Zaltar's Guide to Scale Modelling

How to Build a Winter Diorama: Part III

2010-10-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while hasn't it? Now that I've had time to get ahead of my posts, here is some progress. For the diorama I bought a pack of bamboo sticks for only a dollar! I then cut them to a set size and created fence posts and beams with them. I then used wood stain to create the aged effect for it. After that I painted the ground with white acrylic paint (Deco-Art, of course!) to cover the tan in case it showed through the snow. Later I'll update you on how I gave the diorama some life!

How to Build a Winter Diorama: Part II

2010-08-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

Winter? More like Africa at this stage! After cutting out the terrain, I used common drywall mud to cover the entire foam base. Try to do this moderately thickly, not so much as to lose the scenery, but not too little either. After that, I made the mistake of not putting a coat of paint over the mud to hold down the next layer. The problem with drywall mud is that it doesn't hold anything to the surface, so the average modeller paints the mud and then sprinkles scenery on it; I sprinkled my fine sand (from the beach at a lake, but any sand will do) straight on the mud. To secure it, I used a mixture of white glue and water to hold it down.

Surprise!

2010-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, after two years of blogging about this Tiger, it's finally done. After finally finishing the tracks, I sprayed it with a coat of Future floor polish. Next I added the decals, which are tricky to apply over Zimmerit. My advice for this is to make sure you use lots of decal softener (ex. Micro-sol) and wait, don't be impatient. After that I added another coat of Future to seal in the decals . Finally, I rubbed on some pigments using old chalk pastels onto the tracks and gun barrel. Anyways, for all those who have been watching this build since the beginning, Thank you; and enjoy!

How to Make a Winter Diorama Part I

2010-06-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure has been a while, hasn't it? With a grand total of about 40 views in the past months and zero progress on my Tiger, it sure seems like it's time to do something. Therefore I'm starting a new build, based on a winter diorama from a build that I'm doing on Armorama. Although they'll get to see some pictures, you guys get the full story and extra pictures, just for sticking through the slow months!

Well, I started off by planning the diorama. Where would I want the setting to be? When? What figures would go with it? I decided on a scene in Belgium, during the Winter of 1944, with the Dragon Sherman Firefly that I bought last summer. As you may have seen on Armorama, the vehicle build is nearly complete, but the diorama is just getting underway. Next, I took a piece of styrofoam just big enough for the tank and some scenery and started to design with a handy Sharpie marker.

Here was the result of a couple of minutes of design:

Now, the fun part really starts, but that's a story for another time...

Hallelujah! Finished at Last!

2010-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

Desperate times lead to desperate measures:

Well, my Tiger Tracks are done at last!

It's a Miracle!

Two Years of Modelling Mishaps!

2010-02-01T16:23:00.001-08:00

Well, we're finally at the two year mark of Zaltar's Guide to Scale Modelling! After over 60 posts, you've seen my models through from purchase to completion (By the way, I'm nearly done my Tiger Tracks!) and seen my skills get marginally better. In one year we've gone from 777 views to 2412, with numbers going up every day. So thanks to the viewers for keeping the numbers high! Thanks for these two years, and let's hope for many more!

To celebrate, here are the pictures of my finished CF-18 Hornet! Cheers!

Canada's Hornet Pt.8

2009-12-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

The Hornet has been painted! I used a coat of dark grey on the top and light grey on the bottom to recreate the camouflage used by the modern Canadian Forces. Overall, the paint job went well, but took many coats. I still have some touch up painting to do on the rear fins (it wasn't masked well enough) and then the detail painting begins. After that, armament needs to be assembled, a coat of clear, decals and some minor weathering. The end is near!

Canada's Hornet Pt. 7

2009-11-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the wait, it's been a long time since I last updated. Since then though, I've finished building my Hornet, and I'm applying the base coat of paint today. The plane is now weighed down with a lead weight in the nose, landing gear are completed, the pylons for the missiles are on the bottom of the wing, and the glass for the cockpit is attached. In the next few weeks, I'll show the next steps: painting, decals, and armament.

