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who isn't actually human

I kind of wish model building was still a basic hobby. I know that Wunderkits and photoetch (and resin and white metal and vacuforum canopies and masks and...) are the norm, but there is something a bit unfulfilling in doing this. Do not get me wrong, I like it when everything goes together well, but I just feel that "perfect" kits are always bland (maybe because they are another Mitsuschpitstang Mk. XXXIV-G or a Churchmanwagen-34), but I just like kits that are imperfect. I think that is why I always get Airfix, Matchbox, Heller or a short run something or other to build, rather than Tamiya (which I have never built a kit of their's) or other Japanese/Chinese/Korean brands. I just wish there was a modern day Matchbox (though modern Airfix fits the bill, to an extent), difficult subjects in simple kits that while easy to build, are imperfect in one way or another. Does anyone else feel the same?

Many of the Korean War Mustangs that were collected from various units and went through major overhaul at the Sacramento and San Antonio Air Depots before being shipped to Japan likely had the original surfacer/putty removed and then were painted in silver lacquer. I have read that the Mustangs that were held in storage in Japan after WW2 were also put into use, so were more than likely to still have the factory applied finish ion the wings- I am guessing that they were mostly low-time airplanes and so chances were good that they were still in their original finish, where the wings were concerned. You can see, in good quality photos of Korean War Mustangs, that some are still in natural metal with painted filled wings, and some have stripped wings and are painted overall with aluminum lacquer.. Restored Mustangs on the civil register can be seen both with and without the surfacer/putty/aluminum paint on the wings, and some can be seen with stripped wings in either painted or polished form. There is not much need for a Mustang's wings to be in the original finish to maintain a perfect laminar flown nowadays, as maximum combat performance is no longer required, and the ,low octane/low lead avgas that is available saps a lot more performance than not having a filled, puttied, and painted wing. Mike

maybe weird cousin Igor (It's pronounced 'eye-gore' actually)

I don’t know how I missed this build, there’s excellent modeling going on here (no surprise to me).

Yes, that takes nerves and skill to pull that off! That looks great and I tried that years ago and failed . Great stuff!

Wow, that is exceptionally nice.

Sadly, I have never seen them in China, where I live, hence my choice of "tools"

just about everybody, really

Great build, really enjoyed it.

Those Voodoos and Crusaders in my stash better watch out, they’ll find themselves flying recon missions! Thanks Trevor! One problem I should note with the kit is the front windscreen attaches to the sprue by the side windows, which as you can imagine is very frustrating. I sanded and buffed away the cutting point but it’s hard to fully resolve—just something to watch out for when you build yours. One of my Scalemates friends noted this too as he’s building this kit right now as well

Think Ill have to take it into the main post office and see what they say.

Looking good. Not familiar with the type at all. Corrugated metal was certainly a popular inter-war skin choice - Hugo Junkers had a lot to answer for! Regards, Adrian

As not suitable for

Some nice scratch/repair/salvage work going on here Rob, and thanks for the backstory too - nice to see a personal connection. Regards, Adrian

However it goes I want to see this when done.

advertised on overnight TV (for those who still use cable)

That's very true, James! I don't know if I ever painted my "models" as a kid! Here's the magnifying visor I bought: Nobody around here had a genuine Opti-Visor, so I got this one. It's by Enkay. It works well (so far). Here's the Mitchell with the upper panel lines highlighted. This should come out much better than the bottom did! Reminder to self: do not over thin the paint!

I bought an Enkay lighted magnifying visor. I wanted a genuine Opti-Visor, but nobody around here has one, and I really didn't want to wait for one to come n the mail. My local hobby shop had this one in stock, so I spent $22 on it. It works pretty good. The light is quite handy. There are two different lenses. There is the fixed lens, and another that flips up and down. The loupe is good for getting in REAL close. I've only used it once so far, but I'm happy with it! I do wish it had a strap for over the top of the head, but for the price it's not bad!

That build is epic. The best Lightning model I have ever seen. Fantastic job. Well done!

Loving your work.👍

Thanks, should make some progress with the Sword kit over the weekend. Got to paint up the cockpit & wheel wells then will go for the same lacquer aluminium again.

A few more updates. Made a bit more progress on the steering wheel. I'm still not pleased with how it looks so I will try a different approach. Started on the rear differential. It's going to need a lot of cleanup and a few mods to come close to my reference photos. Unfortunately, I was clumsy when I cut the rear axle off of the parts tree and I had inadvertently cut the little nib that will locate the knock offs in a later assembly. I've had to file off the stubs, drill and insert some styrene rods. Started on the floor/firewall. My photos indicate that the floor is wood except for the transmission tunnel and the firewall. I had to fill in some prominent ejector marks. My old painting knife really works a treat when applying putty. I tried several materials to try and duplicate the rubber cover that goes over the transmission tunnel and shift boot. I hit upon using some two part molding putty. I mixed it and rolled it flat. Since it's my first go at it, it's lumpy and ugly but it's promising. I wasn't careful with trimming but I just wanted to validate the approach. I also tried some Tamiya Acrylic Semi-Gloss Black but the silicone is highly resistant to acrylic. I'll try airbrushing some Tamiya LP Rubber next. Anyway, I just need to refine my handling of the silicone.

I really hope it's a passing fad.