78 articles · 7.2K karma · 30 friends · active 1 month, 1 week ago

Hello fellow modelers!
My name is Manuel, I was born in 1968 in Portugal and I work in Information Technologies.
As a model maker, my main focus is 1/72 and 1/48 scale airplanes and 1/35 military vehicles and figures.
I always try to tell a story through my models. A famous pilot's aircraft, something I've seen in a photograph, a book or elsewhere. That's why you'll find a 'real' photo among the others in the post. For this same reason, my models have different levels of weathering, depending on the reality they are representing.
Personally I like (and this hobby is to give us some pleasure) dirty and worn out models, but I also understand that this is not always the reality and therefore these techniques are not always suitable.
In fact, making a model look like 'normal' wear and tear can also be a challenge.
In conclusion, I hope you enjoy my stories and I ask for constructive and sincere criticism.

Thanks,
Manuel

Swiss F-5F Tiger IIItaleri 1/72 + scratch

I made this kit as an offer to my good friend Peter. His parents are from Switzerland and he keeps a strong bond to the country so, as I knew he likes planes in swiss colors... The Kit is from Italeri and it's not very impressive... The [...]

P-47D ThunderboltMatchbox, 1/72

Rebuild from an old-beaten up Matchbox kit from the 80's. "Unpainted" it with some brake fluid, and painted it again, just to test some techniques. The last varnish coat produced a 'whitish' look :-/ [UPDATE] Later on, the antena [...]

Mitsubishi A6M2 – Zero; Tamiya, 1/48

This plane represents one of the 2nd wave that stroke Pearl Harbour, from the Akagi. I scribed lots of panel lines and rivets so, at the end, did a heavy weathering to made those work pop. After a break of almost 30 years, I have lots of [...]

Sukhoi Su-22; MasterCraft 1/72

As this year is the 50th aniversary of the invasion of Checoslovaquia, I built this model with their colors. This plane is quite special to me, for some reasons: 1- It was a gift from my friend Jorge. 2 - It was my first Russian fighter [...]

Spitfire MKI -1940; Airfix, 1/72

Returnig to this hobby after almost 30 years, I’ve heard that Airfix is doing OK. So, I built my favorit plane just straight from the box, just to check. Chosed the early Dunkirk color scheme (B/W underside), as it was fun to [...]

Sea Harrier FRS.1; Matchbox, 1/72

A very old kit, started back in the 80’s and kept unfinished until dec2017. It represents a pre Falklands war Sea Harrier from the Invencible (and that´s why it is in an almost new condition). This color scheme was repainted during the [...]

De Havilland Mosquito FB VI; Airfix, 1/72

The RAF WWII 'wooden wonder' here in a 1970's kit. It depicts a plane from the 487th Squadron, in Operation Jericho, Amiens 18 Feb 1944. more in: (link) Made from wood, this plane has litle panel lines and/or rivets but, based on some [...]

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G6; Revell, 1/32

I’ve done a lot of improvements (whell bay, landing gear, engine, engine compartment, panel lines, riveting…) The cockpit is almost completely an Eduard kit. Although it was for Revell, it wasn´t for this particulary kit, so I had to [...]