Show Us Your Last Two Builds

[406 Silverado]

Thought I'd start this one off for everyone to check out the last couple of builds that have left your bench.

I'll kick this off:

My 1970 1/2 Camaro Z-28:






And the latest. An AMT 2017 "Fiftieth" Anniversary Camaro SS. This one's a build for a good friend of mine who'll get it later in the year after I'm done entering it in shows.

[Leon]

Two great looking Camaros Joe!

[deafpanzer]

Joe, very nice looking camaros!

Here's mine...

Eduard 1/48 Spitfire IXc- It was my first completed build finally since 2017. I still need to take better pictures of it!






Dragon 1/35 Panzer II Ausf F- My last armor build back in 2017... yep, it has been six years now! 

[Tojo72]

That Panzer 2 looks fantastic

[Tojo72]

I think it was there two

Trumpeter Hetzer



Tamiya LRDG Truck

[stikpusher]

Joe, Andy, Tony, those are all some great looking builds. Andy, it sounds like you took quite a break there in finishing any kits.

Here are my last two completions.

Heller 1/48 Dassault Etendard IV M





Eastern Express 1/35 B-4 203mm Howitzer

[Tobi]

Jul 6, 2023 11:34:58 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Joe, Andy, Tony, those are all some great looking builds. Andy, it sounds like you took quite a break there in finishing any kits.

Here are my last two completions.

Heller 1/48 Dassault Etendard IV M





Eastern Express 1/35 B-4 203mm Howitzer

Carlos, what's your verdict of the Eastern Express kit. I imagine a lot of simplified detail and fit issue?

Jul 6, 2023 10:08:58 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Joe, very nice looking camaros!

Here's mine...

Eduard 1/48 Spitfire IXc- It was my first completed build finally since 2017. I still need to take better pictures of it!






Dragon 1/35 Panzer II Ausf F- My last armor build back in 2017... yep, it has been six years now! 

Andy, you totally nailed the look of the Panzer II. Your mapping technique to make the surfaces look not uniform is masterful! The dust and dirt, the worn effects, the equipment, the figure, the base, everything.


The last two builds I actually finished are also a little older in my case. In 2018 I made this Revell Viking ship:




And in 2021 the Fokker of Richthofen in an earlier state, not yet overall red:





Been playing with my camera with a "day for night" filter on and some editing in Gimp for the sky and landscape. I hope your monitors do show the picture well.

[stikpusher]

Very nice looking builds Tobi. The “night” photo editing sure looks the part. Although that does make it pretty hard to see much… just like real night times… lol!

My opinion on the Eastern Express kit…. well… no major fit issues, but lots and lots of clean up required. Lots of flash, mold seams, sink marks, and ejector pin marks. As far as detail goes, it wasn’t so much simplified detail, as some soft detail in areas. One other gig I might add is the instructions… they can be a bit ambiguous on some part locations. Have good references handy. It’s honestly not a bad kit in and of itself, but it can be quite challenging. And with Trumpeter also making one of these guns I’d say that the only reason to select this kit over the Trumpeter kit is the cost. You can probably get two or three of the Eastern Express or Alan kits for the cost of one of the Trumpeter kits.

[maverick]

Wow, what a bunch of spectacular builds from you guys! Details, finishes and weathering. Not to mention some very cool photography... Heres my last two builds!!


Close to six months worth of work in these two...LOL and the Jag was the easy one!

[keavdog]

Great stuff. Love the Drag-On-Lady Maverick!
My last two... a year apart due to a move

1/48 Tamiya Rufe



1/144 Revell Airbus A-380



She's big! That's a 1/144 737 next to her

[Tojo72]

The animals on the Airbus look great

[Tobi]

Jul 6, 2023 13:43:01 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Very nice looking builds Tobi. The “night” photo editing sure looks the part. Although that does make it pretty hard to see much… just like real night times… lol!

My opinion on the Eastern Express kit…. well… no major fit issues, but lots and lots of clean up required. Lots of flash, mold seams, sink marks, and ejector pin marks. As far as detail goes, it wasn’t so much simplified detail, as some soft detail in areas. One other gig I might add is the instructions… they can be a bit ambiguous on some part locations. Have good references handy. It’s honestly not a bad kit in and of itself, but it can be quite challenging. And with Trumpeter also making one of these guns I’d say that the only reason to select this kit over the Trumpeter kit is the cost. You can probably get two or three of the Eastern Express or Alan kits for the cost of one of the Trumpeter kits.

Thank you Carlos. It's really a problem for me to decide which level of darkness is appropriate to imitate the look best. Displays can be so different, not only in calibration but also largely depending on a person's preferences how they want their screen to look to be comfortable for the eyes.
I have another shot here, which is a little lighter. I would love to hear everybody's opinion which they find better balanced in terms of realism and what can be observed.

