Some 1/2400 Aircraft Carriers and 1/285th Tanks

It's been a long while since I've painted anything...  so here are a few recently completed Aircraft Carriers.  These are GHQ 1/2400 and they make use of my line of deck decals.

Let's start with the Ark Royal...  pretty fancy looking ship! 

The Ark Royal helped track down the Bismarck in May 1941.

Only to be sunk by a U-Boat torpedo in November that year.

Here is the Italian Carrier Aquila.

She was never completed and eventually scrapped in the early 50's.  So this deck pattern is purely speculation :)

The Imperial Japanese Navy's first carrier was the "Hosho".

And she actually survived the War.  Although due to her outdated design, she really didn't see much action.

And when you compare her to the Ark Royal and Aquila...  you can see she was a pretty small Carrier.

Now...  the real show begins.  If you saw my post from a few weeks ago, you noticed that my wife can paint miniatures; infantry in particular.  This past week she gave some Soviet and German armor a try...  and they turned out awesome!

Panther D...

Panther A and D's...

Same vehicles from a slightly lower angle.

Soviet T-34/85's...

At a lower angle.

I have to say that I am very impressed with my wife's abilities.  She's interested in painting some terrain (buildings), Aircraft, and even 1/2400 Naval Vessels; so more photos will be coming soon!

Thanks for visiting!

Tanner

Do It Yourself Vallejo Paint Rack

Over the past few years, I've been asked a few times what I use for keeping my model paints organized.  If you've read my "Painting Room" Article, you know what I've used in the past.  Now that I am in my new house and I have a dedicated room, I have essentially taken the same route for my paint organization.  It is sturdy, looks nice, and is relatively inexpensive to make.

I start by using strips of pine corner molding from Home Depot; you can find it near the baseboard and edging aisles.  It is roughly 2 inches wide with a 1 inch lip.  It runs around $1.50 per linear foot; it's not the cheapest solution around but I have yet to find something that I like better.

In the cabinet/hardware aisle, you can find 3/4 inch elbow brackets, 1/2 inch screws and bolts, and a box of drywall anchors.  That's all you need to mount your shelves.

I cut my "shelves" to my desired length and marked off where I wanted to mount them on the wall.  I also painted them to match my wall color (except in semi-gloss).

Each shelf was mounted onto the elbow bracket using flush screws.  The underside of the elbow bracket was mounted to the wall using a drywall anchor.  The shelves are very sturdy and the anchors hold them very tight up against the wall.

I placed a mounting bracket every foot or so, although you likely could get away with less.  I like everything to look clean and symmetrical :)  The other nice feature of these shelves is that they are wide enough to fit most any paint bottles...  Vallejo, Tamiya (haven't tried large Tamiya bottles though), Testors, and Vallejo auxiliary bottles.

I am now able to keep my paints at hand and still be very organized and clean.  For me, painting and modelling is much more enjoyable in an organized and clean environment.  My desk is in, my cabinets are in, my painting racks are in, and my lighing is in...  All I need to finish is the flooring and a my airbrush area in the garage!

You Are Not Forgotten

On July 7, 1944, a young American airman was flying his 44th mission with his crew of 10.  They were on their way to the Synthetic Oil plants at Blechhammer.  As they made their final turn to approach the target, they broke from the clouds (big white fluffy ones!) at 28,000 feet and were pounced on by a large formation of 109's and 190's.  Within an hour, my Grandfather Gerald would be a POW (eventually making his way to Stalag Luft IV).

This past week, I received a very thoughtful gift from Mike at Gettysburg Flag Works.  He had visited my site and was impressed with my Grandfather's story.  For a few years now, I've been considering a POW/MIA Flag to fly to commemorate and share my Grandfather's experiences; I now have a well-made flag that I can do this with.

Browsing their site, they have A LOT of various flags...  all shapes and sizes.  If you're looking for a Historical Flag or Perhaps something for your club, I recommend taking a look.

The Flag that I received is a 3' x 5' 100% Nylon Flag.  The POW/MIA Patch is double sided so that it can be viewed from either side.  It is also made in the U.S.A. (of course!).

Seams are clean and double stitched everywhere; it should hold up pretty well.  The patch artwork is also very clean with sharp lines.

I'd like to give a shout out to Mike, and express appreciation.  I'm happy to have this flag in my possession and I'm looking forward to flying it.  Grandpa, I'd also like to give a shout out to you!  I've often marveled at the courage you displayed 70 years ago!

Tanner

I didn't paint these infantry, but my wife did!

I now have my new painting area setup, although I'm still organizing things and the room is a bit of a mess.  I have not yet painted anything, but my wife has!  I've never really enjoyed painting infantry...  just too many little guys; I'm thrilled that she actually likes painting Infantry :)

Below are some photos of her first painted GHQ miniatures, she did an excellent job don't you think?  And to help fund some shelving and paint storage for the new room, we're selling them on eBay:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121323356123

I'm working on a few Italian ships now and I'm looking forward to posting in the near future.  Thanks for stopping by.

My *NEW* Hobby Space... I'll be painting again soon!

It has been almost a full year since I last painted any historical miniatures.  My! My! Time Flies!  This past year we have been building our new home and we finally moved in a couple of months ago.  I now have my own hobby space (Sssshhhh...  it's the "Family Study" according to my Wife).

As you can see, I will have a lot of storage space for all my junk.  All that I'm waiting on is the Formica counter top that will run wall to wall.  I also have a small garage/shop that is attached to the house so I finally have a workshop for airbrushing :)

In the mean time, all of my hobby "junk" is stacked (piled?) in a corner of my bedroom.  I have had several emails from folks asking when I plan to paint again and when I plan to design additional decals.  The answer to those questions is "Soon!".

Look for new additions to my site in the coming months. It's been hard not having any hobby time to clear my mind, but I think the wait has been worth it.

Stay tuned!

Tanner

Carrier Deck Decals are available!

As many of you are aware, I am in the middle of moving to a new house...  I am also busier than I've ever been at work and at home.  As a result, I haven't produced any new decals or sold existing ones in several months.

However, they are available through a fellow naval miniatures enthusiast - Brad Anderson.  Brad has rights to produce my decals and uses the same process and materials.  He's also a great person to work with!  If you're interested in purchasing the WW2Central line of WW2 Carrier Decals, I highly recommend purchasing from Brad.

He has an eBay store setup with the full line of decals:
http://stores.ebay.com/taskforce2400

Enjoy!
Tanner

World War II Cruisers and Destroyers

Wow!  It's been over a month since my last post...  I am ashamed.

I don't have much to expound upon or share, but I do have a few photos that I snapped of a recent set of ships that I painted:  IJN CA's and DD's as well as some USN CA's and DD's (click for larger photos).  They turned out very vivid...  a pretty nice force!

Here's a shot of my painting process before and after the wash.

I hope everyone is having a nice summer :)

Tanner