rx7 rhd conversion

I used a Kodak Brownie Flash 3 wet plate conversion putting a plate at the top of the roll film holder. Images are bright and interesting, and are 3.3 x 2.6in in size. I used 3mm black plexi which costs around 30 pence for a piece this size making it more accessible than black glass. Biggest problem with plexi is static, use a room as dust free as possible for the peel-and-pour, Leave the plastic film on the back til your fixed at least to reduce static, and use rubber gloves.

Further great things about this camera is that it has a tripod bush, a close or far focus, and a real shutter. If you can get the cable release aswell even better. Don`t bother using the yellow filter on it though as it wont let any light in at all. Perhaps because yellow is too close in the actinic spectrum?

UNMARKED MERCEDES CONVERSION 461XPB IT WAS TAKEN AT NEWBURY

Trying to find a new conversion, one that is me. I prefer lighter tones, I think I might be getting close with this one.

wide conversion lens WCL-X70

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Gotha 146 was a fast reconnaissance aircraft that was used throughout WWII by the German Luftwaffe, and one of the results of a mutual technology exchange program with Japan.

The Go 146 was actually a license-built, modified variant of the excellent Mitsubishi Ki-46. The latter type's career started in late 1937: the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force issued a specification to Mitsubishi for a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-15.

The Go 146 was popular among its crews, since it was fast, agile and easy to fly. During the test phase in summer 1940 the Go 146 proved to be slightly faster than its Japanese Ki-46 ancestor, and with a top speed of more than 375 mph (600 km/h) it was hard to intercept by any British or French fighter. The results were so convincing that serial production was ordered, and from October 1940 on the Go 146 A-1 was produced in limited numbers, and the type was steadily developed further, including the change of the nose section that came withe the Ki-46III and augmented engines.

Specifications:

Crew: two (pilot and observer)

Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)

Wingspan: 14.70 m (48 ft 2¾ in)

Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 8¾ in)

Wing area: 32.0 m² (344 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,263 kg (7,194 lb)

Loaded weight: 5,050 kg (11,133 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,800 kg (12,787 lb)

Powerplant:

2× Daimler-Benz DB 601B-1 liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 809 kW (1,100 hp) each

Performance:

Maximum speed: 625 km/h (345 knots, 388 mph) at 5,800 m (19,000 ft)

Cruise speed: 400 km/h (217 knots, 249 mph)

Range: 2,474 km (1,337 nmi, 1,537 mi)

Service ceiling: 10,720 m (35,200 ft)

Wing loading: 157.8 kg/m² (32.3 lb/ft²)

Climb to 8,000 m (26,250 ft): 17 min 58 sec

Armament:

1x 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun in the observer's cabin, facing rearwards

The kit and its assembly:

This sounds like a weird idea, but the Luftwaffe had seriously been interested in the Ki-46, even though no aircraft ever made it to Europe. On the other side, several German aircraft were delivered to Japan (including the Bf 109E, Ju 87 and Me 210) for trials, so reversing this procedure makes sense.

Anyway, a German version would certainly not have been powered by radials, since this type of engine was not very popular in Europe and rather seen as a "slow" option for bombers. So the idea was born to convert a stock Ki-46 II into a prototype with German liquid-cooled engines - and it was easier to realize than expected!

The basis is the Airfix Dinah, a vintage and very simple kit. Fit is basically good, but the clear parts were (in my case) somewhat damaged around the edges of both canopies. Engines and landing gear are also basic - so I used different wheels, and the radials were replaced, anyway.

I used DB 601 engines, taken from an Airfix Bf 110 C kit, which also donated the radiators.

The latter were easy to place outside or the engine nacelles, the engines took some effort. The DB 601's height is perfect for the nacelles, just the width had to be enlarged in order to fit the original, circular shape of the radials' attachment points.

The remedy was simple: two long cuts in the upper cowling made the new engines flexible and wide enough to press them onto the nacelles' front ends! Some putty was necessary to hide gaps and smooth out the intersection, but the result looks very natural!

Otherwise not much was changed. The cockpits and the pilots were taken OOB, I just added a typical ring antenna under the fuselage and an additional pitot under the nose.

Painting and markings:

The fun part, even though it took a while to find something... different. The typical RLM 70/71/65 splinter scheme with a low waterline for prototypes or bombers of the BoB era was a valid option, but soooo boring.

While looking for inspiration I stumbled across some experimental schemes that had been tested on Bf109E fighters from JG53 - and that's what I finally settled upon.

What the Go 146 now carries is effectively a mix of two schemes: the stylish, geometric pattern was taken from one Bf 109, the colors (RLM 61/02/71/65) from another. Everything was painted with brushes and without masks, some light panel shading, black ink and grinded graphite were used for weathering.

The markings are minimal, typical for German reconnaissance aircraft of the time and based upon Bf 110 of the 14. Aufklärungsgruppe, the decals come from various aftermarket sheets and the code was puzzled together from single letter decals (TL Modellbau). A coat of acrylic matt varnish finally sealed the kit.

An exotic whif, and despite the weird basic idea I made it even more spectacular through the strange paint scheme which reminds of similar experiments by the US Navy. Odd thing is that I had the idea for a German Ki-46 on the agenda for quite a while, but this was/is to become a beefed-up Ki-46III for the late WWII period.

Building this kit's ancestor now, even before the Ki-46III conversion even started, is a little odd - but confirms the feasibility of an engine change and adds another contribution to the 2015 "Battle of Britain" Group Build at whatifmodelers.com.

Don't step in the shop without your copy. Compliments of Starrett.

www.44bikes.com

Not sure what it is being used for now (looks like maybe a concession stand), but it is an interesting re-use of a school bus. Versailles KY - July 2011

TX RACE™ Conversion Kit® for Honda CRF450R 2002 2003 2004 is a update and modernization of the aesthetic line of this model of Honda 4-Stroke [CRF] Motocross/Enduro. TX RACE™ offers an attractive solution that is easily assembled, and no chassis modification is necessary. The TX RACE™ Conversion Kit® notably enhances the appearance of your motorcycle, more than compensating for the cost of the kit.

Order now: www.txrace.com

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

The Bv 316 was a tailless twin jet fighter designed by Blohm & Voss as a replacement for the Me 262 fighter. The design of the Bv P.216 was begun in the summer of 1943 and was intended as an overall improvement to the Messerschmitt Me 262. The biggest weakness of the Me 262 were its unreliable and weak Junkers Jumo 004 B-1 turbojets, delivering only 8.8 kN (1,980 lbf) each.

Luftwaffe pilots were sceptical at first, but found the Bv 316 to be a trustworthy weapon platform. The first machines were allocated to bases in southern Germany and Austria, where the fighters helped to protect oil fields in Bulgaria in mid 1946.

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 8,17 m (26 ft 9 1/4 in)

Wingspan: 11,40 m (37 ft 4 1/2 in)

Height: 3,49 m (11 ft 5 1/4 in)

Wing area: 29,11 m² (313,4 sq ft)

Empty weight: 5.046 kg (11,125 lb)

Loaded weight: 6.894 kg (15.198 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 18.152 lb (8.234 kg)

Powerplant:

2× Heinkel HeS 011A turbojets, each rated at 12,01 kN (1.300 kg/2.866 lb)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 1.006 km/h (625 mph, 548 knots)

Stall speed: 200 km/h (124 mph, 108 knots)

Range: 2.400 km (1,522 mi)

Service ceiling: 15.100 m (49.600 ft) at combat weight

Rate of climb: 45,72 m/s (9.000 ft/min) at sea level

Wing loading: 236.7 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)

lift-to-drag: 15.1

Thrust/weight: 0,42

Armament:*

4× fixed 30mm MK 108 cannons in the nose

Underfuselage and wing hardpoints for a total ordnance of 1.500 kg (3.303 lb),

including bombs of up to 1.000 kg (2.202 lb) caliber, drop tanks or unguided rockets

The kit and its assembly:

I wonder why this conversion stunt has not been done before or more often, because it's such an obvious move?

There had been several tailless Blohm & Voss designs, ranging from a small jet fighter (an alternative to the He 162, which was chosen as Volksjäger) to a heavily armed, two engine, three seat night fighter with 14m wing span. If you take a look at sketches of these aircraft, the overall simlarity of the later F-86 is obvious, despite its conventional layout. So I thought that a whiffy B&V design on this basis should be easy - and it actually is!

The basis is the vintage Matchbox F-86A from 1976, chosen because of its simplicity and basically good fit. The major steps include cutting off the tail just behind the wings' trailing edge, as well as a part of the dorsal section and the wings outside of the flaps.

In order to create a more dynamic look and stay true to the original Dr. Vogt designs I attached the wings with a slight dihedral, while the recessed outer wings received a recognizable anhedral - mounted on slender pylons that are actually pieces of sprue.

On top of that some donation parts were added:

* The fins are stabilizers from an Italeri A-4M Skyhawk

* The F-86's bubble canopy was replaced with the canopy and cockpit section from a Revell Me 262

* An Airfix pilot was added

* The engines come from a Dougram mecha kit (a 1:48 hovercraft!)

* The landing gear struts belong to a Hobby Boss Me 262

* The main wheels come from an Italeri IAI Kfir

The new canopy was added for a more "German" and less modern look. It meant massive body work, but it blends in well. The are behind the cockpit had to be sculpted anew, too, and creating a good transition to the two jet exhauts from above and below was not easy.

The F-86 air intake was also modified: the characteristic upper lip with the radar range finder had to go and I implanted a vertical splitter inside, plus a wall of dark foamed plastics that blocks light from the cockpit and sight onto the lead that was hidden around the cockpit.

