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Wow, cant be to hard to have the decals made. Thats just not good enough for all the people who brought the kit. I hope it gets sorted soon. Cheers.

Now that's a good work-around! Well done, looks great!

Darn shame. Fair winds, Ron.

Happy B-Day, brother!!!

I think I can answer your questions based on my experience but I don't use Tamiya metallic lacquer paints. I use Alclad and/or MRP which are acrylic lacquer (as I think are the Tamiya paint you're asking about) and I do not normally clear coat over the bare metal paint unless I need a flat finish, then I use Testors Dullcote. So here goes: 1. I personally don't preshade bare metal finishes but I've never had any issues when I've mistakenly put preshading where my metal finish would go. I have post shaded with a dark aluminum shade and while it looked ok, it really wasn't needed. I've used Tamiya XF-1 (Flat Black), MRP Black, Gunze Mr. Surfacer 1500 (Black) for preshading and never had any issues with it reacting under bare metal. 2. and 3. If your paint is acrylic lacquer, an enamel wash (oil) should not hurt the paint. But before trying it on the model, test on a paint mule or something you won't care if it screws up. I say that having used MRP and Mr. Color acrylic lacquer paints. Note that the Tamiya panel line washes work great but they need at least a semi gloss finish (the bare metal finish would absolutely satisfy that requirement) to work well. I find they tend to absorb into a flat coated area rather than move along a panel line; which is the reason I say semi-gloss finish at the very least. For the most part, I've forsaken enamel/oil washes for Thunnus' (John's) water-based panel line wash concoction. He uses pastel chalks shaved into power. Mix in a drop of dishwashing liquid and then add a few drops of water. The mix should be thin enough to brush into panel lines and it will run by capillary action (a little bit) along the panel line. Brush it along panel lines doing only a single section at a time. Here's the most important part: Don't wipe the wash immediately after application, wait until the wash is TOTALLY DRY. Then gently wipe off the excess with a paper towel, napkin, tissue, etc. (obviously lint free is best) with just a slight touch of moisture. It will remove the dried wash outside the panel line and leave the rest within. If it doesn't look good, wash it away with water and start over. Here's the downside: If you don't overcoat the bare metal with a clear, you run the risk of ruining the panel line wash should anything wet get dripped onto the surface of the model. Since this is his technique, John may chime in here (if he sees this) and add anything he feels I may have missed or gotten incorrect. I'm sure he's used it on bare metal and can probably give you pointers on getting successful results. As with anything, try this out on a scrap before putting it on the model. I made the mistake of putting this water-based wash on a model and left it overnight before removing the wash. The model had a Future (Klear) clear coat and the wash stained the Future everywhere I had left it on the model. I have not had that issue with acrylic lacquer clear coats. As a last bit of advice: WARNING: DO NOT USE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL FOR ANYTHING, IT MAY REMOVE THE ACRYLIC LACQUER PAINT.

First cuts I always try to plan the early stages of a build carefully, step by step, to avoid surprises. The first focus is on the cockpit—after an initial assessment, I decided to modify the instrument panel and the pilot’s seat. Additionally, I sketched out the layout of gauges, controls, and control cables to ensure everything makes sense. The Oeffag D.III in Polish service had its machine guns mounted lower, below the cylinder line, to reduce the risk of fuel ignition during firing. The kit represents this variant, but the instrument panel is shaped like the one used in aircraft with higher-mounted guns. This means some modifications are needed—I’ll have to cut out a section and add a brass rod according to reference materials. The first components are now in hand—I’ve cut one fuselage from the sprues and divided them between the two models. The fit looks promising, so I’m hopeful that assembling everything won’t cause too many issues. For the cockpit, I’ve prepared a set of details from Taurus, including switches, gauges, a starter magneto, and a pulsometer. I’ll also be using instrument dials from a Yahu panel designed for the Albatros D.V. Wiring will be made from various wires and elastic rigging lines. The overall detail is really impressive. On close-ups, some minor artifacts are visible, but I think it’s all about having the right mindset when working on a model. Expectations should align with technological limitations, so let’s zoom in and take a closer look. That’s it for today—until next time! Lukasz

Haopy Bday old boy

Thank you Rod! I hope it inspires others to make this conversion as well. Cheers, Tom

Sometimes I do not have the words!! Wow. Rod

Gee whiz that is good!! Thanks for sharing. Rod

I dig that!! Thanks for sharing. Rod

Condolences to all that knew him!

Nice spit!!! Thanks for sharing Rod

That's a beauty!! Thanks for sharing. Rod

That's not the USAAF machine: '563 was post-war.

What a cool build!! Thanks for sharing. Rod

That is one pretty scheme!

Very well done!

Superb build. Came out looking great Matt

For some reason, this model does not get my pulse to thumpin’ like the Corsair did, but, Good Lord, Jay, this is epic in every sense of the word. It might even be too much in that there is no way anyone who has not followed along here on LSP can ever appreciate what you have done - there is too much perfection to see and we simply are too big to see it all anyway. Could you have done this were you an ordinary man on the street and not an engineer?

Sad news indeed. Condolences to family and friends. Blue skies Ron! Iain

Well that is sad news. RIP Ron

Always had a phobia about BM finishes. Always used acrylics. Thought the Vallejo metallic series was the answer, but paint lift when masking was constant. Now I tried the Tamiya lacquer and love it! So here are my questions: 1. Is pre-shading the same with BMF and does it also have to be lacquer? 2. What about washes? Should I clear coat? But if I do that, it would make any panel masked painted different tones (dull, flat, polished, etc) ALL glossy. 3. Since the base is lacquer, can the wash be oil based? Or does a coat of Future negate any concerns?ted Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Let me try to clarify things ,the F-30 did not have the 6-3 wing planform . I believe that started with the F-35 wing so that would have to done too, so a lot of work. Keeping the wings sorted on these[F-86s] can be a little confusing at times.

US Air Force Museum has some great shots of 8563 in various states in both B&W and color. Matt