Slab Ship - starting priming

Thought i'd put a bit of primer on just to see how things look, and to make sure the bits i'm putting on aren't too clunky. Jury's out on that one...
Went with the conning tower as its still seperate from the rest and you can see in the middle pic how i've drawn on in red felt-tip where i'm planning on putting contrasting striping.

Our War Of The Worlds walk

Last Sunday i finally got round to doing something i've been planning for years - during the autumn follow the narrators journey in War Of The Worlds as he returns to Dead London and finally discovers the dead Martians.
Wells was brilliant at describing just where things happened so, armed with the book and an A-Z, we set off.
Documented it here:

http://thewarsoftheworlds.blogspot.com/

My Biog Living Axe

Think this fellas made an appeance here before, but the big 2000AD site has a show us your alien contest, so thought i'd dust him off. And while at it, put the pics here.

2000AD TV Advert

Like to watch this from time to time, partly to remind myelf how much the comics evolved and partly to remind myself what Tharg sounds like.

Slab Ship - hiding the joins

As well as putting on panels and small details, i've also got to address the problem of how to disguise the vary obvious joins between all the sections of Foamboard.
Getting round it partly by the use of Plastruct strips.
These are excellent - made out of styrene and come in a variety of shapes. You should be able to make here that i'm using "L" shape ones for some areas and "U" shapes for others.
Incidently, it looks like a whacking great gap there at the front where the prow joins on to the sides. There isn't - i've used clear tape to cover it up. And will be covering it even more with small panels soon.
You may also be able to make out that, for the join between the side and the bottom, i've used a cable-tie at the front, then a "L" strip and, beyond the sitckyoutbit, a "U" shape.

Dr Who meets FHM

Tsssk... Know Who has always had, to use a Tom Baker phrase, "crumpet" to bring in a certain section of audience but, really, its not subtle is it?
Give me Mary Tamm any day.

Slab Ship

You may remember this project from waaaaay back. Put on the back burner as new projects came along, but i've dusted it off and carried on adding bits to it. You can also see i've removed the conning tower for now for ease of detailing.

Dropship - done

APC - done

Der Schnecke - factory finish

All the colours are on and i'm starting to put in the metallics. Figuring it needs a "face", i'm picking out the front bulbous area to try and suggest a canopy affair.

APC - factory finish

Feel MUCH better about this project now i've reached this stage. It makes for a nice, big model and i can almost forgive the trauma of the build. You can see i'v started putting on paint chips and next its some mud i think.

Dropship - factory finish

Just about done now. Its been a real odd project, with things not going quite the way i planned.
I originally wanted to have it with the landing gear down to display it in this here hanger. But the legs were so damned awkward and spindly i gave up on that idea.
So, landing gear up and a in-flight mode. But would look daft without the crew in their seats eh? "No probs" thinks i, "i've loads of spare pilots i can put in there".
Nope. If you put anyone in the front chair, its head hits the canopy, stopping it from fitting. Hmmmm... So i'm going to be stuck with a properly fitting canopy but no crew.

New Dogbreath & Zarjaz

Glad to say the latest issues of these excellent 2000AD fanzines are now available. Really, to call them that is to do them a huge disservice.
To me "fanzine", 2000AD especially, brings back memories of the photocopied, really rather crude affairs of the late 70's/early 80's such as "Friends Of Tharg".
Both them and these share the common passion for the strips and characters that prompts the creation of the titles, but with Dogbreath and Zarjaz, everythings been notched up a huge degree, producing very slick, very polished looking publications.
And, with Art Droids guesting from now and then, they come across as kid sisters to 2000AD rather than fan titles.
Very much recommended (apart from the strips wot i wrote).
Linky:

http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/

Dropship - half decaled

Right, basecoat of Olive Drab is on and some panels picked out in Slate Grey as per the instructions.
I've also put on half the decals. Only half as the remainer are on the midriff area so decided to put this lot on, seal with varnish, then i can handle the ship while putting the last bunch on and not worry about any falling off.
Pleasently suprised with the decals. When the slid off the backing sheet and awful lot of white, milky muck came with them - guess its the fixitive ageing after so long of non-use.
Thought i'd have a problem once the decals had dried but the milkiness disapered and, in fact, the decals hug the surface really well and didn't dry too glossy.

Ray Harryhausen winner

By quite a clear margin, the award goes to those bony chaps facing off against Jason and co.
Technically of course its brilliant - then and now. But i wonder how much of it is also owed to the little additional touches that add so much, something Ray excelled at and is often overlooked for.
Here we have two classic examples:
The slow steps forward of the skeletons before the attack.
And that hideous screetch when they do - still chilling today.
And, of course, Bernard Hermann's score adds immeasurably to the piece.

American Werewolf In London

My good friend Ian has finaly started a Blog and its a nice entertaining ramble of his about the films he's watched just lately:

http://wwwmymoviediary.blogspot.com/

He's posted his thoughts on - and lent me - the Blu Ray release of AWIL. Now, i'm a HUGE fan of the film - its one of those rare films (like Carpenters Thing) that just doesn't date. A massive part of that, of course, is that the effects were actual props, working on set in real time, so haven't dated. Part is the knowing, sly humour (again, The Thing), that is still prevelant in the best films today. And, maybe most importantly, the characters are so well fleshed out and acted.
And, for me, it was released only a year after becoming a Projectionist so, with this film, along with so many others released at that time, i thought i'd landed the best job in the world.
To make it relevant to my Blog, here's a coupla shots of my busts i've dusted off to show you.

APC & Dropship - feeling better

Amazing what a bit of primer'll do. Now the crappy dark green plastic has gone, they're starting to look a LOT better. You'll see i've kept the wheels off the APC for ease of painting, ditto the wing armament as i want to paint the missles before attaching.

Cylons on Countdown

Coming to you via Andrews Blog, proof positive that the Cylons are here - and working on daytime TV.

Blade Runner Blaster - finished.

Gone as far as i want with this. Its not accurate in terms of detail or paintjob, but its vastly superior to the one i had in the 1980's so i'm happy.

APC - grit those teeth

Nearly done here too but this one's a real chore. Big gaps are bad enough, but the part fir is abysmal. Even the locating holes are too small and need opening up so bits fit together. The strange thing is, i don't remember it being this bad - and you'd think i would eh?
Can only think i've been spoilt in the intervening years with Fine Molds etc so notice it more now.