IPMS Ottawa - Monthly Plastic Model Contests

Monday, 2 August 2021

August 2021 IPMS Ottawa On-Line SHOW & TELL

Welcome back to IPMS Ottawa's ongoing monthly SHOW & TELL, which allows club members to show off their completed work despite not being able to attend group meetings. We have been on holidays for the past two months, and now resume our shows. Each member is invited to send in photos of a model and some explanation. August marks our thirteenth (13th) on-line show & tell. We thank all of our members and builders for keeping alive the hobby. August is our semi-annual kit swap meet, but as we cannot meet, I recommend that you move your own kits around on the shelves and it will give you the feeling you have new kits!

THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, and KEEP BUILDING.

! Miniature world domination !

Enjoy our show, and we all hope to meet again soon.

FINISHED MODELS

Big resin inn

I’m not sure where this is from as I got it secondhand in an unmarked box, but this is the biggest and heaviest chunk of resin I own.

I went with an interesting approach to painting this:

Prime black

Using heavy body artist tube acrylics, mixing white and black to make greys, I dry-brushed it with a cheap makeup brush with progressively lighter greys for the stone, and went all the way up to pure white on the wood and the shingles. Since this model had a lot of texture on the wood grains and the shingles, this dry-brushing will bring out the wood grain texture. What you will end up with is a monochrome black and white model.

Mask off the stone, and airbrush the beige sides of the building

Brush on a couple coats of brown artist acrylic inks over the wood and over the shingles. Since these inks are very transparent, they will tint the monochrome dry-brushed wood a brown wood colour.

Pick out windows and other details

-Brian

Big Resin Inn

Prime Artificer Nemo (Privateer Press)

This is one of the big centerpiece models for my latest wargaming army, the Convergence of Cyriss.

The Convergence of Cyriss is a small cult of humans who worship Cyriss, the clockwork goddess of logic and mathematics. They have developed the technology to insert their souls into clockwork vessels so they can live on in clockwork bodies. Sebastien Nemo is an elderly scientist who, as he near death, had his soul was stuffed into a big floating ball by the Convergence.

This one was tricky… the model came with a clear flight stand but I didn’t like how it looked. The model is also very heavy; it’s basically a resin baseball. To make it look like it is floating, I scratchbuilt a couple plasma thingies, using brass rod and apoxie sculpt to ensure that they are firmly attached together and to the base. I then used brass rod and heavy paper clips going from the plasma coils on the model to the plasma coils on the base to hold the model up, and painted them up like arcing lightning between the model and the plasma thingy on the base.

Paints are mostly Vallejo Metal Color. Glow effects were done by painting the source of the glow white, airbrushing with a transparent blue allowing the overspray to represent the glow, and then re-highlighting the source with more white.

-Brian

Cyriss

Sd. Kfz. 251/8 Ambulance (ESCI 1:72)

Michael Roy

German Light Truck G 3a Mercedes Ambulance (MAC Distribution 1:72)

Michael Roy

R.A.F. HAWKER SEA FURY (Magma Model, resin)

Tomy the Technical Adviror ('cat' - see May 2021 blog entry) is very happy so he gives me a word to send you another model built under his control after a very serious testing. - Bien cordialement

Jean-Michel (IPMS France)

Hawker Sea Fury

Hawker Sea Fury

Hawker Sea Fury

Hawker Sea Fury

404 Squadron Greenhorn Blenheim IVf and Beaufighter TFX

I have submitted these models individually before but now I have completed the 404 squadron information sheet to go with them. I’ve tried to take pictures of them together but the individual pictures were better. Look back in John Clearwater’s previous postings for those photos.

Bristol Blenheim, Mk IVf late autumn 1941, based at Dyce, (Aberdeen) Scotland.

Z6279, EE A.

Bristol Beaufighter TF X late summer of 1944, based at Davidstow Moor, Cornwall. LZ451 EE M was used by WC A.K. Gatward, the squadron commander, although it was also flown by other pilots. (Gatward was the Beaufighter pilot who, in 1942, flew a single ship low level mission to Paris to strafe a daily German parade down the Champs-Élysées. The parade was unfortunately late that day but he and his navigator, Sgt Gilbert 'George' Fern, dropped a tricolour over the Arc de Triomph and shot up the Kriegsmarine headquarters.) LZ451 is a large part of the Beaufighter article in Carl Vincent’s book Canadian Aircraft of WW II, with many useful pictures.

