Новостная лента

Spanjaard
looking really interesting 🙂

M4A1
Thanks! Hope the result will meet your expectations. 🙂 Not the first D-Day project, but just my attempt to built a part of the Atlantikwall in Normandy during D-Day.

Rui S
This is going to be huge. I'm the first boat😉

M4A1
Added some pics of the construction of diorama base and the construction of the PAK gun.

M4A1
The roof parts of the bunker are dry fit.

M4A1
Added some pics of a couple of G.I.'s painted in the base color and the PAK gun which is constructed. Currently assembling some ranger figures and steel obstacles for on the beach. Try to minimize the amount of pics because I love to take lots of pics when working on a project. Also included a pic of the nameplate.

M4A1
Obviously the tyres on the PAK are not fitted the way they are supposed to be fitted. This is done for test purposes.

coporado
Great idea and nice Start, following!

Tini Hendriks
Very nice!

M4A1
The beach, dunes, trench and the German bunker are getting more and more to how I want them to be.

Rewop
Looks great.

coporado
Great progress

M4A1
I've painted the PAK in the dark yellow base color with the airbrush. First I painted it with grey primer, than with black paint and then dark yellow. I tried to do some preshading but that didn't really turned out as I hoped it would. Nevertheless I'm happy with how the PAK looks. I've also painted the details and now I'm doing chips. Washes and drybrushes will be done at the last step.

Simon Nagorsnik
a lot of work to do but look impressive 👍

M4A1
The first piece of barbed wire is finished. Hand made. Painted with Tamiya metallic grey. Still my favorite paint for steel, metal or iron.

Bruce Huxtable
The home-made barbed wire is very impressive. How many more metres to do...? It's coming together for sure 👍

Pepe
Muy buena pinta

M4A1
Thanks for the nice comments. I don't know how many metres of barbed wire I have to add, but it's quite alot. 😁

M4A1
And a little update. Worked on creating sand bags, placed the PAK gun in the bunker and closed the roof.
I've put sand and tufts of grass on the roof of the bunker. Also placed the first parts of barbed wire.

Rui S
Nice progress. Keep it coming 👍

M4A1
A few items of this project have been finished. I finished the German mortar crew and placed them in the dunes. I also added more barbed wire. The barbed wire obstacle is getting somewhere. Also finished painting the dead German that will be placed in the door of the bunker.

David Taylor
Just wow.

M4A1
Thanks David! The first American G.I. is finished. I'm quite happy with how he turned out.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
What a huge project. Awesome work so far! 👍
I think your figure painting skills are top notch.

M4A1
Thank you! Another German soldier is finished. This one might not be as good as the previous German and American G.I. but it's good enough for me. The only thing is that the strap on his rifle is a bit width.

Guy Rump
Looking great! 👍

M4A1
Thanks Guy! The 2nd American G.I. of the 29th ID is finished. I'm happy with the result.

M4A1
The 3rd American G.I. is finished. That makes this one the 9th completed figure of this project. As with the other figures I'm also happy with this one. Let's start working on the 10th. 🙂

Rui S
Impressive figure painting 👍

M4A1
Added some sand bags at the back of the pillbox and added the dead German in the door of pillbox. Also used a white drybrush to add depth and to make the damage to the concrete more visible. On the roof of the pillbox I put some camouflage netting.

M4A1
Added more self made camouflage netting on the roof of the pillbox.

Spanjaard
Nice!

coporado
Great progress here!

M4A1
Thanks guys!

M4A1
Thanks Karl! Add pics of another finished German. Will get it's place soon in the trench.

Rui S
Again, impressive figure painting 👍

M4A1
Thanks Rui! Nice to read. 🙂

M4A1
Sure I can share how I made the sandbags. No problem. I got it from a Dutch tutorial. Will translate it and send it to you.

I've placed the commanding German in the trench. Added a pic of that.

Spanjaard
add the link to the tutorial here, aub 😉

David Taylor
Figures look superb.

M4A1
Thanks for all the positive feedback. Started building seven years ago and never thought I would got this far. Many thanks goes out to a building buddy here in the Netherlands who taught me alot about figure painting.

Guy Rump
Your building buddy taught you well, the figures are excellent! 👍

Pietro De Angelis
Wow, amazing project, figures and dio,
can't wait to see it finished!

Mathias Decommere
This is a magnificent diorama! I love already every inch of it!