Canada's Hornet Pt.6

2009-10-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally have done enough to make a post on my Hornet. the landing gear were assembled beautifully, completely without a hitch; until, that is, I set it down. The picture says it all! My model needs a weight in the nose to keep it from standing up. Back to the drawing board, and time to look for some heavy material to keep it down...

Lack of Posts

2009-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, there has been a massive lack of free time on my part. Hopefully, I will have some time for modelling in the following weeks. It will make it easier now that winter is coming, giving me less time outside and more for my models.

Thanks for your patience,

zaltar

Canada's Hornet Pt. 5

2009-08-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

I finally came to a decision about the landing gear on the CF-18, and I'm leaving them down. Therefore, I decided to do a little bit of detail work on the interior of the wheel wells. I took average copper electrical wire, shaved off the protective sleeve and bent it to shape (Note: Make sure the wire isn't live or attached to anything before doing this ;D ) I then cut holes in the plastic model and glued down the wires. This added some really easy details for dirt cheap.

Tiger Tracks

2009-08-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

I finally started the tracks, after much humming and hawing. The worst part is cutting them all out and placing them in a jig(see photo). This is not overly challenging, just very tedious. After this you just spread glue on them and wait until they are tacky. My best advice for this part is be very, very, patient. I used plastic cement and left them for 2 days and they still are bendable. More on tracks next week.

More Models! : D

2009-07-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for holidays for allowing me to see massive out of town hobby stores! As you may know from around this time last year, holidays = models! So now lets give it up for the new models!

Airfix: Bren Gun Carrier and 6 PDR AT gun (For a diorama) - 1/76 scale

Airfix: Afrika Korps (For the same diorama) - 1/76 scale

Academy: Nieuport 17 - 1/32 scale

Dragon: 88mm Flak 36 - 1/35 scale

Dragon: Firefly Vc - 1/35 scale

Tamiya: SdKfz 222 - 1/35 scale

As you can see, you'll be able to read about my modelling mishaps and magnificent results ( insert suppressed laugh!) for a long time.

Canada's Hornet: Pt. 4

2009-07-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

In this section, I will again stress the importance of keeping filler with you at all times. I attached the turbines at the bottom of the plane, but when I dry fitted them I noticed massive gaps. I searched for a spot that could be a problem, but there wasn't one. I ended up using ridiculous amounts of filler to remove these, and it took a long time before I was happy with it. Inside the vents, there were turbines, which I painted silver. I then drybrushed a mix of white and silver onto the raised surfaces on the turbine.

Canada's Hornet Pt.3

2009-07-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

...Or "Canada's Hornet Pt. 3: How I Learned That This Will Be A Freaking Huge Model":P.

In this step, I really realized that this model would be ginormous! In step two of the instructions, the model barely fit into the container that I use for storage. In this step, I assembled the first part of the fuelslage, and was impressed with the details. There were even little parts for the grills in the vents! From this point on, I was quite pleased.

And I figured that, since I'm not going to do a frequent tip for a long time, I'll give you this tip for these economic times. Buy cheaper models if the big ones put you into debt, and if you can't afford them, stop building models. Remember, food is more important than that new Dragon, or Tamiya kit.

Painting German Armour Pt.5

2009-06-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, as you all know, life comes before modelling. Now ,however, I have been able to get some work done on my Tiger. I have glued the extra tracks onto the side of the turret. It may not seem like much, but getting the tracks to sit correctly was a very fiddly process. The tank is now very near to completion and I'm getting very excited to see the end product.

Canada's Hornet: Part 2

2009-05-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

In this model, I'm going to closely follow the instructions: usually when I go off the beaten track, I end up in some form of trouble that takes a while to fix. I started the CF-18 with the cockpit, one of my favorite parts of making an aircraft. I used a toothpick, with its end trimmed to a nice point, to paint the fine details of the instruments and buttons. I then applied a decal for the screens of the HUD and instruments, a task that I was NOT looking forward to after my last, nightmarish time with decals. Happily, this time, they went on just fine (sigh of relief :P) and it looked good.

