puffer

Thanks guys! I've been hearing some chatter about this Fisher nose, I could really use one about right now. I suppose once mine is done, it will release the day after? Aaron

Now, going to the other end of the hog, the horizontal stab. Started off by adding the extra plates on top, Trumpeter kinda messed this area up too. Also noticed the strengthen plates for the hinge go too far forward and are a bit too pronounced. I sanded off Trump's plate and replaced it with a shorter one. Then I notched my new hinge cover plates and cut out the second hinge which Trumpeter also missed. (Before cutting the second hinge.) Then, I added the trim tab actuator housing to the bottom stabs: Next, I added some styrene bars to help cover the large open area between the top and bottom stabs. You probably wouldn't be able to see much, but I didn't want to risk someone noticing an empty inner stab. Finally, here's the bottom horizontal stab showing the incorrect plate length above the hinge.

A little more progress this weekend. Started a bit of shaping on the nose, this part is not fun. Feels like a lot of guess work looking at various photographs. But since the photos are always using different lenses, its tricky finding ones to follow. Let's start with Trumpeter's nose, using an egg as reference: Some rough sanding to narrow the nose, introduce some tapering, and try to sharpen it up. This is all somewhat futile for accuracy though, given the front fuselage is just too wide and would really require a new canopy. (I'm not going that far on this build.) This is all for now on the nose, more to follow later. Aaron

Thanks Chuck! Yes, it was your A-10 thread that got me inspired to start working on mine again! I will definitely be using your build as a reference and guide along the way. Aaron

This is the a/c I'm planning to build. According to CE, its 23 TFW, England AFB, Louisiana, King Fahid Air Base, Desert Storm 1991. Have not found any photos of this exact hog yet. If anyone has any leads, greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I've been a lurker here for far too long! For years. I've learned so much from all your builds and got heaps of inspiration, so thank you! On the bench the past few weeks, (started 15ish years ago) is my Trumpeter hog. I'm building a 1991 Desert Storm 23rd TFW. To me, it's the classic hog. Growing up in the 80's, this was my favorite jet and I loved watching them at the local air shows. The Trump kit has a strange mix of old and modern detail, so there's going to be a lot of mods to backdate it properly. I've got all the usual aftermarket goodies lined up for it: Cutting Edge Cockpit Cutting Edge Exterior Set Cutting Edge Decal Sheet Master Model brass gun & pitot Cutting Edge Dual Rail Adapter Cutting Edge wheels AMS Resin Mk 20s & ALQ-119 Zacto or Cutting Edge Sidewinders Random bits in the box: Reworking the front wheel well. The kit detail leaves a lot to be desired, so I'm trying out a little scratchbuilding. Today, I removed all the kit's detail, and blocked out a new wheel well box. At first. I tried just removing the molded in detail on the kit part, but this looked really ugly, so I decided to completely replace it. Here's my new detail-less well box: Pretty happy with the fit! Took lots and lots of sanding and dry-fitting. Here's the inner fuselage, I had to fill some gaps here, note this is before sanding! And here's the fit check with the Cutting Edge cockpit. Doesn't look like it, but this took half a Sunday of hard (but fun) work! That's it for now, next will be scratching in all the detail for the front wheel well. Thanks for looking! Any and all comments appreciated! Aaron

Anyone know what these are like? Thoughts? 1:32 CAM Resin Mk 82 Snakeye (USN) 500lb Retarded Bombs #R32020 Guess they're pretty old now, but assuming they're better than what's offered in the Trumpeter 32nd kits? Thanks, Aaron