ax365

Sorry I'm a little late to the party but here's my mug. My friend Paul (left) and myself on the 18th green at Harbour Town Golf Course in January 17. Before I played it, every time I watched the RBC Heritage Classic and someone missed an incredibly short, easy looking putt, I'd say to myself, "How could you miss a putt like that?" Now I know EXACTLY how they could miss a putt like that. It was like putting on a tile floor. Mike

So much for working smarter rather than harder on stuff you won't see. Just funnin' ya, Chuck. You know that no good deed ever goes unpunished? That seems to have happened here. It's unfortunate that the detail was covered up but it's very impressive none the less. Enjoy your vacation and decompression time. A battery recharge is never out of order. Mike

I'm looking forward to this release as well. I have already broached the subject with The Boss. Her reply, "Go for it and have fun!" In many other circumstances, that could be interpreted as "Don't you dare!" or "Have fun sleeping in the spare room." but this time it was sincere. I don't have many vices or other expensive tastes so she was quite supportive when I said I was going to get one of these kits.

Nope but I'm 6' tall and at the time was about 260 lbs so my girth simulated the bulk of the Irvin jackets and everything else. For a big airplane, there's bugger all room inside. And the noise of four Merlins on the flight deck, and no ear protection except for foam ear plugs, was unbelievable. You could feel it in you chest. This is my friend, Mr. Bob Bradley. He completed a full tour as a mid upper gunner on a Lancaster with 576 Sqn, RAF. He proudly wears the Bomber Command Clasp on his Canadian Volunteer Service Medal.

Enjoy it, Graham. About 15 years ago, The Boss got me a one hour flight in the CWH Lancaster. I can't put into words the emotions and feelings of that one hour. One of the other guests that day was a Polish pilot with 33 wartime sorties on Wellingtons, Halifaxes and Lancasters. When he spoke, everyone listened. The entire day was a real eye opener. The 60 degrees of bank over the museum before we landed was indescribable. The turbulence we encountered during the flight ( a very windy day that almost canceled the flight) gave everyone pause to imagine what ops on a bomber would have been like...except it wasn't pitch black outside, we weren't being coned by searchlights, we weren't dodging night fighters and we weren't having to deal with flak. Just walking around inside caused one to be off balance. The I tried to imagine the smells and other sensations one might have encountered. It was a truly humbling experience. And yes; my shins lost the argument with the main spars while getting to the flight deck. One thing the veteran did tell us was that the aircraft would not have been buffeted around as we were experiencing. The combined weight of the fuel and bomb load would have made the aircraft very stable during taxi and take off. As I type this, the feelings I encountered that day come to the forefront.

Splendid work, as usual, Chuck. You've done a very convincing job on that Merlin. Mike

Great work Brad.

Very nice work Brad. I've built two of the Italeri 32nd scale Sabres (same kit, except for wingtips and slats) and you've done great justice to this kit. I have one of these in my stash and it will be an RCAF Sabre 6 ( RCAF 421) based at Grostenquin, France, 1962. Keep up the fine work. Mike

Saw some really good golf and some not so good golf. Glad to see Jordan laugh at himself on the 12th on Sunday after safely clearing the water in front of the green just like Tiger did on Saturday after his missteps there Thursday and Friday. Sorry to see Rory muddle his way through the round after the promising start and missing his opportunity, until next spring, to win the career Grand Slam. Sorry to see Jordan miss his putt on 18 to take the lowest 18 hold record in the final round. Nice to see Hoffman's ace on the 16th. Ugly to see what Finau did to his ankle while hamming it up after his hole-in-one during that contest. Reed was lucky that his second shot on 13 didn't roll back into Rae's Creek. Fowler made a good charge. Like him or loathe him, it was nice to see Tiger back at The Masters. A win or tournament for the ages? Not in my opinion but some good golf nonetheless. When I had the opportunity to play Harbour Town (no Augusta National, that's for sure) a couple of years ago, it gave you a very good insight into playing a PGA course. I used to say, "How can you miss a short putt like that?!" Now I know how they can miss a putt like that. Gives you a great insight into how good those guys, and the women on the LPGA Tour, really are.

Some very nice looking models there. I also like the Typhoon cutaway. Glad the show was a success. Mike

Chuck in reviewing your post and the photos, you did make it clear. I just didn't read all the words. You clearly said, "Remove pin marks at rear." Don't I feel stupid. Move along. Nothing to see here. Sorry about that Chuck. Mike

The engine in the cradle looks fantastic Chuck. In the first picture of the unpainted framing, had you already filled and cleaned up the pin marks? I can't see any marks there. Keep up the fine work sir.

Good morning, Chuck. It's very easy for me to say but don't get discouraged. I know it's easier said than done. This is my first visit to LSP in about a month. My last visit was certainly before your recent engine painting and building tutorial posts. I really appreciate the level of detail that you put into your builds and the time you take to photograph and explain how you do things. I look at your work and the work of some of the other outstanding builders here on LSP and I live vicariously through you because, as you say, "...I'm just not good enough. Sometimes less is more, if you're going to make a mess." At times, I can screw up joining fuselage and wing halves together. Looking at your work inspires me to do better with every build. I also don't think I'd be far off in saying that you and the other 'masters' offer the same inspiration to many other modelers on this forum. Please continue the great work Chuck. I really do appreciate it. Mike p.s. - when does the little rocket come out of hibernation? Still a bit of snow and grime (salt and sand) on the roads here in Ottawa. I fear it will be another 3-4 weeks before the Red Baron comes out of the garage. Sigh...

Good morning Chuck. Sorry that I'm a day late and a dollar short to your latest project. What a great memento to your Uncle Will and a fine Lancaster build as well. Your work on this Spitfire has been terrific. I applaud your attitude of working smarter, not harder when it comes to details that won't be seen. That should help you tremendously. As I've said before, I really appreciate your attention to detail as it shows in the finished product and it give the model that added 'pop'. I'll continue to follow along to see how this masterpiece turns out. Mike

Plasto...welcome and that's some really nice work. Fantastic and realistic look of the scuff marks on the cockpit floor. Well done. What was your technique for this, please and thanks? Mike