Canada's Hornet: Part 1

2009-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last Summer, I bought Revell's 1/48th scale F/A-18 kit and was not overly happy with the decal schemes provided, so I bought Leading Edge Decals for it, representing a Canadian Air Force fighter. Ten Months later, I'm finally getting started.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the box was the massive amount of parts, over 125 parts, and many took up the entire length of the box. Then I realized, this was going to be a massive project; But not to worry, I have my loyal assisstant, Hairy, as seen in the photo to help me! :P

Changing Gears...

2009-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

I know that some of my readers are probably looking forward to seeing my finished Tiger. Unfortunately, I am losing interest in that model, so I am taking a break and starting on my next one, Revell's F-18. Over the next whileI will work on two models, the (C as I am modelling a Canadian Plane) CF-18 and the Tiger when it strikes my fancy; I will keep you updated on both as they are under progress.

Tiger I Information

2009-05-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

I figured that some people would be interested to learn about the Tiger I tank, so I am using the best of the information from "Tiger I Information Center" http://www.alanhamby.com/history.shtml

Production was ordered to start in August 1942. It took 300,000 man hours to build one Tiger, almost twice as much time as a Panther required.

The average cost of a Tiger was 250,000 Reichsmarks. In comparison, a PzKpfw III cost RM 96,200, and a PzKpfw IV RM 103,500; all these figures do not include weapons and radios. The Tiger cost $100,000 in 1941 U.S. dollars. Adjusted for inflation, a Tiger I today would cost approximately $1,282,051. By comparison, the United States current M1A1 Abrams tank costs $4,300,000.

The new tank was officially designated Panzerkampfwagen VI H (88mm) (SdKfz 182) Ausführung H1. The design program had been known as the Tigerprogram and in March of '42 the Germans began referring to the panzer as the Tiger.The influence of the Tiger on Allied morale, known as Tigerphobia, was so powerful that British General Montgomery banned all reports mentioning it's prowess in battle. The Tiger's greatest fame was gained in a single action in Normandy where the SS Obersturmführer Michael Wittman destroyed an entire column of 25 tanks, 14 half-tracks and 14 bren-gun carriers in a few short minutes with one Tiger.

The vehicle used in this remarkable feat is the one I am currently modelling.

Taking a Break from Armour...

2009-04-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm figuring that all of my readers (the few that there are) are tired of seeing my Tiger I in progress so I figured that I would show "my few" a model in honor of "THE few". I finished my Tamiya Spitfire Mk. I a couple of weeks ago, but decided against a full story of the finishing due to a nightmarish experience with the decals (Don't even ask...). Now that its done and my blood pressure has been lowered from that whole escapade, here are a couple of pictures. As you may notice, the chap sitting on the wing is the one I made in a build a few months ago!

Painting German Armour Pt.4

2009-04-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Excuse my mistake on the previous post, but I painted the accessories after I finished the camouflage. I used Country Maple by Decoart for the wooden handles of the tools. All gray was painted by using a 1:1 ratio of silver and black paints, in order to create a lustrous appearance to all metal surfaces. When I looked at the metal that clamped the tools to the vehicle, I carefully matched the paint to the colour of the camouflage beneath.

Painting German Armour pt.3

2009-04-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've now put on the camouflage colors. I used Decoart Burnt Sienna and Hunter Green for the stripes. I tried to make them as small as possible for historical accuracy.This was probably the easiest part to paint, and also the funnest. My Tiger actually looks like a Tiger now! The next part will be on weathering the tank.

Painting German Armour Pt. 2

2009-03-28T14:43:00.001-07:00

The coat of Dunkelgeb is now on. This is a very specific shade of yellow that was used by the Germans for summer camo in WW2. I used Tamiya XF-60 to paint the Tiger. I cannot stress this enough, wear a respirator when using anything other than craft acrylics. You cannot get this color in craft paints, take my word for it =(
I painted it completely but left enough black showing as to make it look worn and shadowed. The next step is doing green and brown lines.

Painting German Armour Pt.1

2009-03-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's finally here! My Tamiya late war Tiger is together. Now as we all know the painting of a model is when the character of it comes out. The first thing I did was give a base coat of black. This will give the model's lines a deeper look. Also, it will add depth to the zimmerit. I used Decoart black. The next step will be to add the distinctive dunkelgeb, dark yellow(which was very hard to find).

