SPA Modeler

Seems like nobody reads anymore as a whole regardless - especially the young generations. I always read for hobby subject research and recreational - mostly military history and book authors by Andy McDermott, Steve Berry, James Rollins, Oliver Bowden (Assassin's Creed series).

I've also read the complete Redwall series.

Copy that. I will check out those authors! I have been reading Cornwall’s Sharpe Series. After I finished Master and Commander this series seemed like the logical next step for me; it was Carlos who recommended the BBC series to watch. I am also holding a copy of this to read—



One of my Dad’s favorite authors.

My notes—

I went with a faster prep time on the field color red for the cowling. I did move up to 2500 grit to polish the existing mish mash of grey primer, brown PC-10 whatever mix and even some of the Milliput on the edges where paint tends to be thinner.

Mr. Surfacer 1500 remains my favorite for this project. The white sticks like a second skin to everything. Then five or six minutes after priming I wet sanded once again. It’s raining outside so I made sure to keep surfaces dry as possible but I am actually spray gunning this on a patio—field conditions for a field paint job!

A close match to British WWI Red would be Humbrol Gloss but I remembered I had some Mr Color Gloss Red left from my slot car project. That will do. Jolly good, jolly good. Now to leave everything alone for the day to cure.

Also to be noted that a white base will present the color at its most vibrant—the color chip version without any filtering effects. Especially for something like this cowling a white base is the easiest starting point. I have seen projects where the modeler has had to adjust the cowling’s vibrancy with another paint color (two examples off of another forum come to mind, and one online video). I think many model builders like black base because it darkens or deepens the color coat and adds character, but in this case brighter is better.

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2025 1:50 am

Bruce, if you haven’t read Killer Angels yet before, you’re gonna love it. I have read it multiple times, and enjoyed each one immensely. If you ever saw the movie Gettysburg, that was a nearly exact adaptation of this novel.

Thanks, Carlos!

I have not read Killer Angels before and I’m looking forward to diving deep into those pages—I wanted a physical copy of the book to read rather than a digital one. I’m tired of reading everything off a screen, no matter how convenient it may be. Reality! That’s the ticket.

I am inspired by this look at the moment—yes, I know it’s a different aircraft in USAS markings. I’m still using Barker’s Camel as my subject but I have added the red cowling in the mix. Box art by the very talented Steve Andersen of “Kelton’s Camel.”

Sometimes Bruce I think you should turn all this research you do on a subject into book form and print your own Zines. I'm sure you;d sell a few.

Cracking subject though - I fully approve.

I do a lot of reading, especially over the last year or so when I've tried to get back into 'real' books rather than e-readers. Reading was always a massive part of my life up until modelling took over, I've been trying to readdress that a bit. I read a lot of History and Aviation books, some on Nature and a few other subjects, but my first love has always been fiction. I've been reading a few 1930's 'who-dunnits' recently, and I've been trying to get back into proper 'Space Opera' sci-fi. I've just finished 'Shards of Earth' by Adrian Tchaikovsky which was a really good read if you like that sort of thing.

Biographies I will read if it intrigues me. I've read Audrey Hepburn's bio. The missus has a couple I've been meaning to read - Spare and Mellissa Gilbett autobiography.

Two others caught my eye... Brothers (Van Halen brothers bio) and Don Rickles.

Thanks so much, Stuart!

Stuart! Great to hear from you, mate. I feel that way about all of your Airfix projects when it comes to publishing. I’m sort of tossing the idea about in my mind of publishing a journal of vintage model kit building. I think I have somewhat of an appreciation for ye olde Aurora kits and others like you are the Tardis to Airfix history—ditto Marius and Torben in Germany, you chaps truly understand how to build with precision and authority (yes I know the flip side with model building blends passion with violence). I’ll add this bit of insight of myself—there’s clearly a masochistic streak within me that both revels and abhors the process of building something. It’s a not so unusual result of creation mixing with destruction—one needing the other to survive, perhaps. Whatever.

I am jealous of anyone who grew up in the UK/Europe with access to Airfix and Matchbox kits in the Eighties. Ditto USA model builders who were building kits when Revell was still in Venice, California.

I’m still drawing a graphic novel, so I’m not sure how many side projects I have in me. But if one of the OGs here wants to create that type of journal for publication, I’m willing to help.

Books 2024

“I've been trying to get back into proper 'Space Opera' sci-fi. I've just finished 'Shards of Earth' by Adrian Tchaikovsky which was a really good read if you like that sort of thing.”

Yes, absolutely! I am a huge fan of the genre which always seems to work best in novel form, preferably a soft cover paperback with pages a bit yellowed on the edges.

SciFi:

Cixin & Ken Liu’s “Three Body Problem”
JS Dewe’s “The Divide Series”
Peter Hamilton’s “The Commonwealth Saga”

I tried and failed to complete Alastair Reynolds’s “Inhibitor Trilogy.” That hurt. I rarely quit on a book.

Re Barker’s Camel

Raining hard here which means nowhere to paint. I’m thinking about going east to Duke’s Lair on Monday to make a hard push on this one.

Found this detail for the propeller center hub—



Looks less like a wood form and more like a piece of metal complete with four attachment points. Any ideas?

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2025 3:38 pm I’m still drawing a graphic novel,

That's cool Bruce, I'd like to see that!

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2025 3:38 pm Yes, absolutely! I am a huge fan of the genre which always seems to work best in novel form, preferably a soft cover paperback with pages a bit yellowed on the edges.

SciFi:

Cixin & Ken Liu’s “Three Body Problem”
JS Dewe’s “The Divide Series”
Peter Hamilton’s “The Commonwealth Saga”

I tried and failed to complete Alastair Reynolds’s “Inhibitor Trilogy.” That hurt. I rarely quit on a book.

You're a man after my own heart, I've just picked up a copy of Peter Hamilton's 'Reality Dysfunction' 2nd hand from ebay, softback, complete with yellowed pages. My local bookshop had a new copy but I prefer to buy old ones. A lot of my birthday presents were old softbacks from the 1970's and 80's.

Glad to know I'm not the only one that like the genre - I think I might have read a bit of the Commonwealth Saga - is that the one with the telepathic trees and the giant orbs? I might have to look a copy out and re-read it.