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Stalker6Recon

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  1. Long time since I have posted anything on the site, but once again, you have shocked me with your model building prowess. With all the problems, this bird came out beautiful! As for the size, the first time I got a ride in one, I was absolutely floored at how huge it was. The interior was configured to carry litters in stacks and there was still room to move about. When we took off, the pilot dropped the nose and quickly hit top cruising speed while flying just above treetop level at night in full black out conditions. Needless to say, it was the ride of a lifetime! As for your concerns about missing the exact recreation of the Super 64, I can also tell you from experience in the military, most of us don't expect exact representations, your build is close enough and a fine example of the bird. After all, if we cared so much about accuracy, they never would have issued us M67 hand grenades 🤣
  2. Hello, as others have already stated, I am also sorry for your loss as well. I am an American veteran and see veterans around the world as my brothers and sisters. I am not sure what options you may have, but sadly in todays world, a moment like this seems to be like chum in the water, and the sharks appear. Maybe you will have a better result if you contact local veterans groups and consider a donation to wounded/disabled vets, especially the tools. While this may not put money in your pocket, it would likely help you avoid the sharks and the frustration that comes with it. Just a thought, and again, so sorry for your loss, these are definitely trying times for everyone globally. I have been fortunate that my immediate family has been able to avoid this plague, but I know many people that have lost loved ones because of the china virus. I think that in the end, everyone will be touched by this pandemic, one way or another. Hope this helps, Anthony
  3. Just took a look at that set, pretty clever! One thing though, the price is now $12.95 for the standard size, while the large size is sold out. Apparently the link that gives members a discount, no longer works, at least for me anyway. Thanks for the tip, I will buy one if I can find one here in he Philippines. Cheers, Anthony
  4. Great observation! Thanks again to everyone for their feedback, as a right hander, I think I will ultimately buy the Xuron sheers, when I can get the shipping sorted out. There seems to be an over all consensus that these are indeed the best. If it help make life easier and doesn't break the bank, then it's a tool for me. Cheers, Anthony
  5. Thanks a lot, I will check it out. I also emailed the company direct and they said that because of you know what, they can't ship to the Philippines at this time. Maybe micromark will have a different story, we shall see. Cheers, Anthony
  6. Not sure what the status of this build is, but I just has an idea that might work for you. Replace the rod that holds the rope with a clear plastic rod, strong enough to hold the weight of the model. Make sure the rod is long enough to go all the way through the model and actually cover the distance of the entire diorama. Here is where it gets interesting. You can paint the rod only in the interior portion of the kit, to represent the FRIES rod amd hang fast ropes out both sides of your bird. The rod will also serve to hold up the kit by placing each end into buildings on both sides of the street. If you go through a window in the buildings, you can hide the majority of the rod and get the best stability possible. I think this achieves two things. One, it gives the model (which is rather heavy and large, I have several H-60 kits by kitty hawk) a very safe, stable platform to rest in the air. Two, it gives the diorama the appearance of extraordinary skills to hover in a confined space while men dismount from both sides of the fuselage. If you read the story of their actions in Mogadishu, you will learn that these brave pilots did things that normal pilots would never even consider doing. It is reported that one of the Little Birds dropped down between two buildings in a very narrow street to allow the men in back to exit the aircraft and assist the downed Blackhawk. The street was so narrow, the tips of the rotors actually scrapped both buildings while landing and taking off. That is about the craziest/bravest thing I ever read. They did what had to be done. Anyway, I hope that you succeeded with your plans, I also have ambitious plans for a diorama, a very ambitious plan. So far, I have two Little Bird KH50002 kits, and two Little Bird KH50004 kits, all with figures. That makes four Little Birds in total. Then I have two Blackhawk kits, the KH50005 with figures, but I will probably make that kit into a DAP, using one of my other Blackhawk kits to place the fast ropes on. The plan changes with time, I just hope I can actually pull it off. Good luck with your build! Anthony
  7. I am a former Cavalry Scout, this is the armored vehicle I used, but thankfully only during my 18 weeks of training at Ft. Knox. While it was fun to operate and the main gun certainly made for good times, it was a nightmare to clean after running the hills of Kentucky after a hard rain. The red clay that makes up the soil (if you can call it soil) became thick and damn near impossible to clean from the road wheels and gaps that trapped the mud as we churned up the hills in the vast armor training center. This beast is also not well suited for Scout Recon, very tall and with that diesel engine, could be heard from several kilometers away. Not eactly stealthy. Anyway, it's nice to have an accurate Calvary version of the Bradley, most of the other kits, are infantry specific, now I have something to build that relates directly to my skills during my time in the Army. Thanks for the detailed review, cheers, Anthony
  8. Ray, I bit the bullet and bought the UStar 90633 combo vise/fold from lazada. $18 was a steal, since both items bought separately costs nearly $60 in most online stores. I was nervous about what would actually show up, since everything comes from china and they can't answer simple questions from buyers. Anyway, it just arrived two days ago and she is gorgeous, but smaller than I expected. But it appears to be on par with many other brands. I really bought it for the vise, since I already have a DSPIAE hold'n'fold, but it will be nice to have the fold right in front of me if I need to make a quick bend and don't feel like pulling out yet another tool. I don't have a workbench like most guys do, so I have to clean up everything after I finish working for the day, which really sucks. Anyway, here she is, came with the razor blade as well. Nice packaging helped keep it safe during the travels. Can't wait to see what she can do.
