Airbrush supplies at the local drugstore

I did a introductory course to see if my 2nd hand airbrush (A H&S Evolution) was any good, and it turns out it is. Well, after the teacher straightend both 0.2 needles and polished them that is. :)

Now I'm slowly building up supplies for my kit. I've already purchased a 0.4 needle for basecoating and varnishing, cleaning fluid, thinner and flow improver, but found some items in the local drugstore.

 Mostly for the new airbrush. Q-tips for cleaning, a lens box to keep the nozzle parts in cleaning solution, extra fine brushes to clean the air cap on my Evolution, toothpaste to polish the needle now and then, and conditioner for the new brushes I will be buying next year...I kind of had it with the cheap nylon brushes that I have been using for years.

Nice to know I can get tools locally. And not piss off the wife by using her stuff. And it didn't even cost much, less so if I had gone to the brand less shop but thats practically outside of town and too far to walk with the kids.

Oh, and shocker of the week....I managed to find next years 28mm model that I'm going to paint. Piers is making me paint more then 1 though.

Lucky Strike part II

We have a Dutch proverb, "Een ezel stoot zich niet tweemaal aan dezelfde steen" (A donkey doesn't bump into the same rock twice). I've proven myself to be less then a donkey cause I won another big lot for a bit more money. This time filled with more obscure in between wars aircraft and 2nd line aircraft like trainers. Again I will keep a few and sell off the rest on Marktplaats

But in case anyone is interested, here is the list. Feel free to make a bid as long as you remember Post.NL is a bit funny and I have to send these in boxes that cost 7.50 Pounds in shipping for most EU countries, but can contain up to 2 kilos in kits. Could be useful if you want more or if you want to team up with someone. I know some of it is crap so I will be using that as airbrush bait.


Japanese box lot

Fujimi Ki-43I Oscar 2x (verschillende decals per doos)

Hasegawa B5N2 Kate 

Fujimi B6N1/2 Jill

Fujimi C6N5 Myrt

Hasegawa Ki-27

Special Hobby Aichi E16A1 Paul Floatplane

ZA Models – K3M3 Pine Transport 

AZ Models Ki-28 Bob prototype

MPM E14Y1 Glen

RS Model Ki-60 Prototype 

Fujimi D4Y4 Judy   

Hasegawa E7K1 Type 94 floatplane

Hasegawa Ki-48-T Type 99 Lily

Tamiya M6A1 Seiran   

Hasegawa Ki67 Peggy + resin parts

Hasegawa Ki49 Helen 

Hasegawa P1Y1 Frances

22 box lot

Toko LaGG-3

Nakotne N. Polikarpov I-3

Modelcraft Blackburn Shark Mk II

Hobbycraft Canadair CT114 Tutor

Matchbox Gloster Meteor NF11/12/14

Matchbox Armstrong Whitworth Siskin IIIA

ZLS PZL-37 A/B tos

Fujimi Ki-36 Kisaragi

ZLS RWD-6

Smer Dewoitine D500/501

Avis Kawasaki Ki 10-I

ICM Ki-10-II

PM Hawker Seafury Trainer T-61

Zvezda Yak-6

Pavla Models Curtis AT-9 Jeep

Italeri Rafale B

Academy Spitfire Mark XIV

Hasegawa Hurricane Mk IID

Academy P-51D Mustang

Academy Me-163 B/S Komet

KP Letov -S-328

Matchbox Dornier Do-18

I don't want the world for them, I'm not looking for retail, hard as it might be for some cause there are a few OOP kits in this lot, but don't try to con me :)

Lucky Strike!

I've been eyeing Marktplaats (Dutch Ebay variant) lately on a daily basis, to see if people are offering cheap Me-109's and Fw-190's that I can use for my late war German airfield board I will build someday. Cheap as I will be building them as hulks. Lowball bids of 2.50 for a kit, and sometimes I'm lucky. Most of the time I'm just amazed that people dare to ask the same for a secondhand, decalless kit as a brandnew one in the shop. And they wonder why they don't sell.....

