Here's a few cool links I've found this week: German WWII railway depot dio part I A break to rest (diorama build log) How to make trees Crusty'n rusty Dodge WC 51 Beep Mosonmagyaróvár 2014 show pictures How to create pipes The heroic WWII mission to capture a deadly Tiger Tank from the Germans, is revealed for the first time Inside the Army's Spectacular Hidden Treasure Room C.A.H.M.S. California Show 2014 Photo Report
One of my favorite online retails is Squadron. They're based just a few hours away from me, so shipping is always quick. Prices and selection are usually pretty decent, and their site is a solid ecommerce experience.... something this industry doesn't often get right. So I like to support them when I can. They recently announced they were moving their monthly mailing to a paid model rather than a freebie. On the surface, I think this is a great idea that I wholeheartedly support. To be honest, for 20+ years, I've never gotten much value out of the magazine/flyer they send out. Simply put, it's a long, uninteresting text list of kits and prices sprinkled with a few pictures of a random kit on that page. This is a product of a far gone era where we needed price lists pre-Internet. These days, however, that format is utterly pointless. I want [...]
I've been back in the hobby for a couple years now, but am only recently starting to turn out enough final model product to be able to enter in contests. I'd gotten stuck in an unhealthy mindset about whether I'd participate. Largely, I suffered from two issues: "I'm not good enough" - My work, while improving, is still not award winning. I was really worried that people would wonder "Why is he bringing this crap?" "Why bother?" - I've too focused on the end prize of 1st place. If I don't have a real chance of winning, what's the point of entering? When I was a kid in high school building models, I took them to shows at least 3 or 4 times a year. I was blessed living in Southern California - a few hours drive in any particular direction would get you to a new contest. You didn't have to [...]
I am going to be doing an Out of the Box (OOB) build for a local contest coming up in October. The rules for this particular category say that they will go by the IPMS judging rules... which I needed to look up. In doing so, I came across the IPMS Competition Handbook. It's a collection of helpful information to understand how judges at model events will be looking at your competition models. I thought it was worth sharing. Even if you don't plan on entering contests, it's a good checklist of things to watch during your build process. Basic Construction Flash, sink marks, mold marks, ejector-pin marks, provisions for motorization eliminated. Seams filled where applicable, especially on cylindrical parts such as gun barrels, wheels, and auxiliary equipment. Contour errors corrected. Gaps between upper and lower hulls blanked off to prevent a "see-through" effect. Gap/overlap at point where track ends join [...]
I've been delinquent in Sprue Cutter's Union posts, but this one was easy since I've already written about it! Here's the latest prompt: How do you stay in the hobby when you're away from the bench? This is a great question for me. I travel a lot for work, and the weekend time is in terribly low supply between my family time, chores, errands, and sleeping in. I have two categories of non-workbench focused modeling to occupy me. 1. Hands on modeling If I want to take actual modeling work on the road with me, I focus on figuring painting. I wrote about my mobile painting setup recently, but since I hate checking bags with a fiery passion, I avoid anything with sharp edges. That means no knives, and therefore no construction. That said, when we were out of our house for 2.5 weeks recently, I setup a mobile workbench in [...]
I love stories from "the other side"... stories you don't often hear. We've seen Band of Brothers and The Pacific, great works of art that show the US solider's experience through WWII. But the German side, at least for American audiences, goes largely untapped. To truly understand a conflict like WWII, it's crucial to understand, even if you don't support, all sides involved. I recently read (although devoured is probably the better word), a book called Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949. This book followed a German soldier through his graduation from high school, enlistment in the military, service throughout the war, defense of Berlin, capture, and eventual placement in and release from a Soviet prison camp. This book is an amazing read. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
Check out this 1/35 Truck Fabrication shop diorama. This is a great build! Great photography too... really makes you pause and wonder if this is real or not! (Image is owned by Armorama user Stickframe)
I was digging through some old materials I had and came across the Web site of the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington, Nebraska. I was on a road trip with my buddy, Joey a few years back and happened upon this museum. We stopped in for a few hours, and it wasn't *nearly* enough time. This museum was a fantastic collection of fully restored vehicles. They also have a much more liberal policy on getting close to the vehicles. If you ever find yourself passing through (or even slightly close to) Lexington, Nebraska, make sure to stop in. It's worth the detour! UPDATE: Found a gallery of a few photos I snapped when I visited back in 2009. Check them out!
I've been working on a Waffen SS Steyr 1500 Radio Car conversion for quite a while. I'm getting close to the end and started working on the figures. I'm not a great figure painter, but I really wanted to use some figures who happen to be wearing the Waffen SS reversible smocks. These smocks are patterned with the Oak Leaf camo pattern. (For more information, check this page out) Since I have only painted a couple figures, so of course the natural next step is to attempt a pattern that is super hard to do.... yeah. Not sure what I was thinking, but here we go. I thought I'd share a few thoughts about how my progress went. I googled high and low to find tutorials, and I found some good stuff. But not easily. The best tutorial I found: Painting Oak Leaf How to Paint Realistic Waffen SS Camouflage Uniforms German SS [...]
I've been struggling to figure out the process of painting the German WWII Oak Leaf camo pattern on some figures. If you are too, check out this great tutorial. (Note: The image above isn't mine... it's from the author of the tutorial. Impressive, eh??)
