mc65

...something for which we are grateful. but having the same result by being able to assemble and paint the model without having the legs extended from the very building's beginning, as in the Hasegawa Fw190D, to name one, would be welcome, at least for me.

great progress, and once again, great uncertainty over Italeri's choices. how it's possible that there was no way to design the kit to fit the landing gear legs at the end? that being said, thanks to your guide, I think I'll paint the underside of the wing first!

hi Quang, I searched the books at my disposal, but actually I didn't find any images corresponding to the profiles you identified (beautiful, by the way. I also love the dark livery more, even if I think I'll risk trying the smoke rings, at least for the first one that I will realize). anyway, I found something close, see if it can help you: the pics come from various texts and I have reproduced part of them for the sole purpose of discussion, anyway they are easily available on the web. in case you are interested in some in particular I try to deepen the research on the specific specimen. cheers, Paolo

good lord! just these days I was toying with the idea of opening some panels in the otherwise flat Hurry Revell, and here's your fantastic work! man, you made my day, thank you. now I'm off to find the suggested book, and of course I eagerly follow this construction. keep it rollin'! Cheers, Paolo

Oh, speaking about the seat and its bizarre locking system (not to mention the medieval seat belts) I believe that the two chains at the top had the function of preventing the seat from projecting forward in the event of sudden deceleration (i.e. a belly landing). from this image we can see how the seat is bolted to the lower structure, which allowed it to be adjusted vertically, and how the two chains do not seem to have a permanent support function, rather than limiting the horizontal movements of the seat itself. my usual two cents, of course! sincerely, P.

it looks like that panel is overlapping the belly, joined by a double row of rivets. Interesting. perhaps I would use the joint line as a reference, and reduce the thickness of the ventral panel near the line, sanding just enough to give it uniformity. obviously the one in the photo is the specimen exhibited at the Smithsonian, not a replica, otherwise I wouldn't trust it too much. unfortunately also the specimen exhibited in the museum of Vigna di Valle is not super reliable, as a reference, having spare parts added to complete it. nevertheless, as soon as I can I will go and photograph it as exhaustively as possible. in the meantime, I just have to study the available publications. in this sense, I continue to be puzzled by the visible gap between the bulkhead behind the armor plate and the fuselage. from these photos there does not seem to be air between these two parts, nor would it be logical there was, imho. Great work on this kit, I'm following avidly it! Cheers, Paolo

stop the press! I just discovered that Ask is going to release a plethora of alternative liveries in multiple decal sheets (including the one I've been wanting to do forever, ask me if I'm happy): https://aeroscale.net/news/folgore-decal-sets-out-soon also, it can be interesting to see the first of this kit completed: I see some areas that will need to be carefully assembled, as the union between the bulkhead behind the seat and the fuselage. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02gn9ypSv5w84ibuzrtEs94NXon7TuNmuWXBxxoELx1eqvcf8cDqLFG3mkdA6RKkaPl&id=100064364184817 I love following your work, I like how you applied the logic of overhead light to the walls of the cockpit. very modestly it is a technique that I try to apply, even if sometimes inverting it, i.e. trying to give light to the lower parts of the cockpit, the upper parts being sometimes in the shade due to horizontal structures at the opening in the fuselage. cheers, Paolo

present time my only concern is about the wheels: too much deflated, IMHO. but looking at general shape and sprues it seems to me way better than the recent built Tornado.

Just arrived! I'm digging into the BIG box, and at a first look it doesn't seems too bad.

thank you all, pals! sorry for the long absence, where were we last time? mmmmhyes, to the magnetised canopy. and a coat of transparent, glossy and matt, depending on the areas involved. then I finally recovered the definitive plexiglass display case, at first there had been some little problems. the measurements were right, but it arrived damaged, I had to send it back and wait. but finally here we are. installed the latest details, such as pitot and upper antennas. as well as chocks. and after a quick check on the reverse actuators... I can finally declare it finished. a couple of bad photos before delivery: delivery? yes, because the final destination of this model is on the shelf of one of our pilots who can say "I was there" (but who rarely says it, being shy and very modest) and with whom I had the privilege of flying for more than two decades chauffeuring passengers. I would therefore like to thank the colleagues and friends who have supported me in this small work which is meant to be a tangible (and cumbersome) certificate of esteem and affection for Alessandro, and ideally for those who have carried out and continue to carry out a job that is often forgotten -if not openly opposed- but which is part of our being a Nation, and which makes us recognized throughout the world for what we are, professionally speaking. please forgive the rush of rhetoric, and while we're at it, the lengthy wip, as well as the curses that still echo from here to Calderara di Reno, Italeri's home base. Thanks again to everyone for helping and following me up to here, cheers, Paolo.

