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Wow! I am seriously embarrassed to admit that it has been over two months since I last spent time at the bench. There are a number of reasons for this... First, my last project was a triple-build (F-51, F-86, and F-89) and seriously sapped my mojo. Also, the weather turned nice here in Wisconsin and I've logged a lot of time flying at my local airport. Another reason is that I've been spending one week each month back at my old job in Alabama (from which I retired last October). It helps pay for my flying habit, but the time away seriously eats into my hobbies. But, my modeling itch is returning and I'm just about ready to start a new project. Continuing in my Wisconsin ANG theme, I intend to build Academy's A-37 Cessna "Dragonfly": The Wisconsin ANG flew the OA-37 for a mere two years (1979-81). One official history devotes only three sentences to this period: "After five years [flying the Cessna Skymaster]... the unit was one of the first to become Jet Forward Air Control with the OA-37 Dragonfly. This role wouldn't last very long. The wing would phase out the Dragonfly two years later." Probably because of the brief time that they had the OA-37, finding good photos of the Dragonfly in Wisconsin ANG service is like finding hen's teeth. I've done a lot of searching, and these pics are all that I've managed to find: A pair of OA-37s taking off from Truax Field: That's not very useful! Here's another. Photo quality is better, but not much of the aircraft can be seen: Same story here: The caption for this pic claims this is a Wisconsin ANG aircraft, but I have my doubts: Finally, this is for sure a Wisconsin ANG bird (taken in February 1981 during a visit to Louisiana), and a good pic to boot! I'll probably go with the last photo for my markings -- the only challenge will be finding white decals for the letters & numbers on the tail and wingtip tanks. Now, let's take a look at the Academy kit. Three sprues of gray plastic, and one clear sprue, are in the box: Panel lines are recessed, and the detailing looks good: Assembly looks to be pretty straightforward, if the instructions are to be believed: If you've followed any of my previous work, you will know that I'm a sucker for aftermarket. This build is no different. I can't resist detailing a cockpit, and I've found just the thing to scratch that itch: The S.B.S. bang seats are especially nice! I also have an Eduard PE set. Much of what is on Eduard's set is included in the S.B.S. package, but I do see a few items that will supplement the S.B.S. set. In particular, the mesh FOD guard for the intakes, the turbine fans, and the frame for the head-up display: So, that's my starting point! Now, it's time to get back to the bench. My next report should show some real progress being made...

It's been a few months since I last posted in this forum. To be honest, I felt a need to "switch it up" and instead work on some non-aircraft subjects: Now it's time to get back to my main love, 1/72 aircraft. I've been inspired by Thorfinn's rendition of Airfix's Ford Trimotor, done up as the aircraft used in Miskatonic University's ill-fated Antarctic expedition, which is described by horror author H.P. Lovecraft in "At The Mountains of Madness". I've been a fan of Lovecraft's fiction since my teen's, so when I saw Greg's Trimotor I knew I had to have one of my own (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery). I contacted Greg, and he graciously sent me files for his homemade decals. If you haven't already done so, check out Greg's RFI here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235043782-charter-flight-to-the-mountains-of-madness-airfix-172-ford-trimotor/&tab=comments#comment-3140418 Unfortunately, Greg did not do a WIP, but I found a great one by Chris "bigbadbadge" that I will use as reference: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235040494-ford-trimotor-now-finished/&tab=comments#comment-3079475 Let's get started! The kit I'm using is the venerable Airfix offering in 1/72 scale (boxed here by MPC): I originally planned to use this old Monogram kit: but it isn't as detailed as the Airfix kit and is slightly smaller than 1/72 (closer to 1/77), which wouldn't be a show-stopper but I also managed to find the Airfix kit at a good price on eBay. Even so, I'll probably steal a few items from the Monogram kit, namely the landing gear skis and maybe the dogsled and figures. I'm a sucker for aftermarket, and since the Ford's three engines are its most memorable characteristic, I picked up these to scratch my detail itch: I also hope to build an appropriately Lovecraftian vignette for my display base, based loosely on this painting: And, I'll need plenty of snow & ice... fortunately I found this book and appropriate diorama materials from AK Interactive: To be frank, I've barely opened up the box so far. Instead, I've been experimenting with snow & ice techniques and learning how to build rocky mountain walls. Here are some examples: Finally, a couple more pics for you: I anticipate progress will be slow on this build. There are challenges with this old Airfix kit, my aspirations for the diorama base will stretch my abilities, and I have a couple of business trips coming up. But with a little luck, I should have something tangible to show in the near future. Stay tuned!