Madhatter

hey guys and gals So, just finished off this fun "little" project - Trumpeter's 350th "H-Class" theoretical battleship. I'm a big fan of WHIFs and this was an opportunity ot do something a little different from the usual Bismarck grey we seem to see a lot of. I was originally going to do a pretty wild black and red style camo, but I happened upon a picture of a WOWS scheme which I thought was pretty cool, so I went with the pattern but changed the colours to suit my own taste. I hand painted all those little figures on the deck (Tamiya set) with a toothpick and added some ropes and wires etc from the cranes etc - just to add some life into it. The only aftermarket item on this whole kit is the wooden deck veneer. All PE etc is included in the kit which is a nice touch. Painted in mostly NATO Black, flat red and neutral grey - Tamiya LP and Gunze Assembly: very straight forward and pretty much all parts fir nicely. There are some seriously small parts in there too - even by my standards. I thought briefly about adding lights but I just couldn't be bothered - too hard. I think that's enough pictures. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed building this one. I have the Montana to do as well with all it's PE goodies but not for a while yet I think As always, thanks for stopping by and having a look Si

thanks for the kind feedback guys

thanks very much for the kind posts guys - most appreciated I have to admit, I do really like this colour -the more I see it in the day light, the better it looks.

thanks guys. Jeff, candy paint jobs are a PITA to get right. Its taken me years to be able to get one to come out right, but this one did - despite the damned impression made by me sausage fingers.

Thanks guys I know there are a lot of quality issues going on here - especially at the back, but this kit fought me a lot and I also just noticed that the rear right diffuser is hanging on by a a thread of hope. Gotta fix that As threatened, I took some day time shots whilst there was a ray of sunshine out today. Somehow, I get that feeling that this was the only ray I'd get for the rest of the week - right on the last few days of my holiday too. Well, I think that's more than enough photos. Thanks for indulging me See you around Si

hey everyone Yeah I know, it's another car from me, but I just finished this one off today and despite a couple of hiccups, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I'm giving this one to my son who is a mad Lambo fan. I'm sure he'll like it. Undercoated in Gundam metallic red and then over coated with Alclad Candy Red with SMS 2k clear coat. I did have a mirror finish on it before I started the final assembly but I managed to twice leave a finger imprint into the front top bonnet panel and that was due to the lights not fitting as they should and me pressing too hard in the wrong place. I was so proud of it then too up until that point. Anyways, enough yapping, pic time: Anyways, that's it. If it's another nice day tomorrow, I'll take some outdoor shots as it looks sensational in the light As always, thanks for stopping in and having a look Si

Nice work David! I keep confusing this with the P38 Lighting for some stupid reason. This one is much bigger than the 38. What scheme are you going for?

thanks guys Yeah they are fun little kits. That was my first one too. Might have to go find the P1 to go with

This was just a small side project that I finished last night and had a lot of fun with, despite its small size. Painted in Zero Paints Mango Hell Green base coat with Zero's Kawasaki Candy Lime Green over the top. SMS 2k clear rounds it off. Looking at the photos, I definitely need to sand down and polish the hood. There are pits present that were previously not seen until right now that I won't be able to leave alone. As always, thanks for stopping by and having a look Si

that is super freakin' cool mate! Very creative and well thought out. I like the finishing touch with the lights too

hey everyone I just put the final touches on my first ever facelift of a car. I took the front end of an Ings+1 Impreza and put it on a 99 WRX Rally Impreza to create my own type of Subaru. I love the rear end and overall shape of the 99 WRX but I happened to have a botched attempt at the really cool looking Aoshima INGS+1 and thought, how cool it could be if I could use the front end of the Ings with it's aggressive appearance and match that with the equally cool, and better looking main body shape, wide-body-esque rear end of the 99 Impreza. I found to my surprise they met almost perfectly with minimal cutting required, and once I cut off the front of the 99, there was no turning back. Painted in Zero paint's Mclaren Graphite grey with metallic blue (Gunze) accents, 2k SMS clear over the top. The chin spoiler and side skirts were made by me - painted in a custom mix of black and gun metal. Wheels are from the Ings kit and are painted i Tamiya Gun Metal and the same Gunze metallic blue Well, that's the lot. I think it came out really nicely, aside from the usual couple of things I'm not 100% happy with, but, they're my niggles. As always, thanks for stopping in and having a look Si

Thanks David I'll admit, it's getting tedious threading these fibers one at a time. I may take a break once I'm done with the right side. We'll see

