almac

Yes I’m still making slow progress on this. Currently I’m masking the canopy and tonight I’m planning on cleaning up the last of the fuselage. I’m still hoping to finish this before the end of the GB but despite being off work just now I struggle to find time and the mojo as I’m spending my days either out on my bike or watching Le Tour. Cheers Allan

I saw the NHS spitfire this afternoon. It’s taking off from Cumbernauld airfield tomorrow at ten to do a tour round Scotland. The airfield is only ten minutes drive for me so that’s where I’ll be in the morning. Cheers Allan

Hi all. Some more progress on this one but not a huge difference from the last pics. Seams cleaned up & rear doors fitted. Long piece along the top of the fuselage fitted. Still lots to do before I get to the painting stage. I started masking the canopy but got too tired so more tomorrow. Cheers Allan

Nice work. Excellent freehand painting of the camo. Cheers Allan

Hi all. This afternoon I found some time to continue with this. Several more bits added to the fuselage all of which will need some tidying up to a greater or lesser degree. Some will require filler and sanding but never mind overall it’s a good kit and I’m enjoying the build. Cheers Allan

That is very nice. I just read through your WIP and it’s turned out really well despite the fight you had with it. Cheers Allan

Hi all. It’s been a while since I’ve did anything with this kit. It took me a while to find my build thread it’s been that long. Anyway, Tonight I installed the windows and joined the two fuselage halves. Not much difficulty really just a bit of fettling and sanding to get the two parts to close well. The bottom of the kit is not glued yet as I’m allowing the glue on the top to properly set first. So far the fit looks good so I hope it continues. Cheers Allan

Excellent build. Like the mottle painting. Cheers Allan

Excellent build. Nice work. Cheers Allan

Stunning Tomcat. Nice work. Cheers Allan

Hi all. Some modest progress with this one tonight. Mainly cleaning up seams and attempting to rescribe the panel lines lost in the sanding. This is an aspect of modelling I struggle with particularly with round parts like the top of the fuselage. I tried using dymo tape as a guide but my lines mostly ended up squinty and had to be filled and sanded. I have joined the two main parts of the fuselage which was another frustrating exercise. How is it when you dry fit parts they line up well but when you add the glue they don’t? I think I’ve got it the best I can but we’ll see tomorrow just how good or bad it is. Cheers Allan

Hi. I can replace the stars but the stencils and serial numbers will be an issue if I can’t find replacements. I’ll keep looking hopefully I’ll find some. Cheers Allan

Hi all. I managed a few hours on this tonight to finish the cockpit and close the front fuselage halfs. My fears regarding the decals were well founded as these are the worst decals I’ve used in along while. The decals for the instrument panels and the seatbelts broke several times as I tried to move them from the backing paper to the model. I managed to get all the pieces to fit but I think l’ll need to try and source some alternatives for the rest of the kit. I know Wolfpack decals make a Vietnam sheet including the F-5 but so far I have yet to find any stockists. I have posted in the wanted section on here in the hope someone has the decals and would consider selling them. Anyway Here are some pics. Cheers Allan

Nice start. Good to see something from the earlier Vietnam period. That is a nice little kit I built one in 2014 and don’t remember any issues or problems. Cheers Allan

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like yours were worse than mine so might be ok. Cheers Allan

Lovely build and paintwork. Like you I bought one at a show for £5 an absolute bargain. Can you tell me how bad we’re the decals? Mine look concerning. Cheers Allan

Excellent work. Very nice indeed. Cheers Allan

That looks superb. Excellent work. Cheers Allan

Excellent start. Good to see your kit going together without many issues. I have a version of this kit I intend to build in the F-14 GB and had read it was a tricky build. Yes it does look like a chicken! Cheers Allan

Nice start. Cockpit looks really good. Cheers Allan

Hi all. I managed some progress on this last night. This is,for me anyway, a kit that looks nice in the box but the building of I’ve found a wee bit challenging. The fuselage is made up of 8 parts in small sub- sections. I started on the the rear parts which comprise three parts which simply don’t fit. The bottom section appears to be at least 1 mm too wide resulting in a large step right round the bottom of the fuselage. So it’s out with the BBF for a session of sanding and filling. I’ve not finished it yet but it’s almost done. I’ll get plenty of practice at sanding and rescribing with this one I think l. The seat was also not great as it’s made up of two sides that result in a nasty seam right down the middle. I filled and sanded this as best I could but it’s not great. Despite all my moaning I’ve enjoyed the build so far. Cheers Allan

Very nice work. I have plans for this very scheme and kit for some time in the future and if it’s half as nice as this I’ll be well pleased. Cheers Allan

Thanks for the info on these details. Good to know. Cheers Allan

Hi all. This will be my contribution the this Group build. As the title says I’ll be building the ESCI Skoshi Tiger F-5c. This kit dates from 1983 according to Scalemates. The last picture hopefully shows how fine the panel lines are compared to some modern kits. Extremely well done for a 37 year old kit. The decals are the only thing to concern me before I start given their age. I’ll get an idea when I use them for the instrument panels. Anyway I hope to make a start tonight. Cheers Allan

Very nice work. Impressive paint job. Cheers Allan