DocRob

I bought some different colored braided lines from Anyz and will use them together with the resin line connectors for the braking lines of my Arado 234 build. I may follow the tip of Rick (rkranias) to push a thin wire through the line for better adjustment. They do look great and different from wire. I bought the resin spark plugs too, but haven't used them until now. Cheers Rob

I'm with you on these thoughts, but I'm also pretty sure, everybody was aware of the (dream/bubble/egocentric hobby) they were a part of. Cheers Rob

I agree with most of what you say, but if you can do a Felixstowe, the Lanc is a peace of cake. One part of the name Wingnut Wings is nuts and this brought us some very unexpected and perfect kits. I have to love whoever is responsible for these not economical driven decisions. Cheers Rob

Thanks Phil, I'm satisfied with the outcome, being it a first timer, but there is a lot to improve. At least, I know now, that I can tackle the wooden Albatros if the woodgrain decals won't work to my satisfaction . Cheers Rob

That's a good advice Gaz, thanks. I haven't tested, how the Tamiya clears react to thinning. At first, I liked the little sirupy effect of the Colour, because it adds to the wood appearance with brush painting. But in the end, I think thinning will give better results. The AK Chrystal Orange performed way more controllable and with a smooth silky finish, which looked better scale wise. Cheers Rob

Wow Gaz, your Leo is looking perfect in the sunlight. Remembers me of holidays in western Germany, when I was young. There were Leo 1's by the time, but with that type of camo. When there was a maneuver by the Bundeswehr, the Leo's where on every road and we feared them overtaking our car without changing the lane . We had no Bundeswehr in West Berlin by that time, because of the status of Berlin and the four allies parting Berlin into sectors. Cheers Rob

Thanks Harv, me too . Cheers Rob

The next step was to prepare all the parts for my first go at wood finish realized with oil colors. All wooden parts where sprayed with Tamiya Buff and left to dry overnight. First I performed some tests on my trusty old Panther hull. I streaked the red brown oil Colour from Abteilung 502 differently in my two approaches, on the left, I gently flooded the area with turpentine and oils and waited for the turpentine to evaporate a little and used an old brush stroking gently and not to uniform. The right example is more dry brushed and shows darker streaks, but used the same oil Colour. The next step was to test the varnishes, where the upper third is Chrystal orange from AK, the middle is Tamiya's clear yellow and the bottom part is Tamiya's clear orange, all applied with a brush. The AK Crystal orange is my favorite, because it dries with a silky surface, where the Tamiya clears have a high gloss finish. The AK orange is also easier to apply, because it is thinner and doesn't tend to puddle. Here is the real deal, I opted for two different finishes for the SSW's, the upper finished with AK's Chrystal orange and the lower with Tamiya clear orange Next were the Wotan propellers, which appear not to have been made of different colored layers of wood, but with a red brown finish. I used the same red brown oil Colour, but with only a hint of turpentine to spread the paint. I actually like the wood appearance, but will varnish the props later. This little project generates a lot of fun for me, because of the new learned techniques. The handling of wood painting with oils is easier than thought, but there is a lot to improve. The most important aspect of wood appliance with oils to me, is using the correctly sized wood grain effect for the wanted scale. Cheers Rob

Hola you tolerant non LS followers, Some days ago, I started to build two kits of the Eduard SSW D.III. It's the ProfiPack edition with PE and I ordered a Brassin engine, a set of Brassin 08/15, another set of 08/15's from Gaspatch and Aviattic's cookie cut Lozenge decals. I posted some progresses on the engine in another thread, but caught a little fire while building, because of the great fun factor of these kits. The plan was to use the SSW's as a testbed for different techniques, which are new to me, like wood painting with oils, Lozenge decaling and others. I started this WIP now, because I hope you are interested in my fails and successes with this couple and on the egoistic side I hope for input, where I struggle. The Brassin engine was finished using nickel rods for the pushers aligned with the help of brass tubes. All colors used are from the very likable Xtreme Metal range from AK. I used stainless steel for the case and burnt metal for the exhausts. The stainless steel was blued a little with a hint of transparent blue. In the end, I really like the result and to me it payed off not to use the supplied PE pushrods. Cheers Rob

Actually they have a handful of WWI tanks in their portfolio, they are not completely new to that area. I ordered a Roden DR.! a week ago, therefore and because it's not my favorite airframe, I will pass on the Meng offering, at least for now. Thanks Phil, but why not doing a DR.1, there is almost no rigging on that kite . Cheers Rob

Just spotted, that Meng announced an 1/32 Fokker DR.I. The kit seem to have options for a F.1, a DR.I early or late. It's new tooling and includes some PE. http://www.meng-model.com/en/contents/59/290.html Cheers Rob

