chuck540z3

Very nice! I really like your weathering, which looks quite natural, similar to the pic of the real deal above. Congrat's! Cheers, Chuck

Wow. You would need a 9/10 model to just be average at this show. It must be really tough to be a judge here, because where do you even start? Cheers, Chuck

How come I knew this was terrific before I even clicked it? Awesome as usual Jorge! Cheers, Chuck

Much better pics! It's nice to see a Hellcat that isn't all dark gloss blue, because all the colors really add a lot of interest. Great job! Cheers, Chuck

Thank you Gents! Your comments are very much appreciated. I started this model in March 2013 and finished it in November 2014, so it's effectively 10 years old. As you can see I had lots of aftermarket stuff, but I'm surprised at the following after all these years: 1. Sierra Hotel Resin continues to be hit and mostly miss, which is really a shame. If their products were only so-so you wouldn't care, but they were absolutely terrific for this and a few other builds, but getting specific products is really hard to do. 2. I haven't seen any 3D printed aftermarket for this kit yet, other than maybe a few pylons and instrument panel stick-ons. If somebody made a good correction set, this model kit would suddenly be very popular. 3. I was afraid that Tamiya or some other manufacturer would make a 1/32 A-10 while I was making this one, making all my efforts sort of a waste of time. Since this subject is so popular, I can't believe that hasn't happened yet. Maybe in the future? For interest, here is why I didn't dirty up this bird very much, because most of the pics I can find of 78-707 look like these: Pave Penny Pod removed on the right side, leaving the lighter grey paint underneath, which was typical 5+ years ago. I notice that modern Hogs now have this painted the same color as the rest of the fuselage on either side, but those 4 attaching lugs remain. And here's a head-scratcher. This Hog is clearly serial # 78-707, as shown on the tail on both sides, but the nose shows # 80-707. You can barely make it out on the pic below, but the Caracal decals picked it up, which is on my model. Note the boarding ladder door is now art free Cheers, Chuck

Beautiful details and so well done. Cheers, Chuck

This is a re-post of an A-10C Warthog I built way back in 2014, so why am I showing it off again? A few reasons as follows: 1. All my Hog pics are over at Photobucket and since I won’t pay their ransom-like annual fees, they all have big Photobucket watermarks on them, clouding much of the detail in prior posts 2. I am asked about this model a few times per year and I’d like a link to point to that isn’t corrupted by Photobucket 3. I took new pics a few years ago to add to the collection. As my modeling skills slowly improved since then, so did my photography, which shows details much better than before 4. This is maybe the best model I’ve ever made and I’d like it to be archived properly. I say “best”, because of how far I had to drag this crappy kit through innumerable changes in order to make it look half decent 5. I can’t model right now due to home renovations, so this gives me something to contribute to the forums and have some fun with in the meantime, even if it is old To re-cap, this model took me the better part of 2 years to build and for the most part, fought me every step of the way. For details of what I did, I still have a build thread over at ARC which is here, Photobucket watermarks and all: 1/32 Trumpeter A-10C, "Putting Lipstick on a Pig of a Kit" I used quite a few aftermarket items as follows: - Cutting Edge Resin Cockpit, CEC32057. Yes, I know it's an early A-10A version , but it's terrific and nobody makes a good A-10C cockpit anyway. - Cutting Edge Exterior Detailing Set, CEC32061 - Squadron Vacu-Formed Windscreen & Canopy, SQ9412 - Eduard A-10 Interior Photo-Etch Brass, 32061 - Eduard Exterior Photo-Etch Brass, 32062 - Sierra Hotel Resin Engine Set, 32701 - Sierra Hotel Resin Wheel Set, 32327C - Master Brass Gun Tip & Pitot Tube, AM-32-059 - Zactomodels Resin AIM-9L/M Missiles (2) - Sierra Hotel Dual-Rail Adapter, 32601 - Wolfpack AN/AAQ-28 Litening Pod, WP32014 - North Star Models AGM65 Maverick Missiles + LAU-117A Launcher (2), NS 32003 - AMS Resin ALQ-119 ECM Pod (Short), 32088 - AMS Resin Mk-82 Air Inflatable Retard Bombs, 32080 - Czech Master LAU-68D/A Rocket Launcher - Caracal Model Air National Guard A-10C Decals, CD 32006 - Astra/Daco A-10 Decals and Stencils, ASD3204 - And many, many scratch-built items I used extensively "The Modern Hog Guide" by Jake Melampy and "The A-10 Thunderbolt II" by Neil Dunridge, both by Reid Air Publishing, to help with details and the many corrections required, although I certainly didn't do them all. For the squadron art on the boarding ladder door, "Oh Thank Heaven for 707", I used a photograph of the real deal kindly donated by Jake from his book, which was expertly shrunk down into a decal by my friend Mike Grant, of Mike Grant Decals fame. Now the old and a few new pics: Cheers, Chuck