Anyway, here comes a lot of 18 aircraft in a box, mostly Hasegawa and Fujimi, (quality stuff so interesting) WW2 (ok, correct period) asking price 35 euros including shipping (double interesting, plus alarm bells cause this price just ain't right, waaaay to low). Some jokers are already in a typical Marktplaats bidding war, outbidding each other with cents, bloody ridiculous and insulting to the seller IMHO. So I pop in a bid of 40, for fun to see what happens, and to keep it low as I have no idea what is in it, it might be half built stuff or stuff I don't need, the listing isn't very clear. But at moments like these asking for a list is time wasted, so what the heck. 2 hours later an email. I won, please transfer the money to this account and it will be shipped asap. More alarmbells, I won? Already? Well, at worst I'm being scammed out of 40 euros, so hey, why not. Asked him to deliver it at work and then started the waiting game. An email the next day, the money was in, he was going to post it the very same day. And lo and behold, the next day a big box gets delivered at my office....

Moment of truth. During my lunchbreak I popped open the box. Nah mate, this can't be truth. Slowly checked all 18 boxes, with my mouth opening wider and wider with every box. 18 boxes, all mint, like they came right from a distributor. Some had their price tags stuck to the paperwork inside. 8 euros for one small box, 23 euros for a couple of fighters, and then some with the guilder prices still on them, on immaculate boxes, so you know how old these are. 70 guilders for a 2 engined bomber, which even back then was a lot of money for a kit. A quick look sorted these as 4 for 10 euro a piece, 11 that would be 20 euros minimum and 3 bombers that I've seen ranging from 25 to 40 up, and a lot of these seem to be discontinued. Some of the fighters and bombers have a band across the box to celebrate 1945-1995.

So I'm looking at least 360 euros in retail worth of kits. And I just won it for 40 euros. And you know what the biggest joke is? I have no use for Japanese aircraft! I don't do Japanese in 20mm as it is a very rarely gamed army in my parts, so I don't have any need for these.

Ack, life can be funny sometimes......

Time flies.... November in a large nutshell and December goals

Well, November has gone by so fast, it's just not funny anymore. I've been so busy with work and the kids I had hardly anytime to focus on the hobby! So busy infact, I managed to forget to take my medication on 3 seperate occasions, with predictable results. I managed to lose a week to a short return of my depression, which was only lifted when my wife took a long weekend to Dusseldorf with a friend and I was left to take care of the kids myself. Friday to late Sunday. Toddlers don't care if you have a depression, they just want clothes, food, toys and sleep....and a lot of attention!

Lucky for me, it was just what was needed to snap out of it. I had a blast of a weekend, and a newfound respect for single moms everywhere. And she has already "promised" there will be more weekends, which I don't mind, as I really like spending time with my kids, it actually gave me a lot of energy on one side and draining me on the other. And best of all, I scored an approval for a trip to Ireland in 2015! Piers has welcomed me with open arms, we haven't planned much yet, but he did send me a box with 28mm Mordheim figures in it. Bloody bastard, I love that game, but I don't like painting 28mm's anymore! Seems I have no choice now....

Anyway, November. Wrapped up the sales, only had 1 non replier, and waiting for the money to de deliverd from another but thats someone I know so no problem. One of the last packages is going in the mail tomorrow. I'm shocked I made over a 1000 Pounds just by selling stuff I had no more need of. I'm even more shocked I donated half of that to my family, buying diner in a fancy restaurant, toys, and a iPad for the wife (which shows it pays to nag for over a year, complaining about her iPad clone every week). I've spent the rest on myself, save about 200, and bought a second hand airbrush which I'm having tested on friday to see if it is anygood. The seller was quitting the hobby and sold a lovely Khorne army to one chap and all of his tools, paints, airbrush and compressor to me. Sadly, he quit communicating as well, as the box arrived with everything just tossed in, no padding, brown oil paint everywhere from a busted tube of paint, Spent a night cleaning everything (thank god for slow drying times on oil paint) and sending a polite email to the seller. Only the buyer of the Korne army contacted me, as he too had received a dumped army, with breakages and missing 10 models in total, plus models that didn't match up to the photographs sent. It's been a few years since I was burned like this, and it had made me wonder if putting out 160 euros for a compressor, airbrush and over 100 euros worth of paint was worth it, but we will find out at the airbrush inroductory course I will be taking this friday.

