General Update

Been tinkering with a few models and here's a little update on them.

First up, the Diopark bicycle is now ready for paint...

All it needed was the parcel tray and supports added.  Really nice model.  Next one I'll add a basket to the front and a box on the back, while removing the cross bar and making it a tad more modern.

I have also built Diopark Honda Cub #2. This time I aligned the rear spokes properly and used the double seat rather than the single saddle.  Nice little (if very fiddly) kit...

I'll make the single seater a Ramen delivery bike, complete with weird hanging thing attached to the rear parcel tray area.

Finally, progress continues with the attempt to convert the old Arii hand cart into one of these:

(images from various websites, found after an image trawl)

So far I've removed the closed end of the cart where the stove is.  From what I can tell, these carts seem to be different from the next, with only the design of the stove being similar, which is a help.  So next I need to scratchbuild the stove, metal box, chimney and then work on the details...

Arii Showa era cart upgraded.

The DioPark bicycles got me thinking and I dug out the old Arii 'rear car' from my Showa box and decided that, with some simple changes it could be a decent little diorama extra.

These carts were everywhere in the Showa era (both before and after the war) so any period diorama would benefit from having one somewhere in the background.  I have seen guys in Akihabara pulling these things laden with cardboard for recycling, and my good friend Phil even photographed an abandoned one earlier this year on his trip to Japan.

The kit comes from this set:

I have sadly lost the Sweet Potato seller's additional features, but the core cart is still there.  These were mostly just frames with wheels, but the Arii version has a wooden floor and I'm assuming wooden sides, although they could even be canvas I suppose.  The frame around the wheels is a little thick but doesn't look too bad... however the wheels have to go: they are thick and solid, with the spokes represented as raised lines radiating from a central hub.
I had some spare Tamiya German bicycles and Aber detail sets for them, so decided to sacrifice parts for this... all for the better good ^_^

I removed the front wheels from both bikes and cut away the moulded spokes and front forks, but kept the mudguard in place... it looks nice.  I then added the Aber etched spokes and fixed the new wheels to the cart.  The wheel frames needed the hub pin cut down, but other than that it was a very simple job.

With a figure so show the size of the model...

Now to think what to do with it... finding photos of these on the internet is a nightmare, as are any Showa era photos of everyday life.  All I can do really is watch a few Japanese films from the 1960s and try to figure out what it should be used for.  The sweet potato original might be an option, and a challenge as I would need to scratchbuild pretty much everything, including the cooking equipment.
I'll post the finished model once I've decided what to use it for...

New DioPark Japanese Bikes - Part 2

Well, thought I would try one of the DioPark bikes... and they are fiddly little things, with the spokes wheels being very fragile.  After much swearing and cursing I managed to get one 99% built (needs the rack on the back added and I lost the bell... it's the size of a pinhead.
The slightly wonky spoke rims hopefully won't be too obvious once painted ^_^

Here it is with the one I converted from a Tamiya German bicycle...

New DioPark Japanese bikes

DioPark of China have released a new set of Japanese pushbikes in 1/35 scale... not 1/32, but close enough.  The bikes are well-detailed, and you have the option of moulded wheel spokes or finely etched ones, complete with dished mouldings for creating the right look for the wheels.  These should also work with the Aber set of wheel spokes for the Tamiya bikes.

So, here are some photos of this new set...

The business placards for the bikes are cut-off-and-stick-on card from the back of the box... not ideal to be honest.

Two complete kits in the box, so two sets of etched spokes and placards for the cross-bar.

The plastic parts...

And the instructions...

This looks like the models will build up beautifully, and will go well with my cars and planned mini dioramas.  They are MUCH better detailed than the Tamiya German bikes that these resemble... the advantage of CAD design over traditional hand-made masters.

Honda T360

As a break from Land Rovers I've returned back to my Showa models and started on the Arii 1/32 Honda T360 little truck.  This a lovely little model which can benefit from some extra detailing.
I will be opening the door windows and detailing the cab, and will also replace the rear canvas cover over the body.  The Arii roof is rather featureless and lacking in detail.  To remedy this I have made a frame from brass wire and will add the canopy (once the rest is painted) from good quality tissue, cut to shape and soaked in a water/PVA glue mix.  As it dries the tissue will shrink to emphasise the frame, will be hard and have a good texture.  I can then add the tie downs from waxed thread, replacing the lashing hooks with bent wire.

This is the model with the plastic tilt in place...

As you can see, it looks just like a big lump sitting there... and this closer image of the part doesn't make it look any better.