For any who want to try "day for night" themselves, I have a few lessons learned I can share:

- Reduce the exposure of your film, the filter can't produce the look all by itself.
- Check the lighting. You don't want harsh shadows, so shooting at noon is a bad idea. Soft light and light source placed behind the object in order to imitate moon light is the key.
- Set the white balance to cold look
- Reduce the highlight levels of your camera and switch the color balance towards purple blue if you can.

I didn't respect the last two points myself when I tried it the first time and it shows. Especially the highlight gloss on the cowling is obvious...

[TJ]

1/48 Monogram F-106



1/72 Hasegawa F-16C with Superscale decals

[406 Silverado]

Thanks fellas!

Andy: That Spit looks like it would pass for a 1/24 scale build bud. Excellent detailing and paint work on that bad boy. The Panzer II is very well detailed and the paint/ weathering look top notch. Dude......has it been 6 years since you've last completed a model? My how the time flies doesn't it??!! Glad to not only have you back on the forum but also back at the bench.

Tony:Tojo72 That Hetzer and LRDG truck look great man!! The LRDG looks to be quite detailed. Is that OOB?

Carlos: That Etendard looks GREAT with that base. Where'd you source that from? The howitzer is definitely a good conversation piece and turned out very well with all the details.

Tobi: Dude......two builds in 5 years? I thought for sure you'd done more than that for some reason. I knew about the Fokker but I'd almost forgot about the Viking ship. Both are truly great turnouts and I learned a few things in regards to photography here with those night time shots of that DR 1. 

Pete: Absolutely LOVE the Belvedere!! The Jag turned out beautifully as well. 

John:  The work on the 380 is nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure it was a challenge to get the cals on that bad boy! Wow! Excellent work on the Rufe as well. 

Johnny: Your work on that F-106 and that 72nd scale F-16 are just "all that". I do love me a good F-16 build. 

[Tobi]

Jul 7, 2023 5:36:20 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Thanks fellas!

Andy: That Spit looks like it would pass for a 1/24 scale build bud. Excellent detailing and paint work on that bad boy. The Panzer II is very well detailed and the paint/ weathering look top notch. Dude......has it been 6 years since you've last completed a model? My how the time flies doesn't it??!! Glad to not only have you back on the forum but also back at the bench.

Tony:Tojo72 That Hetzer and LRDG truck look great man!! The LRDG looks to be quite detailed. Is that OOB?

Carlos: That Etendard looks GREAT with that base. Where'd you source that from? The howitzer is definitely a good conversation piece and turned out very well with all the details.

Tobi: Dude......two builds in 5 years? I thought for sure you'd done more than that for some reason. I knew about the Fokker but I'd almost forgot about the Viking ship. Both are truly great turnouts and I learned a few things in regards to photography here with those night time shots of that DR 1. 

Pete: Absolutely LOVE the Belvedere!! The Jag turned out beautifully as well. 

John:  The work on the 380 is nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure it was a challenge to get the cals on that bad boy! Wow! Excellent work on the Rufe as well. 

Johnny: Your work on that F-106 and that 72nd scale F-16 are just "all that". I do love me a good F-16 build. 

Two finished models, but several in the making 
I need my bench back and some leisure time.

[406 Silverado]

Jul 7, 2023 6:03:40 GMT -5 Tobi said:

Jul 7, 2023 5:36:20 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Thanks fellas!

Andy: That Spit looks like it would pass for a 1/24 scale build bud. Excellent detailing and paint work on that bad boy. The Panzer II is very well detailed and the paint/ weathering look top notch. Dude......has it been 6 years since you've last completed a model? My how the time flies doesn't it??!! Glad to not only have you back on the forum but also back at the bench.

Tony:Tojo72 That Hetzer and LRDG truck look great man!! The LRDG looks to be quite detailed. Is that OOB?

Carlos: That Etendard looks GREAT with that base. Where'd you source that from? The howitzer is definitely a good conversation piece and turned out very well with all the details.

Tobi: Dude......two builds in 5 years? I thought for sure you'd done more than that for some reason. I knew about the Fokker but I'd almost forgot about the Viking ship. Both are truly great turnouts and I learned a few things in regards to photography here with those night time shots of that DR 1. 

Pete: Absolutely LOVE the Belvedere!! The Jag turned out beautifully as well. 

John:  The work on the 380 is nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure it was a challenge to get the cals on that bad boy! Wow! Excellent work on the Rufe as well. 

Johnny: Your work on that F-106 and that 72nd scale F-16 are just "all that". I do love me a good F-16 build. 

Two finished models, but several in the making 
I need my bench back and some leisure time.

