king derelict

Thank you very much Mike. The link is really helpful. I think this is going to be a bit of a challenge but it’s a great figure for the effect if I can make it work alan

Selfishly I will be very sorry to lose the LHS updates which were always hugely enjoyable and a great demonstration of painting skills. It’s a tough decision to pass the models on but if they provide joy and enjoyment to someone else and you are able to realize some money from them at a tight time then you are making a sensible decision. I hope you find some good buyers. You will always have the skills and new kits will always be available. Good luck with it Alan

Great progress Rob on a spectacular but highly complex model. Your techniques to overcome the challenges make this a great build log to read and enjoy. Especially by someone who knows his limitations will stay with vicarious involvement in kits like this. Great work alan

The project is really coming together nicely. The camouflage patterns are superb and very well worth the effort. Congratulations alan

I just got back from a trip well packed with weather. Snow, fog and gales but apart from a seven hour delay from Atlanta to Manchester travel was mostly on time apart from the DB train from Berlin to Amsterdam sitting for an hour near Deventer because of signaling problems. I think that’s traditional because the same thing happened last year for the same reason. may take a few days to get back to the Derfflinger but in the meantime, for those who like mechanical stuff, I brought this home with me. It’s my grandfather’s pigeon clock, made around 1924. It’s been away getting restored. Not by a clock repair man but by a conservator- which gives you some insight into how much the bill was. im very happy to hear it ticking again Thanks for looking in and hopefully the model work will resume shortly alan

I’m not sure mine would be classed as an upgrade 😀 I'm using a Master Airbrush I bought from Amazon when I started out with building models not knowing very much of anything about how to use them. I struggled with it at the start but I think that was me more than the air brush. There is a lot of contradictory advice on paint dilution, thinning agents and techniques. I fell for most of them but I now seem to achieve pretty consistent results with acrylics using the airbrush and I find it a very easy brush to strip and clean. I suspect that the combination of paints, airbrushes, techniques and environment means there are many different ways of achieving the desired results. I keep considering upgrading to something better but so far this one doesn’t feel like the limiting factor. I think that’s still me. alan

Lovely details and nice rigging Mike alan

Thanks OC. Looking forward to seeing the family again Alan

Thanks Ken. I seem to have picked the January that Europe returns to snowy winters Alan

Thank you very much Mike, this is a really enjoyable build. Well I’ve got as far as Atlanta and now waiting for a six hour delay on the Manchester flight. The magic of flight Alan

Thank you very much, I’m pleased with how it came out. I’ll be less worried about chasing down a wooden deck addition in the future Alan

Things seem to have been far too busy in real life but I'm making some progress with the Derfflinger. I'm not sure why but I am really enjoying this kit. Maybe its just a little easier than Galatea although it has its challenges. I worked on the simulated wooden decks, spraying on a base coat of Tamiya acrylic Deck Tan and, once dry, I brushed on some heavily diluted mixes of Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber oil paints. I like how its come out with degrees of variation around the ship. The washes have defined the plank lines nicely too. It may be a little orange in places but I think it works and I think I would even forgo adding wooden decks in the future (maybe)' I'm also building up the superstructure and adding the first PE railings. Flyhawk do a nice job of prescoring the railings for the various bends which helps with the complex shapes but also weakens the piece so you don't have many chances to correct a wrong bend. There will be about a three week hiatus in the build while I go to Europw to visit family in Wales and wish my father happy 99th birthday. Then a whirlwind through Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam. The common theme seems to be snow so I'm hoping flights and rail journeys work out. Happy New Year everyone and thanks for looking in, the likes and the helpful comments. Alan

A small update to Jacques the Bad Man. I've been enjoying the Derfflinger build too much and this has only progressed slowly. I sprayed a coat of black primer and then added a directional coat of white. I have seen some figure work where the painter simulates the effect of a focussed light or a fire. I added the white with this in mind. The idea is to have the light on the scaffold (left side as we look at it) be the main light source. I'm not sure whether I can pull it off but I will give it a try. The white coat came out how I wanted it to be. Thanks for looking in and the likes and comments. Alan

Terrific work on the bombs Jav alan

The box art shows it holding a lantern but it looks substantial enough for a pirate to dance a Tyburn jig.

