Finnish Fighters

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. 

Tumbling Dice French Avion de Bombardier

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I also finished the Breguet XIV light bombers today, apart from the Cross of Lorraine decals on a couple of the models as I didn't have enough. These will be the focus of an as yet unwritten scenario for Algy but can also be used for other rules, when I get round to trying then out. I'm quite pleased with these eveb though I chickened out of adding twin machine guns for the observers! 

Tumbling Dice French Avion de Chasse

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! 

Broadsides!

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! 

French WW1 Painting Progress

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. 

The Black Battlefleet

 

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! 

Knights of the Sky Eastern Front Club Game

Tumbling Dice Roland C.II

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. 

Albert Ball VC 1/600th Nieuport 17

I finished off the decals on a Tumbling Dice Nieuport 17 (upper wing pinched from a Nieuport 11) and an Albatros CIII this afternoon, the former based on one of Albert Ball's scouts in mid-1916. This turned out okay but I think was less successful than my earlier Breguet XIV paint job, mainly due to the decals being a bit cramped. Tally Ho! 

Tumbling Dice Nieuport 24/27

This is one of the latest First World War French models from Paul at Tumbling Dice, originally listed as a Nieuport 28 but now in the catalogue as a Nieuport 24. It's clearly not a Nieuport 28 as the fuselage is too thick and the upper wing isn't rounded, but it's a good representation of a Nieuport 24, due to the much larger and rounded profile of the tail. It is also a good match for the last variant to see service from late 1917 onward, the Nieuport 27, which is what I'm going to use mine for when my order arrives. These will be painted as Aviation Militaire machines to escort my Breguet XIV light bombers. What a lovely little model it is too!