For armament I filled the original six 0.5" machine guns and drilled two pairs of new, bigger openings for MK 108 cannons in the same place. Later, pieces of hollow steel needles were added as cannon muzzles. As an extra I added an underfuselage pylon for a drop tank and attachment points for eight scratched WGr 21 launch tubes.

Painting and markings:

How to paint a Luft '46 aircraft? The color spectrum is limited, and I wanted a "different" look. Dedicated ugliness was intended. So I came, after some browsing, across an obscure and heavily debated color for the lower sides, called (more or less inofficially) RLM 84. It's a greenish grey, much like the RAF Sky, that was used on some late Luftwaffe aircraft - maybe a primer color, or a field mix? Anyway, it would yield that odd look that I was looking for, and I used a mix of Humbrol 90 with some RLM 02, slightly darker and greenish than Sky.

In order to emphasize the overall strange color effect I decided to paint the upper surfaces in a uniform RLM 81 (Braunviolett), and add field camouflage in the form of patches/mottle in RLM 81 and RLM 02 on the flanks and on the wings. RLM 02 was not in use as camouflage paint in late WWII anymore, but I am certain that it was still around, and it matches the overall greenish look of the aircraft well.

For an even more field duty look I added details in different colors/tones. The slats' undersides received a grey primer finish, while the flaps and rudders were painted RLM 76 from below and in a slightly different shade of RLM 81 from above (Humbrol 155), as if they had been replaced or the aircraft had been built from different components and jostled into service.

All interior surfaces were painted in very dark grey (RLM 66), and various shades of Metallizer were used around the exhausts, the cannons and under the wings where the WGr 21 launch tubes are located.

After a light black ink wash and some shading the decals were applied - puzzled together from various sheets and in a minimalistic style.

ironsleet.com/2015/11/16/illuminati-aquila-coram-iudice/

me.

Wow, Finally someone up in my neck of the woods, wants to convert a vehicle. I'm helping him obtain the parts, and have a mechanic lined up to do the mechanical work. The EV's owner's only demands were:

A seat for him, his dog, and an Ice Chest ................ lol

Wish us luck.

I love baby cows!! ♥ Edited with Florabella Subtle Color action w/ B/W Conversion turned on.

The first step in the garage to studio transformation is done! The floor is coated and is now dry. Even though there does not appear to be much difference between this photograph and the one I posted on day 1 the effect in the garage is striking.

The next step is the electrical work. We hope that will start later today.

To follow the progress, check out the set Garage to Studio Conversion.

Conversion 2D>3D

Test roll picture from Yashica 44 with 35mm film conversion using expired Kodak Gold 200 from 1998.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

This is a curiosity: a personal variant/whif of a fictional helicopter, which later turned out to be something very different in real life - the Kamow Ka-50/52. A "whif-of-a-whif", kind of.

I am not certain when I built this one - but I can remember that it is the third and last ESCI #9073 I have build so far. I assume that the Ka-34 kit was created through satellite pictures from Ramenskoje, showing only the helicopter's outlines from above, but no side profile. Italeri's Mi-28 is a similar case, even though this ESCI guesswork is much more elegant and appealing.

Anyway, the original kit is very aircraft-like, with a pointed snout, very streamlined. And while this looks "fast" and attractive, the kit lacks that certain "Russian" style. Hence, I created this conversion, which is a modification of the original kit and sports a made-up cammo scheme.

I suppose that I built this kit after seeing pictures of the "real" KA-50, so I must have built it after 1994.

Modifications include:

● Cockpit canopies opened, which was tricky. The interior also saw some more details and typical colours (esp. the garish teal tone)

● The nose is more or less new: shortened, and equipped with a scratch-built, chin-mounted visor unit and several pitots and antennae

● Twin-barreled gun in a new/bigger mounting instead of the simple single barrel

● New ordnance parts, e .g. the unguided rocket launchers from a Kangnam Su-25 kit, more slender than the original (and bigger) launchers.

● Modified fins

● New exhaust nozzles for the engines, directing the hot gasses upwards into the rotor - borrowed from a Hawker Harrier in 1:72 scale.

The paint scheme emulates a typical Soviet/Russian tactical paint scheme, made up from four tones for the upper sides and light grey undersides.

Even though the tones are not 100% correct and the pattern a bit wild, it looks IMHO quite convincing. For the top I used Humbrol 66, 98, 78 and 121, and 127 below.

Decals were added from teh scarp box, and the white "14" actually belongs to an Italian Matchbox G.91Y.

Vintage work, but I still keep it in my collection. A bit dusty, though, esp. the nose section...

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft produced for the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. It had an unusual layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller in the nose with a long shaft. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, preventing it from performing high-altitude work, and it only had a limited fuel capacity. For this reason, it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by the USSR, where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes.

For the remainder of the war, 14 Squadron rotated between forward and rear bases in the Pacific and 6-week periods of home leave in New Zealand. On 11 June 1943, 14 Squadron moved to the forward base of Kukum Field on Guadalcanal—on its first contact with the enemy, the following day, six Japanese aircraft were destroyed. The squadron later deployed to different bases in the South Pacific as demanded: In November 1943, 14 Squadron moved for the first time to New Georgia, followed by Bougainville in February 1944, Green Island in December, and Emirau in July 1945. In 1944, No. 14 Squadron became one of thirteen RNZAF squadrons re-equipped with Vought F4U Corsairs, which replaced all remaining P-39s. By this time the Japanese fighters had been all but eliminated and the unit increasingly attacked ground targets.

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)

Wingspan: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)

Height: 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m)

Wing area: 213 sq ft (19.8 m²)

Empty weight: 6,516 lb (2,956 kg)

Gross weight: 7,570 lb (3,434 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 8,400 lb (3,810 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Allison V-1710-85 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine,

delivering 1,200 hp (890 kW) at 9,000 ft (2,743 m) at emergency power,

driving a 3-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 389 mph (626 km/h, 338 kn)

Stall speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn) power off, flaps and undercarriage down

Never exceed speed: 525 mph (845 km/h, 456 kn)

Range: 525 mi (845 km, 456 nmi) on internal fuel

Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (11,000 m)

Rate of climb: 3,805 ft/min (19.33 m/s) at 7,400 ft (2,300 m), using emergency power

Time to altitude: 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 4 minutes 30 seconds, at 160 mph (260 km/h)

Wing loading: 34.6 lb/sq ft (169 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.16 hp/lb (0.26 kW/kg)

Armament:

1× 37 mm (1.5 in) M4 cannon with 30 rounds, firing through the propeller hub

4× 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns,

two synchronized with 200 RPG in the nose, one with 300 RPG under each outer wing

1× ventral hardpoint for up to 500 lb (230 kg) of bombs or a drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

This was a quick project, a simple “livery whif” based on a profile drawing of a fictional RNZAF P-39, created by fellow board member PantherG at whatifmodellers.com and published in June 2021. Since the fictional livery aspect of this build would be the centerpiece, I chose the cheap and simple Hobby Boss P-39 kit from 2007 as basis. There are two Hobby Boss kits of the P-39: an N and a Q boxing, but both are identical and only differ through the decals. To build an N, you leave away the underwing gun pods, and for a Q you cut away the machine gun barrels from the wings.

The kit is rather primitive and sturdy, but it still needs some PSR around the fuselage seams. However, from the outside the Hobby Boss kit is a decent representation of a P-39 – if you want a (really) quick build and/or you are on a budget, it’s O.K. The kit was built OOB, I just added a pilot figure to the (primitive) cockpit with seat belts made from masking tape, since this would be the only detail inside to be recognizable, and I added a radio set behind the seat to fill the empty space above the engine cover. The openings for the fuselage-mounted machine guns had to be carved into the hull. I used the OOB propeller mount with its thin steel axis, because it is more compact than my own usual styrene tube arrangement – the leftover space in the nose was filled with lead to keep the front wheel on the ground. However, the literally massive tail of the model necessitated even more nose weight, so that the front landing gear well was partly filled with lead, too. Not pretty, but the lead beads are only visible directly from below – and it was eventually enough to keep the nose down!

Painting and markings:

This model is not a 1:1 hardware rendition of PantherG’s drawing, rather a personal interpretation of the idea that the RNZAF had operated the P-39 in the PTO around 1943. However, I took over the basic USAAF livery in overall Olive Drab 41 with Neutral Grey 43 (FS 36173) undersides, plus generous Medium Green 42 (~FS 34094) contrast blotches on the edges of the aerodynamic surfaces to break up the aircraft’s outlines.

The paints became Tamiya XF-62 (IMHO the best rendition of the USAAF tone) with Humbrol 105 (FS 34097) for the additional wing cammo, and Humbrol 165 (RAF Medium Grey, a lighter tone than Neutral Grey) underneath. 105 was chosen because it gives a good contrast to the Olive Drab background, and it is not too bluish. The cockpit interior and the landing gear wells were painted in zinc chromate green - Humbrol 159 was used.

A black ink washing and some post-panel-shading followed, with stronger weathering on the upper surfaces to simulate sun-bleaching. The markings are roughly based on a contemporary RNZAF P-40M, and it is a wild mix. The ex-USAAF camouflage would not be used by the RNZAF, but the white ID bands on wings and fuselage as well as the white spinner are typical for the time. The same goes for the roundels, which still contained tiny red discs at the fuselage roundels’ center. Oddly, very different roundels were carried above and below the wings. As a repaired and re-badged ex-USAAF aircraft, I added overpainted markings of this former operator – the serial number on the fin as well as the former bars of the American markings were painted over with (a sort of) Foliage Green (Humbrol 172).

