Greif8

Thank you Pete! There are a couple of things that did not turn out as well as I would have liked on this build, but from a distance of 2 feet you can't see those. Still I am somewhat vexed with my performance. Ernest.

Another great bit of detailing Mike. Ernest

Thank you Paolo. This build is not turning out to be one of my better ones, but I will keep plugging away. Ernest

Nice scratchbuilt cables/wiring man! Ernest

Pete, I hope you feel better soon! Good solid start, even while feeling unwell. Ernest

Another great update Mike. The wood grain is exceptional. Ernest

Very nicely done Tolga. I like the restrained weathering. Ernest

All very nice builds man! I really like your water effects in the dioramas that you did them in. I am about finished with the new tool Tamiya Panzer II as well, though minw will be in a desert setting. Ernest

Hi Tom, I've got the new Bf-109 and the He-219 kit. Ernest

Hi Mike, thank you for the insights! I admit that I am pretty satisfied with how my previous WWI builds look using elastic line. I also use eyelets and, where appropriate scale turnbuckles (Gaspatch 1/48 for my 1/32 builds), and they do look the part IMHO. I am currently working on a WNW S.E.5a, stalled right now waiting on some resin fuselage stitching to arrive, and have pre-rigged it with eyebolts and elastic line. I have what I need to try the method you use on hand and I think I'll give it a try on my next WWI build. Ernest

Very nice start Bill. I think you will find the kit a pleasure to build. Ernest

Really well executed rigging Mike. Someday I have to try this method out to see how much more difficult it is than using elastic line which is what I use now to rig. Ernest

Simply awesome work John! I have two ZM kits and you build is making me want to put one of them in the front of the line for my next build. Ernest

You are absolutely crushing this build John! The cockpit is a work of art. Ernest

Thank you for the information! I am going to leave the cover NMF as at this point in the build I don't want to risk pulling up the paint when taking the masking off. That has happened in a couple of small spots already and they were not easy to correct. My primary goal with this build was to try to spray a good NMF as I had never done one before rather than going for 100% historical accuracy which is a goal for some builds. Thank you again for the information. Ernest

Absolute top build and presentation in every respect! Ernest

Very nice Man! Ernest

Decaling is mostly finished; I still need to get the hinomarus to suck down better, so far they have laughed at every decal softner and method I have used. Once the decals have settled I'll post some better shots of the model and describe the process I went through to decal it. I worked on several of the small sub-assemblies, as well as doing some touching up - something that seems endless with this build. I sprayed the exhausts with some Alclad II Manifold Exhaust and than used Tamiya weathering pastels, the kind that come in the small "makeup like" containers to add some bluish and brownish heat discoloration. The photos are not the best as my working light is far too stark for good photos, but hopefully you can make out how the exhausts look after I worked on them. The weathering on the exhausts shows up better once installed in their places. The macro under strong direct lighting makes the effect very pronounced. I will take better photos when the build is finished that should show the exhausts having a more subtle look. Following are a few general shots of the build as it stands now. I still need to do a bit of work on a few of the decals as I mentioned above, but the painting is pretty much done. I mixed my own shade for the orange-yellow wing leading edge recognition markings using Tamiya paints XF-3, X-26 and XF-7 in a 5:3:1 ratio. The NMF is perhaps too shiny looking and I might try to tone it down some. Some of the photos I looked at did show the aircraft looking pretty shiny, but in several other photos the NMF looked pretty dull and beat up. I admit that I am on the fence concerning to dull the finish down as I rather like how nice the NMF looks right now.

Fantastic! What a great way to spend time with your daughter and she looks very happy! I wish I could interest my 8 year old daughter in building, but it is just not her cup of tea. Ernest

Man that is one cool looking spacecraft! Well done with the paint, much better than grey. Ernest

Very beautiful build Rod. You got the weathering and general wear and tear just right. The autographed box is a wonderful bit of history and a great reminder of some very brave men, I would keep it if it were mine. Ernest

Beautiful! The silver doped look is quite nice. Ernest

Beautiful and skilled work John. The cockpit components look great! Ernest

Thank you guys! This build has not been perfect but it is ok overall. Ernest

I know that fight well Damian! Ernest