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Tuesday 29 April 2014

The Dragon Rises: Hongdu Q-5 "Fantan" WIP #1

Following a few guides on the internet on modelling vacu-form kits, the first steps I took was using a black marker and draw it around the parts in an 45° angle. I tried to mark 50% of both, the actual parts and the styrene sheet around it.

 I then used scissors and hobby knife to cut out the parts. I tried not cut too close to the parts before they have been freed of the styrene sheet left overs around it. Next step will be cutting them out very closely using my hobby knife and then the sanding process will kick off.


Saturday 26 April 2014

The Dragon Rises: Hongdu Q-5 "Fantan"

It took me ages to finally find a copy of the Warrior Model 1/72 scale vacu-formed/resin kit of a NanChang Q-5 on ebay. This one came to me from a guy in Poland.

The Q-5 is a close air support/ground attacker aircraft, currently deployed by both, PLAAF (Chinese Air Force) and the PLA Navy.

This one is my first vacu-formed kit that I am ever going to assemble. That means its going to be interesting... If you look at the box contents, you'll see that the main fuselage and wings are vacu-formed white plastic, while weapons, cockpit and parts of the landing gear are either resin cast or white metal. The metal parts I won't need for the most part since I am going to assemble the kit "in flight" on a flight stand. I am also planning on exchanging the resin cast FAB-250 bombs with plastic ones from Dragon Models' Soviet Aircraft payload kits in 1/72 scale.

Check out the pics:
Contents: decals, instructions, painting guides, resin payload and detail parts, white metal landing gear etc..

Box: includes one kit, several decals for both, PLAAF and Pakistani Air Force.


Tuesday 8 April 2014

AVP: upgrading my miniature collection with exclusive kickstarter miniatures.

I am not dead. Not at all. Thanks to private life my time for the hobby was limited to Sunday afternoons of playing.

Anyway, here is an update of the things to come:

I am one of those that pledged on the AVP kickstarter that was released last year by Prodos Games. I have now completed my survey and placed my order, based upon my pledge level and additional free items. Here is what should arrive in May:

Pledge: Real aliens ain't from mars
Included & Free items ( showing amount )
A Royal Guard x1 ( 1 )
KS P Berserker ( 1 )
AVP Game (Box) ( 1 )
Facehuggers x7 ( 1 )

Picked 100k stretch item/s:
Stalkers ("Pet Hybrids") x5

Picked 155k stretch item/s:
Predator Hellhound x1

Picked 310k stretch item/s:
Half synthetic (Obj. Marker of a cut-in-half Bishop character) x4

Add ons
Extra bits (3heads, 4 guns) ( 1 )
Predator Hellhounds x2 ( 1 ) 
Female Predator  Warrior x1 ( 1 )
Crusher Alien x1 ( 1 )
Predalien x1 ( 1 )
Royal Guard x1 ( 1 )
Weyland-Yutani Commandos (whole five men squad) ( 2 )
Power Loader x1 ( 1 )
The pic above shows a pre-production test piece of how the game board will look like

Predator Warriors, Stalkers, Marines, Crusher Alien (the large one), Royal Guard and Predator as well as Predator Hellhounds unpainted.
Together with my existing Aliens, Marines and Predators, my Drop Ship and APC this should one day lead to a fantastic tabletop wargame of AvP.
I also couldn't resist in ordering these:

http://www.rogueminiatures.co.uk/index.php/gun-miniatures/dogs-of-war-7set-miniature.html

I can already hear somebody crying "Get to tha choppa!" ;-)