SA-6 Gainful

Michael Hickey
Thanks James, I'll be moving onto the cradle now and I need to wait till the end of the week before I get some Ak and MIG thinners so I can start to paint her. Plus I will be rebuilding the missiles as they are to long and to thin.

Holger Kranich
Oh i´ll be watching this for sure!

Bart Goesaert
Me too

Kerry COX
The brass etched bits look intricate and effective from what I can see Mike. I'll be back. 🙂

Michael Hickey
Progress will slow down after Friday as it's school holiday time again and I will have the pleasure of having my 2 girls visit for 2 weeks.😄
@Kerry, the PE comes in the kit, I paid $12US from LuckyModels for this kit and I reckon it was a steal.

Holger Kranich
Oh you have your girls at home? Thats way cool as my lil lad is with me, too!🙂

Kerry COX
I bought the PE bits for my F-35, from Lucky, $15.00 !! A great site, and I will be keeping my eye on what else they have on offer.👍
Great to know your family is strong mate. 🙂
And Holgers too. 🙂 👍

Michael Hickey
@Holly, fun times, does your boy build with you?
@Kerry, thanks mate, and the thing I like most about Lucky is if you order their small items they post for free.👍

Holger Kranich
Hi Mike. No he actually does not. He just eats Sweets and farts where he goes and he laugh all the time!😄

Michael Hickey
Oh how funny a typical young fella.🙂

Michael Hickey
Thanks James, trying to get back into some kind of routine now that my 2 girls have gone home and Tammy my partner is home from hospital. I'm just going to slap together another paint rack for all my paints that are not Gunze or Tamiya first, then I'll really get stuck into this beast.😢

Kerry COX
That is some mighty fine delicate work there Michael.👍
How did you get it cut away without any damage.?. :-o
eagerly awaiting the next lot of progress. 🙂

uncle chop chop
Sweet tank man good job

uncle chop chop
I haven't seen my boy in 3 weeks miss him so much he's 6 months old dre'arloh

Michael Hickey
@Kerry, thanks Mate, I cut the thin strip of by using a brand new exacto blade and carefully going over it. Patience and not rushing is the key.
@Uncle, I'm glad you approve, and I know how you feel. I only get to see my girls in the school holidays.

uncle chop chop
Yea its tuff times lucky we got models to take mind off things

Michael Hickey
Yeah, thank God for that or I'd go stir crazy.😢

Kerry COX
Our kids miss us just as much as we miss them, and, some times more so. 👍
As you say Mike, without them in our lives, crazy is next. 🙁
Mine are grown and independent, but they will always be my 'kids'. missed every day.
👍.

Michael Hickey
Amen to that Kerry.

Kerry COX
🙂

Michael Hickey
Well she's finally ready for the trip across the floor to the paint shop, can't wait to see her with a bit of colour on her and the weathering should bring her to life.🙂

Michael Hickey
Thanks James for your nice words, and no she's all glued in position now. This is the first piece of armour that I'm going to try the modulation technique.

Kerry COX
Looks a treat Michael. 🙂
Your efforts are paying dividends mate, and looks a lot bigger than I imagined. 👍
Is the big copper spring on the pivot arm one that helps ease the load on the lifting mechanism.?
AND 🙂, what was with all the shaving of the raised detail on the clamps. ?

Michael Hickey
Thanks Kerry, The spring is a part that I made because the kit part had an ugly mold line running down the middle of it, and not sure of how I was going to display the lifting mechanism I decided it was easier to make rather than clean the kit part. With the clamps again there were mold seams running right down the middle so I thought that I better clean those up, one thing I dropped the ball on was the hand rails. I was talking to my daughter on Skype when I was building that area and forgot to clean off the seam mold line on them.🙁

Kerry COX
The spring looks impressive mate and I just had to ask. 🙂 Yup, seam lines have cost me dearly at times, especially with the judging and the rivet counter type judges. 🙁
Is there a way you can gently remove the hand rail lines without too much drama. ?
But looking so good Michael. 🙂 👍

Holger Kranich
This is really looking good, Mike!Do you give it a camo or will you modulate the typical russian green? I love those modulatiion sets, and i´m a lazy modeller who dont like mixing paints!😢

Michael Hickey
Thanks for your encouraging words gentlemen...
@Kerry, now that it has a primer coat of AK's Russian Green on her I'm going to gently sand the rails.
@Holly, I'll be using the modulation set for Russian 4BO by Mig, just need to learn how to use the paints properly.
As from this morning my computer is going to get a new brain so I'll be away for a few days.

