Clunkmeister

Martin, this is your back yard, yes? Your patio on the left. How on Earth did you convince Vlad to let you take one home? And the SA-2? To guard against pesky overflights? Or to make sure Westjet follows posted noise abatement procedures?

Yes, I’ll be ordering one, as I’m sue Martin and Smitty will be as well. Lavochkin designs were just pure beauty to behold.

Blue Bayou? or “blew by you” in auto talk.

Sent from Supreme Soviet... A nice little package of pure Unobtainium. Strictly verboten here in the NSM. That’s Nahted States uh’Murica for all y’all who don’t know!

So, the dual controls were added for extended over water patrols. They were just kind of jigger rigged into place, and the rudder pedals had to move enough to allow passengers into the nose section. The copilot seat was a fold out affair that’s actually included in the kit, believe it or not. I obtained some extra parts and installed the pedals. They were installed at odd angles and I’d hate to see the actual rigging and jiggering that went on behind the panel. just mocked up... aaaand my ham hands wiped out the left side levers CPAP!

Umm, ummm, alrighty then. Now then, it appears I have received a promotion without me being aware of such....

By Jove, oigh think you moight be on to sum'in', Mate.

Tony, I thought I'd mention this simply because it's a NATS build and just the fact that your builds are always super, super clean and precise. This is an extremely minor nit I'm pointing out, and one that might not even get noticed, BUT, here it is, anyway. Check your stick and stick boot. In the pic, the mold parting line is quite visible. If it is so in person, maybe give it a 2 second scrape to get rid of it. It might just be the flash of the camera or the lighting, but knowing you, and the precise nature you build,..... I'm always very, very hesitant to say anything, but just take a second to put the Mk. 1 eyeball on it with a penlight as they do at The NATS, and see if it shows....

Maybe a bag of candy that would be dropped for those special Berlin kids?

Another flawless build! Stunning, Sir!

Thanks for that, Peter. I like my build thread to be "far ranging". For me, it's like I'm sitting around with friends chatting while we build.. I'm looking forward to showing some serious progress on this. In a day or so, I expect.

Nice one Gaz! Hehehe. But I throw Grabber Blue on a 1970 Mach 1 into the ring.

Orange/yellow for the lettering?

Hmmmmm

Not for the early years. The color was mixed by whomever was outfitting the new fleet. The color apparently changed dramatically throughout the early years. The Panthers were apparently two parts Insignia Blue and one part Insignia White. Apparently the Cougars were noticeably lighter.

I'm looking to do a Fisher F9F-8 Cougar in Blue Angels colors. I know the Blue Angels blue has changed over the years, so, does anyone know what would be the correct mix for the era the Blue Angels flew the Grumman Cougar?

Yesterday I saw your build, Peter, and commented on it. I just saw this thread though, and Peter, your opening statement hit true. We’ve all been there, my friend. I’m so glad you found your way back. We put so much stock in our builds having all the PE and resin goodies, thinking we need that to make it perfect, we often seem to lose the spark, don’t we? Lately, Ive gone back to simple Mostly OOB builds, just for the satisfaction of creating something nice. My Lanc pulled me out of the doldrums.. like you, my build count has been dreadful of late. Just really not into it. The business has kept me busy, Joy’s pinched nerves and Lupus keep me busy after hours. Been Praying a lot more these days. Rebuilding the bench helped me, the Lanc lit me on fire. But oooh do I love the Typhoon. A single seat heavy hitter with a monster engine out front, what’s not to love? I need to do a Tiffie as well, they are just so incredibly cool. Gonna live off yours and absorb the magic! I’m watching your build for hints and tips, and will just soak it all in until I join you after the Lanc. But I’ll probably join in with the MDC Tiffie in 1/32.

Hey Kais, Is that Ed Russell's old Emil? I knew it got sold and brought to England... I've seen it fly several times, and was cool to see in formation with a Spitty, Hurricane, P-51, and a Lanc. You never realize how small the 109 really is until you see one next to an Allied fighter.

Awesomeness, John! I have yet to complete my KH P-39. It was the only KH kit that I cussed at for weeks on end, to the point of MY WIFE telling me to SOD the thing till I calmed down. (I get worked up just like you do) But most of the issues were caused by me, so I hang my head in shame. One thing I remember John, is when someone over on TOS built this kit with everything open, he had a hard time finding space for nose weight. FYI, but I'm sure you've figured it out already. (I'll never have that problem as I always close my stuff up tight).

Peter, go for it, my friend. GO FOR IT! This, along with the car door version are kits I have in the stash, and they surely keep hollering at me as well. I'll live through your build here, Peter, because I know you'll do this one justice! Man we're a bunch of builders here! I honestly can't remember everyone starting, (and finishing) kits like we've been doing here. Crazy Days!

Tony, I believe that aircraft was belly landed at one point, and was rebuilt and restored back into "Crazy Horse", I think? It was definitely rebuilt as a TF-51D. I remember a magazine from the late 70s or early 80s that featuerd a full page air to air picture of Sumthin Else, and I instantly fell in love with her right there and then.

Ivan, I just clicked on your link. I lost my mind. That's why I love this place. You guys are Sumthin' Else.

Gazz, I take swipes at 109s as well, but when I do it it's always a friendly jab at friends online who build them, not that manufacturers love them. But guess what half fills my display cases? Yup, if you guessed 109s, you win a prize. Of course there's T-28s too, but 109s especially because I do like the airframe. And as a student of history, it looms huge as an incredibly successful design that served in one guise or another well into the 1960s. I've built a couple Emils, a Friedrich, an Israeli Messer, and a couple 1930s conversions. I think we're still waiting for the ultimate Gustav, and it looks like ZM will help in that respect. I'll build the heck out of that. Lets face it, the 109 is incredibly iconic and as long as people remember WW2, Willy's little Wonderplane will be front and center. Just like the Spitfire, A6M, and P-51.

I'm super excited, actually. I'm rigging up my dual control system now. I love this stuff.