paul fisher

I remember seeing V C-10s in this scheme flying out of SFO when i was a kid....Must have built the old Airfix kit four or five times over the years.

Thanks to all of you ....I wish I knew what to tell you, but it is impossible to say what we'll end up doing or when. My insurance company has paid out 75 % of our policy and is not in any hurry to pay out the rest, it will be a test of wills I guess. I understand they are a business, and they must profit to survive, but it is hard to swallow how many millions of dollars they spend to tell us they are "on our side" on the television and then try to screw us out of what we've been paying for over all these years. The cost to rebuild my workshop and equip it as it was before the fire is far beyond what we can afford if we hope to rebuild or buy a home, so change is the order of the day. Any manufacturing , such as production casting will have to be farmed out to someone already equipped and fully up to speed on such work.I have been talking informally with a company in Europe who are very well equipped and whose work I respect about future casting and even finishing of my stuff. This would allow me to do new kits, as well as open up a new opportunity for those who collect finished , cased display pieces, a market I have not participated in before. I don't need a big shop to create masters, but I do need to really think about what new kits to do, and what old products to try and bring back.Many of my 1/32 kits will be very expensive to re-tool, re-print decals and photo etch for, so I have to be realistic about how fast I can move and how far.It's been extremely disorienting to have my entire little world simply vanish overnight and I will be the first to tell you I have not been myself since the fire. I don't mean to ignore emails, I just don't know what to say in reply other than thanks, and this will take time. Without your support this would be infinitely worse than it has been. As soon as plans become more sharply defined, you'll read it here! Until then, build models, enjoy your friends and family and pizza.Pizza is good. Paul

This is one of the most inspiring builds I've seen in a great while....Beautiful workmanship and a great subject.Makes me want to build a Shorts Calcutta or Blackburn Perth in 1/32, the mind boggles! Paul

I just wanted to post a year-end note to all of you LSP'ers who have supported our efforts through the years, and also saved our bacon this last month. We finally got some movement and payment from our insurance company this last week, so we can begin to think about going forward.Some pretty big hoops yet to jump through before we are done , but at least we can begin rebuilding our life with the smaller steps. All of you who so kindly donated to the GoFundMe drive, I can't really describe what a great feeling it is to find out how much your friends and customers care about you. Susy and I are very grateful for your help, it saved us from some pretty severe financial hardship, as well as smoothing the way into our new life. I will be going back to what's left of Paradise in a week or so to look over the old place with the insurance adjuster. I don't expect to find much , if anything of value in the ashes , but it needs to be done so we can close that chapter and begin a new one. I will keep you posted..In the meantime, enjoy the Holidays, your friends and your families, and rest assured we will never forget what you've done for us. Best Wishes for 2019, Paul & Susy Fisher

You guys have been amazing! Susy and I cannot begin to adequately express our thanks to all of you for your help in this topsy turvy world we now live in. Our insurance company has finally begun to respond to the situation so by mid week we should be OK and can get some idea of how all this will work out.I will keep you posted! Paul

Hi folks, Paul here in beautiful but chilly Centennial, Colorado. I know, I know, I am a weather wuss. I mentioned how cold it was to the dentist i had to see the other day and he just looked at me, giggled and walked out. Yikes! Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you once again for the amazing generosity you've shown us, I wish I could say the same about my insurance company, but sadly they are playing games and throwing up roadblocks so we are very fortunate to have friends and family like you people or we'd be in real trouble now.We're almost a month into this mess and they are still coming up with BS stuff they need to even start paying us for our living expenses.Nationwide is not on MY side at the moment, or at least is sure feels that way. As Jennings said above, there is literally nothing left of our home , or the workshop and barn.The metal lathe and mill are still visible, but having been through so hot a fire, and then a week of rain they will not be salvageable.The master patterns, tooling and molds are all gone too so whatever we do, it is going to be a long journey back to actually making stuff. Here's an aerial view of the property, taken with a drone. Pretty much sums things up! Left to right: House, workshop and then barn. More news as soon as I have any, Paul

