elmarriachi

Hello, I want to show you one more small kit of a construction vehicle. This time an old motor grader from Caterpillar, model number 12. It was built during world war two and still used long time after the war all around the world. The kit comes from Plus Model from Czech Rep. and is a multimedia kit consisting of resin, wire, etched parts and decals. Also included a CD-Rom with pictures of the kit and the original, a good mounting instruction and clear head lamps. Unfortunately the kit includes only decals and painting guide for two versions of the US Army - no civil one in the typical Caterpillar yellow which I will make ... First I have started with the frame, rear tandem-axle and the steering axle with the steering linkage, then the wheels. The engine is consisting of several small and smaller parts plus some photo etched parts. I think I will add some wire to it next to give it some more details ... Cheers Micha

A very small base will follow... that's it

Hello, I have added some further parts to the star destroyer. Mainly the side panels between upper and lower hull as well as further details on the super structure. The rear part of the main ship is glued to the lower hull and the engines from Falcon3D added. These are very good quality, although the big engines were deformed a little bit (egg-like). A bath in hot water brought these back in the correct round shape now. Now it is time for drilling holes, holes and more holes for the lights ... Cheers Micha

Hello, the beauty is finished ... I love the Mosquito as one of the most beautifully shaped airplanes ever.... she has a kind of elegance in her shape ... Kit is from Tamiya in 1/32 with many, many parts, great fit, great quality, great details, great manuals, great ..... a fantastic kit of a huge model! I have added some photo etched parts from Eduard, some new decals for the stencils and markings (Canadian Airforce with beautiful nose art) and some resin parts. Painting was done with Lifecolor-colors mainly, plus AK Interactive. Weathering with oil colors, pigments, ... I hope that you like it! Cheers Micha

Hello, she is finished .... More pictures in the gallery! Thank you so much for watching it and all your comments! Cheers Michael

Hello, some small update for the Hitachi excavator. The kit is mostly assembled and the details painted .... Undercarriage ... Bucket: Interior: Superstructure: I also started the weathering with some first washings with oil colors and Washes of AK Interactive: Next follow some pigments, oil, dust, dirt and a small base ... Cheers Michael

Hello @ all, Until my super star destroyer of the Executor-class arrived from customs I will start the "smaller" version of the Imperior I-class ship first. This is the brand new kit from Zvezda (reboxed from Revell). Additionally I will use some resin parts for the engines etc., plus some LEDs and fibreoptics for complete illumination. But first thing I did was assembling the two upper and two lower parts of the hull, adding some wall parts. Some further wall parts between the upper and lower hull will follow and glued to the lower hull. The "roof"-parts will follow later once the electric is finished. First I will ahve to drill many, many, small and smaller holes for the fibre optics .... Cheers Micha

Hello, as a contrast to the old excavator Weimar I will make a 2nd construction vehicle. This time the brand new Hasegawa kit of the modern Hitachi Zaxis 135US tracked excavator. The kit comes with lot of wonderful made parts in several colors, decals, flexible plstic parts for the hydraulic pipes, pipe material, clear parts, flexible tracks. First I have assembled the undercarriage except the front wheel which is mounted only with a spring and tension the track later. The pusher blade was mounted and everything was painted in black, decals added, clear coat and some hydraulic pipes added. The blade was sprayed in iron color on the lower side for further weathering. The interior is assembled completely except the backrest of the seat. Then painted in light grey, floor black and seat in blue. Decals and clear coat followed ... weathering next. The parts for the super strucure are orange and grey plastic. I have assembled as fast as possible all grey parts and all orange parts before painting. The grey parts were painted in German Grey, the orange parts in Mr.Hobby's Orange color as mentioned in the painting guide, but I have added some drops of red color to darken the orange a little bit. After the drying of the colors I have assembled most of the superstructure, added the pipes and the decals before fixing everything with clear coat. The bucket was painted in rusty brown color first, then the mouting in orange. Some Heavy Chipping Medium sprayed on it and a silver color airbrushed next. With some warm water and a bristle brush I have removed most of the silver color and added one further layer of heavy chipping medium. Next will be a layer of orange color again which I will mostly remove as well ... So far for the moment ... Cheers Micha

Hello @ all, the finished Weimar excavator will ge a small base to stand on... a white frame, some wood filler and sand .... then some painting and some grass ... The excavator itself received some further weathering with oil colors, liquid pigments of Lifecolor, pigments for dust and dirt. Leaking oil and grease is made with Tamiya Smoke and dark brown oil color ... Hope that you like it! Cheers Micha

Hello @ all, the Mosquito recieved its undercarriage... silver painted with black and brown oil colors. The multipiece wheels were painted in dark rubber, then dusted with grey and beige pigments. The bombs were painted in olive green, then lightend with yellow, then decals and clear coat and oil colors ... then mounting. Some etched parts still missing on the pics. The propellers were glued togehter, then the tops painted in a light yellow and masked before the rest received its black paint. The spinners were painted in silver, the covers in light grey as the rest of the fuselage. Some silver scratches and damages were added with a sponge and some oil color was used for weathering. After that all the removable parts were mounted, engines closed for the moment and the exhaust gas sprayed with the airbrush and black, grey and brown colors. Cheers Micha

Thanks a lot!

