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Folks, Thank-you so very much for your postings and I apologize for my lack of response buy I can assure you they're all very much appreciated! I've been bouncing around a bit on my build and made an interesting (to me anyways) observation regarding some details. Tamiya's instructions indicate using certain parts for the -1A build but from references I've found I should be using alternate parts supplied in the kit but not mentioned in the instructions. From my research, based on it's build number and photo evidence, my specific Corsair was an early F4U-1A and wasn't set up to use the Brewster bomb rack. Tamiya's instructions and parts call out are given so the rack can be used. When the bomb rack was installed the centre cooling flap on the underside of the fuselage, part R20, was notched out on the trailing edge to clear the rack. I used part B25 instead without the cut out. It also meant that there was no small arming panel on the right side of the IP coaming. The applicable hole needed to be filled. Instead of using parts R24 and R14 below the centre of the main wing spar, which accommodates the rear mounting for the bomb rack I should have used part B18. Unfortunately, I'm a great gluer, (that's a real word Isn't it?) and I'd already used R24 and R14 so corrective surgery was needed. Then there was the bomb rack's forward mounting point. Tamiya, thankfully, supply part B23 to fill the hole! Hopefully the photos below will show what I've been yammering about. Cheers, Wolf

Evening all, Making the most of self-isolation, I've made a start on the cockpit interior. I absolutely Detest (with a capital D) making cockpits - I find it tedious enough painting kit cockpits so scratch-building them is even worse. I've been putting it off as long as possible with this build, but it's got to the stage where I can't put it off any longer. I thought I'd start with the instrument panel and get that out of the way first. I'll say now that this is far from a perfect replica of a Shackleton MkII instrument panel, but the overall effect is close enough for my liking. The initial job is to make the panel itself and this was done using plastic card. I made some basic rudder pedals beneath from more plastic strip and card. The individual panel sections - in this case the Shackleton seems to have two centre panels (lower one larger and the upper one slightly smaller) and then a panel with the primary flight instruments for each the pilot and co-pilot - were made next and offered up to the main panel for sizing. When the shapes and sizes were correct, I then set about using Airscale's excellent instrument bezel sets to start bringing the whole thing to life: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The whole panel then got a spraying of matt black, with a drybrush of dark grey to bring out some of the details: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Next was adding instrument decals - again the excellent Airscale sets to the rescue here: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr A clear gloss varnish was added to the instrument faces to represent the glass, and some light weathering added on the rudder pedals before it was fitted to the forward bulkhead: Untitled by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The macro photography makes it look a lot rougher than it actually is, and I'm quite pleased with the outcome so far. Obviously lots more to do, but as I'm currently in the swing of making instrument panels and the like, I may have a go at the Flight Engineer's panel next. Stay tuned... Tom

Time to apply the markings. I scanned an Eagle Cal's Bf109G-6 decal sheet and used it as a template to make custom masks for the crosses and swastika. With multi-color masks, there are always a few ways you can paint these. I decided to do the white borders first. So I applied the outline mask and sprayed the white. Keeping the outline mask in place, I placed the little "L" masks for white borders and sprayed RLM 74 Gray over that. Same deal with the wing bottom, except I ran into a little paint pull-up. This was fixed using pieces of Post-Its as a corrective mask. One thing that you have to watch out for with vinyl masking material (Oramask 810) is that it can stretch or distort. That happened with the fuselage crosses. The distortion was bad enough to redo the marking altogether. So it's back to square one on the port side. I managed to correct the starboard fuselage cross without having to re-do it.

What if the Lightning had been a failure? The RAF would have been scrambling around for a Mach 2 interceptor, and NATO had adopted the Zipper as the standard interceptor for the alliance!