It's a beauty!

Same for me, unfortunately...

Er, maybe I missed a previous post, why obliterate part of the rivets on the belly? ...and on the fuselage, I've seen that right now?

mmmmh.... my father used the label method, using very similar bottles for poison or fertilizer, all placed on the same shelf. now that I'm a father myself I insist on using dedicated bottles for hazardous materials, absolutely avoiding using containers normally used for food. my paranoia goes so far as to use coded containers for food (for example, a type of jar exclusively for cheese, black jar for one type of cheese, white jar for another) which does not protect me from internal saboteurs, so much so that I was recently able to cook a magnificent pasta with mussels and... coconut flour, instead of pecorino cheese. in this case I found it educational to eat, and to have people eat, a tropical rather than a Mediterranean pasta. sorry for the OT, I follow this construction carefully, the subject attracts/repels me in an unhealthy way, what better occasion than your excellent wip to understand it better? cheers, Paolo

Wonderful, it seems I missed the photos of the end of this work... shame on me!

S**t happens! being a rather normal issue, in my buildings, i use to reply the antenna supports (and pitot, and every bit smaller than my thumb) with metallic (brass, usually) replicas.

Love it, despite I'm not a modern jets' fan.

Mmmmh... something strange with the mags dimensions, I guess? if an inch is 25,4mm 25,4:16=1,58mm. I purchase them from a german e-shop, and 1,5 is a common size, in the little range. The 1,5 diameter x 0,5 high develops an acctrative force of about 33gr. So a couple of them will be more than enough to support a drop tank (well, at least til it's empty).

oh, how long! sorry for the absence, I haven't had much free time in the last two weeks. let's see what I've done lately... little stuff: I've added the white and blue straps that connect the ejection seats to the crew's limbs, so as to automatically recall them to the body in case of ejection. having done this, I definitively positioned the autarkic canvas screens that keep the navigator displays in the shade. starboard side and port side then, since I'm a genius at self-harm, I decided that I wasn't convinced by the pin I had inserted at the base of the canopy to keep it in place (I remimd you that Italeri didn't think of anything for this eventuality, except a strut ugly and out of scale, imho). so I cross my fingers, uncrossed them, and took the drill. on the apex of the fuselage you can see the hole previously foreseen for the pin. I then glued three magnets of 150gr of attraction force. in this photo you can see, on the bulkhead behind the headrest, also the right air vent redone with tin and copper, as the resin arrived damaged at that point. in the previous photo you can see better the left, original of the Aires set. in the canopy's corresponding points, after making housing using the considerable thickness of the transparent, I placed two 33gr magnets on the sides and one 110gr in place of the pin seat. While I was there, I completed the interior with the air ducts and relative vents which in reality match those on the bulkhead behind the navigator headrest. you can see (out of focus) the handles added during the locust operation, afterwards added on all the Italian Tornados. to determine wich was the optimal angle to position the canopy, and consequently the magnets, I made a slightly longer (and to scale) brass tube strut than the one supplied in the kit. normally on a pre-flown aircraft this strut was removed, together with most of the external covers/RBF flags. also, as you can imagine, the navigator must be a kind of eel to access his own place. marked the correct height and position, I glued (in two sessions) the apical magnets, the ones that govern the angle of the open roof, in two-components. using the already known kitchen foil technique: inserting a piece of film between the two magnets avoids the possibility that the epoxy ends up between the two, permanently gluing the canopy in position. et voila. now even without the strut it remains opened, with the advantage of having tje option to may remove it for better access to the cockpit, but above all making the joint shock-proof: the pin, although solid, was too rigid, and was anchored to the roof on too small a surface to keep me calm. along the way I added some weathering with pastels, in this photo you can see the marks left on the front fuselage by the ladder and boots, or at least this was the intention. and finally I placed it definitively on its base, it is finally safe from my clumsy hands in the various movements. now I can install the last more fragile details such as pitot on the radome, fuel probe, and retouch different color points, as well as giving the transparent glossy and matt according to the points. cheers, Paolo

your works are ultimate, it's really difficult to imagine to do better or at least at same level. in that sense are a little bit frustrating, but either they're terrific and inspirational!

