ChuckD

Thank you all for the compliments; I am truly humbled. It was definitely a challenging build due to the backdating and electronics, and, despite a few flaws that I will always see, I'm very happy with how it turned out. All I can say is that it's a good thing the reference photos had the bomb bays closed, as the kit's bay is crammed full of wires. I thought it was pretty sneaky to make the brake lines double as the power leads. I didn't intentionally hide that in the photos, but in looking back, I realize they are completely invisible in the pics.

Hello, everyone. This is my completed vignette that I’m calling, “The Avengers of Guadalcanal.” During the long, grueling campaign for the Solomon Islands, Allied and Japanese forces threw themselves at each other for months. Pitched night naval battles, furious aerial melees, and bitter ground combat were the brutal hallmarks of what I feel was truly the turning point in the Pacific War. By November 1942, American forces were desperately holding on to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in an effort to keep the Cactus Air Force flying. One of the many units fed into the grinder w

I believe Mirek said that the website will be updated appropriately closer to the kit's launch. Patience, my friends.

Looking good. Can't wait!

I've thinned MRP paints with Mr Color Leveling Thinner before. They are compatible and work quite well together. MRP and Tamiyas mix wonderfully too.

Bummer. Sorry about the Lanc. To echo the above, their clears really aren't all that great. I've tried both their flats and satins and have been underwhelmed with their affect on sheen. I've not had results like yours, thankfully, but in my experience, they just don't seem to have much effect. I say this, of course, as an utter fanboy for MRP paints. Their paints are wonderful and I'll use them whenever a project allows. Clears? Not so much. So, for my clears I used Vallejo gloss varnish and Liquitex matte varnish in varying degrees to get the consistency I'm looking for.

Count me in on this one. Looks great. Looking forward with fingers crossed for a Kate too.

Was there any rhyme or reason to the number assignment? I guess I always assumed it was fairly random, but I guess I never really put a lot of thought into it. Why was the P-51 the P-fiftyone? Same for the B-17, the P-38, etc, etc, etc. I get the letter designator, but not the numbering scheme.

That's my understanding, yes. Though I have to admit I have never bought overtrees.

Craig, you're crazy. The best kind of crazy. But, crazy nonetheless. This is the thread that keeps on delivering year after year.

Make no mistake about it, if you have these types of electronics in your home, your house can be hacked. Network-joined stuff (fridges, stoves, toasters, toilets, etc) is collectively called the "internet of things." I can tell you that very very few of the vendors in the IoT space are giving any thought to network security, so I strongly recommend doing your homework on any home network item before you connect it.

Same. Barf.

@haveblue Whatever kits you choose, I hope you land on your feet. I know we don't know each other, but all of us here share a common camaraderie through a mutual love of the hobby. So, I wish you the best in these difficult times.

This is why I love this place. An oddball question with a lot of really great suggestions. Thanks, guys. I don't have access to a lathe, nor a machinist, so those would be tougher, though I certainly appreciate the suggestions. I may snag the tools linked by Dodgem37 and see how they work, but I had another idea first. If I can determine the exact diameter of the full circle of the prop disc, I could potentially use the intersecting arcs method to make a paper template that would match up to the center. It's a bit iffy, but it could work. I may give that a go and see how thin

In a corollary to my question about motors a couple weeks ago, I am now wondering how to find and drill the perfect center of a very small circle. I need to drill the back of the prop hub on my Avenger kit so I can glue it to the shaft of the electric motor. If I'm off even slightly, the prop will wobble noticeably when the motor is turning. I have a drill press, so I'm reasonably certain I can drill a straight hole... If I can only find the center. The surface I'm working with on the back of the prop hub is a circle all of about 3mm in diameter. Anyone have any go