Nikola Topalov

Amazing work as usual Koralik! Well done man! You should post some WIPs so we can learn from you. One question - where the hell do you keep all these beautiful 1/32 beasts? 😁 Best, Nikola

Simply amazing! Pure eye candy. Well done man! Best, Nikola

Only slightly. I cut the pins and if I align the panel lines properly then there are misalignments at the wing tips, the wing landing lights, guns, position lights... Not so big of a problem if it was the only one, but dry fitting the kit anticipates a lot of similar hiccups for which I just don't have time to bother with at the moment . 🙄 Best, Nikola

Well gents, After giving it some thought I am putting this one on ice for now and moving on to a new project. I just don't have enough free time at the moment for all the unneccessary work. I need a nice, relatively straightforward kit to work on, but I think I will come back to it eventually. Best, Nikola

You're very welcome Stringbag! I love playing and experimenting with colours in any medium. It's fun! Best, Nikola

Simply brilliant model! Well done man! Thank you for sharing. Best, Nikola

Beautiful work Tom! Brilliant Gustav. Well done! Best, Nikola

Hi Shogun, You can just look at the colour wheel. The complementary colours are opposite each other. Best, Nikola

Beautiful model/s sir! Great work! Well done. Best, Nikola

Hi gents, Very slow progress and I now think that I chose a wrong project which will take a lot of time which I definitely don't have at the moment. I dry fitted the wings and this is what I get if I follow the locator pins:

Simply A M A Z I N G work! You got me fooled into thinking those are real birds. Well done man! Best, Nikola

Amazing work! Well done man! Brilliant model. Best, Nikola

I'll use the engine for practice and try and make something decent out of it. If it still looks like s@#t I'll just cover it.

Also, initial engine assembly done. Molding quality is far from great.

Hi gents, I finally started working on it. This is my first Italeri kit and to my surprise the plastic is very very soft. OK for cleaning, sanding and scraping, but it feels so thin and fragile. Also very bendable. The quality of molding and fit don't seem that great as well. I started with wing and wheel well parts and in my opinion this is a very strange way to break up the parts. It's going to be a pain in the a$$ to make it right: Best, Nikola

Thanks for the info Troy! Appreciated. Best, Nikola

Possibly, no doubt about that. However, I found this photo while searching for Malta Hurricanes and from what I can see (I might be wrong) these birds, especially the closer one, have camo on their rudder which is different from the rest of the plane. Correct me if I am wrong. But again, they have letter markings. Not sure if Malta birds had them. 🤔 Best, Nikola

Brilliant work Andy! Well done man! I love it. Plus my favorite 109 scheme. Did you use Prismacolor Silver or similar for chipping? Best, Nikola

All invasion stripes done, with some test weathering just for fun at the wing and horizontal stabilizer tips.

Simply amazing model! Brilliant work! Well done man! Best, Nikola

Yes, they are way too clean, for now, and as I used gloss for them they even look cleaner than clean. Don't worry, they will get weathered with the rest when the time comes.:) Best, Nikola

That is B E A U T I F U L ! Amazing work! And in 1/72! Hats off. The wooden elements look amazing. What is your technique? Best, Nikola

"Among the many problems that turned up in operational F4U-1 Corsairs was a leaky fuel tank, which was located between the pilot and the engine for the most favorable center of gravity. Corsair pilots I spoke to said that a virtually universal practice to keep the windshield clean was to seal the fuselage panels with strips of white tape".

Wow! That is one brilliant Hog! Paintwork, weathering and details are excellent. Well done! Two observations if I may: 1) If I remember correctly the thin white stripes around the tank lid were actually tapes which prevented fuel leak through panel seams. 2) The cockpit was interior green. The hue in the photos looks more like a P47 cockpit colour. Correct me if I am wrong though. Again, beautiful model! Well done. Best, Nikola

I know that I might be boring you but as this is a very slow progress I am posting every little step. Invasion fuselage stripes done. Next are the wing and horizontal stabilizer white stripes. Then the clear coat and on to the decals. Yay! Ah, yes, and the red checkers on the yellow...