Breaking Out The BIG Guns

[tcoat]

This is such a cool looking kit just on the sprues that I almost feel guilty actually building it.
ALMOST!

1/6 scale Wiliams WW1 Aeroplane Machine Guns




Very clear instructions with hints on how to add even more detail with wire. Not exactly a complex build.





Nice wooden stand with stickers.




Vickers




Lewis




Spandau




Parabellum

[Real G]

Tcoat,

That display will be so cool! Work slowly, check fit, and do your best to decipher the vague placement of detail parts. I built the Vickers and Spandau many years ago.

[keavdog]

Very cool. Such a neat kit.

[Joe Rix]

What a way cool kit. That should build up into one sharp display. This will be fun to watch you bring this together.

[tcoat]

Jan 1, 2024 13:14:56 GMT -5 Real G said:

Tcoat,

That display will be so cool! Work slowly, check fit, and do your best to decipher the vague placement of detail parts. I built the Vickers and Spandau many years ago.

Actually the instructions are pretty good with notes of things to watch for and any special considerations. It will not be speedy because as I expected it is typical short run molding with loads of pretty heavy flash in very awkward places. The big time consumer however will be cleaning up all the flash on the vinyl ammo belts. The round are almost flat there is so much.

[kyledehart5]

Marvelous. This is super cool.

[TJ]

That'll be different

[deafpanzer]

WOW! I never knew they are kits like those out there. I'd love to have one for WWII!!!

[tcoat]

Jan 4, 2024 12:56:04 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

WOW! I never knew they are kits like those out there. I'd love to have one for WWII!!!

I didn't either until I ran across this kit in a discount bin in a hobby shop in Vegas. Apparently they have been around for a while since one of the notes references "the original kit design in the 1960's". When I researched the kit I found these are still around as individual guns primarily used by the R/C plane crowd and this display kit was only issued once at some point. Even Scalemates can't seem to date it. 
Now I need to build some WW1 aircraft I guess.

[armornutii]

WNW had a Gotha that can be found, might need a second mortgage and a hanger but hey Go Big or Go Home BSGB

[tcoat]

Jan 4, 2024 13:15:40 GMT -5 armornutii said:

WNW had a Gotha that can be found, might need a second mortgage and a hanger but hey Go Big or Go Home BSGB

[atomicholiday]

Never heard of this kit either, but it looks really cool. Gotta love WWI machinery. 👍

[themongoose]

Ooooh they do look cool 😎 should build into a great display!

[tcoat]

Jan 4, 2024 19:57:38 GMT -5 themongoose said:

Ooooh they do look cool 😎 should build into a great display!

So much flash it is taking about as long just to clean them up as to build a whole armour kit! Going to be worth it though as they do look really cool and different.

[tcoat]

Stand still needs glue and gloss coat but guns are fully assembled. Took about two hours each.



To give an idea of size.




The ammo belts were giving me fits trying to clear off all the flash on the vinyl so in a moment of desperation I ran a lighter flame under them. Flash disappeared and no damage was done. The flash is very evident in the picture on the left.

[Leon]

WOW... those look really cool!

[themongoose]

Beautiful! The cement bottle was a good choice for perspective.

[kyledehart5]

Awesome!!

[tcoat]

Since the shiny black plastic was so good at hiding issues I gave everything a quick spray of flat grey. I had a pile of corrections to make after that.

[tcoat]

Although this was supposed to be an OBB build while looking for pictures for colours on the parabellum I came across these






I knew as soon as I saw that telescopic sight I had to have it!

[rondriaan]

I have never seen this kit before but looks a interesting build.

[kyledehart5]

Such a cool project. The scope is a nice touch

[tcoat]

Base of NATO black on the areas that will be gunmetal.

[stikpusher]

NATO Black looks like a very good choice for a parkerized finish...

[deafpanzer]

That’s so cool! Smart move using the flame to remove the seams on the ammo. I bet you have a mini flamethrower handy too!

[tcoat]

Jan 6, 2024 18:09:03 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

NATO Black looks like a very good choice for a parkerized finish...

Far too flat a finish though. Not sure where I will go next with them.

[tcoat]

OK so all the guns will not be identical since they were not in real life.
Spandau has a very light steel tone so It got a coat of Citadel Ironbreaker. This is a layer paint which will let some of the base colour through. The heat shield around the barrel to the end of the muzzle got a very light coat to let more of the black through the rest got a blotchy heavier coat to differentiate between the materials and finish.

What I was after
(slightly different version but overall the same)



Detail painting and layer paint coat





Wash of Citadel Nulin Oil to bring out detail and give some variation in finish.

[kyledehart5]

I love it. That is a very convincing look!

[tcoat]

Pictures of the Lewis gun show a vast array of colours, mountings and versions.
Sort of went with this but it is actually a combo of several




Wasn't going to be a huge change between base coat and highlights so didn't bother with a mid process pic. The barrel and gas tube are actually two slightly different colours and the rest is just the NATO black with some light steel dry brushing and a black wash. The drum mag is Tamiya German Grey with a heavy steel dry brudhing and loads of Nulin Oil wash

[handiabled]

Superb job making convincingly realistic copies of these guns