Just my two cents: i like to use fine solder wire, it's available in any diameter, and it's possible also to buy it as a plusmodel's product.

thank you, pals! very small advances on the base, each step required adequate glue and color drying time, but slowly I am getting closer to the end of this tribulation. decided the final arrangement of the parts, and traced the orientation of the "tiles", made with sheets of sandpaper. from the available photos I understand very little about the surface of the Al Dahfra parking area, except that they were filthy and that the yellow line was scarcely visible. I did it anyway, after making the expansion joints with a mixture of PVA glue and black acrylic. and then I devoted myself to the rubbish, trying to make sense of it and not to overdo it so as not to steal the scene from the plane... I don't think I'll insist any further. soon general weathering of the upper surfaces, for which I am still doing tests elsewhere, and definitive basing. cheers, Paolo.

sometimes they come back... I don't believe it either, but I can finally declare FINISHED this model on which I sweated so much but which also amused me so much. not to contradict itself, given that I bought the 1978 kit in 2003 and put it on the workbench in 2021, the decals had to wait for that further year. the friend who had taken charge of it has gone through and is going through a series of vicissitudes that I wouldn't wish on anyone, so I resolved to do the simplest thing (I thought): contact professionals. I won't name names, it seems inelegant to me, but the first attempt, made with a company with a name that should give guarantees and with a friendly and helpful owner, took over 4 months and countless emails and phone calls to get me a well printed, but on a thick backing such as a quilt. and yes, while I was at it I optimized preparing the groundwork for three further projects to come. thick, opaque, and with the aggravating circumstance of requiring two steps: one for white and one for colour. stupid me that I launched myself directly on the model instead of doing some lateral tests. then I did a thousand thousand tests, also contacting the company and informing them of the bad results, pointing out that if the problem was the support (other decals from the same company are fine) they risked dissatisfying all future customers. the answer was that they will do some tests too. given the time that had elapsed, and in fact almost two months passed without news, I closed my eyes and made the first random number found after a search on the web. result, after a phone call to finalize the details and a week of waiting, I received this. after a couple of more than satisfactory tests on the side, I peeled off poor Lysander's areas and started over. better I would say. the red shoots a bit, and my sanding steps to reduce the step of the film partially damaged the color, making the background white appear in some places. nothing that a few gouache touch-ups on the suggestion of the friend Master of Color and a veil of black oil applied with an airbrush cannot solve. aaaand... ta-daaaah!! FINISHED!! decent pics in RFI section coming soon I hope. meanwhile, as proof that the house is hiding but not stealing, the original instrument panel is hacked out. take your time, no prob! and that's all, thank you all for your participation, patience and perseverance in following me in this madness. I remind those interested that I have kept the masters for the transparent parts and I have an excess of customized decals, in case anyone wants to try their hand at the only Lysander currently available in 1/32. cheers, Paolo.

hi Roger, beautiful work in every detail. if I may, the penultimate photo showing the partially twisted wiring leaves me perplexed: as far as I know these are left as straight as possible for several good reasons. keep it going, it's a beauty! cheers, Paolo

hi all, very little updating. given the particular nature of the upper color and its not excessively worn state, given the relatively short duration of the locust operation, I'm experimenting with new techniques for me. in the meantime I'm doing other little things however necessary. the first, started some time ago, is the construction of a base that will hold the completed model: a plywood frame that will be stained walnut on the sides and that will try to best emulate a parking segment of Al Dhafra, with a patch of the era to fill the otherwise deserted (ah ah) space next to the plane. the photos of the time show rather dirty surfaces, as do the current satellite photos. we'll see what I can achieve. other little things I'm doing are pitots, replaced with syringe needles. and the 27mm muzzle guards, 3D printed by Jet Passion, very serious stuff. the comparison with the original printed pieces is merciless. a 0.8 needle is perfect for emulating the barrel itself and providing solid support to the very fragile 3D piece. voilà in place, with the Master's metal angle-of-attack sensor visible above it. I have finally placed the seats in place, now I'm working on the accessories such as the side tubes and the various stripes that connected the crew's limbs to the seat. and that's all for now, I'm approaching the end of this tormented little work in small steps. cheers, Paolo