Some New Citadel Paints

I remember a modeler I once met saying " You spend so much time learning, testing, failing. Trying time and time again to develop a perfect system. Getting it just right, then some company comes along and makes the product for you in a tiny bottle".  I do agree with him here, I spent a lot of time testing and playing with a Pastel wash only to find a year later Tamiya makes an Enamel wash in a nice jar with a tiny brush to use on the bottle cap. I've since bought one and have used it regularly on my models.

My younger brother loves to build Games Workshop miniatures, And is usually on their website seeing whats new and what kit to buy next. I was looking into buying a wash at the time, and he showed me that Citadel Paints had recently remade a bunch of new washes. I convinced him to buy a few and try them out. Both of us were impressed with the great quality of these washes,and I've since borrowed them from him and used them on many different projects, every time they display wonderful results. Even my Dad has borrowed them for a few projects. I've kept an eye on Citadel more and keenly awaited new weathering products. So a Short while ago Citadel released a few more new paints, two of which stood out to me the most, and I'm here to show you how they look.

The fist paint I wanted to try is called Nihilakh Oxide , It's a blue green wash, perfect for creating an oxidized copper effect. Its an acrylic wash, and mixes easily by simply shaking the bottle. On their website Games-Workshop shows the was being used on a copper statue, and for creating a unique tech looking visor. I tested it on one of my Brothers Orks. 

The wash is a bit thick and doesn't flow as nice as it should. So I mixed the paint with a bit of water and got it to flow much more and pool in the places I wanted. I think this is a great wash, I really liked how the Ork face on the back of the canister looks, and I easily made the figure stand out more. You can get a stronger color too, if it at first looks too faded and transparent, simply paint another coat on when the first layer is dry, and you'll get a brighter effect.  I gave this to my Dad to use on a Cutty Sark ship he's currently building, he really loved how nice it aged the copper hull and gave it more realism. 

The second one I bought is called Ryza Rust. As its name states it is to make an easy Rust effect, I really wish I had this on a  few tanks. I thought it was a wash like the other paint, But upon opening the container, you would think that the paint had begun to dry out. Don't worry it suppose to be like this. I had to go back on the GW  website and see how to use this stuff. On the bottle bellow the Citadel logo its labeled DRY , I later found that this is to be dry brushed on the model. This made more sense and my first attempts more simpler.

Before

After

The bottle is very Orange, but once you start to brush it on, it really bring on a great look of rust. Again this too can be layered on for a much thicker rustier effect. This stuff was so much fun to use I made me want to buy a U-boat or a few tanks to weather and rust up. Its very easy to use and works itself very well. Giving you an easy method to great weathering.

Final Thoughts:

 I feel as though Citadel paints are often over looked or ignored by modelers. I would sincerely recommend to you that you give them a look over, and check out their web site. I personally don't use them as much, because I don't like their paint bottles, they make me feel uneasy and that I'm going to tip them over and spill all the paint, or that they will somehow do it themselves. If Citadel were to change the bottles I'd most likely buy more. However their washes and effects paints are really great and have terrific results that bury my anxiety. I've showed the to other modelers and they too have bought a few bottles of Citadel Paints, and were really happy and surprised with the finished result. Citadel also released a Blood wash that looked gory. It would look great on the Axes of these Orks, And I'm consideration getting it too. 

I hope that you go and give a few of these a try. The results were better than I had originally thought. And I'm very eager to see what paints and washes Citadel will create for us in the future. Be careful when you are buying these, Citadel gives all their types of paints very strange names, I've caught my self a few times wondering if I did in fact buy the right stuff. They also add weird names to their paints, I mean Nihilakh Oxide? I'm not sure how to properly pronounce the first word there.  I hope you've enjoyed reading this, and that you might consider Citadel in the future, this is rebelsatcloudnine signing out!