Hi Guys.... I too have been amazed at how the trees seem to have survived while structures were destroyed. For many years I lived in fear of my neighbors' giant oak tree catching fire and falling on the barn, which would in turn torch the workshop, leading to the house. That oak tree still stands, as does my neighbors home, and yet my place got erased.Fire behaves in strange ways. We kept our place mowed within an inch of the ground all year 'round, and had removed trees and shrubs to keep defensible space, but to no avail.Places covered in brush and fallen pine needles did not burn. Go figure! Now, with 3 inches of rain forecast to fall over the weekend, there will be mudslides.Our place is pretty much flat, but who knows what will come sliding down from above. I noticed the metal lathe and milling machine poking up through the ashes in the pictures, sadly the heat of the the fires and now the rain will put paid to any thoughts of salvage.40 years of collecting cutting tools and custom made lathe chuck jaws gone , what a waste. Ah, well..I will have to modernize! P

You guys are awesome....So far quite a few of the model car guys have volunteered kits for re-casting also, but it will be a while before i can do any of that.The model has to be cut up strategically and enlarged a wee bit so it returns to scale via shrinkage but it can be done. A few of my guitar clients have also offered me the loan of their instruments so I can ,make new drawings, and the very first one I ever built is right here at my son's house, I gave it to him a while back as a birthday gift. Once again, I just have a to express my thanks for this amazing bunch of people, the weight you have lifted from our shoulders is a huge relief, and will speed us on our way back to normalcy. Susy is just speechless.One of her favorite jokes when someone asks her what her job is was to say " I make men all over the world happy" with just the right tone of voice.....She's pretty happy to know just how true that is. Thanks again Paul

Much like the old guy in the Monty Python movie, "I'm not dead yet," and it's all thanks to the generosity of you folks, Susy and I {as well as the doggies} are simply overwhelmed , there are no words for how grateful we are for your help.We really did get out with just what we were wearing and an old hard drive...As much as you think you're prepared, you're not. Anyway, we don't yet know when we can rebuild and get back in harness, but rest assured I will keep you posted.For now, just know how much we appreciate this, and I even told my Mom. You folks are the Best! Paul

Hi guys....Just checking in to confirm that while we may be down, we're not out...at least not yet! More soon Paul

Working on another order of them now...Stay tuned! Paul

I'm calling this one done! Here's some pics of the finished model.I did leave the aft cabin removable so I can occasionally look at all the madness in the back, but I just love the look of that double bubble cabin on the model.used EZ-Line for the antennas so it wont break when opening it up at shows, as if I can ever get out of here. Definitely a model with a unique character! Never could find anybody left who could tell me the significance of the Pelican cartoon on the cowl, but I love nose art so there you go! You can see one of the wire sway braces on the belly radome here, I used old guitar string. Just a wee bit of dirt and staining behind the lap joints in the fuselage skinning. Tamiya Smoke thinned with alcohol and Post-It notes as masking. Static discharge wicks are from fine lead wire , they bend instead of breaking , which is good since people always grab the model just before you can stop them. I used a common lead pencil in select panel lines to get a bit of crud on the wings.Hard to see in the pics, but effective up close. That's all for now....I haven't enjoyed a build more in a long, long time.There's just something about this version of the Skyraider that gives me "the fizz"...

I'm calling this one done! Here's some pics of the finished model.I did leave the aft cabin removable so i can occasionally look at all the madness in the back, but I just love the look of that double bubble cabin on the model.used EZ-Line for the antennas so it wont break when opening it up at shows, as if I can ever get out of here. Definitely a model with a unique character! Never could find anybody left who could tell me the significance of the Pelican cartoon on the cowl, but I love nose art so there you go! You can see one of the wire sway braces on the belly radome here, I used old guitar string. Just a wee bit of dirt and staining behind the lap joints in the fuselage skinning. Tamiya Smoke thinned with alcohol and Post-It notes as masking. Static discharge wicks are from fine lead wire , they bend instead of breaking , which is good since people always grab the model just before you can stop them. I used a common lead pencil in select panel lines to get a bit of crud on the wings.Hard to see in the pics, but effective up close. That's all for now....I haven't enjoyed a build more in a long, long time.There's just something about this version of the Skyraider that gives me "the fizz"...

