Chaotic Mike

Ahah... They are also used by Asda to separate slices of prosciutto. I've got the big Mossie, and I was thinking that the stabilising vanes on the rockets looked a bit clunky. I was also wondering where I could get very thin plastic sheet from to make replacements. Now I know... Anybody got any good tips on cutting ultra thin slots in plastic rod? Mike

See... I knew Paul would have the answer! Thanks, Paul

...And FWIW, I have very successfully sprayed Tamiya acrylic without thinning it. Probably better to do so, though... it'll go further! Mike

Another vote for the above... it's superb! For people who know these things: it's got a cunning tail piece that lets you adjust how much paint is going to be released by basically interfering with the needle's ability to move back. This must be a similar concept to the Infinity's trick that can preset the paint volume, but then revert to maximum damage. Can the Infinity's rear end replace that of the Evolution? I'll bet 'Paul at Littlecars' knows... Mike

I ordered 2 sets of 1/24 Sutton Hanesses from MDC . They came very quickly. Now, if anybody out there knows how they were attached to the Mossie itself, I'd be dead grateful... Mike

Thanks for that. I have a suspicion that Windows Live might reconstruct URLs on the fly (that mad string has the look of something dynamic about it, so Photobucket here I come... You *will* get to see a strangely finished Me-262...

OK... be gentle with me... this is my first serious bit of modelling for about 15 years. It's Trumpeter's Me-262a-1a (heavy armament), and Trumpeter didn't exist the last time I took a knife to plastic. So... Things I liked: * Exquisite surface detail, most of which survived my sanding * Photo-etched bits for the cockpit (never done those before) * White metal landing gear, so very strong * Loads of room in hidden internal fuel tank up front for lead Things I didn't like: * Fit of wings at front seam * Breaking the ****ing DF loop off, many times, during painting. Eventually I made a replacement out of wire. Thing I *really* hated: So, following the wise words of many people on this forum ( ) I dutifully Klear-ed it with a wide brush. This went on OK, pooled a little, but interestingly remained very matt (I've used Revell Aqua Color throughout... pretty good stuff). So I Kleared it again, it went semi matt. OK, thought I, time for decals. First experiment with the Microscale solutions - they worked well, too, apart from the terror when MicroSet turned things cloudy for a few hours. Time for the final varnish. Aqua Color clear matt, diluted. Now, some of you *might* like the sort of dusty, war-weary look to your models. If so, I commend to you a solution of Aqua Color clear matt, diluted. I, on the other hand, like my planes to look a bit less shabby. Not pristine, just not too shabby. I think I shall just have to live with the frosty look. Re-coating, and Klearing, had no effect on the look. I suppose I could say that it represents a fighter spotted during a heavy frost... Mike

I experimentally tried thinning them with IPA - and a glorious black sludge appeared. I haven't tried again, since water works beautifully as a thinner. Cheaper, too... I find they spray very nicely - as well as Tamiya, IMO. They do take a lot of thinning, though - at least 40% water to paint ratio, and I've noticed that some are heavier than others. If you over thin them, then spray too aggressively, resulting in pooling, sanding the resultant pools with finishing paper gives a pretty good weathered effect... If I ever finish my Trumpeter 1:32 Me-262, you'll see what I mean... Also, I haven't found a problem dry brushing with them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong! (Brush too wet?) Toodle-pip! Mike

...must fight temptation to make salacious remark... ...temptation too strong... ...aaarrghhh!...

What he said! I recently bought an H&S Evolution Silverline fPC and AS-186 tanked compressor from them - excellent service, helpful bloke on the phone and the airbrush is the D's B's compared to the Aztek that I recently acquired. The compressor is replacing a previous non-tanked one, and is beatifically smooth and quiet. Only sticking point was that UPS hijacked the delivery for 8 days due to the snow! HTH, Mike

Hi everybody. I'm eagerly awaiting my Mossie from Wonderland up in Edinburgh... apparently Humbrol only sent them 1/3 of the pre-orders, and I'm one of the unlucky 2/3. Mind you, Hamleys in Regent Street has at least 5 of them in stock at full price (unlike Wonderland who I am hoping will honour their pre-Christmas discount). Anyway, I'm fairly new back in the hobby after a twenty year lay-off (does that sound familiar?) and whilst many things haven't changed, apart from high quality tools coming down in price in real terms, I'm baffled by the Tippex reference. Is it/can it be used as a filler? Any gotchas over it dropping out of things like ejector pin marks? All feedback gratefully received, Mike

I might as well make my first post a good one... Clearly you're all girls! All it takes is a silk vest, fleece jumper followed by thick wool over-jumper, plus a fur scarf of dubious morality, thick boots, a fleece hat and a small ceramic heater located beneath the work bench. Come on, let's have some more of that British grit... Chaotic Mike