Rob G

Just caught up with this one - you're going to a lot more effort than I am with my CyberHobby version. If you don't mind, I'll shamelessly exploit your research for various bits of mine. Keep on plugging, this will be great when it's done!

No problems Roy, I'll build what's in the box, thank you. There's a number of interesting aftermarket schemes for it, so I'm sure I'll find something. The C was just a passing thought.

Re the pitot on the I-5 - I'd second Jason's comment. (For whatever my opinion's worth.)

Makes you wonder how the Spitfire managed to chase down a Phantom, even if it laid in wait at superior altitude. Interesting story, and have fun with the dio!

No. Just no. Worse than putting boat anchor Chevs into Ford hot rods. Ferrari-engined Jaguar indeed mumble grumble mumble

Right, that's me sorted. Scored a Hasegawa D/F kit today. I'll have to do some looking and see how much effort is involved in turning it into a C, but either way, I think ill be throwing all the resin and etch that I can find at this one. Roll on April 2017!

Sgt, ouch is about right - I've managed to avoid a recurrence for so long that I'd forgotten quite how exquisite the pain is. Worst thing is, it made me miss a day's work. Crayons, glad to be of assistance. Thank you both for the best wishes. In other news, I braved the pain and (literally) hopped out to the work bench last night. Spent an hour or so faffing about before the pressure/pain outweighed the delight, but did manage to join both hull halves and keep on adding small detail bits. Hopefully I'll find the wherewithal to do something similar today.

And for those following along at home, don't forget that there's an F-111 GB scheduled in for mid-next year (iirc). Nice work so far Supertom, keep on rolling. I do wonder what those pellets are made of though - look like copper to me.

Very nice. One of my favourite airliners. They were used in large numbers in Australia, and I used to be able to watch them on finals from the kitchen window - QANTASlink and Ansett liveries in the main, with freight versions as well. Haven't seen one for quite a while now.

And thanks again lads. There probably won't be an update today, I'm laid up with an unexpected gout attack. First one in 18 months, but it's snookered me for a couple of days, I imagine. Long story, but I didn't get it from living the high life. Sadly. The advance will continue after a short break for medical reasons.

Crayons, PM inbound. If I ever built another one, I'd probably splurge for a set of resin wheels - saving money is one thing, losing your mind is quite another!

Nice Tub. I may have to lay in a couple of varieties to go with my Airfix single seaters. The cupboard that they're in isn't quite full.

Great stuff Q. Waiting impatiently for the next episod (sic). As you said what were they smoking and where can I get some?

Duuude... sad to hear of your misfortune, but they tell me that adversity is character building. Here's hoping that you can get it all sorted and keep on with the build.

For anyone who's still watching... In an effort to save the few marbles that I have left, I've been moving the rest of the build on whenever the wheels project started to drag. Here's the first fruits, although why Dragon (and Tamiya, and Italeri, and well... just about everyone) couldn't just supply these as moulded parts is beyond my meagre comprehension. Sponson blanking plates. Honestly easier to do than they appear, and they'll hopefully stop any nasty Panzerfaust rounds from being able to slip inside the hull through the heeeoooge gaps that were there before I started adding bits. And dry fitted Yep, one's a bit of a Frankenstein - I had to modify my original plan, and that was the easy way (too damn lazy to cut another and trim it to fit.) The new panels will press down and be stuck in with TET, then filled with superglue to make them that little bit more secure. The vertical white bits at the nose of the thing are a couple of locating tabs I stuck in there to make it easier to get an accurate fit every time. Originally added to ease lining the rear end up (don't ask, it was a fight to the death), I found that they helped with the sponson plates as well. A little trick I'll have to remember next time I do a tank. Tomorrow (well, later today actually), wheels and more wheels, and that BFG all polished and shiny.

It's Trumpeter, anything is possible. Have you had a look at online reviews to see if other builders had the same issue?

That is indeed the beast Peter. Quite a fascinating bit of 'left of centre' military thinking. And in one of those odd coincidences that happen in the modelling world, there's 3 different kits of it available, all released at approximately the same time, and all different kits, too.

Tiffanys don't do purple. It clashes with the mink stole.

Tiffany.

I duck away for a few days, and he does magic. Like some above, I have nothing to say that hasn't been said. Hat doffed to you sir.

Another one that's on my list of conversions to attempt Trev. Very nice!

Hmm... basically, the difference between the 152mm and the non 'S' 122mm are the barrels, the 122mm 'S' gets another barrel and a different mount / mantlet area. That's it. Just like the real thing, really. If Dragon added the 10 extra bits to the 1/72 mould, you'd be paying double.