M4A1
Thank you Mathias and Pietro. Can't wait myself to see this project finished. By that time I've made more than enough barbed wire. 🙂

Munkyslut
What a fantastic dio!!! I'm more & more impressed every time I look👌

Marcin Snakowski
Good job. It looks very promising!
Using an airbrush, I would add some sandy color to the vegetation. It is now too distinct from the soil. In a similar way and with an oil wash, I would slightly differentiate the sand with darker shades here and there.

M4A1
Thanks guys! When I'll resume working on this project I'll take your suggestions in consideration.

M4A1
The first row of barbed wire runs from left to right in front of the bunker. Took alot of time to get there. I'm gonna add 2 more rows of barbed wire left of the bunker and in front of the trench right to the bunker. Also added the German mg gunner. Gonna add a opened ammo box and a belt of ammo running to the mg.

Doubtingmango
Love these huge projects!

M4A1
Huge it is. 🙂 Currently working on one more big project and after that I'm quite sure I'm done with huge projects. 🙂 Because of the amount of work that goes with it I kind of loose my motivation after a while. Fact remains that if a project like this gets completed you really have something.

M4A1
More barbed wire added. We're getting somewhere. 🙂

M4A1
Last figures are done. Finally, after four years. 🙂 Now I have to finish the base. The end of this project is starting to get in sight.

Mathias Decommere
Patience is key

M4A1
Absolutely. Fact is I shouldn't be working on so many projects at the same time. 🙂

Munkyslut
This is just getting better & better everytime you go near it…….. is your name Midas? Seriously impressed every time I check in👌👌

M4A1
Thank you very much for your compliment! Very nice to read. 🙂

M4A1
The barbed wire is still making good progress. Now working on the area in front of the trench.

Mr James
All that beautiful painting and weathering on the PAK and only the barrel to be seen 😉 Your figure painting on the uniforms is splendid. What a project 🙂

Holger Hubbes
Absolutely awesome

M4A1
Thank you guys! Yes James, in a way it's a pity that only the barrel of the PAK is visible, but I knew that when I started this project. I'm glad that producing and adding the barbed wire is reaching it's end. That took me way more time than I imagined.

CaptGPF
I agree with Mr James - your figures are always top notch! Curious to see how this turns out.

M4A1
Thank you!

M4A1
The final details have been done. Added bits of concrete blown off the bunker by shell fire and sand that got blown away by other shell fire. Next set of photos are from the end result. Coming soon.

CaptGPF
Wünderbar!

M4A1
Thank you!

coporado
Outstanding! super excited for the final shots!

M4A1
Thanks! I'm excited too so I hope I can post them very soon and show this project in it's entirety.

M4A1
The final shots are up. I've got more shots so if more shots are wanted just let me know and I'll post more.

coporado
Fantastic finish, congrats! Will you bring it to any upcoming model Show? Would to love to see that live.

Robert Podkoński
Fantastic job on this demanding kit. Chapeau bas!

BAT21
Thanks for your nice feedback 👍

Anatolii Smyshliaiev
Excellent work. And mine has been standing unpainted for several years. Only in the Mi-10PP version with a container of electronic interference.

BAT21
Yes, the Mi-10PP is still on my to-do list.

Guy Rump
Great job! 👍

Tibor Szilvai
Excellent! 👍

J35J
Impressive work! Congrats👍🏻

BAT21
Many thanks.

Neuling
Clean and careful work on this interesting helicopter. Very appealing paintwork!

bughunter
The picture 11 is the best of this beast 👍

Roland Sachsenhofer
These four pictures begin a project that should result in one of the largest models I have ever attempted. Not the biggest - the 1:32 Liberator holds my record here - but close!
However, the impressively large box contains surprisingly little and, also surprisingly, large components such as the fuselage, wings and tailplane are already assembled. Incidentally, these are made of fibreglass and require their own treatment.
These parts are also stable and clean. A bit of filling was required, as the traces of glue and filler on the seams are very rough and show air pockets. This will now be sanded, the cockpit sawn out and the windows drilled - well, modelling a little differently than usual! 🙂

Gergő Takács
This looks like a cool project! Following.

Treehugger
The panel lines look ok I guess. I mean, I would be happy with those panel lines.

Mr D
Like it , nice project.
I'm working on the Beriev Be-6 Armoured Flying boat,
Revisiting a kit after 33yrs.
All the best with yours...😃👍👍

Robert Podkoński
A true behemoth it is. I will surely follow this build with utmost interest!

gorby
Looking forward to seeing this take shape. 🙂
I believe the last Mars had it's final flight two weeks ago.
Youtube Video
Youtube Video

Nathan Dempsey
Oh my another giant. Following 👀

Robert Podkoński
BTW. Do we see the finished Fairchild in the background, Roland?

