Clunkmeister

Yikes! Big aluminum slabs standing on my bench. Aux fuel tank being prepped, bomb doors getting pin marks filled... New AM parts being prepped. One way or another, this will be in Chattanooga. As this model is showcasing some cool AM, I’m actually aiming for the display area, rather than the competition table doesn’t allow signs advertising parts and goodies other than a quick mention.

Thanks Sluggo! Tamiya tape gets insanely expensive when you’re masking big birds multiples of times. I’ll be picking some of that up forthwith. If it’s as good as Tamiya tape, I’m in. I use the Pactra flexible tale as well and I’ve yet to find a substitute. It can get hard to source as well, and the only thing Tamiya tape doesn’t do well is bend. Maybe there’s something to these Luftwaffe mottled schemes after all? 74,75,76 sounds so easy right about now. And early 109s are my thing.

Yeah I expect my LHS and Mr. Tamiya love me right about now. Thanks Anthony. I like building different looking stuff, and this one’s been a dream ever since it was announced that HK would be coming out with a Lanc.

Yep, if “Spanish style” is your hing, then look no further than a Greek bird. Oh so incredibly cool! I have a couple pics of a CF-18B during the Libya campaign, and it was dirty like a pig is slop. I expect those jets were turning 24/7 during that little altercation, and that two seater showed every single mission. It looked like it had been hot fueling for a week straight.

Well, there were a few visible flaws on the wings, so I spent most of the evening prepping the surfaces. I even found a couple seams on a nacelle that I had somehow overlooked. Putty up, sand some more, then a quick shot of MMP Primer. We’ll look them over again in the morning before Sunday Morning Meetings, and if all’s good, a shot of MMP aluminum followed by a quick mist of chrome. Tasteful Dural, white aluminum, and cull aluminum panels after that.

Every time I look into this build, I walk away with my jaw dragging the floor. Gazz, between your foiling and Peter’s Metal forming, I’m just flabbergasted by the artistry here.

Cool but absolutely filthy dirty

Peter, you attempt at the bottom cushion is far better than I could do with my first attempt. The colour variation looks great. My only teeny nit would be the various crease coloration. They might be a itty bitty bit oversized. But that’s just the teeny-tiniest of things and is just the opinion of one looking to find what you might be concerned about. I really want to learn this metal art. It’s truly breathtaking.

Nice! Mine will be done as a Polish D52+

This should be an interesting build

Much like the 1/32 scale Tamiya La-7

Ron, those valve stems look spectacular on the wheels! Superb! But honestly, at first when you posted the pic of the package, I thought you took a picture of and were waxing poetic on an empty package. I momentarily contemplated calling EMS to check on you... then I scrolled down.

Everybody say to me, “WHY”? I say “Because I Can”! I’m not a huge fan of the white top greenhouse, and the version I like is a bit of both: sheeted over and still open in spots.

Notice that on the version I chose, the lightning slash is farther back along the fuselage. So, now we make the cuts to remove the small bubble and make room for a flat panel for the ADF receiver. WARNING: Not for the squeamish or those with trembly fingers and/or a heart condition Now we fill with Apoxie Sculpt clay and allow to cure, then follow by light skim if Tamiya putty, mask, sand, and paint GREAT SUCCESS!

So while the wings are drying, we check the canopy. There are two “late” styles for greenhouse arrangement, and I’m going with the version I chose a few months back. Working off these pics, here’s my style: As opposed to this: So, we start with this:

Ron and Sluggo, I hear you both loud and clear. easy does it here.

And the Academy gold canopy is nowhere near as pronounced as Tamiya, either.

I'm a happy Kitty Hawk builder. Taking care is my middle name.

Ooooooooh COUNTER INVADER!!!!!!! That'll fit right into my theme of O-1, O-2, OV-10, and AT-28D. So, with those, we now have the A-26, then we get AC-47, and if all is good, how about a C-7 Caribou. A HUGELY imporatant aircraft in Vietnam. Add a Beaver and Otter for the triumverate. YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

A SUFA is a SUFA, and I expect it's 1,000,000 times better than the Tamiya SUFA, which is made of pure unobtainiun.

i've been looking at that as well, and my example showed remarkable staining on the cowl panels and also on top of the wing, just as the picture shows and you describe. I expect that quite possibly toward the end of their service lives, these Lancs may have had less careful maintenance performed on the Merlins, or maybe less care was given for longevity, knowing than they'll run them 'till they break. Interestingly enough, I've found evidence that the Canadians painted the tops and bottoms of the wing around the nacelles with Vooddoo grey to match the lower fuselage. Supposedly to stop possible metal contamination of the bare skin? Not all aircraft had this, and most that had it lost it, with others that didn't have it, gaining it. I do NOT see evidence of that grey being applied on this aircraft, which is too bad, as I wanted to paint it on.

Gazz, nope, it's be hook or by crook. I could do better, but don't. I FUBAR'd up one edge and need to redo it tonight. I try to paint all the non metal colors first, then do the masking and shoot the silver.

I've heard GREAT things about both kits, and now have the Tamiya CJ Block 50 and the Academy block 52+ two seater. Other than possibly Aires wheel wells, is there anything anyone really recommends other than decals, wheels, and seatbelts? A neighbor wants to build a model with me, and possibly if we do them together, we have Great Success!

Regarding that Helldiver sprue shot. You'll have some work to do it you want to model the machine with the rear guns deployed. HPH molds theirs with the turtledeck cut out already. It looks like Fly took the easy way out. Is it me, or does that look like Sword mouldings? Not a big deal, but curious.

I’m hoping FLY/HPH go further, MUCH further. A GOOD L-39 kit will sell thousands, I’d expect. And the L-39, along with being gorgeous and curvy, is one of the most popular jets in the world. Then the Mug-15.. Now excuse me when I go finish my HPH Helldiver build.