I thought it would be sensible to try out the painting method on a couple of sample models, so here are the results. I think they turned out okay, if a little rough around the edges, so I'll carry on with the rest of the models for LeLv32 using the same approach. I do need to tidy up the theatre bands a bit first though, as they are a little on the wonky side!
Some good momentum with the 1/600th Continuation War Finnish planes, both the Hawks and some Hurricanes that I dug out of the half finished box today to rebadge with blue swastikas for LeLv 32. I'm now on to the highlighting and detailing stage, which is a bit fiddly but will pay off in the end. After that the decals will be applied to wrap them up, hopefully by the end of the week with a good tailwind. Tally Ho!
A bit of a change today but another wrap up of an old project, rather than something new. These are 1/600th scale Curtiss Hawk 75-A fighters of LeLv32 c1941-42, which I started on a couple of years ago but didn't finish due to paint colour conundrums. I've resolved these now and have begun to block in the main camouflage shades, prior to painting the fuselage, lower wing and cowling bands, the engine and so on. The aim is to get these finished off by the end of the week, ready for some Bag the Hun action.
The sample models from the new Tumbling Dice French WW1 range have been painted up and I think they came out looking okay. The Nieuport 24 scheme in Warpaints Gorgon Hide is definitely better than using metallic aluminium, so I'll be sticking with that approach for the rest of the squadron. The SPAD VII looks the part but I'm not sure about the sculpt itself which, unlike most TD models, hasn't really captured the shape of the actual aircraft. A bit of a shame but it will have to do. Tally Ho!
My daughter got me a Peter Pig voucher for Father's Day, which was a lovely gesture and a really nice surprise. I wondered what to get with it, having more than enough figures' guns, ships and vehicles from Peter Pig already, but spotted these resin broadside markers in the Pieces of Eight range. They are 50mm long and designed for 1/450th scale, but I will use mine for 1/2400th Napoleonic and Ironclad naval games, as well as deploying them as smoke markers for 1/3000th and 1/2400th destroyers to trail in their wake. I suppose I could have just made my own or continued to use cotton wool for this sort of thing, but I think these resin pieces will look very nifty!
An unexpected day off work due to the ridiculous heat meant I could crack on with the French aircraft for Algernon Pulls It Off! and other WW1 rules today. The Breguet XIV flight is almost ready for an ink wash, while two test models of a SPAD VII and Nieuport 24 are also moving along nicely. If the latter turn out well I'll add more of both to fill up my storage tin as well as some early war Morane Saulnier N 'bullets' and some perhaps a few observation machines.
I have a tatty old ex-library copy of this excellent book but found this immaculate second hand copy in the local Oxfam bookshop today for only six quid. It is a very comprehensive survey of all of the mid-Victorian ironclads of the Royal Navy, set out in chronological order from HMS Warrior onwards including plans, profiles, lihographs and sketches, so invaluable for scratch building in particular. Brilliant!
I used some cheapo decals from eBay for these, which are good enough in 1/600th scale to be passable but not as crisp as the usual sheets that I use from Flightdeckdecals or the old Doms Decals range. I think it's the heat but my painting isn't quite up to scratch at the moment either, although these three seems to have turned out okay. It's back to the French now, which are easier to paint and for which I have some proper decal sheets, so I'm hoping for better end results.
