At Last a good 1/144 Scale Spitfire

If your a collector of 1/144 scale models, then you know the only half decent Spitfire was from 21st Century War Birds of a few years ago.  Now thanks to "F-Toys", they have three Spitfires.
all three are Mark Vb's.  One in the Polish Squadron, one U.S. Army Air Force and a Clipped wing with Invasion Strips.  I don't know if they did a Special or not.

The Spitfire you see here is a Vb in a Polish Squadron.  The model comes pre-painted and is a jewel to put together.  I built it in about an hour without adding any additional detail.  They should still be available from your favorite Japanese or Hong Kong dealer.

Fortress Gate for set 8A

Having just finished a Balsa wood and tissue paper model airplane; the first, in probably 60 years give or take a year, I found I suddenly had nothing to do.  Cleaned up work bench, gave model a test flight and it flew quite well. I returned home with nothing to do.  Scanning around the room I saw my faithful Anker Stone sets waiting to be played with.
Time to pick them up and built a model before company arrives.  My cousin always gets a kick out of seeing what design I may have come up with.  I had about three hours before they arrived and it gave me just enough time to built this fortress photograph it and publish it here in my Blog.

Enjoy

So I made a Diorama

So not knowing what I am doing when it comes to making a diorama, I made this up using some items from Woodland Scenics I bought at a local garage sale some time back. 
The tree is from a bush in our yard.  I applied white glue and put grass and some items I guess should be for trees.
I made this just to show how the laser cut tank model might look if used in a diorama setting.  I would suspect a few 1/144 scale German Soldiers might enhance the over-all appearance.
Any suggestions offered will be appreciated!

Sankei Laser Cut Card Model Tank

I have received two more Laser Cut models by Sankei from Hobby Link Japan. (See URL elsewhere in my Blob.  This model is smaller than the cart I built and was reviewed in an earlier Blog.  The tank model comes on two separate pieces of card stock.  The main body of the tank has been laser cut on a piece of Olive Drab card stock. The tank track and Boggie wheels were laser cut on a piece of black card stock. There are no less then ten parts to the track card and 26 pieces to the tank body. I believe the model is to represent a German Panzer IV. A word here about the model, it is not intended to be a de-tailed version, but rather an exercise in how laser cutting can be applied to any media.  To dress the model, I will in the near future make some sort of diorama display which should enhance the over-all finished model.  
Assembly is quite simple and straight forward.  As with the other model, holding the card to the light reveals where the parts are still attached to the card.  As an estimate, I would guess the model took about 4 hours over two days to build.  A tip I managed to pick up on is one I wonder why I never thought of it earlier.  When gluing a small part such as the Boggie wheels on this model. Take a bit of waxed paper, apply some glue to the surface and spread with you finger tip.  Now holding a part with tweezers run the part over the surface.  Now apply the part to the surface where it is suppose to go.  One can still adjust it before the glue sets up.
Tracks proved to be the most challenging parts to assemble; To much moisture on the back side and a little to much pressure when rolling the track causes the track to become over curved.  So I formed the track a little and glued them in place while they were still damp.  Then I placed a weight on the the body and let it set overnight.

The turret, though it seems easy enough, also presents a small challenge. Once bent as it shows in the instructions, you don't want to over bend it at the risk of separating the parts from each other.  So use a fast dry glue which will allow you to hold the part to shape without over bending it.  When attaching the turret to the tank body, a good amount of pressure is necessary to snap the turret in place.  I was afraid of over pressure and just as I was about to give up and try something else, the turret 'SNAPPED' and was seated.  Finely the model measures 2 x 1 x 13/16 inches.

In Memory of Chris Baldwin

It was indeed not an April Fool's Joke when I received an e-mail from Karen Baldwin, Chris Baldwin's wife, yesterday morning.  Karen informed me that Chris of the "ToyHouse" was missing after a canoeing accident on the Delaware River on Sunday 21 March and presumed dead.  Chris has supplied me with many Anker Stone Blocks over the past several years. Here is the URL for Chris Baldwin Obit.
   
http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2010/04/02/obituaries/doc4babc56b20ac0019765009.txt


I was able to copy from the Princeton New Jersey Packet Newspaper.   Chris will indeed be missed and our prayers go out to Karen and his Family. God Bless!

Another Mosaic Pattern

Yesterday, my brakes let me know in no uncertain terms that they have reached the end of their life.  Our neighbor across the street refused to let us pay to have our car towed and said he would do our brakes on Wednesday. He said he would stop on the way home tonight and pick up the pads and rotors so we would be all set on Wednesday when he comes home from work.
In the meantime, idle hands can become the devils workshop; so it's said.  Bearing that in mind and knowing I  have some more Laser Cut card models coming from Japan shortly, I did not want to get involved in any major task.  The grass has been raked from winters trash and fertilizer spread.  Snow shovel stored, (Were not going to have anymore snow, are we Lord?).

Ah! Now is a perfect time to get out the Mosaic set and play a while.  After making several different patterns, I chose this one from the Mosaic Set Book 2.

Laser Cut Card Models

One of my favorite places to visit everyday via the Internet is a place called Hobby Link Japan. Here is the web address:  http://www.hlj.com/

A few weeks ago, I came across Laser Cut Card Models while doing my daily visit to the web site.  Interesting I thought.  So I ordered a Two-wheeled Cart to see what they might be like.  Much to my pleasure and surprise, I found the model to be excellent.  Small to be sure, but this makes them all the more attractive. This model came in a clear cello package and measured 4 x 6 inches.  The actual model measures a little over 2.5 x 1. x .75 inch.


All the parts have been Laser cut into a stiff piece of card stock in tan.  The base was a square piece of gray card stock. There are ten parts to the model and when you hold the card to the light, one can see where each part is still attached to the card.  A sharp number 11 blade was used to separate each part and no trim was necessary except one wheel where I used a fine emery board to touch it up a little.  Putting the model together requires no special handling as it is a straight forward assembly.  First, I used a glue stick to bind both parts of the frame.  The glue allows just enough time to move the two pieces around for alignment.  Then I placed a weight on top to keep it flat while the glue dried completely.  The two wheels were done the same way.  The barrels required a little extra effort.  As card modelers know, wetting the back side helps a great deal when forming a part.  Using a cotton swab, I wet the back side of the barrel and kept rolling it into the round barrel shape. A little glue and soon both barrels were done.


A little glue on the wheels and they were attached. After a while, a small dab of glue and each barrel bottom and they were attached to frame.  Finished!  There is no question in my mind that I will be ordering more of these fine models from Hobby Link Japan.


When you visit the site, type in either SANKEI or MINIATUART PETIT in the search box.