HubertB

Actually, why put a stove in a vehicle that has electric power, and henceforth heating, available ? It looks like a (cool) mod to a static museum example. Hubert

Another vey neat build, done at an incredible speed furthermore 👍 ! Hubert

Another gem, achieved at warp speed 5.0 (which is a pretty neat speed for a WWI biplane ) Well done 👍 ! Hubert

Thanks for the pics, Martin. Was the stove a standard feature on these trams (well, I know, it was a Standard stove ) ? I was actually thinking of displaying the street section with a fine layer of snow ... Hubert

At least, that’s the plan, Rob Hubert

Hello all, After an hectic 15 weeks, I can now say I am settled in y new house, where the bench was rebuilt, and ready for some (old and new) projects. I wanted to contribute to this group build, whilst satisfying my pet idiosyncrasies : no camoed subject, civilian or at least peaceful subject, and possibly, not an aircraft, which would give me the excuse of an OOB build, which I am unable to do with wingy things. My choice has fallen on the Ukrainian manufacturer Miniart. I have been regularly impressed by their original subjects, and the impressive builds that could result with their kits, like for instance their Caterpillar dozer. I settled on their "European Tramcar kit". They have released other tramways kits, probably more appropriate for an Ukrainian city, i.e. the Russian-designed "X-type" tram. But, for this group build, I would not even want to choose of subject with a Russian or Soviet flavour. Still, their European tram, most likely a replica of a Gothaer Waggonfabrik tramcar, could very well have been used in Lviv, which used to be Polish until 1945. And, besides, I have decided I would not go for a specific Ukrainian town tramcar, but more for a fanciful" model, in Ukrainian colors, i.e. yellow bottom and blue top (which - I found in my browsings on the subject - is a color set used on some trams of the town of Gotha in Germany). Ok, on to the build ! The box is compact but filled to the brim with sprues ! I have not counted the parts, but read on the net that the base kit (without the passengers and crew) was made of 609 parts. We are in tank realm with this part count There is even a vacform base representing a portion of paved street with rails, at a tram stop, with a wrought iron bench and guard rails. The original vehicle being essentially symmetrical along the transverse middle axis, Miniart have chosen to model a lot of parts along one longitudinal half, which has saved a lot of tooling. This is why most of the sprues in the box are duplicated, or sometimes in present in 4 identical sets. I followed the instructions and started with the two sets of left and right entry steps. These are made of 5 parts, on of them the support for the forthcoming suspension springs. Then I decided to depart with the assembly instructions by assembling the two main floor halves. I feared that any joint cleaning would be very difficlut once all parts were added to them. I was right to fear a potential issue with the assembly of the two floor halves. There is some shrinkage in the middle, which creates a gap needing to be filled. Plus the bottom is smeared with multiple ejection pins marks. Even though this is underneath the tram, given that the bottoms are really very detailed, these marks need filling before going further. They have been filled, and I have resumed assembling some of the components of the bottom. However, this is currently stalled whilst the putty dries and awaits some sanding. So, to be continued another day Hubert

Watching him uttering his lies in front of the UN, I could not help but think how much the Russian ambassador to the UN looked like, almost to a caricature, to the « Russian ambassador » in the « The hunt for Red October » Hubert

Hang on ! I thought she was named « Duchess of Kingston », not « Philadelphia » ??? 🤪 Joking apart, phenomenal work on a beautiful kit, Rob. And Vallejo Gold duly bookmarked. Hubert

Well, that’s assuming there is a soul, to begin with … (which is a far more legitimate question than the same medieval one, pertaining to women, and happily solved since 😁 ) Hubert

To answer your question, the camo came out great ! As did the rest fo the aircraft 👍 Well done, sir ! Hubert

Bienvenue sur LSM. Looking forward to see your works here. Hubert

There one I found (a loooong time ago) in France has a distinct perfume. Is it the same for the "original" Future-now-Pledge ? Hubert

It’s actually an Amazon Prime show (at least in Europe) Martinn … Hubert

The Expanse is definitely one of the best sci-fi shows I have seen. Hubert

... plus an outdated vision of future combats, where tanks were there to support the infantry, which had helped France win WWI. Not many officers believed something else could be done with this new weapon. One of these officers with good acumen was named Charles de Gaulle ... Hubert PS: VERY nice rendering. You state well enough the reasons not to touch the tracks anymore than necessary, but some more weathering would enhance them and the tank a lot.