The national markings, the serial number and the small nose art came from a Rising Decals sheet for various RNZAF aircraft types, while the white stripes were improvised with generic decal sheet material (TL Modellbau). The RAF-style tactical code was not carried by the RNZAF’s machines, but I added them, anyway, because they might have been left over from early RNZAF operations. However, together with the white ID bands, there’s a lot going on along the fuselage – white code letters would certainly have been “too much”. The code letters in Medium Sea Grey came from an Xtradecal sheet, and due to the little space on the rear fuselage the unit code “HQ” was placed on the nose – in a fashion similar to the RAAF’s few P-39s.

After a light black ink washing and some post shading and weathering (e. g. exhaust stains with graphite), the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish and wire antennae from heated sprue material added.

Well, from the construction perspective, this was a very simple project, and despite the Hobby Boss kit’s basic constriction, the result looks quite good. Even the canopy – normally a weak spot of these kits – looks decent. And I was lucky that I could cramp enough weight into the nose space that the model actually rests on all of its wheels. The camouflage is not spectacular, either, just the markings, esp. the ID bands, caused some headaches, but thanks to generic white decal stripes even such details lose their horror. A nice-looking what-if Airacobra, and I feel inclined to create a contemporary ML-KNIL machine someday, too. :D

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Spartan was born as a humanoid-type weapon from the United Nations Military ambulatory weapons program. The MBR-07 Spartan was the second-place participant, the winning design became the Main Battle Robot-Series 04 family of Destroids that included the Tomahawk and specialized variants like the Defender and the Phalanx. The Spartan and its unique chassis had been specifically designed for close hand-to-hand combat, and therefore produced a less prolific family of battle robots for the U.N. Spacy - even though it filled a vital, tactical niche that the 04 family simply could not fill.

From the start, the Spartan was popular among its pilots and maintenance crews, and it was easy for a VF pilot to handle because the VF Battroid mode cockpit was actually based upon the MBR-07’s design concept. Although the Spartan achieved high mobility performance, problems developing the engine and power transmission system delayed production and early models were prone to fail under harsh battle conditions that called for sustained high-power output. With the introduction of the Mk. II, however, these problems had been eradicated. Considerable numbers of Spartans were built and deployed to the front lines due to high acclaim for its operation, which combined heavy armor, high mobility and a good protection level for the pilot. The Spartan was also actively used in suppression of Zentraedi insurgencies (e. g. during the Highlander City airport incident in late 2011) and served with U.N. Spacy frontline units until 2012.

General characteristics:

Equipment Type: main battle robot, series 07

Government: U.N. Spacy

Manufacturer: Centinental/Kransmann

Introduction: June 2008

Accommodation: 1 pilot only

Dimensions:

Height: 11.31 meters (to shoulder), 11.27 meters (overall)

Length: 6.1 meters

Width: 8.3 meters

Mass: 28.2 metric tons

Power Plant:

Gigenheimer Roy DT2004 thermonuclear reactor, developing 3.200 shp

Propulsion:

1x quadruple rocket nozzle installed beneath the engine cover in the rear chassis,

for increased mobility, plus several vernier nozzles around the hull for Zero-G manoeuvers

Armament:

2x Norman Banks CH2-TYPED claw hand with 5-finger manipulators

2x Bifors close-in self-guided rocket launcher with 12 rockets per launcher

1x optional metallic club (for hand-to-hand combat)

The kit and its assembly:

This modified 1:100 Destroid Spartan was inspired by a line art drawing found in the source book “Macross Perfect Memory”, showing an early Mk. I variant of this unique and somewhat odd-looking mecha. I had this build on my agenda for a while (read: at least 10 years…) and already stashed away a vintage Arii kit from the 15th Macross anniversary edition released in the late Nineties.

Apparently, the Spartan Mk. I primarily differs from its better-known later sibling through a simplified central body section, giving it an even more hunchbacked silhouette, and upon closer inspection of the benchmark drawing I also found detail differences on the lower legs. Otherwise, the Mk. II kit could be used OOB, just with some general detail upgrades, since the vintage Arii kit is not without (a lot of) weaknesses.

For the different legs, the original oblique ribs in the calves were sanded away, the surfaces evened-out, and four more or less horizontal ribs per calf were added, made from styrene profile material. The same stuff was also used to add vertical ribs on front and back of the calves – a general Spartan detail that the 1:100 kit lacks.

Creating the new central body section was more demanding. In order to retain the original attachment points, I just cut away the central body’s front half, retaining the rounded, lower “floor” plate as a connection to the hips, which remained OOB. The new front end was fully scratched; at its core it consists of a (clear) protective cover for a Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush head, with a slit cut out. A round insert, a piece from an aircraft model display, was glued into the opening from behind. In order to blend this core donor part into the rest of the body and to mimic the Mk. I’s outlines from the drawing, I added side fairings that were cut from 1.5mm styrene sheet, plus a chin fairing made of 0.5mm sheet. The rest was filled with putty and sculpted as good as possible after the only benchmark sketch of the Spartan Mk. I had at hand. While the result looks a little tweedy (the visor slit appears to be a little too large and the chin became quite wide and edgy), I think that the overall look is not too bad for such a scratch attempt?

The Spartan Mk. II’s laser barbette disappeared and more ribs, again made from styrene profiles, were added to the lower “cheeks”. The cockpit hatch came from the Mk. II kit and was blended into the upper hull through PSR – the benchmark drawing does not show it, but the perspective might hide it and I’d assume that the Mk. I Spartan would certainly have a similar cockpit to the Mk. II. The small sensor “head unit” behind the cockpit was fully scratched, too, from styrene profile material and some leftover bits.

So far, so good, but some general words of warning concerning the Arii Spartan kit: while the small model already features “modern” details like vinyl caps for many of its joints, this is neither an easy nor a pretty build. Fit is mediocre at best and you will have to PSR practically every seam. Furthermore, the model generally lacks some important surface details which apparently fell victim to an easy production – even the bigger 1:72 kit is missing them!

Furthermore, the green styrene of my specimen turned out to be quite brittle – this might the a sign of age, though, since my model was more than 20 years old. For instance, the bolts that hold the arms in their vinyl-capped joints immediately sheared off upon first dry-fitting! Critical damage… The same happened to the pen that holds the upper body to the hip section with a ball joint (actually not providing much mobility, though). Oh, and, by the way, the legs do notoriously not hold well (if at all) to their hip joints – they simply tend to fall off. Together with a rather concave/toed-in leg position from the hips downwards, this is another general flaw of the 1:100 kit – except for major modifications I have no other idea how to improve this. On this build I did not do anything about this problem, though.

In order to save the arms and keep the mobile I rigorously drilled up the original joints with the hidden vinyl caps and replaced them fully with 6mm styrene tubes. The bolts on the inner arms were also fully replaced with 4mm styrene tubes that fit snuggly into the new 6mm fairings. The broken hip ball joint was replaced by a prosthetic carved from more durable sprue material, glued to the central pen. Nerve-wrecking, but fortunately invisible problems.

While opening the shoulder rocket launchers is a general option for any Spartan kit (the interior would have to be fully scratched, though), I did not invest the work into this Mk. I conversion – primarily because I already did this stunt on an authentic/improved Mk. II model.

Concerning armament, builders should be warned that the 1:100 kit (also) completely lacks the retractable weapon cluster that is hidden under the openable “nose hood”. This has to be scratched if the builder wants to display the Spartan Mk. II with blazing internal guns. The 1:72 kit is better in this respect, the gun cluster is even retractable, but even this model has lots of space for improvement.

A further weak point is the interior of the missile launchers’ exhaust ports: a vertical seam runs through them, and there’s hardly a chance to avoid that visible flaw unless you replace the interior or, as I did, hide the weak spots under some plastic mesh.

Furthermore, all Imai/Arii Spartan kits lack the Destroid’s optional but very characteristic battle mace – and since the Mk. I only carries limited internal weaponry, I decided to scratch one for my model. It was created from styrene tubes and profiles, plus parts from a syringe needle protective cover. It was built in two parts, so that it can be put into the Spartan’s hands on demand.

Painting and markings:

The Destroid Spartan comes almost invariably in an overall dark green livery, with (very) light grey hands and missile launcher covers and a red “nose hood” for the hidden weapon cluster. However, in episode 15 of the Macross TV series, a blue Spartan Mk. II makes an appearance, and I used this alternative livery as an inspiration for my Mk. I conversion.

The paint scheme remained simple, though, and I went for an overall dark petrol blue (Humbrol 77 Navy Blue) as basic color. The light grey highlights were painted with RAL 7035 (Humbrol 196). Since the Mk.I lacks the Mk II’s characteristic red “nose hood”, I also painted the missile launcher exhausts in light grey for more overall contrast. The visor and the optic in the sensor turret were laid out with silver and painted with translucent green paint. Visible joint covers on the legs (hips and knees) were covered with paper tissue, drenched with thinned white glue, in order to add some volume and fill the wide gaps esp. in the knee openings, and painted black (Revell 06, RAL 7021 Tar Black) for good contrast to the dark blue hull.

The hull was thoroughly weathered with a heavier black ink wash and a total of three dry brushing turns: the first, generous treatment with Revell 79 (RAL 7031, a rather bluish blue-grey), followed by the second turn around the edges with Humbrol 79 (Blue Grey, quite similar to RAL 7031 but more greyish). Decals followed next, mostly taken from the OOB sheet, just with a few extra stencils, the red tactical code from a Destroid Tomahawk on the “nose”, and the "Martha Ann” nose art on the left calf (which belongs to a WWII A-26 Invader, taken from a PrintScale sheet). On top of that, a final dry-brushing turn, this time with Humbrol 157 (RAF Azure Blue), was added, before the model was sealed with acrylic matt varnish.