I think you have a working proposition there OC. Reading a build log for an Aveo Manchester on another site all brush painted and looking very good, it seems flat brush is definitely the way to go. I’ve been trying it out on the small linoleum decks on Derfflinger and it does seem to work. Looking forward to seeing you back in action. alan

Great job Andy. The weathering looks really nice and appropriate. alan

You know Ken, you are right. I think I would rather have D’Artagnan around than this guy. He did come to a suitably sticky end though. Alan

Thank you OC. The painting notes pretty much say “whatever colours you like “. I’ll probably stick with blacks and reds Alan

Thanks again Mike, that was valuable information. So now I have a comprehensive Christmas present to make up for the old guy in red trying to fob me off with a box of shortbread biscuits. Alan

It’s looking really good Phil. Well done alan

Nice work on the details Mike. The radar was definitely worth the trouble. alan

Welcome and I hope you enjoy it. Derfflinger soaked up a lot of punishment at Jutland from what I have read. Alan

Great work Mike. The engines are terrific. This is going to look very good. Alan

Just can't leave them alone. Another white metal miniature from Pergaso to provide some light relief if the Derfflinger gets too difficult. I hadn't a clue who this chap was but I liked the outfit and the pose. It turns out he was a 17th century pirate and was a bad man! Wikipedia has a full article François l'Olonnais - Wikipedia A few brief extracts "According to Alexandre Exquemelin's 1684 account The History of the Buccaneers of America, l'Olonnais' was born in Les Sables-d'Olonne in the France. He first arrived in the Caribbean as an indentured servant during the 1650s. By 1660 his servitude was complete. He began to wander various islands before arriving in Saint-Domingue – in what is now Haiti – and becoming a buccaneer. He preyed upon shipping from the Spanish West Indies and the Spanish Main. A year or two (dates regarding l'Olonnais are uncertain) into his piratical career, l'Olonnais was shipwrecked near Campeche in Mexico. A party of Spanish soldiers attacked l'Olonnais and his crew, killing almost the entire party. L'Olonnais survived by covering himself in the blood of others and hiding amongst the dead. After the Spanish departed, l'Olonnais, with the assistance of some escaped slaves, made his way to the island of Tortuga. A short time later, he and his crew held a town hostage, demanding a ransom from its Spanish rulers. The governor of Cuba, Francisco Oregón y Gascón, sent a ship to kill l'Olonnais' party. l'Olonnais captured and beheaded the ship's entire crew save one, whom he spared so that a message could be delivered to Havana: "I shall never henceforward give quarter to any Spaniard whatsoever." "L'Olonnais himself was an expert torturer, and his techniques included slicing portions of flesh off the victim with a sword, burning them alive, or tying knotted "woolding" (rope bound around a ship's mast to strengthen it) around the victim's head until their eyes were forced out." "'He drew his cutlass, and with it cut open the breast of one of those poor Spanish, and pulling out his heart with his sacrilegious hands, began to bite and gnaw it with his teeth, like a ravenous wolf, saying to the rest: I will serve you all alike, if you show me not another way". Not someone you would take home to meet the family. The kit has quite a few parts for a white metal figure and the use of brass pins helps a lot in holding the main parts together while the glue sets. The white metal is quite soft and I broke a number of drill bits because they seemed to bind up in the part and sheer off (leaving the broken piece irretrievably stuck in the piece). I may need to fina a better source of bits for the metal figures. The base seems to be a wooden deck although the lamp standard isn't immediately recognisable as a shipboard feature. The main elements of the figure have been assembled and the fit is not perfect in a few places and may need to be filled, His upper left body has a gap that needs attention. Thanks for looking in. Alan