Two Nearly Complete Models...

2009-02-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

In the past few months, I have had two models on the go: The Tamiya Tiger (I've been working on this one for many months) and the Tamiya Spitfire MK. I. Both are nearly complete so you can expect to see pictures in the coming month(s).

Kit-Bashing Figures Pt.3

2009-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

For this next part of the Kit-Bashing section, I'll take a look at figure modding, making parts from scratch. For this part, I'll be using the figure from the Tamiya 1/48th scale Supermarine Spitfire MK. I kit. I began by cutting out the parts and drilling a hole in his torso and right arm (already detached in the kit mold). I did this because I inserted a piece of wire to hold the arm in place. After getting the angle right, I used wood putty to create the rest of his arm. I then painted him accordingly (look through my archives to find articles about figure painting) as an RAF pilot from the Battle of Britain.

Show Your Support!

2009-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

In the "Fellow Modellers" Tab, press "Follow this Blog" to show your support for "Zaltar's Guide to Scale Modelling" if you have a Blogger account. If you don't, it's quick and easy to make one, and it also allows you to make your own blog and access many other cool features. I hope to see you in the Fellow Modellers tab!

One Year and 45 Posts Later...

2009-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

One year... In the first weeks I doubted that this website would last one month; but here we are, February 1st, 2009, one year after my first post. Thank you to all of my visitors for keeping me optimistic about this project by watching the hit counter slowly but surely rise to its current number of 777 (strange how that sort of thing works out, isn't it?); without you I would have lost interest a long time ago. I hope that you will continue to return to Zaltar's Guide to Scale Modelling for a long time to come. I wish to continue to provide modelling tips for many years to come, and I want to see many more February firsts to come and go on this site.

Best wishes to all for the next year!

zaltar

Kit-Bashing Figures Pt. 2

2009-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

For putting together new figures, I use my secret weapon, a ball of clay. How that happens to be a secret weapon you may ask; I use it to dry fit arms, legs, hats, you name it. I am then able to place the figure in a model accordingly, now able to see if any changes are required. I did that with my Tiger's gunner. I then saw that the body was too large, so I had to cut down on the poor chaps "gluteus maximus" in order to fit properly. After sawing that down, I then dry-fitted him one last time, and then glued him together.

Kit-Bashing Figures: Pt. 1

2009-01-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Models always look more realistic with figures, so this new section is dedicated to creating figures from multiple kits, better known as "Kit-Bashing". The idea came to me after I had finished the Zimmerit on my Tiger I. The kit looked rather unrealistic with only commander Michael Wittmann (the tank is based on Wittmann's final Tiger, 007) and I had left the hatches open for an good interior view, but the inside looked very barren, so I decided that it needed another figure. After an unsuccessful hunt for tank crewmen on the internet, I realized that I would have to take matters into my own hands: I needed to make my own figure.

I started off by looking through the good old spares box. In there I found some British 8th Army crewmen from the Tamiya Universal Carrier, and decided that one of them would do. I then found a German hat for him from the Tiger ,put it on him, and he strangely looked really good and it was a perfect fit. Thankfully, the figure will be inside of the turret, because I don't know of any SS tankers in Normandy wearing khaki shorts and long combat socks!

Tip of the Week

2009-01-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

There's almost no need to buy expensive model paints; I suggest that you go to your local dollar store and buy some cheap acrylics. That's exactly what I do, I can get every color that I need in Deco-Art paints, each squeeze bottle costs under a dollar.

Tip of the Week

2009-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

The first Tip of the Week for 2009 is to never get rid of old sprues, because you just never know when you're going to need an unused piece or make a new one. This has helped me on multiple occasions.

A Belated Christmas Present!

2008-12-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

Scramble for your bazookas everybody, there's a new Tiger in town! The Tamiya Tiger is almost done! Reconnaissance reports show these blurry new pictures of this Tiger, probably preparing to storm the front lines in early 2009!