At this late stage I eventually added some fine red lines to the calves, cut from 1mm decal stripes. I found after dry-fitting the major components, that the model lacked some color contrast to the all-over blue (the lack of the red nose hood changes the Spartan’s look considerably), and I think these small red highlights help somewhat? These markings appear on the Spartan Mk. II (too), but they are not included in the OOB sheet, so that I had to improvise again.

Before final assembly, I additionally dry-brushed the lower leg and arm edges with aluminum and light grey, simulating wear from close combat. Dust on the lower hull areas was finally simulated with grey-brown mineral pigments, carefully dabbed onto the model with a dry, soft brush.

The result of this model conversion turned out to be a little ambiguous: creating a Mk. I Spartan is not too easy, and my built is certainly not perfect – but I think that the model conveys the general outlines well. After all, I only had limited reference material at hand, and the donor parts define to a certain degree what can be achieved. The blue livery suits the Spartan well, even though – due to the lack of the characteristic red nose hood – it looks a little dull and uniform? Nevertheless, a nice addition to my Macross mecha collection, also as a sister ship to my (authentic) Spartan Mk. II model. The Destroid family keeps growing. :D

Neat conversion; love the trailer. A-series window neatly incorporated in the van's side panel... and they seem to have gone the whole hog with the number plate.

A scan from an older print of a Citroen Car Club meeting on a field somewhere in England in the early nineties.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the model, the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

On 27th November 1940, Moldova followed closely behind its neighbor and protector, Romania, and joined the Axis Powers. Now eligible for German military equipment, the Royal Moldovan Air Force sought to update its inventory with German types and gain access to German training. In January 1941 an agreement was reached that enabled both; by then, German troops had already entered Moldova to “secure the border [with the Socialist Union] from Red aggression.”

(Background and model inspired by fellow modeler comrade harps at whatifmodelers.com)

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 9.00 m (29 ft 5 in)

Wingspan: 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in)

Height: 3.95 m (12 ft 12 in)

Wing area: 18.30 m² (196.99 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)

Powerplant:

1× BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, 1,250 kW (1,700 PS, 1,677 hp)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 656 km/h (408 mph) at 19,420 ft (5,920 m)

Range: 800 km (500 mi)

Service ceiling: 11,410 m (37,430 ft)

Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,953 ft/min)

Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)

Power/mass: 0.29–0.33 kW/kg (0.18–0.21 hp/lb)

Armament:

2× 7.92 mm (.312 in) synchronized MG 17 machine guns with 900 RPG

4× 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannon, two of them with 250 RPG, synchronized in the wing roots,

and two more with 125 RPG outboard in mid-wing mounts

A retrofitted centre-line ETC 501 rack, typically holding a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or a 300 L drop tank

Some machines also carried Luftwaffe Rüstsätze, e .g. R1 with a pair of WB 151 weapon

containers, each holding 2× 20-mm-MG 151/20 with 125 RPG under the wings

The kit and its assembly:

A remake of an inspiration. This build is a follow-up, and a further interpretation of another modeler’s idea, comrade harps from whatifmodelers.com, who came up with a Moldovan Bf 109E and a respective background story some time ago. After all, the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) also operated German aircraft like the Bf 109G, so the idea was not as weird as it might seem at first. I liked the idea of an overlooked Moldovan operator very much, and my first build within this fictional framework was a Heller Bf 109 F trop (a horrible kit, BTW).

This time I wanted to tackle an early Fw 190 A fighter, and also finish it in winter camouflage. The kit I used is the Academy Fw 190 A-6/8 model. It is certainly not the most detailed and up-to-date model of the aircraft, but it is a solid model, goes together well and is IMHO a priceworthy offering.

Building-wise, I did not change much about the kit, it was built OOB with some minor mods. The pitot, OOB mounted close to the wing tip for an A-8 version, had to be relocated towards a mid-wing position for an earlier A-6 variant. As an extra I lowered the flaps and cut away the lower sections from the wheel covers; this was a common practice on Fw 190s operated at the Eastern front during wintertime, because snow would clog up between the wheels and the covers, freeze and eventually make the aircraft inoperable.

As another extra I used the WB 151 gun packs which come with the kit – resulting in the massive firepower of eight(!) 20mm cannon, plus a pair of machine guns that would operationally fire tracer bullets, so that the pilot knew when he could unleash the cannons! The optional tropical sand filters came with the kit, too.

Painting and markings:

To a certain degree quite conservative, since this was supposed to be a former Luftwaffe aircraft, transferred to the Moldovan air force from the Mediterranean TO. As such I gave the aircraft a standard Luftwaffe camouflage with RLM 74/75/76 (using a mix of Modelmaster enamels). As a side note, this does not speak against the aircraft’s potential former use in North Africa – many Fw 190s operated there did not carry any desert camouflage at all.

However, I wanted to present the aircraft in a temporary/worn winter camouflage on the upper surfaces with washable white paint, overpainted former Luftwaffe insignia and additional new Moldovan markings. I also wanted to visualize the short period of time between the aircraft’s arrival at the Russian Front from Northern Africa and its immediate employment in Moldovan hands, including tactical markings of the Axis forces in the Eastern TO from around late 1941 onwards. Sounds complicated – but it’s the logical translation of the made-up background, and I think that such a concept, literally telling a story, makes a what-if model more convincing than just putting some obscure markings on an off-the-rack kit.

After the original German scheme had been painted, the next step was to paint over the former German and African TO markings. I used a light olive green and a light blue tone, as if the machine had been modified in a Moldovan field workshop with Romanian paints (or whatever else) at hand. The new yellow ID markings (lower wing tips, engine front (both painted with Humbrol 69) and fuselage band (decal) were added at this stage, too. Then came a black ink wash, emphasizing the model's engraved panel lines.

Once dry and cleaned-up, the new Moldovan markings were added. They come from a Begemot MiG-29 sheet. The flag on the rudder was improvised with a mix of paint (blue and red) and a ~2.5mm yellow decal stripe. The tactical code, the red "26", comes from a Soviet lend-lease P-40.

But the Fw 190 was till not finished - now the whitewash was added. This was simply created with Humbrol 34 (Matt White) and a soft, flat brush, in streaks which were made from the back to the front. This creates an IMHO quite plausible look of the worn, washable paint, and in some areas (around the cockpit, on the wings) I thinned the whitewash layer down even more, simulating wear.

Once dry, the decals received a light tratement with sandpaper, in order to match their look to the worn surroundings, and exhaust stains and gun soot were added with grinded graphite. Some dry-brushing with light grey was done on some areas, too. The wheels and the landing gear received a layer of "snow cake", created with white tile grout.

Finally, the model received a coat of matt acrylic varnish and finishing touches like a wire antenna (made with heated black sprue material).

Even though it's almost an OOB build, except for the markings, the result looks quite convincing. The result cannot be called “pretty”, but I think the extra work with the whitewash paid out. The fictional Moldovan Fw 190 looks really …different, especially in the BW beauty shots, the aircraft looks pretty convincing, and now it can join its Bf 109F stablemate in the collection.

Wheels: Hyper Black ARC-8

Front/Rear: 18x10" ET25

Tires - Kumho Ps71

Front : 265/35r18

Rear : 285/35r18

Full M3 Body kit Conversion

Suspension

Bilstein B16

Ball Joint control arms

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Tzeentch Herald conversion using the WHFB plastic VC Necromancer. Should be completing the rest of the army in a week or so, going for a 1990's horror/shock video game vibe with these.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some Background:

The Ki-38 fighter was designed by the Tachikawa Aircraft Company Limited (立川飛行機株式会社, Tachikawa Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) near Tokyo, an aircraft manufacturer in the Empire of Japan, specializing primarily in aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The Ki-38 prototype was produced in response to a December 1937 specification for a successor to the popular fixed-gear Nakajima Ki-27 Nate. The specification called for a top speed of 500 km/h (310 mph), a climb rate of 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in five minutes and a range of 800 km (500 mi). Maneuverability was to be at least as good as that of Ki-27.

As the war progressed, however, the fighter suffered from the same weaknesses as its slower, fixed-gear Ki-27 "Nate" predecessor and the more advanced naval A6M Zero: light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing fuel tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of four light machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armored Allied aircraft. Both issues were more or less mended with improved versions, but the Ki-38 could never keep up with the enemy fighters’ development and potential. And as newer Allied aircraft were introduced, the Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most aircraft were flown by inexperienced pilots.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 8.96 m (29 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 10.54 m (34 ft 7 in)

Height: 3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 17.32 m² (186.4 sq ft)

Empty weight: 2,158 kg (4,758 lb)

Gross weight: 2,693 kg (5,937 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 2,800 kg (6,173 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine with 1,050hp (755 kW),

driving a 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 509 km/h (316 mph, 275 kn)

Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn)

Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)

Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 3 minutes 24 seconds

Wing loading: 155.4 kg/m2 (31.8 lb/sq ft)

Power/mass: 0.182 hp/lb (0.299 kW/kg)

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Ho-5 cannon with 150 rpg

2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 89 machine guns with 500 rpg

2× underwing hardpoints for single 30 kg (66 lb) or 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs

1× ventral hardpoint for a 200 l (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

I always thought that the French Bloch MB 150 had some early WWII Japanese look to it, and with this idea I recently procured a relatively cheap Heller kit for this conversion project that would yield the purely fictional Tachikawa Ki-38 for the IJA – even though the Ki-38 existed as a Kawasaki project and eventually became the Ki-45, so that the 38 as kitai number was never actively used.

The Heller MB 150 is a vintage kit, and it is not a good one. You get raised panel lines, poor details (the engine is a joke) and mediocre fit. If you want a good MB 150 in 1:72, look IMHO elsewhere.