Kerry COX
Missing a few brain cells was it. ? LOL 🙂

Michael Hickey
Yep, the hard drive has deciding it has had enough and is chucking a wobbly and it's time for a new one.

Michael Hickey
Not the best primer coat I've ever applied, but I'm still adjusting to these AK paints. This was sprayed through my Aztec A7778 metal body gun with no thinning using the white nozzle. I'll let this harden and have another crack this arvo, then I have to work out the mixing ratio for the Mig modulation paint.

Ingo F
The build looks very good. 👍 How are the rockets of this kit? I have read that they are not so good and should be replaced by resin kit. Are they really that bad?

Michael Hickey
Thank You Ingo, yes the rockets have nice details but suffer from being to long and to skinny. That's why I chose to rebuild the kit missiles, I think they will look much better.

Michael Hickey
Yes... I've got my laptop back and I didn't need to have a new brain installed after all, and now she's all cleaned up and super fast again. My Lamborghini is back better than ever.🙂🙂🙂

Kerry COX
That's good to know. 🙂 👍.

Michael Hickey
Tried the Modulation Technique, now time for some weathering.

Michael Hickey
I only put a few decals on this beast, I didn't find any real reference of how it should be so I just went with what I saw on other models and made the best of it. Doesn't matter if it's wrong or not I'm having a ball with this cheap kit, and at the end of the day as long as I'm happy that's all that matters. 😄

Kerry COX
Salute Michael. 👍 🙂
I am always impressed with your work. 🙂
No wonder your work is in such high demand mate. 🙂
Most impressed. 👍 🙂

Holger Kranich
Your Gainful slowly Comes to life! Looks as you already have applyed a washing... Have you?

Michael Hickey
Geeezzzz, thanks guys for your encouraging words. Holly all I've done to her at the time the pics were done was add 4 decals, and a colour modulation. I not long ago finished doing the Dot Technique on her and am now in the middle of doing a pin wash. It makes me very happy that you fellas like her so far, what I'm really itching to do though is the base so I might start on that tonight.😢 My second Russian soldier should turn up tomorrow along with some more AK Interactive weathering products.

Kerry COX
YOU, !!! Surprised. ??? LOL
Mr Hickey, your one of the greats and you know it . 👍
AK interactive is great stuff, and I only discovered it at the last venture to the QMHE comp last year. 👍
I will take heaps of pics at the meet this weekend and maybe some video.🙂
Cheers Mike. 😉

Michael Hickey
hahahaha, Kerry are you going to enter any of your fine builds into the comp? I'm defiantly looking forward to seeing the pics.👍

Kerry COX
Yes Mike. I am entering the Do-335 see through mounted on a Tamiya turntable and the 'fresh from the RAEME workshops' Centurion.
👍 The 'cent' is just squeaky clean, no weathering or ware and tare, just like it's had a bit of a referb at the RAEME workshops at Bandianna and headed back to Pukka. 🙂

Michael Hickey
CooL, good luck with them mate and hope you do well.🙂

Michael Hickey
Thanks James, nah as far as the tracks go I'll just use the kit ones. Is there a problem with the kit tracks that I haven't heard about. I usually don't go overboard with after market stuff when building armour kits, it's really just a diversion from aircraft for me.😢

Michael Hickey
All weathering just about finished now, next will start work on the wheels and tracks, then all the tiny details.

Holger Kranich
It turns out nicely, Mike! Not too much and straight ahead!

Michael Hickey
Thanks Fellas... Good to know James, I've never used aftermarket tracks maybe one day for one of my Tigers.😢

Michael Hickey
With 90% of work finished on the tank it's time to move towards the base. The layered cork is to get some slope into the base.

Kerry COX
The 100% mark will be a ripper for sure Mike. 🙂 A stunner. 👍

Michael Hickey
Thanks Kerry, I worked on the base tonight laying clay down.

Michael Hickey
The 1st missile's construction is over, the next 2 should go quicker. Also the tank is now finished just waiting for her payload.

Michael Hickey
2nd missile is done, tonight should come the 3rd and should be all painted tomorrow with a little luck.🙂

Kerry COX
Ohhhhhh!!! I can hardly wait. 🙂 🙂 🙂
The base is looking promising too mate. 👍 🙂

Michael Hickey
Thanks Kerry.😄

Choppa Nutta
good work !! 🙂

Michael Hickey
Thanks Choppa, 3rd missile is complete, tomorrow where of to the paint shop.

Holger Kranich
Really Looks well, Mike! I´m looking Forward your base!

Michael Hickey
Thanks Gentlemen.