Charlie's Chop Shop

[kerick]

Lots of sanding materials available at the make up section at your local department stores.

[Charlie_c67]

So after a horrible horrible June and a frustrating July (why can employers not just send a quick thanks but no thanks e-mail?) the mojo has slowly started to trickle back a little with the appearance of the new Horus Heresy box set. For those scratching your heads the HH is a games system from Games Workshop set in the year 30,000 (or thereabouts) as an offshoot of their main Warhammer 40k system. There's been a lot of...noise over the new edition and the rules changes it has introduced, but since I don't play it's definitely a case of OOOSHINY^TM syndrome when it comes to the new minis, especially as some hark back to the old old days of Rogue Trader as the system was known back in the late 80's when I first became interested in the game. I'm hoping this'll be the thing I need to get me back at my modelling desk.

The plan then is to move on to the shelf of doom and work through the various projects on there, though some of them will require me to find the decal sheet I printed out for that very purpose  Though there is that nice Arma Hobby Hurricane sat in the cupboard    Decisions decisions!

[kerick]

The new game stuff sounds interesting. Please post a couple of pics of that. Good luck on finishing projects. I keep telling myself I need to do that too.
I'm bogged down in home renovation and doctor appointments. It's hard to work on painting the kitchen or a whiff project if I'm in the middle of a PET scan.

[Rick Lowe]

(why can employers not just send a quick thanks but no thanks e-mail?)

I feel your pain - it's always been that way though, dating back at least as far as the 80s.
Courtesy is expected from prospective wage slaves, not the prospective employers, it seems...

OOOSHINY^TM syndrome

I like that term, and may have to employ it in future... have some Thought-Sent, imaginary Coffee (or Beer! and Pizza) as thanks.   

[Charlie_c67]

So just to prove I can actually do modelling and not just create mayhem, here's one or two pics of an Ad-Mech Kill Team (Warhammer 40k), designed and built years before it became a thing! They were part of a games table designed, built and run by a forum I was part of called The Ammobunker back in the days when GW allowed innovation, conversion and was run much more for the gamer than for the company shareholders/bean counters. Combining parts from several ranges, the team even drew the attention, appreciation and compliments from the great John Blanche on the day. Possibly my proudest 40k modelling moment.


Taken on my iPhone, the camera decided to focus on the background foam rather than the model I was clicking on because...of course it did 

I also indulged in another passion of mine and built a Lego Spiderman scene. These sets, in the main, are well thought out and capture certain parts of the films quite well. Also helps that the app they now have allows for better colour differentiation that the books sometimes lack. Only quibble with this one was the lack of two characters Peter Two and Peter Three but that's a minor thing. An enjoyable set.


Now I just need to rebuild my desk in my room after the great central heating installation of 2025 and have some workspace to do a little decalling...

[Pellson]

Yep. Competence considered and proven. 

(They look really good!)

[NARSES2]

(They look really good!)

They do indeed 

[Charlie_c67]

Thanks guys, sadly it'll be hard to make more as the heads are from the no longer produced Elysian range. I'm sure there're some proxies out there on Etsy or something but I've not looked properly yet. Hopefully there's something suitable!

I've also had a look at the new Legio Militia list for the Horus Heresy system, lots of conversion possibilities now running round my brain... like I need more ideas taking it over 

[Captain Canada]

That's alot of sidewinders ! The wee Hornets look good. Great kits, those wee Dragon ones.

[Charlie_c67]

Life moves on. More frustrations, more applications, more Lego built...

In a flurry of activity I have rearranged the shelves above my bed to display recently built models of both Lego and scale variety, I'm particularly impressed with the scale Tantive I and Helicarrier. Downside is they all need dusting now they're up there  The next shelf down contains the scale models meaning my Hurricane collection is all together. Maybe this will spur me on to round it out by doing the Mk.I, IIA and IV I have waiting in the stash. If I can find them... Unfortunately the third shelf is missing, possibly trimmed when a little remodelling of rooms was done. Bottom shelf contains the various Lego Harry Potter kits I own, ready for my little girl to rearrange at her leisure!

Now, if anyone's interested in a converted OO gauge Dapol Class 153, some 60's paperback James Bond books or one on the Silver Jubilee of George V, maybe I can create some space to get to my modelling desk 

[Charlie_c67]

In good news, the Harry Potter Lego is almost all rebuilt and confirmed what is missing and/or broken. Downside is I have to move on to Star Wars sets though they should be much easier as they appear not to have broken up in transit. Once done, I can finally move on to some real modelling!

That said, I've been renovating one of the built in cupboards in my room that used to contain the hot water tank for the central heating, the removal of which has led to some interesting discoveries that are now (hopefully) all plastered. Lick of paint, shelves reinstated and then just wait for the new doors...perhaps that should be finished first 

[Charlie_c67]

Well, it's finally happened. The Harry Potter Lego has all been checked, missing bits logged and saved in the bots replacement service basket for a future date and the completed sets are on the shelf ready for my four year old to pop on the desk and mix up at her leisure 

Clearly going to SMW was the tonic I needed as I've just spent a few minutes clipping off parts of the Matchbox Swordfish ready to glue later on tonight. This is progress. Some might shudder at this move, but the joy of Matchbox kits are there's a sufficiently low number of parts that means you're unlikely to go "Where's that from/go?" the instructions are clear enough to show what goes where easily and they're detailed enough for people like me who don't quibble over it being mm out or have a wrong rivet in the wrong place. I still can't see what some people's issue over the Airfix Wildcat is...

I will be building my stringbag as the lesser spotted Matt Black Mk.III, indeed I've only found one example of it being built as such out there (after an admittedly very brief search) which was on a website with a Russian domain name. Perhaps understandably considering all that's going on in the world, I was unable to take a closer look, but there is one example with standard FAA colours on a friendlier site should I need a closer look.

She may be RW, but it's a start.

[Charlie_c67]

In my search for glue I found a Gladiator in need of repair. Of course the needle of the contacta glue's clogged    so that's a tomorrow with open flame job. Thankfully the Gladiator was an easy fix with help from some Tamiya Extra thin and a pair of willing Professors...

[Charlie_c67]

So the Swordfish is nearly ready to enter the paint shop and just a few things to rectify, namely a missing tailhook, those small pipes that are on the nose behind the propellor (realised I'd popped it on the wrong way and it ended up as an offering to the carpet monster  ) and the wheels aren't pigeon toed. This is partly down to the Matchbox undercarriage not being quite right, it's a little too upright, so I need to have a think about that. A little cleaning up of some mark and sinkholes and off she goes.

Then on to something a little more....ambitious 

[George the Cat]

In my search for glue I found a Gladiator in need of repair. Of course the needle of the contacta glue's clogged    so that's a tomorrow with open flame job. Thankfully the Gladiator was an easy fix with help from some Tamiya Extra thin and a pair of willing Professors...

.

  Fuse wire is ideal for unclogging contact tubes.