You are most welcome! Thanks for getting behind the project and supporting my fetish for slightly off the beaten path aircraft.... Happy to make you guys happy....It's not a bad gig and the commute is great. Shipped out another bunch yesterday afternoon, but Monday is a holiday so no mail until Tuesday I guess. It's been surprising how many of these have gone to builders in the UK, Europe and All over the place....I am amazed. I am trying to get some decent pictures of my built up for the Ready for Inspection but having a heck of a time making insulators for the radio aerials. More soon.... Paul

Yup....That's what I get for cell phone pics under crappy shop lights.You'd think by now I would have one of those nifty photo booths, but it's still on my to do list.

Decals are here, and I am packing up kits to start shipping ....Here's the the finished model, excepting that dang antenna wire I've busted off twice already.

Hi , Life raft is included in the kit, no worries, and yes, the decals arrived yesterday afternoon and I am working on finishing up the model and the instructions today....Gonna be a long weekend!

Here's a pic of the life raft tucked under the front of a 300 gallon drop tank, and the two color schemes provided with the kit.

I was told by someone who should know that it was planned, right after the T.7 which didn't happen for unpleasant reasons. Sigh. What a kit they would have done!

Good morning! Like the man says, it all depends on which one you want to build, I think the F.6 was re-released not too long ago so it may be easier to find. I still recall first seeing the FGA.9 kit at the IPMS Nats in Santa Clara in 1998 and realizing 1/32 was about to take off. A great kit that holds up quite well even today.If only they had done the Lightning!

The standard load for an A-1E in Vietnam was a spare wheel and tire strapped down in the aft cabin, a toolkit and a set of sparkplugs. The utility ships could have four seats in the back, two facing aft and two facing forwards, or all four facing aft.or any sort of load that would fit and could be strapped in properly.Utility ships also did target towing duty with a winch and reel slung under the belly in a cool looking fairing. I may do some masks for a utility ship , there was going to be a decal for that and some other planes but we had to cancel it due to lack of interest.The Navy AD-5 just didn't take off and sell like the Air Force kit did.Anybody that wants a VU-1 Utility ship shoot me a PM , I can get Montex to do them if I get enough guys to cover the costs. As for the AD-5Q / EA-1F elint ship I'd love to do it, but it requires en entirely new aft cabin set up , underwing pods, fuselage radomes and decals, all expensive stuff to do and I have to wonder what sales would be like.Might be surprised, as the Guppy is doing well , but I have to be careful not to let my enthusiasm for the subject outrun my bank account! best, paul

Thanks for the encouragement guys...Switched my BP medication and the hand tremors have subsided a lot, makes using the airbrush a pleasure again. As for the dark blue Guppy, you bet......They were all GSB until 56/57 and the kit has decals for a ship in GSB as well. I may do some masks for the utility paint job for the AD-5, pretty simple and I love that color scheme too.

Thanks Mike....The Guppy does not have a belly dive brake at all, they modified the well into an access hatch for a bunch of electronics in the fuselage behind the cabin. I'm loving that fluorescent AD-5 you're building!

More progress on my Guppy...I have made up the little life raft commonly carried under the port wing and gotten the big radome and landing gear installed. I snitched an older style drop tank from a Tamiya Corsair as many pics of the AD-5W show them carrying one on the right hand pylon to add a little help with the torque from the 3350. Exhaust stains differ a wee bit from a standard AD-5, it seems the belly radome created it's own local air flow pattern.Also, note the oil cooler doors are slightly recessed when close and so they don't catch as much of the exhaust stains as the surrounding skin... More soon! paul

So, in and amongst my casting and mold making i have made up a master for the funky ship made life raft seen on the Guppy depicted on the kit decals.Near as i can tell the fairing is red, with a yellow tip, and pretty beat up.The raft folded up and strapped into it is most likely yellow, and the straps black. This hangs on the main pylon on the port wing as seen in the picture of the real airplane...