mywifehatesmodels

Thanks for the comments, guys. I just came back from a modeling hiatus of several months and saw your posts. Much appreciated! I built the Revell G about 20 years ago. Not a bad kit for it's age, but it just really shows it's age, if you know what I mean. I would drive myself crazy trying to build it up to anywhere near today's standards (industry, as well as my own). I keep holding on to hope that there will be a new tool kit of the G coming. Hopefully soon! That's one area where the instructions are really poor, for sure. I got them in without too much trouble. Even though I'm pretty sure they're not "correct", I don't have anything to really go on that would show what "correct" really is! I'll have to go find your build. I really liked this kit and enjoy seeing it being built. I don't think it gets enough recognition for how good of a kit it really is, overall. Thanks again, John

I was able to get the flap bays both installed and primed/painted. I had to replace one rib, but they turned out better than expected. Now I need to proceed at getting everything else ready and figure out what the paint scheme is going to be! Thanks, John

Today I managed to get the flap bays completed. I started with the starboard side. It was a little rough to start, with several of the ribs popping off while trying to twist them into position. There's plenty of glue staining on this one, but I'm hoping that a priming/painting will cover most of it. The port side, which isn't glued into place yet, is much better. Having learned some tricks from the first side, I was able to keep it a lot cleaner. The fit into the fuselage is perfect, with one exception. You need to cut a notch for the flap bay out of the wing root area. I've outlined that in a photo, below. Tomorrow, I hope to finish installing the port bay and prime/paint them. So far, so good! John

Thanks, Bevan! Here's some more, from the last couple days. [/url] Ready to start on the flaps, now. It's making me nervous! Cover me! I'm goin' in! ...and could somebody hold my beer?! John

Thanks, Bevan! I managed to get most of the cockpit done over the weekend. Still plenty to do, but I'm almost ready to button it up! Also, the M-888B conversion requires that you fill in the access panels on the forward fuselage, then scribe a different one, on the starboard side, only. I haven't scribed it yet, but it's almost ready. Cheers, John

Speechless!

The last couple weeks have been crazy busy and there's been some changes made in the build plan for this one. So, I wasn't really able to get back to it until a couple days ago. In short, the Eduard PE sets are very time consuming, but I'm making progress, at least (finally!). Also, the decision has been made to use the later M-88B engine/cowl, as there seems to be more cool schemes available for that option. However, we haven't decided on exactly which scheme, yet. Soon, hopefully, as I always find myself more motivated and I have a mental image of what it's going to look like when completed. This is only really the beginning of the interior. Still a LOT to be done, but I'm taking it slowly. The PE flap set is also going to be used on this one and it's a huge undertaking. Given that, as well as the design of this kit, I'm trying to carefully plot out, in my mind, exactly the best way to assemble it all. I'll try to keep the thread updated and maintain my motivation! Thanks for looking and for your support, John

Dennis, I'm glad you like the build and find it inspirational. The color scheme is one thing that I was worried about, going into this project. There's not much solid proof of anything in that regard and with so many "experts" around, it's sometimes intimidating to take on something like this, for fear of being torn apart for my decisions. I had to stick to my gut feelings on it and try to see my vision to it's conclusion, even if it doesn't match what some others may see. In the end, this one is for ME and that's what really matters, I guess. I've given up on trying to please others and life is easier that way. If I were building it for someone else, then it would be a different story. However, in any case, the response to this build has been very positive and I greatly appreciate that. In fact, I'm actually surprised by how much people seem to like it. Apparently they "get it". My vision, that is. But, who knows? Maybe the next one will be a disaster? Thanks again, John

I'll second what Mr. Hatch said. Best 88 pit I've ever seen. Spectacular work, Jeroen! John

Found it, Rog! The slat fix is on page 2, but here's the WIP thread link: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=41371 John

Rog, I haven't used the engine set, or seen it in a WIP yet (but would have to do some searching for a bit to see if someone else has done it). Are you going to display the engine, opened up? The gap on the belly really wasn't a big issue, but I just thought I would point it out. As for the slats, I know I cut mine and glued the rear portion to the wing and blended it in, using the forward remainder to represent the slats. That trick is out there, as I robbed it from someone else. However, it's most likely outlined in my build thread over at LSP. I can dig it up for you, if need be. When you get your build started and get to the painting/weathering phase, I'm sure you will get plenty of input from people, especially those that use/have used the same kind of paint. But, don't let it intimidate you. You'll be just fine, I'm sure. John