So here is the model with my brass wire hoops added.  I still need to add the bracing parts of the frame, which I am assuming are running lengthwise just below the bend in each hoop... I haven't been able to find a photo of the tilt removed exposing the hoops.

The interior is nicely handled, but I will be adding more detail...

Just to show you how small this little vehicle was, I have a couple of comparison shots - one with a Land Rover, and one with a man on a Honda Super Cub...

The size of these Kei vehicles never ceases to amaze me.

I've also decided to finish this as a hard working little truck which has been roughly treated, so I will be adding the odd dent, some rust and fading paint.  It won't be as bad as my VW Beetle, but won't be in showroom condition either.  Kind of half-way between these sad examples found on http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2114172

Mata atode 

(see you soon)

A little improvement

While I was working on a Land Rover kit the other night I noticed that on the clear parts sprue there were strange little ball-shaped tags from the moulding process, and they looked useful somehow... then I looked at my Showa Diorama... and at the street light...

Originally the bulb was just the kit part painted white...

The new bulb is clear and instantly looks much more realistic.

I also decided to try and play about with a photo of the diorama and came up with this... it's not that great, but it killed ten minutes or so...

Airfix Modern Cars

In the 1960s and 70s Airfix of Britain produced a wide range of 1/32 cars of the type you could see on any street in the UK or Europe.  All featured a full chassis, interior detail, glazing and plastic tyres rather than rubber, as seen in all of the Arii kits.  Unlike the Arii kits, however, some Airfix kits were sold in an alternative packaging with parts to allow the car to run on a track, similar to Scalextric.  Indeed there are collectors out there who are happy to buy up classic kits and turn them into toys rather than detailed static models.
Some people are barbarians, haha...

Where was I?  Oh yes... this range of modern cars was supplemented by sports cars of the day, such as the Ford GT40 and the like, and the range ran in tandem with Airfix's classic cars, which were all pre-war.  They did produce one model that straddled the eras, Monty's Humber... this was a large open top saloon used by General (later Field Marshall) Montgommery during WW2.  I plan to get the reissued version, but that's another story.

The cars eventually left the range in the '80s, with only the classic cars making an appearance... however, in the late '90s they started to make a comeback.  The first reissues were the Aston Martin DB5, Jaguar E-Type, MGB and Triumph TR4.  These sporty cars were obvious choices as they are rightly seen as classics. Later the VW Beetle joined them.  Apart from the Beetle these kits are still available from Airfix.
In the early part of the century Airfix then released a classic cars set, containing the Ford Escort Mk1, Triumph Herald and the MGB.  The Escort and Herald are also on sale as I write.  There was another, limited set which again contained three cars, but this time one of the cars was the Vauxhall Viva HA, a rather boring square car, but highly common and popular during the '60s and '70s.  The Viva is currently not available.

When Airfix stopped producing these kits some of the moulds were sold on to a company called MRRC.  To my knowledge only the Mini was sold as a proper kit, the others being sold as motorised racing cars.  However, three of the saloons DID make a reappearance in the '80s: Cortina Mk1, Zodiac Mk3 and Capri Mk1... as street rods, the tooling reworked to add bulges and slots in the bodywork, forever ruling out their reissue as normal car kits.

While Arii has a huge range of reissued LS and Otaki kits under its banner, Airfix has only a relative few car kits in 1/32 on release, however some of these are new models, such as the Mini Cooper S, based on the BMW version rather than the classic Mini, as well as some World Rally Cars.  Like the original Airfix car kits they have plastic wheels rather than rubber tyres, a mistake as far as I'm concerned.

Finally, here is a listing of the Airfix Modern Cars produced in the '60s and '70s.  I haven't included the racing cars, or the Dune Buggy.

Aston Martin DB5  +
Austin Healey Sprite Mk1  +
Austin Maxi
Bond Bug 700E
Ford Capri Mk1
Ford Cortina Mk1  *
Ford Escort Mk1  +*
Ford Zodiac Mk3  *
Jaguar 420
Jaguar E-Type  +
Maserati Indy
Mercedes 280SL
MG1100 Saloon
MGB  +
Morris Marina
Morris Mini Minor/Austin Seven  *
Renault Dauphine
Sunbeam Rapier
Triumph Herald  +*
Triumph TR4A  +
Vauxhall Victor 2000 Eastate
Vauxhall Viva HA  *
Volkswagen 1200 Beetle  *

Those marked with * are ones I have.  Kits with + are currently available.

Back to modelling next time ^_^