kpnuts

Hi all these cannons are a bit tedious but I've done a bit more, not happy with them, they still don't look very realistic (each one is less than 1/2 an inch long, well the carriage is anyway), so I can't do much with them but I'm wondering weather the decking from the 1/72 revell flower class corvette would look good stuck on and stained what do you think.

Hi all, the rest of the cannons are fully visible so I've decided to try and detail them a bit more, there is no wood grain moulded in the plastic sides so I've scratched some lightly with my knife and tried painting and using pastels to get an wood effect, not worked as well as I'd liked but better than nothing, and when they are installed you probably won't even notice anyway.

Hi all, the rest of the cannons are fully visible so I've decided to try and detail them a bit more, there is no wood grain moulded in the plastic sides so I've scratched some lightly with my knife and tried painting and using pastels to get an wood effect, not worked as well as I'd liked but better than nothing, and when they are installed you probably won't even notice anyway.

Hi all, the rest of the cannons are fully visible so I've decided to try and detail them a bit more, there is no wood grain moulded in the plastic sides so I've scratched some lightly with my knife and tried painting and using pastels to get an wood effect, not worked as well as I'd liked but better than nothing, and when they are installed you probably won't even notice anyway.

Hi all here is the next installment
 

 

 

 

 
I must say I'm enjoying this very much, freedom from anyone saying "that's wrong" is so liberating and I'm loving the fact I can use my imagination to find stuff for making 60s style futuristic stuff ( I thought at the start of this build that the corvette lent itself to that era, modern stuff would be either squarer or more streamlined)

Hi all here is tonight's bit




I must say I'm quite pleased with my lasers.

Hi all some more progress on this.
 

 

 

 

 
I've concocted a couple of laser cannons for it, I think they look quite convincing, what do you think.
 

 

 

 

 

Hi all some more progress on this.
 

 

 

 

 
I've concocted a couple of laser cannons for it, I think they look quite convincing, what do you think.
 

 

 

 

 

Hi all some more progress on this.
 

 

 

 

 
I've concocted a couple of laser cannons for it, I think they look quite convincing, what do you think.
 

 

 

 

 

Hi all got the rear railings on and made a start on the aft mast ratlines connections.
 

 

Thanks for the lovely replies I think this may become a slooow and steady build.

Hi all done a bit more.




As you can see there's no real detail to the jet engine, I know it's meant to be an educational toys to teach kids how a jet engine works and to be see through but I fail to see how this teaches anything, no injectors no pipe work for fuel just some blades which spin and some lights, I think Airfix missed a trick here. And for very little work on their part.
I know nothing about jet engines but I know they need injectors to get the fuel where needed and fuel obviously but here is no indication of either here.

Hi all done a bit more.




As you can see there's no real detail to the jet engine, I know it's meant to be an educational toys to teach kids how a jet engine works and to be see through but I fail to see how this teaches anything, no injectors no pipe work for fuel just some blades which spin and some lights, I think Airfix missed a trick here. And for very little work on their part.
I know nothing about jet engines but I know they need injectors to get the fuel where needed and fuel obviously but here is no indication of either here.

Hi all well this is certainly leagues more complex and detailed than any ship I've built not sure I'm upto rigging this, for instance all the pulleys attached it the mast and crows nest, I've barely started on this one mast, I take my hat off to anyone tackling this complex a rigging not sure I will stick the course, I've not found an easy way to tie the pulleys. The 4von this mast took 2 hours and a lot of swearing.
 
 
 

 
 

 

Hi all well since I've finished the Rolls and a 1/8 32 ford I'm tentatively back on this, the first thing I noticed(which when I put it away I didn't was the jib was quite a bit off centre, no amount of gentle twisting would straighten it so I bit my lip and cut it off.
 

 

 

 

 
The guilding on the top rails was rubbish so that's been given another go, still not happy with it but will live with it for now also added a bit more deck furniture.
 

 

 

 

 
Removed some of the wash from the transom sort of better we will just have to see how I feel after I've lived with it for a while, I may still strip it, I'm feeling better about it anyway.

