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nmayhew

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  1. ok Panzer Tracts 8 is the one you want found this here (you're Stateside right?) http://www.internethobbies.com/pantracno8st.html you can search the rest if this is an old page, but hopefully this is enough to get you going
  2. well, what exactly do you want in a reference? wartime pics to copy a scheme or scene? i recommend as a good all rounder this book "On Display vol.2 - StuG III" from Canfora Publishing by Toni Canfora, which I reviewed for Scale Plastic and Rail: http://scaleplasticandrail.com/kaboom/index.php/all-things-military-vehicle/everything-else/book-reviews/1784-on-display-vol-2-stug-iii-from-canfora-publishing technical information about what production batch / variant had which precise features, 1/35 plans that are ACCURATE etc? seek out the relevant Panzer Tracts volume, by Jentz & Doyle; they are without parallel in either armour or air modelling - they are that good that should set you up nicely
  3. Most impressive Rick Very jealous Now show us your wine cellar and make me reeeeeally drool Nick
  4. Ben hi Thanks for posting this My experience with MZ is that it is a real first come first served I heard about this offer but to be honest was too busy to even look and I guess some of the bargains have gone You are definietly right to flag this up though, as they has the Ju88 for £25 and the He111 £40, both with free UK shipping a while back They are clearly dumping stock ready for the A-4 and H versions respectively, but those prices were pretty good compared to the rip-off Britian ones i usually see there Thanks again, much appreciated Nick
  5. nice one Dave the periscope guards look quite convincing especially do you what it will be finished as yet, what markings etc? cheers Nick
  6. Nice one Daz Can't remember, did you say you were going to use any aftermarket on this puppy? Cheers Nick
  7. Cyberhobby Tiger I Otto Carius Nick (Trying to keep the armour flame alive...)
  8. as i said, what they were doing for the past two years with this is beyond me... do you think it's the same product btw?
  9. hi we know that the Revell Ar196 is a wonderful kit, brought down only by its canopy, and the seemingly incomprehensible decision to mould it with a prominent seam across the glazing.... anyway, although it has taken 2 years + i think for this to come about, we at least have proof now that a/m guys can in fact make canopies! moreover, it seems that we might have two solutionsthat have suddenly appeared on the market! one from HPH Models http://www.prodejonline.cz/1588/d.AP32001C.resins-canopy-for-ar196-revel.html these guys made a full resin kit of the Ar196 at round about the same time as Revell - awesome kit, but baaaaaaaaad timing / product placement: whilst better than the Revell, it is about a million time more expensive, and I reckon they sold only a handful of kits why if they made the 'original' kit, these wasn't brought out the moment the Revell issue were known is beyond me - everybody lost anyway, here is a pic: then we have another one just announced by Alley Cat / A2Zee models http://www.a2zeemodels.co.uk/arado-ar-196a-3-replacement-canopy-and-mask-set-revell-132-6123-p.asp whether this is the same one as HPH i don't know - the resin looks the same, but the masking is different we will be contacting A2Zee to try to get a review sample for you (I have the Revell kit in my stash, so can do a decent comparison) the HPH is €19 but i don't know if shipping is extra - probably is; whilst the A2Zee one is £12.50 plus shipping... cheers Nick
  10. Cees The biggest complement I can pay is that your work remind me of reading Brian Cauchi threads from the archives of LSP. Wonderful work. Nick 'the assembler"
  11. TankArt vol.1 - WWII German Armour by Michael Rinaldi $29.95 from Rinaldi Studio Press This is the first title from Michael Rinaldi, a name that I think will already be familiar to many armour modellers. It is a "how to" book, focussing on as the title suggests, German armour in WWII. Looking for a quick reference point, I would liken it to the books by Toni Canfora I have reviewed for Scale Plastic and Rail, covering the Panther and the StuG III. The main divergence is that the focus very much the 'how' and the 'why' of various painting, weathering and finishing techniques; there is no analysis of technical features of particular vehicles, nor any diorama components. This is quite a chunky volume: 208 pages of softback, high quality paper, measuring 8.5" by 9.5". The introduction is worth a read because the author walks you through his modelling philosophy, providing an insight into what motivates him in his models, and what he strives for when finishing them. The book can be divided in two main sections - although the Contents page provides a detailed chapter breakdown: the first looks at various modelling techniques - painting and weathering, rather than