zondag 9 november 2025

AK-47 Air Support Group Build - Finished!

 This MiG-19W as flown by Polkovnik Abdelmajid ar-Arkoub against the <redacted> in 1973. This aircraft was assigned to the 2nd Fighter Bomber Interceptor Recce squadron "The One and Only" of the Wadiyan Airforce.

12 of these were donated as a goodwill gesture by the NVA of the DDR, with 11 arriving in December of 1971 as deck cargo on the MV Käthe Niederkirchner (1 fell off after a unfortunate incident involging seagulls). They were quickly repainted in Wadiyan Desert Camouflage and updated to their standards, giving it the "W" moniker. After a 6 month workup the squadron became active in mid 1972, and quickly beloved by the population surrounding of the Base aérienne 3 "Capitaine El-Raffiki". 

Highly rated by their pilots, the aircraft flew several succesfull missions against <redacted> and racked up a impressive kill list. Many enemy fighter aircraft and installations were destroyed, and any UN claims about destroyed hospitals, goat farms and orphanages are pure propaganda.

"1-358" was lost after the Crew Chief had the bright idea to speed up the roasting of Shawarma by using the exhaust of one of the engines. This worked like a charm, till he accidentally kicked off the brakes and slammed his head on the gunsight, knocking him out (allegedly). "1-358" then sped up between the semi closed shelter doors, ripping off part of the wings, speeding across the airbase before coming to a halt at the local goat farm next to the base. And exploding in a pretty spectacular fashion. Shame about the prize goat Fatima II and her many, many offspring, but she was great with some hummus and garlic sauce in the end. To this date that area still smells like delicious grilled goat. 



It was a fun build. I could have done a lot more but deadlines are deadlines, so this is where it ends.










  

BSSCF2025 - Deadline tomorrow, better get cracking!

 Quite a bit to so, but I needed another teaser pic for the LAF.



dinsdag 4 november 2025

Ak-47 Air Support Group Build - Putting on some colour

 I wanted to grab my airbrush....but I can't find them.

Fine, I'll use spraycans....but I can't find my AK Putty. 

Fine, I'll order some online so it is here tomorrow. None left in the entire country.

Fine, I'll use masking tape and just get very annoyed. And then the first spray came out powdery.

For the love of.....


Anyway, much frustration later the basics are done.


Tomorrow gloss up so I can add the decals, then modify them. Try and do the basic cokcpit and any other details I have time for. 

zondag 2 november 2025

AK-47 Air Support Group Build - Rocket (pod) Man

 Only final cleanup is now left, and the hope that tomorrow we have more agreable weather so I canprime and maybe get the first layer of camo on. 



A very leasurely Crisis 2025

Took the girls and a friend to Crisis 2025. For some reason, this year parking was even worse than last year, but after a few ever increasing circles we found a spot in the local area. We arrived around 10:30 so and we could walk right in (after paying of course. Fee was 15 per person but kids under 14 are free, so next year it will be the last time the girls are free, after that I'll have to pay up).

Basically the same layout as last year, and shops in roughly the same location as well. Lots of familiar faces, some small chats here and there. Shops could be shorthanded to Paints and Tools, Kits, 3D Prints and a few shops with mixed stuff. Focus is, as usual, mostly on 28mm, so lots of Warlord etc.

Plenty of bargains to be had....Battlefront was 40-50% off in a lot of places, even relatively new plastic boxes. But that is what you get for not listening to your buyers, retailers etc and thinking you know best. Great for me though as I picked up some items for AK-47 and other 15mm projects.

50% discount so 45 euros for 9 T-72A's, 2 Hinds and decals. In hindsight I should have skipped this one, though I'll turn some of the T-72's into blasted wrecks for TW:2K someday..

16 euros for a entire Kompanie. Should work fine for a Socialist backed yet unnamed African country to oppose Wadiya

Mortars for either AK army, and Belgians that will end up as UN or better quality troops. Both again 50% off.   


Only 10% off, but 2 BTR-152's and 4 Saracen Armoured Cars. The BTRs can go with the East Germans, the Saracens will go into the Apartheid faction box for later. Might use one though for the Wadiyan Police to go with the police jeep I made (but never finished) for another Group Build. 

More Vallejo washes as I have been using these a lot and Russian Uniform spray primer for the 3mm tanks I need to prime. I also added some washes I did not have yet to try out. 

Just for the artwork and background. Could not pass up for a fiver, bandnew.

And that is it. No scenery, I have enough in stash to build and the printer can just print. No need to buy more plastic kits as I have plenty. 

My mate bought....nothing. The girls bought some bases to go with the spiders they bought earlier this year. I picked up some stuff for another mate and then made the trek home with a sidestep to the gasstation to fill up some jerrycans (saving 40 cents per litre of 95, yes please)

Back home, I crashed out. I was totally spent, but it was a good day. Tomorrow a short trip to my folks who are babysitting a friends house and then back home again for some proper rest. I have a very busy week ahead of me with deadlines



Armoured Storm; The Eastern Front 1941-1945

 The printed version of the rules arrived today. Time to make a few test bases for it in 3mm.



donderdag 30 oktober 2025

Hobby night

 I have an open house 2 nights a week. One week it's board games on tuesday, and hobby night on thursday, the week after tuesday and thirsday are both hobby nights. 

Tonight was a hobby night. Mirella is making nice progress on her H0 scale church, Sjors has decided to stop buying GW stuff and move to Gunpla as he just doesn't like painting, and I planned out next week to get my group builds done in time. With 3 days of just not being here I'm cutting it really, really close. Even more so as I've hurt my wrist, again. 

 

The flight stand insert hardend during the night....but of course not before tilting. Luckily with my method that is not really an issue. All the externals are on except the mounts for the rocket pods, and I need to grab those pods from one of the kits in the attic. Needs to be done and primed by monday evening so I can bluetack it and do the rest of the sprays, then decals and detailling. Update the decals, etc. Fun. 

The New Life teaster shot of where I am now:


Can't show much more till it is done.

The girls helped me out this week after I twisted my wrist.


They saw me struggle and volunteerd to smash hamers to remove the 5mm round inserts....400 times! I did another 100 today so the 500 pcs bag is now empty, which means I have more than enough 25mm round bases ready for the magnets, those should arrive next week or so. I also did quite a few bags of 30x30 square bases for AK-47. Tomorrow I'll pick up the 20mm round bases with the same hole and repeat.