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt VII

2008-12-13T13:18:00.001-08:00

The final step to finishing my Universal Carrier was to weather. First, I made a wash out of Burnt Umber paint, (don't ask me what sort of paint/water ratio I used; I just poured a glob of paint into a cup and put some water in with it) and painted over the chassis with it. I let it dry for about 30 seconds and then wiped it off. The results were FANTASTIC!!! I then applied a wash of Light Avocado and painted over the decals to look like worn paint. I highly recommend this to anybody who wants to add extra realism. Also, I applied deep cuts to the paint and plastic and washed over them with Forest Fern, not with silver. After reading magazine articles and seeing multiple tanks up close, I learned that when a tank receives a cut or a chip, it doesn't immediately wear down to bare metal, but reveals a less faded version of the main base coat.

After that I added a coat of mud to the lower part of the vehicle. For this I used Tamiya's Weathering Master, (item 87079), and painted on the mud color. This is a very accurate and cheap way to give your model added realism. For the tracks, I simply applied a red-ish brown wash and put them on. This was fairly simple, but most of the time, you need a second set of hands.

Overall, this was a fantastic kit that I really enjoyed building as an early armour model.

***** 5/5 to Tamiya for such an excellent kit!

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt VI

2008-12-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

The most daunting task on the road to finishing my Universal Carrier was markings. Personally, I wanted to model my Carrier after the Universal Carrier of the Calgary Museum of the Regiments, the first one that I saw up close. I VERY CAREFULLY painted in the insignias on the front of the vehicle. This took multiple tries, having to redo the maple leaf on many occaisions, making this a fairly tedious process. Then I placed some decals from the kit, #'s T-252910 and carefully painted a "C" in front of the "T's" in order to make the vehicle Canadian. I then applied a wash of the base color to blend in the decals.

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt V

2008-11-23T15:48:00.001-08:00

After finishing the Jerry Cans and other accessories, I wanted to make the "lived in" feel to my model even more obvious so I went foraging through all of the extra parts given for this kit and decided to add one of the extra helmets. The only problem with this was that the inner part was far too small to be accurate a this scale so I took my Dremel tool to the inside and made it far deeper. I then took a piece of paper, cut it into a circle and glued strips of tin foil onto it to make helmet liner and straps. I painted the liner Tan and the outside of the helmet Forest Fern. I then added it into the driving compartment along with some ammo boxes.

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt IV

2008-11-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

After completing the Enfield rifles, I then went on to work on the Bren Guns. I painted the three of them with metallic black as a base coat, and then added a normal black wash to bring out the fantastic details on the guns. I then added Burnt Umber to the end and the handles. After that I painted all of the accessories, and when I say all, I mean ALL of the accessories, like backpacks, ammo pouches, Jerry Cans, Ration boxes, everything that a real wartime vehicle should have. The monotonous task didn't take too long when I used an assembly line idea, and painted one side of one Jerry can, Storage Box, or whatever, then cut off another and did the same. When I had finished all of them on one side, the first side would be dry and I could paint the others.

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt III

2008-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

The kit comes with two Lee Enfeild bolt action rifles, and both are supposed to sit neatly in the rifle rack in the middle of the vehicle, but I decided, since I chose mine to look like an operational vehicle, I decided to add a strap to one and place it in a corner of the Carrier. I took a normal sheet of Tin Foil and cut small, thin strips out of it, and attached it to the places on the rifle where they went on the real gun. I then painted the rifle Burnt Umber and the strap in Tan. The effect was extremely satisfying.

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk.II: Pt II

2008-11-02T11:42:00.001-08:00

After finishing painting the wheels, I found all of the parts that require cushions ( seats, back rests, etc.) To do this I started out with a coat of Burnt Umber and and created texture by "poking" ( the only word that I could think of to describe the hand motion...) the brush on the wet paint. I waited for it to dry, and then dry brushed on Roan Red and Country Maple paints. This gave a nice finish to the seats, giving them the perfect look of the real vehicle.

Next I painted the tools on the back of the carrier. The handles received a base coat of Roan Red and the metal parts storm cloud grey. While these were drying I applied a coat of Cashmere and Forest Fern to the fabric parts above. When the tools were dry, I painted the wood Country Maple and the metal a metalic black.