For the Ki-38 I wanted to retain most of the hull, the first basic change was the integration of a cowling from a Japanese Mitsubishi Ha-102 two-row radial (left over from an Airfix Ki-46 “Dinah”), which also received a new three-blade propeller with a different spinner on a metal axis inside. The engine also received some more interior details, even though the spinner blocks most sight.

The next, more radical move was to replace the MB 150’s spinal cockpit fairing with a bubble canopy and a lowered back – I found a very old and glue-tinted canopy from a Matchbox A6M in the spares box, and it turned out to be very suitable for the Ki-38. However, cleaning the clear piece was quite challenging, because all raised struts had to be sanded away to get rid of the old glue and paint residues, and re-polishing it back to a more or less translucent state took several turns with ever finer sandpaper, polishing paste and soft polishing mops on a mini drill. The spine was re-created with 2C-putty and the canopy was blended into it and into the fuselage with several PSR turns.

Inside, I used a different pilot figure (which would later be hard to see, though), added a fuel tank behind the seat with some supporting struts and inserted a piece of styrene sheet to separate the landing gear well from the cockpit – OOB it’s simply open.

The landing gear was basically taken OOB, I just replaced the original tail skid with a wheel and modified the wheels with hub covers, because the old kit wants you to push them onto long axis’ with knobs at their tips so that they remain turnable. Meh!

The fairings under the guns in the wings (barrels scratched from the MB 150’s OOB parts) are conformal underwing fuel tanks from a late Seafire (Special Hobby kit).

Painting and markings:

The initial plan was a simple green/grey IJA livery, but the model looked SO much like an A6M that I rather decided to give it a more elaborate paint scheme. I eventually found an interesting camouflage on a Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” attack plane, even though without indications concerning its unit, time frame or theater of operations (even though I assume that it was used in the China-Burma-India theater): an overall light grey base, onto which opaque green contrast fields/stripes had been added, and the remaining light grey upper areas were overpainted with thin sinuous lines of the same green. This was adapted onto the Ki-38 with a basis in Humbrol 167 (RAF Barley Grey) and FS 34102 (Humbrol 117) for the green cammo. I also wanted to weather the model considerably, as a measure to hide some hardware flaws, so that a partial “primer coat” with Aluminum (Revell 99) was added to several areas, to shine through later. The yellow ID markings on the wings’ leading edges were painted with Humbrol 69. The propeller blades were painted with Humbrol 180, the spinner in a slightly lighter mix of 180 and 160.

Interior surfaces were painted with a dull yellowish green, a mix of Revell 16 and 42, just the inside of the landing gear covers became grey as the outside, in a fashion very similar to early Ki-43s.

The decals came form various sources, including a Hasegawa Ki-61 sheet for the unit markings and some stencils and hinomaru in suitable sizes from a generic roundel sheet.

Some dry-brushing with light grey was done to emphasize edges and details, and some soot stains were added with graphite to the exhausts and the guns. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, some more dry-brushing with aluminum was done, esp. around the cockpit, and position lights were added with translucent paint.

An unexpected result – I was not prepared that the modified MB 150 looks THAT much like a Mitsubishi A6M or the Ki-43! There’s even an Fw 190-ish feel to it, from certain angles. O.K., the canopy actually comes from a Zero and the cowling looks very similar, too. But the overall similarity is baffling, just the tail is the most distinguishing feature! However, due to the poor basis and the almost blind canopy donor, the model is far from stellar or presentable – but some in-flight shots look pretty convincing, and even the camouflage appears to be quite effective over wooded terrain.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Supermarine Type 250 was a fighter design that responded to the British Air Ministry specification F.5/34 for a new single-seat fighter that was primarily intended to intercept incoming bombers. Five companies responded with proposals, Bristol with the Type 146, Martin-Baker with the M.B.2, Vickers with the Type 279 Venom, Gloster F.5/34 and Supermarine with the Type 250.

Supermarine's Type 250 debuted officially at the 1936 Hendon Air Show under its official name "Skylark", and serial production for the Royal Air Force, which had ordered 100 aircraft, started. However, this order was already cancelled in 1937 when it had become obvious that types like the Hawker Hurricane, as well as Supermarine's own new Spitfire, both monoplanes with retractable landing gear and a fully closed cockpit, easily outperformed the "Skylark" in almost any tactical aspect, and had much more development potential. In consequence, production stopped prematurely after only 65 airframes, which were delivered only to RAF 25 and 43 Squadron, where they replaced Hawker Fury biplanes. However, they were soon retired from these front line units, and plans to upgrade the aircraft with fully closed canopies and three-blade metal propellers with variable pitch to a Mk. II standard were never carried out. The RAF “Skylarks” were relegated to the advanced trainer role or used as instructional airframes until 1943. Additionally, a number of the retired RAF “Skylark” Mk. Is were also sold to Ireland (six in 1937) and Iraq (ten in 1938), where they served until the late Forties.

General characteristics:

Crew: one pilot

Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)

Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.86 m)

Wing area: 242.1 ft2 (22.48 m²)

Airfoil: NACA 2213 (root)

NACA 2209.4 (tip)

Empty weight: 4,190 lb (1,900 kg)

Loaded weight: 5,400 lb (2,449 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 5,600 lb (2,542 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Kestrel XV supercharged V12 engine, 685 hp (511 kW) at 2,240 rpm for

take-off and 631 hp (471 kW) at 2,900 rpm at 14,400 ft (4,400 m)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 244 knots (280 mph, 451 km/h) at 16,000 ft (4,875 m)

Rate of climb: 2,300 ft/min[121] (11.7 m/s)

Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 4.75 min

Service ceiling: 32,500 ft (9,910 m)

Wing loading: 17.3 lb/ft² (84 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.163 hp/lb (0.269 kW/kg)

Armament:

2× synchronized 0.303-in Vickers machine guns in fuselage sides with 300 RPG

2× 0.787-in (20mm) Hispano Mk. I cannons with 60 RPG in the wings

Provision for 20 lb (9.1 kg) bomb carriers under the outer wings

The kit and its assembly:

This model was inspired by a drawing, created by Paul Mason in 2013 but re-posted by a modeler at FlickR who was about to build something along its lines, and the ensuing discussion about this fictional aircraft, which appeared like a lean predecessor or the fictional missing link between the Supermarine 224 monoplane with spats and the highly successful, modern Spitfire.

I had already built a similar aircraft a while ago, a retrograded Messerschmitt Bf 109 with spats and an open cockpit (as a fictional Bf 94), but found the idea of a British counterpart very attractive. Even more so because of the particularly elegant lines of this so-called “Type 250”.

At its core, this heavily modified model is a Hasegawa Spitfire Mk. I, chosen because of the kit’s simplicity, good fit and very delicate surface details. Many changes were made, though, partly inspired by the drawing, but also following my own instincts. The biggest changes concern the engine and the wings.

I found the Merlin from the drawing to be too modern for this aircraft, so I transplanted an earlier Kestrel engine from a Matchbox Hawker Fury biplane, together with its ventral radiator that replaced the Spitfire’s cooling system under the wings, together with the older two blade wooden propeller.

The wings were also heavily modified: landing gear wells and radiator openings were filled/closed with 2C putty. Then the wings were cut/bent and re-arranged so that they ended up in an F4U-esque, but very attractive inverted gull wing shape. Not an easy task, though, more PSR involved, but it worked well and looks very natural. Under the wings’ kinks, shortened spats from an Avia B.35 (old KP kit) were added and holes for the new/bigger guns (hollow steel needles) were drilled. As a bonus, the bulges from the original landing gear could now be used as fairings for the early Hispano 60 rounds drum magazines.

The cockpit area was modified, too, into an open configuration. The original Spitfire windscreen was retained (cut away from the OOB single-piece canopy), as well as the entry door, which was cut open for later display. The door itself was replaced with a thinner a piece of 0.5mm styrene sheet. The Spitfire’s spine was completely cut down and re-sculpted with 2C putty. I wanted a low back (similar to the late versions with a bubble canopy), only a short headrest fairing was added behind the pilot’s seat, which received recesses on its flanks for a better field of view for the pilot backwards.

A final change/addition are the machine guns in the flanks that appeared on the Paul Mason drawing. A placement on top of the engine might have been a more logical position and easier to realize with the Hawker Fury’s nose section, but I stuck to the drawing. The fairings were carved from styrene profiles and blended under the kestrel’s exhaust stubs, where the Spitfire fuselage and the Fury engine meet.

Painting and markings:

The original benchmark drawing for this build showed an RAF machine with standard Dark Green/Dark Earth camouflage and somewhat inconclusive markings, but I wanted a different livery, anyway, since there are already some RAF model in the standard guise in my collection. Searching for pre-WWII alternatives and also potential operators outside of Great Britain I stumbled across the Irish Gloster Gladiators that were delivered in 1938: these machine eventually received an RAF-style paint scheme when the war broke out, but before that, they carried for a short period of time (a year maybe) a very attractive scheme in green and silver, with bright national insignia. I am not certain whether this scheme was intended to be just decorative or a serious camouflage, but that’s what I eventually used on the Irish Skylark. Turned out to be a very good decision!

The Irish Gladiators’ original green carried on fuselage and fin is called “Titanine TE348”. BS5064 “Bredon Green” is supposed to be a modern tone that comes close, but there’s no direct model paint equivalent for both. According to Max Decals, who offer some sheets for Irish military vehicles, a potential option is Revell’s 360 (Fern Green, RAL 6025), and this is what I went for. The fuselage was mostly painted in this bright tone, and the green was also used on the landing gear’s spats.