construction; the second, the application of these techniques to five different pieces of German armour. A couple of things are worth pointing out at this stage: firstly, the models are of the highest quality, but that was what I knew already and was to be expecting to be honest; secondly, the quality of the pictures is simply the best I have seen in print, and I trust that the snapshots I provide here will do them justice. Anyway, first up we take a look at the products and materials used to achieve Michael Rinaldi's modelling results, from primer (my beloved Mr Surfacer 1200 rattlecan), paint, pigments, filters and washes. Tamiya paints are the industry workhorse, and a number of modellers rave about the ease with which the use Vallejo, but his use of Lifecolor caused me to raise an eyebrow, because many, including yours truly, really cannot make these work at all. Still, a bad workman blames his tools and all that! There are no real surprises amongst the other products - MiG Productions and current darling of armour modellers across the forums, AK Interactive, feature heavily throughout. In Weathering Principles, we are introduced to layering, and the author's saying that 'you can never have too small of a chip' (!). Importantly, with a number of techniques floating around, we have it set out what order these are to be applied in, from basic priming and painting in the beginning, through to pigments and heavy washes at the end. The hairspray technique which, despite being around since 2007, seems only recently to have been universally demystified (thank you YouTube?) is examined in detail. Helpfully, it is shown on a number of vehicles, from panzer grey, through dark yellow to winter whitewash. We also get an assessment of run of the mill hairspray vs pre-packaged (and vastly more expensive) 'chipping fluids', and which paint brands work best when using the hairspray technique. The next chapter covers something which I confess I simply have not yet tried, at least not properly anyway: the use of oils, and more specifcally, oil paint rendering. If ever you were suspicious of putting multi-coloured dots all over your cherished work of art, and then blurring the all together, this is the section for you! There is even a 24 (yes, twenty four, as in Jack Bauer) stage photographic step-by-step (SBS) to show you exactly what to do in each stage, and what the results should look like as you go along. We now come to the six test subjects, the first of which is a Panther Befehlswagen in white distemper over a base of dark yellow with thin brown camouflage. This is also the first time we really see bare plastic and etch metal. As I mentioned before, the actual construction of models is not the focus of this book, so we do not delve into what Fahrgestell Nr or production batch this particular kitty might be! Indeed, this Panther is actually a Tamiya Late Ausf G, rather than an industry benchmark DML kit, because that way "less time is spent gluing parts together..." (Tamiya kits being renowned as 'shake and bake'). The paint job is definitely not shake and bake, and at first glance I thought overly complicated for most modellers. But, when I sat down and read the narrative properly, it's actually quite simple to follow and a process that should not cause too many problems. Yes there are quite a number of stages, and the order in which everything is done is quite crucial when using the hairspray technique, but Michael Rinaldi goes to great lengths to explain things in this regard - the chapter is 30-odd pages long. It ends, as do all of the vehicle specific sections, with a two page spread of snapshot SBS photos, which are probably a good aide memoir once you get stuck in. I think no book on German armour - or at least no book that courts popular appeal (nothing wrong with that after all) - would be without a tank in early war Panzer Grey, or without perhaps the most famous weapon of the entire conflict, the Tiger I. This next chapter gives us both in one package, the well-known Tiger I Initial Production #111. An illustration of how this book is geared towards aesthetic outcome over technical accuracy is given by the author's admission that he chose Friul metal tracks because they would finish well, even though they were not 'handed' as all good Tiger experten know they should be for this tank. In fairness, he also mentions the need for hollow guide horns, which I think dates this build somewhat, as handed tracks are available from a number of different sources know, complete with requisite hollow guide horns. But I digress... This is another 30 page monster, notable firstly for making what can be a very plain finish in the hands of the novice, one of great depth and warmth. It also introduces us to use of pigments to achieve mud spatter, and the use of chemicals to weather white metal tracks. I am most definitely not a fan of the paint he uses in this section, but one simply cannot argue with his results - they