Kit bash Airfix 1/76 RAF Recovery Set (03305): PART 1

Our kit in it's natural form

Welcome gentle reader to another installment of "It's 500 Miles to the German Border". As our local Twilight:2000 campaign takes place in the US, I've been focusing my model making more to reflect that.

This time around I'll be sharing my (mis)adventures in kit bashing/converting the Airfix 1/76 RAF Recovery Set (03305). This one from what I have read is a reproduction of the 1970s kit (of a WW2 subject).. Now currently, Airfix has let this kit go OOP. I was able to get it pretty cheap considering all of the goodies it came with: The kit has a few figures, as well as 2 motorcycles, 1 crane/truck and a tractor-trailer, plenty of Post-Apocalyptic conversion fodder goodness!

Normally I wouldn't have bought this as its a WW2 kit. But as my son and others have pointed out that it will still run in a post-EMP world.  That's good enough for me! My apologies to the WW2 sticklers out there.

The kit itself is worth the price I paid, as it was cheaper than I would have spent on a regular Trumpeter or Revell kit with just a single model in it. And, as my full intention was to "Mad Max" this kit, I am not too upset in case something goes wrong, as I might be with a more expensive kit. I also bought a bunch of die cast cars that I'll be modding in another article.

Outside of the usual modelling tools, I also wanted to use a wire mesh (to make windows look mean and really "Mad Max"). Normally an innocuous purchase for whatever reason, the stars really misaligned and nobody in my immediate area carried that stuff. So, I had to improvise and bought a plumbing supply part. Adapt and overcome!

I did pick up some snips which I thought would work well for the mesh but they turned out to be crap and the old standard side cutters (for models, sprue, etc.) actually did a better job cutting the wire mesh! Not so sure I'd want to use em all the time as I'm sure they're dulling out.

And thus, there went the first phase with the tractor-trailer:

The kit itself had pretty simple and well sculpted parts, the instructions were a bit wonky with circled numbers referring to the part numbers and other numbers representing paint shades. It was all a bit of information overload and at times, got quite confusing.

The sprues were easy to to cut and the parts needed minimal filing for very small amounts of flash as well as to assist in fitting.

This time I followed my own advice and dry fitted all the parts before assembly and priming (It was a painful lesson to learn, I assure you). I raided the spare parts bin on this build which is good for getting that post-apocalypse "junk yard" look.

I then finished the assembly and primed the kit in black. I personally like to do a "white wash" over the model, really just a dry brush in white to highlight all of the details then start adding color, by building up layers on the paints. I use washes to highlight different features and this time I used some chalk to help in making rusty effects.

I've added the remaining photos below for your consideration. Thanks for tuning in, till next time!

-Evil von Scary

Some Random Thoughts and Ideas

Some of this might be a bit OT, but I do need to get it off my chest somewhere I suppose.

First, I am being published as a sci-fi author! Granted, it's a short story in an anthology, but I am being published for a work of fiction!

Taken from Canon Publishing

Yeah, I know, not at all on-topic, but please forgive the indulgence. It's a big deal and I do hope many of you go out and grab a copy come April 1. No, it's not a joke.

Also, I wanted to pass this bit of news to local folks:

https://thegamestavern.com/blogs/news/important-announcement-we-are-closing-shop-to-reconfigure-the-business?fbclid=IwAR1KqhYbk06NOGImpUC7M7BjiZ9oYHhhtQvQJGS9AQ-oK4km225Pqm8eoBI

Important Announcement: We are closing shop to reconfigure the business.

by John Denton

 March 04, 2019

Today the team at The Games Tavern has made the challenging decision to close the doors to the shop to reconfigure the business in a way to continue to support you all – the most amazing gamer patrons in the world!


Without you none of this adventure would have been possible, and with your continued support we hope to provide continued content and service. We care about all of you and want to see the community grow and flourish.


If you have miniatures/models in the cases, or personal items in the shop please stop by to retrieve them. We want to make sure everyone gets a chance to pick their things up before we start the work over here moving things around. Please call over the shop to schedule and we will gladly help you secure your items.


If you have special orders we have contacted you about please come pick them up this week! We have some items which we have called, emailed, or more to put them into your hands for at least a week now. Those items want to go home with you.


For any special orders we were unable to acquire because our suppliers were out of stock, which were pre-paid we will be issuing refunds shortly because we will be unable to make the orders while we reconfigure and do not want you to have to wait to receive your items.


I want to thank the amazing team and staff at The Games Tavern for the amazing job they do every day.


Keylon’s management of the shop has been outstanding and I cannot think of a better person to continue to work with in the future as we chart a new path. Thanks to Keylon we have grown far better than we expected. His ability to help each and every customer has been wonderful.


Ed’s general management and straight talk is legendary, and his ability to step in and offer the right guidance to the The Games Tavern as we grow continues to astound me, and I thank him for our chats.


To all staff past and present I am thankful because each of you add something to the mix, and continue to enrich our knowledge of the hobby.


For specific requests related to picking up your items or reserved orders which arrived, refunds of pre-orders mentioned above email: john@thegamestavern.com


Sincerely,


-John

I am really unsure as to what it means for the ultimate fate of The Games Tavern. I know I appreciated having them around and they were a quality shop. Let's hope this is temporary and they come back bigger and better than ever! Not much else to report, but we'll see where this goes!