Right, back at it! Having a couple of days away from the bench allowed me a bit of time to mull the wheel question over. In the end, I decided that simply trying to pull .5mm strip styrene around the wheel and then glue it was going to be somewhat of a mission impossible. Thus, I turned to the plastic modellers' best friend, hot water. All will be explained with the following pitchers... Note that the JSU's had steel wheels (with rubber inserts inside, apparently). Thus, this 'tyre' that I'm adding isn't really a tyre, it's more of an added diameter bit of 'steel'. But I'll call it a tyre in the same way that old carts had an iron tyre shrunk onto their wooden wheels. OK? First, true up all the wheel surfaces on the mini-lathe to make a nice flat gluing surface. If you don't have one, a Dremel and sandpaper will do, or even an electric drill. Or you could in a pinch, do it by hand. But it'd take a while, there's 28 wheel halves to do. Note to self: Use a sharp tool next time you do this! Next, cut .5mm x 3.2mm Plastruct strip to length (shown here with the first fruits of a trial run - because I'm either brave or stupid (possibly both), I used the kit wheels for the trial. Good thing that it worked!) then add a bit of tape at each end. I used some packaging tape cut to size, because I knew there'd be a bit of force involved and didn't want it coming loose too soon. 1cm wide tape pieces seemed to work just fine for the 2 strips that would fit on my chosen form. (If you have all your ducks in a row, you'll make sure that you have a longer bit of tube so that you don't have to hang around in the kitchen for half the afternoon dunking bits of plastic into boiling water two at a time. How do you spell 'tedious'?) Then carefully align one end, stick it down and roll the strip tight around the form. Stick the other end firmly, doing your best to align the ends to avoid any 'set' in the strip - you're doing this so that you don't have to fight the plastic, no point in introducing a spiral as well. (No photos, because I forgot. If anyone wants some, I can fake it!) Using a suitable tool (ie NOT your fingers) lined up in such a way as to hold the taped end in place, immerse the whole shebang in almost boiling water for 15-20 secs then swill it around in cold for a few secs to set it. Then unpeel the tape and et voila, a round tyre-shaped bit of strip. The overlap is intentional; I didn't want to commit to an 'exactly right' length of strip just in case there was variation between the wheel sizes, this gave me a bit of working length. Once you're all done and the stove is turned off, you end up with this then it's time to sit at the bench and get funky. I decided on a strategy of 'softly softly' - to that end, each strip was just touched at the inside end with a small dab of Tamiya Extra Thin (TET) (about 1mm's worth), then I slipped it around the wheel (See the 'trial run' photo ^--- Up There somewhere). Using a couple of small pointy tools to hold and manipulate the bits, the glued end was pushed into firm contact, making sure that the whole thing was lying flat on the mat. Allowed to set for a few moments, it was moved aside and the next was done. Then the next. And the next, and the next... etc. Stage 2 is to glue most of the rest of the tyre down, which was done with TET and the pointy tools, until there was only 5mm or so left unglued. Leave it to set up so that you don't have to fight anything, then carefully on with... Stage 3, where you cut most of the overhang off, then gently trim the end down until it's a close fit against the other end. I used a sanding stick for the final trim, and yes... it's tedious. If you go a bit too far, a spot of your favourite filler will sort out any gap. I'll be using super glue. Then use whatever method you prefer to make the edges of the new bit flush with the kit wheel (I used a knife then a sanding stick, with black marker ink as a guide to when it was all flush). Finally, if you've done it right (28 times), you'll end up with something approximating this Inside Outside Everything will need a final turn on the lathe to true up the outside diameter, then we'll see how it looks after a coat of primer. Seeing as there's identical inside and outside wheel halves, anything too ugly can go inside where it won't be seen, and if it ALL turns out ugly, mud will cover most sins. Tomorrow's task is to finish shoeing the beast! Do svidaniya.

Thanks lads. We're on hold for a few days, I managed to score a couple of days away at work. This will continue shortly.

<snap!> I'm chasing a Matchbox Stranraer for just this purpose! I seem to have developed a bit of a crush on civillian flying boats, floatplanes and amphibians. Currently in the 'must start this soon' pile are 2 Catalinas to be made in Australian colours, and I'm also after an Italeri Sunderland to do devious things with. I guess it joins my recent Australian Twotter crush - no less than 6 of them to build on various schemes. And I have photos of some Canadian floatplanes that I saw in Victoria BC that I need to build too. Sigh. Time to put the military stuff away, methinks. Oh, nice work Trev!