YouTube plans for the New Year
I have big plans for the YouTube channel in the New Year, and there are new ways you can support it.
Spinneyworld
Easy Riders
I missed the announcement that Raleigh were releasing a reworked version of the Mk2 Chopper, or I’d have told you about it before the first batch sold out.
What I’d like to see is a modern reimagining of the bike as well- slightly larger, for adult riders, with geometry tweaks from the lessons learnt in the decades since the original. Give it a five or seven speed hub, or maybe even make it electric. I doubt the market wouldn’t be as assured as for the retro version, so it’s unlikely to happen.
For those, like me, who can’t afford a brand new (or rusty old) Raleigh Chopper, there are always toy versions. I stock 1:12 scale replicas, and versions for model railways.
New Product- Detailing parts for science fiction dioramas
I’ve been storing up interestingly shaped bottles and packaging to make science fiction flavoured buildings and tech. But I wanted to go further than normal greeblies and plastic strip detailing, and designed some themed parts.
The models are available as STL files from the Spinneyworld store, or as part of the rewards package for Builder level supporters on Patreon.
Dunbine Diorama part 2
The Dunbine mini diorama build ends, with the base painted up and the mecha given some finishing touches. You can support Spinneyworld on Patreon.
Making Toys For My Toys
Update: The RC transmitters are now available in the Spinneyworld shop. You can also get them as STL files if you want to print your own.
The product development process for the Spinneyworld shop is not very organised. I have a lot of ideas for things that need designing, and a lifelong problem concentrating on what I should be doing. Sometimes, the only way to get anything done is to trick my procrastinating brain into making something that isn’t on the to-do list.
Which is why Action Man now has a radio control transmitter.
I sat down with Blender yesterday, and built the model up based on photo reference, printing test pieces last night.
There are some changes needed before it sees production. The main one is to the trigger, which was super fragile, and pinged off as soon as I put the controller into the figure’s hand.
The final version will be available in 1:6, 1:12, and 1:24 scales, and this post is partly another psychological trick, designed to shame me into getting the work done, rather than sitting on it for a few more months.
Golden Bat Lives! Halloween Build Vintage Japanese Character Toy
Happy Halloween!
This vintage model/toy came from a Japanese auction site, and I’ve been saving it up just for this time of year. It’s a very simple vintage kit, so I added a base and mini diorama.
Here’s the Golden Bat history video I mention.
The Vesperadoes Ride!
There are new videos on my YouTube channel most weeks. I’ve not been cross-posting all of them here, but I thought I’d share this one. The Vesperadoes diorama is a step up in terms of quality- both of the subject model and my filming and editing. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but one of the reasons I’m doing videos about my builds is to get better over time.
The Vesperadoes are from Green Miniatures in Poland.
New modelling table
This content is from my Patreon page. You can support it for as little as £1 a month.
Unlock with PatreonUnboxing AMT’s Subaru Brat
Another unboxing video, this time, AMT’s 1:25 Subaru Brat pickup.
Unboxing a 1:200 Warship 1
The ChuanYu range of 1:200 remote control ready ships have been popular on the Spinneyworld store, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to look at one properly. So I did an unboxing video.
A build series will follow when I have enough space to work on it.
What’s in the box?
From the Spinneyworld blog-
Some new stock has come in recently, and I’ve taken the opportunity to shoot a couple of unboxing videos.
First, some figures from Hasegawa-
Then the “Type T” lowrider kit, also from Hasegawa-
The big list of figure model makers and suppliers- 2020 edition
From the Spinneyworld blog:
A few years ago, I wrote a post listing all the model figure manufacturers I could find sites for. I updated it in 2013, and it’s now time to do it again.
One of 2020’s aims is to build and paint more figures, to improve my skills, so this is as much a placeholder for me as a resource for you.
Alternative Images – USA Film and fantasy resin kit figures. Some dead image links, so I don’t know how up to date it is.
Andrea Miniatures – One of the world’s premier figure manufacturers. You can get Andrea figures on Amazon.
Armorcast – USA Fantasy and Wargame figures
Miniaturas by F. M. Beneito – Spain Historical Miniatures specialist
BNA Model World – Australian model shop. More than just figures.