Hi guys, So here is my 2nd build since I've come back to the hobby, my 1st Corona build loll I chose the Raptor because it's my favorite jet and I wanted to have one on my stash And I went with the Hasegawa because of the reviews I saw on the net. Altough it's just my 2nd serious build, I have to say this kit is absolutely unbelievable! The fit is absolutely great and it needed almost no filler at all, I was really impressed by the ingineering, really unbelievable!! The only down side are the decals, they were an absolute pain to apply and some are really not applied to my liking, don't know why because I did the same process that I did with my Revell and it turned out good on it so.. I even tried the Mr.Mark setter and softer but did not change a thing.. Maybe just a lack of experience here.. As for the paint, the camo was already a big challenge for me to do so I did not try to get the ''metallic sheen'' that the Raptors have, just did a matt coat after the paint job. I think it doesn't look that bad actually, I'm ok with it for a 2nd build.. I did all the camo free hand with no masking, I was absolutely terrified to do it that way but in the end I think it turned out not that bad!! It was not really that hard to do just need to be carefull and patient!! I went with the same kind of stand as my F-18, Easy to do and it does the job!! So that's it thanks for looking at it and as always I'm opened to any construtive comments guys!! Thanks!!! P.S. The next one is already on the bench, the GWH F-15 C, and I plan to paint it like the F-15 E because I absolutely love the E color!! I know it is not historicaly accurate but I don't think the Scale Modeling God will be that angry and also I have to put a pilot in it and one is enough of a job at this time in my modeling carreer

Thanks for the compliments everyone. Today I started doing the graphics for the tail codes I am considering. Looking at photos of USAAF fighters I get the impression that every base or unit did their own stencils with a small amount of variation in the fonts. The numbers on some units are much thinner compared to the standard USAAF font. I used the Sillouette software to create a test sample and airbrush it onto the yet unpainted tail. I will now compare this to photos and adjust the spacing and position of of the fonts if needed. I will see if I can join the top and bottom fuselage parts later today. Nick

This is the home stretch, I have applied a final varnish coat of Alclad Light Sheen on the airframe and I am getting all the final pieces ready for assembly. bombs have been lightly weathered using the salt technique (hard to see on the pictures) and the band mark has been painted: bang seat and transparencies and bits and bobs: Finals pictures soon. Cheers, David

From left to right - Hasegawa/Belcher Bits CF-5A, Italeri CF-104, Hasegawa Sabre Mk.6. Paints used were Xtracolor enamels. Decals by Leading Edge.

Hello All! Lock down DOES have benefits... I am doing as much modelling as my wife will allow... Firstly, my Magic Scale Modelling Set arrived, going to fully light her up and have the engines running. My 3D Printed Engines will be designed around the MSM Motors; Got the basic cockpit finished; The flares are 3D printed and the hydraulic hand pump is scratch built; The footplates are etch with recesses for the screwheads. The wood is HPH redwood decals Apologies for the brush hair I just clocked lying on top of the shelf! Thanks to Anthony who sent me photos of the rear bulkhead, it shows this was made up of a hardwood as averse to the ply on the floor. Hence the different brown abrasion colours.. The hydraulic systems are in place for; Gun Access & Bomb Doors Radiator Flap Actuators on the wings Hydraulic Actuators for the Engines I will complete the hydraulics when the fuselage goes together. The Valving is from the engines and spares box. All done in nickel and brass wire - 0.45 & 0.6 The Electrical Boxes and Hydraulic Doors Reservoir Tanks are 3D Printed (missing from the kit) Next? The Nose Guns... Thanks for looking. Cheers Steve

Just a brief update for today. I started on the ejection seat. One of the things I find oddly fun to replicate is the fuzzy seat cushions. Others have used PVA glue with resin dust, but I like to minimize my exposure to the latter. Something I found by accident was that Tamiya Pavement Effect texture paint works really well. It acts like stippled Mr Surfacer, but is odor free and thins with water. Here it is shown with the completed seat from my previous Viper build: While that dries I moved on to the rest of the cockpit, focusing on the left sidewall. Both sidewalls had slight ejection marks, which I removed with a fiberglass pen. Once this was done I scratchbuilt the canopy ejection handle and canopy lock mechanism: Cheers, Tom