  9. Very interesting, I finally found a bit of time to watch the videos, amazing how they use completely different techniques, but end up with the same results. Plasmo soldering appears better suited for someone like me, its fast and easy. I finally understand how important flux is to soldering, so I will have to go out and pick up new supplies. My soldering iron is a cheapo, plug in and hope not to burn the house down chinese crap, I think an upgrade might be warranted. In the first video, the technique closely matched the way I would sweat coppers pipes for plumbing. I would heat the pipe on the front side, and hold the solder to the back side. Once the pipe was sufficiently hot, the solder would instantly liquefy, flowing around the joint and sealing it up. Soldering is the same, just a much smaller scale. This technique of heating the PE to a point that the solder begins to run, seems slow and prone to damage if not careful. Obviously it isn't safe on pre-painted PE. The plasmo method seems the best to avoid thermal damage to the PE, since the only metal thats heated is the solder itself. If the flux is good, it should fill the gap quickly and relatively cleanly, leaving just a bit of sanding to finish the job. I think that might even be safe on painted PE. I will put that theory into practice, once I get the right gear anyway. Thanks very much Ray, that was extremely helpful. I believe that soldering is the best way to handle large joints, it seems to be a very strong method to keep the parts in place. Cheers, Anthony
  10. I think I am going to pull the trigger and purchase this. I did find a large bending tool by trumpeter for around $20, a very good price. With as many BIG ED sets that I have, it is almost required tool before I begin my builds. As a rotorhead, the amount of PE and resin is off the charts! Once I have the tools in my inventory, I will review the combo vise/bending tool on this thread. At minimum, the vise will certainly be perfect to paint figures, and I have plenty of those, thanks to my cash of Kitty Hawk kits filled with figures. Cheers, Anthony
  11. I have always planned to used clear tape. Put the part on the end of the tape, sticky side up. Place part in tool, where bend is required and lock it down. Then just lift the tape. If that doesn't work, then I will have to buy single edge blades. They scare me though, I would worry about damaging the paint job on pre-painted PE set, which make up quite a bit if BigED sets these days. Cheers, Anthony PS. Found the xuron cutters on micro-tools website, but they do not ship to the Philippines. Its a great price though, so I am considering my options.
  12. I have a sinking suspicion that I will never find that glue, since I live in the Philippines. The bug? I will have to look that one up, but sounds fun! You don't know how happy I am that soldering is not the only answer, I have never used one before, and something tells me that it's an acquired skill over time. I would probably do more harm than good, if I tried that on delicate PE. Thanks Ray, that response on the other thread was just that, my practical mind at work, but I believe the theory holds true anyway. In the Philippines, its difficult to find any tools, I actually made an effort to make my own PE bending tool, but I am concerned about its function being below that of the real deal benders, so I am apprehensive to use it. I found this last night during one of my insomnia search hours. This is from aliexpress. Its a combo of the PE bending tool and a table top vise. Its has UStar printed on the tool, but I am not sure if that is what you would get, aliexpress can be tricky at times, but its one of the only places that I can find tools and kits. The Philippines has a terrible lack of support for modeling. Anyway, here it is. She looks pretty, and the cost it far lower than the tools separately purchased. My friend recommended a table top vise, he can't live without his. I also bit the bullet a few months back, and bought the RP-MAG60 madnetic handle, another item he swore by for painting. I can already see how useful that will become. So the PE bender and the table vise are a few of the tools I need to put in my stable, this looks like a way to kill two birds with one stone. Thanks for helping me out with wisdom, I will watch those videos tonight, right now, I need to head out for donuts. The wife is missing our rides on the motorcycle, so she created the excuse to hit the road today. Cheers, Anthony
  13. That leads right into my next question. What tools do you use to fold and glue PE parts. Is using a soldering iron the only method to seal up PE joints, like boxes made of PE. Is soldering safe for painted PE parts? What size/wattage soldering iron is required for such intricate work? Thanks in advance, Anthony
  14. Thats what I saw on their website. But you have to be careful, the cutters have extentions, like NS (non-serrated) and ET (etch, or photo etch). When buying, its important to get the correct ET version. I would hope that most decent model shops only carry the ET model, but it definitely pays to make certsin they have the correct cutters. I doubt the cutters for Kevlar will hold up against metal, since it's not designed for such work. Upon double checking the site, the NS is still for metal, but the ET is specifically designed for photo etch, as seen in the picture below. Here is a link to their website. https://xuron.com/index.php/main/consumer_products/4/78 Cheers, Anthony
  15. Good call, I can buy a tiny board here for about a dollar. Just to be certain, you are talking about the white plastic cutting board found in nearly every kitchen? Thanks, Anthony
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