Me and you both brother. lol

[stikpusher]

Joe, the base is made by Zoukei Mura as something in their SWS Accessories Series. They make bases in 1/48 and 1/32. I found mine on eBay, along with a couple of others. Thanks for the compliments on both projects.

Tobi, yeah more bench & leisure time never hurts

[deafpanzer]

Jul 7, 2023 6:03:40 GMT -5 Tobi said:

Jul 7, 2023 5:36:20 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Thanks fellas!

Andy: That Spit looks like it would pass for a 1/24 scale build bud. Excellent detailing and paint work on that bad boy. The Panzer II is very well detailed and the paint/ weathering look top notch. Dude......has it been 6 years since you've last completed a model? My how the time flies doesn't it??!! Glad to not only have you back on the forum but also back at the bench.

Tony:Tojo72 That Hetzer and LRDG truck look great man!! The LRDG looks to be quite detailed. Is that OOB?

Carlos: That Etendard looks GREAT with that base. Where'd you source that from? The howitzer is definitely a good conversation piece and turned out very well with all the details.

Tobi: Dude......two builds in 5 years? I thought for sure you'd done more than that for some reason. I knew about the Fokker but I'd almost forgot about the Viking ship. Both are truly great turnouts and I learned a few things in regards to photography here with those night time shots of that DR 1. 

Pete: Absolutely LOVE the Belvedere!! The Jag turned out beautifully as well. 

John:  The work on the 380 is nothing short of spectacular and I'm sure it was a challenge to get the cals on that bad boy! Wow! Excellent work on the Rufe as well. 

Johnny: Your work on that F-106 and that 72nd scale F-16 are just "all that". I do love me a good F-16 build. 

Two finished models, but several in the making 
I need my bench back and some leisure time.

Yeah, I am in exactly same position as Tobi as I have started 6-7 builds over five years but I couldn't finish them all so I'd like to finish each of those as soon as I am done with the current build Panther. Fingers crossed!

[406 Silverado]

We'll bust out with the cheerleaders to cheer you guys on Andy!

[stikpusher]

Jul 7, 2023 19:12:49 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

We'll bust out with the cheerleaders to cheer you guys on Andy!

[Medicman71]

Ok I'll play. My last two builds are the Tamiya 1/48 F-16 Viper and the Gundam Wing Zero Endless Waltz.

[deafpanzer]

Lovely camo work on the F-16!

[Real G]

I am a glacially slow builder, but I'll throw in the last two models I built.

This is a 1/250 Bakagalas, a Tolmekian heavy transport from Hayao Miyazaki's feature length anime Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds. It was started back around 1988 or so, and for most of its life sat incomplete in a dark, hot closet, like those dusty gems hiding away in Silver Hill, Maryland. It came out to be worked on from time to time as my skillset evolved, but it is not quite finished - I didn't have time to apply the thousands of rivets or give it a proper paint job before taking it to a contest in 2021. I do intend to properly finish it in time, as this particular design is very close to my heart.











This was my first attempt at a F-1 model. Tamiya's 1/20 Tyrrell P34 turned into a rabbit hole project, as the more I researched it, the more I found the need to add stuff. But I also learned an expensive lesson about buying excessive aftermarket where good old fashioned hand building would have sufficed. I did learn a lot about F-1 cars, the race, and the personalities involved.

[stikpusher]

Nice builds! The Bakagalas looks like a Star Wars Me-323 Gigant! And that is a beautiful Formula 1 car!

[deafpanzer]

Too cool! I haven't seen those both before especially the F-1 with two front wheels! Jeez, it shows that I have so much to learn about the racing cars despite living here in Indianapolis... the capital of the racing world!

[Medicman71]

Oh wow! I didn't know they made other kits from those anime movies. Very nice!!

[tcoat]

Last two?
Well OK but both are on here already...







Build - U96









Build - HK

[deafpanzer]

That T2 robot is too cool and it is the first time I have seen it built! Thanks for sharing

[stikpusher]

TC, those are both great looking builds!

[Real G]

Jul 12, 2023 8:59:35 GMT -5 Medicman71 said:

Oh wow! I didn't know they made other kits from those anime movies. Very nice!!

Actually, the Bakagalas is mostly balsa wood and ABS under a styrene skin. I really wish more kits had been made from Nausicaa. It’s my favorite Miyazaki film by far, and the second modern anime I watched.



Back in the day, Nitto had planned a whole bunch of kits that were tantalizingly listed in the instruction sheets of the kits they did release. But alas, nothing came of it. The Bakagalas was one of the planned kits that failed to materialize.

I plan on eventually building the Tolmekian Corvette and the Pejite Gunship. I have already started the Pejite Brig, to scale with the Bakagalas. I also drew up some plans for the Pejite “anti-gravity pot”, just for the heck of it. Who knows? That would make 5 models, enough to enter them in the Collections category at the Nats.