Both kits are Airfix and excellent in engineering and fit. The decals came from Extradecal sheets. For the Beaufighter various antennae were added, including the whip one aft of the cockpit (which really was that long), and a rear view mirror. The 60 lb. HE rockets were replaced with aftermarket 25 lb. AP ones. As in the photos, the rails were staggered in inclination (to get the desired spread of the salvo).

The garish red primer paint around the cannon ports, which reminds one of the Joker’s use of lipstick, really was that extensive in the photos.

John Greenhorn

404 Squadron

Cessna L-19A Bird Dog (Airfix 1:72)

Inspired by the latest issue of RT, here is my Canadian Army Bird Dog in the camouflage scheme from the mid-50s. This is an Airfix kit of the L-19E, with a few changes (that I could figure out from looking at photos), to make an L-19A. This is a very light and delicate model – I broke off the rear and one of the main landing gear legs while building it.

The most difficult part of the build for me was trying to make the windows flat.

Paints are a combination of Testors/Model Master enamels, Tamiya and Mr Hobby acrylics. I used the IPMS Canada decals from issue 43-2.

Peter de Salis

Canadian Army Bird Dog

USS INDEPENDENCE and FLECTHER CLASS ESCORT in 1943 (1:700)

One night I was assembling and painting the intricate top mast of the carrier .. and I DROPPED IT ON THE FLOOR. Heart froze... but that's not half of it. I stepped back from table …to feel my foot go down on a lego. CRUNCH . I just stepped on the assembly. Back on the table I dismantled the broken assembly and re-assembled what I could using new brass radars and new supports—it still looks wobbly and a few degrees off….but there were no plastic parts/spares available. Almost a deal breaker there … but met the challenge …the water effects took weeks.

Ray Bean (IPMS Winnipeg)

USS Independence & escort

USS Independence & escort

USS Independence & escort

USS Independence & escort

USS Independence & escort

Hurricane IIc 34 Squadron India 1943

This model will joined shortly (I hope) by the aircraft that replaced it in 34 squadron – a natural metal Thunderbolt.

John Greenhorn

Hurricane IIc

RMS TITANIC (Suyata 1:egg)

This is the very new model from a new Hong Kong company called Suyata Models.

The kit is a cartoon version of the spectacular failure of a ship the R.M.S. Titanic.

This is a superb kit in so many respects. It is far better and more detailed than the roughly similar Meng kit released at thee same time. The moulding is beautiful and the fit fantastic. It is cast in four colours, but I painted everything using both Vallejo and Tamiya gloss white acrylics anyway.

I bought the laser cut wooden decking for realism (as much as you can have in a cartoon). I added chain for the anchors; rigging; a sternpost flag; and filled in all the portholes with clear glue.

John Clearwater

RMS Titanic (cartoon)

RMS Titanic (cartoon)

RMS Titanic (cartoon)

AMBULANCES (various makers and scales)

I started the Ambulance Collection in October 2012. There are currently 57 vehicles in the Ambulance Collection with 4 soon to completed ambulances. Most ambulance models are 1:72 with a couple 1:76 kits as well. Also pictured is my recently started Fire/Rescue Vehicle Collection, Currently 6 completed of which 5 are 1:72. There is one 1:72 fire truck soon to be completed.
Michael Roy

Ambulance collection

SU-57 (Zvezda 1:48)

Recently finished up the SU-57 . Good fit all around. Added a Quinta cockpit interior and used New Ware Masks from the Czech Rep. They are excellent BTW. The only issue I have is the detail in the landing gear bays. They are completely void of detail.

A new aircraft, maybe, but one wonders why there can be so much detail in the cockpit and nothing in the wheel bays. Clearly, the delicate (classified) stuff would be in the cockpit.

The decals, BTW from this Russian manufacturer are excellent. No silvering.

Highly recommended. A kit that fits well, no putty required.