Hi all well still on this, not much to show, I seem to have lost any skill I had, this is looking so shabby, showed so much potential when I started it, I thought the wood effect was great (I know bit big headed but I did think it was a good effect) seems to have gone down hill since then, sorry.

Hi all well this kit comeso with no anchors for the boats so I've knocked some up, also there are no oars, I've checked a few builds not of the heller kits and they don't seem to have any either, were they stored below decks or should they be there.



Sorry my build rate has slowed so much, but I get some done when I can fit it in and am not feeling too knackered.

Hi all here is the next update on this.
Made a little jig for putting the tie down rings in the same place every time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes I know I've missed some painting on the front of the decks but will sort that soon.

Hi all, I was asked by a few people how I did this wood effect so thought maybe some of you would be interested.
First of all I apologise my the first pics of the procedure are missing as the pics on my phone we're corrupted for some reason, it dosn't really matter  as the process it the same throughout I will explain as we go.
First here is the huge list of things required

this is where my phone let me down I have no pics if this part as they were corrupted(sorry) 
the pastels wont stick to plastic so you have to use matt paint (I've no idea if this will work with acrylics as I use enamels but I think it would)
I picked the lightest colour of the wood I'm trying to replicate for the base colour (in this case Humbrol m 63)
paint the wood with a thin coat in the direction of the grain if it looks patchy that is good (helps with the effect)as long as it all has some paint on it (look at the pictures of the hull you can see its very patchy)
once that is dry take the darkest wood colour pastel you are using and lightly drag it over the grain in a random manner not everywhere so it all looks the same , then with the brush, again in the direction of the grain brush it in

 

 
then with the highlight colour (we have pictures of the rest of the process from now on) do exactly the same
 

 
again brush in the direction of the grain
 

 

 
next get some black pastel and dab on details (anywhere that may get stained from water or nooks an crannys where swilling the deck wouldn't get plus a few random areas
 

 
now brush across the gain (only very lightly and only a couple of passes)
 

 

 
now brush with the grain as much as you like till you get the desired effect
 

 

 
now comes the important bit (DO NOT VARNISH THIS YET) the varnish stays wet too long and the pastels merge and you just end up with brown blotches. spray with your missus hair spray at a distance of at least 12 inches ( you don't want it to look wet when that is dry then you can spray your varnish.
 

 

 

 

 
 the genius of this method is if you make a mistake or don't like the effect (untill you varnish it) wash it under the tap dry with a cloth and your missus hair dryer, ten mins and you're ready to go again, you tell me any other method that's that easy to redo.
Hope this is of some help to some one

Hi all well this is certainly leagues more complex and detailed than any ship I've built not sure I'm upto rigging this, for instance all the pulleys attached it the mast and crows nest, I've barely started on this one mast, I take my hat off to anyone tackling this complex a rigging not sure I will stick the course, I've not found an easy way to tie the pulleys. The 4von this mast took 2 hours and a lot of swearing.
 
 
 

 
 

 

Hi all here is tonight update

 

 

 

 
Here is the thing they suggest you mount this beautiful ship on
 

 

Hi all well this is certainly leagues more complex and detailed than any ship I've built not sure I'm upto rigging this, for instance all the pulleys attached it the mast and crows nest, I've barely started on this one mast, I take my hat off to anyone tackling this complex a rigging not sure I will stick the course, I've not found an easy way to tie the pulleys. The 4von this mast took 2 hours and a lot of swearing.
 
 
 

 
 

 

Hi all well here is a quick mockup of where this is going. The jet engine is very disappointing detail wise I will be adding lots more detail and since this will be sprayed gloss black I will be cutting inspection doors in the outer casing to show the detail I will be adding 
 

 

Hi all I started this kit ages ago but it got shelved (can't remember why) but I had an idea to re motivate me , it's going to become a 60s version of the bat boat, I have the Airfix jet engine which I will be adding, with some lasers and other bits, I guarantee this will be like no corvette you ever saw.

Hi all I started this kit ages ago but it got shelved (can't remember why) but I had an idea to re motivate me , it's going to become a 60s version of the bat boat, I have the Airfix jet engine which I will be adding, with some lasers and other bits, I guarantee this will be like no corvette you ever saw.