Primer power!

 

Continuing the theme of poor photography and diversionary activity, here is a 1/144 Revell Tempest. Bought ten years ago to encourage my children to enjoy sniffing glue and cutting their fingers, I found that the canopy was missing. I filled in a form on line and a replacement canopy eventually arrived. In the meantime, I had used an Airfix Spitfire for educational purposes.

So I have had this chap sitting around dusty and unpainted for a long time. I finally had the urge to finish it off. A quick brush, clean, sand and prime. Unpainted, the Tempest looked quite uninviting. However, two coats of Vallejo primer and it starts looking very nice. RAF day fighter colours here we come.

 

Lift off...

 

The Fairey Battle is completed at last! I am very pleased with it. I have been learning some scale modelling tricks on this one. It is a lot more complicated than it used to be in the olden days. You might detect some panel lining (even tho its not really a panel lining sort of kit). I have also used Vallejo Decal Fix. Even Captain Beefheart couldn't get these decals off!

I have also done some research on colours. This is K9353 from 218 Sqdn in 1940. Painted in bomber scheme with black undersides and Dark Green/Earth upper sides. I used Vallejo 894 Cammo Olive Green and 921 English Uniform. It looks OK to me, even if a little dark.

I found a couple of useful resources:

• an on line copy of British Aviation Colours of WWII which gives the official RAF instructions on colour schemes and also includes facsimile colour chips;
• a site dedicated to Luftwaffe Camouflage Schemes, this includes some excellent diagrams showing the development of scehemes over time with RLM colour references. 

Over Xmas I also got a Spitfire, P40 and Cromwell from the Aldi's range of Airfix starter kits. These kits are really nice and I'm looking forward to making them. Panel lining here we come!

Christmas catch-up

 

I had originally intended posting this some weeks ago but real life has meant that I now have an accidental festive edition.

I have been collecting some reading for the mid-winter. Looking forward to getting to grips with these. At first glance Blood and Ruins looks to be outstanding.

I have seen Brazen Chariots discussed elsehwere in blogland. I bought it and read it in one go. For an old book (slightly younger than me) I'm surprised that I hadn't come across it before. Nevertheless, a real eye opener from a command and control point of view. Much of the activity involving buggering about on a compass bearing until you find something to shoot at. Not something you will see reflected in Flames of War.

As foreseen in my last post, I have finally finished the Hs126 and tidied up the Stukas. I have also refurbished my one and only Bf109.

I have really enjoyed painting these and can't wait to start on the Brits next.

Well, it is time for festivities including Norm's very excellent annual Christmas post tomorrow. So, on that note, Happy Christmas one and all!

More Zvezda airforce

 

Room for a run up here!

Shakey Hans!

Multiple projects causing severe confusion about what to do next. So, time to finish off some aircraft. Two Stukas today. Perhaps the HS126 tomorrow.

Then, oh dear, a Blenheim, a Battle, a Tempest MKIV (Revell) and a U2 and a LAGG 3. That might be a plane too far. Let's see.

Stout Hearts still stout!

This is a really good review of Stout Hearts from Moe. That is, good in terms of understanding the game and having fun playing it. This gives me a nice warm feeling which is rare at my age.

Haviing found that I have at least 20 odd projects on the go I have realised that perhaps I should just myself organised and get on with one or two of them. The catch is which two?

New free stuff!

 

Battle Card: This is a series of simple one page/postcard 10 minute solo games by David "Undaunted" Thompson. The series is announced on BGG and it will cover a wide range of WW2 stratgic subjects. What is neat is that there is a pnp of Market Garden (illustrated above) on BGG which is well worth a download. 

There is also a web based mini-app (whatever that may be!) to play with. 

Cry Havoc: Some of you may remember Cry Havoc from the distant past. I lost track of my original copy some years ago. However, there is a thriving community of Havoc gamers (and its many expansions) and they have many projects underway. The news is that there is a pnp introductory game covering Robin Hood and his merry men. Sherwood can be found here. Time for some nostalgic man to man combat!

Take that hill!

 

I find myself bogged down in a basing fiasco so I have been looking for some diversionary activity. I came across this recently, a professional version of Phil Sabin's Take That Hill! This is available from UK Fight Club as a PnP game here. I haven't got past admiring it yet but hope to give it a whirl shortly.