Ferrari F40 "Blackstar" WIP #1

Well, I was not going to start a brand project, but I fancied a new challenge and this kit has been sitting in the back of my mind for a few weeks now. I picked this Ferrari F40 Blackstar kit up a few years ago. It leaped out at me from a stand and I just had to get it.   The temptation to start it had been niggling at me before we moved last year, but I resisted telling myself to wait until after the move. Now I have succumbed to the little voice in the back of my mind saying, "Build it!".

So, about the Blackstar. This is not a true F40, it was actually one of the eight prototype cars built for testing various elements of the future F40 production model. There are a few slight differences on the car compared to final production car. I will explain more about these later as the build progresses. So building will begin tomorrow evening with the engine to get the main block ready for painting with Alclad.

A mass of parts including hose and wire for detailing the engine, and metal mess for all of the grills on the car.

Just to give you an idea of the size the model will be once it is built. This kit is 1/16th scale, but I also have a Testarossa in 1/12th scale. 

Minion Attack! Wave Three "Judge Bananaaa" Start To Finish

I have posted the WIP and finished figure photos together in the one post this time. Due to the speed these figures took to build and paint, there was not really much time to do WIP posts during their build.

Unlike the other two Minion figures, this one came with resin pins moulded into the arms. I was debating whether to replace them with wire pins, but after having a good poke at them, I stayed with the resin one. Once the arms were glued on, any excess glue and gaps were dealt with before giving him a few coats of primer. The "Judge" shield was left off at this stage to be added at the end once everything was painted.

Painting was the same as the previous two figures, using Tamiya, Revell Aquacolor, Mr Hobby and Vallejo paints. Looking on the internet at images of Judge Dredd, it was hard to tell what colour the judge's uniform was. They ranged from black, to dark blue through to various shades of grey depending on if the source was a comic strip, cartoon or one of the movies. So I used Midnight Blue from Mr Hobby for the uniform as it was more a compromise of all of the variations of the different Judge Dredd's out there. Carmine red was used around the helmet edge before giving the uniform a coat of matt varnish and the helmet a coat of satin.

The badges, chains and shoulder plates were painted with Mr Metal Color gold, then buffed up once it was dry. To age and highlight the detail on these gold parts, I used a sepia wash for this job.The banana which he is holding was painted with Tamiya's matt yellow with the ends painted matt black. The dark lines on the banana were created using the umber wash, but just brushed along the lengths where the skin segments join up.

The expression on his face has made this my favourite out of the three figures I have so far. So which ones are next? I think the next figures will be the Clint Eastwood cowboy and Wolverine character figures. But this depends on what I find at the Birmingham show this weekend. Keep a look out on here and see what happens.

Minion Attack! Wave Two "I'll Be Bananaaa" Finished

Minion number two finished, the Terminator returns to terrorize us. 

"Why has he got metal and blood in his head?"

This is what Kyran, my grandson asked me when he saw this figure. So then I told him about the Terminator films and showed him some photos of Arnie from the first film, explaining that he was a robot covered with human flesh. I still do not think he still understands it!

Now back to this figure. I basically used the same range of paints that were used on the "Paaarp!" figure. The main colour used was black for the coat, trousers and boots. Various metal finish paints were used for areas like the skull, gun, zips and shotgun cartridges. I decided to take a different path on the eyes compare to the image on the packet. The damaged eye was painted with Mr Hobby's steel colour and finished with a red dot in the centre. I thought it would look more like the damaged Terminator from the film where you see the exposed electronic eye on it. I am glad I did it this way.

Minion Attack! Wave One "Paaarp!" Finished

It is nice to have a project that takes little time to build and the same on the painting side to. After the last posting on this figure, all that needed to be done was a little filling around the arm joints and then he was ready for primer. I used Halfords white plastic primer covering all of the figures with a few light coats as not to fill in any of the detail.

I talked to a modelling friend of mine, Tim Upson-Smith, as he had already built a Minion about the colour he used for the body. He said he used Tamiya yellow which was lightened with some white. So I started with four parts of Tamiya XF-3  to one part of Tamiya XF-2 then put a dab on a piece of plastic. I compared this to some images of the Minions and thought it was too dark. So I kept adding a bit more white until I thought it was close enough. The mix ended up being a 50/50 mix of both colours. This was airbrushed over all of the exposed body areas of the figures.

The remaining painting was done by brush using Revell Aquacolor, Mr Hobby, Tamiya and Vallejo paints. The dungarees were painted using Revell 56 matt blue, then drybrushed with the same blue slightly lightened with a dab of white. This gave a worn/faded effect on them. Once the painting was finished, I touched up any of the yellow with the spare paint I had mixed in the bottle for future Minion figures I plan to buy. The lower lip of the figure was highlighted using an umber wash from Vallejo's Game Color range.

