BloorwestSiR

My LHS has a Catalina ithey got in from a collection for $675 CAD. Not sure how much cheaper that is compared to new. https://wheelswingshobbies.com/hph32021l-mph-models-1-32-pby-5a-catalina-wwweb10110852/

Looks great Chris. I'm glad I guessed right at the beginning and it looks good in RCAF markings. As for WHIFs, I've an original Battlestar Galactica Viper in RCAF 410 Cougars markings.

Toronto used to have several well stocked hobby shops but one by one most have closed. Fortunately one of the best (Wheels and Wings) is still in business and has even expanded their inventory. They only carry scale models. They're carrying more stock these days of AM, tools and supplies than I've seen in the past. They have regular sales where they'll offer blanket discounts in the store or sometimes targeted sales. Plus, they're cognizant of who they're competing against and do their best to price accordingly. With the rise of shipping costs, oftentimes I've found them more than competitive with the online shops. The best part is going there and chatting with the staff and owner. It's always an enjoyable visit. Carl

Matthieu, if you do a Seafire XV I'm sure you would make a lot of Canadians happy as well since it also flew with the RCN. It would be the perfect complement to a Sea Fury. Carl

Not until Matthieu does a Seafire XV first!!

Sadly, I've binned many a kit partway through. I had a pair of HK B-25Js on the bench and the constant work on the rear half of the fuselage interior just wore me down. I gave up after a while and eventually tossed them when I knew I'd never go back to them. The Takom M29C is probably going to share a similar fate. The suspension parts are ridiculously tiny, fiddly and have a vague fit. None of mine line up and the link and length track is off. Carl

Don't forget to look at the second hand market for kits and AM. I managed to pick up the 3 Tamiya Tomcats I have for around $90 USD each and two came with resin cockpit sets and other AM. I built one at the same time @ScottsGT did his Revell one. It was an interesting comparison between what needed improving on both kits. Cockpit was the Technix resin set.

I think there was a limited edition clear version that was sold through Sprue Brothers. It had a complete clear fuselage assembly and 2 different style of noses. HK did several boxings like that. One of mine came with the optional nose weight and metal gear legs. Both were cast in zinc so weren't the squishy SAC stuff.

No need to swap the entire wing, just the inserts for the respective versions. Can't wait for a XV to come out. Would be nice to have one in RCN markings next to my RCN Sea Fury.

The Universal Carrier will be a nice addition. Hopefully being bigger, it'll be an easier build than the Riich 1/35 one. A Dingo would be great too.

Nice work. Are you going to do this as the rarely seen RCAF version? Or did Diefenbaker only get single seaters? Carl

My wife and I debated which way to go 18 months when we were car shopping. We looked at EVs, talked with neighbours who owned them and looked at the pros and cons. Charging wouldn't have been an issue as we have a garage and it has 240V power. Range also wasn't an issue for everyday stuff. The two biggest hits were the price and the technology, especially the batteries themselves. The Chevy Bolt would have been the cheapest option to meet our needs but at the time they were on a stop/sale due to a battery recall. Everything else was out of our budget. Then there's the batteries themselves. The tech keeps advancing and as a result, the older stuff gets harder to source so if down the road you need a replacement battery, you could be SOL. Or facing an absurd bill like a Hyundai owner found out when he was quoted $50K for a battery. We ultimately took the middle ground and got a RAV4 hybrid. Best of both worlds. Still have to wait 8 months for it to arrive but we've been very happy with it. Beats our Honda Element for mileage that's for sure. Carl

Like most others on here, I use both online and books for reference.

Interesting. I never noticed the screws/rivets before even when I saw the plane up at Vintage Wings a few years ago. I just checked a couple pics I have and sure enough, they're there. Carl

I certainly wouldn't pick a fight with her.

I bought a case of 25 1/72 F-14A snap together kits a few years ago. It was on clear out for around $30 if I recall. The plan was to use them as paint mules until my sons discovered them. I ended up letting them and their friends build most of the kits as fun projects.

I broke down and finally bought the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire kit. Okay, two after Laminar Flow announced he was going to do a XIV conversion. We're getting a new heating system installed this weekend so my shelves are in a huge upheaval at the moment. Which means I've found stuff I forgotten about. Once the work is done, this will give me a chance to sort everything out.

Max, there are a few kits in there that have definitely appreciated. I usually don't find out until I've actually started them so for me, it becomes moot. There's the usual culprits like the few Fisher kits and conversions I have but my sci-fi kits I would say have gone up the most. I bought a Yamato 1/3000 SDF-1 kit years ago on clear out for about $120. I built it last year and when searching for references on it, found they were worth close to $1,200 now. Likewise I have a Max Factory 1/20 VF-1S that is now about $1,700 which I bought for a 1/3 of that.

My son took a friend of his to the LHS. He said they have a lot of models there for them to go and look at and possibly buy one. His friend replied " They have more models than your dad?" I wasn't sure if I should laugh or hide at that point.

That looks similar to my pile. I've built 9 Tamiya Spitfires so far, with #10 on the bench. Missing from the pic are 3 PCM XIVs and a pair of Kotare kits.

The debonder I use softens the CA. I'll soak it and then if needed, use a micro brush to work the debonder into the joint a bit and help things come apart. Also, G-Factor made brass legs for the kit but I have no idea how hard it would be to find a set.

If you used CA to glue it in, I would use CA debonder to weaken the joint and hopefully you'll be able to remove the broken part without damaging anything else. This will also make it easier to install the replacement.

The intake splitter plates breaking seem to have been a common issue. When I bought my Twogar, the intake splitters were broken off. Like you, I managed to find part but not the other. I asked Paul Fisher about it and he said he had a mould of just the splitter plates for that reason and would send me a couple replacements. Sadly that was a week before the fire that destroyed everything. As for the cockpit fit, I can check mine later tonight and see how it fits together. Carl

That's a big disappointment. Which means I guess i won't be going. Carl

It's a very nice kit. I have one but swapped it with my son when the dragon model he was building turned out to be a lot harder for him to manage. The pearlescent finish to the plastic is nice and even.