Lt. Biggles

Have the day off today so able to do some more painting. Wasn’t happy with the chunky rudder peddle flaps. so cut cut them off and made some thinner ones. also did more on the frames, won’t add any more detail as it won’t be seen but what it’s got which is really good for what I was expecting I’m just experimenting with different techniques.

Been awhile since I last did a cockpit so I’ll be able to have my first time weathering and all that as when I last did a plane I didn’t have paint at all. im using pictures of a mkIIc that’s been preserved as there is no way to know how individual planes were painted as far as I know. learnt silver is awful to airbrush and know never to try it again haha rough base coat on and details and weathering to do.

So it begun. will be a slow start but the journey has at least started! im quite impressed with the cockpit detail. Had low expectations. From reading reviews on other build logs it seems they got aftermarket cockpits but found nothing could be seen so recommend a seatbelt (which I e ordered) and stock cockpit is fine. So I’m googling all the hurricane cockpit pictures I can find. Instruments are a bare minimum but I guess they didn’t need much for what they were doing. But hats off to them navigating! My first 1000 hours flying was with a map and it can be rather stressful so surviving a fight for your life to then have to work out where you are to get home is something you don’t really think about! No “direct to” button on their GPS! also taking others advice stock cockpit and instead external details so ordered some model master 20mm brass cannons and from Oldmodel decals I ordered a set of 486 squadron decals. They are a NZ company that do all NZ past and present decals for every squadron and their aircraft. So from that I can just pick the plane and SA is the prefix for the kiwi hurricanes in 486 squadron and L seems to have been one of the few MkIIc versions so leaning there at this stage. So progress there.

Hey, I’ve not had much time lately but did finally get all the crew painted. From this To this by the end got pretty good at them. -Cut them off the base, glued any broken legs and arms back on. -Dry brushed blue over the gloss base blue to make them matt. -Painted the white collar details. -Painted faces and hands skin colour including but not limited to: freckles and individual eye colours... not one has the same eye colour 😂! -Painted shoes black. -Made them watch a 15 minute “health and safety” video about the hazards aboard the ship. Will send the last 20 crew on board tomorrow. Will find someone with a good camera and see if I can get some clear detailed shots once it’s finished.

The kit has arrived. I’m in a busy spell so it will have to wait till I can get to her. it has some extra decals for night fighters and mask for the canopy which I’ve never seen or tried before. And the seatbelt is on the way from the manufacturer. After some looking up it seems they were the best company for seatbelts. seems the cockpit will be first made and it’s always an odd part as you can put so much work in and then close it up and it’s gone... anyway enjoy your day and I’ll be back with more shortly

Thanks for that. I think a few kiwis flew the hurricane Mk II in the Pacific theatre. I’ve not done much research and some times you have to get proper serious or you get nowhere at all. Seeing I’ll only be loosely basing my build of what I find I’ll not investigate too much but I have learnt a lot.

That’s looking incredible!

Looking good mate, seems like she is a big ship!

Seems everyone has found a seat! Hope you are comfortable... I also have made a few potato cannons and had a friend that used one to cast out his fishing line. They were good fun. Today the Tamiya paints arrived. Did lots of research and slowly my paint choices changed. Here is how my search went as I progressed. Of course every place had an idea that was correct until the next page had a totally different idea on the correct colours! Typical! So here is my selection, I’ve so many grey shades now I can adjust as needed. Done a lot of research and have learnt a lot. During WW2 NZ had the highest casualty rate of any nation in the commonwealth, with a population under 2 million, one out of every 150 New Zealanders died in the war. There were a few RNZAF squadrons operating under the RAF umbrella. But for now will just mention these bits of info about NZ squadrons based in the European theatre. 485 squadron: John Houlton from Christchurch while flying a spitfire MkIX is credited with shooting down the first plane during D-Day. 486 squadron: Started as a night fighters and moved to ground attack in Hurricanes (they flew Mk IIc later on also, so one of these planes will be my build I suspect) then upgraded to Typhoons and then Tempests and credited with downing 223 V1 doodlebugs. 487 squadron: Operation Jericho, where kiwis flew Mosquitoes low level to Amiens, France and did precision bombing to make holes in a Gestapo Prison wall so members of the French resistance could escape. Les Munro was a kiwi pilot in the RAF, he was actually born here in my city unfortunately he didn’t fly a hurricane Mk IIc otherwise would have been perfect!! Instead was apart of 617 squadron and flew a Lancaster bomber for the Dambusters mission. So a few flying kiwis about and hopefully soon I’ll have found the aircraft I will base my build off.

Decided to give my eyes a break from painting the crew. Got about 1/3 of them painted so far. one thing I’ve learnt from this build is just how huge a toothpick is! I finally made a start on the white water. Found my best looking cotton ball and pulled it apart. painted on some Gloss Medium and started on the boundary layer wash. from this ill add the wake and bow bow wave white water.

