king derelict

No hurry OC. Its always well worth waiting for the very best. Alan

All the ingredients of a spectacular set piece. Its going to be excellent Alan

Great news Craig. That was a very bad one. It's good to know you and family came through okay. It's going to be a lot of work to get everyone on Naples, Fort Myers area back to normal.I We had tropical storm winds most of the night but power stayed on and no damage. I just finished piling up palm fronds and free limbs Alan

The digging really looks good and the figures make the ship come alive Great model Alan

I decided to try out the Turned Dirt splatter effect paint and the Europe Earth pigment powder from the Mig weathering set. I applied the pigment powder with a stiff brush and then loaded another stiff bristle brush with the turned dirt paint and flicked it onto the model with a knife edge. I think I was a bit heavy handed. Its difficult to judge while its being applied but it was an interesting experiment. The pigment also tones down a bit when the matt coat is sprayed on. I think it would be better with a bit less weathering but I think it looks alright for a big day out on Luneberg Heath I really liked using the Mig acrylics on these models. They seemed to brush nicely straight from the bottle and they worked well in the airbrush with dilution with acrylic thinner - at about 50 / 50 ratios. I finally came to the end of the Gators Grip glue so I am using the Mig equivalent. So far its working well. Its a bit thicker than the Gators Grip Thin version so I may try to dilute it next time. So I think this is finished. The Berlin paint scheme was a fun masking effort but I'm generally happy with it. Thank you all for looking in, liking and commetng Alan

Thank you very much Mike. I've really enjoyed playing with the paint schemes. Alan

More shades of grey added as a base for chipping. I put a light coast of rust on the bows and the torpedo rails. I actually like how this came out without going further but I want to try the chipping and so we press on Thanks for looking in Alan

Thank you OC. Its a fun thing to try my painting techniques on. Alan

Or maybe its like a taxi. If the light is off they are not on duty

Thanks Ken. The West Coast guys are going to get the wort of it but it looks like its going to spread its wealth. Alan

From the 8pm update .LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, CATASTROPHIC WINDS AND FLOODING EXPECTED IN THE FLORIDA PENINSULA... Wishing everyone near the path of this one the best of luck and a safe passage through the storm. Especially Craig who looks like he is nearest to the track. Looking forward to seeing the back of this monster and getting back to the build Alan

I couldn't leave well alone so I broke out the latest purchase from the Mig range of goodies. In the event I only used the pigment and dusted down the road wheels enough to take the shine off them and along the skirts on the left side For comparison I used dry brushed buff paint instead to see how it compared. It came out well but I liked the pigments so I'll be buying some more (sigh) The last paint touch up has been completed and that important feature - the orange light on the turret. It must be immensely helpful to alert people that there is a 56 ton tank tip toeing towards them. This one is finished I think Meanwhile I added the tiny PE bits to the Mk11. Mostly tie downs and hatch covers. The tie downs are barely discernable The Pe has been painted. Clear coat added ready for weathering and decals Thanks for looking in Alan

Thank you very much Egilman; very much appreciated. I really liked how the Berlin paint scheme came out. Alan

I wasn't too impressed with the kit after putting all the bits together. After giving it a coat of black primer I think its redeemed itself. It came out quite well So now into (for me) uncharted waters. Chipping and weathering experimentation. These little subs weren't in service too long so I don't know if they would actually show rust but I decided to initially add shades of lighter grey to then chip though the dark grey top coat. So the first variations have been added. Maybe some rust spots around the arms that hold the torpedoes next. I'm also thinking about display options. To me it seems submarines are especially difficult becuase they are out of their element. Maybe some sort of diorama. Thanks for looking in Alan

There is always room for one more. I know the feeling. I have more than enough to keep me building through a few more lifetimes but then along comes something interesting and worse with a sale and I'm lost again. The sub kick is getting to me . I just bought the 1/35 British X Craft. I think I'm slowly creeping towards getting the U-9 too Alan

We are right on the edge of the hurricane force wind predictions as of 5 pm. Mentally coin tossing about dragging the hurricane panels out. Tomorrow's decision I think. Good luck to all Alan

The last few days have been spent adding the last small details and touching up pint. Not really worthy of an update. So; the Berlin Mk10 is almost complete. I added the decals today. I am still sitting the fence about weathering. I don't think they would have got too dirty so I am tempted to add the dull finish and call this one complete. The Mk11 has now got its lockers and kit baskets added and the final small details. There is a little PE to add and the decals still to go. This one can probably be made a little dirty so I'll think about that. Curiosity got the better of me after reading that the 1/72 version of the Takom Chieftain is just a straight scale down of their 1/35 model which seemed to explain the poor fit of some of the parts. I had read that the parts on the sprues were in exactly the same places even. So I bought the 1/35 Mk10 and a satisfyingly heavy box has shown up. The kit is actually extremely different. The packed box has huge parts count. The tracks are all individual link; the PE is very different and there is a lot of detail. As far as I can see the skirts are not bits of PE this time which is a relief. A decent sized instruction booklet is also a plus. I look forward to getting into this one. The box art makes me think that a very light addition of dust to the skirts might be worth a go . That is a nice image. Thanks for looking in Alan

That pigment and wash really make the tyres look good. Some dirty weather coming your way. Stay safe Alan

The wings look very good. Lovely neat model coming together. Great work Alan

Welcome OC. Short but fun I hope Alan

Thanks Greg, I'll be rereading your U-9 weathering details and borrowing shamelessly Alan

Going to be a great build Alan

The spike in energy prices in Europe is very unsettling. I completely understand your concern over the need to conserve. I'm heading over there next month to make sure my 97year old dad is ready winter. His heating comes from an oil fired boiler . No prizes for guessing where the cost of fuel oil has gone. Good luck OC. The diorama will wait until the time is right Alan

Very welcome Mark I knew very little about these German midget subs. They were developed late in the war and had a very limited impact on the outcome. Quiet motors and difficult to detect by Asdic they could have been a menace in the English Channel Alan

You are very welcome Ken. I hope you enjoy it. I think this will be more of a magazine article rather than a full length book but its a chance to try a few paint techniques and maybe a diorama seeing as the build is not going to wear me out. Thanks alan