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REJ

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  1. Yes sir...it is. However, for fat fingers and old eyes it can't get much better than this. Thank you for the kind words.
  2. Well, she's pretty much done. The dulcoat went on perfectly and weathering dirt and grime was added. Ezline antenna wire went on with a little help...and here's the results. Enjoy... Glamour shots to follow. I can't express enough my gratitude for those who helped during this build. All the words of encouragement and correction were greatly appreciated and the number mask from Thunnus helped me over bumps that otherwise would have resulted in shelving this project. I learned a lot from people on this forum and I look forward to your scrutiny of my results.
  3. I hate it, but nastifying a decent paint job is necessary for that used look... ...so let the fun begin.
  4. So....step 4 is done. The pitot has been added...and the painted out "S-" panels adjacent to the fuselage 6s as well. Again, weather permitting, the last dulcoat will go on.. antenna wire (EZ Line) and a little additional weathering and I can stick a fork in it. Then on to the next big project... ..UH-1B Huey Dustoff...in 1:18th scale.. "Go big or stay at home!"
  5. The plan of attack from here is to finish the beast in this order: 1) dull coat the upper and lower surfaces to remove the "sheen" and prep the surface for weathering. 2) add weathering around wing roots from exhaust staining. 3) add weathered foot prints to the wing walk areas. 4) add pitot tube and antenna wires. ...and that should about do it. The temperatures in Texas right now are not good for the dull coating, but that promises to improve dramatically next week. So onward I go...hope to have her ready for inspection in less than two weeks period!
  6. Thank you sir for the excellent masks! I used the discarded centers to check fit and size...dead on the money. As soon as I get some warm weather, I'll be spraying those 6's on and finishing this bird.
  7. Super cool....message to follow and thanks!
  8. You're welcome sir...anything I can do to help.
  9. Thank you sir for the compliment. I have never "farmed out" masks before so I have no ready source for it. I have cut masks from low tack painters tape before without too much trouble, but these numbers are so simple looking, but the most precise cutting I have ever tried. It certainly has been a learning experience!
  10. Well...the two examples you give above are close, but the right one is closer. The hole in the center of the 6 is square though...no beveled edges there. The overall dimensions I came up with is 15mm tall by 12mm wide with a thickness of 3mm per arm of the number. That's about as close as I can get. I printed paper versions that I taped to various media like frisket mask, masking tape, thin plastic card, and such, but the small size and precise cuts needed are very hard to get right. One small slip or cuts not connected results in skewed or feathered edges that spray painting white on intermediate blue just brings out badly. I finally settled on thin plastic card with double sided tape under it to help hold the stencil to the curved sides of the fuselage. Hopefully it will yield the desired results with as little "correction " as needed. I spray tomorrow evening after a thorough cleaning tonight. And yes, I am in the US....Texas is my home.
  11. Well...I'll try and answer your questions best I can. The kit is the Merit boxed kit, but I have seen it listed as a Hobby Boss and ILK (lesser know version from I Love Kits company). They are all identical inside the box. Mine tapped me out at just under $150 including shipping..it's a very large box! I ordered it from an etailer on ebay and did not take notice until too late it was coming on a slow boat from China. Had to wait several weeks before delivery. As for fit and finish, the exterior details are not too bad, but like most large kits, there's a few fit problems. Most noteworthy is the cockpit tub that has to fit together perfectly to allow the fuselage halves to fit together just right. I had fits with mine until I figured out where the problem was and fixed it. Still afterward, I had to take the joining in steps to get some measure of good joints easy for filling and sanding. Interior details were sorely lacking and that's where I concentrated most of my efforts as you can see in the build pictures I posted on this thread. Working with a limited budget...and talent...didn't help either, but I did the best I could. As far as comparing this kit with 1:32nd and 1:48th kits...can't help you much there. I have never built a 1:32nd kit of the SBD, and the 1:48th SBD I started about 12 years ago still resides mostly in the box somewhere here waiting. Hope that answers most of your questions...except the box art. Got rid of the box long ago, but if you Google "merit 1:18th sbd kit" you should see dozens of them listed. I have enjoyed working with this kit and consider it unique mainly because of its size and ability to be customized by old hands, fat fingers, impatience, and failing sight. Enough about my brother though...awe never mind...I forgot to add...all of these variants from whomever's name is on the box, forget the decals. The large ones in particular are CRAP and have a nasty habit of not adhering to any surface and cracking/tearing all the time. You can make the small ones work if you're careful, but the large ones you will have to paint. No after market company I am aware reproduces these decals either.
  12. I have constantly been vexed with attempting to make a paint stencil for the "6" displayed on the sides of 2106. I must have tried well over a dozen different ways to paint that darned 6 on in a manner I could live with. Every test shot I tried went from horrible to "NO WAY"... until now. I think I got it...y'all tell me your opinion. This is the real 2106 on the day after "Midway" after she half bellied in on the airfield... ...and here is my latest test shot of a stencil... From about the same angle as the picture of the real plane, this comes about as darn close as I have been able to. The kicker is the angle of view. For most of the initial test, the overall appearance can out all wrong. This is a straight sideways view of the same test... Looked too wide at first and not tall enough....till you angle the view. Talk about your "DUH" moment. So now it's on to preparing the stencil for painting by making it lay flat on a curved fuselage side and shooting several light coats of white to prevent capillary under the edges. With a little luck, I should be ready by this coming weekend for final review.
  13. Had an experience recently I thought I'd pass along. Been waiting on a particular model by Hobby Boss to appear on the market and it finally happened. So, one of the first places to appear to have it "in stock" was Squadron Mail Order in Carrolton, TX....right around the corner from where I live. Over two weeks later, other than a confirmation of order email, nothing from Squadron. So I looked up their phones and tried them...no answers. Website? You get a small generic statement saying "Store closed for renovation". I checked their Facebook page next and found entries within 5 days old. Problem is, Squadron has gone out of business....for good. All their inventory was transferred to a European hobby conglomerate and is history. Warning....if you have sent money to Squadron for ANY products since about November 2020, you had better start trying to get it back.
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