TimW

OK, I finally broke down and got one of these birds (with the Black Box cockpit, of course). Anybody know of any aftermarket decals for Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom? Thanks, TW

I saw this kit in a model shop the other day. Any word on whether it's worth picking up?

Very nice! The details are quite impressive (hard to believe it's that kit!!" Tim W.

Very nice! I have some decals from Eagle Editions on order. http://store1.yimg.com/I/ehobbyland_1869_22009762 I'm inclined to try the Fleet Air Arm version, as I have a goal of building a Pacific War collection (among other projects), which will ultimately include (for the Navy and Marines) an F4F, F6F, Dauntless and F4U-1A, D and F4U-4. The FAA scheme will be a nice contrast to all that blue! I have assorted Japanese and Army Air Corps aircraft as well, so new shelving will be in order. Tim W.

I have recently come into possession of the Hasegawa Hellcat kit. I think this has been discussed here before, but are there any major problems with this one (apart from the cockpit)? Thanks, Tim W.

The Cuban AF have some nice camo schemes. http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/R...mer/farmer.html I always like this one, but wussed out and did an NMF Soviet MiG. For an active VV-S MiG, you'll need to get seperate bort numbers for the nose--the ones that come with pretty much all the Trumpeter kits are oversized, which indicates a training unit. Tim W.

Are you going with an NVAF scheme? Or something more colorful? Tim W.

I started buying those cheap-o bags of rubber gloves you can find at Wal Mart and other sorts of shops. It greatly reduced the finger print/finger oil issue, especially when using an airbrush. Tim W.

Are the hakenkreuz only blurred in the photo? I remember this as an "issue" when I lived in Germany, as I merrily "broke the law" by putting swastikas on my Bf-109s etc where they belonged. I mean, it's not like one is hanging a flag out the window!

You made a good point about pairing off fighters. I had that in mind when I got my Zero. Of course, the correct pairing for an AVG P-40 would be either a Nate or a Ki-43, none of which exist in 1/24 as far as I know... Tim W.

Well, I may be unsophisticated as these things go , but I have not noticed any MAJOR problems with this kit (I have one unbuilt). There's reportedly a minor shape problem with the deck in front of the windshield, but I doubt I'm going to mess with it as it just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I think the kit builds up just fine as is--others may want to do more work on it, but that's a modeller's judgement call as far as I'm concerned. Just my $0.02 Tim W.

Excellent job! I sent pics of my Hawk 75 to LSP, but they're still in the queue I went with the Mohawk IV (RAF) version. Let me know how the wing fit to the fuselage goes--I found the instructions barely adequate in terms of accurate measurement; also, a few hints regarding the engine would have been nice, also! I also had trouble with the fit of the tail-wheel frame into the Hawk-75 piece that goes back there. I'm very interested in hearing how you fare with this kit! It's a lot of work, but it's worth it! Tim W.

This discussion about the outstanding Dauntless & Corsair paint jobs here leads into a question I'm curious about--how do YOU do your models and why (in terms of weathering)? Some like factory fresh, others like the beaten up and used look. I'm definitely in the "used look" category. I had an interesting talk with a retired USAF pilot (he'd flown F-4s, F-15s and had been an exchange pilot with the RAF and had a shot at flying the Tornado F3). He said even modern aircraft are dirty and dinged up. It was a bit of a revalation for me, as I do mostly WW2 aircraft (with the occasional foray into Korea and later) and have always had the impression modern stuff never got quite as weathered as WW2. This may be true overall, given the primitive nature of some WW2 facilities, but it's interesting that even in a top of the line airfield & maintenance situation, you still can't fix everything... Any thoughts? Tim W.

>As for the detail in the 1/24 Hurricane cockpit and wheel well - well, let me put it like this: I looked there >for inspiration but was not inspired. Well, it is a basis for additional work. Certainly better than the 1/32 details--at least with the '24th scale kit, you can re-work and add detail more easily. I think it still builds up into quite a nice kit, though I'd love to see more variety in available decals. There's also the rumors of an Airfix release of the Mark II, as well. Tim W.

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=hr0495 I take it this is the old Airfix mold? Or is it something completely different? Anybody know more about this one? Tim W.

The only reference I have on hand indicates Lavin was with 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group. There may be something on the web for this, but I'm going to have to keep digging.. Tim W.

That's really irritating... Trumpeter's documentation clearly states 54th FS, 343rd FG for Lavin! I know nothing about US air units and google didnt come up with much, except further confirmation that 54/343 was Aleutian based. Not a show stopper I suppose... but such a basic error is pretty unforgivable... Yeah. I got nailed the same way you did. Let me do some digging for some more specifics on Lavin (I have the info somewhere). The thing that made me wonder initially is how a guy in the Aleutians could have claimed so many locomotives as kills... Tim W.

Aren't the Hobbycraft kits 1/32 as opposed to 1/28? Tim W.

I'm in a quandary right now. I also think that scheme looks great and have intended to use it from the outset. Only problem is, all that black will obscure alot of the NMF work I am planning. I think the other box scheme (Campbell -) might show off the NMF better. I think I'll wait and see how the NMF turns out before deciding on which one I'll go with. Another consideration is locating the crate for diorama purposes. References I have say that Lavin's unit was stationed in the Aleutians for the duration (poor b@st@rds!). I have had little luck in establishing a location for Campbell's plane - 36th Fighter Squadron 8th Fighter Group 1944. This unit seems to pop up all over the place. Matt - Buin sounds amazing. I remember how weird it felt when I was on Saipan... walking over the reefs and finding these clusters of rusted engine blocks, and then realising they were all that remained of landing craft... it made me remember that history is usual better appreciated from a distance. Thanks again for the positive comments chaps. Koala-- Trumpeter messed up with the historical details. Lavin was actually in 49th Fighter Group and fought in the South-West Pacific (New Guinea, Phillipines, etc.) I'm not at all sure how or why Trumpeter messed that up. I'm sure it would have come as news to Lavin that he flew in the Aleutians! Cheers, Tim W.

Hobbycraft is supposedly going to do one, but I've thus far heard nothing but rumors. Tim W.

Does it come with a Steve Austin figure? Tim W.

You mean this one? One day when my skills mature I'll give it a go. Yep, that's the one. I used to have it in days long gone by, but it ended up in the dustbin of history (or some such place). I was rather hard on models as a teen. Building better ones today is perhaps a form of penance for all those half-built, blown up kits in my past...

Thierry, You read my mind! Time to go purchase the Osprey Mirage/Nesher aces book... Tim W.

Sounds involved. I'll have to see what the kit actually looks like when I get it (I think some of these may not be major fixes. The longer nose only amounts to about 11 inches in real life, not a major issue for me. The tail section I'll have to see about... I remember the Mirage 5J kit--I don't have that one. Anybody remember the reissue that had Argentine markings? Tim W.

Thanks for the tips. Luckily for me, I checked my decal stash and I have the old microscale Israeli Squadron badges/National insignia set, still in quite good condition. Includes squadron badges for A-4, F-4 and Mirage Squadrons. A stroke of luck! I'm thinking an NMF Mirage might look nice--offset my camouflaged A-4 and F-4. Tim W.