Russmeister 101

Hi there The wing fold is a part of the Airfix kit, thankfully. It's a shame that I didn't buy more of the kit, as it is a real peach is is becoming increasingly harder to find. Ho Hum..... Onwards!

Looks great! Tail wheels are the bane of my life too.

Thank you CC

😲❤️🇯🇵 Outstanding decal work and excellent weathering !! Top Job!

Excellent Erla! Paint is sublime!!

Still not seeing anything other than "spacer.png"

Level playing fields are for wimps I will use the ancient art of midget flinging (It used to be called midget tossing, until I had an unfortuante experience with a misunderstanding when a little person turned up at my door expecting a massage with a happ... you get the picture...) to its fullest extent to breach your defences (I've read your blog... I know to come prepared with anti-pirhana spray and 10lbs of prime rump steak) The rest will be easy.... ish

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Great job!! Very atmospheric and well weathered.

Sigh for a Spitfire Cracking job!

Flouncing has commenced

Thank you kindly CC. I appreciate the comment ❤️ I may get back to it in the new year... I've a Christmas commission I need to start... it's "only" a Revell 1:48 Tornado IDS (converted to a GR.1a in wrap-around green/grey for 617Sqn )

Hi Colin. I am afraid that it has. It's sucked the life out of any enjoyment I was getting from the kit. It's been riddled with problems from the get-go. Not that I'm averse to putting in some graft to turn out a tidy end result... But that has to be balanced with enjoyment. Fortunately for me... Mrs. Russmeister has graciously agreed to display the kit in it's present form in her study, (I nailed the gear doors and wheels on, and put the prop into the engine. Regards your comment about the panel lines, and assuming that I understand you correctly; meeting as in the BF109 with it's noticable seam on the spine of the fuselage? It's entirely possible that you are correct. This is my first foray into WWII USN kit - so I am by no means even an apprectice yet... I may.... MAY have another go at this one... (with a new kit, to be completely fair to Eduard!) Thanks for looking in on the build... I can quite honestly say I've never had one fight me as much as this one has... but I have other, more time sensitive projects to be getting on with, insteady of Nancying about with torn decals

Alright cosmos... I give in. You've fought brilliantly and I no longer have the will to finish this project. It's going in the bin... I'm man enough to know when the universe is conspiring against me. So.... Yesterday afternoon, I gave it a lovely coat of Alclad Aquagloss... and left it under a protective container overnight to ward off dust greeblies and impatient fingers.... Giving me this result this morning... Encouraged - I carefully masked off the wing marking that needed repair.... resulting in something resembling thusly... Note - I de-tack any masking that goes over a gloss coat... because the last thing I want to do is, oh, I don't know.... rip off the gloss coat, or even worse, the underlying decals too.... 😕 Very thin paint and very low pressure yielded the following results... Not too shabby... and the masking worked a treat. While I had white paint in my colour-cup - I turned my atttention to the damaged tail markings that needed touching up... if you recall, looking something like this... Now - please bear in mind that the Aquagloss had been left alone for about 20 hours... AND I detacked my Tamiya masking tape on the back of my not inconsiderably hirsuit arms.... giving the results seen on the wings marking... THIS... THIS happens to me!!! Imma take up Number-plate spotting from the central reservation of the M1 - it's far less stressful.

I don't usually do crass or vulgar language... However.. I WILL drag this Motherf*$#er to the finish line if it kills me...... Sanded back with 3M ultrafine sponge... VERY carefully.... I only lost one of the gun hatch decals, and some small damage to the Star and Bar decal on the upper port wing. Easy fixes!!! Now - I will do my paint touch-ups and use an acrylic top-coat....