The wings were painted in Matt Aluminum Metallizer from Humbrol, while Revell 99 and Polished Aluminum Metallizer was used around the engine for a brighter look (the Irish Gladiators had highly polished cowlings). The interior was painted in RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78). The propeller blades received a wooden look with the help of Humbrol 63 (Sand) worked into a semi-dry base of Humbrol 62 (Leather) with a relatively hard, flat brush. The metal fairings on the blades’ leading edges are decal strips in silver.

The kit received a light black ink wash as well as some post shading treatment and fake panel lines with a soft pencil – more to emphasize details than for weathering, since the aircraft would be quite new and well kept. Some soot stains were added around the exhaust stubs and the gun nozzles, too.

During the pre-WWII era, Irish aircraft did not carry any roundels yet. Instead, they were marked with stripes with colors from the Irish flag on their wings and on the vertical rudder. These were created with generic decal sheet material (green, white and orange), IMHO a more convenient solution than trying to paint everything. The only other marking is the tactical code, which comes from an Xtradecal sheet for Bristol Blenheim – finding numbers in a suitable font, size and in black and white was not easy!

Finally, the kit was sealed with a sheen coat of acrylic varnish, a mix of matt and semi-gloss Italeri varnish.

I am very pleased with the outcome of this build. Not only is the resulting aircraft very elegant, I am also happy that I opted for the early, bright green Irish livery that almost makes it look like an air racer? My hardware interpretation of the Type 250 drawing also reminds a lot of the contemporary Dewoitine 501/510 monoplane, doesn’t it?

If you have not read Conversion Part#1 and Part#2 then read these first and come back here....

Conversion.... Continued....

Me: Come on, you are contradicting yourself! You say god is love and he forgives then why does he have to DESTROY the people who are not with him... why cant he forgive if what you are saying is for real...

Missionary: (pissed off since i asked a checkmate question) well becuase satan is luring in us, he is evil god cant accept evil...

Me: (now im lafin my ass off and thinking thats the best excuse i've had in a long time) im not sure.... ?!?!?!

Missionary: So would you come tomorrow to our church and pray with us.

Me: listen im gonna act like an ass and lie to you that im gonna come, i teach children at an orphanage every sunday 9 AM - 5PM, if im done early i may turn up but no guarentue's

Missionary: Okay, i appreciate you being honest....

Me: :)

Missionary: (by this time her husband joins in) Hi this is peter....

Me: Hi peter, good evening....

Missionary: (she continues) so would you come tomorrow....

Me: (unpacking gear, grrr.... what the ***** my day is screwed and not one shot fired) like i said "Probably"

Missionary: ok then nice talkin to you, jesus loves you...

Me: Good night....

Out of the whole context what i dont understand is the reason why no missionary i have talked to has never been able to put forth one sane andf logical reason as to why conversion to christianity is a better option that hinduism. Frankly im literally tired of this hinduism bashing churches here promoting conversion with the aid of funding from abroad....

Here are some extracts from Francous Gautier, i decided to quote him since he has the exact ways to describe my feelings in this regards and yes, im lazy of typing :-P

I have seen with my own eyes how conversions in India are not only highly unethical -- that is, using unethical means of conversion -- but also that they threaten a whole way of life, erasing centuries of tradition, customs, wisdom, teaching people to despise their own religion and look Westwards to a culture which is alien to them, with disastrous results. In Kerala, particularly in the poor coastal districts, you find 'miracle boxes' in local churches. The gullible villager writes out a paper mentioning his wish: A fishing boat, a loan for a pucca house, fees for the son's schooling, etc. And a few weeks later, the miracle happens! Of course, the whole family converts, making others in the village follow suit. During the tsunami, entire Dalit villages in Tamil Nadu were converted to Christianity with the lure of money. Then there is this rapid Westernisation of India. There are good things in the West -- its material consciousness, care for nature, logical mind -- but it is nevertheless in crisis. If you have a look at most of the mainstream English-speaking Indian magazines and newspapers today, you will notice that all their cover stories deal with Western concepts, that they are looking at India from a Western point of view, such as

talking about 'New Age' spirituality. As if spirituality is new to India!You will notice that there is never any reference to India's great past, or to India's philosophy, or medicine -- which, by the way, is becoming fashionable in the West.

Having said all of this i studied in an Anglo Indian School, 90% of my friends are anglo indians (chirstians) and i admire thier way of living. No one can life cool and take it as easy as it comes like an anglo but the illegal conversions have to stop...

I would like to go more on this but i think i will Blog this sometime later since flicker is not really the place for this.

The Trabant's battery, controller and motor compartment.

Pinhole conversion of a 35mm Praktica FX2 into a pinhole panorama - a Pinorama. Frame measures 28x60.

The body arrived with an unfixable broken speed selector so it was ripe for conversion. The camera to the right is an F.X2 in perfect condition and is shown for comparison.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

The Boeing P-32 was an attempt to produce a more advanced version of the highly successful P-26 monoplane fighter from the early 1930ies.

The airplane was only one among many developments that led to more advanced monoplane fighters. This multitude of prototypes was fueled by the USAAC’s uncertainty about the right fighter concept – liquid- and air-cooled engines were tested, as well as single and two seater concepts, all the while the US Navy went through a similar orientation phase on its own. Other advances like the retractable landing gear and heavier gun armament complicated matters further, together with quick technological and aerodynamic advances.

The P-32A was only used on the American continent, primarily for weapon training purposes and also as a liaison aircraft. It was soon superseded by the Curtiss P-36 and also by the later P-40. By 1940, all P-32As had been phased out, and some specimen were sold to South American air forces including Guatemala and Bolivia, where they served on until 1949.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.97 m)

Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)

Height: 13 ft 1½ in (4.0 m)

Wing area: 257.5 ft² (23.92 m²)

Empty weight: 4,575 lb (2,075 kg)

Loaded weight: 6,118 lb (2,775 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 6,723 lb (3,050 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-1 Twin Wasp radial engine with 800 hp (597 kW),

driving a three blade Curtiss variable-pitch metal propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 275 mph (443 km/h) at 11,000 ft (3,350 m)

Range: 600 mi (965 km)

Service ceiling: 31,400 ft (9,570 m)

Rate of climb: 1,920 ft/min (9.8 m/s)

Wing loading: 29.8 lb/ft² (121.9 kg/m²)

Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)

Armament:

2x 0.30” machine guns in the upper fuselage, synchronized, firing through the propeller disc

2x 0.50” machine guns in the upper spats’ fairings

Up to 350 lb (160 kg) of bombs under the outer wings

The kit and its assembly:

This build is not an original idea of mine, rather a personal interpretation of a whif kit I recently came across: an early Hawker Hurricane in bright (yellow/blue) USAAF markings and an open cockpit. Several similar conversions had been done in RAF markings, too, some with spatted landing gear, and the results always look very elegant.

Anyway, I liked the USAAF idea. America experimented a lot in the pre WWII era, and there were many experimental designs that never made it into serial production. The real P-32 is just such a case, so I lent that designation for my build that was to incorporate many retro design features.

I wanted to take the “’Cane with spats” idea a bit further, though, and during background legwork I came across the contemporary first attempts to use a Twin Wasp radial engine in a fighter. An engine conversion was therefore plausible, too, for a hopefully completely different look.

The basis is Airfix’ relatively new Hurricane Mk. I with fabric wings – an excellent kit with an outstanding cleanliness and fit of parts. Fuselage and wings were basically built OOB, just with some modifications.

The spats come from a (otherwise crappy) Mastercraft PZL 23 Karaś, a 1:1 transplant.

Furthermore, the whole front end was modified: The original Merlin engine was removed and a front end plug sculpted from massive 2C putty. This now carries a scratched, two-row radial engine with a long cowling, also improvised. The propeller with spinner comes from the Hurricane kit and runs on a long metal axis that reaches deep into the fuselage’s putty plug.

On the wings the landing gear was built in retracted position (the Airfix kit offers special parts for this option) and covered with putty. Furthermore, the wing machine guns were deleted, even though I kept the metal covers for the ammunition boxes on the wings – as wing tanks.

The cockpit with its detailed interior was taken OOB, with only the windshield mounted and the canopy sliding rails on the fuselage concealed.

Painting and markings:

The USAAF’s bright blue and yellow scheme of the pre WWII era is pretty, but I rather went for its early Thirties predecessor, the olive drab/yellow option. Both would be eligible for this whif.

Painting was rather straightforward. The yellow wing surfaces and white trim were painted first (Humbrol 69), then masked, and the fuselage painted with Olive Drab (Humbrol 155). The cockpit interior was kept in a greenish primer yellow, a mix of Humbrol 81 and 159.

The colorful trim comes from a PrintScale P-26 sheet, but these decals had to be adapted to the much bigger Hurricane dimensions. The decals are crisply printed, but deadly thin, so handling was challenging. On the other side, the thin carrier film made adaptation to the curved surfaces (esp. on the cowling and the spats) rather easy – just some surgical cuts and the decals went into place. Anyway, a lot of improvisation had to be done with paint.

Besides the Peashooter basics, many markings came from the spares box: the US roundels come from a Hobby Boss F4F Wildcat, while the "U.S. Army" marking under the wings belongs to a Trumpeter P-40.

Anyway, the result was IMHO worth it, and the boldness of the era’s markings comes out much better than on the brighter blue/yellow machines, which are already garish in themselves?

Only slight weathering was applied - on the fuselage with some light Modelmaster FS 34087 dry-brushing, the yellow and white wing surfaces were actually wet-sanded after a thin black ink washing, for a subtle shading of the internal structures.

Finally, the kit was sealed with a semi-gloss (2/3 matt and 1/3 gloss) acrylic varnish.

Not a totally original idea of mine, but a very thorough execution of a retrograded Hurricane. And the more the model came to a close, the more convincing the P-32A became - and more and more colorful.

thefwoosh.com/2014/09/the-castle-of-power-orc-man-convers...

