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daryl_five_zero

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daryl_five_zero last won the day on April 7 2021

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  1. Sorry, Werner; I've only just seen your comment! Thanks for the kind words. At this point in the operation, the 2 Apaches that were charged with the extraction were pretty much down to their 30mike, they had to call for 2 more to fly top cover during the rescue, and IIRC, they both ended up Winchester! One fun point about this build: the chappie depicted strapped to the port side EFAB - he now owns this model! I got to meet him for a few (too many) drinks some years back, and got to gift him the model after he reached out and mentioned seeing it on here. Such a humble chap, who also taught me a valuable life lesson: never try and out drink a Marine! 😅
  2. Gents, let's not go there. I can already hear the mods gathering outside the door here. Let's keep personal views out of it. I'd jump at the chance to voice my opinions but this isn't the platform to do so. To keep on topic: As for differences in actual airframes, I read somewhere that the Polish Migs would need to go through a cleansing process... Im purely speculating here but maybe NATO sensitive equipment - comms/IFF etc. that Polish jets have that Ukrainian counterparts aren't fitted with? I'm sure that once that's dealt with, there would barely be a transition to deal with for pilots. A quick orientation flight and a briefing on slight differences. I couldn't imagine flight characteristics varying much if at all. Again, purely speculation on my part though.
  3. I've just caught up with your thread so sorry it's a little late, but those seats are only good for a the - A/B variants. You'll need the NACES seats for a - D variant.
  4. Fantastic result! Really clean work. Will look great amongst your previous tomcat builds, one to show off with pride, that's for sure. Daryl
  5. Evening, all. Found time to get a little work done over the last couple of days. Even managed to get the camera out so I can upload some non-camera phone pics that don't show any detail! Got the cockpit sitting where i am happy with it, and now have the fore section all zipped up. Happy with how the bulkheads look, although most of that will be hidden by the bangseats. That age old modellers' mantra springs to mind... "at least I know it's there, at least I know it's there!" Pilot and RIO IP's in place (although not fixed yet) a few touch ups around the coaming needed. Only bits missing are yellow canopy jettison handles. Those will be added later as they're so prone to being knocked off and lost. The cockpit surround isn't attached yet; this will be painted separately and added after the main body has been painted to avoid unnecessary masking. NLG bay finished off. The PE that eduard supply really makes a world of difference here. Chin pod added a little hastily; I just couldn't help myself. The aircraft spared to film Top Gun had the bullet fairing type, as TCS pods were still very much in demand for fleet deployed Tomcats. The quickboost offering is a nice rendition of this. Now started work on the intakes, MLG bays, and the pancake. The intakes in particular are another one of Tamiya's triumphs with this kit. The engineering is sublime. Although the kit can only be built with one ramp option, the construction is so hassle free. Despite AMK having multiple options here, I feel they overcomplicated things and this was one of the major shortcomings of that kit in my opinion. Eduard supply some plumbing for the MLG bays, but they still seem a little sparse despite this. I am tempted to greeble a little more in these areas... Depends how adventurous I'm feeling when the time comes! Thanks for stopping by! Daryl
  6. Wow, you're not messing about here! Great progress on the build so far. Methinks i need to pull my finger out hehe. Good choice on the livery. Should be a real eye catcher when she's done! Daryl
  7. Ahhh that figures! I've heard nothing but good things about the Academy kit, so it should definitely serve you well for this GB. Looking forward to seeing this build progress!
  8. Yeah, the revell kit had never really been on my radar - mainly being down to the wrong scale for me - but well if they haven't done their homework on that pit. Looks like a really good rendition... Should have a lot of fun picking out the detail in that!
  9. Glad to see you're enjoying the kit so much. Tamiya really outdid themselves with this one, eh? Good progress with the cockpit! Looking forward to seeing this one come together. Daryl
  10. Hi all! Managed to get a little more time in this morning. One thing I've done on all of my Tomcat builds to date is try to improve the covers on the IP covers in the pit. Although the Eduard resin does represent these quite nicely, I've found that all offerings are devoid of any texture to the canvas covers. Here's where a little tissue and PVA come into play. There's a whole multitude of colours to choose from as the factory black covers sun-bleach over time (I've seen burgundy, brown, tan, khaki, olive etc...) but I settled on a tan/brown for mine - purely for aesthetic, and to add a little variation to the cockpit. A quick wash brings out the folds and texture a little. Postman was here bright and early bringing goodies. Now I can crack on without deviating from the build order I'd like. Onto the main wheel well so I can get the forward fuse sealed up. Also got myself a set of these: No fictitious VF-1 patch from the movie present, but I'm sure I'll have more than enough options to adorn the flightsuits of my crew when they arrive! Thanks for looking! Daryl
  11. Evening, all. Just a quick update so it doesn't look like I've forgotten about this build! Time at the desk has been hard to come by recently so I've been making the most of any opportunity. I've managed to make progress in the pit, and have it looking about how I want it. Sorry about the shoddy phone pics; i didn't get much chance to get the camera out during assembly, and got the cockpit buttoned up before I could take any worthwhile shots! That's as far as I am so far. The Eduard set is as nice as I remember it being for my - D build. Lovely crisp detail. Still waiting on the external PE set so I can crack on with the nose wheel well, then I can button the forward fuselage up and crack on with the rest! Cheers Daryl
  12. Solid loadout there. The AIM-54 is always tempting but the 4+4 you've gone with really looks like it means business!
  13. Great start so far! Those brassin seats are a real treat eh? And you're so right about the landing gear. Usually I absolutely dread that part of the build, but Tamiya made it a real joy with this kit.
  14. Well that's a stunner! 😍 Absolutely cracking result
  15. I do love that VF-14 scheme. They've always had great schemes that I feel often get overlooked for other squadrons' offerings. NSAWC do also have some stunning liveries, though. If all else fails, toss a coin. Whichever you go for, you'll have a stunner on your hands!
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