tomv87

Lots of hard work on a "fit-challenged" kit! You got a beautiful result! Nice work!

Fantastic work. That seat looks great!

Beautiful plane, and a terrific build, Mr Scale, absolutely lovely. Tom

Brady-- Just caught up on your build. I am building the same kit, and I am using Mr. Color 128 for my exterior color--but wow yours looks great! I have to admit that tan color looks neat! I admire your attention to accuracy and details as well, keep it up, and congratulations on the addition to your family! Tom

Hey Mal- There's a beer koozie in the package as well! Don't forget to look for it! You are very welcome my friend! Glad to see that package arrived safely! But check for that koozie-- the magnet was in it. Guess you have all you need to wrap it up now--can't wait to see more on your carrier deck as well. Best wishes, Tom

Yes, those belts are not so hot. I dry brushed mine to tint them a little, and used them, but they are probably the weakest part of my build. There are some nice options out there to buy, but almost all of them have PE buckles, so there you go. It takes a bit to get used to. Tom

Sweet! Hope those placards make it soon! I got see them right before Bon Scott died, Highway to Hell tour. Wish I still had that jersey I bought at that show... I'm guessing that's you on guitar? You rock man! Tom

Thanks Mal! It is a great kit, but I find myself thinking ahead to my next build sometimes. Thinking about doing a Trumpeter next build-- never built one of those before... But that's for another thread. Tom

Thanks Maru!

Thank you Kev, Loic, and Geedubelyer! I'm just trying to have fun while I build, little by little. Hopefully more bench time today... we'll see. Tom

P-51D- I am also building this kit, and the amount of detail is astounding. But just go slow, and test fit everything before gluing. I usually prepaint all the small parts before removing them from the sprues, and then touching them up later if I have to, but that's just me. I just cut up the sprues (with a wire cutter) with the part numbers still attached if possible. I also remove and file as many attachment points from the parts as possible before I paint. Then I decide which color I'm going to paint, and I usually stick them into blu-tak for the painting process. One thing I found with all these small parts: I usually tape or hold the part before cutting, so it doesn't fly across the room! Hope that helps! Looking good so far! Tom

For some reason the blog editor said I could not post that many pictures...I took one out and it posted fine. Anyway, heres the last pic with both green lights tinted blue: Thanks for looking in guys! Tom

Thanks, Tom, I appreciate your kind words! I got in a small amount of bench time today, so I thought I would share where I'm at on this build. I sprayed some Mr. Surfacer on the wing joins behind the engine and it looks like I have a small amount of sanding work to do there still. But it's looking better! Now on to the wing-tip framing break: As anyone who has built this kit knows, those plastic parts are connected to the wing tip via PE pieces. I wiggled the part a little, and the plastic part came right off! Nice, because that made it easy to drill! I decided to bridge the broken area with a piece of a paper clip as a pin. It was way too thick, so I filed it down on three sides, into a square-ish profile. I want that area to glue into the PE part: I want the PE part to directly attach to the new metal "pin" in-between the plastic, rather than the plastic itself, if that makes sense. I figured it will be a stronger join that way. Anyway, I drilled out both pieces of plastic, and glued the pin into one side and let it dry: Once it dried, I cut and filed down the new pin until I could fit on the broken part. Here it is glued and repaired. It needs a little touch up paint, but I will take care of that later. I just know its fixed, and it fits right into the wing like it should: Next are the starboard wing tip lights. I thought they were too green, so I decided to blue them up a little. I took Brian's advice, and decided to brush on that blue. Here are the tools I used for this: some blue food coloring and a few drops of Future. The little container is a hot sauce container you get when you buy breakfast tacos anywhere in town. I wash them out and reuse them--they are great for mixing paint! But I may run out of them soon, because I am trying to lose weight... Both are done. I think they look better. Thanks again Brian for that tip! and thanks everyone for looking in! Tom

Your band rocks, man. Love AC/DC!

That looks like an Arado Hitler would have used to escape his bunker! Great work man!

Awesome! Glad to see you back on track my friend! Tom

Coming together very nicely John! Those wheel wells look great! Tom

Onward and Upward! Great work Bill! Tom

Can't wait to see more! This is going to be fun! Tom

Exquisite work! That's a beauty; very skilled paint work! Cheers Tom

This is fantastic! Great work, keep it up! Tom

Very nice looking bird Kevin- Your paint job looks great; a fine job on an old and rustic kit! Very inspirational. I like the fact that you add detail to suit yourself. That's what it's all about! Regards Tom

Jean Luc- A very nice effect you have going there! Thank you for sharing your technique! Regards Tom

Thank you Iain!

Mal- Looks like a good plan so far. Interested in seeing your forthcoming efforts. This will be fun to watch! Regards Tom