[Academy Boeing B-50 172 City of El Paso]

I really like this one since I'm from El Paso and love all the variants of the B-29.  Nice work!

[Martinsyde Buzzard]

Outstanding.  I've got this one in the stash, but I'm a little intimidated.  This may inspire me to tackle it!

[Macchi Castoldi M.33: Schneider Trophy Cup: empennage]

Nice work.  Are those scale drawings available anywhere?

[MiG-25PDS 1/48 Kitty Hawk]

Great job on a tough kit!

[New 1/48th Scale Blenheim Announced by Airfix!!]

Super excited about this one!

[2016 slightly better than last year]

Lovely Europa, it looks like an S1B or a very early S2?

 

My dad and I have a sizable Lotus collection, and I was almost born in the white Twin-Cam Special

 

[1/48 MiG-25PD by Kitty Hawk]

Hi Igor,

 

Thanks for the feedback.  I found a number of photos showing more than 2 red marks, but I think you're right in that they only apply 2 at a time:

 

 

 

[1/48 MiG-25PD by Kitty Hawk]

Hi gents,

 

Here's my 1/48 MiG-25PD based on the (awful) Kitty Hawk kit.  Lots has been said about this kit and the company, but I'll try to summarize politely.

 

-Rough surface finish and shallow panel lines - I ended up re-scribing the entire kit.
-Poor fit in a number of places, lack of positive attachment points, and awkward part breakdown (especially the wings).
-Questionable research - painting instructions are fantasy, incorrect and missing details for P,PD,PDS variants, well-documented shape issues.
-Low quality plastic on some sprues led to paint adhesion issues - I suspect lots of re-grind was used in some batches.

 

Here's a list of work performed:

-Aires ejection seat
-Misc. Eduard photoetch parts
-Scratchbuilt + modified kit exhausts to backdate to P/PD/PDS engines - used Gary Wickham's detailed build as inspiration
-Scratchbuilt pitot tubes from hypodermic needles
-Scratchbuilt intake ramps (top) and outer intake walls to correct kit black hole
-Eduard FOD covers
-Scratchbuilt APU exhaust stack underside port engine
-Scratchbuilt misc. antennae and details all over airframe
-Added brake lines and misc. detail to landing gear legs
-Lots of re-work of kit parts based on photos and helpful forum research
-Kit national markings and (excellent) Begemot stencils
-Akan and Alclad II for most exterior paint
-Wings are more filler than plastic (superglue + dental acrylic is awesome!)

 

Anyway, on to the pictures.  Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitty Hawk's 1/48th Scale Su-22M-3 & M-4]

I would much rather see them take the $5000 or so it will cost to make tooling for the engine and spend it on a flight to a museum with one of these aircraft on display. I hope they don't "Mig-25" this one and use a Yefim Gordon book and a set of bootleg drawings as their only reference material.

[Kitty Hawk Mig-25PD/PDS Detailing & Corrections]

Gabor and H-or-M,

Thanks for taking the time to make such a list. It's a great resource.

I test-fit the Fru-Fru models P/PD/PDS/PU/RU Resin Exhausts (48-013) on the new kit taped together, and her's the result:

The kit's exhaust trunking will require some sanding to fit, but the resin nozzles fit to the fuselage really well.