29.1.15

SPRUE CUTTERS UNION: Old Dog, New Tricks

Setting up shop


Last year, my efforts at this hobby began with a bang. I had completed 2 models and well on my way to a third by end of February. I had a (realistic) list of kits I wanted to complete by end of year too. By mid year, life started to get busy with freelance, family, weddings and vital summer activities like drinking on the porch. And then towards the end of 2014, our family went through some very unfortunate events. All I can say is: Life is Precious. During this period, to help deal with everything and take some of the strain off, I decided to work on something big and majestic. I didn’t want to rush it, and there would be no hard dead line. This build was about enjoyment, dedicated downtime while nudging my build skills up some. So, after 8 years of daydreaming about it, I laid out the pieces of Polar Light’s amazing kit of the Refit Enterprise (measuring a giant 36” when complete) and got to work. 

I don’t think this will be a quick build by any means. I was hoping to have her assembled and primed with a coat of white by the end of 2014 but when the new year drew near, it wasn’t realistic but I didn’t really let it bother me much (which is a first for me). Those not familiar with this sexy beast, it should be said that the original studio model had one of the most spectacular paint jobs, with a type of Aztec pattern airbrushed on using different shades of pearlescent paint. Though there are decals available to replicate this, I am planning on investing in a fine tip airbrush (0.2) and apply it by hand with the aid of vinyl templates… which I think will offer ample amounts of quality downtime as well as pushing my skill set with that medium. This will be my main project for the rest of the year. I’ll definitely get to a few other kits too… have a few bikes and cars of italian origin I would like to see on my shelf at some point. In terms of adding to my stash, I suffer severely from purchasing kits and I'm planning on paring this back to one a month. Something I've been meaning to try is using metallic pigments to represent metal casting, such as an engine block. 

I also share a studio space with my missus and another friend, as living in the city, our apartments are a bit tight for space. Plus it gives us the opportunity to separate ‘work’ from ‘home’. Its been an ongoing challenge to get the whole space, as its a sub-lease through another friend, who uses it as a storage space. We’ve got access to half the space but it could still use a bit of TLC. So another goal for this year is to get that space set up properly with grown up furniture. This space would be my main area for satisfying my plastic addiction, having all my paints and supplies there as well as anything related such as books, scratch building material, compressor and spray booth. Pretty much the goal once all is sorted is to show up and get building. 

So to sum up, the plan is to work on one major project, with a few smaller ones on the side, improve my airbrushing skills and metallic rendering as well as set up a proper space in which to work. Also, I plan on finally getting a smart phone so I'll be able to post progress on builds in real time. Lastly, I think 2015 is going to be a great year! I’m really happy the Sprue Cutters Union is back and I’m looking forward to seeing what projects everyone is dedicating their time to!

_pL 

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