Sera’s Blog 2012
You can now follow the latest news from Staples & Vine with Sera’s Blog.
Updates from the workbench with news on the latest aircraft being sculpted.
I hope you enjoy the blog and I appreciate your feedback.
You can email me directly via sera@staplesandvine.com
You can keep up to date with my news by following me in the social media links at the bottom of the page.
December 21st 2012
Well that’s about it for us for 2012, it’s been a busy year and has seen us release some great aircraft: Do335, Barracuda MK II, Ju87G-2, Venom FB4 and the Bf109E-4/B. 2013 will see some more exciting releases hopefully in all scales. The blog Facebook and Twitter have been going for a year, thank you all for the ‘likes’, ‘follows’ and kind comments. We wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2013.
November 27th 2012
Way back on the 3rd of January 2012 I posted a photo of some sculpting projects for you to identify. Well whilst many guessed and got quite a few, the actual aircraft are starting from the back row, left to right: Mosquito 1/72, Me210/410 1/72, Meteor late variants 1/72, Ju88 1/72, Fw190 1/48, Bf109 1/48,
P-39 1/72, Venom/Vampire 1/72, Shackleton 1/144, Lincoln 1/144, and Supermarine Type 224 1/72. Some of these have been released this year, others for 2013 – what would you like to see? Drop me an email. Hopefully I shall get another batch started this Christmas. I think I had better order some more Milliput.
November 21st 2012
Bf109E-4/B in 1/48 scale Signed by Oberleutnant Hans-Ekkehard Bob now in production and selling fast.
November 15th 2012
Bf109E-4/B masters finished today, the level of detail is really good, we are very pleased with them, and I shall be moldmaking tomorrow.
November 13th 2012
Work on the Bf109E-4/B metal masters is going really well, and should be finished in the next couple of days. Whenever I sculpt an aircraft I find out something new for instance the vertical tail of the Bf109 is flat on one side and profiled on the other, in order to compensate for the ‘steering’ created by the torque of the engine. This is a feature in common with many Fairey aircraft.
November 3rd 2012
Bf109E-4/B metal masters are now cast. As you can see the fuselage, chin and wing castings are generic allowing us to produce other Bf109 variants at a later date. I certainly have a lot of filing to do next week, at least the horizontal and vertical tails are nearly finished.
November 2nd 2012
Second half of the silicone molds poured this morning. While the silicone cures overnight I am cutting out the horizontal and vertical tails from a blank slab of pewter
I have been looking forward to sculpting the Bf109 for a long time and hope to cast the metal masters tomorrow. So far the project is going very well, I am sure this will be a really good model.
November 1st 2012
Fact for the day. Ever wondered why some Messerschmitts are Bf… and others are Me…? Well, new aircraft types designed prior to July 11th 1938 were prefixed Bf for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bf109, Bf110) after this date Willy Messerschmitt took over and all subsequent new types were given the Me prefix, hence Me210, Me163, Me262 etc.
Today I will be making the first half of the Bf109E-4/B silicone molds.
October 31st 2012
I have just finished the Milliput masters for the 1:48 scale Bf109. Some of the parts are quite blocky as they will be able to be adapted for parts for other aircraft, other parts are coarse to allow refinement and detail to be added when in metal. The cockpit detail is certainly going to match that of our 1:48 scale Spitfire Mk I, but being smaller the Bf109 cockpit is definitely going to be a challenge.
October 27th 2012
Decal origination is now complete, you can see the level of detail we have gone to for these markings which will make a stunning model.
I am back on sculpting which is going well. As usual the wheels and spinner are turned in brass for accuracy all other parts are from Milliput. The cockpit and bomb are looking particularly good.
October 19th 2012
Decal origination has gone really well this week. I think I shall have enough to fill a sheet but will only know when I lay the sheet up and find out how much space is left. The above image is of part of an earlier decal sheet, so you can see how carefully packed the markings are on the sheet.
October 15th 2012
Originating decals this week. One of my favourite jobs as it is about the only task I do where I don’t get dirty. The screenshot shows theforthcoming Bf109E-4/B, I am really pleased with the noseart. I have to fill a sheet with new markings so lots of new aircraft to come – stay tuned.
October 3rd 2012
SPITFIRE MK XII SOLD OUT
October 1st 2012
Some of the first batch of Venoms. Seafires and Venoms now ready for dispatch.
September 26th 2012
KITTYHAWK MK IA SOLD OUT
September 14th 2012
I have cast the first batch of Venoms which are now checked and counted for assembly. Seafires also cast and I am just completing their assembly.
September 13th 2012
DH HORNET F3 SOLD OUT
September 10th 2012
Been choosing aircraft and markings for our next decal sheet. Lots of interesting new models for the future.
September 6th 2012
de Havilland Venom FB4 and Supermarine Seafire Mk LIII now in production.
We hope to produce a range of post war jets and experimental aircraft in the future such as the X-15, Swift, P-80, and Bell X-1. If you have any ideas about what we should sculpt please email me (sera@diverse-images.com). We are about to originate another decal sheet of markings so now is the time to let me know what you think.
August 23rd 2012
Sculpting is going well on the Venom FB4 metal masters. The rough shape of fuselage/wing has been established and the tail fitted. Today I hope to refine the wing fences and get the tip tanks fitted. It really is starting to look like a Venom now and is making a good looking aircraft.
August 17th 2012
Now the silicone has cured I have dismantled the Lego, turned over the mold, removed the plasticeine, and reassembled the Lego. I can now pour the second half of the mold. I do this with all of the molds (6 in total) for the Venom. This is the largest mold, smaller ones have more parts on them. The silicone will cure in 24 hours. I shall be able to dismantle the molds, cut them and cast the metal masters on Monday.