We are in a 21 day lock-down in South Africa and I am filling and painting and sanding!!!! But not plastic models. The wife decided to put me to work fixing all the small cracks in the house. I did manage to do a little on the F-15. The IP needed a bit of attention as the clear inserts look like lenses. I also painted the wheels. I contemplated the Eduard color IP. Our postage system id completely dysfunctional and only about a third of packages from overseas arrive. I looked at courier cost from Hannants. 38 Pounds. Out currency also went **** up and lost 30% in a few days. So .... no AM products till this thing is over. So out with the glasses and paint brush. Happy modeling during the lock-down everyone Nick

Thanks guys! Correcting the port fuselage cross was job #1 today. Placing the mask on Post-its like I did previously aids in placement but it can also restrict the mask from conforming to a curved surface. This time, the mask was placed first and the Post-its were put on afterwards to protect from overspray. As before the white borders were sprayed first and then the white portions were masked off. The fuselage and upper wing crosses are called out as Grey (RLM 74), not black. Ah... much better! With the crosses and swastika done, I think I can cover the model in gloss in preparation for decals and further weathering.

I hope this final set of pics does it justice! She's all done. Unfortunately I lost the sun before I could take pics. I did beat the rain though Everything is straight out of the box. Every part PCM showed in the instructions made it onto the plane, including the teeny tiny seat belt bracket. Since I'm not familiar with German WWII aircraft colors I painted everything right from the PCM call-outs. This was a tremendously fun build. Kit went together great. There's a few watch-outs I've come across since my last post so I'll highlight those in this final set of pics. I am working on a base for it so may add that in here later. These 1st 2 are my favorite pics... Since I usually do jets this was new. Tried some scratching along the wings with a piece of foam and some silver paint. Thought it would tone down under the dullcoat but it didn't. What do you guys think of it? The wheel shafts were about 2mm too long. I cut off 1mm and drilled out 1mm on the wheel so that they sat in tight to the gear leg. It shows up even better in the underside pic I used Vallejo washes and AK powder to do all the weathering. Same story as above, although there are some similarities here to jets. Maybe more blending at the end of the black oil type streaking, what do you think? There's no mount for the step. If I had seen this ahead of time I would have drilled 2 pilot holes before painting. Also mount the nose guns before gluing on the cowling in front of the windscreen...or the guns may fall into the fuselage, never to return. Fortunately mine didn't. I set them in place with canopy glue to make sure they didn't slide into it. Here's those seat belt brackets Thanks for tagging along with me. Till next time, model on!

Sidedewalls As stated above the cockpit sidewalls deserve a post for their own. Long story short: there are no real sidewalls in the kit. I added some detail to the inside of the fuselage but most of it will never be seen again. I spent the rest of the day dry fitting and oh boy - it's bad (at least in some places) The rear cockpit fits snuggly with some trimming. To get aproper fit on the front tub some small alterations (read cutting away 3mm) from the front portion of the rear tub. The rear wall from the front tub is suppoesd to sit right on the side consoles which seem to be too long for the twin seater

Hi everyone, This year I've contrived to get myself into three Bundeswehr builds this year. All of them for group builds over at Armorama. The first is the Takom Spahpanzer Luchs, now retired from Bundeswehr service. I have been keen to see what the new breed of kit producers are making. Takom and Meng especially. The suspension is detailed and the black coil springs are actually metal. The suspension is meant to stay active and even has armatures inside the hull to make the paired drives turn in unison. Unfortunately all of this coolness was paired with plenty of flash, inopportunely placed sprue gates, and places where the molding halves didn't seem to mate perfectly. All of the surface moldings looked pretty good until research showed me that there should be welded seems everywhere.... So, I had to make my own. I mixed my own paints to resemble the Gelbolive color used by the early Bundeswehr vehicles. I had to paint the undercarriage before adding other details and the large rubber wheels. There are plenty of surface parts and a bit of PE to fold, but only one small sprue. The periscopes are molded from clear plastic. The detail on the smoke dischargers is very weak. I had to make retaining pins and represent retaining chains from stretched sprue. The metal barrel is by Magic Models and looks much better than the kit offering. The khaki colored piece above the gun mantlet is very flexible rubber which I hope will stay attached through the build. Thanks for looking! Gaz

Here you go. These are AIMS decals and Master barrel Brownings. Colour is Drooling Bulldog Aluminium.

