A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: LONG DAYS AND MISSED FOOTBALL MATCHES…

4th November 2025

Seven o’clock, Tuesday night after a very long day, at the end of which I’m supposed to be at the Coventry City game but instead, I’m working on the Marauder to get it ready for Scale Model World.

These things happen. Though I would much rather be at the match (there is very little I’d rather do than watch the football…) I knew a few days ago that I would not be able to go and still complete this model. So work it is and I’m still trying to complete the paintwork that I’d planned to deal with today. A few hours more and it should be done.

Angst over missing the football aside, today has been really successful and I’m really pleased with the look of the model. Weathering natural metal is always tricky, so I tend to try and push the effects so that they show up on that notoriously light and shiny finish. Though this goes against the grain a little (I like my models subtle in appearance) the Marauders were absolutely hanging in service, so I’ve been keen from the start of this project to recreate as close to their true appearance as possible. The model is not perfect but it’s close. Good enough.

As it stands, the airframe is all-but complete and the paintwork, virtually finished. It certainly looks weathered so that’s pleasing, and though the markings as mentioned a few days ago are not the brightest, the model looks attractive. I’m happy enough with it to show it off at the weekend which cannot be said for the Monogram build that I botched so comprehensively last year!

In the morning I’ll begin dealing with the smaller details, and then wrap it up on Thursday. That should give me a few hours to create a base and then pack everything up ready for the weekend. Lots still to do and little time to do it all, but we are getting there…

See you tomorrow.