Bryan

I hear ya...
 
I do all my work on my workbench in the garage.  It is 115 degrees in there in the summer....about 45 in the winter....dust...spider webs....and if I have to use the workbench for something else (frequently) all the model stuff needs to be put away or somehow protected.
 
The basic challenge is trying to get a decent paint job in a basically very dusty environment.

Those were such awesome machines....the battleships.  I still am fascinated by warships but the modern ones seem so much less interesting.
 
I sure would like to see you press forward with this.
 
I keep wanting to plunge into one of the 1/200 scale kits....but they seem such an onerous task to complete...particularly with the aftermarket detail up kits.....that I am a bit intimidated.

Fantastic result!
 
I really like the silver scheme....accentuates the lines of the Tempest.  
 
Very clean flawless build.

C'mon man....if you are going to cast a negative spin on an innocuous and harmless discussion like this....well....I guess I don't really know what to say.
 
I guess we all must be too fragile to have any discussions....

That A400 sure is a cool airplane.  It looks like the offspring of a C-17 and C-130...."mating".

No...he's not.  Not human I mean....

No...he's not.  Not human I mean....

I think it is sad that a long term member has been frustrated to the point of bailing out, and hate to see anyone go, but I am sure he knows what is best for him and once he cools off and can think clearly will decide accordingly.
 
Beyond that, I think the less said about the incident the better.  Things take on a life of their own on the internet because the usual moderating influences of face-to-face contact are absent.  I know I have unintentionally offended and pissed off people, and others have certainly done the same to me.  I just drop it and move on...but that's just me.  It's hard to stay pissed off very long.
 
And I know online moderating is a thankless job.

This seems to be the case with all forum search engines, at least all of them that I have used.
 
I belong to a couple of sites that use Vbulletin, and the search engine is utterly useless.  The only time I have managed to find anything with it is if I know the post I am looking for has a longish, very unusual word in it.....which is almost never the case.

I don't know if I would say that picture is "beautiful"....but it sure is interesting....and useful from a painting/weathering perspective.

I have always been interested in aircraft powered by the ultimate piston engine, the R4360 Wasp Major....hence my attraction to the Hughes XF-11.
 
Funny how you can always tell R4360 powered aircraft just by the shape of the cowl.

It is not only incredible having followed this all along, but the results are spectacular...
 
What I mean is, in modelling often hours/days/weeks/months can be expended on work that does not really "pay off".  I know we have all experienced it....going to great lengths to detail or paint or finish something only to find the result was not worth the effort.
 
In this case, the result is a masterpiece and the effort was unquestionably worth it.  I honestly don't think it would be possible to make a better, more spectacular scale replica.  I don't necessarily mean in the sense of precision scaled down replica of the actual aircraft (which he has also achieved BTW), but more in the sense of a model that captures the exact "essence" of the real thing.  Success like this involves a lot of intangibles beyond simply making a smaller replica of the actual aircraft.
 
I imagine that is what we all strive for, within the huge limits of our respective levels of skill and determination....but in this thread we have actually seen it accomplished.

It is not only incredible having followed this all along, but the results are spectacular...
 
What I mean is, in modelling often hours/days/weeks/months can be expended on work that does not really "pay off".  I know we have all experienced it....going to great lengths to detail or paint or finish something only to find the result was not worth the effort.
 
In this case, the result is a masterpiece and the effort was unquestionably worth it.  I honestly don't think it would be possible to make a better, more spectacular scale replica.  I don't necessarily mean in the sense of precision scaled down replica of the actual aircraft (which he has also achieved BTW), but more in the sense of a model that captures the exact "essence" of the real thing.  Success like this involves a lot of intangibles beyond simply making a smaller replica of the actual aircraft.
 
I imagine that is what we all strive for, within the huge limits of our respective levels of skill and determination....but in this thread we have actually seen it accomplished.

Yeah...I gotta say...after looking at every post....I think I am more scared by the project than intrigued....
 
