Strip and refurbs

Last seen in the two-tone Royal Navy scheme, I wasn't happy with this one, and having just completed a Desert Storm Buccaneer, I had the decals and spares to make good of it. I put the wings down and added the ECM wing pods and tanks. Now it looks proper.

I do love the colour on this. It's a middle blue/neutral grey blend, darkened with a little black. It looks like a dark grey but ocean grey comes out a rich sea blue in certain lights and the gloss finish really makes it shine. As it happens this is a pisspoor kit and a strip and refurb job so it was never going to be a showcase piece buy all the same, it's a nice thing to have. Meanwhile, I've been on with a little side project...

Since taking this pic at 4am I've added a few other subtle bits of weathering but you get the picture. I actually built this precise model about twenty years ago and it's been sitting on a shelf in Dad's office for years, painted in the wrong colour with amateurish weathering. I've been eyeing it up for a while now and so I kidnapped it to give it a BAOR makeover. I was intending on doing the Berlin Brigade scheme but I think you have to paint that scheme during assembly. I also chickened out. It looks like a lot of faff and I didn't have quite enough paint for it.

There's a lot be said for strip and repaint jobs. That way you get twice the value from a model and you don't have to take up room with new ones. This week's modelling has cost little but the paints.

On both these projects I've mixed my own colours. The green on this Chieftain is one of my own making and the black is a mix of black and dark green. I wanted authentic colours on this one. It's nice to have the confidence to mix your own blends. Prior to now I would usually look for the closest match in the Tamiya range but I now have sufficient empty jars to play around - and now have as many mixes as paints. It's a lot of fun. But also, you end up using quite a bit of thinner thus end up using thinned paints by default which has resulted in better finished. This tank had about three coats of extra thin paint and it really does make the difference.

Refurbing is a good palette cleanser between major builds. It's usually when I potter and experiment, catching up on odd repair jobs and marginal improvements to my whole collection. It's a cost effective way to experiment with new techniques and a nice way to pass the time.