Back from vacation. Just a few last things to sort out, and I'll get started soon with a Miniart kit Hubert

If it’s on internet, it must be true … 😂🤪🤣🤪 That goes to show the real value of the opinion of many of these « experts » … Hubert PS: your Kingfisher is awesome, Smitty 👍 !

Mine’s underway for July 1st. However, as long as I have not sold my company and thus gotten the cash to close some of my current commitments, I won’t completely be retired …. And thanks to the Covid-19- generated slump, the sale had to be postponed to 2024, to get some more positive perspectives and numbers … Hubert

Petter dure had a unique propensity for original designs : the Lysander, the EE Lightning, the Folland Gnat … Very nice work Phil. This one looks better than venerable 1/32 Matchbox one, which I have in the stash (would you believe it 🙄 ?), but can’t find the resolve to properly deal with … Hubert

In general, I would agree with you, Cees. Going for a GB that is literally coincident with a "hot" conflict is most of the time calling for trouble and political statements that should be avoided on a modelling forum. But, a lot of GB here or elsewhere have a conflict for subject, whether the conflict is 100+ years old or was only a few decades before. Pretending to avoid a GB that is triggered by a conflict seems somewhat illogical in this light. The only difference is the "hot" vs "cold" in this instance ... But, above all, we have here a country that is being dragged into an all-out war by an agressive neigbour, on spurious arguments moreover. Not everything was perfect in Ukraine in the last 30 years, especially a latent corruption that does not fit with the values of their European counterparts, and some behaviours from Ukrainians in WWII deserve scrutiny (although one could argue they were more on a revenge against the exactions of Soviet Union that killed millions of them in the 30s). They were however on a track to improve, and one would be hard-pressed to argue they wanted this war. Siding with Ukraine is a no-brainer for the vast majority of the people of the world, and for Europeans, it is also about defending values we have tried to promote for 70 years. Which is why I - but that is just my humble opinion - they deserve all the support, physical or symbolical, we can bring them. Besides our actions as citizens, a GB that puts forward the Ukrainian products and armies in these times should be just taken for what it is : a symbolic show of support to a suffering people, doing what we know to do best ... Just my Hubert

I think I have found a subject that fits the bill: 1) it’s from an Ukrainian manufacturer 2) as I did not feel like going for a foreign (read non-Ukrainian) markings subject, and wanted to avoid the AMS lock that goes very often with building an aircraft, it had to be something else than an aircraft. 3) it’s a civilian subject, and that is in line with my own obsessions. So I found this, from Miniart. It looks like the historic trams you could see in most Central and Eastern Europe, and from some pics I looked at, like some old trams in Ukrainian cities. And, even if not prototypical, I will paint it blue and yellow. Hubert

I’d have said a squadron, at least, Ernie, plus a tank brigade😁 ! May I be nitpicking and encourage you to change the title of the GB and the banner announcing it to reflect the latest rule ? Right now, my stash is a rickety pile of filmed boxes on a palet in the garage, following the move. I’ll go past my fear that everything crumbles if I touch it, and see if I can select a box that fits the bill. However, between finishing settling in a new house, going on a planned vacation in the Carribeans, and starting and following the build of a new house, and my habitual procrastination and AMS tendency, I am still doubtful I can free enough time for it 😉. Still worth kicking my a#$ around, though, because there is no worthier cause right now than supporting the people of Ukraine against an loathsome agression. Hubert

Both are actually not incompatible. Most of us have a stash, and probably all the supplies needed to go through a big portion of the said stash. So no need to spend more on modelling to participate in the GB. Anyway, I salute your generous decision Hubert

Will follow this one with interest ! great choice of kit. Vanguard is the Tamiya ( at least the latest ones) of wooden ship kits. Great research, precise engineering, and accuracy. You should really have an enjoyable time. Hubert

I just have plenty of ICM, Roden Micro Mir or Dora Wings kits in my stash, not to mention Reskit or Rexx AM. What I am missing most is the time for ANY build … Pondering this through. Hubert