The Dude

IIRC correctly the early zero props were silver with black back side to cut down the spinning glare for the pilot. The later ones A6m5 (?) were a red brown, probably a primer if I were to guess.

Yeah one of the many projects I am working on is a 1/32 academy hornet and I am using CAM decals. Those are hit or miss although more miss than hit IMO. I bought 2 of the same sheets just in case I had problems and of course I did. Glad I got 2 because I needed them. I agree anything made by cartograf is the best available.

Cool! I can't wait to get a hold of one of these. The rigging is going to put more than one person in the loonie farm, I better start training some spiders to help rig this beast.

Slovakian mig-29s were A models with new antennas and upgraded electronics to interact with western equipment. Great Wall Hobbies makes a version of the updated Slovak fulcrum that is really nice but it is braille scale (1/48). The C model was used by some former USSR countries after the break up and also exported to several countries afterwards but I assume those were 'probably' neutered some.

I see panel lines on that one... I am of the belief that mustangs started off as puttied and refined but as time passes that stuff will eventually come off. Didn't a lot of crews strip off paint with gas on a semi regular basis? I would suspect the gas did not mix well with filler. Plus if the plane lasted for quite awhile in theater with heavy use that stuff came off eventually. I would guess the crews we're more interest in turning an aircraft and made sure they got back from each mission rather then spend the time refinishing the wing as it came from the factory 6 months to a year ago. I remember many, many years ago a luftwaffe pilot was giving a presentation on his war exploits at a local show, someone asked him what color was the wheel well and landing gear on his 190 he flew. His response was "I didn't give a crap if it was pink as long as it got me back home"

Yeah I got snagged early on for a 1/48 GWH mig-29 for a good price and learned my lesson about these scumbag scammers...However, Paypal will probably not eat it, they'll just pass it on to all their users by implementing higher fee's.

I think it boils down to subject popularity. Anyone with a passing interest in aviation probably know what a zero, f-4, fokker d7, p-51, Bf-109, spitfire, F-15, f-16 etc is. Folks with more focused interest will know the Beaufighter, mosquito, oscar, p-39, albatross, f-5, F-8, mig-17 etc. People that are really in tuned with aviation will know the different versions (p-51d ,p-51b, p-51c etc) of the aforementioned aircraft. Lastly there are the people who rarely see the light of day that study the all the different production line nuances/ variants/variation of those planes will know every single plane out there that ever flew.. The last set of folks are the die hard's that dedicate there time honorably to the cause and are also the smallest number of people IMHO. I believe most folks in modeling forums fall in within the 3rd and a part of the forth category. As Radu said you need the popular subjects to hook the numbers of the mainstream the get the $$ to be able to cater to the die hard's. I don't recall ever seeing a model company last long doing really obscure stuff as there main focus unless they have a massive financial stockpile to draw from. I myself recall saying that a large scale Mig-29 should sell pretty well for various reasons. I did my part, I bought 6 of them and built 2 so far but sadly i may have been wrong as the trumpeter mig-29 doesn't seem to be selling very well overall as I don't see a lot of builds or hear talk about it after the initial release of it.

Looks good and nice finish! What paints/ colors did you use?

Man that would be awesome! I would be in for a few. On behalf of the folks on this forum I thank you John for your sacrifice to the plastic Gods!

Looks good! The hs-129 is one of the few planes where opening up the access panels doesn't break up the sleekness of the airframe lol. I will probably build mine with them open..

Fantastic work! I really like the paint and finish on it great job!

Just a quick update, got the Salmson just about done only a few fiddly bits to do. I also lost the clear windscreens and am currently waiting on a replacement set from WnW to make to me to finish it off. Not the best pic but more to come when it is done here shortly.

Looking good, I can't wait to get a hold of one of these myself. I will keep an eye on this build. f

The way I see it is Mr. Jackson is a fan of plastic models, particularly WWI AC in 1/32. He had the money to start a company to cater to what kind of models he likes. He put together a top notch crew to get it set up and make things happen with a high level of detail and precision. He probably figured that if it became a world wide phenomenon across the modeling community then fantastic! If not and it lost money then it would become a 'side business' where the write off would balance out some of the positives of his movies. Who knows, maybe he has a hidden weak spot for the Fairey Gannet and has plans to drop a 1/32 scale one out on us in two years? I have read several threads about other companies on the teetering edge of financial ruin if the next kit they put out ends up being a flop. Its nice to have a cushion and a good business plan... Now My question to everyone is- If you had the same resources as Peter Jackson would you produce what you like or cater to the comparatively small community of the online modeling forums? For me, I say Go Peter Go! Whether most of us realize it or not we are in the golden age of 1/32 modeling and probably modeling in general. Sadly there aren't enough youngsters coming up behind us to fill in the void. I am 47 years old and am one of the younger ones in my large model club. Besides, most of our stashes will out last us anyway. You don't know how many estate sales from modelers that have passed away that I have been to and heard plans from the family "That he intended to build them all but only built 4 a year" while i stare at a garage full of about 1000 + kits...It kinda puts things into perspective.

I plan on being there. Got my room at the main hotel and 3 LSP's ready to go plus a few more on the bench.