chuck540z3

Pure eye candy modeling art that is so well done. Cheers, Chuck

I'm not a Bi-Plane guy but I am one who can appreciate fantastic modeling, and this is right up there with the best. Awesome work! I could look at this for an hour and find all sorts of interesting details that look so well done, and all perfectly weathered. Cheers, Chuck

Incredible painting and model. Really, really well done! Cheers, Chuck

Atta Boy Jay! We all need to stretch ourselves as modelers once in awhile, otherwise our hobby becomes routine and boring. Thankfully one of the best acrylic lacquers out there are Tamiya rattle cans, typically in the "TS" series and decanting them is super simple. Others have different methods (and I encourage other input), so this is what I do: - Find a clean tube that's about 3/8" to 1/2" thick and cut it to about 5" long. I'm not sure where I found mine, but I think it's plastic tubing for micro-irrigation in flower beds, etc. Any such tubing will do, even metal. - Find a jar that you want the paint to go into, leaving about 50% for thinner. I use Tamiya 20 ml jars or similar. - Find a place to spay the paint where you can make a bit of a mess if things get out of hand, which is now rare for me (it wasn't always so!). A regular paint booth is perfect, because you also want to vent the fumes. - Shake the can of paint well, then using rubber gloves, spray the paint through the tube into the jar at about a 45 degree angle, using your other hand to cup the jar and prevent paint spilling and over-spray. With the pressure drop from can to jar, you will feel the paint get very cold which is normal. - When the jar is about half full, stop spraying. You will note that the paint will continue to bubble as gasses escape, so don't put on the lid tightly or it will explode when you open it again. Just leave the lid on lightly for several hours until it de-gasses. - Add about 50% Tamiya Lacquer thinner (Item # 87077) and stir. If you want, adding the thinner early helps with the de-gassing process, so you can decant paint and be ready to use it within an hour. - Add the paint to your airbrush and spray away. Like all modellers, we all find a certain viscosity that works best for us, our particular airbrush, the humidity and the pressure that we spray the paint. This is where you need to practice the most, to find that elusive recipe that works every time. Once you've found it, further painting sessions are easy. That aluminum skin will need a primer for sure and this is where I can't help you much, because I've never done it myself, so I would seek the help from others who have. Cheers- and Good Luck! Chuck

Jay, I am in such awe of your skinning work and also a bit jealous, because this looks like a LOT of fun! Picky, exacting and at sometimes frustrating work I'm sure, but fun nonetheless. With all the other bits you've done in the background so far (that engine!), this beast is coming together splendidly and will look awesome once finished. As mentioned before last December, you must airbrush this masterpiece in order to attain maximum perfection. You MUST! What's amazing to me and I'm sure many others, is that your painting so far was not airbrushed, because it still looks terrific, but that was for small areas like the engine and cockpit. Painting all that beautiful aluminum skin will require a lot of paint and a lot of precision which you just can't do with rattle cans and paint brushes. Take a few weeks off and hone your airbrush skills on mules and other objects before you paint, and you won't regret it. To make it easier, make sure you buy and use one of the popular acrylic lacquer paints like MRP or similar. As a matter of fact, I guarantee you will wonder why you didn't start airbrushing earlier. Cheers, Chuck

So excellent in every way and one of the best Tamiya Mustangs I've ever seen. Bravo! Cheers, Chuck

Beautiful Tempest John! I am always a big fan of your modeling skills, detailed in progress photos, explanations of same, and this final product which is exceptional in every way. Congrats sir! Cheers Chuck

Looking terrific John! It's so interesting to see how you attacked this kit compared to when I did a few years ago, and your results are stunning. One key difference is your weathering, which is much more pronounced than mine and I think looks more realistic, if not more interesting. When that beautiful engine is exposed, it will be a show-stopper and I'm glad my model won't be competing against yours at a future model contest! Cheers, Chuck

Great "save" John! Left as is, this model would have bugged you forever, so it's always better to just bite your lip and get it over with. As always, your painting is flawless and doesn't show a hint of the major changes you have made. Cheers, Chuck

Really nice build Cor. There is so much detail to look at that is so interesting. Cheers, Chuck

Super nice build John and that engine is spectacular! Is that nose fit bad due to the kit itself or due to the addition of the engine? Having used the Barracuda resin nose on my build, I had some fit issues as well, but since it was created primarily from the kit parts, that might have been the root problem. In any event due to your tweaks, your nose fit will look perfect after paint. Cheers, Chuck

Certainly Ray. It's always an honor! Cheers, Chuck

Very interesting observations from everyone. No two modelers will have the same skill sets, desire for perfection and desire to be recognized (or not), so it’s no surprise that everyone has a bit different view on posting WIP threads or entering model contests. For me, both of these activities make me a better modeler. When I create a WIP thread, I know that my work is under a microscope for many to see, especially when I use close-up photography for most of it. I can’t count the number of times I have completed a stage in the build, taken close-up pics of it and discovered flaws that I did not recognize earlier. When this happens, I can usually re-do my work and the model is better for it. When you stick your work out there for all to see, you force yourself to do a better job than you might ordinarily accomplish without external scrutiny. As for recognition in these WIP threads, I really like the “Like” and other buttons, because it allows those who look at my work give me a “tip of the hat” without an actual “attaboy” response, assuming it is warranted. Don’t get me wrong, because I love attaboy responses, but they aren’t always necessary and I recognize other modeler’s work the very same way. Every once in a while, I too give attaboy’s when I see something that really stands out, but most of the time I stick with the Like button, which I click on often. As for subject matter, my interests are extremely narrow to WWII+ military props and jets, so if the build is a WnW Biplane or an aircraft that I find unattractive, I don’t even look at it, since there are so many other builds going on at any given time and I’d rather spend my time modeling than looking at every build. I’m not very proud of this stance because it sounds a bit snooty, but it’s true, at least for me. As for modeling contests, once I have built a model here at LSP in a WIP thread, it has already been pre-judged here in a way, and I usually do really well at contests as a result. Sure, I don’t always win and sure, I often find flaws in contest judging, but I really like to see what other modelers have created in person and discuss my models with those who enquire about them. Model contests are not always positive experiences and I’ve attended a few contests where I was certain that I was robbed, but overall, I enjoy the contest experience and you have to take a few lumps with the trophies. And the overall reason I like doing WIP threads and entering model contests, is that whether we like it or not, our nerdy hobby isn’t all that popular in the mainstream. None of my friends or relatives really “get” why I bother to spend hundreds of hours on building one model, so unless I share my work here at LSP or at a few modeling contests with those who understand a good build from a poor one, it’s a pretty darn lonely hobby. Cheers, Chuck

Now that these early images show up, it makes me laugh. Now that the model is finished and the seat is installed, you would be very hard pressed to see any of this detail behind the seat, even with a flashlight and close-up corrected vision. I recall it was a ton of work correcting the wiring and adding some Adriatic Resin items, so it was obviously mostly a waste of time. Oh well, at least I know it's there! Cheers, Chuck

Very weird, but I can confirm that everything looks normal on my end, including my Imageshack account. Cheers, Chuck