Nanook

That's a real knockout of a job! Beautiful work, sir! Later, Lee

So, I have a few of the old Kalmbach books on "How build...", the first three VLS modeling books, a pair of the Osprey Masterclass books on WWII aircraft and finally Brett Green's Osprey book on building and painting aircraft. Along with these manuals I also have the Model Master Modeler's Technical Guide. I do use these books on occasion with the Kalmbach, VLS and MM books having gotten plenty of mileage over the years. I'm curious as to how maany of you have any books like these and if so do you actually use them as intended? Even if you disagree with or are intimidated by the work of the author(s) does anyone out there enjoy what these manuals have to offer and do you apply it to the kits you build? Curious, Lee

I thought it might be interesting to see how far each of us actually goes with their workspace and the extras we accumulate. So, I'll lead off. I keep my spares in two mini drawer containers. I have a 3rd (not pictured) that is akin to the small brown one and that is where my car parts are. I break down drawers into groups (all 1/48): Misc. Canopies/clear parts (all scales) props/resin casting blocks cockpit parts built cockpits (complete) built cockpits (incomplete) airframe panels landing gear panels landing gear wheels/tires/rims for single-engine aircraft wheels/tires/rims for multi-engine aircraft bombs droptanks/radar pods rockets guns/ammo chutes/etc. spare PE parts and frets engines/poly caps exhausts spinners Then I have one drawer for 1/72 parts, two drawers for 1/32 parts and a drawer of nothing but the extras that one gets in the 1/48 Fujimi Bf109 series. Here are a few examples: L to R-seats, gunsights/control sticks/pedals, cockpit panels, instrument panels/radios L to R-landing gear panels, landing gear, guns/ammo chutes L to R-1/72 wheels, 1/48 wheels (single-engine aircraft) All of my resin detail sets, figures and conversions are kept in a large three-drawer stackable unit. My PE sets and cast-metal sets are kept in a small cardboard box inside of this unit. All of these items are kept cataloged on my Excel database. Although I would love to keep them out and neatly organized by sight I figure if there was a fire or another problem I can grab and carry (or throw out a window) the three-drawer unit. Also another reason why my decals are in three three-ring binders. And speaking of decals mine are arranged by group: Props, Jets and Auto. So, am I just overly nerdy here or are some of you out there as meticulous (or is it ridiculous? LOL!) as I am? Just curious really. Lets hear and see how your extras are kept track of! Later, Lee

Wow, excellent work and response, Ali! Gary's good people and I know he was only trying to help out and not nitpick...well, okay, he IS a Dora fanatic so maybe he was off his rocker a bit LOL!! Seriously though this is terrific customer service and kudos your way for correcting this. I'll be looking to get some things form you simply due to your response and honesty on this small but important part. Later, Lee Fogel P.S. Gary, I cannto wait to get to see the Dora again once I am back in the area! We'll catch up then.

Very nice work! That turned out beautifully! Later, Lee

Outstanding!! And really sharp presentation as well. A very nice job and good inspiration for my upcoming C build in the fall. Is this the Academy 1/48 kit or the Hasegawa 1/72 kit? Later, Lee

Thank you everyone for your help!!! I really appreciate this and will put your advice and knowledge to good use once I start this bugger in the fall. Pappy that is a great tidbit of info on the main gear and the cockpit! Many thanks, Lee

Long story short my wife works part-time at our local Salvation Army and picked me up the old Academy/Minicraft 1/48 F-111C (kit #1674). The seats were painted and glued in place, the nose gear and bay glued together (badly) and the tanks glued together but otherwise it's complete and unpainted...no complaints for $1.50! This is the version that was produced for the Royal Australian Air Force. My understanding is that the wings on the C model were the long wings. I was wondering if anyone out there knew if this kit does indeed have the correct long wings? My vague recollection of this series of kits is that Academy did in fact did separate moldings for each version they produced. Because the C was still analog I think that the Verlinden cockpit will work for it and I may see if I can trade for one or find it cheap. Also going to need some markings as the kit decals are so-so. Thanks for any help you can offer! Later, Lee

Long story short my Badger 150 had been acting funny before I bent the fine needle tip. After the needle boo-boo this past spring I set it aside and broke out my Paasche VL to get me by. I wound up dropping the ball in getting to them to repair until week before last. So, I finally sent it to them with a letter explaining what was going on, what types of paints and thinners I use and that I knew that I would need to purchase a new fine needle (at least) and to let me know what else I might need to purchase. Margaret, a Badger CS rep, called me this Monday and told me it was on the way back and no charge at all! They replaced the needle and tip. S, I'll be trying ti out this week. They also did an r&r on my 150 and 200 about 10 years ago with no charge as well. I realize that their airbrushes can be a bit fragile but I really have to comment their quality and their customer service. They sell a terrific product and back it up no questions asked. I like my Paasche but it will always be my quality back-up. Later, Lee

Wow, that is a terrific build!!! That kit is a real bugger from what I know...kudos for seeing ti through and doing such a spot-on build! Later, Lee

That is outstanding work! Just a real inspiration for sure. I'll be building one of these in the fall for a good friend of mine. It'll be OOB except for the decals and some older Model Technologies PE for the canopy and such. Again, this is a superb build! Later, Lee

Thanks for the compliments, Angels! It is a pretty basic kit for sure but with some work I was pleased with the overall results. I've got one more and I plan on building it OOB. I still have my original Monogram '109E from when I was a young boy. So, I figure it would be a neat display to have all three ways built up together. Later, Lee

Outstanding!!! A terrific build for sure! Later, Lee

So, the engine is officially wired up. All that is left is to weather it with a good wash. The font on the engine casting code is not quite right but it's good enough for me. Everything fits alright in the cowling except for the lower engine mount legs. They are not even close to where they should be. So, I had to break them off and will glue and reposition them into place once the model is painted and the engine installed. There is a larger wire that must be installed when the engine is in place as well. If you look at the last pic you can see the BIG dilemma...the gap between the exhaust ports and the exhaust shrouds is ridiculous (hence my wanting to use the Eduard engine). So, I'm scratching my head a bit here. Any ideas? The cockpit is all done now. I added the remaining switches to the panel and filled in the areas behind the panel on the cockpit sidewalls. Also added the bracing and catch detail out of scrap PE frets for the open cockpit hatch. Later, Lee

Looks great! A terrific job on the hand brushing...no way I could pull that off! Later, Lee