And the airbrush? A Harder & Steenbeck Evolution.....not sure what model (the seller never answered my question what model it was), I'm assuming the Solo but with a adjustable limiter added so you can limit the amount of paint used to a fixed position (sorry if it sounds weird but I'm new at this, but it seems perfect for fine German wiggly camo). It has been used, had some paint smears on it, but nothing that I wasn't able to clean off. Stripped it down several times now to get a feel for it, and there is one part (where the air hose attatches to the airbrush) that just won't unscrew. And according to the explodogram and a online cleaning tutorial, it should. Again, something I want to have checked out on friday as I was planning to reseal everything with new seals, or leave it there for maintenance and let them do it. Whatever works.

Compressor works fine, alas no airtank, and the wife has already told me I can't airbrush when she is asleep, but as she usually tucks in around 22:30 that gives me a average of 2 hours a night to work it. Ton of paint, sadly all Vallejo Air, of which I heard mixed reviews, mostly about clogging, so thinking about starting out with a set of Tamiyas as my mates reccomend me or get some AK Interactive paints. Most of the tools have arrived, stirrers, pots, tape and what not, but for some mysterious reason the cleaner and thinner are already 3 weeks enroute from the UK and still haven't made it. While quite a few other items from the UK have. The seller told me to contact him when nothing had arrived on monday, but I'm giving it till friday before I contact him again. If it doesn't arrive, I'll pick up a pot of Vallejo Thinner first for trying out. Fortunately, in the lot was a last swig of Vallejo airbrush cleaner, so that will come in handy.

Anyway, back to the list!


November:

Main Goal - try to sell as much as possible, even giving away stuff to clear out (only asking for postage) before mid November. Then have the rest of the week to bring the hobby room back into pristine condition and everything stored in the attic till next years sale. Yerr, the selling part went fine, the cleaning not so much, there is still a pile of unmade kits, cleaned models and papers right here in front of me. Need to get that sorted asap.

Side Dish - Do more research on 11th Armoured, find out all of the correct markings if possible, make the list for Battlegroup (Overlord list as well as Fall of the Reich list)  and make a plan what to paint and when. Do I have all of the correct decals? Split the total list in 2, with stuff I still need to buy in the 2nd part. Done. Bookmarked everything useful about 11th Armoured, kept the list as is and have noted what to buy for the sedonc lot in April-May.

Focal points:
-clean remaining Liberation models and sort them. Happily swimming in cleaning fluid!
-build new paint racks. 1 built, notes made, will do a Blog post on them.
-sort and stash all the Crisis purchases. Done!
-when there is time, base technicals that have been washed. Yeah, maybe next time.....not.


So what are my plans for December?

Holiday season means my family and work will take up even more time, so I'm keeping things simple for once.

Main Goal - Clean the table, sort the lot, and take upstairs what you can.

Side Dish - Practice with the airbrush. See what makes it tick.

Focal points:
-Plan a paint purchase for the airbrush.
-Bag and tag everything for 11th Armoured and put it in one big container.
-If you can, sell some more stuff!
-Order a pizza from the newly opened Domino's here in this quite little village of Boxtel. (always lamented that there are no good pizzerias here, and missed these as I have worked over 3 years for them as a driver during my Uni days and know what ones I like and which ones I don't!) Not hobby related at all but man I feel like having a pizza now!