Spinneyhead Shop

Unboxing Italeri’s 1:24th Land Rover Fire Truck

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From the blog at the Spinneyworld shop.

You wait for years for a 1:24th scale Land Rover kit to be released or reissued, then two come along at once. Well, almost at once. The Italeri model is out now, with a Revell kit expected in September.

I’ll be buying both, and measuring them up for components and add ons. I’ve already done a roof rack for Italeri’s 1:35th kit, I ought to do one for its big brother.

The Italeri arrived today, and I did a quick unboxing and took some photos. Check out the gallery embedded below, or click through to Flickr.

Italeri 1:24 Land Rover Fire Truck

Sorry for the blur in some of the photos. I thought I’d try out the SLR, rather than use the phone camera. It was surprisingly dark, and it had issues focusing on the sprues.

The model is curbside (surely hedgeside, as it’s an offroader), so there’s no engine detail. It can be built left or right hand drive, and, unlike the 35th scale version, remembers to tell you which side to put the breather vent. There’s no obvious flash, and few sink holes or ejector marks. There are a couple of moulding tabs on the front of the roof that will need removing, but they’re the largest issues.

Sprue D is made up of Fire Truck parts. If I do build the kit, I’ll probably be ignoring it, and using the bits I design and get printed. But if you are going to use it, it contains a lot of neat bits. The water pump in particular is nicely detailed.

I’ll be doing a comparison of this kit to the Revell one when it arrives. In the mean time, I’m going to design some add on bits.

Build report- 1:12th Aoshima Honda CB400T Hawk II

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From the blog at the Spinneyworld shop.

This is the first build I’m going to be doing that will utilise Spinneyworld products. I’ve been so busy developing them, that I’ve neglected the workbench, and haven’t built as much as I’d like.

It’s also my first bike model, and, being me, I’m building it custom. Bosozoku are Japanese biker gangs (the most common translation I’ve seen of the name is “running tribe”), who have developed their own style of customising for cars and bikes. On bikes, it manifests as chopper style handlebars, exaggerated seat backs, and aero fairings lifted up so far they’re more likely to detract from the bike’s dynamics. Intricate paint jobs are common as well.

I’m going to be copying the seat and handlebars for this build, and trying out some new paints and techniques. The fairing may be beyond me, unless I get lucky on eBay. The handlebars will be designed by me for 3D printing (not started yet, need to get that done), and I’ll also be using some of the foot pegs I designed recently.

The model I’m working on is Aoshima’s 1978 Honda CB400T Hawk II, which I ordered from Hiroboy.

The first thing I did was glue the frame together, and the main parts of the engine block.

Frame and engine basic constrruction

Whilst the frame went together nice and true. the connection pins for the lower half of the engine block were vague, and, no matter how I lined them up, there was a very obvious seam, which I later had to file down before fitting other components. The two carburettors were similarly tricky to align.

Golden frame

Boring black wouldn’t do, so the frame got a coat of gold paint. Wilko own brand rattle can, in fact.

Motor

The engine block, and the wheels, got a coat of Citadel Iron Hands Steel, and I learnt that my airbrush doesn’t work very well with a rotted seal on the air hose, on one of the most humid days of the year. Luckily, the paint’s just there to enhance the colour the plastic was supplied in. Those seams I mentioned were filed down, the chrome covers were attached, and the gaps between the fins were enhanced with a little Citadel Nuln Oil.

Foot rests

The next job is to get the chrome off the footpegs and their mountings. I’ve already tested oven cleaner on a bit of sprue.

'Croc jaw' footrests

Then the pegs will be replaced with these. The ‘Croc Jaw’ pegs, from my very own range.

I had a moment of inspiration whilst sorting through the mess on the workbench. I’ve bought a number of nail file sets from the pound shop, to use as cheap sanding sticks. They may turn out to be too coarse, but some of them are the exact shape I need to build the seat back. Even better, there are three different sizes of them. I cut out a plastic card back, then glued three of the sticks to it, using a combination of superglue and PVA. The next step is to use filler to build up a smoother cushioned shape, and then fit it onto the back of the kit seat.

Seat back

The fuel tank is in the spray booth (which is a plastic crate on its side on top of the fridge, for the time being). I shall do a grand reveal of the paint scheme it’s getting in the next build report.

