amason61

Update: 6 days into the build, this is where I am:

Makos have been spotted near the bench where I work. I was able to catch a few shots of one . . . . (just got started on this one on 3/15/12)

This was the first AFV Club F-5 I have built . . . but it won't be my last. It was a joy to build and looks great in Aggressor colors.

Got 'er done! Final "glamour shots" to be posted in the Display Case soon.... for now, enjoy!

Been working on this one off and on for several months . . . but did some painting this weekend. All glossed up and ready for decals!

This was just a quick Out of Box build, so I went with what was supplied in the kit.

1:72 Hasegawa kit built OOB with kit decals.

C'mon, Brian . . . practice what you build . . . Get"er" done!

okay . . . you've got my undivided attention. Great work so far. Inspirational to say the least.

Stunning work! That's a real eye-catcher. Well done.

The intakes are always a bit fiddly, but with a little patience and dry-fitting you can get a nice fit. The join at the back the brings the upper and lower fuselage together can be a real pain but, again, some careful dry-fitting can achieve a fit that requires little to no putty. Overall, I think the Hasegawa Hornets are tough to beat. I have a HobbyBoss Hornet in the stash, but haven't done any work at all on it yet. There are a lot of parts, but they turn into a really nice model when you are done. Good luck on yours!

Hasegawa kit, kit decals, all OOB with some Flying Leatherneck stencils added.

So . . . I had my friend, Jack, and his family over for dinner. Afterwards I brought out the P-40 diorama as a surprise. I think he was pleased with it. I also learned how his brother died. Apparently 1 Lt. Arnold Jaqua was returning from a bombing/strafing run of a German base on an island in the Mediterranean. His plane had taken a hit from ground fire that had punctured his radiator. As the coolant leaked out on the egress home it was apparent to Lt. Jaqua that he was not going to make it back to base. He decided on a water landing and his commander, Gilbert Wymond stayed with him and noted that Lt. Jaqua had put the P-40 down remarkablly well for a water landing. It was early in March and Jaqua was forced to survive in the cold Mediterranean waters until rescuers would arrive. Arnold Jaqua’s body was recovered from the frigid waters many hours later. Though young and fit, the exposure to the elements proved too much for 24-year-old Arnold Jaqua. Arnold’s younger brother – my friend in the picture (Jack) -- was 16 years old when he received news that his older brother had died in action and lamented the fact that he never got to enjoy having an “older brother” in life. Jack Jaqua is an Army veteran himself so this tribute build was a way to honor two members of America’s Greatest Generation!

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I'm surprised that no one noticed I had the canopy on backwards! Thankfully that as fixed before the presentation. He really was appreciative of the model. I will post more later about the presentation.

This is my 1:48 AmTech P-40F that I built for a friend who's brother flew them out of N. Africa in WWII. 1 Lt. Arnold Jaqua was credited with 3 confirmed Bf-109 kills before he was KIA. His brother, now, 84 years of age will be my guest for dinner tonight where I plan to surprise him with this gift. More pics of the unveiling to follow . . .

I saw something similar earlier this month at the MacDill AirFest in Tampa, FL:

One of my favorite places on earth. Used to visit regularly when I lived in OH and IN. Now that I'm a bit further South the visits are less frequent. But, I agree, you will not regret setting aside a few days to wander and linger through their massive facilities!!!

After upgrading the A-10 in my most recent build, I grabbed something out of the stash that would be a nice relaxing OOB build; the AFV Club F-5E. Here's the front office progress:

Shaun, I did not change the IP panel. I know the front office is different on the C-birds, but I just went with the Aires offering and made the more noticeable external mods to get it to resemble an A-10C

i WISSSSSSH! I'd love to see thissssss one come out. C'mon Ssssssomeone print me some BlackSsssnakessssss!!!

My latest project involved upgrading a HobbyBoss A-10A to a modern A-10C standards. In addition to the using the HB A-10, I added: 1) Sierra Hotel resin inlets 2) Aires resin cockpit 3) Royale Resin wheels 4) SuperScale decals #48-1201 for the main markings depicting the 184th FS/188th FW "Flying Razorbacks"; Afterburner decals #48-047 for everything else on the jet! 5) Shawn Hull (Shull) A-10 resin update set. 6) scratchbuilt IR warning receivers on the wingtips and tailboom.

Okay, here are the last pics before the final reveal. Got the ordinance loaded, decals sealed with a glosscoat but I still have to paint/install the ejection seat and attach all the last little PE bits to the canopy once it is unmasked. I plan to take it to the Modelpalooza IPMS contest in Orlando this weekend. Will post pics of that event early next week as well.

Okay, I basically had a few more sensors to scratchbuild on both wingtips. Here is a photo I found online (not sure who to credit): And here is my work with plastic card and sprue cut at an angle: After that was done, all that remains is the basic construction of the HB kit, painting, a panel line wash with -- what else, but Flory Models Dark Dirt wash! Gloss coat, decals and final tidying up. Here are some fast-foward progress shots: I used the kit AGM-65 Mavericks in an Airshow configuration. I added a travel pod taken from a donor Hasegawa F-16. more to come as the finish line draws near . . .

Next up is a bit of scratch-building to get the new sensors on my A-10 to match the one I saw at the last airshow at MacDill AFB. I used some plastic card and some sprue to mimic the new sensors. There are some new sensors on the wingtips as well but, first, I wanted to button it all up and shoot a coat of primer on it to check my work so far. The engine pod assembly is dry-fitted for now to aid in the painting of the pods themselves as well as the fuselage under the pods. I also left off the IFL door or the nose, just to make sure that I have added enough weight to prevent it from being a tail-sitter. And with those resin inlets it will definitely be a tail-sitter without the proper ballast up front. Thanks HB for leaving a nice access panel for -- I needed it! I had to drop in a little more lead weights to keep it on its nosewheel.

Update 3: One of the most noticeable features of the A-10 - besides the 7-barrel, depleted uranium spittin' GAU-8 Avenger - is the engine pod configuration. While HB does a decent job with the engine inlet (the kits part has fan blades with small gaps between them) the kit fan assembly is not set deep enough nor is the inner cone the correct shape or height. Since the engines are so noticeable, I decided to go for the replacement inlet fan from Sierra Hotel Model which provides a dramatic improvement to the overall look of the A-10. HobbyBoss inlet on the left; Sierra Hotel inlet on the right: In order to use the SH resin inlet fan assembly, you are required to do a little surgery on the kit engine assembly. Since I planned to model both engine pods in the closed position, all this surgery would be covered up eventually. NOTE: before closing the engine pods for good, one issue to address is the complete lack of the rear internal exhaust fan on the HB kit. Thankfully, I had a Monogram A-10 in the stash that became the donor for this part. I don't know how HB missed that part of the engine . . . maybe they thought others should not be looking up your tailpipes anyway! Just cut the 4 legs from the Monogram part, paint, and install to the rear of the HB engine interior. One final small scratch-building item is the missing panel from both sides of the engine pods. HB got 3/4 of the panel right but, again, missed the final part altogether. Easily fixed with a small scrap of palsticard, glued and sanded to size. Completed engine pod assembly with Sierra Hotel Model's resin inlets: