ChrisM's Cobbling Bench 2019

[chrism]

Well, Welcome to my catalogue of cobbling for 2019. A few days ago I gave readers of the 2018 volume of my antics, a clue as to what would be up on the bench for early 2019, namely:



I have also been up the loft recently, primarily for the return of the Christmas Tree. Whilst up there I was looking for a couple of modelling related items ... neither of which I found ... but I did come back down to the hall landing with these two (and another which I am saying no more of, other than considering it in 1/35 a good item for the forthcoming February Blitz ...





Having just built and finished in December a very nice 1/35 Scorpion for the Cold War table, I felt it time to tackle the smaller one, while I still have the larger one in the house and can look at it for inspiration for additional bits to add and emulate

The parts count it not too bad, given the small overall size. The kit offers the different main gun options for a Scimitar or Scorpion.










The turret has gone together easily, and I have added the tape to represent the taper in thickness of the barrel, and hopefully that should take paint OK in due course. The lower hull is going together niecely and glued parts are currently setting



Paint has now got onto a couple of bits of the Guardsman:



The fishing boat is going to need some effort to make anything out of it. So far the deck has had a coat of paint, and I have started to add some strenthening material to the hull sides.


The kit comes with six small lugs each side, and I have added a lot more much larger pieces of evergreen as you can see in this photo - the kit moulded deck support is in the middle


This Challenger is the Revell 1/72 kit, and it has gone together so easily and effortlessly so far.


Building a car is taking me out of my comfort zone, so I am taking tentative steps with this one, and semi-following the instructions more so than with many other kits/genres


The plastic in the Wessex box is going to take a fair amount of coaxing .... I also need to do some research into schemes and options as yet on this one:










So there we are .... we are off and running.

[Corricon]

And a good start it is too Chris.

[skypirate]

Hooley Dooley!
I can see the Wessex job is going to be extremely satisfying!

David

[chrism]

THanks Steve and David for looking in.

David - The Wessex being an old-Frog kit, is one that I am looking forward too, and like the lightship. it has scope to turn into a nice little offering. The interior is totally non-existent, not even a joystick, or piece of plastic in any form to represent the IP, like the old-Airfix seaking at least offered... I have seen a couple of builds of it, so I know what I too can achieve from it.

The fishing boat : With the inner bulwarks and deck painted, it was time to join these items up.




It soon became apparent that the deck did not need to be inserted and all glued together in one go....

Thankfully there are a few extra parts to fit at the front and back ends, so I am hoping that they will help with the poor fit and gaps.





This was meant to be a nice little easy OOB number to get to boat building juices flowing, in readiness for a group build that is coming up, (and for which I am planning to build and detail the new-ish tooling from Academy 1/150 scale Cutty Sark)
I will see what tomorrow holds in store for this kit, and hope that the next set of bow and stern parts fit better ...otherwise this may well be going out with next weeks rubbish, as a lot of the other parts are very poor quality

These parts are the net winch - which should clean up a little bit more and hopefully pass muster, the blobs in the other are apparently the crew





The scorpion has had a little bit of weight added. This is a kit where the lower hull went together best working backwards! and it is now ready for the bottom plate to be glued in.






A little more paint has got onto the guardsman, and I shall probably need to assemble a bit more of him soon.



Lastly for today - I have a few parts of the engine in the Talbot Lago assembled.




As I mentioned last year, if as the year progresses, regular readers/followers and contributors of this thread see me write that a kit, or something that could be of use to you that I speak/write of, has hit the bin, or a kit is being sidelined because its not going well .... and you feel that it is something you would like to have - for spare parts, or to tackle for some other reason - please speak up and comment in the thread and ask ASAP before it hits the bin - as there are usually a few days from me saying that I have given up on it, to it actually getting into the bin-bag.

[montessa315]

Nice to see lots of different things going on and all progressing well. But it does look like you've got your work cut out with the trawler.


Alan............

[Corricon]

Looks like there’s lots going on here, and progressing well too!

[splash]

Chris I have Wessex decals if you need them.

[Purplethistle]

Nice eclectic selection. Are the wee guys from the trawler comparing notes on 'The one that got away'?

[ShaunW]

A busy looking bench as usual, Chris! As I'm on an armour kick myself, the Chally and Scorpion have piqued my interest somewhat. The Scorpion is one of Airfix's better armour kits IMHO and should also include parts for the RARDEN cannon equipped turret to enable the modeller to build the Scimitar version as an alternative.

[Dazzled]

All good stuff going on again Chris. I don't know how you find the time to build so much but I do know that I should have got you something more challenging at Telford. Finished already? That'll never do

[chrism]

All good stuff going on again Chris. I don't know how you find the time to build so much but I do know that I should have got you something more challenging at Telford. Finished already? That'll never do

You could try finding me something in the larger scale of 1/35 which needs the Berlin checks??. We can talk next year or at MK about future requirements .... so I am happy to have a go at most things

[chrism]

Progress on the bench has been interrupted with messing about with some scenery for the fire engine to sit amongst ... more on that another time. As for progress on the fire engine, I was purposely waiting on the annual announcements from Airfix for the year ahead, and particularly what was coming in the Classic kit range before progressing this kit further, but as they have not seen sense to re-release it this time, I shall now press on with building one in the red plastic, and remaking a few parts as we go along.

Two tanks have both moved on a little more

First the Challenger..


It is now ready for the tracks to be fitted. They are the wretched little piece ones that can be a pain to get to fit. As long as the bottom of these go on OK I can hide a multitude of problems under the side skirts


Now the 1/76 Scorpion/Scimitar kit.
first image is how it assembled straight OOB


These next 3 show the differences of the two kits - both just OOB builds






I then set too, with a few bits of evergreen and plastic strip and made a few additions. I have decided to retain the mud-guard type corner pieces at the front, as they may be a salvation for trying to help lose the track join







this last image shows it after the first base coat of green.


A second coat will now be added and then the wheels etc fitted, and I need to drum up some enthusiasm for the tracks which are stiff and from a silvery plastic which is as inflexible as a wooden spoon, and look as if they could be a tight fit to get on


More progress very soon. ....

[PGAS]

Some very interesting builds you have going. I especially like the Challenger and the Scorpion/Scimitar. Nice additional details you made.

[Corricon]

Nice upgrades to the Airfix Scimitar Chris

[chrism]

Thanks Steve and Paul. The additions to that tank have not been much, but I was using the AFV kit as much as possible as a role-model for the smaller one.

This morning I fought the good fight with the wheels and once they are set need to give the rims a lick of Anthacite or black paint, before the next pleasure of the semi-solid band tracks. They need painting, but they also need bending in hot water and my fear is if painted the dunk in hot water will remove the paint



I turned my attention back to the Guardsman, and have been adding a bit of detail here and there to him. May soon have to start and fix a few parts together and sort out necessary joins before getting too involved in the fine details, but it is going to be easier to fine detail the jacket and cuffs and trousers before the body parts join up .... the choices and decisions I have to make





That's all for today.