modelman182

Stunning work, Steve. I've only just found this thread and have enjoyed reading the adventure. Quite a few useful lessons in there for me, too, as I have the HobbyBoss 1/18th AV-8B incoming to my stash at the end of this month. Now I have an idea of how long a project it could be! Looking forward to seeing the end result of you great Tomcat work. Cheers Kev

Well Mark, that is a lovely piece of work. Only its scale stops it being a star in the current GB "Colour my World Blue" here on LSP. Thanks for sharing Kev

Torben Will you please stop doing so well with this! It's putting me right off getting my own build sorted!! Only joking - she's looking beautiful. The stance is perfect and the surface finish is great (once I can stop "seeing" the polka dots of filler, of course! ). Looking forward to seeing it with some paint on. Kev

Fascinating and fantastic work, Torben. Can I just ask ONE question, though. Do you have three pairs of hands??? That jig looks like it could be a monster to manipulate! Can't wait to see more of this beautiful Blue and Silver beast. Kev

Thanks Torben - nicely but s..l..o..w..l..y....... I really need to get my building skills 'up to speed'! LOL! Kev

Many thanks for the very kind offer, Steve. I've managed to get quite a few pics just through a quick Google trawl. But if anything crops up I'll certainly drop you a PM. Cheers Kev

Thanks Brad The Eduard PE certainly helps spruce up the old girl. Lots of fiddly bits in it, though. Been fitting panels to the fuselage and am hoping to get the first bit of primer onto the interior later today. Kev

Ok, I can hardly believe that it's been THREE MONTHS since I made any progress on this! Admittedly, I was ill for most of Jan and Feb and did very little, then I went and got all distracted by a couple of figures - but, even so, this is a serious STALL! So... today the Lynx returns to 'front and centre' of the bench... As you can see, I've done some more PE work for the interior, sorted out and mounted parts ready for primer spraying, and started in on detailing the wiring at the back of the IP. As the windscreens allow you to see behind the IP, I decided to 'busy up' the area a little. Not done to any great accuracy of detail, but it should offset the emptiness of the area. A mixture of cord, insulation, wire, fine steel rod and plastic rod have been used to add wiring. I've connected up the port side IP and the starboard is awaiting attachment of the loom bundle which is a collection of steel and plastic rod held together with Tamiya masking tape and CA. I'll cut the steel rod to length and bend it to feed into the rear of the instrument cases, then cut the plastic to length and feed that into the remaining cases - all attached with CA. I've also done the PE work for the Seat Frames : After such a long absence, I need to get my mindset back into Lynx mode and hopefully complete this before we hit the end of the GB time frame! Kev

Oh yes - that's a cracking pic! Love that the removed main u/c wheel is leaning up against the tank while the fitter gets the new wheel in position. Copied that to my Tomcat folder as a 'potential' future diorama. Thanks for sharing that Kev

Having read this post earlier in the week, I was delighted to snag one of the re-released SUFA kits at my LHS. He only had one in stock (and it only went on the shelf this morning), so I've had him mark it as sold and left it on the shelf to tempt others who may not have read this thread :-) I'll pick it up late next weekend Thanks for the heads-up! Kev

Hmm... is that Sticking Plaster material being used as a seat cover? Now why the hell didn't I think of that? Have a need for fabric covers for a build - your idea may have given me the solution. Many thanks for the inspiration. Love the Catalina (particularly this 48th kit version) in all its incarnations, and would highly recommend getting Mike Belcher's (Belcher Bits) tail conversion. I've used them on a couple of Catalina builds over the years. The latest revision is the best yet, as it has hollowed halves. Cheers Kev

Hi folks Having enjoyed an unhurried start to the weekend, I spent a few happy hours in my shed this morning. As with almost any build I do, there comes a point when I just have to see the size of the task I've embarked upon. Out comes the Tamiya tape and a few careful snips to release the main airframe parts and 'voila'! - My, she's a NICE size... 42 cm from head to tail (around 16 inches for the "imperialist warmongers" among us ). Wonder what I'll do with her when she's finished? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it... Also took some time to run a colour test shot - had a new primer to try out (AK Interactive White Primer and Microfiller) which is pleasingly smooth, dries very quickly and can be sprayed straight from the bottle. Then I gave the test piece a quick coat of my chosen blue (Lifecolor LC-60 Gloss Dark Blue acrylic). Yep... that is DEFINITELY blue! Compared against the roundels it looks a little too pale but against my pics it looks just right. I suspect the roundel colour is the problem, but in a move that will upset any 'purists' I've decided I can live with the slight difference and shall carry on as planned. Got a bit of spatter when laying down the colour which means I'll have to adjust my retarder/acrylic mix for the proper paint job. I usually do around 20/80 mix for LC, but I think I'll have to go to 40/60 for this - maybe a gloss thing? Solveable, for sure, and even with the spatter it went down nicely on the primer. I'll check its adhesion tomorrow. Have to take a break for some unexpected domestic things and also feel the need to visit the local model shop which is normally part of my Saturday Morning ritual - harks back to my childhood when I used to go to the village hall for the kids club cinema show then head to Woolworths to check out the models - gawd, I am OLD! LOL! Maybe more later. Kev

