Tuesday 2 October 2012

My generation
I like millions of others grew up in the sixties when there were less things to occupy our time. We still played outside and were allowed to roam far and free on our bikes and on foot. We built camps in the woods, which by the way weren't inhabited by hoards of ramblers or schools of mountain bikes. Sometimes the only things to see were deer,squirrels, foxes and birds. We played football till it was dark and then switched to other games like 'kerbie' and 'lampie'. Like many other lads we had dads and grandparents who had played a part in WWII. The model kits available often resonated with their memories and kindled our imaginations. We also had lads comics like The Victor and Commando to keep us fired up. I think it was last year that a hardback book was released with some of the favourite commando stories. I wonder what the average age of the reader was ? It wasn't until the late seventies that anything approaching electronic toys became available. My kiids have never known a time when the playstation, gameboy, xbox, laptops and complex mobile phones weren't part of their lives. I suppose a box of plastic bits, a few pots of paint, some glue and instructions, about a vehicle that they know nothing about and a period of time that is no longer taught for the majority of their school lives, would generate much interest. Computer generated games are far more instant and gratifying. 
So what is to become of the hobby, will it dwindle and fade away with the children of the sixties, or will it make a revival. There are still many suppliers still out there, although I did lose my most local supplier, due to lack of demand, and now use Wonderland models which is only a few miles further in the opposite direction. The internet is fantastic for sourcing models paint and other bits and bobs. I ask the question again, what is the future of this hobbby ?





The large 1:35 scale boats demonstrate the detail you can show at this scale. It would be a real shame if it faded away from a popular pastime.
For many years I hand painted my models. I was bought an airbrush as a present and decided to give it a go. The first model I used it on was the Vosper for weathering of the hull mainly. most of the model was sprayed using acrylic spray paint, due to the size. The results were quite good, but it was evident that I would need more practice to get the best effects. The next project I tackled was one of the unsung heroes of the second world war, that was the 2 and a half ton Amercan truck, nicknamed the Jimmy. This was an even better result, where I experimented with more weathering effects. On the subsequent Famo tank transporter I used it for the three tone camouflage used by many units on the western and eastern fronts. From examining posts, left on various forums, it seems that some units hand painted camouflage, while others used spray. The hand painted versions had a hard edge, while the spray versions had a softer edge. For my Famo I followed the Bishops Hobbies version and was grateful for the great pictures and build sequence on the website. I still hand painted the road wheels and other details, as I still can't figure out how to get a good result with an airbrush. On my Schnellboot I sprayed the hull, deck and superstructure with Tamiya acrylic sprays, again due to the size of the kit and the result gave a very good finish.



These are a couple more shots of the Vosper.

  


These two shots are of my Famo, which is displayed on a metre long shelf painted with Tamiya textured paint. it also includes the BMW R75 motorcycle and machine gun troops on exercise. The commander examining his broken down Stug is the decorated Bodo Spranz.