Construction of EM-4 Universal Spacecraft

In the search for a quick and simple project, we set our sights on EM-4 Miniatures’ Universal Spacecraft.

  1. This kit comes with 12 spaceships, each with its own unique design.

2) For our project, we split the spaceships into six groups. Each group was painted with its own colour scheme.

3) Once painted, the models were vanished with a layer of dark wash to enhance the details of the ships.

Construction of 1/72 Spitfire MkIa

Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby

Taking a welcome break from painting millions of minute Roman figures, we are building a Spitfire!

Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
1) First things first – the sprues are given a quick rinse and primed in white.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
2) Inside the cockpit – the pilot sitting smartly ready for take-off.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
3) The plane is assembled.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
4) A dark green base coat is painted.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
5) A layer of dark earth-brown is added to create the iconic camouflage.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
6) Finally, markings are added to the plane.
Spitfire MkIa Airfix Starter Set Dundee Model Shop Scotland Fife Broughty Ferry Hobby
Our Spitfire is complete!

Construction of Miniart Greek Hoplite

Our latest completed model is the Greek Hoplite – a common citizen-soldiers that can quickly take up arms to go to war. They are typically armed with a spear, shield, and sword.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

1) Included in the kit are the sprues for the 1:16 figure, armour, weapons, decals and a base.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

2) Here is the partially assembled model ready for priming.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

3) The skirt was shaded with three colours, here is the finished outcome that we are particularly proud of.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

4) This model came with some decals for the shield, but some details on the artwork are missing. For example the edge of the shield had to be drawn on and painted by hand.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

5) Once all the parts were painted, they were varnished with a wash. Various shades were applied, for example, a flesh tone was applied to the skin and a purple/blue tone to the armour.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

6) Another detail that was not included were the ropes inside the shield, lining the spear, and attached to the sword. To make the rope, we plaited together three threads (to add thickness) and glued onto the various parts using superglue.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland
Details of the rope shown on the inside of the shield

7) Finally, we stuck the figure on to the base and added vegetation.

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

8) Here is our finished model:

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

Miniart Greek Hoplite Space Craft Broughty Ferry Dundee Model Shop Scotland

Construction of Hasegawa Eggplane

Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for some chibi cuteness. For in this project we are building an eggplane!

“Eggplane? You mean something that is edible and can be flown in?”

Well no….

“A vehicle that transports poultry away from the cruelty of mankind?”

What…? No!

“Please don’t tell me it’s just an egg-shaped plane?”

Without further ado, here is how we built our egg-shaped Mustang:

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

  1. Inside the box, we were confronted with some chubby airplane parts.

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

2) The parts were cut out from the sprues and pieced together. We masked the canopy ready for priming.

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

3) We sprayed on an even coat of primer before we started painting.

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

4) Carefully we separated and painted the individual parts. Once all our parts were painted, we glued it back together and applied the decals.

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

5) Finally, the paint was sealed with a layer of varnish and our eggplane is ready to roll!

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang

Space Craft Model Shop Dundee Hasegawa Eggplane Mustang
Not all the eggplanes come with a figure. We made sure we our plane had one; here is our focused-looking wide-eyed pilot.