Thanks Mike Work has been driving me nuts (currently serving out my notice at a job and they are beginning to take the mickey with my schedule!) but I have managed to get a lot of my 'chores' done today, which will leave me with 3 whole days of undisturbed modelling (apart from a few small drinks around Midnight on Sunday, of course! ) Kev

Thanks for the comments, guys. Shawn - not to worry - I found the Brandy instead No chance to work on this little beauty today - I'm about to leave for my first job of the day which will keep me busy till 2pm, then home to eat then out again at 4:30 to finally return at 9:30. Gonna be a long day! Keep well and smile at everyone you meet (they'll ALL wonder what you've been up to! ha ha!) Kev

A few more quick photos, then it's off to watch a film and collapse for the night... Now... where did I put that vodka?... Kev

And WE'RE OFF!... After what seems to have been an interminable delay work has been started on the Lynx. What with a nasty cold (insert generic term 'man-flu' here, if you so wish ), an impending change of employment (negotiations complete and change occurs 5-8 Jan 2018), some domestic disruption (an eviction of a nasty housemate was necessary), an overloaded work schedule (cos I was the only one who didn't go off sick!) and then Christmas and all its glorious shenanigans - I have been becoming somewhat frustrated in my attempts to actually get some modelling done. Finally (three weeks or more later) I have gotten into my sheds and made a start... ... albeit a VERY slow one. Stripped off the instruments, switches and panels from all the IPs ready for acceptance of the self adhesive IPs from Eduard. Also fitted some of the console PE panels and details around the floor of the cockpit. Lots more to do, including getting some paint on the cockpit prior to fitting the pre-painted panels. Used some new tools (acquired at Telford, from Paul at Modelling Tools) which I LOVE - the pickup tools for PE work a treat, and are a lot more positive than the cocktail stick with a blob of white tack Hope to get a bit more done later, but not going too wild as I have a 13Hr+ day starting at 6am tomorrow. Thanks for looking Kev

Added my pin to the map today. Surprised at how few pins are close by. Kev

Aw Hell! NOW I wanna build a blue P-51???? Like 'Thor', my plan for this group build has become bogged down in domestic turmoil AND a change of employment (which looks like it will happen in the New Year, right around my birthday). Gotta love the connection with James Stewart - one of my favourite actors. I've acquired DVDs of 'The Glenn Miller Story' and 'It's A Wonderful Life' and am still looking for 'Harvey' - his slow but heart felt humour always impresses :-) Kev - hoping to get started on the Lynx real soon! But will certainly be keeping one eye on this entry (my track record for GBs is 2 and oh - this time I MUST complete the task!)

The last bits of the puzzle fall into place (thanks to my Local Model Shop) - Collected PE: Masks: and Decals: I now have no excuse NOT to start this beauty - except for the three "'small' scale planes" I have dotted around my workbench and spraydesk. A quick clear up this weekend and work should then commence. Kev

Ooh.. I DO like that one! Always liked the look of the Bearcat - mean and purposeful. I look forward to seeing this one develop (it might even inspire me to go buy one, as I've just realised that I don't have one [in any scale] in my current stash) Kev

Ha ha ... ALL Helos are ugly - reminds of an old adage about their flight capabilities - "Helicopters cannot fly - they're just so ugly that the Earth repels them!" Still - one needs some basis for appreciation of beauty (and I guess there are a few fixed wing aircraft that could also serve that purpose) But I'm gonna build it anyway Kev ps. thanks for the 'clue', Richard. And I think I may even have found the colour I think I need for this airframe - time will tell...

I'm in for sure - with this: made from this (which I picked up for a song at Telford last month): And I'm hoping to pick up two decal sheets (Serials and Roundels), three packs of PE (Interior, Exterior and Seatbelts) and a set of masks from my LHS tomorrow. Kev

Thanks Jens - I had seen that mentioned, but seem to remember Oxford Blue as being a lighter shade than that. I've also switched from Enamels to Acrylics so have been looking at Mr Color's Gloss Cobalt Blue and a few others. I'll take the advice from Lee White earlier and do comparisons with the Insignia blue of the roundel before I make my final choice. As the final airframe is going to be practically pristine (it is a 'demonstrator' freshly painted in a retro style, after all) I'm going to have to take a good deal of care with this paint job, I fear... Cheers Kev

Thanks Kev - sent you a PM on this. K

Hi all I've just returned to the site after a longish break (still been building, but not much in big scales) and thought I'd join in with this GB as a form of re-introduction. I have this (purchased at the Nats at a very nice price) :- and spotted this after a brief Google :- Now, if I can only find out which blue that is (which has been frustrating me over the weekend!) I will be ready to start Cheers all Kev