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In early 1942, German tank manufacturers were requested to design a Sturmpanzer on the basis of the Panzer IV tank chassis. This new tank was designed to provide a vehicle offering direct infantry fire support, especially in urban areas.

A total of 120 SdKfZ. 161/5s were produced until late 1943, when it became more and more apparent that its firepower was not sufficient anymore, and the relatively light armour protection made the vehicle progressively vulnerable. The “Spritzenwagen” was soon phased out and replaced by the lighter and more mobile Sd.Kfz. 124 “Wespe” as well as the more heavily armed and armoured SdKfz. 168 “Brummbär”. After their withdrawal, some SdKfZ. 161/5 chassis were converted into other vehicles on the Panzer IV’s basis, e.g. into Bergepanzer IV and Brückenleger IV, but most were cannibalized for spare parts.

Specifications:

Crew: Five (commander, gunner, loader, driver, radio operator/bow gunner)

Weight: 27.8 tonnes

Length: 5.92 m (19 ft 5 in)

Width: 2.88 m (9 ft 5 in)

Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in) w/o AA machine gun

Suspension: Leaf spring

Fuel capacity: 470 l (120 US gal)

Armour:

10 – 50 mm (0.39 – 1.96 in)

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 38 km/h (23.6 mph)

Sustained road speed: 34 km/h (21.1 mph)

Operational range: 200 km (120 mi)

Power/weight: 11 PS/t

Engine:

Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 petrol engine with 300 PS (296 hp, 221 kW)

Transmission:

ZF Synchromesh SSG 77 gear with 6 forward and 1 reverse ratios

Armament:

1× 10.5 cm leFH 18/4 L/28 with 60 rounds

2× 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34 with 3.150 rounds,

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional Panzer IV version was inspired by the thought of what a WWII infantry support vehicle could have looked like, one that could be used in tight combat environments with a better field of fire than the typical German Sturmgeschütze with their casemate style hull. This led to something with a howitzer in a fully rotating turret – conceptually similar to the Soviet KV-2. There had actually been prototypes of such vehicles, e. g. the 10.5cm leFH 18/6 auf Waffenträger IVb “Heuschrecke” with a removable(!) turret. But these did not enter service.

I wanted something simpler, and this led to a Panzer IV chassis with a new turret. The hull is a Hasegawa Panzer IV F2 and it was built OOB. I just added some track segments to the front. The turret is a kitbashing and come from a British “Bishop” SPG. However, I wanted a visibly different cannon, so I organized a 1:72 Zvezda 10.5cm leFH field gun and implanted the barrel as well as the gun mount into the Bishop housing (which was fixed and not a movable turret). Since I also wanted to keep the gun movable, the front slit had to be widened and re-sculpted with styrene sheet. A fiddly affair, but it worked well! Some details like the Panzer IV commander cupola (from the Hasegawa kit) and the additional machine gun ball mount were added to modify the look – but the Bishop heritage is hard to conceal. In order to mount the turret onto the hull, I used the OOB lower turret half from the Hasegawa kit as an adapter. Some holes had to be filled with putty, but this worked well, too.

Painting and markings:

I gave this model a standard camouflage in uniform Panzergrau (RAL 7021, Humbrol 67) onto which winding stripes in Dunkelbraun (RAL 7017, I used Humbrol 160 for more contrast) were added. The model’s timeframe would also have allowed the early tri-color “Ambush” scheme, but the dark grey livery suits the mini KV-2 well, too, and offers a different look from many other Heer ’46 models in my collection.

Painting was straightforward and simple, with brushes and enamel paints. The kit received a washing with highly thinned dark brown acrylic paint as well as an overall dry-brushing treatment with medium grey – I did not want the model to look too dirty or worn, just some contrast for the edges, because the dark grey blurs out details.

I also only added a light coat of pigments around the lower areas after the decals as well as a matt coat of acrylic varnish (rattle can) had been applied.

A design experiment that evolved step by step. The outline similarities with the KV-2 were not intentional, but I guess that, just as in real life, certain duty profiles just lead to similar design solutions. However, this Panzer IV howitzer is considerably smaller than the huge KV-2, and the result looks, despite some serious cosmetic surgery on the turret, quite plausible, utilitarian and even German, too. The grey livery also looks good on it.

All ready and waiting in the studio...off to install soon!

I am really pleased with this new series and am very happy to be able to share it soon in person...

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

The Messerschmitt Bf 94 was a fighter aircraft built in Germany shortly before World War II. It was designed to meet a 1935 requirement by the Czechoslovakian Air Force for a replacement for their B-534 fighter biplanes. It was developed by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (at which the engineer Messerschmitt led the development of the plane), primarily intended for export customers since the German Luftwaffe already planned more advanced types. It was actually built on a level inferior to the tactical requirements for a single-seat fighter that the RLM had issued in the document L.A. 1432/33 in late March 1933.

The Lithuanian Air Force operated a single squadron with Bf 94 A-1 (a total of 16 aircraft), which were to replace the Gloster Gladiators. The German machines received locally a modified armament consisting of a pair of 0.303” Browning machine guns, so that the standard ammunition could be used. In 1940, the Lithuanian Air Force consisted of eight Air Squadrons, including reconnaissance, fighter, bomber and training units. Air Force bases had been established in the cities and towns of Kaunas /Žagariškės, Šiauliai /Zokniai (Zokniai airfield), Panevėžys /Pajuostis. In the summer time, airports in the cities of Palanga and Rukla were also used. A total of 117 aircraft and 230 pilots and observers were listed in the books at that time.

General characteristics:

Crew: One

Length: 8.70 m (28 ft 6 in)

Wingspan: 9,9 m (32 ft 5 in)

Height: 2,45 m (8 ft 1 in)

Wing area: 16,35 m² (175.41 ft²)

Empty weight: 1,510 kg (3,325 lb)

Loaded weight: 1,940 kg (4,273 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 2,150 kg (4,735 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Jumo 210 D inverted V12 engine, rated at 700 hp (522 kW),

driving a wooden two-blade, fixed pitch propeller

Performance:

Maximum speed: 495 km/h (308 mph)

Range: 500 km (311 miles)

Rate of climb: 13.0 m/s (2,560 ft/min)

Armament:

2× 7,92 mm MG17 on top of the engine, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc

(In Lithuanian machines replaced with a pair of 0.303" (7,7mm) Browning machine guns)

The kit and its assembly:

This whif kit was inspired by a similar build at whatifmodelers.com: an early Bf 109 with spats! This looked so nice and convincing that I had to “try this at home”. As donation parts for the landing gear I also had a pair of Avia B.35 spats from a vintage KP at hand – easy and straightforward.

Basis is the Bf 109 B/C Heller kit, which is rare but available at affordable prices if you are patient. It was mostly built OOB, the only major mod were the closed landing gear wells, using the original covers and some putty, the addition of the B.35 spat, and for an even more retrograded look I also exchanged the canopy. The original, closed cockpit was replaced by an open alternative, taken from a Macchi C.200. This screen is consideraly shorter and not as deep as the Bf 109 parts, so the cockpit walls had to be raised, too, and the spine elongated forward. But it works and adds to the retro look. A HUMA pilot was added in the cockpit, too.

Et voilà, a simple German export aircraft!

As a side note: the “94” is one of the RLM type numbers that had not been used in Germany. It had been allocated to Heinkel though, but I wanted to use the highest possible number before the “109” for this whif, so the manufacturer switch is IMHO acceptable.

Painting and markings:

Finding a potential user was a bit more tricky. I finally settled for Lithuania – exotic, but with a colorful air force before WWII. The whiffy Bf 94 could have been the country's first monoplane fighter!

For the paint scheme I kept things simple, partly inspired by contemporary Bf 109 during the Spanish Civil War and Lithuanian Gloster Gladiators of the pre WWII era. I combined a light grey (RLM 63) upper fuselage, fin and spats with light blue undersides (RLM 65), together with dark Green (FS 34079) upper wing surfaces. This green was also used for the contrast background under the national insignia under the wings, while the rudder became white. It's actually not bright and colorful, but different from typical cammo paint schemes or bare metal, and Lithuanian aircraft appear to have carried such dry schemes.

The decals were puzzled together. The Lithuanian insignia come from a Blue Rider sheet, the tactical code actually belongs to a Hobby Boss F-86 in Luftwaffe markings, and the horse emblem is from an Italian Fiat C.32. The white stripes on the wings are a personal addition, I wanted to add some more contrast to the national insignia, since the overall livery is rather simple and subdued.

The interior was painted in dark grey (Humbrol 111), but the canopy is so tight that you cannot see anything inside except for the pilot's head. For some contrast, all trim tabs were painted in a reddish brown (Humbrol 100), and the two-blade propeller reveiced an aluminum front and a black back side.

A simple whif, but again it's one less on the long idea an project list. Realized in just three days from box to dry varnish, plus some additional time for the pics.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

Some Background:

The Ki-38 fighter was designed by the Tachikawa Aircraft Company Limited (立川飛行機株式会社, Tachikawa Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha) near Tokyo, an aircraft manufacturer in the Empire of Japan, specializing primarily in aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. The Ki-38 prototype was produced in response to a December 1937 specification for a successor to the popular fixed-gear Nakajima Ki-27 Nate. The specification called for a top speed of 500 km/h (310 mph), a climb rate of 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in five minutes and a range of 800 km (500 mi). Maneuverability was to be at least as good as that of Ki-27.

As the war progressed, however, the fighter suffered from the same weaknesses as its slower, fixed-gear Ki-27 "Nate" predecessor and the more advanced naval A6M Zero: light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing fuel tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of four light machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armored Allied aircraft. Both issues were more or less mended with improved versions, but the Ki-38 could never keep up with the enemy fighters’ development and potential. And as newer Allied aircraft were introduced, the Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most aircraft were flown by inexperienced pilots.

