Focke Wulf - Drei

Some more shots of the triple build, unbelievably busy with things atm - hopefully I will have time to complete this in good time!

Here is the Airfix A8 - lovely fit! No complaints over this - just line it up with the inside ledges and bam! Done =)

Academy's kits are also an easy build at this point - The FW190D-9 was pretty sweet as far as a fit goes. I have to stress how infuriating it is to fit the upper dash panel however! Makes a man say bad words that does... The slot to the rear of the cockpit is for the head armour I think?

And here is the Frog/Revell TA152H1 - By far the easiest build of the lot! (It helps that there is basically no cockpit furniture!) Please note the fuselage behind the Fleiger has been cut down - this kit was designed with a closed canopy and no option for sliding the hood back - the rear of the 'Haube' canopy that this model FW was built with has been molded as part of the fuselage body in this kit, and as such had to go - the hood and screen from the Academy kit seem to be a good fit and will be installed later. (I'll try not to fuck it up...)

It's hard to tell from this pic, but the TA is significantly longer than the previous incarnations, once the wings are on the size difference that around four years of wartime fighter development will become apparent!

Hoping to get some modelling only time in soon - a selection of narcissistic Goliaths are on the table on I have some awesome fashion mistakes ready to paint on them! 

Ace

The Castle 'Aaargh!'

Well actually this is the castle 'Ploppy' (look, it was a long day alright...)

Managed to find a working copy of 'Castles' from 91', a game I was simultaneously fascinated by and frustrated with as a kid.

I'm not sure if there are any castle building/defending/management sims that came out before this?

Just a quick post to start things off - I'm dead set on finally trying to finish this game, a feat beyond my skills and patience as a lad!

To get in the er... mood?

Great building theme that is =)

Here's a few early shots of the mighty fortress 'Ploppy' - I'm only playing as a Duke trying to finish a single castle in a fantasy realm (options include single, triple and eight castles to build - three levels of difficulty and the option of building in medieval or fantasy realms)

Here she is at the start - I made a mistake and ended up with the army digging a moat on the inside of the walls... sigh

Winter and the men are still working shirtless. Those hardy, sturdy, stupid men. Hurry up and finish my dungeon!

 And this happens every Winter... it's a bit nippy outside so everyone and their dog (pictured lower right) hangs out at my place and eats all the food... GET BACK TO WORK!

"This new learning amazes me Sir Bedevere... tell me again how sheep bladders can prevent earthquakes"

I only have a little time to play this one - but have made more progress than I ever used to back in the day! ATM I am also trying desperately to take over the world (Pinky...) in Bullfrog's Powermonger, and trying desperately not to get shot to tiny pieces in Aces over Europe - fuck me but that's a hard game!

Ace

Appleseed, super-deformed.

'Super deformed'... only the Japanese could get away with using a term like that and having it mean something cute!

Pretty self explanatory post, I just managed to finish a little Elfin vinyl kit my sister gave me as a Christmas present (so long ago I can't even guess at the year...)

TBH I really enjoyed working on this one. I haven't done too much in the realm of larger scale modelling and have to say I'd do it again!

Now all I have to do is find a 1/18 scale SD Briareos to stand beside Ms Knute and it shall be complete!

Cool!

Ace

Focke Wulf Mission - Swei

Some progress from the Focke Wulf project, next up - cockpits!

 At this point I'm not totally sure how I want the dioramas to look when done - but I think a mixture of pilots in and out of their seats would be the most challenging =)

Lovely cockpit design from Airfix (as it should be - this kit is less than 5 years old) Everything fits nicely - they have gone for the decals instead of molded gauges route - not a fan personally.

 

Woah. Lots going on in the Academy kits first few diagrams. I'm a big fan of this companies cockpits, molded gauges and a decent amount of detail - no pilot though, so we'll be using a figure from the Airfix Luftwaffe crew set. 

 

 And here we have the Frog kit - crazy diagrams from a time long before I was spawned...

After a bit of glue and swearing you end up with this...

So, there you go. Two empty cockpits (one with a tail) and a Flieger on a little seat...

Ace

Kroot Huntress

Another RT character to explore the grim dorkness of the WH40K universe with =)

I sketched out the idea for this mini quite a while ago and built the main parts up but then, as usual, put her in a box and forgot all about it!

Here she is, scouting out in the wastes of Rigel's Ridge.

 This is the first time I have used a snow technique on a model - I'm really pleased!

Her rifle is made out of multiple Kroot rifles and a few bits of 2nd Ed Space Marine gear.