The whole picture is much more complex than that. The RCAF losses were 46% (110 out of 239 - including 14 bird strikes, nine mid-air collisions, and six due to faulty maintenance none of which could be blamed on the aircraft itself) spread over twenty-five years, with airframes flown for many more hours than other services, (3X the flying hours of the German experience for an example) with 37 pilots lost. Still tragic to lose those pilots. No Canadian who flew or maintained them would ever call them the "Widowmaker" or "Flying Coffin", that was an invention of the Press. The German experience was certainly a shock, and the 292 losses were due to a number of factors. Other air forces fared better, Japan losing only 15%, and Norway only 14%, although they operated in smaller numbers. It was an extremely high-performance aircraft flown at a high tempo and in roles it was not designed for. Losses were high yes. But...it is such a sexy looking aircraft!! And it doesn't even have a propellor...or much in the way of wings either. Richard

In the UK, isolation is overwhelmingly the obsession of most of the population. McDonalds have closed, Starbucks, restaurants, pubs, clubs. No sport whatsoever, anywhere. Pub landlords being arrested for having lock-in's. Caravan being towed by cars, sneaking into Wales, are being stopped and turned back. Police randomly stopping motorists - if you are more than a few minutes from home and don't have a reason to be there, you'll be fined. The main lesson for me? My life is carrying on pretty much as it was before the lockdown. As I'm not working & my son is at Uni, it's just me & the wife at home, with no commitments at all, so we pretty much do as we wish with our days now - exactly what we did beforehand, with the exception of not driving to the beach to walk the dogs. In fact, I Iove the quietness, the empty spaces, the lack of traffic, the traffic noise almost completely disappearing, cleaner air, people offering to help each other, the general atmosphere is one of taking your time & not rushing and the huge love-in the entire nation is directing towards the NHS, which seems to be Brits single proudest achievement. Besides the coronavirus being eradicated of course, I'm in no rush whatsoever to revert back to the noisy, stressful existence. But I've always been an introverted anti-social.

An interesting video showing the construction of the BL755, mainly the bomblets : https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060046307 including some testing afterwards. At the end of the main video there is another short video showing another test drop. Jari

My models are usually done when I buy them, as they rarely make it out of the stash. Kev

afternoon ladies thank you so much for the warm welcome on this build I am really excited about it even though it is as far as you can get from the well documented P51C with a full library of every drawing available to look up.. I will just have to domore 'interpretation' than usual! Thanks Roger & Alain - I am already in your debt, for the info you have already sent and am going to need wingmen like you to help me on this one Ah Wackyracer, you were pipped to the post by one, otherwise you would have been my very first Patron! I have really enjoyed making video blogs of the build to compliment WIP posts and think it really does bring another dimension to not only what I do, but sharing it with you good folks another video went up this morning, so do catch that one Hi Miamiangler- stay safe over there and can't wait to see a fellow build of this engimatic aircraft So where were we... breaking up the 21st Century Toys 'toy' into bits... The model is mainly made up from bits that are either screwed together, or have 'nubs' that pass through a hole and are then melted with what looks like a soldering iron, so by breaking out those nubs it came to pieces quite easily & quickly... ..the fuselage and all those bits... ..and the wings and all those bits... ..comparing to plans, the shapes are pretty good - the fuselage is a tad short at the tail, but that's no problem to correct later.. ..and the wings are fine.. ..the model is covered in deep panel lines which will be a problem when it comes to skinning, so the first step was to fill these with P40 filler... ..no this is not some late war camoflage, this is what it looks like after sanding the filler down... ..the recess for the airscoop was also filled.. ..then the fuselage & wings were shot with some high build primer - mainly so I have a unified looking set of parts to work with, but also to help visualisation.. ..have also started to gather what drawings I can find and start translating them into what will become a large photo-etch set, although the etcher's I use PPD have suspended trading due to covid so that will be a while yet ..and even while preparing that top instrument panel part, I learned thanks to forum contributors that this Fw190 would have had ancilliary instruments like this shot of a high altitude test aircraft - this is what I will copy I expect... so, we are on our way.... a million parts to go, but I think it is going to be a blast Don't forget, if you fancy it, video builds and articles are and will continue to be posted on Patreon TTFN Peter

