One-Oh-Four

Maybe.... But I don't think you should underestimate Iran. We have a lopsided view of the country and it's inhabitants in the West as we are fed images like it's just a desert 3rd world country. I have a feeling that isn't true. acquiring enough titanium to manufacture said wing-boxes may be something else... I feel there is a tendency in Western countries to underestimate the capabilities of non-Western countries/peoples.... In any case, the Iranians were successful in keeping (parts of) their F-4, F-5 and F-14 fleet operational for over 40 years and even fight a protracted war with them, without any assistance from the manufacturers or other users, save some smuggled replacement parts... I think that's quite a feat... Cheers, Erik.

Tony, I assume you reside in the UK? Try contacting these folks: THE HOBBY COMPANY LTD Garforth Place Knowlhill Milton Keynes Bucks MK5 8PG United Kingdom Tel: +44(0)1908 605686 Fax: +44(0)1908 605666 Sales Enquiries: sales@hobbyco.net General Enquiries: enquiries@hobbyco.net For the rest of Europe, see: http://www.tamiya.com/europe/euro.htm

Aerobonus makes the BRU-32 bomb racks in resin for about Eu 12,50 / Gbp 9,50. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/970192-aerobonus-320-069-bru-32-bomb-racks-for-f-14-bombcat

The smaller pallet in the back is Tamiya's 1/48 part. Cheers, Erik.

Sadly, he’s right... Shapewise, the WP pallets are the Trumpeter ones, the kit detail is replaced with accurate and extra details. But the general shape is still Trumpy.....

Thanks for your input guys! I followed Luca’s advice and ordered Wolfpack’s Bombcat set. A bit pricey but very good looking!

Thank you, Maxim!

I’ll build the TF-104G that my father flew on his last flight in 1972! Guess who the little boy in the photo is...,

Hi guys, Trumpeters 1/32 Phoenix pallets aren’t quite accurate, so I understand. Are Tamiya’s parts accurate? I am thinking of using those, or (trying to) make castings of them. My own kit is ah... somewhat buried under the rest of the stash at the moment. So instead of bulldozing my way through my personal plastic AMARC, I opt for the easy way out and ask you guys! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Cheers, Erik B.

NF-5! NF-5! NF-5! NF-5! (Chant as in USA! USA! USA! USA!)

JASDF F-104 decals? Oh, yessssss, some nice Agressor schemes, please!!! Now back to the regularly scheduled program....

*Guffaw* I just notice you're from the UK, so my description of SMW was a bit unnecessary. Oh well!....

Mind you, I've been to 1 IPMS USA National Convention (Virginia 2014) and 17 ScaleModelworlds, I don't know if the Virginia Edition is leading for the US Nats in general. I very much liked my visit, in any case and tied it in with the summer vacation with my family that year. A week in Norfolk/Hampton, a week in the Shenandoa Valley and almost a week to see some sights in DC. The difference between the events is HUGE. The US Nats are basically a huge contest, and I mean HUGE. Next to that is a smaller hall where all the traders and manufacturers that attend reside. There were also workshops/lectures from the likes of Dana Bell. The "Vondors Room" was interesting but since I live in Europe, all my purchases had to be stowed away in my luggage that had to conform to airline guidelines. I DID have a slight challenge with the overall weight of my luggage on the way home.... Maybe because a lot of attendees fly in, the Vendor Room isn't that big or has that many "special offers"? You don't see many chapters or SIG's present itself. Because of the contest-nature, I got the feeling that the ambiance is a bit more individual than in England. Scale Modelworld requires me to take the ferry from Rotterdam to Harwich or Hull and then drive to Telford, or to drive down the Belgian and French coast to Calais to board the Channel Tunnel train with my car after which I drive northwest around London to Telford. Quite a few attendees from Greece, Malta, Israel, Scandinavia and the Americas for instance, fly in, just like at the US Nats but a whole lot do not and come by car. At SMW you see that (almost) all of the Branches and SIGs of IPMS UK show themselves with a clubstand. In the halls you can find a great deal of traders and manufacturers of kits and aftermarket goods too, as well as the importers of the major brands. One-third of a hall is reserved for the overseas IPMS Branches that made the crossing and organized a clubstand. The contest is clearly less important for the whole event than in the US and had in the past sometimes make do with a less desirable place with sometimes plain bad light. Nowadays the contest has plenty of room and light but if you don't know there is a contest, you could attend the show for the whole weekend and still miss it. It is by no means situated in the middle of the hubbub! Both events are great to attend -I'd like to visit the US Nats more often, but the summer-period and the distance make it quit a costly proposition- but have a different feel to them. In the US it feels that you're going to a competition event, while in the UK it is more of a family-outing, complete with knitting wives behind the clubstands and the ubiquitous eccentric Brit here and there! Cheers, Erik.

I've got a couple of quite decent DSLR's and accompanying glass but don't take them to model shows anymore. Although you can get superior results from them, you'll need to be able to control your lighting (and that is NOT a flash on the hot shoe!) and a tripod to get them. And since you can't control the background which will be cluttered with other models, it really doesn't make that much sense to tote a DSLR around. The very small sensor of the camera in the smartphone makes it actually easier to get enough depth-of-field to get (most of) te model in focus! Have a great show and all the best for the competition! Cheers, Erik.

Very nice build! Looks really attractive! Let’s see what I’ll end up with, my biggest challenge is always to errrrr.. hmmmmm.... ah..... finish it......