Jake, Author at build.

I hate braille scale.

For Father's Day, my wife and daughter gave me a 1:72 scale Dragon Sd. Kfz. 263. It's a WWII German armored vehicle, so I was excited to start building it. I build exclusively 1:35 scale, so stepping out of my comfort zone was going to be fun experiment. Plus, I've been reading many articles about cool new 1:72 releases lately. In particular, I really want to build the Opel Omnibus, and since it's only produced in 1:72 scale right now, I had to dig in and learn something new. You know how sometimes a great theory turns out to be a frustrating reality? Yeah, I don't think I'm a 1:72 scale (also affectionally known as "braille scale") modeler. I was about halfway through this fun experiment when I realized that I wanted to turn in my xacto knife! The parts were small and lacked detail, the small part build was incredibly [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00September 12th, 2013|Modeling thoughts|1 Comment

Beverly Hillbillies

I saw this at the local armor builders meeting this week. Very cool. Good job, Oscar!

By Jake|2013-09-06T20:09:22-05:00September 6th, 2013|Fun Finds|0 Comments

Hilarious!

I found this in my travels across the Web this weekend and thought I'd share. Pretty hilarious!

By Jake|2013-09-03T14:48:30-05:00September 3rd, 2013|Fun Finds|0 Comments

Sprue Cutters Union #6: Won’t touch it!

I'm jumping into the Sprue Cutters Union (SCU) with this entry. SCU is a "blog carnival", a collection of bloggers being challenged to answer the same questions on a weekly basis. Join us! This week's question: What will never make its way on to your workbench? I'm still very new to this hobby, so I'm not going to rule much of anything out, genre-wise. I might not be that interested in civilian cars, but then again, rusty, old, busted cars might be fun some day! That said, there's one clear answer to this question: scantily clad female figures. I can comfortably say that I will never be doing figures like the one featured in the most recent Weathering Magazine: As I wrote about in depth, this is an unnecessary and fairly sexist subject that creates a pointlessly difficult conversation with my 6 year old daughter. As I said over [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 29th, 2013|Sprue Cutters Union|2 Comments

Mechanical Dog: How to…. Aligned holes

Mechanical Dog: How to... Aligned holes (From time to time, I will post quick hit "how to" content I find around the Web. These techniques are meant to showcase talented modelers, as well as showcasing helpful tips and tricks)

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 27th, 2013|How to|0 Comments

Build log: Steyr 1500 research materials

During the Steyr 1500 Radio Command Car superdetail project, I've been doing a lot of research online to find great pictures of the small and large Steyr details. I especially dug around for engine pictures as I worked without a net to add details. I thought it might be helpful to share some of this content here. Steyr walkaround Armorama.com's walkaround (and bonus walkaround for a Steyr 2000!) Kfz. of the Wehrmacht - Steyr 1500A page Steyr 1500A in detail book from WWP (If you can't find this cheaply, let me know and I'll share some pointers) An original military document about the Steyr engine (PDF download) Restored Steyr 1500 video I found a lot of other images around the Web, but those where the biggies. Just a warning though: many of the walkarounds seem to be done on museum or private collection vehicles...which means historical accuracy may or may not be [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 21st, 2013|Build Logs|0 Comments

Fun Find: BSMC 2012 show report

I found some amazing images on Diorama.net of the BSMC 2012 show. These are really worth digging through (and reminding yourself that show photos should always be uploaded in an extra large size!!....hint hint)

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 21st, 2013|Fun Finds|0 Comments

Build log: Steyr Engine detailing

The last part of the Steyr 1500 radio command car construction is the engine construction. Man oh man has this been a long process. The construction process started several months ago, even before any of the vehicle detailing had started. My original intent had been to start the detailing process with the engine. Seemed like a fun place to start, but as soon as I cracked open the package, I noticed that one of the larger parts was pretty horribly cast. I reached out to CMK to get a replacement. They sent me a replacement, but it was also horribly cast. More conversation and they informed me that they were going to re-build the molds and recast that particular part. CMK was easy enough to work with, but the "small company feel" was certainly coming through loud and clear. In the end, however, these delays caused a happy accident. I was [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 21st, 2013|Build Logs|1 Comment

DIY Photo Tent

My other favorite hobby is photography. I'm not great, but I'm good enough to realize when I'm taking bad photos. Such was the case with my first few model shots after my first build. So I immediately looked for cheap ways to make a photo tent. I found a great video about building one with fabric panels and a PVC frame. A quick trip to Lowes, a stop at Joann for some white ripstop fabric (on sale!), and a few hours of cutting and snap installation and I had a photo tent. I pulled out some of my studio lights and stands and started shooting. A few pointers: Here's the article that talks about how I built mine with PVC. There are also prefab pop-up tents, and cardboard box options. If you go with PVC, make sure to spend the extra $20 on a pair of PVC cutters. No sawing and [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 20th, 2013|Photography|0 Comments

Rant: Women in modeling

The following is a rant I originally posted on Armorama.com. The following is the content I sent to AK Interactive, Weathering Magazine, and Mig Jimenez. I posted it publicly as well in order to spark discussion, debate, and thought. There was a lively discussion that took place in the comments, and I encourage you all to read through that thread. Please comment on this post or on the original thread with your comments. As our world changes and further embraces equality, I find that there are still many ways that society (American or any other) lags in making equality happen. To whom it may concern: My name is Jake McKee, and I'm a 38 year old male. Last year, I returned to the scale modeling hobby after many, many years away. I've been excited to see how many new and amazing products are on the market and how companies [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:35-05:00August 8th, 2013|Random thoughts|1 Comment

sink

About Jake