are exquisite. The third subject is one of contrasts: the very simple but good Tamiya kit of the very simple (and also rather good) little Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer tank; we then have some fine weathering over a what looks a beast of a three tone camouflage complete with multi-coloured flecks. As with the Panther, everything is broken down and dissected so as to make you want to hop to your desk and try it yourself! I can't pay a higher complement than that. I think up until now I have always shied away from vehicles with such schemes, but I really think I want to try one of these in my next couple of projects. I will confess to being a bit of a 'scale evangelist': I build 1/32 aircraft and 1/35 armour, and studiously ignore everything else. As such, the next model has little interest as a project for future construction, because I know I will never build a 1/48 piece of armour. That being said, I do find the extreme chipping used to reveal primed metal underneath Dunkelgelb to be very interesting, and certainly worthy of trying to replicate on its bigger (correctly sized?) cousin that I have in my stash. The vehicle is meant to show a fairly advanced state of degradation post-War, as depicted in photos the author mentions. This is one particular time that I feel an image or two of what we are trying to replicate would be very useful - although I am not sure 'replicate' is the right word given Michael Rinaldi's openly artistic / impressionist stance, but hopefully you know what I mean? This 251/22 is probably the least engaging of the subjects for me: the weathering is superb, and what I assume to be realistic, but somehow this finish on this subject really needs a bit of historical content for me I am afraid. Fear not, for we end (or almost end) on a high note with a DAK Panzer IV Ausf E which has most certainly felt the wrath of the North African sun, sand and winds. If you think the colour looks a little 'off' well, that's because it is: this is one of the early panzers that were shipped in panzer grey, and then had sand coloured camouflage applied in the field. What this means for us is that we take the same journey as the tank: from primer, to dark grey and then sand, with plenty of weathering along the way, and lots at the end. I said almost the end, because the book actually finishes up with ten pages of figure modelling. This feels very much an afterthought to me, and nearly - emphasis on nearly - spoils the 'after-taste' of the book (think fine wine here...). The figures are very good, but almost deserve a whole section to themselves. They also do not relate to the models that precede them, adding to that "tacked on" feel. Conclusion Excellent. If you liked the Canfora books, you'll probably go for this. And if you are more interested in advancing your modelling technique than your technical knowledge, then this is most certainly a modeller-friendly book. The finish does spoil it a little, but I will try to concentrate of what is good about the book, and that is a whole lot. There is an Allied Armour volume coming out soon too - look out for Tank Art vol 2! Highly recommended. With thanks to Michael Rinaldi for the review copy.
  12. I reckon that has to be THE HARDEST scheme of any aircraft in WWII to pull off authentically, and that includes Luftwaffe twins in Wellenmunster Such a mish mash and those dapples just too small to airbrush no matter how good you are I'm definitely too scared to try it! Lol Cheers Nick
  13. Welcome Jeff Thanks for bringing your Sherman to us at LSM Tasca's kits are beauties aren't they? I really like your dio too Hope to see more of your work down the line Cheers Nick
  14. Not sure I can actually manage anything more than "ooh" at this stage SIMPLY STUNNING!! The crowd demand more!
  15. Beautiful Jeroen Have always wondered why a German medal has a French name /French blurb on it?? As a quick aside whilst 'you are here' so as to speak, may I ask are all the British WWI fighters' machine guns now available in turned brass? I am such a WWI newb! Thanks for sharing such stunning work Nick
  16. I think (may be wrong) that warning points come with the package that Jim bought for LSM Will we use them? I don't honestly know. More likely it'll be a public 'be nice', a PM and then "you're done". Basically, play nice
  17. No, I believe those with no content thus far are the ones which do not work. Those with content seem to work fine for me.
  18. Wonderful! I reviewed the Flakvierling version w armoured cab - beautiful kit but some parts of rear bench seat missing in that kit, and as always be careful with those instructions! What particular vehicle are you planning, do you know yet?
  19. Jeroen Thanks for sharing - what a wonderful build, and this from someone who never really liked that 'Finito...' scheme. Hope you can share more of your builds with us at LSM as time goes by Cheers Nick
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