 This shot is a bit like 'Napoleon crossing the Alps'... if the alps were a sub-tundra swamp. And Napoleon was a female humanoid lizard from space...

Glowing blue balls and a hunk of meat. What else could a girl ask for?

 "It's not dandruff, it's snow...'

 I putty molded the skull of some past prey to adorn her head with.

Skulls are the universal attire of the bad ass.

Trying out a new back drop to compliment the bog of stench terrain, I think it looks suitably arctic!
I should probably model up a sort of polar fox or something for scenes like this... do I even have time for shit like that?

I'm not sure what happened to my camera's temperature meter?? Some of the shots came out a bit 'warmer' than I was going for? =(

Ok so that's that.
A larger scale project is all finished and ready for the next post - and I have been beavering away like a, er, beaver, on the three Focke Wulf's and will set up some progress shots of them soon =)

Stay frosty;

Ace

Focke Wulf mission - Ein

Look to the skies! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Um yes, it is a plane... three of them as a matter of fact!

After reading a great comparison blog post featuring a double build of an Airfix Mitsubishi Zero fighter and its Tamiya equivalent, I decided to give a multi-build a try!

Seeing as how the Zeroes were already taken (even though I have been given a lovely Tamiya A6m2b kit and was seriously considering doing this project with Imperial Japanese aircraft) I figured I had better choose something else. Being the closet masochist that I am; I've decided to go for THREE individual Focke Wulf fighters at once, each one from a different period in the company's history.

I decided to use a variety of manufacturers for the build settling on an FW190A-8 from Airfix, an FW190D-9 from Academy and a sort of 'Wild Card' in the Revell re-box of the old Frog company TA152-H1 model, a kit that dates back to 1965!!

Here are the individual kits with their contents;

 The Airfix kit is the most recently manufactured of the three being released in the last few years. All of the 'retooled' Airfix builds I have attempted up to this date (these are non-painted reference models) have been excellent kits. This kit is no different with pretty much no flash, all the options you need, and a pilot! The plastic is also a good quality and if I had to name one gripe it is only the thickness of some of the sprue joiners to delicate parts - you have to be exceedingly careful not to break things like the control stick when removing them from the sprue!

 The Academy kit is also fantastic. Both of my previous kits that have been finished on this blog were from Academy. This kit is not as jam packed with options as the FW190 A6-8 or the Spitfire MkXIVc but everything you need is there, including the VERY important element of a complete and separate blown canopy that I will need to customise the next kit...

Speaking of the next kit! This is the one I am really looking forward to. I only learned about the existence of the TA152 a while ago - which seems amazing to me considering my interest in WW2 air power, but it has become one of my favourite aircraft! The service history of this particular plane was not particularly long as only one unit was equipped with enough of them to be considered a squadron by the end of the war. The kit itself is ancient, and it shows! Having said that - age is obviously no barrier to grace as the shape is beautifully captured with a minimum of components. It also includes a pilot and (like the Airfix kits) two sets of landing gear (raised and lowered) which is a nice touch.

That's it for now - lots more to come on this project!

Ace

Space Crusade; VICTORY!

Just a quick post on a rainy day.

After trying for YEARS to beat Gremlin's Space Crusade on my Amiga 500 I have finally fought my way through the cold, dark corridors of the space hulks and emerged victorious on the other side!

Yay me =)

Here are a few screen caps (something no one here had heard of in 1993...) of the last mission - sorry that they aren't that good, I was so caught up in the action that I forgot to take a pic most of the time!

And just to set the mood...

Excellent =)

 WELCOME TO SPACE CRUSADE!

UltraMarines for the win!

Maxed out my Commander - only one mission separates him from eternal glory (er, the being alive kind that is...)

 Big boys play with big toys. I always liked the Power axe/bolt pistol combo - bit of a gambit but so much more flexible than the other options.

Cube of Chaos you say eh?? Sounds suspicious, better get on over there and give it a big whack with a Power Axe!

 That would be said 'Cube' then...

"Oh, sorry wrong room..."

 "Avon calling!"

I don't know what it is, but when I look at these walls it just makes me think I'm wandering around a gigantic wine cellar.

Just shy of 100pts but a wins a win! 

And that's a wrap! Sorry for my errant hand in the photo... I believe he's just promoted me to 'Captain SUPREMUS' =)

 Yep, Captain Supremus it is! Top of the heap, king of the castle! Too bad about all the marines that didn't make it... I'll never forget... um... old, um... old whatsisname...

 Nothing like a checklist full of ticks! (Not the insect kind)

Cool. I haven't had a lot of time for many games atm but hopefully will get back to some sporadic Powermongering and maybe even a game of Castles?

Ace