Here’s one that I have had done for some time, but just now got around to uploading the photos.

Cylon Raider fighter from the new Battlestar Galactica.  Not the hardest kit I’ve ever built by a long shot, but it did have its issues.

Click on the photo for the full story.

I’ve started my first scratch-build model project.  The subject is USS Carondelet, a City Class gunboat of the American Civil War.  You can see my progress so far HERE.

Apologies if the Blog and parts of the website appear wonky over the next few weeks.  I’m finally in the process of updating my site, and it is very much a work in progress. I REALLY need to find a new theme for this Blog, as the formatting has gone haywire and I can’t seem to fix it!

Oh well, the price of technology.

With the several model completions I’ve posted recently and with at least one more to come shortly, it might appear as if I’m turning these things out at an amazing pace.   In reality all I’m doing is finishing a bunch of projects I nearly completed in the past, lost interest in, and am now revisiting so I can clear the bench for a new project.

Here’s another WWI biplane.  Love those pretty colors!  More photos here.

Here’s another of my recent completions.  This was a quick build as it’s actually a snap-together kit that I built for a group project.  I’m not a fan of Luftwaffe aircraft, but this was a fun build and I learned a few things.  Click on the image for more photos and comments on the build.

One thing that I’ve realized by doing two website updates in the past week is that I need to migrate my personal site to Dreamweaver.  I’ve moved all of my client’s websites to Dreamweaver or templates over the past two years, but I’ve never taken the time to do my personal one.  The old FrontPage application and the convoluted upload procedure I have to go through takes any fun out of the process, and while the migration to Dreamweaver won’t be quick and easy, it’s definitely time to do it.

Here’s a quick little project I completed late last week.  I needed something to put on the table at our yearly MosquitoCon model show, so that I didn’t feel like a total loser.  I put this together in about two weeks of semi-intense work (intense model work for me means that I spend more than an hour a day at it).  I’m pleased with how she came out.  Photos and build article are HERE.

Here’s what you can do with a full day, a box of peeps, some scrap styrene and construction paper.  Kristen did an AWESOME job on the hair!

This is for the third annual Washington Post Peep Diorama contest.  Based on this poster.  Basically the contest is “take a bunch of peeps and make something out of them”.

Both peeps were liberally coated with clear lacquer before starting work.  I’m not sure if that changed the digestibility of the things.

A more permanent mount for the piece (the background is just construction paper and quite flimsy) will be built this week, I’ll get some better photos and show some of the details.  The guitars have strings!

Everyone knows that art is subjective.  In the scale modeling world that has never been truer.  Discussions as to whether building models is to be considered “art” or merely kit-assembly are as old as the hobby itself.  Add into these discussions the variables of what materials were used, how much of the piece was scratch built by the modeler, the skill apparent in the final product, and one can see how this discussion can end in no single satisfactory answer.

But, perhaps, a fitting answer to the question can be found if the said models end up in a museum.  This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the opening of the latest exhibit at the Belskie Museum of Art & Science, in Closter, NJ, and see two of my pieces on public display (the Mobile Bay and Monitor dioramas).  The exhibit is “The Best of the Belskie Museum from 2001-2008”, showcasing the most popular exhibits from the time frame.  Approximately two years ago my friend Gary Kingzett orchestrated a ship model exhibit that went over really well.  He approached me to donate models for this exhibit.

Along with two dozen or so ship models they also have paintings, photographs, soft materials and sculpture.  So, while I’m still not convinced my models are to be considered art, it’s gratifying to see them displayed amidst so much of it.  A highly recommended exhibit in a small but very cool museum.  More photos HERE.

It smells like… staplers!

With the Chanel gig completed, I’m looking to finish up a lot of other projects.  One is this group of four red Swinglines.  One is spoke for as a Christmas gift, but I figured it best to get them all done at the same time.  No sense in opening up a window to vent the airbrush booth in this frigid weather for just one piece.

During the past month I’ve been traveling like I have the money to afford it.  A week in Gettysburg (that I already covered) and three days at the yearly ReaderCon writer’s conference outside of Boston (that’s been covered so thoroughly on the ‘net that I won’t waste anyone’s time by recapping here).

Last weekend I nurtured my inner model builder and went to the IPMS National show in Virginia Beach.  It was my first Nationals, and I was mightily impressed.  The craftsmanship was amazing, some of the best models from kits and scratch-builds that I’ve ever seen.  I was stunned when the Weehawken took a silver medal in her category.  I was happy just to have my work on the table and seen with the other entries, but to win something was very gratifying.  I also spent a little money in the vendor room; picked up a big hunk of resin ironclad to keep Weehawken company on the shelf.

I’ve put some photos online here.  I apologize that some are a bit dark, I didn’t take time to correct the exposure on any of them (the ceilings were a bit high for my usual flash-bounce technique).

After a year and a half of work (granted, off-and-on, many breaks taken) I’ve finished the USS Weehawken model. I have to say I’m damn pleased with the results. I took more time than usual with the basics this time around and paid particular attention to eliminating seams, making sure the paint was smooth, and quadruple-checking alignments. I also did a lot more scratchbuilding on this model in the form of adding an interior (that’s unfortunately very hard to see) and adding small details that are visible in this large scale.

I’ll be doing a full article on the construction of Weehawken, but that will take some time. Over the course of this project I took over 350 photos of this model, so I’ve got some sorting to do.

In the meantime, I have more photos of the completed ship here.