Pappy

G'day Ray! Wow, it looks like you have not wasted any time with this one. Lots of mods to get it to match RAAF specs, it looks like you are past the worst of it now. The rear 'stinger' does not look quite right IMHO, it needs a little more upsweep on the underside instead of being a symmetrical hemisphere? Keep it up, I cannot wait to see how it turns out. Do you already have decals or will this need to be a custom jobbie? cheers, Pappy

This is bonkers - I love it! p.s I think George Welch 'unofficially' broke the sound barrier two weeks earlier in the YF-86 Pappy

That looks really nice! cheers, Pappy

G'day Ridley, welcome aboard, BM are a friendly bunch that can take a joke, I think you will like it here. I have a question about Guam that you may be able to answer for me, Are there any model shops in Guam? I have been there a few times and never found any, although truth be told I probably did not look very hard and although here were plenty of 'models' in the Viking bar and Club USA, these were the two legged variety! cheers, Pappy

Nice compromise between cost and detail Mike, it should look nice under some paint cheers, Pappy

From my dim dark memory, the origin of the PAVE monniker was as an acronym for Precision AVionics Equipment, and used as a prefix for 'smart' weapons and designation systems mainly as a marketing tool. It was not limited to guided weapons either so app;lied to targeting and designation systems like the PAVE Knife, PAVE Tack and PAVE Penny pods used on the F-4. F-111 and A-10, as well as the PAVEway series of LGBs then currently based around the US Mk.80 series bombs. Selwyn has correctly pointed out that although it might look and walk like a duck, the PWIV is not based on the US MK.80 series, from a modelling perspective, a GBU-12 would be a good starting point for modification to a PWIV. Weapons are far more complex than people think and it is pleasing to see both kit manufacturers and the aftermarket paying greater attention to this neglected area in the form of decals and more accurate renditions of the items. Many modellers see the weapons as a pain that are left to the end of the build and are often rushed. Similarly, just because a weapon can be loaded in theory. that does not mean a full complement of stores would typically be carried, cheers, Pappy

If you have more of the same national insignia decals, perhaps try applying another one over the top, this would increase the colour density of the white and perhaps eliminate the see through effect? Pappy

Surely you meant MiG-28! I'll just grab my now.... Very nice Dave! cheers, Pappy

I have not tried it but you could probably use the side panels and seat stuff (replacing the seat with a resin item is a better choice), some of the airframe items but would likely have issues with the instrument panel as this would most likely be a different shape and quite noticeable. The Eduard site allows you to view the instructions so you could use that to gauge what would be possible, Pappy

Amazing work Snafu, It just goes to show hpw a little effort and some modelling skills can equal a great result, and it is also presented with period authentic special effects! cheers, Pappy

Also try looking in the jet walkarounds in the reference section

That is a thing of beauty. well done Mick Pappy

G'day Mick, Thanks very much. I hope you get back to yours, it seems like you are mostly there and they are mostly one colour. While doing the research I found both dark grey and the rusty orange coloured decks. I thought the orange would be anice splash of colour and would show up colour modulations better. I hope we get to see your SAMs soon, cheers, Pappy

Cheers Bertie, yup Mojo is back and I am ready to rip! This was a very nice build, everything just fit and I had fun doing the research. I must confess I didn't know much about the system when I started, but it is a very similar set up to the land bases 2S1 'Tunguska" SAM system cheers, Pappy

G'day Beefy, Thanks very much. It was actually your Seadart build that got me interested in these kits. I would love to see a Standard missile launcher or perhaps a Sea Slug launcher. I have a resin Phalanx kit which is HEAPS more involved with lots of test fitting and adjusting to get the PE and resin to play nice. All of the resin parts need their casting blocks removed and then they need to be cleaned up. These kits are doddle by comparison with excellent fit and minimal clean up. I basically put the Kashatan together over a few evenings while watching to 'Le Tour" cheers, Pappy

G'day fellas, Thanks very much. It is 1/35 scale as per the tag. I mainly build jets but every now an again I will build something floaty, cheers, Pappy

G'day people, It has been a while since I have been able to get to the bench. I bought this kit a while ago when it was on sale as a mojo restorer. I took it along with me during a recent business trip. I was able to build it in sub-assemblies and transported it in a resealable plastic food tub to afford a level of protection during transit stages. I am not sure if it belongs here but as it is a naval based CIWIS system this seems the logical place. This build was mostly OOB, I only added a few small embellishments. The kit allows you to position the kit in both azimuth and elevation and I have posed mine as if it were engaging using one of the 9M311-1 (NATO: SA-19 "Grison") missiles, one of which is provided, The Kashatan M is a formidable piece of kit. It is armed with 2 x six barrelled Gsh-6-30 30mm cannons and up to 8 x 9M311-1 SAMs, this is not the system you would want to run into in a dark alley! The destructions tell me that it has the ability to engage up to five targets in a minute with a pK of 96-99% Anyhoo, onto the pics , cheers, Pappy

Immensely, however, if I am looking at the pictures correctly, the screw rotates CW, contrary to that suggested by Stu? In the pics included in the above link, the screws as viewed from above are looking from the rear forward? confused Pappy

G'day Stu, I undertand what you mean, that was my interperetation as well, just not sure whuch way around the prop spins.I would be very surprised if MM (or any manufacturer) got the prop shape 100% correct, apart from being a complex shape they are sensitive assets as you say. Most kit makers seem to screw up the noses on jets and they are in plain sight! You say CCW is correct, story checks out.... chweers, Pappy

Great pic Stuart, thanks very much. I posted a question regarding the screw/prop in the Maritime Cold war section but would also like to post it here: HMS Conqueror information required - Maritime Cold War to 1990 - Britmodeller.com Which way 'round does the prop face and which way should the blades be bent? The destructions are not very explicit in this area cheers, Pappy

I think that when it comes to a requirement to solve a very specific engineering problem, form follows function to a large degree and hence the same solutions tend to look the same, in this case the ejection seat. Ejection seats may look different to the untgrfained eye but most work in a similar fashion ands have common features. In this case. although the head box looks very different to a K-36, but the seat seems to be using the same Russian design philosophy regarding the drogue chute system and appears to have adopted the twin telescopic drogue chute canisters, one of which is visible over the pilot's leftshoulder which is very reminiscent of the K-36.. As for the spying allegation, I gueass we all have our own opinion although it is much easier to vercome an engineering problem if you see how someone else solved it first. I think it was Mikoyan who once stated that 'Where would Russian aircraft design be without American aircraft design!' Pappy

Could you please expand on the missing outlets near the fin? Are you referring to the square cut-outs that appear on the box lid but are missing on the kit? cheers, Pappy

G'day people, I am looking at starting my Mikro Mir 1/350 USS Conqueror. The instructions are a little vague about how to fold the supplied PE screw. I have made an attempt which I think may be correct, As pictured the forward direction is facing upwards but I am not sure if the blades are turning in the correct direction? I always seems to get this bit wrong so I decided to ask the experten this time before committing to glue. Also, supplementary question, what colour should the screw and hub be? cheers, Pappy (clueless jet guy)

I am very happy to hear that. A pintle is a type of pivot bolt connecting two parts that allows them to turn. the towing design consists of an 'eye' that fits inside a tow point secured by a bolt dropped in vertically, in other words the bit where the red painted ring fits into the red towing point on the tow motor, cheers, Pappy

Very lovely work going on in here. My one minor nitpick is that the towing pintle. eye and levers are pristine. These would typically be heavily worn due to the constant metal to metal contact, otherwise the patina looks just about perfect, cheers, Papppy