Topics

1

Ground Forces / Dulce est pro patria mori

« on: February 13, 2024, 04:17:42 PM »

This is a figure from "Centurion Miniatures (France)" ; IMHO a very funny one !

I've handpainted that one during the stages of the "Figures Workbench" organized by the cultural service of my city, each thursday.

Here are the paints I've used for ; all are from AK 3rd Generation gamma, plus Agrax Earthshade from Citadel.

Skull base : AK11004 Ivory
Teeth base : AK11004 Ivory mixed with AK11001 White
Skull & teeth shadows : AK11004 Ivory mixed with AK11009 Warm Grey
Cloth base : AK11092 Matt Red
Cloth shadows : AK11097 Burnt Red
Cloth Lights 1 : AK 11088 Deep Red
Cloth lights 2 : AK11085 Cadmium Red
Helmet base : AK11210 Natural Steel
Helmet details : AK11194 Brass
Helmet details shadows : Agrax Earthshade from Citadel Colors
Plumes base : AK11089 Blood Red
Plumes shadows : AK11092 Matt Red
Plumes lights : AK11085 Cadmium Red

2

Ground Forces / Hammerschlag (M.A.I.M. 1/35)

« on: February 06, 2024, 05:53:39 PM »

Something funny now : a "mecha" from the "1946" serie of Modernarmies-in-miniatures.

The kit was on my stash since a few years ; now I've decided to build it !

Parts are airbrushed in white as base colour

3

Ground Forces / Sekhmet (El Viejo Dragon)

« on: December 23, 2023, 06:49:46 PM »

This is the last figure I've painted. White metal and use of Vallejo 3G acrylics + Agrax Earthshade from Citadel Colors.
Beautiful Egyptian woman, a pleasure to paint...

4

Ground Forces / L'Emmerdeuse

« on: November 17, 2023, 03:45:48 PM »

This is the last figure I've painted : L'Emmerdeuse (Anita Bomba), from a French comic serie.
From LVR Models

5

Ground Forces / Emily Bot (RetrokiT)

« on: October 01, 2023, 03:57:00 PM »

I've just finished to paint the last figure edited by RetrokiT : Emily Bot ; some steampunk female robot.

I've used AK 3G metalic paints only. No light added : as the paint is metalic, reflexion of the light is automatic 

6

Ground Forces / Speed painting technique

« on: September 01, 2023, 09:05:48 PM »

I've found on Youtube some videos about the use of acrylic paints for tabletop games figures.
One of those videos describes a "speed painting" technique that is useful to quickly paint accessories to place on the tabletop. No need to have a "gold medal & Best of show paint" in such a case ; the goal is to have a tabletop battlefield that is eye-catchning.

I've tried that technique. All the different phases give an unpleasant result; but surprisingly the final result is... elegant!!!

So, here is the description of the process.

First step : a base coat of black color

7

Ground Forces / A new horse

« on: September 01, 2023, 08:59:32 PM »

Well, I'm a great reader of books (novels, SF, fantasy, thrillers...). Each year I'm going to the "Salon du Livre de Wallonie" where I can meet authors and obtain dedicated books. One of my favourite authors is miss Reynders; she writes books of fantasy but also some thrillers. She and her husband are very sympathic. Their daughter is a young champion of France of horse jumping.

I've found photos of her horse and I've painted the head of that horse, that I will offer to miss Reynders during the next "salon", in november...

8

Aircraft Modeling / When Piotr Skut was flying for the Khemed Air Force...

« on: June 21, 2023, 10:16:59 AM »

Piotr Skut (aka "Szut" in the French version of Tin Tin comic "The Red Sea Sharks" ("Coke en stock" in French) was a mercenary flying for the Khemed Air Force on board of a monoplace (!) Mosquito. He was shot down by Tin Tin but they became friends.

RetroSF have released a conversion set to build a Khemedian Mosquito from the Tamiya one, at 1/72 scale.

After having removed all the parts from sprues (some friends here in Belgium call that method "my salad of plastic"), I've modified the cockpit interior to transform the biplace version into a monoplace one, moving the transmetter and the receiver.

I'm actually thinking how to add some stuff behind the pilot'seat...

9

Ground Forces / Faeye Valentine

« on: June 21, 2023, 10:05:53 AM »

Faeye Valentine is a nice 3D printed figure I've bought some times ago.
I've not taken many photos during the painting stages ; just some for the painting of the panties and of course the fina result.

Here is how I made the bicolor panties... Love Tamiya masking tape !

10

Ground Forces / The Beast

« on: March 17, 2023, 04:53:15 PM »

The center for culture of my municipality organize since a few weeks a workbench for painting figures. I'm painting there a blood bowl team, but applied the techniques learned to a figure printed in 3D by a friend of mine.