I find PE generally frustrating and unsatisfying to work with.  I mean, I can handle some....but the amount in this build looks pretty oppressive.  At my typical work pace....that project would take me at least 2-3 years to finish....at least.  And that's assuming my morale/determination does not collapse in the middle.  That kit is way too big for the shelf of doom.

I think even more than that.....
 
I used to be sort of a battleship nerd, and the Iowas were designed and built to comply with the Washington Treaty on capital ships which limited them to 45,000 tons displacement.  I think they got heavier with retrofits when the war started, but initially it was taken very seriously to comply with the treaty.  The Yamato and Musashi were built in secret and in violation of the Washington Treaty, and I think they were both nearly 70,000 tons as designed and completed.
 
The Montana Class battleship was designed once it was realized the treaty was no longer being honored, and it was to be a ship in the size class of the Yamatos, with 4 main gun turrets of 3 16"/50 guns each and displacement of nearly 70,000 tons.  But none were completed nor I think even started because by then it was recognized the battleship was obsolete.
 
On top of all that, the 18" guns on the Yamatos are reason enough to build one!  I wonder if we wait long enough Trumpeter will do it in 1/200...?  If I was going to invest that time and money I would definitely want to start with the best kit possible.

Totally agree!  The P-47 is the real deal.  I think a warplane needs a degree of brutish, purposeful, ugliness.
 
I find the P-51 a bit boring in its perfect lines.  Sort of like a "perfect" supermodel...in that flawless beauty is boring.
 
My favorite aircraft: P-47, Typhoon, Tempest....in no particular order.
 
That first image in this thread from 2004 makes me want to build a P-47 and duplicate it.

Totally agree!  The P-47 is the real deal.  I think a warplane needs a degree of brutish, purposeful, ugliness.
 
I find the P-51 a bit boring in its perfect lines.  Sort of like a "perfect" supermodel...in that flawless beauty is boring.
 
My favorite aircraft: P-47, Typhoon, Tempest....in no particular order.
 
That first image in this thread from 2004 makes me want to build a P-47 and duplicate it.

I don't know if I would say that picture is "beautiful"....but it sure is interesting....and useful from a painting/weathering perspective.

I don't know if I would say that picture is "beautiful"....but it sure is interesting....and useful from a painting/weathering perspective.

I don't know if I would say that picture is "beautiful"....but it sure is interesting....and useful from a painting/weathering perspective.

Fantastic result!
 
I really like the silver scheme....accentuates the lines of the Tempest.  
 
Very clean flawless build.

It's not just the Bradley.  Most new weapons systems receive biased critical analysis from the media.  I remember the M1 Abrams, the F-15, the Ticonderoga class cruiser (and Aegis weapons system), and the Apache helicopter all receiving harsh criticism....and all have evolved into effective weapons.  The F-15 in particular was lambasted as being too big, too expensive, and too complex.  And I think everyone will agree it has proven to be an effective warplane.
 
We will just have to wait and see....it appears there is no going back now....as far as the F-35 is concerned.  It will take many years to get some idea of the true quality of the F-35.....since the military always overstates the effectiveness of new weapons, and unfairly denigrates older ones (like the F-111, A-10, etc).

I have seen this happen a LOT. Especially with the US Military. The Bradley fighting vehicle comes to mind..................although I have to say, after ITS mega huge blunders and HUGE over-runs, it has become a staple in the US inventory, and a workhorse.    So there IS hope for the F-35!!

I have always been interested in aircraft powered by the ultimate piston engine, the R4360 Wasp Major....hence my attraction to the Hughes XF-11.
 
Funny how you can always tell R4360 powered aircraft just by the shape of the cowl.

To me....FWIW....the green looks about right but the grey looks much too dark.
 
The difference between medium sea gray and ocean gray is actually pretty subtle.  You can tell they are different where the two colors meet up low on the fuselage, but viewed separately they look very close in color.