(note: there is no official Russian name for this aircraft)

Su-57 rolling out of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO or KnAAZ)

Grumman Avenger (Sword SW72130 1:72)

My first model of a Royal Canadian Navy plane is the recently produced Sword kit of the TBM-3 which I finished as an AS.3 (one of the kit-supplied schemes). I really appreciate it when a manufacturer tries to provide Canadian markings. This is my first Sword kit, and I was pleased with the good detail and correct shape of the parts. There are no locator pins or perfectly fitting parts, so I used reference pictures to make sure things were in the correct place.

My bad luck with canopies continued with this model – I damaged the rear section but was able to cut off a portion of an unused part and use that instead. Luckily the kit includes many parts for other versions of the Avenger (presumably so they can use the same sprues in their other Avenger versions). Even so, I was surprised that some parts I wanted were not included: no attachment points for tail hook, no rocket holders, no sonobuoy launch tube.

I had the most trouble with posing the aircraft in flying configuration, and this model was clearly not intended to be built that way: no crew figures, no stand, no separate parts for the stowed landing gear. I had to chop up the landing gear and never did get the main doors to fit – I made new ones from sheet styrene.

Paints were a combination of Testors/Model Master enamels, Tamiya acrylics, and AK Real Colours acrylics; decals came from the kit and Belcher Bits BD38.

Peter de Salis

RCN Grumman Avenger

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS

SeaRAM CIWS with Missile-loading Platform(1:35)

I have embarked on one of the most challenging scratchbuilding projects since I began modelling; creating a missile-loading gantry platform for my 1/35 SeaRAM close-in weapons system. I got the idea from a picture of a shipboard SeaRAM being reloaded with missiles. First I went to my friend Paul Bornn to see if he would design and 3D print some missiles... then that evolved to the self-contained missile launching tubes... then their transport case; he came through with flying colours! After figuring out a base and layout (to mimic a ship deck), I began designing and then scratchbuilding the gantry platform, then the overhead railing framework, and then the sliding arm (that’s where I am today). Next up will be the winch system, then adding all the fine details. I use CorelDRAW to design many of the features, then using printed blueprints as templates for cutting/fitting the parts together. For materials I used strip styrene of various shapes & sizes, as well as brass tubing, wire, and metal mesh. There have been setbacks along the way, and mistakes were made, but I taking my time to see it through to the end. There is something very satisfying about creating things from basic building blocks, and so I am enjoying this project immensely.

Glenn Cauley

SeaRAM CIWS

T-55 TANK (Trumpeter 1:35)

This model is boxed as the Israeli-modified Tiran tank, but I have backdated it to the original T-55.

Over 80 000 of these tanks were built - mostly in Ukraine at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ). It is easier to see the green when sprayed on a white primer.

T-55 tank build in progress at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ)

T-55 tank build in progress at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ)

T-55 tank build in progress at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ)

SU-57 (Zvezda 1:48)

I used Tamiya acrylics. As you know they are flat, not a friend of decals. By using Tamiya clear X-22 as the base, adding the commensurate colours and cutting the resulting mix with Mr Color Leveling Thinner, I was able to create a semigloss finish. To obtain a gloss finish I sprayed X-22 clear cut with Leveling Thinner, 50/50 and then immediately afterwards, spray the wet paint with 100 % Leveling Thinner. The result is a glossy finish. Wait 24 hours and apply the decals.

Su-57 build in progress at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant

DAIHATSU 1955 CM10T (ARII 1:32)

Three-wheeled Japanese delivery truck.

Thanks to Michael Roy for the kit.

1955 Daihatsu CM10T just starting...

TITANIC WOODEN DECK APPLICATION

There were about 25 pieces of wooden decking, and I took the better part of a day applying it after first sticking it to my fingers, then to the knife blade. However, it was a great way to learn about applying wooden decking to model ships. There was no decking for the aft flying bridge so I used excess wood to make proper decking for that piece.

Tiny bits of wooden decking for Titanic cartoon model

JEEP & APC (1:72)

Here are some pics of a couple of builds for GBs (Group Build) on a discussion forum. The first is a jeep to be done as a Canadian vehicle with the rear frame for carrying stretchers. The replacement grill is from an etch set, modified slightly to fit this kit.