August 16th 2012
Ready to pour the first half of the silicone molds. The master is set into a bed of plasticeine and surrounded by Lego – child’s play!
August 15th 2012
Finally on top of production. A surge of orders due to advertising. Just finished the Milliput masters for the Venom FB4. The wing/fuselage, tail, undercarriage and belly fillet are all designed to be adapted to produce a Vampire and other marks of the Venom.
July 17th 2012
Due to be released later this year is the signed Bf109E-4/B of Hans Ekkehard Bob in 1/48 scale in a limited edition of 50 only. We are taking reserve orders now and expect to sell out as soon as we get into production.
May 18th 2012
The Ju87G-2 is now in production and has changed a lot since the first blank of Milliput a month ago. Once I am up to date with the orders I shall start on our next releases; the DH Venom FB4 and Seafire MK LIII. If you click on the thumbnails at the end of the Latest News page you will see profiles of the next aircraft.
May 11th 2012
Finally finished the Ju87G-2 metal masters. The green details are Miliput additions. Now all we have to do is make the vulcanised rubber production moulds from these masters.
May 4th 2012
The Ju87G-2 is progressing pretty well, lots done this week. Really pleased with the wing walkways, but getting the cannons to fit without fouling the undercarriage is difficult this must be why the D/G variant undercarriage is different from the B model. At least it is now looking more like a Stuka every day.
April 27th 2012
The metal masters hav now been cast and the fun bit starts. The oversize castings now have to be filed down, fitted together and detail added to complete the masters for mould making. I have already started on the horizontal and vertical tail as you can see in the photograph above.
April 24th 2012
Just finished the Millput masters now I just have to make the silicone moulds to convert from Milliput to metal. I am looking forward to getting my files into the cannon. The horizontal and vertical tail will be cut from a pewter blank.
April 18th 2012
It has been a busy day today. I have started sculpting the Ju87G-2 of Hans Ulrich Rudel.
You can see from the sequence of photographs that I start from a blank of Milliput and then start filing. I have made a good start on all the other components. It has been a productive but very messy day.
March 20th 2012
I am looking forward to sculpting the Ju87G-2 of Hans Ulrich Rudel next.
March 19th 2012
The Fleet Air Arm finally gets its own section on the website. We shall of course be adding to our range of Fleet Air Arm aircraft in the future with some of the more unusual aircraft operated by the Royal Navy.
March 15th 2012
Just finished photographing the Fairey Barracuda Mk II.
March 10th 2012
Just finished the Barracuda metal masters. You can see from the photo just how much work goes into filing down the raw casting from the silicone mould to reach the finished result. The raw casting weighs 176 grams the finished fuselage weighs 123 grams. The green areas are Miliput details. The amount of metal removed means there is no point adding detail to the Miliput masters. This process is repeated for all the component parts.
March 8th 2012
Barracuda sculpting is now going well and I shall be making production moulds shortly. I thought you might like to see the photoetching for the Barracuda. The ‘Yagi-Uda’ radar aerials (designed by Mr Yagi and Mr Uda in Japan in 1926) are as fine as those on our recent Bf110G-4 of Wolfgang Schnaufer. The other parts on the photoetching are wingtip pylons, pitot, rear struts, undercarriage detail, aerial mast and wing fences.
February 29th 2012
Have completed the Milliput masters for the Barracuda and just finished pouring the second half of the silicone moulds. The horizontal and vertical tailplane will be cut from blank flat castings. The joystick and rear undercarriage will be modified from other generic parts. This Barracuda from the Tirpitz raid will be carrying a 1600lb AP bomb which you can see on the right hand side of the photo. Also in the photo are two new figures, a deck officer wishing the pilot good luck on the raid.
February 27th 2012
Barracuda sculpting is going well. The wing, fuselage, cockpit, undercarriage junction has given me a few headaches but at last I have found a solution. I have allways wondered what the spikes on towers were at the end of the wings, they locate the folded wing under the horizontal tail when the wing is folded back- you learn something new every day.
February 13th 2012
Looking forward to starting sculpting the Barracuda and working out its crazy undercarriage. It is a very unusual aircraft with its wing mounted so high on the fuselage. I found this Pathe newsreel video of Barracudas on the actual Tirpitz raid. video
January 30th 2012
The Do335 is now complete, photographed and on the website. Dornier Do335.
January 11th 2012
From the silicone moulds I have cast the metal masters which are very rough and have no detail. I now have to start filing them down to the correct size and shape, add detail and ensure they fit together.
January 10th 2012
The silicone moulds are now poured and I am looking forward to casting the metal masters tomorrow. While the silicone cures I shall start cutting out the blanks for the tailplanes.
January 9th 2012
The Milliput masters of the Do335 are now complete and I am now about to start making the cold cure silicone moulds that will allow me to cast the metal masters. The horizontal and vertical tails will be cut from the two metal blanks on the right hand side.
January 3rd 2012
Every Christmas holiday I get to break out the Milliput and make a start on some new projects, some will be in prodution this year others a little later. The paler subjects were started the previous Christmas the greener one this Christmas. I will leave you to work out what they are. You can always email me with your guesses.
I hope you had a good Christmas break and I wish you all a Happy New Year.
December 17th 2011
The basic form of the Do335 is well underway in Milliput. The wings are sculpted with a larger span than the Do335A-1 to allow for the possiblity other variants. Milliput still has to be added to the fuselage to allow for other variants. Wheels, spinners and engine nacelle have been turned in brass and will be developed with Milliput. Other components will be sculpted purely in Milliput.