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26 November 2013
19 November 2013
Completed Review - Airfix's A6M2b Zero (A01005) - Part 2
Scale: 1:72, RRP - £5.99
It's been more than a month since I last wrote about Airfix's A6M2b Zero and as it's approaching completion I thought it's about time I wrote a bit more about it.
Apart from the issue mentioned previously with fitting the machine guns and cowl the kit pretty much fell together, I didn't actually feel the need to do any filling, which is always a bonus. The clear parts fitted well and aren't too thick, meaning some of the details inside can still been seen.
To paint the model I used Tamiya acrylics. I'm becoming more confident using an airbrush and so this time I attempted to pre-shade the panel lines with Tamiya's XF-1, Flat Black, although this worked better on the base of the aircraft.
The base was then sprayed with XF-12, JN Grey, while the rest of the aircraft was sprayed with JN Green (XF-70). Finally in order to highlight the model the green was highlighted with lighter mixes of JN Green and Interior Green (XF-71, the colour I'd used for the interior).
Spraying went well and it's really good for the confidence to have a successful spell with the airbrush. There was a slight issue with a dog hair getting stuck in the freshly sprayed paint but I was fortunately able to rescue it...
Next, I moved onto the decals.
I have to say I found them a little thick and a bit more work than they should have been, especially as Airfix claim this is a level 1 difficultly kit.
The yellow bands along the front of the wing took some bending before they settled and the red outlines to the rear of the wings seem poorly thought out. The decal was a thin rectangle with a hollow centre (rather than being a solid rectangle decal) and as you can imagine was somewhat awkward to slide into place. With hindsight I should have cut it into more manageable pieces, but I got it settled eventually.
So for now that's it. I'm intending to display this model in flight, weather it a bit and attach the spinner. I've not attached the landing gear yet until I've found a suitable base to for it (otherwise the gear will be down).
Looking back to when I wrote my in-box review of this kit I scored it 4 out of 5. So the question is, now that I've built it, do I stand by that original score? There were a few issues in the build, but once it's built it's a really good looking kit. For the money you pay it's absolutely worth it, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that you have a go at building one.
Overall Build Score: 4 out of 5, as I wrote before, Airfix can be really proud of this release. Easily the best budget Zero kit out there and one that can also hold it's own with the high end kits.
It's been more than a month since I last wrote about Airfix's A6M2b Zero and as it's approaching completion I thought it's about time I wrote a bit more about it.
Apart from the issue mentioned previously with fitting the machine guns and cowl the kit pretty much fell together, I didn't actually feel the need to do any filling, which is always a bonus. The clear parts fitted well and aren't too thick, meaning some of the details inside can still been seen.
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The base was then sprayed with XF-12, JN Grey, while the rest of the aircraft was sprayed with JN Green (XF-70). Finally in order to highlight the model the green was highlighted with lighter mixes of JN Green and Interior Green (XF-71, the colour I'd used for the interior).
Spraying went well and it's really good for the confidence to have a successful spell with the airbrush. There was a slight issue with a dog hair getting stuck in the freshly sprayed paint but I was fortunately able to rescue it...
Next, I moved onto the decals.
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The yellow bands along the front of the wing took some bending before they settled and the red outlines to the rear of the wings seem poorly thought out. The decal was a thin rectangle with a hollow centre (rather than being a solid rectangle decal) and as you can imagine was somewhat awkward to slide into place. With hindsight I should have cut it into more manageable pieces, but I got it settled eventually.
So for now that's it. I'm intending to display this model in flight, weather it a bit and attach the spinner. I've not attached the landing gear yet until I've found a suitable base to for it (otherwise the gear will be down).
Looking back to when I wrote my in-box review of this kit I scored it 4 out of 5. So the question is, now that I've built it, do I stand by that original score? There were a few issues in the build, but once it's built it's a really good looking kit. For the money you pay it's absolutely worth it, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that you have a go at building one.
Overall Build Score: 4 out of 5, as I wrote before, Airfix can be really proud of this release. Easily the best budget Zero kit out there and one that can also hold it's own with the high end kits.
12 November 2013
Kickstarter: Many Ways To Spend My Money - November 2013
I've recently been spending a bit of time searching Kickstarter for a miniatures or gaming project and thought I'd share a few finds.
In my experience when looking at in the games category there tends to be a mix of smaller companies and indie projects and then there's the established companies who are using the platform to generate pre-sales for a project they would have done anyway. While there's nothing wrong with this I want to focus on those smaller companies and their projects.
First up is Journey: Wrath of Demons a first time game by a Hong Kong based company, Marrow Production. Now I have to admit the subject area isn't something I'd normally go for but seeing the resin miniatures they had to offer certainly got my attention.
It appears that these miniatures will be 1:35 scale and the resin models will feature in the higher funding options, they really do look good! However in the standard game option the miniatures will be plastic although Marrow Production did post that they would be similar in quality to models produced by Dragon, who will be familiar to the military modellers amongst you. I don't know if that means they have an arrangement with Dragon or not, but it certainly sounds promising.
Next up is Aliens vs Predator, the Miniatures Game by the English company Prodos Games. What can I say, Aliens, Predators, Colonial Marines, in resin. Who could say "no" to that?
