My NCI airfield module was a bit basic really. It was built in a rush to take to Stuttgart, and I wanted to upgrade it before it went to TINGS and then to Stuttgart again. In particular, the tarmac was printed cardboard standing, and it was obvious that the oil stain patterns were repeated several times. And there was a large step in the tarmac where the glue had failed.
So I tore up the tarmac and replaced it with Walthers Parking Lot. Expensive for some sheets of plastic, but it has a good concrete texture and well moulded shallow joints. With a bit of weathering it looks better than before.
The fencing is still a bit basic, but will have to suffice. There was one damaged area, so I added a demonstration. Placards outside the wire and a few police. Inside are the men with balaclavas, guns and dogs.
Way back, I’d bought some resin kits for airfield compressors and the like. I then lost them. Finding them again at the back of a bookshelf, I made them up and added the tiny decals. A length of wire drilled and superglued into resin and tarmac should hold them in place.
To complete the scene, I’ve added a couple of cars. It’s all a bit multi-national, with UK bobbies, German special forces, and a US station commander and cop car. But I like it.
Aircraft are three 1/144 drone kits. Two little Reapers and the enormous Global Hawk. Rather fiddly to build and there are a few missing decals where things went wrong. But they look OK. The drones do give the demonstrators something to get excited about. The end result is a satisfying upgrade to the old airfield and a very acceptable cameo to take to the shows.
As a little light relief, in parallel I’ve built a 1/35 Tamiya Austin Tilly WWII utility vehicle. Like most Tamiya kits, it fell together. I didn’t worry too much at getting the exact green finish – just a fun build. And also a modelling recommendation – black thin superglue that is idea for seam filling on plastic kits. I saw this used on YouTube, and it works as well as it did there. The black colour makes it easy to see where you have added it, and where you have rubbed it down.
esngblog 