2008-11-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

Finishing the Tamiya Universal Carrier Mk. II: Part I

2008-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought it was about time for another review [Being as the last one finished on April 5.... :P ] and luckily, I'm just about finished Tamiya's British Universal Carrier Mk II - Forced Recon( http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=35249 for more details) so I decided that I should explain how I worked on finishing the Carrier.

I started off by painting it Deco-Art's Americana Light Avocado paint. ( For a full line of Deco-Art Paints go to http://www.decoart.com/) I chose this color after many failed attempts to make my own shade, but this one was just about perfect. I painted the carrier in two parts; the main hull and then the front guard area. After painting the these I applyed black Deco-Art paint to the wheels. (For future reference; all paint that I use is Deco-Art, so I won't be stating the brand from now on.) I was exceptionally pleased with the result, because it really made the color of the vehicle appear darker.

Tip of the Week

2008-10-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Don't let large tasks like zimmerit or individual track links intimidate you, they only take time but aren't that hard. Before I started on my Tiger's zimmerit, I was very intimidated, but it isn't overly hard; It just takes a lot of time. (Zimmerit's almost done... pics soon hopefully....)

Tip of the Week

2008-09-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Take a look around at your local dollar store. There can be all sorts of useful things that you would never know about if you didn't take a look. The only place where I get all of my paints, brushes, and multiple other useful items is at the nearest dollar store.

Tip of the Week

2008-09-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

Are you still painting your models with a brush or aerosol spray paint can? If so, buy a cheap airbrush and compressor. These simple tools may be quite expensive, but the results on your model are worth it.

Tip of the Week

2008-08-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Use safety glasses!! I know that they're clunky and can be a pain, but would you rather be more comfortable and end up with your eyes glued open or have your vision and continue to build models? The choice is yours but I'll always choose the latter.

Tip of the Week

2008-08-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the last wait. I was on holidays and not around a computer for the last while. But with holidays comes new models. The latest in this lineup are:

British Universal Carrier Forced Recon - Tamiya
A-10 Thunderbolt - Revell Monogram
F-18 Hornet - Revell
Decals for F-18 - Leading Edge Decals

and I got putty to apply zimmerit to my Tamiya Tiger, which by the way, is based after Michael Wittman's last vehicle. (Pics soon!!)

Anyways, now you're all wondering what the tip of the week is. This week's tip is to use ordinary tin foil and wire to detail your models. Tin foil can be bought at most grocery stores for a low price, and wire can be found at almost any hardware or craft store. You can use these two, inexpensive items to keep your models looking professional without the extra costs.

Tip of the Week

2008-06-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry to all of my readers that I haven't been on lately. I just haven't gotten around to it. Anyways, the tip of the week is to use wood putty rather than use expensive model putty to fill gaps. Wood filler can be bought at the average hardware or woodworking store. It's a quick, and inexpensive fix for a common problem.

Tip of the Week

2008-05-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

The tip of the week for this week is to buy modelling magazines. Some have excellent references to other people's models and tips and tricks that even I wouldn't think of. The only problem is that sometimes the cost of subscription can be more than the everyday modeller can afford.

Tip of the Week

2008-05-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Don't hole yourself up in your garage and build models forever. Spend some time with your mom for Mother's Day and tell her how much you care about her.

Tip of the Week

2008-05-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Buy lots of models at a time. It will let you get a variety of models in a short period of time.

Tip of the Week

2008-04-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Why bother buying the expensive sprue cutters when you can just use copper wire cutters? They're cheaper, easier to find, and they work just the same! Just ask for them at your local hardware store.

Tip of the Week

2008-04-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Make dioramas for armour models. It really makes your model stand out in the crowd, just like my new Pak 40! They take a bit of time and work so don't get discouraged, because it'll all be worth it in the end!

We are Undergoing Changes...

