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billn53

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billn53 last won the day on July 5 2023

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About billn53

  • Birthday 15/12/1953

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    Madison, WI

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  1. Excellent result! It certainly builds up nicer than the 1/72 Airfix offering, which is truly a dog of a kit 😖
  2. The Reskit nose is on, and I’ve pre-shaded the panel lines with Tamiya NATO Black. Camo colors will be going on soon! 🙂
  3. I just got back from my business trip late last night, and this morning opened my mail to find this recently-released gem from Reskit: It's a nicely molded (3d printed) nose for the Thud, in 1/72 (I also received the 1/32 version for my big Thud build). In addition to the nose cone, Reskit provides a turned metal nose probe. I found that the opening in the nose cone is a bit too small for the probe, so I opened it up by carefully running a drill bit through the hole by hand. I do wish, however, that Reskit had provided options for the 'bump' under the F-105 nose, i.e., bump with combat camera, bump with RF-receiver only, and clean (no bump) nose.
  4. Just got back from the Mad City Modelers annual show. Our new venue is both attractive and spacious (we'll be hosting there in July for the IPMS-USA National Convention -- Be there or be Square). I didn't do too shabby . . . five entries, four awards (2 silvers, 2 bronzes). I was disappointed that the big Bounder didn't place, but it was up against some very impressive competition. One of the judges came to me afterward and said he was sorry there wasn't any 4th place award, otherwise that's what he would have given me. Tomorrow morning I'm off on a week-long business trip, so no more modeling for me until I return.
  5. Gorgeous! The Hataka colors look spot on, I plan to use them for my ongoing Trumpeter Thud builds (1/72 & 1/32)
  6. What a joy to see! When I was a kid and Hawk was producing kits, my best friend received the aluminized U-2 from his father. Boy, was I impressed (and envious)! You've done the T-33 nicely -- well done! In bit of nostalgia, I recently built Hawk's old F4D Skyray straight out-of-the-box (it was my first model kit ever). I even restricted myself to using only the tools specified in the instructions: glue, brushes, bottle paint, and hobby knife: It turned out much better than I could have done when I was nine.
  7. In case anyone is curious, here are my entries for this weekend's show: Amodel's 1/72 M50 "Bounder" (1/72 and smaller jets) -- I'll have to get there early to claim enough table space for this monster! LS's 1/72 Mitsubishi 'Kamikaze' (1/72 and smaller single-engine prop) Airfix's 1/72 Cessna O2 Skymaster (1/72 and smaller multi-engine prop) AMP's 1/72 Lenticular Reentry Vehicle (Real space - All scales) And, because the theme for the show is 'D-Day', I've dusted off Monogram's 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt (1/48 single-engine prop) Wish me luck!
  8. Between business travel and classes at the university, progress is slow. Here's where I stand so far: I added the tiny clear part for the HUD: And then added a bit of iridescent film to give it angle-dependent color and reflectivity: Next, I masked the canopy pieces. These are from Dead Design and come with two masks for each panel, one smaller than the other, in order to paint the canopy seal color separate from that of the frame: A bit of Eduard photoetch completes the forward windscreen: I glued the windscreen in place with ZAP Formula 560 Canopy Glue and taped it in position while the glue set. The rear canopy part is dry-fitted in place to protect the interior while painting. I've also spent a few hours working on bits and bobs that will hang off the wings. Here are a brace of Reskit's beautifully detailed Mk117 bombs: Closeup view: Reskit's ALQ-87 jammer pod is also a piece of art: This weekend is our local model show (not the big IPMS Nationals, that will be in July) and I will be bringing a handful of entries. Then, next week I'll be out of town on yet another business trip. So don't expect anything new from me until after I return!
  9. For the big leading edge landing lights, you might consider using clear packing tape instead of the overly-think kit transparencies. Simply lay a piece over the wing opening and, using a sharp blade, cut it to shape. It’s much clearer than styrene and takes well to masking (at least, that’s been my experience). Here's an example where I used the tape technique for the landing lights on a 1/72 Airfix Cessna Skymaster:
  10. Ooohhhh! I just received the Sova Bomarc, and have a Belcher Bits kit in the stash, so I’ll be following along.
  11. Here are a few examples of how I’ve used UV resin/acrylic: As an experiment, I used UV resin exclusively as my only putty/filler on this 1/72 Dewoitine. Here you can see it after being brushed along the wing roots: I also first experimented with using it to fill panel lines on my NM-1 to RSR conversion: No signs of the original panel lines, even with this metallic finish! Here I’ve applied a small drop of thick UV glue over the end of a fiber-optic line to make this 1/48 Thunderbolt’s tail light: I made lenses for my Ford Trimotor’s large landing lights by putting drops of UV resin onto a glass plate, then prying them loose with a sharp blade after illuminating them: The lower side windows on this 1/72 Skymaster were scratch built using the tape-over-opening method, filled from behind with clear UV resin (hard variety):
  12. I’ve used UV activated acrylic and resin for a number of modeling applications. It makes a good filler for panel lines and small holes & gaps. It’s self-leveling and creates a nice fillet along wing roots. I’ve used it on instrument faces and (with thicker kinds) to create small wingtip and navigation lights. It also can be used to make small windows and transparencies — put a piece of transparent tape on the outside of the opening and fill the opening from the inside, then remove the tape. It isn’t very strong as a glue so don’t use it anywhere where structural strength is needed. But, it’s great with fiddly pieces of photoetch such as ship railings.
  13. Ah yes! I remember doing this kit a few years ago. There’s a WIP somewhere on BM, I’ll see if I can find it. . . . Here it is: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235060089-fairey-barracuda-special-hobby-172
  14. Gorgeous!!! I’m tempted now to pull mine out of the stash . . .
  15. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with this build 🙂
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