 

Trumpeters 1:200 Bismarck Review

For my Dad's Birthday this summer, he wanted Trumpeters new 1:200 Bismarck. Many times he'd gone into the model shop to see it proudly displayed. I was also excited when Finescale Modeler posted the long awaited review on the kit.

I gave the copy of their October 2013 issue to my Dad, having not read the article first, he seemed upset that he had purchased the kit. I was surprised to this and read the article for myself. 

The Article is written by Mark Karolus, and he goes into detail how he built the kit, and things to watch out for. Though I've only looked at the kit and haven't built it, his experience I think is necessary to anyone who is going to build the kit. Especially the part where he mentions that the paint wouldn't stick to the plastic due to the release agent on the plastic, even with different types of primer. I was really impressed that he continued to push on and get the kit finished. (I once had the misfortune of coming home to find that my Boxer had chewed up my 1:48 Memphis Belle's wing, and I was ready to pack it up and toss the kit out.) Taking time to read all the struggles Mark has with just the paint alone, makes any modeler question the value of building this monster kit. Mark recommends using Vallejo's Acrylic-polyurethane Primer. I've used this primer personally and its great stuff, I highly recommend.   

Even after I finished the review something was off.  I'd taken a good look at all the parts, studied the instructions, pondered if the hull would float in the bathtub. Trumpeter had done something weird with this kit. So lets take a look at the kit!

The box art on the kit is really nice, a very dramatic setting which I believe depicts the final battle of the Bismarck. Opening the box we find.... more boxes.... ok, makes sense. Each smaller box holds different parts, they are labeled A, B, C,..... but they are not in a sequence of building. I like this, each of the parts are seperatly stored and protected and even some of the sprues have foam wrapped around them to protect the more delicate pieces. 

Other things we are first introduced to here are the small decal sheet, with Swastika's , but they need to be trimmed out, still its really nice they managed to add these so you don't have to go hunting for them, also are the flags, both straight and wavy. Lastly (I'll talk more about these later) an advertisement showing features of the Bismarck and other model kits available from Trumpeter. A instruction booklet and color painting diagram.

The biggest box holds the hull. The hull is basically 1 solid piece, with just the front of the bow needing to be assembled, it stands at a length of just over 4 ft 1 inch. The deck is also one piece and features some great details, including engraved deck lines, stairways into the ship, and more features you'd expect on the ship. There is a bit of flash in some areas, but its not near enough to worry. The plastic is really thick, and the shape is really there. With big hulls like this, I've seen alot of plastic warp. You won't find this here, its good and solid. I'm very confused as to why the front bow was left off?  There is no reason for this in the instructions.

There is a seam line running down the hull, as well as injector pin marks, I wish these were on the inside where they wouldn't be visible, you will need to sand these down quite a bit to get make them invisible. 

Box A includes many of the tower parts and decks, also as is seen in the picture the smoke stack tower. The nice thing is that the box is big enough not to compact the sprues. Each sprue is nicely bagged, and is featured on the side of the box, for quick reference.

Box B stores more various tower levels as well as the propellers and turrets. First the propellers are nicely molded, the edges are crisp and straight, just the way you would want them, with just a little cleaning from the sprues these will look great. My favorite parts in this box are the turrets, they are much bigger than I had originally thought, and they look great carrying that dominance that made the Bismarck such a fear to the allies.

The bottom of the box houses the 12 photo-etched frets. I know many modelers prefer to leave this stuff alone, but this is photo-etching at its most basic. Railings are included as well as a few boxes that need to be built. As I said they are very simple and easy to install and use. The metal does seem to be a bit soft compared to others, but I think its an easy to task to install and build.

  

Not too much to say about box C , it houses most of the smaller turrets.

Hidden underneath box E are a few sprues, featuring 4 Arado 196, and smaller pieces to be added on various parts. The Arado's are simple but effective, and need work to be built, folded, photo-etched metal provides the canopy. And the ship provides open bays to uniquely display these planes. 

