Nephilim

Oh, where to begin... As this is my first critique on this forum, I'll try and keep things nice and encouraging.. *looks at pics again* Actually, it is something of a real pleasure to say that I don't even have to try! Watching this model progress from a half-finished (and somewhat naked) build to the splendidly finished (and loaded for bear) aircraft model above has actually been a bit surprising. Whilst I was in no doubt that ol' Stax was a bit good (although a tad lazy with brush discipline), the pics above of the cockpit are by no means bad at all -I am almost tempted to say 'rather good' upon further consideration of Stakka's aversion to bristle sticks. In all seriousness, it is clear to see that quite a bit of care was taken when painting that cockpit and its especially nice to see that you have opted for a nice, clean-looking, neatly painted finish to that area as opposed to a quick scrub with a drybrush before simply flooding everything with a wash. The ONLY criticism being that with the same care that you applied to those ejector seat release handles being applied to the some of the instrument paneling (and I do think that you are quite capable of doing it), you'd have really boosted the 'ooh' factor. Nevertheless, I am genuinely impressed. As for the rest of the model (as you know, I tend to fixate on interior detail), another thing that impresses is your way with decal solvents! (If you can pull the same trick with the under-wing roundels on that Spitfire - those beautifully detailed, hard edged, cartridge ejector flaps are pigs - I hereby promise, in front of all here at Britmodeller, to buy you a pint or two the next time you are down this way! (with a chaser - I'll be so impressed). Another noteworthy point being the care you have taken with ALL of those decals! So very many decals... Whilst I rather like stencils and feel that they add a lot of interest to a model, the temptation when confronted by SO MANY OF THEM to leave some of the less visible ones off must have been strong.. I am no expert on the Phantom, but you do seem to have resisted the urge to slack. One thing that actually grates is that you seem to have got the hang of this sludge-washing lark and manage to get a result that looks annoyingly natural - I just got a labour-intensive mess when I tried it *mutter* what makes it grate even more is that you make it look and sound easy.. Grrrrrr My competitive gland is also agitated by your results with Alclad (so I figure that your Mustang is really going to bug me... So, in summary, if you are not already doing so (or haven't already done so), sit back with a well deserved, satisfied smile and feel rather proud of that build, its most definitely a good 'un. EDIT: Oh, and the build diary was well scribed and informative too - excellent for your first! More please.