The second is an Israeli Heavy APC based on the Centurion chassis, the visible etch is from the kit, most additions are in plastic (white), there will be an antenna on the roof that looks like 2 umbrella frames mounted top to top.

Graham Mansell

Sunday, 2 May 2021

May 2021 IPMS Ottawa On-Line SHOW & TELL

Welcome to IPMS Ottawa's ongoing monthly SHOW & TELL, which allows club members to show off their completed work despite not being able to attend group meetings. Each member is invited to send in up to three photos of a model and some explanation. May marks our twelfth (12th) on-line show & tell. We thank all of our members and builders for keeping alive the hobby.

THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, and KEEP BUILDING.

! Miniature world domination !

Enjoy our show, and we all hope to meet again soon.

This month's show & tell is brought to you by Tomy the Technical Advisor. Tomy helps with all aspects of building plastic models.

Tomy the Technical Advisor in his natural habitat

This month we have a special guest from France. He is the former president of IPMS France (FFMS). He saw our France theme in March and has sent some photos of his work on post-Soviet aircraft. Enjoy.

MiG-29, Ukrainian Air Force

Jean-Michel Christian (president, FMMS, IPMS France)

Hough MD-3A Carrier Fire Vehicle (Verlinden Productions, resin kit. 1:72)

Michael Roy

Opel Blitz Feuerwehr 3,6, (Wespe Models, resin kit. 1:72)

Michael Roy

RCAF Hampden (AZ Models 1:72)

Michael Roy

RCAF Hudson (Italeri 1:72)

Michael Roy

USN P-25 Shipboard Fire Fighting Vehicle (Brengun, resin kit. 1:72)

Michael Roy

X-Wing Fighter (Bandai 1:48)

I built the X-Wing Fighter as a commission. It is a motion, light, and sound effects kit. It is a ‘Lego-like’ construct which is molded in several colours allowing the assembler (I have purposely not used the word builder in this context) to put the kit together without the need for paint. The X-Wing sits on a stand which provides power and control to the effects which are resident in the electronics/motor box inside the fighter. The pieces fit together by cleverly designed connectors that snap together, hence the phrase ‘Lego-like’ construct. As a model, the model suffers from this style of assembly in that the pieces do not always line up in a smooth surface, like Lego constructs. I used Tamiya cement to hold the parts together so I could sand unevenness and fill the crevasses that occurred between some of the parts. This required rescribing of the panel lines and replacing raised details. While Bandai provides stick stickers for the markings as well as most of the coloured panels, they also provided the same markings as water-slide decals. However, the decals appear to be pixilated as if printed vice silk-screened. Except for a few decals (pilot’s helmet, R2-D2 and diagonal striping on laser cannons), all of the panels and markings were masked and airbrushed with primarily AK Real Colour paint.

I had submitted some photos of this model previously as a WIP at about this stage. I then began the weathering of the model, starting with a gloss coat in preparation for panel lining. I used Tamiya Panel Liner, several shades of grey, dark brown and black. Several dull coats followed the panel lining. I again used the panel liners; using them over the dull coat made them act as filters, providing staining and discolouration of the base colour. This was followed by oil paint dot-washes. The engines received a heavy washes of burnt sienna, burnt umber and payne’s grey oils. My thought here is that these fighters were held together by ‘duct tape and wire’ and would not have the ‘polished’ look of the Imperial equipment. Laser blast graze marks were added with a stippling technique using a brush with its bristles cut to about 1-2mm using . These were then accentuated and toned with a bit of silver and grey. Once all the paint dried, I broke out the weathering powders to add a bit of subtle weathering as well as toning down some of the other weathering.

The ‘industrial’ areas received a slightly different approach than the rest of the craft. All these parts were painted in Alclad steel. Then areas were dusted with a bit of Alclad stainless steel, followed by transparent yellow and blue. I also touched a couple pieces with a bit of Alclad prismatic maple. Once this all dried, I did a black wash followed by drybrushing silver, gold and copper on the parts. I find that drybrushing other metallic colours lends to the futuristic feel of the metal. The last step was use metallic pastels I picked up at an art supply store. The exhausts were treated similarly but instead of pastels, I used a prismatic blue-green-violet powder to simulate heat effects as well as a bit of black powder at the exhaust ends.