Box F houses the many layers used to build the decks. It also has the main guns and their components. Mark mentions in his article the ease of the "Wedding cake build". Personally I couldn't agree more, and its one of the things my Dad really enjoyed about the kit, you could easily work on each of these sections, store them away when completed and move on to the next section. However I did run into a few parts that were damaged because of the too thin plastic on those edges, I even damaged one simply by holding it :/ We unbagged a few structuers to get a good look at the details on the side. And they are excellent, however, those who want to build this kit with the doors open are going to have a rough time, the plastic is very thick and tough and you will be spending a lot of your time getting these doors open. The details on the sides to me are just a ton of fun to look at Trumpeter really added a bit extra to make these more defiant.

Lastly is "Bonus" Box E. It's a clear turret that you can build and show off the inner working of the Bismarcks turret. There isn't really a need for this "Bonus kit", except that it includes 2 turned aluminum barrels, and the fact that Trumpeter  "happens" to also sell an upgrade kit, with Steel propellers and 8 turned barrels and other pieces. It does also have the chains for the anchors, and the clear turret has several very unfortunate pinmarks left, that would be very hard and take a long time to remove. I find this very unfortunate as they are quite noticeable. Its a cool idea, but not a necessary to the model.  

The instructions are easy enough, they do have their faults, some of the pages weren't printed properly and the black ink was thin and grey. The nice thing they do is, for the most part, is they tell you what the parts are. I wish all instructions did this more. There are a few Engrish mistakes here and there. One of which confused me, but its nothing that you won't chuckle at and move along. Building up the layers is very nicely laid out, the book also does a nice job at tell you how to fold the etched parts, and the over all construction looks easy and simple.  Problem however, it doesn't tell you where to place the railing for the ship.

I'm very glad the color painting guides are becoming a more regular thing in kits. The painting guide here has 4 different companies mentioned, however Mr.Hobby seem to be the preferred choice for Trumpeter. Another thing that may be bothersome is the fact that not all the colors are mentioned. For example: Tamiya has several paints missing from the list, but then so does Mr.Hobby ? I don't usually find this such a bad thing, but it is nicer to have one complete list to compare other paints too. Especially in some parts of the world where some types of paint are difficult to find. Still its more than enough for any modeler to get a grasp of the colors needed to complete the kit. 

As I mentioned earlier, I was going to get back to discuss the ad Trumpeter left included with the kit. You remember back a few paragraphs, where I talked about the turned barrels in the Bonus kit? Well Trumpeter nicely left you a preview of an upgrade kit you can buy. Ranging between $35-$50, depending where you live or shop on the internet. I'll say the same thing I said when I opened Tamiya's 1:350 Yamato and saw the ad for additional parts. "You spend SO much on this kit, why do I have to pay more for parts the SHOULD be included!"  I know they are trying to make more money at this, but really guy's, you spend up to $400 on this kit alone, these parts should be and included bonus, not the clear turret. Not to mention there are quite a few after market kits to add to this if you wanted, and practically all of them include turned Barrels, some much nicer than these. And the propellers aren't brass so you still have to paint them, so whats the point of ditching the plastic ones in the kit? 

A Big problem you will notice on the finished model is the lack of canvas covers for the guns. At first I thought I missed them somewhere, Nope, they weren't even made? My Dad is still puzzled that he has to make these instead of cutting them off the sprues. I thought it was weird, but if you remember I mentioned there was something weird about this kit....

What was Trumpeter thinking?

Is this kit for you? The average modeler? NO WAY. I strongly believe that Trumpeter had two market audiences when they set out to build this kit. And most of us are not included.