Threads like this cause the staff no little amount of work, without going through it I can guess there's posts edited and hidden, just to keep the peace, keep the thread on track, to provide discussion and information, even when it's diametrically opposed, and if we can avoid any heated arguments we will, I hid a thread last week, two posts in, it wasn't relevant to the site and you could tell which way it was going to go. I was called a Grouch, so I thought it best to explain myself, everything in context, and Don said he was bored, not stressed. How's about everyone show some self-discipline, and only post if they have some relevant information to the topic in the title, that way we won't have to lock the thread.

I wouldn't worry too much guys, it's Easter this week and it's over by then I hear. It's a beautiful timeline.

Luckily it wasn't a failure and the RAF didn't have to resort for lesser, inferior aircraft

Thanks Kirby! The masks were bits of scrubbing pads and an artist's template for random spots. And yes, the hairspray has been applied under the preshading. After the hairspray on the wing roots has dried, it is time to start painting the RLM 76! I am using AK Real Colors RLM 76 Version 2 thinned with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner at a 2:1 thinner to paint ratio. Since the paint mixture is so thin, the color needs to be built up slowly, leaving only a hint of the preshading underneath. It took a number of refills of my airbrush cup to cover the entire aircraft but it eventually got done. Using this technique, it is important to let the finish dry completely before deciding your finished. While curing, the highly thinned RLM 76 may mix with the preshading below and reveal more of the preshading.

Hello, this is my next build after the A-6E Intruder. I used the Zactoman intake set, AirDoc Decals and the Academy Nay Pilot.... Thanks to Raimund, aka Isar30/07, I got new Canopy! Thanks for that againe! Hope you like it....

A quick update on the build. Over this last week, I've made good progress on the build. The fuselage halves have been joined. As you can see there are numerous areas needing attention of sanding and puttying, but with a vintage kit as this, it was expected. Attachment of the wings, stabilizers, spine, and tail are planned for this week. Eventually, I'll need to turn my attention to Marek the MiG driver. I haven't painted a pilot in what seems likes ages. Thanks for looking in on my build. Mike

So buttoned the old girl up and was pleasantly surprised by the fit so far. I was expecting all sorts of problems but...there weren't any...so far... I started off by gluing the fuselage halves at the tail fin using Revell Contacta glue to seal the seams there then transitioned to Tamiya Extra Thin for the fuselage body to retain the characteristic seams of the 109, which was manufactured by butt jointing the 2 fuselage halves together. Whilst I was filling and sanding the seams on the ventral surface of the nose I noticed a doozie of a sink mark, so that was filled with Tamiya putty and sanded smooth. The underwing radiator fairings had some weird representation of the brace rod so this was sanded to something more acceptable. Radiators were painted flat back and dry brushed aluminium enamel and fitted with the fairings to the lower wings. This old kit's reasonably simple so construction moving along quickly now...