They're 28mm scale models and as with the previous project, they look outstanding. For the purpose of this Kickstarter the figures will be polyurethane resin before switching to plastic for general release. However this Kickstarter seems to have had a shaky start. Numerous complaints about being overpriced, too little in the box, all stretch goals being paid for add-ons and so on. But I have to say, £75 for (at the time of writing) for 20+ aliens of various sizes, 3 predators, 5 Colonial Marines, all in resin would seem like a good deal for figures alone!
So which to choose? I've been going back and forth between the two, the one thing I do know, my model budget is only going to allow for one.
If I want a complete product, both miniatures and game then it's probably going to be Journey: Wrath of Demons. Marrow Production have a done a fantastic job of showcasing both the game and the miniatures in such a way that I want to play it. I want to learn more about the setting and experience a game that I wouldn't have normally considered.
Prodos, sadly, haven't yet showcased their game system (although they say they will soon) and so I can't say it feels like anything more than a collection of miniatures. But what miniatures they are! As an Aliens fan I've been waiting a long time for figures like this.
Tough choice...
In my experience when looking at in the games category there tends to be a mix of smaller companies and indie projects and then there's the established companies who are using the platform to generate pre-sales for a project they would have done anyway. While there's nothing wrong with this I want to focus on those smaller companies and their projects.
First up is Journey: Wrath of Demons a first time game by a Hong Kong based company, Marrow Production. Now I have to admit the subject area isn't something I'd normally go for but seeing the resin miniatures they had to offer certainly got my attention.
It appears that these miniatures will be 1:35 scale and the resin models will feature in the higher funding options, they really do look good! However in the standard game option the miniatures will be plastic although Marrow Production did post that they would be similar in quality to models produced by Dragon, who will be familiar to the military modellers amongst you. I don't know if that means they have an arrangement with Dragon or not, but it certainly sounds promising.
Next up is Aliens vs Predator, the Miniatures Game by the English company Prodos Games. What can I say, Aliens, Predators, Colonial Marines, in resin. Who could say "no" to that?
They're 28mm scale models and as with the previous project, they look outstanding. For the purpose of this Kickstarter the figures will be polyurethane resin before switching to plastic for general release. However this Kickstarter seems to have had a shaky start. Numerous complaints about being overpriced, too little in the box, all stretch goals being paid for add-ons and so on. But I have to say, £75 for (at the time of writing) for 20+ aliens of various sizes, 3 predators, 5 Colonial Marines, all in resin would seem like a good deal for figures alone!
So which to choose? I've been going back and forth between the two, the one thing I do know, my model budget is only going to allow for one.
If I want a complete product, both miniatures and game then it's probably going to be Journey: Wrath of Demons. Marrow Production have a done a fantastic job of showcasing both the game and the miniatures in such a way that I want to play it. I want to learn more about the setting and experience a game that I wouldn't have normally considered.
Prodos, sadly, haven't yet showcased their game system (although they say they will soon) and so I can't say it feels like anything more than a collection of miniatures. But what miniatures they are! As an Aliens fan I've been waiting a long time for figures like this.
Tough choice...
10 November 2013
Completed - Games Workshop Moving Skeletons Diorama
Finally, something has been finished! My moving skeletons project.
When I first started building these skeletons I had an idea that they'd be facing off again an opponent (or opponents) who would be in a similarly dynamic pose. Unfortunately searching through my spares box yielded little in the way of suitable figures. The one candidate was an Empire halberdier but he was holding his weapon aloft rather than in a combat pose. So this meant rather than a fight, a pursuit would be the theme of the diorama.
And so on to the final hurdle, finding a suitable base. The first time I had the idea of a pursuit an image of a dungeon corridor came to mind but I felt the skeletons didn't complement each other well on a rectangular base. I felt a circular base would work better allow the chase to develop from several side (especially with the figures I had).
It was then that I found some perfect circular resin bases from Fenris Games. After picking one and waiting for it to arrive, (which was not long, they provide a very good service), I could finally complete this project.
So here it is:
And as the whole point of this project was "movement," here's an animated version:
All in all this has been a thoroughly enjoyable project. I've had a chance to paint skeletons for the first time and was surprised how satisfying they are to paint. From that one moment of thinking, "those skeletons need to look like they're moving" to finishing this project I've really enjoyed trying to bring some life into static figures. I certainly hope to try something along the same lines in the future.
When I first started building these skeletons I had an idea that they'd be facing off again an opponent (or opponents) who would be in a similarly dynamic pose. Unfortunately searching through my spares box yielded little in the way of suitable figures. The one candidate was an Empire halberdier but he was holding his weapon aloft rather than in a combat pose. So this meant rather than a fight, a pursuit would be the theme of the diorama.
And so on to the final hurdle, finding a suitable base. The first time I had the idea of a pursuit an image of a dungeon corridor came to mind but I felt the skeletons didn't complement each other well on a rectangular base. I felt a circular base would work better allow the chase to develop from several side (especially with the figures I had).
It was then that I found some perfect circular resin bases from Fenris Games. After picking one and waiting for it to arrive, (which was not long, they provide a very good service), I could finally complete this project.
So here it is:
And as the whole point of this project was "movement," here's an animated version:
All in all this has been a thoroughly enjoyable project. I've had a chance to paint skeletons for the first time and was surprised how satisfying they are to paint. From that one moment of thinking, "those skeletons need to look like they're moving" to finishing this project I've really enjoyed trying to bring some life into static figures. I certainly hope to try something along the same lines in the future.
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