Won’t tell you how many crew will be on when completed but let’s just say more than 59... less than 61. I am liking the subtle change they add to the ship

Thanks mate.

This is certainly the best place to be hanging out! 😂 While you have been all fighting over the seats I’ve been learning a lot while I try and work out what aircraft I’ll be building. Happy to have you all along for the ride! For now I’ll just be thinking out loud on here and can summarise what I learn about New Zealand’s part in the RAF as we tend to “slide under the radar” due to our small size and just tagged along and helped support all the major nations operations. In almost all the RAF squadrons there was a kiwi flying at some point during the war.

I completed the tie downs, put ropes around one of the boats that didn’t have a cover on it but it just looked wrong so only wrapped the covered boats. as for the sailors well they take ages to paint and then once on the ship and I sit back they disappear. But look good when you are up close! Here are some close ups of some groups and then the last pic is a full ship view were they and all the other details merge into being a ship. It quite interesting. super close to being finished now. About 45 more guys to paint, some highlights and touch ups and of course that white water...

So decided to take you guys up on your invite to join you down the back here! im just a few weeks away from finishing my ship so was starting to wonder what I’d do once complete. Needed something smaller and fun after the investment of time in a ship build. Ordered the kit and just a few extras so far like seat belt and canopy masking. Won’t do any open hatches or internals apart from the cockpit and that I may enhance slightly but will see what the kit one looks like. This is my idea which I did back to front really. I don’t want to just make the plane from the box I want to find a real pilot and remake their plane at least for a guide. As I’m from New Zealand I’ve been doing some research on people in the RNZAF who flew the Hurricane Mk II and if I can find anyone from around my area “east coast of the North Island” then that will be my pick! If I can’t find one then just a fellow Kiwi who flew preferably in the European theatre. I just like it when there is more meaning behind a project. Feel free to chat all over over this log and help me out. I work as a pilot so at least I should know what most of the things do on an aircraft unlike my knowledge of ships haha, but I’ll not start this build until my ship is complete so a few weeks away yet I’d say.

Found out over the last few days that there are “non ship builds” on the site! I started by building planes as a teenager. Great work on those internal details mate! Looking good, now I’m thinking I might try a plane next

That cockpit looks amazing!

Pro tip: do the tie down ropes on the boats before you glue them down... you can have that one for free! Haha Maybe black stands out too much and I’ll Change them to a a more hemp colour. Just might be a lot thicker. But I do have a question. would the tie downs be ok at random angles like I’ve got or would they be set perfectly parallel?

Looking great mate!

I do like them, as tiny as they are they are still plenty big enough to paint some details. I’ve got great vision and they are right on the edge of my sight so maybe magnified is the way to paint. The officers have buttons on their shirts and some have fingers... so detail is great and 1000 times better than being flat. I tried to find posts with others painting them for an idea on what to do but apart from a few builds with the figures on but already completed I could find absolutely nothing on how to paint from others posts so I just have to make it up as I go. Have learnt they are too small for washes and also a wash just makes them gloss and they need to be super matte. Tough part is they are all together and no way to separate them for painting and removing them from the base has caused a few broken legs. Nothing super glue won’t fix once you find the pieces... I really like them

Thanks guys for the info! Makes sense and I’ve been checking out as many pics of ships where you can see crew to try get a feel for where people would be located. Also there were 3 sets of sailors and the one I got is mainly people standing around, lookouts and walking so have to try fit in their poses to what they can be doing.

Awesome info thanks. I’d hate to have people in places anyone “in the know” would look at and think... those guys shouldn’t be there! Haha would the same idea be there if the ship isn’t in action? In my mind the ship is more in a standard cruise but on alert with no enemy insight. Would most men be stationed around the middle of the ship and none behind the rear main gun and forward of the front main guns? If it’s realistic I’ll keep them clear but had in mind some working parties or something like that? on a different note, I’m thinking it’s better if I have the figures more in small groups than only alone? From pics there always seems to be groups of guys is this pretty accurate? Thanks for all all your input! Much appreciated

A few more progress pictures of figures. please let me know if people are put in places people wouldn’t be as I don’t know much about what would or wouldn’t happen on board! I know the olden day ships had places you couldn’t go unless you were working but I’m assuming in ww2 some of those traditions didn’t work without sails and the like. If anything they do give a good sense of just how big these ships were!

So I’m back and semi settled into the new place. Returned to find my last package waiting for me, took a few months in the mail. NorthStarModels 3D printed 1:350 Royal Navy figures. Cant have a moving ship without people on board! they are tiny tiny and so painting them is slow and no moustaches or different coloured eyes I’m afraid!! but I think they help bring the ship to life! The plan is my painting should improve as I do more so the first lot I’ll put in the more hidden places and as they get better will be in the more visible places.

Thanks for the feed back and comments. It’s been a long process but I’ve enjoyed it a lot.