Uncarina

Welcome to LSP! And what a great entry. Beautiful work so far, and makes me want to revisit my Rodney build! Cheers, Tom

Thanks for the kind comments! It was my first armor build in a long time, and my favorite parts were adding the anti-slip (much easier and more controllable than I expected) and the finish/weathering. I really recommend this kit. Cheers, Tom

I just finished the Meng 1/35 Merkava Mk.4M, one of those kits that I just had to build. One of the things that challenged me with modelling the Merkava has been the ball and chain curtain under the turret and bustle. Not a challenge with this kit, since Meng did a great job reproducing it. Another has been the prominent anti-slip texture. While Meng reproduced this as well, it is too subtle, so I had to add my own. There are several ways of doing this--stippled Mr Surfacer, hamster sand over glue, baking soda over glue, etc, but I found a great way: 1. I spray Tamiya AS-12 as a primer, something for the anti-slip adhesive to grab; 2. I paint Vallejo Surface Primer as the adhesive to a section at a time; 3. I sprinkle aluminum oxide over the wet primer, then blow away the excess; 4. I seal with another coat of AS-12. I am very pleased with the results--easy, fast, controllable, and strong. After this assembly was easy. I just used aftermarket pre-assembled metal tracks purchased from a Chinese vendor on E-Bay (they fit perfectly), and the Meng aftermarket cargo covers. Painted with Tamiya paints, weathered with AMMO washes, pastels, and oils. Hope you like it. Cheers, Tom

Pete, All of your work here has created a truly lifelike result. I especially like the fine highlight/shading on the beards! Cheers, Tom

Thanks! I had a lot of fun with this build, and it was my first using stencils. Cheers, Tom

Beautiful work David, and I am taking notes! I appreciate you sharing your build and offering these tips. Cheers, Tom

Mark, Beautiful work and markings! Cheers, Tom

It looks both impressive and in scale! Great work on your paint choices and build! Cheers, Tom

Matt, Fantastic job on both of these! I love the vivid photos as well. Cheers, Tom

A truly epic masterwork! Cheers, Tom

An excellent solution! Cheers, Tom

Thank you! You are very kind. I find this aircraft very intriguing: its boxy lines and huge engines imply a brute force approach to going through the air. And the green and pink cockpit colors are fun to look at. The ICM MiG-25 is on my build list for sure! Cheers, Tom

Thank you! This kit was a surprise to me as well, until I started researching what’s available. AMK is not a well-known company, but I was impressed with their record of continuous refinement based on feedback from modelers. This kit and their Mirage are two examples. Cheers, Tom

Outstanding work, and a great reference! I love your attention to detail. Cheers, Tom