VW means Volvo Weathered!

No doubt upset some VW fans with the title to this post but yes, whilst the weather may have been cold outside over the weekend the weathering inside was a much warmer affair. The chassis of the Italeri Volvo FH-16 saw some further weathering from the airbrush and the application of some washes to further tone down that bright blue chassis. The fuel tank was also installed having been modified with some new straps and chassis mounting brackets. I never got to the bottom of why the tank as supplied and instructed in the instructions just would not fit. More than likely that it is my ineptitude or misreading or both but the problem has been solved - the fuel tank mounting not my ineptitude or inability to understand instructions. My wife would agree with that last part and probably the first too! Anyway on the chassis front the rear lights and French registered number plate have been added (it is left hand drive so unlikely to be a British truck) and at the front, the lower panel with lights and blank number plate has been added. You may be wondering why the matching number plate has not been added. There lies a tale of old decals! Whilst the first applied yellow backed number plate for the rear went on without issue the front white backed number plate from these ten or so year old decals split into a thousand pieces. I forgot about the fragility of old decals and should have put a coat of varnish on them or some decal save solution before soaking them - lesson learnt - just have to find some more suitable decals in my stock. A few more pictures of the chassis and as with any build the obligatory balancing of other parts on it to see how the whole model will look. As always you can click on the picture to open it up and see it at full size.

That cab will certainly need some toning down!

On the 009 layout some grassing has taken place. With the basic landscape formed its the perfect base to start the scenic activities and there is something very satisfying about turning baron plaster into something that looks (hopefully!) green and lush. Part of the landscape was painted with PVA and then hanging basket liner was pressed into it with the backing side left exposed and left to dry over night. Once torn off the results were mixed. One part had stuck well the other not so well with bald patches resembling a scale representation of my lawn!

 

I should have painted one coat onto the plaster and left it to dry and seal the surface before applying a second coat and basket liner. Lesson learnt again! However not all was lost as my intention had always been to use some static grass on top of the liner to give that rough grass look of an embankment where it was not mown or cultivated. After trimming the liner (a bit like shaving stubble) and getting rid of the bits of string and other odd fibers that come with it a pleasant hour or so was spent with a mixture of fibers and the static grass applicator. I ended up with this - still more to do but it is getting there and progress is being made. Just hope it continues! 

Finish it Friday

I am guessing that most modelers have them - a model or two or even more that sit on a shelf or in a box just waiting for a few small jobs to finish them. I have to admit with the number I have I probably bump up any averaging calculation by an immense amount. However with today being Friday and there being no such thing as Model Kit SOS (now there's an idea for a TV show!) I thought it about time to start lowering that average with a 'Finish it Friday' project. The lucky recipient for todays attention  was a Revell 1/25 scale Kenworth Dump Truck kit number 07406. I built this back in about 2015 and for some reason never got round to adding some steps and ladders to the chassis and tipper body and applying some final transfers or are they now decals - shows my age! Anyway for reasons that probably made some sense to me at the time the truck went on a shelf and the steps and decals hung around the work bench for nearly 5 years including surviving the work bench moving without being lost! Today in little less than an hour the steps were added and the decals applied. Job done - well almost - just have to straighten the CB aerial that I see to have knocked and only just noticed as I uploaded the photographs! Oh well! 

From the point of view of the kit it certainly is not the best and shows its origins from the 80's. There are only half formed brake cylinders so if you look inside the chassis there are just holes where the rest of the cylinders should be. The tyres do not sit on the wheel rims very well. As with most kits with vast amounts of chromed parts the designers always seem to have the part attached to the spru so that when removed the loss of the chrome is very visible. However for all of its faults it still builds up into an impressive truck with that full on American look. No weathering (apart from a dilute wash of balck on the radiator grill) as these guys keep their rigs uber clean in real life.

On the Volvo front there has been some movement. Unlike the Kenworth dump truck above the Volvo FH 16 will be showing evidence of a working life where cleaning is something for the outside bits like the cab and side skirts. The chassis is being treated to some airbrushing, washes and weathering at the moment. Still more to do but there is progress.

Whether next week will se another 'Finish it Friday' is uncertain but at least there is now one less model awaiting! Do you have any models in a similar situation? Let me know in the comments section.