2020 Year in Review

In 2020 I started off productive on the modeling front and pretty well kept that pace going forward. Until the pandemic interrupted us all I was regularly attending model club meetings and, fortunately, after they went virtual I was able to attend a few more.

I completed far more than I had expected this year, although not all of the projects I intended to complete were finished. I did pick up two 1st place finishes at monthly model meetings for my Grot Egg Plane and my Star Wars AT-M6. I was also honored to be receive Modeler of the Year for 2020 (a designation determined by points accumulated for various hobby related achievements throughout the year.

I worked on several projects which I have yet to finish. Most notably I've started working on a collection of Hollywood cars. So far in the works are Ghostbusters, Ready Player One, Aliens, and Wayne's World. I also have a Deadpool Bust, the other halves of both my Dark Imperium and Blitz Bowl sets, and countless other Warhammer 40k kits to complete.

That pile of plastic shame aside, here are the models/figures I managed to finish this year:

Grot Egg Plane - January 7th

Colonial Viper - February 4th

AT-M6 - February 4th

Death Guard - April 13th

Stuffed Fables - June 21st

 

 

 

To Boldly Go - November 27th

The Thing - December 10th

H.A.B. Suit - December 15th

I hope that this year was productive for each of you and that you and yours have remained healthy and well during this trying time. I'm optimistic for what 2021 has in store and hope to continue to grow as a modeler and to share that progress with you. What was your hobby progress for 2021, did you check any of the preverbal boxes you set for yourself back in January? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, FB, or in the comments below. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Star Wars: AT-M6

Every so often I step outside the wargaming box to build something different. Recently picked up the Bandai AT-M6 model kit. This is a roughly 1/550th scale kit. It goes together in a snap. No glue required, although I did glue it together. This kit retails for between $6-10 USD. I got it at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon. 

I assembled the model over a couple of hours one evening and completed the base paint and weathering in a single day.

I painted the model with Vallejo acrylics, accented the panel lines with Tamiya Pannel Liner,  and weathered it with AK oil brushers.

The base is a 4x4 plaque from Michaels. Details were sculpted with Tamiya white putty. The entire base was then painted red, Vallejo crackle medium was painted over that and then a tan color was airbrushed over the crackle medium while it was still wet. Using this technique allows for the base color to show once the medium cracks.

Additional rust red powder was brushed on over the tracks and set in place with mineral spirits.

Overall this was a fun little kit to put together.