[Happy Birthday Artur, brianhahn, keith in the uk & Modelpig ! March 16]

Thanks! It's a great day to be alive.

 

Actually, in spite of whatever troubles are happening in the larger world or in my own personal "world", it's a great day to be alive.

 

[P-40 flush rivet head diameter and spacing?]

The diameters of rivets are driven (no pun intended) by the amount of stresses that they must handle. The area around the cockpit, wing roots, stabilizer roots, sparline, etc. will be the locations where they tend to get larger. Metal thicknesses tend to follow the same type of logic, getting thinner as you move away from the "core" of the aircraft.

 

Regarding the spacing (also known as rivet pitch by us sheet metal folks), pitch is typically a range based on the DIAMETER of the rivet shank (not the size of the rivet head). Typical spacing is normally somewhere between 4D-10D, with D being the diameter of the shank. So a rivet shank that is 1/8" in diameter would have a spacing somewhere between .5"-1.25". Again, the pitch is also driven by stresses, so the rivets will tend to be closer together on structures that handle higher stress loads.

 

HTH,

 

Brian

[Bravo Revell Germany P-51D Canopy Replacement]

Okay, here's my history...

 

Got the kit back in March and quickly saw that both the windscreen and canopy had embedded bubbles.  I used the RoG website to do a parts request.  Never got an email response.

 

Later on, I saw all of the LSP traffic saying they had success getting parts, so I attempted again on May 26th.  Received an email reply on May 28th.  Parts arrived on June 7th.  Box had been postmarked on May 29th.

 

My replacement parts still have some level of distortion, especially the center panel of the windscreen, but at least no bubbles...  

[Some F-16C Block 30 Aggressor questions]

Mongoose,

 

If you don't do a swap with Emil, then I might wish to visit with you about swapping out heavy gear for light gear...

[WNW Albatros Jasta 5 preorder @ Section 8 w/ 15% discount]

I think you have to register as a customer. That's when it let me play around with the shipping/ordering scenarios and apply the discount code.

[WNW Albatros Jasta 5 preorder @ Section 8 w/ 15% discount]

Mike,

 

Thanks for the heads up...it appears that the shipping is driven by location, so the fact that you're relatively close to NY helps you in overall costs.  Still a great deal, but may be different depending on your location in the USA.  As an example, my calculated shipping to Texas is $18.70 for a single Trilogy kit.  My cost to ship a single Trilogy set ends up being right at $180 (with the discount included).

[Part Wash Tray Tip...]

You can also use them for decals and not worry about the small ones floating into neverland...just enough water to barely submerge the "floor" of the inner bowl and you're good to go!

[Major changes to convert F-16CJ to Israeli F-16C block 40]

Dave (and others),

 

Thanks for that link...I've looked at it and it would definitely be the way to go, but I'm concerned that the Isracast stuff will be impossible to find and I'll have to resort to plan B (and we haven't even started talking about the decals).  Some of those items look like I could scratch build if I had to, but don't want to if I can avoid it.  

 

Are there any other glaring changes that I or Dave haven't listed?

 

Has anyone tried grafting a spare Academy extended tail onto the Tamiya kit?

[Major changes to convert F-16CJ to Israeli F-16C block 40]

Everyone,

 

I have the 1/32 Tamiya F-16CJ (block 50) kit in possession and would really like to convert it to an Israeli F-16C.  I've read quite a few threads on LSP, but am trying to determine exactly how far down the road I am and what all will still be needed to have a reasonable complete/accurate finished model.

 

So far, best I can tell, I could do a block 40 aircraft with the parts in the box.  I believe that the IDF version has the following:

 

Same big mouth inlet as block 50

Same exhaust nozzle/cone as block 50

Same smaller HUD as block 50 (even though USAF versions use a "WAR-HUD)

Same larger wheels/tires/lg doors as block 50

 

Differences I've noted are:

 

Extended tail housing (can Academy kit housing be grafted successfully?)

Very large ECM bumps on side of nose

Different ECM bumps/nav lights on side of intake

A few armament options not US-manufactured

 

 

I'm aware that some of these items have been produced by Isradecal/Isracast, but it appears that much of it almost impossible to find.  So, just what am I getting myself into?  Is this doable, or is the lack of conversion stuff really gonna keep me from getting to the finish line?  I also know that the T-bird kit might be a better potential starting place, but economics will prevent that from happening.

 

All thoughts are appreciated!

[KH T-28 Trojan on sale @ Lucky Model - $65.39 SHIPPED to USA]

Actually they're having an anniversary sale--type in "15EVE" if that's all you're purchasing and the shipped price goes down to $57.89!

 

Higher discounts if purchasing more stuff...

[Decal Options for 1/32 Hunters]

Here's one I did in Singapore markings, from AeroMaster 32-003 (I think).  I like the different camo job from all the other Hunters.

 

[KH P-39 Photos]

What are the open panels on the outboard area of the bottom of the wings supposed to be?