Thanks David Small update - and I do mean small (2 pics - that's your lot sorry). Threading fibers is not an easy task and it is incredibly time consuming. What you see below is 2.5 weeks of work and I am only half way through the right rear side. Luckily, I only have the left to do and then I can finish the top half of the superstructure. Even though this'll sound like an advert for Egyptian Cotton sheets, the thread count is up to 384 so far, or, if you like, 2.6 meters - I know this as I am collecting the sheaths the fiber comes wrapped in for posterity and because I will no doubt be asked how much is in there when I'm done All being well, I reckon I should have her all threaded in another 3 weeks or so. Then I have to finish and light the base... The next update should be when it is all threaded and ready to begin the final wiring (which will be fun - but not as much as trying to join the 2 halves together!) Thanks for your continued patience! Si

Having built this same kit myself, I know all about those fit issues. They are a shocker really. Its also why I glued my doors down Mind you, I do like the job you did on the working hinge. Nice colour choice too BTW

they are some nice looking planes there Joe! In regard to how not to get paint on the canopy/windows, you can also use liquid mask - which is very useful for curves or bubbles (as I discovered on my HE-111). In general, most plane builders tend to do the cockpit up first, install the pilot (if applicable), then mask up and then glue the canopy to the body. This way, you'll get a uniform colour across the canopy and body. Hope to see some of the fruits of your upcoming labor

Thank you for your continued viewing guys - I know this one is getting a bit tedious now Changing direction ever so slightly, I was dry fitting the engine block when I realised I hadn't given this thing a wash yet., So, last night, out came the Star Ship Filth oil paint and some thinners and this was the result I still need to remove some more oil from parts here and there but as an overall effect, it's come out great. I also realised that I still have some roof panels to wash as well as the neck section to bring it tonally more inline with the rest of the ship I am almost finished wiring up the front half of the top half of the hull as well, so it's getting closer to the end See you again soon Si

LOL, thanks guys. David, it can be a little daunting to start, but with practice, the easier it becomes. I've lost track of how many kits I've lit up now. Too many Progress! The lower hull is now finished and I am happy to report that it all works as it should. I'm pretty stoked with how well it came out. So, from disorganized chaos: To some form of organization: And of course - a lighting test. Now, I am very sorry for the blurry photos here - my phone just wouldn't compensate for my shaky hands. How the heck I get any detail work done is still a mystery... I'll try to get some better shots later using my DSLR and a tripod, but we'll see how I go for time. The lights are not too bright and have way less glare in person than what the photos show. I'm super stoked about how they've come out - of course, I forgot to pull some strands out to turn them orange, but I shall try to remedy that another time. Maybe a small drop of clear orange will fix it Anyways, that'll be it for a couple of months while I begin the humongous task of doing the top half. Not looking forward to that I can tell you. As always, thanks for stopping by and having a look and for your continued viewing. At least now we're getting somewhere! Si

that's some really nice metal paint work there Joe - very well done. You going to wire it all up? Go on - you know you want too

hey all Yes, this is still on going but it's really moving now towards finishing the SD itself. I have to install the lower hull fibers yet, but I am going to be making a start on that this week. Then it's the top half and that has a LOT of holes to fill. Damn my over enthusiastic drilling! Well, that's it. Next update will see the lower half finished and wired in. Thanks for sticking around. I hope the extreme length of this project hasn't dulled the interest. See you soon-ish Si

Louis, your work never ceases to inspire! Absolutely brilliant work. I keep going back and seeing more detail I missed the first 3 times. Do you still build ships these days? I know they are very time consuming but the outcome is usually well worth the effort. If you do, have you considered doing another class of ship? I know battleships are a tad boring, but the IJN line (Yamato aside) offer some really cool looking subjects - like the Haruna or Kongo, or even Nagato. I know that something like that would become an art piece in your capable hands

thanks guys! Once the sun comes out (eventually) I'll take some more pics.

If its the same one as this, then watch out for those little fins up front - they do not attach that well

hey all I just finished this one off and thought I'd share it. Its Version 2 of an R35 LB Walk. Painted in SMS "Void", it changes colour from blue, to purple and supposedly black - although I can't see the black myself. In the sunlight, this looks unreal and has become my new favourite colour but its cloudy and I just can't get it to look the way it should. I also had broken off one of the rear wing side things before I shot it and found it afterwards. I have since reattached it but I'm not going to try take better photos today as its pointless without the sun. I'll try again this weekend if I find the time At home with the other JDMs: Well, that's all I took before the light got really bad. Anyways as always, thanks for stopping in and having a look Si

thanks so much Juergen for your continued interest - I really appreciate it So far, materials aren't an issue - but I am going through these styrene strips very quickly.

damn - that is a nice looking LFA! Funnily enough, I saw a RL one a couple of weeks ago with my son when we were out walking. The Driver gave it some welly and man - what a sound!! Toyota really nailed it with that glorious V10. BTW - your photos came out great. There are a couple in there that make it look real - so kudos to you