2008-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the title says it all, we're undergoing major changes. First of all, I'm getting rid of the theme of the month sections because, well, I can't be bothered to think up a tip that goes along with the theme. It's actually hard work to operate a website in your spare time. I'll continue to put out tips every Sunday (or asap) and reviews at the end of most months. I hope you'll understand. I'm also excited about some future reviews, because I just got a Tamiya 1/35 Tiger I (YES!!) and also I made a Pak 40 Diorama (look for pictures in the near future).

Yes we're still going strong!!

An Officer's Story: Airfix British 8th Army Review; Pt.3

2008-04-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

The next thing that I did was paint on the accessories, such as the pistol, the pouches, the hat, etc. For the hat I painted it a light tan on the top, a dark tan on the front, the brim black, and I added a little gold insignia. I painted the pouches a dark tan and the pistol grey. At that I had finished the officer.

An Officer's Story: Airfix British 8th Army Review; Pt.2

2008-04-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

The next thing that I did was paint the flesh. I painted the flesh first because then I wouldn't have to paint around the uniform. I painted the face and the arms and legs with little paint so that a fair amount of detail could be seen. I then painted all of the uniform and hat a light tan. I painted over all of the other parts because I would paint over them.

An Officer's Story: Airfix British 8th Army Review; Pt.1

2008-03-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

With March coming to a close, I'm going to go throught the steps that I went through to finish the officer from Airfix's 1/72 scale British 8th Army kit. I bought this kit last summer and really didn't get around to making it until now. When I first opened the box, the first thing I noticed was the quality of the kit. The figures are some of the best that I've ever seen. The molding was almot perfect with only a few lines and minimal flash. As I was looking throught the sprues one figure caught my eye. That figure was an officer that had no mold lines and looked better than the rest. When I looked at him I knew that he was the best figure in the kit. After a couple of weeks the box was put somewheres and was almost forgotten until a few weeks ago I took it out, having finished my last kit, the Tamiya Pak 40, (look for the pictures, coming soon) and sprayed the figures. Then they were ready for painting. The officer is shown in the picture with the Airfix Panzer IV

Tip of the Week

2008-03-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

For the last tip of the week for figures, I decided to use a tip that may seem obvious to some, but to others, this may be a lifesaver. Use any form of magnification to see your work better. With the help of a pair of magnifying glasses, you can see detail that you never have even seen with the naked eye.

Tip of the Week

2008-03-16T13:45:00.001-07:00

Use reference sources. Before you go ahead and paint those awesome new figures that you bought, you should try and find a picture or something to base your color scheme after. I suggest Google Images searches or go the old fashioned way and go to your local library where you could find a book on the topic. Note: books with color photos are best for obvious reasons.

Tip of the Week

2008-03-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Paint your figure as you would dress them. Well, if you don't get what I mean by that, I mean to paint flesh first, then the uniform, and last any accessories that come with it, like pouches and guns. This will guarantee an excellent looking model every time.

This Month's Theme Is...

2008-03-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Figures. I sincerely apologize to my avid readers, [If there are any=)] about being so late into March for the new theme to start. The Panther review took a little longer than suspected, but it was my first review so it was a learning curve for me. Anyways, back to the theme. Figures can be the most difficult form of models to finish, but if you do the proper steps and do some other things, the result is extremely satisfying, but one thing to remember is that the smaller that you go, the less detail you get from painting.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 6

2008-03-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

Today I'll talk about painting and finishing the Panther. I have left off the tool racks, tracks, and all other accessories that go on the sides. I painted it in three parts: chassis, body, and turret. After masking off the figures I airbrushed on Decoart Tan on all the parts.c Then I free handed the camouflage using Decoart Burnt Sienna and Hunter Green. After the paint dried I added a Decoart gloss coat. Then I painted all tool and accessories. I also gave the tracks a dry brushing of Decoart Burnt Umber. After this was finished I used a bit more of the same brown form the tracks on the tools, body bottom edges, and wheels. Then I added the decals, Which are beautiful with lots of options(I chose Totenkopf division) Then I used Tamiya's weathering master tool powders to blend in the decals a bit and a a bit of roughness to the model. And there you have it, a great tank that looks straight from the battle.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 5

