Luft46's Blog

The last half of May has resulted in little progress on the modelling front. The GOB project is currently dead in the water, funnily enough this is not due to the figure but the bombfrom Flightpath, before I be too unkind David Parker from Flightpath was quick to reply to my request for help but did caution that I bought this kit back in 2008 and that it had been updated in the meantime. The problems I have are around the tailfins. The locating spikes of resin for each fin are too big, the brass is quite hard to join up in the requred pattern and when it does it seems short shot and looks like it will need filler around it. The fins also have support tabs that whilst providing strength look out of place. To compound all this at the front  between  the fins is a saw tooth section, this is too small and even when added will stand proud of the bomb surface which it does not in thereal thing. I’ve studied enough of the photos of this bomb courtesy of Simmos searching to be certain of all this so the work required is beyond my current enthusiasm level.
On a more positive front I have continued to work on the LOTR figures and these are coming along nicely. With so many figures to do it is impossible to run out of painting to do in a session before I need a break. Maybe a photo tonight. On a personal front I may have more modelling time soon as one contract is winding my time back though hopefully it willcome back up. As Liz and I have both been working at the same place she got to tell me the news! OTOH it may mean lots of 1:1 scale house painting :-C:-$

Slow but steady progress on all these figures, the GOB is currently stalled awaiting me cutting a nose piece. I now know way too much about these bombs! Hardest part of figure work is getting the demarcation lines correct between different materials and also the flesh areas, that and the need to take notes on what paints were used in case of touchup.

This magazine has declined quite a bit over the last year. Most issues now are now lucky to have three kit reviews and the extended build articles are very often of little interest to a Luftwaffe / Luft46 enthusiast. I looked at the April issue, apart from the news that both Revell and Zokei Maru are planning a 1/32 He219’s and that Zoku are planning to pantograph their Shinden down to 1/48 there was little of interest. Given the Hase Shinden is over 30 years old now this will be a very welcome kit. I don’t normally do 1/48 but I will make an exception for this. Funnily enough I did have the Hase kit back in the mid 80’s – it perished in an unfortunate moving accident being left on the back seat of my car in the sun and melting a bit, the prop is still in my spares box all these years later. The only other bright light was an article on the He162, not really a favourite plane.
I ended up buying the Military modelling magazine from the same publishing house as there was more of interestin that.

Not much modelling done recently. I had a touch of manflu for about 10 days which putpaid toanything much. Since then themuse has been pretty absent. My nieces Stephanie, Kimberley and her boyfriend Adrian (who works there) got me a Games workshop Lord ofthe Rings figure set which consist of nine figures cast in resin. Quality is quite good, certainly betterthan the old white metal ones from the 80’s with very litle cleanup needed. Priming was with their Chaos Black colour, called something else in their new paint range. It still took 2 coats but thatwaswithout primer. Im using Lifecolours flesh paint set to paint them with only Gimli getting GW Dwarf flesh.  The rest are in the various shades as their primary skin colours though i may use a little drybrushing for effect.
The female Afghanistan US soldier figure from Black Dog in the Czech Republic also arrived. This is a standing figure but as the girl is sitting on a bomb a bit of cut and paste will be required. It certainly cant be as bad as the UP figure that attempts to replicate this, she looks like she has stuffed in quite a few donuts before they cast this figure. Her face looks very fat. As the GOB is smiling im not sure whether i will use the head from this figure. Amajor selling point for this figure was that they have moulded proper boots. There will also have to be a little work on the superstructure but more so to provide proper decolletage rather than size of the superstructure. Cleavage rather than implants.

At themoment this is all rather slowly progressing