  1. Bismarck Fans! The painting on the box features the Bismarck in her final hours, and the painting guide has Bismarck with the black and white camo scheme. I've never seen a model not include the variant shown on the box (till now). Also in the picture the railing is gone, when I asked my Dad why he mentioned at this point the railing was removed from Bismarck . Think about it, I love the Bismarck, but I don't LOVE the Bismarck. I'm much more likely to invest in Tamiya or Revell 1:350 kit. Only the more serious of Bismarck fans would devote this much into the kit, and would definitely know all the ins and outs of this ship. They would better understand the colors and markings at the time, where most of us would be happy with one or two paint diagrams that tell us what to do. Think about a subject you are devoted to more than others. For me and many others its a Spitfire. I know when I see a mistake on a kit, or the wrong shade of decals, where are most modelers building the plane couldn't care less. Same thing here, its impressive size leads the way for so much super detailing and a devoted Bismarck fan would love to spend a year or two building one. 

2. RC Boats! A new easy to build ship model in 1:200 scale, with an (almost) single hull... I'm sold! If I wanted to build a great looking RC ship with a little fuss this kit would be 1st on my list. Even looking at all the parts I'm enticed to buy one for myself wire it up and set it on the lake, can you imagine the fun :) I also think that might be the reason for the tip of the bow being gone. I'm not sure why, but I'm sure it might have something to do with adding weight to the front. Also taking closer look at the main turrets, they look like they might have been designed to allow movement. For RC ship enthusiasts, they will more likely have a lot of fun building this kit and easily converting it for more water fun. It's a easier solution than building one from scratch, and is big enough to satisfy a lot of modelers, (though personally I'd still like one in 1:72nd scale). It would also explain more why the plastic is so thick, and why all the windows are sealed. 

These are just my thoughts, on their marketing. But again is this kit you you? Most likely no. Most modelers I think would be more happy with 1:350 scale. Not to mention the over 4ft hull is going to take up a lot of room. As cool as this kit is you seriously need and want enough room to display this monster.

Final Thoughts....

I really am impressed with the kit. I really hope they make a Yamato in the near future. For those waiting for a Tirpitz keep waiting, She's not coming anytime soon, so buy this one and convert it to the Tirpitz. If you really want this kit, search for one and buy it right away. This kit isn't going to be a continued release. My hobby dealer said he cannot order another one in our area, they are all sold, and in hobby stores. 

The details are great, I like that they added the railing to the kit, this was something I thought was going to be and extra addition I'd have to buy. Despite my rant about the extra Turned Barrels and bits, I found the included plastic parts more than suitable for the model. As I mentioned there are a few Super detailing kits you can buy. I think that some of them are worth it, especially if you don't mind tons of photo-etched parts. They range any where $100 and up, but this is the type of kit you would want to add those extra details to, you will definitely appreciate them more in this bigger scale. Also adding a crew to the ship would also go along way, lots of opportunities for fun scenes to add and explore. 

And if you have this kit, and are getting started please invest a few more dollars for Finescale Modeler, October 2013. Reading Mark Karolus' review will help you out a lot. He explains and identifies problems with building the kit that will save you a lot of time, and find new ways to avoid them.  I'm not sure if the paint not adhering to the plastic well was just a one time problem, or a problem all the kits will have, but you have to admit its very nice to have a fair warning to the problem and an easy solution. I'm especially grateful that Mark found a good primer to use. The plastic does have a weirder texture than most plastic, it kind of reminds me of Airfix's new blue plastic. It feels soft, but it's darn strong. 

Trumpeter just released a new 1:200 Missouri. Which leads me to believe that this kit was successful enough for them to make more. I know a lot of modelers were very excited to see Mighty-Mo and I'm more excited to see what they will bring out next. I'm very satisfied with this kit, and might get my Dad one of the extra Super Detailed kits to really make the model shine. Though I did see problems with this kit, it is more for the experienced modeler, but an average modeler will have building it, the more experienced out there I doubt will find the problems with the kit stressful (excluding the problems with the release agent). If you are a devout fan of Bismarck and you have adequate space to display this beast, then this is definitely the kit for you. Thanks for reading!