Paints used are AK 3D Acrylics + Citadel colors "Nuln Oil" and "Agrax Earthshade" for some finitions.

I'm happy with the result 

11

Aircraft Modeling / Breguet 694 (Special Hobby 1/72)

« on: February 07, 2023, 07:04:17 PM »

Just before the German invasion, Belgium ordered for 30 Breguet 694 to France. Unfortunately the aircrafts were not delivered before the surrendering of Belgium ; but som pilots contrinued the war with their French mates. Before the French armistice, one Breguet 694 was delivered to the Belgians but was destroyed the next day...

The kit is the Special Hobby Breguet 693 (similar to Azur kit). On an exterior point of view, Breguet 693 and 694 were similar ; so I will use that kit with decals from KORA Models to build the only one Belgian airplane...
For what I know, there is few informations about that aircraft. Impossible to be certain that the aircraft beared Belgian cockades or stil the French ones ; impossible to know how the aircraft was camouflaged (French style ? "Belgian Hurricane" style ? Khaki/alu ?). So, I've decided to use the French camo with Belgian cockades...

The work begins with some cockpit amelioration (pilot stick, rudders...) and the rectification of ammo for the machinegun (difficult to remove them from the sprue without any damage)

12

Aircraft Modeling / Renard 36-37-38-40-42 : a loooong time project at 1/72 scale

« on: January 16, 2023, 11:15:04 AM »

Alfred Renard, Belgian aircraft manufacturer, produced a superb fighter just before the Second World War on his own funds, the Renard 36 which was then declined in 37 and 38 versions (the latter with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine). Despite the qualities of the aircraft whose performance placed it between those of the Hurricane and the Spitfire, the Belgian government preferred to buy Hurricanes. English lobbying was powerful and Belgian politicians clueless!
The French government, for its part, had asked Alfred Renard to study a high-altitude fighter with an ejection cabin. Following the German attack and the defeat of 1940, none of these planes were produced in series.
Alfred Renard also realized in 1942 a sketch of the Renard 42, an aircraft somewhat similar to the P38 Lightning or the Messerschmitt 109Z and whose fuselages would have been those of the Renard 40.

At the hobby level, these planes were made in resin by Dujin, the same molds being used by Vami Models, HR Models and have been reissued for a couple of years by FSC Dujin.
Dujin and Vami are more or less of the same quality; from the point of view of the resin I find HR a bit below and FSC Dujin very below with a lot of air bubbles and defects but a small photoetched sheet is provided with the seatbelts and the instrument panel as well as two canopies instead of one for the others.
As an example to determine the age of the kits, the Renard 37 is marked "1997".
I got these kits in different ways: the Renard 36, 40 and 42 were bought from a friend who was liquidating his stock. Another friend sold me his Renard 38 from FSC Dujin at a good price (bought just for a replacement canopy he needed for his Renard 36) and offered me as "spares" the parts of his incomplete Renard 40. I got the Renard 38 directly from FSC Dujin. As documentation, I not only have two books ("Renard 36/37/38&40" by Nicolas Godfurnon and "Les Avions Renard" by Andr? Hauet and Guy Roberty) but also good contacts at the Brussels Air Museum and with members of the Foundation Renard.

I specify that you have to really like Renard planes to buy these kits and especially want to build them!
Indeed, regarding the Renard 36-37-38-40, the right wing is not as wide as the left wing (whose width is correct according to my documentation); this is the most striking defect. But there are plenty of others...

13

Ground Forces / Benz-Patent Motorwagen 1886 (ICM 1/24)

« on: January 16, 2023, 09:47:45 AM »

I'm not a car-builder but I falled in love with that one 
Incredible speed of 15 km/h, tricycle, mix of wood and steel... A beauty !

14

Ground Forces / Neoclassical bath (El Viejo Dragon, 75mm)

« on: December 21, 2022, 07:05:20 PM »

I've participated to a contest organized by the club of Jemeppe Modelism ; thema was : "Water".
I decided to paint those figures from El Viejo Dragon...

Flesh was made with Abteilung 502 Oil Flesh Set; the rest with acrylics.

Love the result 

15

Aircraft Modeling / SPAD 510 (FRROM 1/72)

« on: September 11, 2022, 10:49:50 AM »

So, FRROM released what was the last French fighter biplane. The aircraft was in competition with the Dewoitine 500 to reequip the Armee de l'Air. Dewoitine won but an order was also placed for 60 SPAD 510, to maintain the activities of the Bleriot-SPAD factory.

The kit looks very nice! FRROM kits are made by Special Hobby and are now of very good quality.

I love the look of that biplane...