Blog – Page 10

Monday giveaway: Tank Art 3

UPDATE: I love the response! I'm extending through Friday. I'll pick a winner then! UPDATE 2: A winner has been selected! Due to a twist of shipping snafu, I find myself in possession of an extra copy of Tank Art 3, the new book from Rinaldi Studios. Rather than sending it back, Rinaldi Studios offered to let me keep it and put it to good use. I've not yet cracked my own copy open yet, but if it's as good as the first two volumes, I'm in for a treat. Or should I say, we are in for a treat. Me, and maybe you, fine reader. That's right, I'm giving away my extra copy to one lucky reader. Entering the contest is easy: Enter a comment below (be sure to leave me your name and email address or else I can't get in contact with you!) Tell me a story about [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00July 21st, 2014|Contests|17 Comments

Friday Finds: July 12, 2014

I missed last week due to an international summer vacation with the family, so I'm going big to make up! It's not armor, but it's amazing! Tutorial for printing your own diorama "title plaques" at home Modeling buckles and straps tutorial Bob Letterman's Sayonara diorama walkthrough Big list of highly rated WWII movies (a bunch on this list I haven't seen... yet!) Impressive gallery of wreckers A gaggle of video tutorials from the Baton Rouge Scale Modelers club Nebelwerfer diorama Strange Series of Photographs Show Hitler Practicing His Body Language Hidden amid the foliage and scrap metal, abandoned fleet of WWII fighter planes lie rotting in the backwoods of Ohio "Battleground" movie figure build

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00July 12th, 2014|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Friday Finds: June 27, 2014

Another batch, here we go! Pink as a camouflage color? Illawarra Plastic Modellers' Association (IPMA) show galleries - Part III - Tanks trucks and troops Better colors for the photos of your models Very cool Opel variant One hell of a diorama! (Forgive me if it's been posted before... it's too cool not to share again!) Cool build log of a scratchbuilt Italian home

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00June 27th, 2014|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Replacing AFV width indicators

If you've built just about any German WWII AFV, you will know the pain of snapping off the width indicators on each fender. I seem to do it multiple times throughout the build process, even if I wait until the very. last. step. of the build process. I do it so much, I apparently don't even notice when I knock them off. This weekend, I looked down at my Sd. Kfz. 7/2 and noticed one of them missing. I searched high and low and couldn't find it. Then as I was checking inside the kit box, I knocked the other one off. I headed to the web to search my sources for turned brass replacements. Voyager makes them, but I'd be waiting a week to get them. After several failed attempts at different techniques, I turned to the forums. By far, the best suggestion was the "dip a rod in paint" method. [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00June 24th, 2014|How to|0 Comments

Effectively making photoetched pressed louvres

You know that incredible feeling when you finally figure out a technique that has eaten up too many expensive parts? No matter how many forum posts you read, no matter how many YouTube videos you ready, you simply can't get the hang of the technique. Then you do. Blessed day, you do it. Yesterday was one of those day. I love superdetailing with photoetch add-on sets. I'm getting better about not losing every third PE part to the carpet void. But one thing I could never, ever figure out is those damn pressed louvres. You know the ones... the vertical sides of many softskin engine compartments. They are molded shut on plastic parts, but are open (and thin) in real life. A perfect PE replacement option. The problem, however, is that getting the pressed louvres to realistically pop out of the flat PE, all while ensuring the full panel stays flat [...]

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00June 24th, 2014|How to|0 Comments

Made in Poland: Weather contest images

Wow, some really amazing weathering model submissions at the Made in Poland Facebook contest page. You have to check this one out!

By Jake|2014-06-20T12:45:20-05:00June 20th, 2014|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Friday Finds: June 20, 2014

Happy Friday! Is there anything better than a bunch of inspirational dioramas?? Amazing diorama - this is a GREAT representation of a slice of time and action One of my new all-time favorite dioramas... anyone know who created this?? Another amazing diorama from the ever impressive Bob Letterman Cool diorama of a FAMO trailer collapsing a bridge that couldn't support the weight Super cool post-apocalypse diorama Rusty old truck LIFE at the Liberation of Paris: A Photographer’s Story The Harsh Poetry of World War II Battlefield Signs World War II in Color: The Italian Campaign and the Road to Rome Tunsia in colors Is there anything more fun to share online than pictures of your workbench? Here's one of many, many forum threads around the web on Armorama. And of course, here's my own post about my workbench! (Which reminds me... I need to update this post with the newest additions.

By Jake|2014-06-16T13:23:43-05:00June 20th, 2014|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Friday Finds: June 13, 2014

Wonderfully layered German U-Boat dock diorama A trip to the Tamiya Plamodel Factory in Shimbashi, Tokyo (video) Very cool diorama (build log) Dan Tisoncik's amazing 1/35 scale dioramas - where figures do the driving In-progress gallery of 1939 German civilians and cars Interesting technique to model kicked up dust on a vehicle Easy tutorial for making bamboo An interesting thread that talks about sources for info about life in Nazi Germany D-Day then and now - interactive photos And a special link ... I've been waiting to build one of these Opel Blitz buses for a while. I finally ordered one and it should be here soon! To tide me over, here's a gallery from another great model.

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00June 13th, 2014|Fun Finds|0 Comments

Friday Fun Finds: June 6, 2014

More Friday fun finds! If you have something you think I should share with the community, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email! "Follow Me!!" Opel Omnibus Kommanderwagen Great vignette

By Jake|2014-06-02T14:18:20-05:00June 6th, 2014|Random thoughts|0 Comments

Friday Finds: May 30, 2014

The routine repeats.... Friday Finds! The heroic WWII mission to capture a deadly Tiger Tank from the Germans, is revealed for the first time Vallejo paint mixing keys for uniform painting Great diorama! And another great diorama World War II’s Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together How to paint the SS autumn camo pattern in 1/35 And for a bonus... Chad Smith and Will Ferrell Drum Off

By Jake|2016-10-29T19:09:34-05:00May 30th, 2014|Fun Finds|0 Comments