W Britains –Â Military figure manufacturer
Bronze Age Miniatures. 28mm and 54mm figures, mostly for gaming.
Creative Beast. Mostly dinosaurs, but some fantasy figures.
Le Cimier – France Military Figures, tools and reference books
Denizen Miniatures – 1:43 motor racing figures- drivers, pit crew, etc, – and 90mm fantasy and sci-fi figures.
Devils Own Resin An interesting selection, but no obvious buying links.
Dragon Models – USA Home page of Dragon Models.
Dream Master Creations – USA Erotic resin figures
The Dunken Company – figure casting supplies and moulds.
Dutkins’ Collectables – Among the many products sold by this company are figure models.
El-Greco Miniatures – A shop with a wide range of companies stocked. I have bought from them in the past, and will do so again.
El Viejo Dragón Miniaturas – Spain Historical Figure specialists
Fontegris Miniatures. The Fontegris site has been taken over by a beauty product retailer. This is a list of their products at Noble Knight games.
Frontline Figures –Â Beautiful 54mm award winning collectible figures!!
Germania Figuren 1:72nd figures in resin and pewter, as well as 3D printed items in various scales and even 3D files for home printing.
Gremlins in the Garage! – USA Welcome to Gremlins in the Garage the first webzine dedicated to figure kit modeling
Ground Zero Games. Gaming miniatures and fantasy figures.
Wayne “The Dane” Hansen – Figure Kits and Sculpting Supplies
Hassle Free miniatures Gaming figures and accessories. Great figures, mostly in 28mm. I own a few, and love the company’s sense of humour. The models are great sculpts, and tongue was firmly in cheek when most of the names were thought up.
HaT Industrie – HäT Industrie produces 1/72 and 1/32 scale soft plastic military miniatures or toy soldiers. Our goal is to produce a line of figures not produced by any of the past or present manufacturers.
Historex Agents – UKÂ Historex Agents represents over 70 different companies, specialising in connoisseur model soldier kits and AFV conversion set
Hobby Search – buy direct from Japan
Image Anime – USA General Anime kits and figures
Jimmy Flintstone/ Dr Flintbone Primarily manufacturers of hot rod and custom car bodies in resin, Jimmy Flintstone also produce figures to complement the vehicles. Dr. Flintbone is the more adult arm.
Kaiyodo – Japan Star wars, Godzilla (original) and Anime figures.
King & Country –Â Design and manufacture the most amazing (and affordable) range of toy soldiers, miniature figures,military vehicles, model aircraft and buildings in the world today! All our products are hand-made and hand-painted to the highest professional standards.
Kings X Toy Soldiers –Â Models from various toy soldier manufacturers, plus an exclusive range of Alamo figures
Legends –Â Kits, accessories, reference materials, Japanese si-fi & anime, from all over the world.
MBM Models – Holland Military, Sci-Fi and Fantasy fig specialists
Micro Mark – tools for the serious modeller
Mic Shaun’s Closet – Plastic figures from many periods to include Napoleonic, American Civil War, Alamo and World War II from a variety of manufacturers.
Minutemen Toy Soldiers – USAÂ Military figure kits and gaming specialists
Mithril Figures – Ireland Mithril was founded in 1987 and has been dedicated since then to the creation of miniature figures, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth as portrayed in his famous works “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”.
Moebius Models. Licenced re-releases of old Aurora kits.
Monsters In Motion: A Sci-Fi Gallery – Welcome to Monsters In Motion, the world’s greatest gallery of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Famous Movie Personalities as finished statues and model kits for the hobbyist and collector.
Paleocraft – models of extinct animals
Pegaso Models – Italy Manufacturers of 54mm, 75mm, and 90mm figures.
Prince August Factory Shop – Ireland Military figures for the collector, together with moulds and Chess sets
Quarter Kit – France White metal and diecast military miniatures
Reaper Minis – Minis, paints, and more.
Ronin Miniatures – Based in Ukraine, and trading through an Etsy shop, Ronin produce figures primarily in 54mm/1:32.
Saratoga Soldier Shop – USAÂ Pewter Civil War and American revolution figures
Sideshow Inc – USA Site specializing in liscensed figurative vinyl/resin model kits and collectibles based on some of todays leading artists, including: Clive Barker, Bernie Wrightson, Tim Bradstreet, Frank Kelly Freas, Brom, and Bill Stout.
