Fabian's Modelling Mayhem

10 year hiatus

2025-10-09T07:07:00.000+11:00

Almost 15 year hiatus from the hobby, move to a different state for work, and I pick up my paint brush for the first time

New buys Sept 2014

2015-11-24T21:47:00.001+11:00

Always wanted this M6A1, for a time there was a grand daddy of a resin kit I think from Lonestar!

20mm Oerlikon Anti Aircraft Gun

2013-12-16T22:15:00.002+11:00

Internet Auctions and Store

2013-12-16T22:15:00.000+11:00

After restarting in the hobby and previously running a hobby business, I have so much stuff that its now time to do life's big cull.

So I started by opening an eBay account, that was bad news as its cost me more by enticing me to buy even more kits. So for 2014 the goal is to sell as much as I can, and minimize what I buy.

For the good stuff you will find on eBay

My eBay Account is:
,
http://members.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=fabianthepanzerdude

To make it easier and reduce eBay costs I opened up a free Web store as well, this is where I'll upload the general run of the mill stuff.

http://FabiansHobbyEmporium.ecrater.com

Danish M41 DK

2012-11-27T23:00:00.005+11:00

Purchased Accurate Armour Conversion for the Danish M41DK

A comprehensive 1/35th scale resin conversion of the AFV CLub M41 Walker Bulldog kit into the Danish M41 DK1. This set designed by Jon Bottomley features new turret and engine decks, etched brass detail set, full colour decals, along with all smaller fittings required to produce an authentic replica of this well known European AFV.

You can pay $90 USD on eBay or order direct from AA for the cost of about $57 AUD plus postage.

RNZAC M41A1 Bulldog

2012-11-27T22:52:00.001+11:00

Extracted from Armoramma

This is a quick guide to making a M41A1 in service with the RNZAC, from the Tamiya kit.

MODIFICATIONS

1. Fit stowage rails between the headlight guards.
2. Cut the mudguards (fenders) off at 45 degrees, both front and rear.
3. Add strengthening ribs to the read side stowage bins (both sides)
4. Add cable drum to turret side (ex Tamiya Centurion)
5. Add tow rope brackets to driver’s side
6. Move .50 cal mount to behind the gunner’s sight, on the outside edge of the turret and fit a second mount level with the rear of the commander’s hatch approx on the centre line of the turret.
7. Replace antenna bases with British style ones
8. Add auxiliary generator exhaust and silencer on right-hand exhaust cover.

MARKINGS:

Tac Sign: Red over Yellow with the number “2” in either white or black, on the right side of the glacis plate and rear transmission access plate.

National Sign: A Kiwi in black facing to the right (as observed) on the left side of the glacis plate and rear transmission access plate.

Vehicle Number: Prefixed with “NZ”, numbers ranged from 30540 to 30549 (yes we only had 10).

Unit Badge: Originally the badge of the Wellington East Coast Mounted Rifles, a horse rampant, top of the side of the turret level with the gunner’s sight, horse facing forward.

Later the badge of Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles. N.B. with the change of badge the Tac Sign changed to “64”.

RNZAC M421A1 Walker Bulldog

Warhammer 40K

2010-03-04T23:33:00.008+11:00

In the December 2008 School holidays I took the boys into the city. They wanted to have a look at the 2 remaining specialist hobby stores in Sydney City, Tin Soldier & Hobbyco. On the way down the back of George St they came across Games Workshop. After more than an hour in there and each of them having a go at painting Space Marines, the boys had convinced themselves that they wanted to persue this hobby. I suggested that they think about it and we set off to Tin Soldier & Hobbyco. After many hours in both these stores, they were still talking about Warhammer and asked if could spot them the money for the starter box and they would fix me up when we got home. The long and the short of it they came out with a set Assault on Black Reach with all the paints & accessories to get them going (without them having to touch my gear.

Since then the boys have steadily built up their forces thanks to ebay. Unfortunately, the eldest had to be Imperial Guard, and the other 3 boy all differing Space Marine Chapters.

I opened the Black Reach box and found a whole mess of Orks. Unfortunately no body's interested in playing on the Ork side, and so I started my personal journey in Warhammer 40K, deciding to practice my painting skills on these figures before I relaunch my self on the 100's off different WWII figure sets in my collection.

As the boys now have some fast attack bikes, landspeeders, I bought a few built Ork Warbuggy's on Ebay and decide to refurbish them. The original paint jobs were dreadful, and they were built dreadfully. I broke apart the glue on figures (doing some major damage to leg & limb, but managed to to a reasonable rebuild. I will post the many vehicles & figures to this setion as I go.

Ork Warbuggy

Wz.34 Polish Armoured Car

2010-02-14T00:48:00.000+11:00

This is the little Certi Kit, made almost 20 years ago, but still the only game in town if your into early WWII armour. It was a quick kit to build, base coated in Tamiya Desert Yellow, with Green & Red Brown patches highlighted with a fine tipped Artline pen. A fine overspray of desert yellow from an air brush gave the vehicle the dusty look.

The only thing left to do is paint that exquisite Hornet figure, one day I'll get around to it.

If you are interested in more information on the cas have a look at the website:
Private Land Army Research Institute

Wz 29 Polish Armoured Car

2010-02-13T22:25:00.000+11:00

Airmodel/Hobby Blau Schmit/GPM Vacform Kit

Essentially another one of those modelling nightmares I'm a sucker for punishment for. Vacform kits of armour kits are a sheet of plastic with all the parts hot formed over a mould. The hard part is having to cut out the individual panels carefully, making sure you don't trim too much off, or leaving too much behind. This was my first attempt at it and I think I did an ok job of it.

