Model Show back in July and will be built as a gift. The box contains three frames with parts, over 50 components altogether. Assembly sheet for the first glance looks great, but after second look I had some trouble identifying certain pieces as it is not a diagram usually provided with model kits but more of a painting guide showing only front/back of the knight (actually cover art picture). Box art shows the knight in rest position with war hammer & shield, in my kit I had received halberd instead (not all components provided within this kit are listed on the assembly sheet), also right arm was bent at elbow. Quick look online made me realize it was one of 3 or 4 different kits sharing number of parts with only minor differences. 

Midland Expo 2014

Vault Dweller #5 / Arriving at Vault 15 /

Vault Dweller #4 / Painting & Weathering /

Fat Man & Little Boy (Internet)

The Atomic Age began at the end of World War 2, when two bombs, Fat Man and Little Boy, were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Two explosions rocked the world, at first bringing joy and euphoria, soon after putting coat of fear and terror across continents, making human kind crawl on it's knees. Two nations were about to use power of atom against each other to cause maximum devastation of the other side. It would mean end of known world, as soon as first rocket was launched, other side would do exactly the same, what would lead to draw, nobody wins, everybody loses... Rather terrifying topic, as man made device could wipe out life on this planet. What are the effects of such action? What would happen after? 

The Moorlands Model Show 2014

Vault Dweller #3 / Groundwork /

Building dioramas is very addictive activity, only limit seems to be imagination and availability of modeling & scale resources. More details could be added, but there has to be an end to it, otherwise it may never get finished (wonder how it is with large diorama builds? sometimes it does feel like OCD!). Build continues, with main piece - fallout shelter entrance wall fitted to the base using super glue, what was not the greatest idea as it turned out, for super glue started melting polystyrene. Floor grid was fixed at the back, using PVA glue. I am not really fond of using PVA for such components, as this adhesive has got tendency to make card wavy, hence had to use minimal amount and keep floor panel in one position until glue cured for at least an hour. To cover irregular edges of polystyrene base I also used card, but for this purpose Timbond adhesive was used, which also started melting polystyrene but not to such degree as superglue & cured very fast.

The Midland Air Museum Model Show 2014

Vault Dweller #2 / The Base /

Fallout 1 game screenshot

My first dioramas - Harriet's Triumph and la'Resistance - were planned from very beginning, according to main idea being improved in progress. In case of this build, I started with the figure first, without any clue about the base. The figure represents the first Vault Dweller(ette), emerging to the world after nuclear devastation form Vault 13. Adventure starts with search of other nuclear shelter, Vault 15. It quickly turns out, the quest for replacement of failing water chip for Vault 13 will not be so easy. When Vault Dweller arrives, finds Vault 15 deserted and inhabited by huge mutated rodents. Massive, sprocket like door of the shelter was blown off it's 'hinges' being only large piece of scrap metal resting on the ground. That was the concept I finally picked, following references taken from the game. With my mind settled, I could start on the base...

Vault Dweller #1 / The Figure /

***

***

"War. War never changes. 

    The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.

    But war never changes.

    In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.

    In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.

    A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault 13.

    Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a mountain of stone, a generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.

    Life in the Vault is about to change."

Fallout 1 intro, *** graphics from the game.

Iron Man Armor MK XVII #3

Iron Man Armor MK XVII #2

With all parts painted and recessed details washed with Humbrol black enamel wash, time has come for dry run of assembly. I did say before Dragon has done great job about frame joints, now I have to add to this opinion general fitting of parts. It is so good, I had some problems to take torso apart after dry fitting! Paint on the skeleton does not help as well, looks like every millimeter matters, at certain areas I had to scrape some paint off, should not have painted everything in the first place. Never mind that now, will have to carry on as it is. Box information does not say if it was supposed to be snap fit kit, imagine it could be put together easily without any adhesive. 

Iron Man Armor MK XVII #1

After years of collecting and building models I realized it is not only about military, there are unexplored fields yet, that can prove worthy spending my time & money on. Attending modeling shows helped me understanding that, where I could see the splendor & variety of subjects across different scales. At the beginning of my hobby I tried building anything, years later my field of interests narrowed to Second World War, and now, for a change, I will be trying my skills building large scale models such as Iron Man and Thor (which I also have acquired), and if possible - all the Avengers.

la Résistance #4