The Ruins of Manchester City Centre

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Manchester, August 2019

As yesterday was the first day for a week where it wasn’t pouring down, I grabbed the chance to head into the city centre and do some writing. Once I’d got a thousand or so words out, it was time to take the new camera, and have a walk through the back streets on the edge of the centre. There are still some run down buildings in the Northern Quarter, but also a number of more surprisingly unused ones nearer to Piccadilly. I also found an industrial age chimney, rising up out of a building halfway between a couple of the busier streets, that I swear I had never even noticed before.

Enjoy the gallery (you may have to click on the image to see it at Flickr). I have also added some of the images to the Ruins of Manchester collection in my Redbubble shop, so you can get prints, cards, and other items with them on.

In development

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From the blog on the Spinneyworld shop–

The product development process here at Spinneyworld is, well, let’s call it organic. I create items I want to use in one of my projects. Even if that project is scheduled for some unspecified point in the future. As I find the points where my odd interests intersects with yours, no doubt my direction will change again.

This week’s deigns are spun off from a motorbike project I’m about to begin, if not immediately usable in it. For a while now, I’ve wanted to build a bosozoku style bike. I purchased the base kit last month- an Aoshima 1978 Honda Hawk II CB400T- so it’s time to start work on the accessories it needs.

Except, I’m easily distracted.

A bosozoku bike will usually sport a pair of chopper style ape handlebars. Whilst searching for reference to base my design on, I found a different pair of handlebars, and made them instead. The Clubman bars are suited to hardcore cafe racers and ton-up machines. Don’t let the picture fool you, they’re not risers. They’ve been rendered the wrong way up. The curve doesn’t lift the bars up, but is supposed to drop the bar ends down, so that they’re on a level with the bottom of the fuel tank, and the rider can get down into an aerodynamic position.

They’re available in plastic or aluminium. At the moment, I have to order them on demand from Shapeways, but I will endeavour to get some in stock for a quicker turn around, and possibly a lower price.

Another cool looking accessory that isn’t very boso, is the bar end mirrors I designed yesterday. They’re more modern sport bike than cafe racer or Japanese gang. I shall be ordering in a batch, and making them available here and at the ebay shop primarily.

bar end mirrors design

Next up is foot pegs, which are mostly inspired by chopper photos, but will be closer to the theme of the build that either of the previous two designs. I’ve been scribbling designs, and taking measurements, and shall be getting on them soon.

Not my MEPs

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Going through an old hard drive yesterday, I came across the files for the “Nick Griffin is NOT my MEP” design I did when that disgusting little racist toad slimed his way to a seat in the European Parliament. It seemed appropriate to update the design.

Ann Widdecombe is NOT my MEP and Nigel Farage is NOT my MEP, are available on a variety of items- from T shirts to tea cups- in my Redbubble shop.

British Type 22 pillbox for 6mm wargames

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1:350th Cigarette boat models

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Hot Rod Peep Mirrors/Vintage Wing Mirrors

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70s custom car interior accessories

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1:24th scale hood scoops for custom cars

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Kiddie seats and coffee cups- new 3D printed products for modellers

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New 3D printed items have been added to my shop on Shapeways.

Child car seats, in various scales, for detailing models-

Various scales of coffee cups for dioramas and detailing.

A Death In Didsbury

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A Death In Didsbury is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and other online stores.

When a woman is shot dead on a quiet street of trendy shops, Detective Sergeant Kay Wood is reunited with an old acquaintance, and has to work with retired intelligence analyst Irwin Baker to help them out.

Unexpected violence flares on the streets of the Manchester suburb of Didsbury, and the investigation is soon tangled up in links to Russia and crimes dating back to the Second World War. As the intelligence services are drawn into the mystery, two witnesses find their lives turned up side down, and threatened, by their connection to the victim.

Action cameras for car and bike models

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JDM/Race car door mirrors 1:24th scale

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Vintage mirrors for 1:24th scale cars

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Vintage car interior details

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1:24th/1:32nd scale Racing Fuel Tank

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The Ruins of Manchester

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I get around to most jobs, eventually.

For years, I’ve been taking pictures of run-down and characterful buildings in and around Manchester (and elsewhere, when I’ve been able to visit other cities). I’ve finally started uploading them to Redbubble, so you can get them printed onto various items. Every image is available as a card, but some of them are also available on mugs, phone and tablet covers, and as larger prints. You can even get a redbrick miniskirt.

I’m only up to 2010 so far, so there’s more to come. Keep dropping in to see what’s new. Ruins of Manchester isn’t the only series I’m doing. I’ve got other photos, and several designs, that are also available. Check out all my works here.

28mm Bus Shelters

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