Hello, I have started the painting during the past few days ... First a rusty red primer on everything ..... then water.... and salt ... ... then the orange color ... ... Salt removed ... ... details brush painted and a first washing with a red brown wash from AK Interactive ... ... Now further parts will be added... further details painted (interior, chassis, engine), then one more washing, then dust and dirt Cheers Micha

... after a layer of clear coat the decals followed. As I want to built a Canadian version with wonderful nose art I chose some decals from the aftermarket. These fit perfect. Then feeled 1000s of stencils followed. Some were used from the Tamiya kit, some others from the aftermarket set as well. Now some drying time, then clear coat matt, then oil colors ... Cheers Micha

Hello, my Millennium Falcon in scale 1/72 by Fine Molds / Revell (Master Class) is finished. The wonderful kit (more then 900 parts, great details!) receivied some clear blue resin made engine units and replacements for the exhaust nozzles. Further 3D-printed parts for the laser cannons and docking ports left/right and the cockpit. The photo etched parts from Paragrafix were used inside and outside as well and bring in some further great details. For the illumination I have used a blue LED-stripe for the engine, installed in a all around closed light box. Bright white and warm white LEDs and red LEDs are used on the outside of the ship, blinking fibreoptics and a blue "under floor" illumination in the cockpit. The base is a picture frame with a wooden plate on top, an aluminium pipe glued inside. The Falcon is removable. All wiring is under the base/inside the base, the cables run through the aluminium pipe from the ship under the base. Two switches on the side of the base (engine and other LEDs) swich the illumination on/off. I hope that you like the finished Falcon! I have enjoyed this project very much and I am shure that it was not my last Star Wars kit with illumination. Cheers, Micha

Hello, I want to close this building report with a first night picture of the finished Millennium Falcon. Pictures of the finished Falcon will follow these days! I hope that you like it! Cheers Micha

The Hungarian manufacturer Balaton Modell offers a wonderful, brand new kit of the Eastern Germany "Weimar T174-2" wheel excavator in 1/35. This is a small resin kit with photo etched parts and clear foil for the windows. The quality is very well so that the building is nearly like a "standard palstic kit". I have glued the most parts together, added some wiring and pipework on the boom. Some further pipes will follow after the painting. Cheers, MIcha

Hello, I have finished the gun bay (bombs will follow later), also the engine covers were finished and added. These remain removable, mounted only with some magnets and clips. The landing flaps installed as well, also some bomb racks under the wings. Next step will be the masking of all open areas, so that the painting of the outside could follow next. The final details such as covers of the landing gear bay, the landing gear itself, cockpit, doors and further small stuff follows later. Cheers, Micha

Hello, the Ferrari 458 in "Liberty Walk"- Outfit. 1/24 of Fujimi, transkit by Eigthyone81. Painted in color "Pink Pearl" of Zero Paints, Clearcoat Mr. Super Clear. Wheels of Eigthyone81, decals are from another kit. Cheers Micha

Hi Parker. all are 3mm LEDs diameter, coming from Captain Jack Models. The Shapeways parts came very fast. Not longer then 1.5 week! I have drilled 3mm holes and inserted the LEDs from the inside as far as possible. The surface is nearly smooth, a little bit recessed. Cheers Michael

Hello, the Falcon reached his final place. The base is made of a wooden plate with a wooden frame under it. Sanded and sprayed in glossy black. The switches for the lights are installed on the right side of the frame, all the wiring is inside the base, only the two connectors for the batteries are outside of the base. All cables between Falcon and base are going through the aluminium tube. Next following some drybrushing and last details ... Cheers Micha

Hello, the main guns under the fuselage are finished, painted, weathered and installed in the weapons bay. The first washing is added as well (that's why it is looking glossy, wet). Next following the two bombs over the tank ... Cheers Micha

Hello, some more updates of the weathering of the Falcon. First I have painted the exhausts with thinned black color with the airbrush in several thin layers. Black color was also used for other areas on the hull as well as on the damaged areas. With brown colors I have varied the color of the exhaust streaks, Tamiya Smoke was used for some further variations of the colors on the hull. A washing with black oil colors was used next on the complete hull, specially on the joints between the several plates on the hull. Clear coat matt came next on everything, then some black, brown, rusty and silver pigments. The two cannones were built and painted. I have used 3D printed cannons instead of the kit parts as these were much better deteailed. The frames of the windows were hand painted and weathered. Cheers Micha

I have only painted the gun bay in white from the inside and will add some further weahtering on it later so that it would get a - maybe - beige final look I think ... The rest of the wings remains unpainted from the inside. Cheers MIchael

Hello, The finished Rolls-Royce Merlin engines were installed into the engine mounts which were completely painted and weathered before. Some further pipes and details were added next. The wings were finished and some instruments for the cockpit added and detailed with Eduard's etched parts. The wings were screwed and glued to the hull next. It is a perfect fittment! After the installation of the wings the engine mounts were glued to the wings and further pipes between wing and engine added. Next will be the gun mounts on the lower side of the fuselage ... Cheers Micha

Hello, first the frames of the cockpit windows were painted, then the window parts were glued over the cockpit. A first layer of primer over the shapeways parts followed next so that the colors will adhere better on these parts... Next I have added a lot of black pre-shading on the complete falcon which will remain visible under the final painting .. The final painting is consisting of a mixture of white, buff and dark grey and a lot of thinner sprayed over the falcon in thin layers, remaining the preshading visible. The decals followed next... yellow, dark grey and red colored decals on the upper and lowered side of the hull. I do not know why, but the red decals were horor. They crumbled at every corner, no matter how much of softener was used .... Next followed some clear coart to protect the decals for the weathering... Cheers Micha