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 8.96 m (29 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 10.54 m (34 ft 7 in)

Height: 3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)

Wing area: 17.32 m² (186.4 sq ft)

Empty weight: 2,158 kg (4,758 lb)

Gross weight: 2,693 kg (5,937 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 2,800 kg (6,173 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine with 1,050hp (755 kW),

driving a 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 509 km/h (316 mph, 275 kn)

Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph, 240 kn)

Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)

Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 3 minutes 24 seconds

Wing loading: 155.4 kg/m2 (31.8 lb/sq ft)

Power/mass: 0.182 hp/lb (0.299 kW/kg)

Armament:

2× 20 mm (0.787 in) Ho-5 cannon with 150 rpg

2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 89 machine guns with 500 rpg

2× underwing hardpoints for single 30 kg (66 lb) or 2 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs

1× ventral hardpoint for a 200 l (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) drop tank

The kit and its assembly:

I always thought that the French Bloch MB 150 had some early WWII Japanese look to it, and with this idea I recently procured a relatively cheap Heller kit for this conversion project that would yield the purely fictional Tachikawa Ki-38 for the IJA – even though the Ki-38 existed as a Kawasaki project and eventually became the Ki-45, so that the 38 as kitai number was never actively used.

The Heller MB 150 is a vintage kit, and it is not a good one. You get raised panel lines, poor details (the engine is a joke) and mediocre fit. If you want a good MB 150 in 1:72, look IMHO elsewhere.

For the Ki-38 I wanted to retain most of the hull, the first basic change was the integration of a cowling from a Japanese Mitsubishi Ha-102 two-row radial (left over from an Airfix Ki-46 “Dinah”), which also received a new three-blade propeller with a different spinner on a metal axis inside. The engine also received some more interior details, even though the spinner blocks most sight.

The next, more radical move was to replace the MB 150’s spinal cockpit fairing with a bubble canopy and a lowered back – I found a very old and glue-tinted canopy from a Matchbox A6M in the spares box, and it turned out to be very suitable for the Ki-38. However, cleaning the clear piece was quite challenging, because all raised struts had to be sanded away to get rid of the old glue and paint residues, and re-polishing it back to a more or less translucent state took several turns with ever finer sandpaper, polishing paste and soft polishing mops on a mini drill. The spine was re-created with 2C-putty and the canopy was blended into it and into the fuselage with several PSR turns.

Inside, I used a different pilot figure (which would later be hard to see, though), added a fuel tank behind the seat with some supporting struts and inserted a piece of styrene sheet to separate the landing gear well from the cockpit – OOB it’s simply open.

The landing gear was basically taken OOB, I just replaced the original tail skid with a wheel and modified the wheels with hub covers, because the old kit wants you to push them onto long axis’ with knobs at their tips so that they remain turnable. Meh!

The fairings under the guns in the wings (barrels scratched from the MB 150’s OOB parts) are conformal underwing fuel tanks from a late Seafire (Special Hobby kit).

Painting and markings:

The initial plan was a simple green/grey IJA livery, but the model looked SO much like an A6M that I rather decided to give it a more elaborate paint scheme. I eventually found an interesting camouflage on a Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” attack plane, even though without indications concerning its unit, time frame or theater of operations (even though I assume that it was used in the China-Burma-India theater): an overall light grey base, onto which opaque green contrast fields/stripes had been added, and the remaining light grey upper areas were overpainted with thin sinuous lines of the same green. This was adapted onto the Ki-38 with a basis in Humbrol 167 (RAF Barley Grey) and FS 34102 (Humbrol 117) for the green cammo. I also wanted to weather the model considerably, as a measure to hide some hardware flaws, so that a partial “primer coat” with Aluminum (Revell 99) was added to several areas, to shine through later. The yellow ID markings on the wings’ leading edges were painted with Humbrol 69. The propeller blades were painted with Humbrol 180, the spinner in a slightly lighter mix of 180 and 160.

Interior surfaces were painted with a dull yellowish green, a mix of Revell 16 and 42, just the inside of the landing gear covers became grey as the outside, in a fashion very similar to early Ki-43s.

The decals came form various sources, including a Hasegawa Ki-61 sheet for the unit markings and some stencils and hinomaru in suitable sizes from a generic roundel sheet.

Some dry-brushing with light grey was done to emphasize edges and details, and some soot stains were added with graphite to the exhausts and the guns. Finally, the kit was sealed with matt acrylic varnish, some more dry-brushing with aluminum was done, esp. around the cockpit, and position lights were added with translucent paint.

An unexpected result – I was not prepared that the modified MB 150 looks THAT much like a Mitsubishi A6M or the Ki-43! There’s even an Fw 190-ish feel to it, from certain angles. O.K., the canopy actually comes from a Zero and the cowling looks very similar, too. But the overall similarity is baffling, just the tail is the most distinguishing feature! However, due to the poor basis and the almost blind canopy donor, the model is far from stellar or presentable – but some in-flight shots look pretty convincing, and even the camouflage appears to be quite effective over wooded terrain.

ironsleet.com/2015/11/16/illuminati-aquila-coram-iudice/

I have spent a lot of time over the past few months thinking about what the key element is that sets apart the photographs of some of the top nature photographers. The obvious answer that came to mind was their style. But what defines their style? What makes their work grab a hold of my attention and not let go?

The first thing that came to me was the compositions. There can be no doubt that this is one of the components to a stunning photograph. Without a solid composition, no matter how technically accurate or well processed the photograph is, it will not stand out. But there was more to it than just the compositions.

After some more thinking, I came to the realization that a big part of it was their processing style. To me, this is a direct representation of the photographer’s artistic vision. Their ability to see the beauty in a photograph, and enhance that beauty to really make it shine. In the modern world this is done in the digital dark room, but it is no different than the techniques employed by photographers in the traditional dark room.

Take this photograph as an example. At first glance this is a shot that would have likely wound up in the trash bin. This was shot in relatively poor lighting conditions, with little to no color. My camera had assigned a very cool white balance to the shot and it looked rather boring when I saw it. It just didn’t show the beauty I saw when I glanced on the scene with my own eyes, even though the composition was solid. After some time looking at it though, I saw some of that beauty there that just wasn’t obvious at first glance.

To the digital darkroom I went, letting my vision play itself out within this photograph. B&W conversion worked perfectly in this image, then some targeted adjustments to really enhance and draw the attention to the parts of this photograph that made it stand out to me. The ending result is a photograph that represents my vision. Did I change this photo or add something that wasn’t there? Certainly not, but merely enhanced the beauty that was hidden in the canvas.

I always appreciate your critique on any of my images, as it helps me to improve.

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Tech Info:

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Canon 5D mark II

Canon 24-105L lens @32mm

1/4 sec. @ F8

ISO 50

Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer

Single RAW file processed in Lightroom 3

B&W conversion with Nik Silver Efex Pro

TIFF file processed with Photoshop CS4

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Visit my profile for links to my website.

Progress so far.

Record Strada cranks converted to single ring mount with proper 12mm counter-bore for nut.

Surface cleaned up and polished.

Eldart Autarch Conversion by David Colwell

2D to 3D stereoscopic conversion

24-2-2020 - Fe y Desarrollo celebra la semana de Ecología en la Sala Borja para compartir y reflexionar juntos del compromiso en el cuidado de la Casa Común. Charla con Margarida Alvim en la Sala Borja de Valladolid

New pics from an old model! This PA-58N model had been an early attempt to modifiy an out-of-the box kit: after I got hold of a PA-58N "Halk Sovat" (ended up in its original livery, even though with different markings due to poor decals) and, much later, a blue/gray standard PA-58N from the TV series, I wanted to add some drama and a personal touch. Just having seen the movie "Predator" at that time (must have been in the Nineties, I guess :rolleyes:), I knew that a mini gatling gun HAD to be integrated. Et voilà, this became the fictional "MG" version! ;-)

The main modification was the scratch-built gatling gun, made from plastic bits and hollow needles as barrels, mounted onto the left arm and replacing the respective hand. Then came a flexible ammunition feeder belt that runs along the arm to the PA-58's back, made from rubber. Worked initially well, but the material became brittle over the years and needs a replacement now. Additionally, small rocket launchers were added on top of the shoulders, which are/were modified drop tanks from a Matchbox SB2C "Helldiver" kit in 1:72, holding spare rockets from the PAM-74 Tinkle SAM kit. Furthermore, for extra mobility and somewhat inspired by a modified PA-58N in one of the conversion booklets that came with the original Gunze Sangyo PA kits, I added some rocket thrusters on the back and on the legs, leftover from a 1:144 Revell Space Shuttle kit. Beyond these mods, some more minor details from the scratch box were added, for a grittier overall look.

The color scheme is also fictional/non-canonical. Today it would certainly look more color- and/or contrastful. However, the jungle theme from the "Predator" movie prevailed and it was turned into a disruptive 3 color overall scheme in a medium, yellowish earth tone (Tamiya XF-49 "Khaki"), a bluish dark green (Tamiya XF-11 "JN Green") and light grey as a stark contrast to break up egdes and outlines (Tamiya XF-12 "IJN Grey"). The only color contrast became the blue "breast box" with the emergency ejection system. The model was lightly weathered, even though I do not remember which methods I used back then (probably only some dry-brushing, skills and tools were then not as sophisticated as today). The decals/markings had to be fully replaced because they had turned blind and were not usable anymore.

Vintage stuff, but still "part of the family", so that the model deserved some more/better pics than before, which were IIRC still analogue photo film shots, with scanned pictures to be posted here. ;-)