R Palimaka

That is superb! You nailed the weathered and peeling paint! That kind of distressed finish is not easy to carry off in 1/32, but it's spot on. Well done! Richard

Well done! What a unique subject and sure to cause a few double takes. Excellent build too! Richard

Last order I placed took ten days to Kingston, Ontario in Canada...and most of that time was in Canada Customs. Generally I expect it to take ten days to two weeks. I order probably three or four times a year and have never had a problem. Richard

Superb job on that Dennis!! You pushed through and the result is wonderful. PCM kits are work but like you said, they released kits of aircraft that no other company had done, and in some cases still haven't. I'm looking at my PCM Spitfire IX too. The Tempest is just such an elegant and aggressive looking beast. Richard

Your hard work and persistence has really paid off! That greenhouse is totally convincing, and you especially nailed the internal framing. That wasn't easy but totally worth it. Amazing job! Richard

Thank you so much, I appreciate it coming from you! For a fifty-year old kit, it was a Forest Gump "box of chocolate", they included a surprising amount of detail, and omitted so much to accommodate the working features. I enjoyed every minute. At least Airfix seems to have actually looked at a Mustang when they designed it. Thank you Mark. I would do it again...in fact I am. Love the Mustang! Richard

Thank you so much Anthony! I guess I got a lot of hours of "fun" out of the initial investment. I would love to see you do a Mustang as well...Oldmodels from NZ have two sets of 1/24 scale RNZAF Mustang decals available...just saying. Keep at your other projects though! Thanks Kevin! "Ready for Inspection" photos next weekend! Thanks for looking in again Mike! Richard

Such beautiful and convincing work so far! As for the cushions, although both are gorgeous, I think I would lean to the one without the buttons. I agree, I like the way it sits, and the wrinkles and piping around the edge look amazing. Richard

Finally, some overall "almost finished" shots. Sorry for the backgrounds, I was experimenting with lighting/settings in different locations with my camera instead of my phone...trying to get artistic.

After 4 1/2 years, the end is in sight. No, really this time. It's on its feet, with most of the dangly bits on. The last major task is the antenna wire from the back of the armour plate to the vertical stabilizer, and creating a pulley for the wire to go through the bubble canopy. Hopefully that won't cause many issues, the sliding canopy was a big pain to get right. The final tasks are a couple more antennas, battery drain tube, paint touch-ups and some very minor additional touches of weathering. For weathering i used water-soluble graphite pencils that I found in the local art store. They come in the usual grades of hardness, and are meant to be wetted for interesting effects on paper. I used them to emphasize the panel lines and create a bit of weathering. I wet the point of the pencil and drew it down the panel line, and then pulled the graphite in the direction of the airflow. The beauty is you can simply wipe it off if you're not happy with the result and try again. Once I got the hang of it I used it to outline access hatches/panels and individual rivets to make them pop a little. If you try it, one thing to remember is that although they dry to a pleasing dark grey, which worked beautifully on a NMF finish, it darkens considerably when you hit it with a clear coat. I learned the hard way. It forced me to change my mind about a very clean finish. I opted instead for a little bit of staining and dirt, as if it was operating from a busy summer camp for the Auxiliary Squadrons. A hint of dirt on the wing roots, and exhaust and oil stains from air-to-air combat practice . The exhaust stains were another lesson for an airbrush rookie. My first attempt was with thinned flat black, but that was much too dark. With a bit of work I was able to wipe it off, but I didn't want to repeat the panic of that exercise! Then I mixed my own version of smoke from dark grey and brown thinned considerably. That worked better, but I learned that the perfect amount of airbrushed exhaust staining was two passes BEFORE you thought it looked good. Still though, I'm happy enough. In different light it will appear anything from almost black to thin and grey. I'm not touching it again...

That is a gorgeous Gladiator! Excellent finish and fine detail work all round. Thanks for sharing this one! Richard

Gorgeous! Superb job on that! Richard

Although not specific to FM104, here are some articles that have photos that might help. KB882 is being restored in Trenton, Ontario, about an hour from where I live. She flew 11 operations in the last months of the war with 428 Squadron before returning to Canada where she was converted to a Mk10AR (Area Reconaissance). KB882 will be restored to the Mk10AR configuration, as a tribute to the work the Lancaster did post-war. Looking at the photos, it seems much of the interior was still green on this airframe at least. I could head down there to get photos, but not sure what measures are in place for COVID at the moment. Hopefully the restrictions will lift soon. KB882 National Air Force Museum of Canada (click on the update in the upper right column) KB882 CBC News report Richard

Wow, you really transformed that old kit! What excellent work! Great choice of scheme too. Richard