2008-03-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today I'll talk about the chassis of the Panther. This is two pieces(the main bottom and the back) with wheels separate. The wheels are nicely molded with very little clean-up to do. Make sure you put these on in the right order or you'll have a big problem. This is monotonous but be patient it looks great when it's done. The rear of the tank has some exhaust pipes and the jack and these are mediocre, not perfect but they'll do. That's all for the chassis, next post will be painting.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 4

2008-03-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

Today I will talk about The hull of the tank. This was one piece with tools and handles that had to be glued. All the pieces went on fine and there is very little to say about this stage. The handles near the engine grates are tricky but be patient. This was the quickest part to finish. I left the tools off until after painting.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 3

2008-02-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today I'll talk about the figures for the tank. This kit includes a commander and driver. The driver comes in 4 parts(body&head,arms,legs) and the commander comes in 3(body&head, arms) These are both molded well with minimal flash and great detail. The fit of the parts is excellent and the construction is fast. Make sure the commander's arms are postioned right or he won't stand straight. I painted them using mostly Decoart crafters acrylics. These are cheap and you can find them almost anywheres (even at Wal-Mart) I painted the uniforms using a mix of black,navy blue, and grey. The faces were one coat of flesh. The boots and gloves were black with a gloss painted over them. After the main coat had dried I highlighted the inlaid detail with lines of black. Tomorrow we'll talk about the hull.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 2

2008-02-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

When you open the box you see, well, a lot of plastic pieces, about 150 of them. These are well molded and with very few marks to speak of. The instructions say to build the chassis first but I left that for last.The turret is made up of basically two parts, The gun and mantlet and the turret body. The gun goes together nicely with a little filler on the seam. The mantlet fits perfectly on the turret and is moveable.After attaching the main parts I noticed the back of the turret had two large ruts. A little bit of filler will do to fix those. I then added the details, hatches, spare track holders, etc. The turret looked great, with the right texture and fit.

Tamiya Panther Ausf. A Build; Part 1

2008-02-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well, as February comes to a close, I've decided to do a tank build/review. Luckily, shortly before I made this decision, I finished the Tamiya Late Panther Ausf. A (Kit #35065). As I built some of it before the website went up, I won't be able to show it as it is being built, but I do have finished photos up.

Tip of the Week

2008-02-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

Tanks were not clean machines. They threw up lots of dirt and mud that splattered all over them. So when building a tank weather, weather, weather.

Tip of the Week

2008-02-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

Most instructions say to build the wheels on tank first, but the wheels are boring, tedious and hard. Always do them last to avoid frustration. Wouldn't you rather see a turret with a big gun build before your eyes or just alot of circles? I would pick the turret, and I bet most other people would to.

Tip of the Week

2008-02-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

Use figures whenever the kit supplies them. It adds a sense of scale and a bit of character, plus they're really fun to paint!

This Month's Theme is...

2008-02-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

The theme for the month of February is Tanks. You've all seen them. You've all looked in awe at the enormous gun on the front of them. You've all wanted to build one. Most of you have. Tanks are some of the most popular model themes and there are lots of excellent kits out there. The only problem about armour models is the price. If you want a really awesome and realistic armour kit with photo etched pieces and the whole nine yards, expect to lay down about $50-$70. This makes it difficult to buy good medium to large scale armour kits. Actually, if you want a fair amount of detail or realism at a good price, I reccomend buying small. By small I mean 1/72 scale tanks, and I have to reccomed Airfix for their quality, quantity and some interesting tank designs such as the Churchill Crocodile Tank and the Sherman Crab tank, with more on the way this year like the Matilda Hedgehog, the Sherman Calliope, and the Churchill bridge layer.

Welcome!

2008-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Zaltar's Guide to Scale Modelling! Are you tired of those rich European modellers saying, "OOOOHHHH! Look at me I'm painting details rivaling the real life inspiration," or "OOOOHHHH!Look at my $50 paints" Well I am too. The reason behind this blog is to show us average Joe modellers that they can make good models without breaking their banks. Every month I will give you a new tip for modelling and every so often I'll show pictures of mine.

Keep posted and please try not to throw out your models when you're pissed because it doesn't look like an expert's version.