Jerry

Saturday afternoon a package from Troy showed up on my doorstep.  My first impression  was the packaging of the product, once I figured how to remove the printed outer sleeve .  The sander is packaged in a very sturdy slip top box that is a great storage case for the tool.  The base, sanding inserts and electrical plug are in the bottom of the inner box and the sander itself is in a molded foam inner tray.  The sanding inserts and 2 diamond tips are contained in a clear acrylic reusable box that would look great on the bench.  Fit, form and function of the tool is of the highest standard and I could find nothing that would be considered a CON.  I figured that like most starter sets for tools, there would be 1 piece of sandpaper in each grit and you would immediately either need to reorder from the manufacturer or find your own source.  However I was very pleased to find not 1 but 10 sheets of each grit in the starter pack.
 
I also had access to some foam sanding sheets so spent a couple hours putting the sander through it's paces and was very impressed.  It's well built and feels like it will last a long time in the hands of a busy modeler.  I am also a wood worker and have a large number of diamond sanding tips in various sizes and shapes as well as micro files that all fit the tool and are very versatile for working around a model.
 
I know that Troy is hoping to carry both replacement sandpaper and sanding foam in the future.  One thing I did ask him to research was the possibility of selling secondary sets of the sanding inserts so that the modeler would have the ability to modify them to custom shapes for that special need on a particular model part.
 
I would highly recommend this tool and will be demonstrating it during our next virtual club meeting - my club held our meeting this past Saturday using a virtual product called ZOOM.  There are a few hiccups to figure out before the first live meeting but we did 3 hours and I know everyone had a great time as we shared new tools and looked at what everyone was working on while trapped at home.  Our club always has a couple video presentation each meeting and they can also be shown over the Zoom format.  Give it a thought for your next club meeting, it will make the quarantine just that much easier.
Jerry 

Saturday afternoon a package from Troy showed up on my doorstep.  My first impression  was the packaging of the product, once I figured how to remove the printed outer sleeve .  The sander is packaged in a very sturdy slip top box that is a great storage case for the tool.  The base, sanding inserts and electrical plug are in the bottom of the inner box and the sander itself is in a molded foam inner tray.  The sanding inserts and 2 diamond tips are contained in a clear acrylic reusable box that would look great on the bench.  Fit, form and function of the tool is of the highest standard and I could find nothing that would be considered a CON.  I figured that like most starter sets for tools, there would be 1 piece of sandpaper in each grit and you would immediately either need to reorder from the manufacturer or find your own source.  However I was very pleased to find not 1 but 10 sheets of each grit in the starter pack.
 
I also had access to some foam sanding sheets so spent a couple hours putting the sander through it's paces and was very impressed.  It's well built and feels like it will last a long time in the hands of a busy modeler.  I am also a wood worker and have a large number of diamond sanding tips in various sizes and shapes as well as micro files that all fit the tool and are very versatile for working around a model.
 
I know that Troy is hoping to carry both replacement sandpaper and sanding foam in the future.  One thing I did ask him to research was the possibility of selling secondary sets of the sanding inserts so that the modeler would have the ability to modify them to custom shapes for that special need on a particular model part.
 
I would highly recommend this tool and will be demonstrating it during our next virtual club meeting - my club held our meeting this past Saturday using a virtual product called ZOOM.  There are a few hiccups to figure out before the first live meeting but we did 3 hours and I know everyone had a great time as we shared new tools and looked at what everyone was working on while trapped at home.  Our club always has a couple video presentation each meeting and they can also be shown over the Zoom format.  Give it a thought for your next club meeting, it will make the quarantine just that much easier.
Jerry 

Saturday afternoon a package from Troy showed up on my doorstep.  My first impression  was the packaging of the product, once I figured how to remove the printed outer sleeve .  The sander is packaged in a very sturdy slip top box that is a great storage case for the tool.  The base, sanding inserts and electrical plug are in the bottom of the inner box and the sander itself is in a molded foam inner tray.  The sanding inserts and 2 diamond tips are contained in a clear acrylic reusable box that would look great on the bench.  Fit, form and function of the tool is of the highest standard and I could find nothing that would be considered a CON.  I figured that like most starter sets for tools, there would be 1 piece of sandpaper in each grit and you would immediately either need to reorder from the manufacturer or find your own source.  However I was very pleased to find not 1 but 10 sheets of each grit in the starter pack.
 
I also had access to some foam sanding sheets so spent a couple hours putting the sander through it's paces and was very impressed.  It's well built and feels like it will last a long time in the hands of a busy modeler.  I am also a wood worker and have a large number of diamond sanding tips in various sizes and shapes as well as micro files that all fit the tool and are very versatile for working around a model.
 
I know that Troy is hoping to carry both replacement sandpaper and sanding foam in the future.  One thing I did ask him to research was the possibility of selling secondary sets of the sanding inserts so that the modeler would have the ability to modify them to custom shapes for that special need on a particular model part.
 
I would highly recommend this tool and will be demonstrating it during our next virtual club meeting - my club held our meeting this past Saturday using a virtual product called ZOOM.  There are a few hiccups to figure out before the first live meeting but we did 3 hours and I know everyone had a great time as we shared new tools and looked at what everyone was working on while trapped at home.  Our club always has a couple video presentation each meeting and they can also be shown over the Zoom format.  Give it a thought for your next club meeting, it will make the quarantine just that much easier.
Jerry 

Reedoak on this forum has some absolutely amazing figures and separate helicopter flight helmets.  I have ask if he would do Vietnam era jet helmets and I think he has them on the list - he works amazingly fast and with a very high degree of detail.  This link is to his page with helmets.  I think he may also see this post and answer questions.
http://reedoak.com/#!/1-32/c/13281309/offset=0&sort=normal
Jerry

Vandy,
Any progress on your great build? Can't wait to see more of your progress. Just starting my own build and looking for tips and tricks on these beasts. Have also ordered a number of parts from Shapeways as well as Lion Roar, Royal, Eduard, G-factor and several others.
Jerry

I've wanted a big Osprey from the moment I saw a real one - have several of the 1/48 but they just don't do it for me.  Put me down for one in either scale without question - but as was said previously - make it right or don't bother
Jerry

Derek and Eli
I just sent Barry a note - I've been after him also on this project - what we have to do is find full size MERs and TERs so he can put them in his magic shrinking ray machine and turn out little pieces - Don't tell anyone but the Navy is still looking for that F8 Crusader than went missing after Barry was in the neighborhood.
Beas

In asking around it appears TS is not the only company that Squadron has yet again left out on the fence. It appears to me that Squadron really doesn't care about any of their wholesale customers as long as they can sell direct with the planes they have in stock, but what they seem to forget is that every plane promised to the dealers is attached to a CUSTOMER that is being excluded unless they are willing to pay full retail or higher. Squadron might make some additional profits short term but I for one have a long memory and will not purchase anything from Squadron in the future. I'm sure they feel they have a captive audience but with higher and higher prices on new products hopefully their captive audience will find other outlets for their available hobby dollars/

Without question I would love to see and A-26K Intruder variant for those of us that want to do the Viet Nam version. That would be a dream come true.