RacerX

I was stationed at March AFB back in the late 80's. The museum was not quite the collection it is now. Very nice photo's! Derek

Has anyone word on when these kits are to be released?

My cohort who worked F-111's says that they were painted black as well.

Here's a photo of one of the T-38's that I mentioned. I would love to do this paint scheme:

For what it's worth, The T-45 trainer here at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing was painted Int. Orange. I can't say with the same certainty that earlier Navy trainers didn't deviate, but I think orange is still a safe bet.

From a discussion on ARC: Navy jets are painted FS 12197 International Orange and white. Hope that helps.

I have been waiting for a good T-38 Talon! Here at Robins, we get the pilots from Columbus M.S. (pilot training) coming in weekly. The paint job is a very cool gloss light/dark grey camo.

When the C-17 is stripped of paint, it really shows off how much composite is on the aircraft. More than most people think, I'm sure.

As promised, here's a photo of a C-130 here at Robins for maintenance with some very cool nose art: A C-130 Talon stripped down: Our C-17 prepped for depot maintenance: And finally, a pair of Raptors that stopped by earlier in year:

Foggy morning here at Robins AFB. When it lifts, I'll grab some photos from the line. In the meantime, this "hog" was here last week: http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y500/DerekHartman/024.jpg

I give the box art to my youngest son who is into aircraft and recylce the rest. I use tupperware boxes (the clear kind) for storage so I can quickly see what goodies I have hidden inside. Derek

F-32, We have a C-130 here undergoing maintenance that has some very interesting nose art. I'll grab a picture of that this morning and then take my two boys out to the museum this afternoon for some shots from there. Derek

We also have the Globemaster II here at Robins. If there are any photos in particular you want, I think I can help. Also, I am a Boeing employee (Working on the C-17 Globemaster III) and can get additional photos from the library. Shout out if you would like some. Derek

Archie, which Globemaster, the c-74 or the C-124?

Hmmmm. Edwards Air Force Base may have a say about best places for military aviation. As for museums, I live next to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia. I really should get some photos posted from there. Lots of really interesting stuff (though mainly U.S. aircraft).

I purchased a Cartograph spray boot after I had built one as others have suggested. What made me break-down and spend the money was that I use predominately enamels, and an extractor fan must be "sealed" or there is a risk of fire. The cost of a sealed fan made getting the Cartograph a much better deal and certainly cheaper than burning down the house.

The seam on the Has canopy was fairly easy to remove, but I have not done an HB kit. I used Squadrons triple sanding stick that had fine, extra fine and a buffing section. Worked like a charm and after a quick dip in Future, you couldn't tell a seam was ever there.

Very nice. As others have said, perfect weathering on it!

You can toss me into the enamel camp. Testors Model Masters enamel cover the FS range more accurately for american aircraft than Tamiya (which can require mixing multiple colors of paint), and the other acrylics are not as readily available as they might be in the U.K. As to drying time, gloss enamel does take some time, but flat enamel dries rather quickly if mixed properly (for an airbrush) and can be worked with in a few hours, if not masking over it. Testor's Metallizers... dry in seconds, by the way. I do agree that there is a smell component to enamels, but good ventilation (or a spray booth) takes care of most of it. I also prefer enamels over acrylic for the fact that I can use an acrylic as a weathering agent and use water to remove the excess from enamel paint; tough to do the other way around, I think. As a note, if enamel paint hasn't bothered you in the past, but now does, you may have built up a sensativity to the chemicals. As an aircraft mechanic myself, I know that happens with some of the solvents/chemicals we used.

As all the others have said; truely amazing model. I also agree that this new engine will be better than the first. Most outstanding. Derek

Has anyone heard any rumors on any company putting out a 1/48 Gannet? I had the Classic Airframes model, but it suffered "uncontrolled flight into terrain" courtesy of my youngest. I want to replace it, but......

Thought that I would share a few photos of some of the builds that I have completed. Hope you enjoy and comments are always welcome. Derek