Roland Sachsenhofer
I am very happy about all your interest! In fact, I also started this project because of its topicality; the pictures of the last flight of Hawai Mars are always a heart-warming pleasure; this one in particular, thanks Gorby for posting it!

Today I drilled the openings for the windows in the fuselage; I determined the diameter of the holes from kit glass parts. They seem a bit big to me, but we'll see. As I'm not going to use the clear parts from the kit, but want to make them with Klearfix, I could reduce the diameter quite a bit.
The next steps will be to finish sanding the fuselage seams - now only the top side has to be done - and then to glue the wings and stabilisers to the fuselage. To do this, I'm cutting solid steel rods to length, which I'll glue in place with a two-component adhesive.
The Mars should be ready by mid-October: I want to take it to the Euromodel in Ried, Upper Austria.

And yes, In fact, the more or less finished Fairchild F.91 had to serve as a scale model in the background! 🙂

Thomas Mayer
Du bist echt eine Bau-Maschine, Roland! Und immer kommt etwas sehr schönes raus! 👍

Roland Sachsenhofer
Danke für die Einschätzung, Thomas! 🙂

Roland Sachsenhofer
The construction of Mars is progressing: I'll show you a few construction steps in a little 'time lapse'. Attaching the wings and tailplane with 2k glue worked well; the materials could be sanded smooth and fine afterwards. However, the brittleness of the fibreglass caused some difficulties; parts kept splintering off and had to be filled, sanded and re-engraved. As I always do the whole thing standing up, wearing a mask and under running water, this always turns into an almost athletic exercise 🙂 But now it seems to be over and the Mars is ready for its first encounter with colour... I took the two crew members under the cockpit canopy to make the proportions clear and to keep my options open for presenting the finished aircraft - who knows, maybe it will take off or fly?

gorby
It's a bit of a monster! 😮
Doesn't look like an easy build but you seem to be beating it into shape. 🙂

Robert Podkoński
You're the brave man, Roland, not me...

DerMattes
Das schau ich mir weiter an 🙂

Mr D
Looking good Roland 👌
Be a nice bird when she done, pilots look smart 👍👍

Cuajete
Wow... an unusual and gigant model... It seems like fiberglass is difficult to handle.
Great job so far, Roland!

Michael Kohl
Na, da hab ich doch auch nen Blick drauf

Roland Sachsenhofer
Thank you very much for your motivating feedback and your interest, mates!

Łukasz Gliński
I have to follow that behemoth 👍 I don't think I'll ever find enough space to build one myself 😄

Thomas Kolb
My goodness, your models are just getting bigger and bigger! I cannot wait to see it finished!

Finn
Looking interesting, I'm in

Ray Loch
Following as well. Just saw its retirement flyby and landing in Pat Bay, Its Huge.

Roland Sachsenhofer
Fortunately, the Martin Mars has reached the stage where the colouring and surface design will be the main thing; so far I've been 'plugging holes' again and again: the fibreglass surface proves to be quite brittle, damage is difficult to putty, and when re-engraving the lost panel lines it quickly happens that it cracks again under the carefully guided scalpel blade - and a new hole has already appeared. The new pictures show a few such construction sites, for example at the bow under the cockpit glazing or on the back of the fuselage between the wings.
But, all in all, in retrospect it's all half as bad, now I'm looking forward to the paintwork!

Thank you, mates, for your interest and feedback! Ray, I would have liked to have experienced that too!

Ben M
👀🤯

Cuajete
Roland, I was unaware of these problems with fiberglass and it is a shame that these kits are so expensive considering the quality of these materials. I think the worst is over. You can feel proud of the work done so far. The effort was worth it. Go on!

Roland Sachsenhofer
Those are encouraging responses, yes, Cuajete, I think so too. Thank you both for your interest and comments!

Mr D
How big is the model??
Is it cast in fiberglass because it's to big for injection molding??
Nice to see the update 😁👍👍
The vent in behind the cockpit done now.

Mirko Römer
That's what you call a project!👍

Nicolas
Cool project, following.

Roland Sachsenhofer
Thank you friends! The Mars as a 72 model measures 84.5cm in wingspan and has a length of 48.5cm: huge, but not so huge that it couldn't have been made into an injection moulded model. The B-24 Liberator from Hobby Boss in 1:32 that I built this spring, for example, was significantly larger and yet still injection moulded.

