Phil Smith

Great work on solving a tricky problem. (I'm also quite interested in how you came along on the 1/350 Big-E, as I recently dusted that one off and it has distracted me a little from my 1/32 Bf-109 and F4U.)

Thank you for the kind words. Sorry I didn't visit this thread earlier to show my appreciation!

...been here awhile, but I don't think I ever said hello. Rude. So, hello. I work as a aerospace industry analyst in the DC area, focusing mainly on the space side of things. I'm also a freelance artist and a docent at the NASM Udvar-Hazy Center. My interest in scale models is broad and very much depends on my mood. I like visually interesting science fiction subjects, WWII aircraft, and the occasional random subject (a 747-8 somehow recently found itself on my workbench, for instance). Most photos of me are goofy. But if you're going to be goofy, do so standing next to Neil Armstrong.

Nice work there! I assume this kit is about the best there is for a 1/32 P-47 (I admit to being a bit lazy asking this)? I'm keen to add it to my stash...

Nice work and that looks like a fun build - lots of interesting engine and fuselage details, which I love. I appreciate folks posting about rarer gems like this...

Moving a bit slow due to work and such but finished reconstruction of the cowl flaps using the kit parts (thing on the right) as basis since the Eduard Brassin engine kit part is too fragile. Since much of the actuators and detail in the cowl flaps will not be directly obvious, I decided to aim for a "busy" look inside there. Close enough is ok in this case, I figured. The Eduard forward engine cowl part is good as is (thing on the left). Interior painted Mr. Hobby H-58 Interior Green. Next up is to integrate this part with the engine, which looks to be a fun little challenge

Thanks - the Anyz strips are thin (good idea that these could be made as 3D decals to represent hose clamps that use a rubber backing. They probably wouldn't work for oleos, especially since the silver is shiny but not chrome.

Excellent work!

More progress on the engine. I decided to do a dumb-ish thing, which is to connect exhaust pipes with simulated rubber hose sections tightened with hose clamps. I didn't like the way the plastic exhaust pipes connected to the resin engine (rather, they didn't), so I decided to bridge the gap using the smallest diameter heat shrink tubing and Anyz's hose clamp decals, which are excellent. Needless to say, this involved a bunch of hoses and hose clamps, but it worked out well. Why is this dumb-ish? Because one wouldn't bridge hot exhaust tubing with rubber hoses! Meh - I liked the effect and it adds interest. Next up - the cockpit! Be well, folks

Excellent build thus far!

This is just bonkers cool. Nice work and a pleasure to follow!

Superb work!

Thank you - and I took your advice and that of others on this decal sheet. Very much appreciated

As I enter the painting phase of one scale model, I prep for the next. This, of course, means I generally have a couple to three models being built at once. I also have a stash that frankly needs to be addressed. In this case, my 1/32 Bf-109 G-14 is in priming and painting stage. That itself will take weeks to realize, but in the meantime I've cracked open Tamiya's 1/32 F4U-1D Corsair. First order of business in this regard is the engine (my favorite thing to work on). Though Tamiya's engine is great straight out of the box, I selected Eduard's Brassin kit for this assembly, mainly because I hate seams on complex parts like the cooling fins on piston casings. The parts go together very well and require little cleanup. After priming, I painted the engine casing XF-53 (Neutral Gray) which seemed a good approximation. I added a dry brush treatment of Testors Chrome Silver over Zinc Chromate for some wear and tear. After a gloss coat, I added a serial number plate decal and Tamiya's black panel liner. The other engine parts were primed with Alclad II gloss black, as I wanted to use metallics for these. The pistons required a bit of assembly (spark plugs and some exhaust pipes); these were painted Alclad II Chrome and the exhaust pipes Testors Metallizer Burnt Iron. The piston casings should be a dull aluminum color, but I new the chrome would be toned down after a flat clear coat while still retaining a bit of depth. After a gloss coat, the piston covers were painted XF-1 (Flat Black). After assembly, I used lead wire for spark plug leads, intercylinder drain hoses, and various other greeblies. These were painted XF-78 (Wooden Deck Tan) with details in various random earth tones for variety. Some weathering using powdered graphite finishes this off. Everything was united with a dusting of XF-86 Flat Clear, touching up the push rods with X-22 Clear Gloss. More engine work remains, of course, and this is the objective of the coming weekend in between Bf-109 painting sessions

Nicely done!