Every individual rivet seen has been added to the kit using the Grandt Line conical rivet. The white metal suspension supplied was used, but the vacform wheels were replaced with wheels from an old GMC kit.

The kit panel lines were pre-shaded with Tamiya black and a light spray of Desert Yelow sprayed as a base coat. The next 2 colours of chocolate brown and Khaki have yet to be applied as there are still a few more details to work on.

The kit stayed on my bench for close to 15 years, and white plastic does become embrittled and the liquid cement yellows with time. Whilst I was handling the model I accidental dropped it and found out the hard way when one of the guards shattered. There were a few superlatives said that afternoon, but I managed to put it all back together and with some Tamiya body putty and careful sanding managed to hide the damage.

Some old builds lying around

2010-02-13T13:39:00.000+11:00

M4A3 (76) W Sherman
14th Armoured Div.
Eichstadt Germany April 1945

The Sherman M4A3 is a mix & match, Tamiya lower hull & running gear with Italeri Turret, the muzzle brake I think came from an old Panzer IV in the spares box. The figures & periscopes are Verlinden.

The sandbag framework was constructed from plastic card, and the sandbags themselves made from DAS modelling clay, with soft fabric pressed into it.

The tank was from memory sprayed with Humbrol #30 Green overlayed with black stripes.

Freikorps
Tank 154 "Hanni"
ex ADT12 Kakampf as seen in Berlin 1919

Mark IV Male Emhar Kit built out of the Box for a Small Armies competition.

SU-100

I'm a sucker for nightmare kits, probably why I don't get anything done. No this is not the Dragon kit or any other Eastern Block equivalent. This is AEF Designs Su100. This kit came with thin spots everywhere on the hull and full of air holes in the resin surface. I had to work really hard to get through this one, all the kit hatches had to be replaced. And really wasn't worth the money that i paid at the time.

I'll post the unit this tank is supposed to represent when I find my notes.

Techmod Soviet T-50 - the kit from hell

2010-02-13T02:39:00.001+11:00

Now, this is what sets this little kit apart from any other I have done so far, not the individual track links themselves but the separate guide horns for the track links - tiny little loops that have to be cut from the sprue and glued to each link , (big sigh here) I started cutting them off, placing my finger over each one so it did not fly off to be eaten by the monster that resides in the dining room carpet. I used a scalpel with a new blade for this.

I trimmed each loop before I placed it in position on the back of each link with tweezers and touched it with a Tamiya Liquid Cement brush and held it in position until the glue had done its job. This was tedious work with a few of the loops being launched into oblivion and lost for ever. This took me a couple of nights to complete with many breaks to rest the weary eyes. After getting all the guide horns onto the links (I glued them on while the links were still on the sprues), I carefully cut the links away from the sprue , care must be taken here the links are rather delicate and can be easily broken. I found it easier to use the scalpel upside down and push the blade along the sprue through the joiners rather that cut downwards onto a hard surface. ( I must admit here the kit got the better of me and I had only done one side of tracks before shelving the kit for almost 10 years, to test my masocistic resolve I grabbed it down and restarted again)

Assembling the track links is difficult, because, they are quite small and fiddly, and they don't locate together very well. I put down some double stick tape onto a block of wood and used a straight edge metal ruler to act as a guide for each link.

I used Tamiya Liquid cement again so I could wrap the still wet track links around the sprockets and road wheels but everytime I tried I ended up with multiple sections of track they would just not stay together while I wrapped them around. Don't go overboard with the glue as it would be easy to end up with a melted mess of plastic - the links are very thin.

I re-assmbled the sections of link & length and left them overnight these were long enough to run along the base, from base to sprocket and ideler and along running gear (with a slight bend).

wrapping around the sprocket & ideler was a real problem and the bond was too strong and the links kept snapping. Same result, they were still flexible but kept breaking into small sections. I pulled them all apart and left them for a few days while I thought of a way to get them onto the model.

I came up with the idea of placing the track links onto masking tape sticky side up and then glueing with the Tamiya glue, when I had enough links to do one side I simply turned the tape over and placed the run of links onto the sprocketand glued them into position while still on the tape.

The model almost completed, just a few more brackets and tie downs to put up.

AER MOLDOVA's 1/35 T-38 AMPHIBIOUS TANK

2010-02-13T01:53:00.000+11:00

The first thing that hits you when you open the box, is that there isn't that much to this kit. The second thing that hits you is that you certainly not looking at a Dragon or Tamiya kit. This reminded me of an old old 60's kit, really poor definition of parts, my goodness the jack was a lump of plastic. If you want to do a good job on this kit, you are really going to have to put in the hard yards.

I really wan't prepared to do a lot, so I detailed the turrent and hull with a few more Grandt Line rivets, opened the hatch, and added a few details. I drilled out the prominent holes in the running gear. I may replace the headlights with MV Lenses if I can find the right ones

Tamiya SdKfz 222 21st Pz Div Afrika Korps

2010-02-13T01:06:00.000+11:00

Aside from the mass of unstarted & started kits, I used to buy "built" kits for spares. In the rare times the kits were well built, but the paint job was crap, I would take time to do the best paint job I could at the time. On some occasions I even surprised myself

This kit was bought at an APMA meet, and after stripping the paint down I backdated the model using the visors from the Tamiya SdKfz 223 Armoured Car. Additional I used the gun cariage from a Tamiya 250/9 half track. There aren't any photos previous to this, as there were no digital cameras when I started this kit 15 years ago.

The photo above shows the kit with preshading. you can still see some of the sand coloured paint still in place.

The car was air brushed Tamiya Desert Sand and them stippled with Tamiya Panzer Grey to give the worn paint look.