Der Sockelshop German webshop stocking Modern Armies In Miniature, and others.
Spectral Motion Inc – This company sells some amazing horror figures!!
S & S Models – UKÂ 1:76 scale model figures, games and accessories
Stockade Miniatures, Inc – USAÂ “Soldiers of the World” figures, plus metal and plastic figures from a variety of manufacturers
Styrene Studio – Excellent resin figures
Tedtoy Miniatures Online – USAÂ Civil War Military figure specialists
The Toy Soldier Company –Â The Toy Soldier Company featuring the sales of toy soldier figures, sets, books and accessories
Valiant Enterprises. Figures and wargaming miniatures.
Watson Sculptures and Models – Dinosaur, Ancient reptile and Prehistoric figures and models
Zotz – Mexico Glamour and Erotic figure specialists
From the Workbench – episode 1
The first proper Workbench video has gone live-
Products featured in the video can be found here.
The Workbench – now with video
As we all go into social distancing, it’s time to get back to the workbench.
I’ve made a couple of videos already, and I’m likely to make more. The exact timetable will be worked out as I go along, but, for now, some timelapse I shot over the last two weekends.
1- Putting some figures together, so I can practice figure painting-
2- Diving into the big box of dismantled Gundam I won on eBay, and seeing how many I can put back together-
More coming soon!
The Workbench – Atomic Gas
I’ve got behind on the workbench reports. Atomic Gas was completed a while ago, but I’m only now writing it up.
This little service station is a model from Sarissa Precision that I picked up at the Britcon show in Manchester last year. It’s my first laser cut wood kit (if you don’t count the bed I got the same day), and I’m impressed.
I went overboard with the weathering and debris, but it is meant to be a post apocalyptic location, after all. The transfers came from a bunch of locations- some were old bus advertising from my Dad’s model railway stash, others were sold for nail art, and the graffiti comes from a Judge Dredd game, and my own designs.
Now I need a post apocalyptic game to play, so I can use this location.
The Workbench- Gundam One!
From the Spinneyworld blog.
My first Gundam is finished. I made a bunch of little mistakes along the way, but they’re just pointers for how to improve the next one. Click on the image for the full gallery.
Next on the modelling table is my first laser cut building kit.
6mm Drive Past
A little clunky, I know, but here’s a sampling of the 6mm fleet (that is currently in stock).
On the Workbench 2020 – the CR-X and My First Gundam
The hope for this year is to build more stuff, learning and re-learning skills along the way. I’m also going to utilise products from the shop as often as possible, showcasing how they can be used.
First project of the year is the Honda CR-X kanjo-style racer. The Fujimi kit has gone together well so far, apart from needing to clamp the front subframe as the glue set. I have now reached the point where the chassis is complete, and so is the interior. But it’s being put aside for a while, until I get my hands on the colour shifting paint I want to use on it.
Not the best image of the interior. I shall try to get a better one. This build, as well as utilising a wing and steering wheel from parts sets, has been detailed with bits from the Spinneyworld JDM Interior Parts set, and the Street/Track Racer set, and will sport the JDM Style Door Mirrors when complete.
The CR-X album is here, with more photos, and some commentary.
Whilst the CR-X awaits its paint, I’ve moved on to project 2 of the year- My First Gundam!
This is not the giant battle suit I had originally bought to be my first Gundam, because I got another one cheap on eBay, and decided to have a practice on that one first. I should have some of the scribing tools and detailing parts from the store by the time I start on the second build, so I’ll be able to see how they change the experience.
After watching *a lot* of Gundam build videos on YouTube, I have some ideas of what I’m going to do. First off, I’m welding all the seams, then cleaning them up. Then I’m going to look at improving the existing panel lines and maybe scribing some new ones. But I’ll still head off on my own tangents quite often.
One such tangent happened when I had a look at the shield, the back of which was far too flat and empty. I dipped into my tubs of old kit bits and ‘greeblies’, and added a ring and other pieces, to give it some depth. Few other parts will get this level of added texture, but I had fun adding all of this.