Thank you for the feedback everyone So, onto the elevator control assembly. Scratched using Evergreen styrene, Meng styrene bolts and Gaspatch 1/48 turnbuckles.... Finally, for now, have made a start on the belts, using one of HGW's excellent sets. AK burnishing solution for the buckles etc while XF-57 is a close enough match to paint the white reverse sides of the belts. Oddly enough, the instructions fail to show one of the buckles on the lap straps even though it is supplied on the PE fret? Gary

Same here Al , being retired with an adequate accounts receivable, my life hasn't changed much except having lost the use of one of my eyeballs. I've been getting real tired of not being able to do any modeling. I've found that if I wear magnifiers, my depth perception improves somewhat so I've been back at the bench recently. Feels better

There are some benefits coming out of these difficult times: “We’re pleased to confirm that we will be giving everyone free access to our digitised collections very soon, but it’s taking our amazing digital team a bit of time to make it happen. (1/2) They’re facing similar challenges to the rest of the world with regard to connecting to our various technical systems while working from home, and many of them are also juggling childcare duties. Stay tuned for an update soon! (2/2) Just to clarify, we’re referring to digitised collections that are available on our website (and usually chargeable) – at this stage, this doesn’t extend to our collections on other sites.”

Cool subject Tom. Good reference material too. I have that same book in my library. Just what you need for your build. Cheers, Wolf

Wait, what? You're back in the hobby and you did this with a brush???? I can't build or paint like this and I never left!!

I'm going back to basics: No AM, no WNW engines, no PE, no beautiful Gaspatch guns. If it isn't already in the house, I'm not using it. And no unnecessary details - keeping it simple Richard

Usually, when I slam the kit into the floor, it's done.

Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, Texture Fx Mini Series

Results of the hairspray chipping on the wing roots... After a few touch-ups, the RLM 76 main camo is complete. The yellow beneath the nose is masked off and painted. The model in the lightbox to try and show the effects of the preshading.

I have not been idle promise........ Those of you who have built a HPH kit in the past will know how much cleanup and parts prep is required. This is my first such HPH build and I couldn't quite believe it myself. Im keeping dust down by wet sanding but just to give an idea of what is involved here is a bag of the waste resin. With loads still to come.... Anyhow, sub assembly is the name of the game with some of the cockpit details being dealt with including the MG 15 magazines with PE front and back all now awaiting a PE carrying strap! rudder pedals, co-pilots seat, pilots seat rear bulkhead and two piece control column, all of which had to be cut from the moulding sheet and cleaned up. In addition I have added the control surfaces and the awkward top and bottom riveted seams along the tail booms while i am waiting for the resin to dry Ill look for something else to be getting on with. Might be undercarriage or possibly build the flap units up. I'm still undecided as to whether to depict the flaps up or down as yet there are very few images showing these aircraft with the flaps down whilst on the ground but HPH have some lovely PE for the internals. Either way I don't want to be handling the airframe while the resin is setting, fragile is an understatement. Still enjoying this build despite the seam cleanup and awkward fit in parts.... that's resin I suppose!