FWIW, here's how mine came out without moving the wing at all. Although not perfect (nothing ever is in modeling), I think it's definitely close enough to your pics above for height. I did move the shrake back, however, but it's too short, so unless you build a new one, you just have to live with it. Cheers, Chuck

This aircraft shows modeling skill of the highest order. Absolutely fantastic- everything! Cheers, Chuck

Aaahh, that makes sense, and it's not really cheating at all. As for weathering, I wouldn't add any more, or at least make it super minor if you do. As the often overused and sometimes hated saying goes, "less is more", applies here. Cheers, Chuck

We've all seen plenty of versions of this popular kit, but to my eye, this is one of the very best. Excellent work in every way and I'm surprised that you got those wing/gun panels to fit with all the detail (Eduard?) inside. Cheers, Chuck

Excellent looking Thud Rom! One of the best ones I've ever seen with perfect weathering. Cheers, Chuck

Ditto all of the above. Situations like this really puts life, and our hobby, into perspective. Stay strong with all the positive vibes sent your way. BTW, the rivet detail on that wingtip is pure modeling perfection. Cheers, Chuck

Really nice start Marcel. These wing modifications will look terrific- and unique. The SH nozzles really look the part. Cheers, Chuck

You are a modeling machine! This Viper is also fantastic. Cheers, Chuck

Gorgeous! So different and so well done. Cheers, Chuck

So nice. You are a real master with an airbrush Jorge. Cheers, Chuck

Really looking nice Guy. The wiring on the far wall looks particularly real and you absolutely nailed that seat. Cheers, Chuck

Very nice improvement! Hopefully the rest of the engine will turn out just as well. Cheers, Chuck

I'm glad the X-22 worked! I have used X-22 to help paint stick on smaller PE cockpit items and even brass landing gear, but never on such a large metal surface. Thanks to your efforts, we all learned a new trick, because other metal primers like Mr. Metal Primer-R don't work very well. Cheers, Chuck

Interesting observation, so I checked my two Reid Air Publications on the A-10 to look for clues. I did not find anything definitive, unfortunately, but I did note that any time it looked like the anti-skid surface wasn't there, just like your second pic, the paint was fairly new. If I was to guess, and I am, the anti-skid surface is there most of the time, but with new paint you can't see it very well since it's so subtle. Some hogs have it quite dark like your first pic, which is likely an age of photograph and specific squadron thing. Conclusion? I don't know, but I'm 70% certain that it's there almost all of the time, even if you can't see it as a specific margin. I also think it looks cool to break up the paint scheme, so I added it to my build, so maybe you might want to as well? If your Hog is going to be flipped upside down, however, it may not be worth the effort, since you'll never see it. Cheers, Chuck

Absolutely beautiful! One might criticize the lack of weathering, but as a restored bird, it appears that you nailed the clean look it should have. Your paint work is flawless. Congratulations. Cheers, Chuck

I followed your build a few months ago when you were doing all sorts of extensive layered painting. I thought you had gone way too far and sort of lost interest. I shouldn't have, because this model is stunning and I was dead wrong. Most of the Spitfires built in these forums are the typical green ones used in northern Europe, with the odd African theater Spit every once in awhile. This is one of the nicest African Spitfires I have ever seen. Like your photo above of the real Spitfires, this model looks weathered, dull and dusty, just like it should. You can tell that you meticulously labored over every single tiny weathering detail with a passion, just like your historical research to go with it. Bravo! You have a real gem here to be proud of. Cheers, Chuck

Very, very nice! You don't see many 1/32 P-38's because the kits are dogs, but this model proves that they can come out looking terrific in skilled hands. Cheers, Chuck

Beautiful Jay, and I find it hard to believe that you constructed and painted the front fuselage before attached the rear fuselage, which will also be painted roughly the same, to blend with the front. Totally "outside of the box" modeling, but I'm certain the final product will still look stunning. Cheers, Chuck