Rog, It looks like you have pretty much everything you're going to need, and then some. For a CA applicator, the skewers should work pretty well for most spots. I would also recommend using a needle or straight pin for the really small applications. As the dried CA starts to build on the tip, it will allow you to get a little more control over how big of a drop you want to use. The beauty of it is that you can just scrape off the old glue if you feel it's getting too chunky at the tip and start over. This is much harder to do with wood, or even plastic applicators. Once you start playing and practicing with CA and applicators, you'll get a feel for what works. I'm lucky(?) in that I also have hypodermic needles around which come in very handy as applicators of CA, decal setting solution and the like. But, I realize that not everyone has access to these. I have a prescription medication that requires me to take an injection once per week. So, all the syringes are put in a bin on my hobby bench when I'm finished (and the vac plastic containers that they come in also make for great paint/glue mixing trays, so I keep those, too!). The only down side to the syringe is that, once you use it for CA, it's pretty much useless as a syringe afterwards. But, that's what I use as an applicator in most instances and I have enough of them around to keep me in steady supply. With regards to you posting your build and your comments about the process: First of all, I didn't think your comments came across as arrogant, at all. In fact, you make a very good point that's given me a moment of pause. That is regarding what I post about the processes I use while building something, especially when it's anything more involved than "glue part A to part B". Now, this could also come across as ME being arrogant, but that's certainly not my intention, either. The thought process, when I'm posting a WIP thread, is that most of the people reading it probably already know how to do it and I'm afraid of boring them, or that it might appear as if I'm assuming they don't know how this stuff is done and I don't want to appear as though I'm patronizing them, either. It's more the former, however. I pretty much assume that everyone reading it is a better modeler than I am. From time to time I need a reminder, I guess, of what "AssU..Me" means, again. So, with that being said, if you're ever reading one of my posts and want more details on how I did, or am going to do something, don't be afraid to ask! I want to help people as much as possible and give back to the community for everything I have taken from it. I use (rip off?) people's techniques all the time....because I admire their work. I hope that's viewed by them as flattery, because I view them as some of the best modellers on the planet and aspire to become as good as they are. But, in the end, I think we're all in it together and that's one of the things I love about this forum is that there doesn't seem to be any arrogance, at all. So, Rog, feel free to post away, with whatever you're comfortable with. I'm sure everyone here will cheer you on and help out if necessary. Also, don't sell yourself short. You may find that people are actually learning something from it, too. I can honestly say that, after posting models/builds on several forums over the years, there are a couple that I am still hesitant to post on, for all the same reasons you have stated above. But, this forum is different. That's why I'm spending time here (and also LSP, my other favorite). If there is criticism, it's constructive and helping, sharing, or learning always come before someone's ego. That's the way it should be. I've built the Eduard 109. If I could offer one word of advice, before starting, it would be to watch out for the fit of the nose, especially if you're planning to glue the cowl in place. It will likely take some dry-fitting and omission of some of the parts underneath the cowl panels (possibly even sanding some of them down) to get it to fit right. I also recall a gap to be filled on the belly, where the wing bottom meets the fuselage at the rear. I believe most, if not all, of the people who have built this kit have had to deal with these issues. So, if you get to that point and are thinking "what did I do?", it's not you! Now, mine also has some twist in the left wing. That was all on ME!!!! Cheers, John

Looking great, Mike. Glad to see the other half of this comparison coming together. John

I built one or two of their early armor kits, which did not impress me in the least. However, I built their Bf 109F kit a while back and was quite impressed. The instructions can be a little frustrating in translation, but if you are paying close attention it will start to make sense. If there's one thing I really don't like about their kits, it would be the decals. Kind of thick and frosty, so I 'll likely be painting whatever markings we decide on. Reviews of this kit seem to be very favorable, overall. Thanks! John

Great work on a great kit. Built one years ago, but keep hoping someone will scale it up. I would be in heaven if they did! John