Golden Bell

Decided to paint the bell today, a nice golden color. Unforintelty I did not have any gold paint on hand so went down to my local hobby shop. Usually, I buy Tamiya but did not like the look of the gold color. I've been debating switching to Model Master paints and while the gold color was better it still was not what I was looking for. Finally, I looked at Testors oil-based paints (little square jars) and it was perfect and also the cheapest! So I got home and just used a toothpick to paint the small bell and it looks perfect with just a single coat.

Mixing Paint

Initially, I was going to use Tamiya X-28 Park Green for the body of the cable car but after some initial tests found it to be too bright... After some trial and error with a vote from my wife, I finally was able to get a nice green color for the cable car by mixing Tamiya X28 Park Green with Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black at a ratio of 5:1.

Wheels

Completed painting and detailing the wheels for the cable car.

Unboxing Video

Diorama Base

I had been trying to find some sort of base for my diorama for a little while now when I stumbled upon this piece of wood at a local art store the other day. A few coats of Tamiya spray paint and it looks perfect.

Lights

IKEA opened a new store in Quebec City recently and I went and picked up a LEDBERG. I always found my USS Midway model hard to see in the grey bookshelf it is sitting on. This little upgrade along with a timer is perfect to light up and properly display my work.

Tent

I assembled and painted a Tamiya WW2 German Afrika Korps tent. Constructions was simple and easy however the first color I selected was too dark and had to restart with a much lighter color. The tent was available in two types of configurations, closed as seen and open. While I would have preferred an open configuration there were no indications of what would go in the tent and the tent has no floor. Research of photos online also proved to be fruitless as all the images I found had the tent close probably to keep the sand out. The kit does not come with any cables as seen on the box art but I might try to add some to the diorama...

Build Complete

Completed building my MASH helicopter and suspended it in my glass shelf with a transparent fishing line. This project took 25 hours and 55 minutes to complete and while I appreciate building a model from one of my favorite TV shows I've told myself that unless there is no other option I will try to avoid buying Revell kits in the future. While Revell kits were lots of fun to build when I was a child, the multiple build issues I encountered with the plans not being clear enough along with the quality of the parts/decals has confirmed that kits such as that of Tamiya, for example, are the way to go. I do have another Revel kit in my stash (P-51 Mustang) which I want to build it may very well be my last kit from the brand. My only regret was not adding a patient or two on the stretchers but at the same time, I was getting tired of this kit and almost anxious to complete it.

Rotor Installation Issue

I attempted to install the main rotor to the helicopter and despite all my best efforts, I was not able to. From what I was able to determine in the plans, a plastic rod should have been inserted into the motor where it could spin freely. After several attempts I ended up snapping the rod, fortunately, the chopper did not supper any damage. I decided to cut a small metal rod and super glue it to the rotor. While it will work the rotor will technically be free to fall off if the model was in an inverted position. A small price to pay to get this part installed.

Litter Canopies

Today I installed each of the litter's canopies. The only issue I noticed was that in the inside the red cross decal is white which is a bit of a shame.