j ferguson

Hi Dukie, You may find that there is a "white balance" setting on your camera. You might want to experiment with it to see if you can reduce the purple tint in your model photos. I downloaded one of your photos and was able to fix this with software I have for "fixing" photos. I don't know if there is a way lon this site to send you a copy of what I did, but if there is, I'll be happy to. that's a terrific build. best, john

Very convincing.

Maybe none of you is old enough to remember the 1/48 ME-109 sold be Aurora in the early '50s. It was molded in red polystyrene and had a clear plastic stand in lieu of landing gear. The swastika was in a white circle, and later references to the kit suggested that it was a V14, which apparently was painted red. You'd have to be REALLY ambitious to make a plausible plane from that kit.

Mark, I wanted to thank you for the detail you have provided during this build. I did some work at Eglin Air Force base in the Florida Panhandle in 1996 +/- and I remember looking over an unpainted Mig-21 that was stored outside at the time. If my memory is accurate, it looked EXACTLY like what you have done. There was some variation in the finish of the various alloy panels, some grainier, some smoother, and I thought the workmanship of the entire fuselage was not very good, parts didn't fit well, seams were not even, panels were bent a little - maybe from clumsy maintenance. These thoughts may not be fair to whoever built that plane, maybe the Chinese? because a lot of the problems I saw could have been because the plane I was looking at had been assembled from other airframes. In any case, I can't see how your model could in any way be improved to match what I think I've remembered. Very nice indeed. John

There was a vac kit for Spirit of Saint Louis at maybe 1/16 when i was a kid (1957-8). It worked out pretty well for me at least - and being the plane it was, presented no difficulties with the canopy. I wonder if there were any other Vac's that long ago.

Ripaman, I hope you won't mind me addressing my very first comment at this wonderful place to you. First, your work is absolutely astonishing. You were so very close to having the entire parts list for that nose gear that I wondered where were the seals. I suppose there is such a thing as proportion, but my question would be, can you possibly match what you've done with that nose gear with the rest of the (visible) project? I'm thinking not only tires, but engines and certainly the office. Are 1/32 A/N gauges available? Very nice going. Your work is indeed an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing the process with us. john