Great looking Typhon, I actually like the weathering and wash on the rivets. I wish mine will come out equally good some day. Cheers Rob

Thank you for your help Fran, I think I will contact Oleg directly via your provided e-mail soon. Just a personal thought of mine and not only directed to Rexx. As much as I like to have a direct contact to people, on buying things and especially as a first contact, I like to have an anonymous entry, like a website, where I can browse through products, and get a feeling for the vendor/producer. I feel better to spend time building my models, than to hunt for a certain product with the sense of Sherlock Holmes. I can't understand, how a company doesn't have a website, which is cheap and simple, other than, it is a pure hobby product. Getting products to my little island becomes more and more complicated and expensive, due to tax/customs/hazard regulations, and that is why I prefer consolidated purchases, specially on products, where shipping and taxes tops the product price. Of course, recommendations from trusty members here help a lot, but I tend to ignore producers more and more, where I can't get a reliable and efficient buying process . Cheers Rob

Thanks for the thorough review. The problem I have with Rexx is availability. Not only since the WNW closure, but since two years, I try to find a reliable source for Rexx exhausts. Normally nearly all 1/32 exhausts are sold out everywhere, I look, except one or two, I'm not interested in. I start to get a little annoyed with companies seemingly producing great products, which are virtually not buyable. If somebody has a reliable source (no FB) for Rexx, I will give it a last chance, If not, I stay with the plastic. Cheers Rob

I don't think so, to me it looks right. Without the wash, the camo might be appearing too harsh compared with real Leo pics. The wash distracts a little from the hard edge, like in real life. Thanks Phil, they wouldn't lend me the Hubble, so I took my x3 magnifier and some after work Martinis to reset. Wouldn't do 1/72 for sure on WWI subjects, but I liked the SSW and had two in stash and found they were perfect testbeds for Lozenge decals, wood painting and engine detailing, to prepare myself to other WW1 projects in 1/32. After I finished this engine, I felt more confident to start the big AEG in near future. Sometimes I like to push myself to new limits, to get steeled and confident for future projects, I would have chickened out otherwise. Cheers Rob

For my Academy/Eduard F-4 future build; I helped myself to HGW stencils. This may be ease the process, because they are grouped and I heard, they have no carrier film when applied and therefore no silvering. Cheers Rob

Love that Fokker, Gaz . I'm shivering and I have to adjust my eyeballs after finishing my Siemens Halske engine for my 1/48 SSH. I decided not to use the supplied PE push rods of the Brassin engine and use 0,2mm Nickel rod. Because I couldn't glue these in place, I cut brass tube with the inner diameter of 0,3mm in 1mm length, to align the rods properly, phew. The engines were painted with the fabulous Xtreme metal Colours by AK. The engine is painted in stainless steel and got a hint of transparent blue on the cylinders. For the pushrods of the kit engine I used chrome. As I will build two SSW's, I will use the kit engine on one of them, I can't bring me up to do this work a second time, this little engine has a total diameter of not even 20mm. Real deal (tuned Brassin) vs. kit When the glue has completely cured, I will paint the brass tubes and spark plugs. Cheers Rob

It was a long wait, but today, my often 'I might buy one'-AEG showed up on my doorstep. I was so eager to build the AEG, but after browsing through the sprues, I'm a little afraid . This will settle for sure after some Martinis. This completes my panic buys after the WNW Desaster, which actually doubled my WNW stash, but now I'm satisfied, there are only one or two WNW kits, which I would consider to buy, but not desperately. Cheers Rob

Looking great Phil, but what exactly is scaring you? You are not at stenciling now . Cheers Rob

The AMK Mig-31 is very close, you should give a try. Your money seems to be hard earned on this one, though. Dip the Clears in a pot of Future and after drying there will be no fogging when gluing and the clarity will be enhanced. Cheers Rob

Looks like the Lancia Stratos of tanks, is there an Alitalia livery with extra headlights and a 'Rally Monte Carlo' badge in the box ? Cheers Rob

I like them both, disc and blob camo, you have to wonder who develops these camos and which drugs were involved in the progress. The weathering looks great, like these two were out there, but obviously that could not be the case for the one with the turret . Cheers Rob

Thanks for the pics of your great Arado build. I was first thinking about a captured one too, but then there was the night fighter with the operator cabin and the antennas, where I couldn't resist. Was there a reason, why you didn't use the decals for the canopy frame? Cheers Rob

What a mean looking tank. Like all 'late' versions, with dozens of extras and add-ons, it oozes badness. Can't wait to see it painted, brush or AB. Cheers Rob

Good to see your Arado for the first time. I wouldn't mind some pics of your captured one, it looks intriguing. Cheers Rob