Bill Eggleton

F-4B/N (Hasegawa 1:48)

Marc Racine

Fokker E.VIII (MicroMir 1:32)

Fokker E.VIII flown by 54-victory German ace Erich Lowenhardt. Markings hand painted except for crosses and a real leather seat cushion.

The son of a doctor, Löwenhardt served with an infantry regiment before he volunteered for the German Air Force. He was wounded in action over Roulers on 20 September 1917. After scoring his 54th victory, he collided with Leutnant Alfred Wenz of Jasta 11. Both men jumped from their planes but Löwenhardt was killed when his parachute failed to open.

Marc Racine

Etrich Taube (Flashback 1:48)

Ever spend 15 hours rigging a kit? Just finished a superb Flashback Models Etrich Taube. Interior was not overly detailed so I added framing and other little bits like wire wheels and rubber plumbing O-rings for tires as the kit did not supply them

Marc Racine

Hawk 75 (HobbyCraft)

This is a Hawk 75 in Free French colours.

I got the kit in a trade before the pandemic. I attempted to do it for the theme contest back in March, but was unable to finish it in time.

Additions:

- Eduard photoetch set

- Quickboost resin engine (to replace engine missing from kit), with scratchbuilt pushrods and spark plug wires

- EZ-Line rigging

Painted mostly with acrylics, with some oil washes in the panel lines. Decals only used for the numbers, the rest of the markings were masked and painted.

It was a tricky build; a lot went wrong near the end with parts going missing, alignment issues, etc. But I finished it and I'm happy with it.

Brian Latour

C-130H Hercules in the Boneyard (Hasegawa 1:200)

This is the very tiny Japanese air force C-130H Hercules from 401st Sqdn TAW, Komaki Air Base.

It is shown as a desert boneyard storage queen with taped front glass and a missing engine. The engine is literally missing. It popped off and none of us here could find it in a tiny room. How bizarre.

Paint is all Vallejo regular and metalizer acrylic, plus Future Floor Wax and decals OOB. I love orange! Paint jobs with the day-glow flouescent orange like these were used on aircraft going to the arctic and antarctic, as well as target towing aircraft and other special purpose mission aircraft which needed to be very highly visible.

Strange Herc fact: entering service in 1956, the C-130 recently passed the Antonov AN-2 to become the world's longest continuously produced military aircraft.

John Clearwater

M*A*S*H Ambulance (Italeri 1:35)

I built this Italeri kit (#226) in about 1984 as part of my M*A*S*H fan phase. For the time it was my best work. I had solved airbrushing, and the mystery of using solva-set to get the giant red cross decal to settle on the roof. I also used masking to paint the rear doors, and to make windscreen wiper patterns on the cab. Inside the back I built wire loops for holding the upper stretchers in place. On the front seats there is a medic bag with a red cross, and a similar helmet. The water and mud in the diorama are actual water and mud from a Manitoba spring.

Over 26 000 of the Dodge WC-54, Ambulances, 3/4-ton, 4 x 4, were built from 1942 to 1945 to serve as the U.S. Army's main ambulance, with several used during the Korean War by the U.S. Army Medical Corps. I am sorry that all I can show is a grainy old printed photo found in a storage box.

M134 MINIGUN (4D Models 1:6)

This is a rather large kit, from 4D Models of China, of the General Electric M134 MINIGUN 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (about 2000 rounds per minute). It was designed in 1960 and entered service in 1963. Various versions remain in service around the world to this day. This gun has a range of about 1000 m, and a muzzle velocity of 869 m/s. It is called a minigun because it is MINI in comparison to the larger Vulcan guns from which it is derived; and it is a GUN in that it uses standard ammunition.

There is no such thing as a man-portable version of this gun. That is a movie fantasy only. Where would you carry the battery pack, never mind thousands of rounds of ammunition?

Paint is a base of Tamiya gloss back, and an overcoat of Vallejo matted metallizer jet exhaust to bring up a more metallic look. Then it was shot again with diluted Vallejo matte. I used a chain to hang it from a model aircraft display stand salvaged from the sprue box.

