mywifehatesmodels

I'm hoping for a razorback, as well. This is still good news, however. John

Several years ago, I compared the two before building a Dauntless for a customer. Went with the AM kit for the same reasons mentioned above (but also used some aftermarket designed for the Hasegawa and it worked pretty well with only a little bit of modification!). The only thing that stands out to me as a real problem with the AM kit is the windscreen. I'm not sure if this is particular to specific sub-variants (this was the SBD-3), but the windscreen, if attached to the raised "base" that is supposed to align it to the fuselage, will sit too far aft. This, in turn would make it impossible to completely close the pilot's canopy. I ended up moving it forward and puttying in the base at the front, under the forward/bottom framing of the windscreen (hope that makes sense). Aside from that, it went together well and turned out pretty nice. John

Artists' pencil will certainly give you more control in application. You may also wish to try actually chipping the paint away from a "metal" base coat/primer. That's my preferred method, but it can take a little more prep and practice and the type of paints you use will be a factor, as well. Eventually, you'll probably settle on something that best suits your preferences, but don't be afraid to try them all, even if it means using spare parts as paint mules for practice/testing of method. John

So far, you have a series of great saves going, Mike! Never fun, but you've come out on top and it could be worse. I remember finishing my Ki-61, taking 99% of the "glamour shots" to post here, then dropping it on the concrete floor of my shop while attempting to turn it over for one last pic of the belly! John

Looks good and especially for a first attempt. Also, I wouldn't go so far as to say your chipping is "way overboard". While restraint is usually not a bad thing, in my opinion, there are also plenty of photos of late 190s showing similar wear, or even worse. So, don't sweat it too hard. John

Truly amazing and the build was a blast to follow. Very inspiring! John

Looks great and I really like the scheme, which is a break from the norm. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I still like the Revell Hurricane! Great job! John

Thanks again, Ray!

Very nice! I'm glad to see another build of this kit. I was expecting to see more of them being done and would like to do one, myself. Having built the Rutman kit in a desert scheme, it would be nice to give it a partner in a different scheme. Love your choice of the Romanian markings! John

I'm already smiling. Can't wait to see it finished! John

Interior looks excellent! I did a similar treatment on the 110D I built. It's almost a shame to close the pit after doing all that, but you won't regret it, as every time you look into the crew compartment you'll know it was worth it. John

Lovely Lavochkin! Looking forward to seeing more. John

Fantastic Gustav! I especially like the mottling on the fuselage. Excellent! John

Another winner! I can't wait to try some of the MRP Japanese colors. You're not making the wait any easier. John

Amazing build, so far! Too bad there aren't some figures like that available in the form of 1/32 scale bomber crews. I would love to do an in-flight display with my He 111 and or/Ju 88s in the stash! John