As my P51C is nearly finished, I wanted to start on a new project. This is the Focke-Wulf Fw190C V18, about which Wikipedia says: "The C model's use of the longer DB 603 engine required more extensive changes to the airframe. As the weight was distributed further forward, the tail of the aircraft had to be lengthened in order to maintain the desired centre of gravity. To test these changes, several examples of otherwise standard 190 As were re-engined with a supercharged DB 603 to experiment with this engine. Prototypes V13 – V16 tested various PS and DB603 engines until the V18 followed, the first to feature the full high-altitude suite of features, including the pressurized cockpit, longer wings, a 603G engine driving a new four-blade propeller, and a Hirth 9-2281 turbocharger. Unlike the experimental B models, V18 had a cleaner turbocharger installation, running the required piping along the wing root, partially buried in the fillet, and installing both the turbocharger air intake and intercooler in a substantially sized teardrop shaped fairing under the cockpit.[36] This "pouch" led to the "Känguruh" (Kangaroo) nickname for these models." I was drawn to it as I have always loved the 190 series, particularly the ‘Langnase’ D models and in particular, this airframe had about as much natural metal as I could find on any variant which is my penchant for showing. There are a number of period photo’s walking round the airframe so let’s take a look at the challenge ahead.. I also found some very nice shots of a built-up model – no idea whose or what scale, but credit to them.. As for the basis of the model, I found the range of 21st Century Toys 1/18 models online, which feature ‘toylike’ things such as spinning props, retractable U/C, moveable flying surfaces, but at their heart are actually very accurate replica’s of the airframes covered (at least the Fw190D is..).. A quick tour of the model – this was £160 on ebay – probably well overpriced, but when I see what I want, I pay for it.. So my take is this is a great basis for my next project. I have been busy collecting reference online, have a 1/48 Eduard ProfiPack Fw190D kit as a reference mule, a CD of works drawings on their way from ebay, had Arthur Bentley run me up a fabulous set of 1/18 plans and started some rudimentary artwork for some of the Photo-Etch components that will need to be developed, plus a very healthy dose of excitement and trepidation I am going to need all the help I can get in interpreting Luftwaffe colours etc and I know we have ‘experten’ on hand, so please get involved One thing that is different for this build though is a new thing I am trying called Patreon. This is an online platform where I get to share WIP content to ‘patrons’ who support me. It means nothing in terms of my forum posts here as they will continue with the regularity and scope they always did, but what it does mean is I can bring video to the build and in some ways ‘exclusives’ to those who choose to support me – this is an expensive hobby, I think my P51 netted out at about £1.8k all in and I am simply trying to find ways to offset that via the content I create for people to enjoy. Anyways, no-one has to do it, but there is a welcome video with a walkaround of my P51C that anyone can see, so if you are interested take a look at that at least! In addition, there are already Fw190C videos up Here is the link to my Patreon page I hope you will join me on my next journey and next time I will have this 'toy' broken down into a bunch of expensive parts TTFN Peter

They need to reissue the EJ-Kai set while they are at it.

Lucky Model have the CFTs, I'll check my Sufa kit tomorrow, if I have the parabrake it's yours. Zacto make wonderful AIM-120's. ps. Great subject.

Now, that's a bloody good idea you have there! Build for fun, not to make it the best it can be.

Hi, This is the QB R2800 that I put in my P-47. The magnetos come from a Trumpeter P-47. Installation is quite straightforward.

Getting ready for some major assembly. All decals on and ready for a clear coat tomorrow. French roundels gets oversprayed in silver dope hopefully to just show through. Pretty colourful undersides. More updates tomorrow.

Thanks Michael. Compressed air tanks and assosciated pipework next. Again, not 100% accurate, but good enough when looing behind the cockpit. Believe it or not, the two small cylinders mounted on the base are actually heads from 1/35 German hand grenades Otherwise it's .010 lead wire, Evergreen styrene and Meng styrene nuts... The instrument panel saw a change of plan. I did buy one of Eduard's L00k instrument panels, but decided against using it as it appears very 'toy-like' in mu humble opinion... So, I just used the kit parts - only changing a couple of instrument decals for ones supplied by Barracuda. Otherwise painted with acrylics and weathered with enamels and pigments....

I just signed up with ImageShack and it’s easy to use.

Just because everyone's got one of each... I think the whole rivet counter thing is kinda fun to watch/read. That is until entropy inevitably wins the day and or people start being what we all have one of. That is unless it's funny. Funny always wins. I've spent my whole life in aviation and I didn't know that NAA putty'd the wings until this thread started. Pretty interesting stuff. I did know that they used a metal diaphragm to seal the ailerons to guide airflow in an advantageous direction or something like that. Ultimately who cares? We build models, we aren't analysing data from the LHC. Keep it generally respectful (unless it's funny) and just super glue your fingers together like I do.

Can I just check - is this the five minute argument or the full half hour? Richard