John Clearwater

WORK IN PRGRESS

SeaRAM (RPG 1:35)

The SeaRAM is a ship-based, defensive close-in weapon system (CIWS) which fires missiles at incoming targets. People are probably more familiar with the vulcan phalanx (gun) version of the CIWS, which kinda looks like the love child of R2-D2 and an A-10 Warthog. RPG released their CIWS kits only a few years ago, and at the time I picked up both the phalanx and the SeaRAM version. Since many modelers seem to build the phalanx CIWS, I wanted to try my hand at the missile version. The kit is well designed with lots of detail, though there is a LOT of photoetch (PE) parts. Fortunately, I am no stranger to PE and this did not scare me off. (Yet.) The build is going well, though when I got to the radar housing assembly, I started to form an idea in my wee hamster brain. Rather than just building it as-is, I decided to scratchbuild a search radar which is housed beneath R2-D2's top dome. Other than that, it is being built out-of-box (mostly). The full build album is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sv5gjPLiMAC4iQCbA

Glenn Cauley

AK-130 Automatic Naval Gun (Takom 1:35)

Being on a bit of a kick of building 1/35 weaponry, here is one that I started in 2020... put away... resurrected & completed building... then lost my mojo before any colour was laid down. Takom's 1/35 model of an AK-130 automatic naval gun is an interesting and fun kit... and it's YUGE! (ruh ruh ruh) I scratchbuilt a few minor parts and added some detail. Otherwise it is out-of-box. When I finally completed the build, my interest waned before I started painting it. I wanted to keep BUILDING something, so painting such a large canvas drew a yawn or two. I also want to come up with some sort of experimental camouflage instead of having it be a shade of grey (boring). So while I ponder a paint scheme and purchase another bottle or two of paint (remember... it's BIG), I moved on to another model. The full build album for the AK-130 is here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dBFUytcQqX1CeZNs7

Glenn Cauley

Dione’s Escape Ship (MPS 1:96)

Dione’s Escape Ship appeared the first season Space: 1999 episode The Last Enemy. The first image is of the studio filming miniature which was about 10 inch long. The kit on the other hand is about a third of this at 3½”; it is in scale with MPC’s 12 inch Eagle. This tiny resin kit (image 2) requires a bit of scratch building experience. While the manufacturer provides some of the bits required for the scratch building, I decided to just use brass and plastic materials I already had in my hobby room. The most critical aspect of the build is the landing gear. The struts used on the filming miniature were from a 1/48 B-29 model kit; two nose gear struts for the rear and a rear strut for the front. Unfortunately, scavenging these from two 1/144 B-29 kits wasn’t going to happen. Thus, the first stage of scratchbuilding. For the rear struts, two 1/32” holes were drilled at an angle of ~60 deg from horizontal and ~70 deg front to rear and brass rod was glued into these holes. After trimming to ~9mm, the lower ~3mm was bent forward until vertical. For the front strut, a 3/64” brass rod was similarly fixed at ~50 deg from horizontal. The length of the front strut was cut to give an angle of attack similar to that seen in the episode. I then drilled holes into the foot pads and fitted them to the brass rods. I glued everything in place with super glue, ensuring alignment using the lines on my workbench cutting mat. I detailed the landing gear by adding styrene rod and pieces of shaped styrene strip (image 3). After adding the engine mount, as well the cylindrical and spherical tanks, I primed the entire ship with Mr Surfacer 1500 Black. Image 4 shows the primed model with MPC’s 1:96 Eagle for size comparison. While fixing some glue streaks and fill issues, I also added a bit of detail forward of the engine mount that I noticed on the studio miniature (image 5). After repriming, I painted the entire band between the upper and lower hulls with Testors (original) Zinc Chromate. Once the paint is cured, I’ll mask the squares that are to be yellow (image 1) and reprime the area in black. While the yellow paint was curing, I tackled the engine bell using all Alclad paints. I started by painting inside the bell with Alclad Burnt Iron. The outside of the bell was painted with Stainless Steel followed by a dusting of Polished Aluminum. I then added some bands of Transparent Yellow. Blue and Red. I toned the starkness of these bands down with a lighter dusting of Polished Aluminum. Image 6 is the result of this process which was done in a single airbrushing session. Once the paint is cured, I’ll mask the bell and reprime the engine housing for the hull colours.

Bill Eggleton