What is now proving to be a challenging issue is that the acrylic paint I used does not seem to want to adhere properly to some parts of the resin fuselage and wing panels, even though I have meticulously and accurately cleaned the surfaces. And another thing: after I sprayed a first coat of white paint on the fuselage today, something became apparent that hadn't appeared before: the resin surfaces are covered with small air pockets, i.e. holes.... 'Much enemy, much honour' as they say in German! 🙂

Ben M
What are you using for primer? I almost always use tamiya spray primer as it usually adheres even to challenging surfaces. I have had trouble occasionally on some resin surfaces where I've resorted to krylon plastic compatible spray paint as a primer.

Roland Sachsenhofer
That's a good question, thanks for the tips: I used glossy black acrylic paint here as usual - it actually looked quite good until yesterday, after a few days drying time, I started to mask off the black areas on the undersides of the wings....
I think I'll just carry on with Gunze and Tamiya acrylic paints - and touch up where necessary.

Roland Sachsenhofer
Der aktuelle Zustand der Mars in Weiß hat noch nichts mit der finalen Oberseiten-Farbe zu tun, sondern bildet nur die Basis für das Rot der Unterseiten. Aktuell erstrahlt die Mars sogar in leuchtend Gelb: Dies sollte die Leucht- und Deckkraft des folgenden Rot noch weiter stärken. Der Aufwand wird allerdings dadaurch erhöht, dass immer wieder Spachtel- Schleif und Gravierbedarf auftaucht: die Resin Oberflächen sind äußerst uneben und voller kleiner Lufteinschlüsse, ein echter Jammer. Aber ich bin zuversichtlich, dass mit der steigenden Stärke der Lackschichten auch die raue Oberfläche etwas mehr Geschlossenheit zeigen wird!

Mr D
It's come along way 👌👍👍

Łukasz Gliński
Oh man, that is bigly yuge indeed 😄

Cuajete
You're doing very well, Roland. Don't be discouraged.
Kopf hoch! 👍

Roland Sachsenhofer
Sapperlot! I only wrote the text in German yesterday: here it is in English:
The current state of the Mars in white has nothing to do with the final upper side colour, but only forms the basis for the red of the undersides. At the moment, the Mars is even shining in bright yellow: this should further enhance the luminosity and opacity of the red colour to follow. However, the effort is increased by the fact that there is always a need for filling, sanding and engraving: the resin surfaces are extremely uneven and full of small air pockets, a real shame. But I'm confident that as the thickness of the paint layers increases, the rough surface will also show a little more unity!

Thank you very much for your encouragement and motivation! Yesterday I mentioned that Mars has now been coloured yellow as the last stage before the red - here are the pictures!

Cuajete
👌

Roland Sachsenhofer
Thank you Cuajete!
....and now in red! It's getting really exciting for me now. Not just the question of how I'll manage the masking for the white upper sides, but above all whether the colour under the adhesive strips will stay on them or - hopefully - on the model when I peel them off!

Cuajete
I'm sure it does, Roland. That Mars looks great and the red color looks great.
Is the stand underneath included in the kit?

Roland Sachsenhofer
Thank you! Yes, that's him. Doesn't necessarily look much, but is very useful when building

Mr D
Hi Roland 👋.
Is it heavy? Being fiberglass ?
I've read about the difficulty you had with Glass resin!
My dad used to make parts for race bikes ....and air bubbles very hard to avoid! Also cutting against the grain....tends to pull other strands.
Your getting to a better stage now and it's coming on nicely now...
I thought it was the Goose at first glance.. earlier in build.
Good luck with rest.👍👍

Arseny K.
I just love it! Respect

Roland Sachsenhofer
Thank you both! Somehow it is really comforting and above all interesting that I am not alone with the problems with the fibreglass surfaces! Yes, the construction is fairly heavy, but above all it needs enough 'air space' above the workbenches when it is swivelled to get everywhere with the airbrush! 🙂
Well, the 'Spruce Goose' is still a dream - but one with a chance of realisation!

Roland Sachsenhofer
The time has come! Now the layers of paint under the masking have to prove that they can adhere to the fibreglass surface and want.... prognoses say it will all be possible! In the meantime, the white has been applied to the surfaces, which definitely looks good on the Martin Mars.

Cuajete
Great, Roland! 👍