For the first Minion I have built, he was fun to do and I am glad I brought three of them to start with. The wife has said I am Minion obsessed. So what, they are great little characters, a joy to watch in the films and always put a smile on mine and others faces.

Minion Attack! Wave Two "I'll Be Bananaaa" WIP #1

Now for the second wave of the Minion Attack!

This one is a Terminator themed figure based on the Arnold Schwarzenegger character from the first film. The minion comes with a shotgun in one hand and ammo belt slung over the shoulder. He is also dressed in a leather jacket just like Arnold did in the film, but no sun glasses, though this might be rectified as I build him.

Another little detail which it good on this figure, is the damage to the skin on the Minions head exposing the metal skull underneath. This will either be painted with a metal effect paint or covered with some Bare Metal Foil.

On this figure, I only needed to pin one of the arms. The other sits flush to the body giving plenty of area for the glue to do its job. I used some brass wire for the pin on the other side and glued into the arm first. All I needed to do was to bend the wire slightly to get the pose right on the figure. You can just make out the pin in the first photo below.

Minion Attack! Wave One "Paaarp!" WIP #1

The Attack of the Minions has been started. First one on the bench is Paaarp!

This one is a bit more straight to build compared to the other two. The moulding of this figure was very clean and after removing the excess resin from the pouring process, only a little bit of sanding and filing was needed. I decided to pin the arms and trumpet to ensure that they would not be knocked off the figure once it was built and painted. I also stuck a pin in one of the feet ready for when I fix him to his display base once finished. I forgot to take some photos of how I did the pins before assembling the parts to the body, but I will make sure I take some on the next two figures over the next couple of days. 

Next for this figure, clean off any excess glue from the arm joints and fill any gaps around where the arms join the body. Once I am happy with the joints, the figure will be given a wash to remove any residue from the moulding process before a couple of coats of primer and painting.

Arado Ar 240C-2 Nightfighter Finished

So far this year, that is five models hitting the finished state. Fair enough, three of them were started before we moved house, the Lightning and Diamond T last year and the Eagle two and a half years ago, but the Messerschmidt Bf 109 and the Arado were started this year and completed. Which I think is good considering that we are still settling into the new house and getting things sorted out around it.

Now the Arado. This is a nice little kit from Revell, I had no major issues with it, possibly none from what I can remember. Straight out if the box it has been a joy to build, even though you only get one scheme option with the aircraft. But this was a rare aircraft as only fourteen Ar240's were ever built in various versions and they were all converted to reconnaissance aircraft by 1942, so there would not be many options for it anyhow. The aerials on the nose can easily be knocked off as I have found through handling the model in the final stages of building it. So it would be an idea to insert some wire pins on them to go through the nose. 

When painting the camouflage on the model, I manage to airbrush the pattern instead of using a normal paint brush. This has made the scheme look more subtle compared to some I have seen done with the brush. The model was finished off with some paint chipping and various staining from exhaust, oil and other engine grime before a final coat of general grime over the model. The resulting finished model being something different from the other aircraft I have hanging up and on the shelves. In all, a nice model to build.

Intro To The Minions!

If you visit the various model show around the country (the UK), you may have seen Minions figures on some of the club stands. A few of the members at my former club, Milton Keynes SMC, have made several of these figures and they have appeared on the stand at several shows they have attended. So a few months back I picked up a few produced by Retrokit for myself to build.

Judge Bananaaa!

This Minion figure is based on the Judge Dread character from 2000AD comics and the film by Sylvester Stallone. He is wearing the Judge's uniform and holding a banana in his right hand instead of a gun. The thing I liked about this figure is the sulky expression on his face, just like the character in the comic strip and film.

Paarp!

This figure is your classic Minion dressed in denim dungarees, but in his hands he is holding a fart gun. In my own opinion, I think he actually looks like Kevin from the movies.

I'll be Bananaaa!

The last one in my collection, so far, is the figure based on the Terminator character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Complete with his leather jacket and large machine gun in hand, it was another one which jumped out and caught my attention. He is finished off with the skin damage on his head showing the metal plate of the skull showing through. 

These figure will be very easy to build as there is only three or four parts in each one, the hard work will be cleaning them up and painting them. These will be the first ones which I plan to collect, the range seems to keep changing each time I look.So expect to see a few more added after my visit to the Birmingham show in a few weeks time. But to keep your interest in Minions, here is a set I pick up whilst shopping last week standing on guard in front of a couple of my tanks.