DocRob

Oh, I already posted the pics here some years ago. Cheers Rob

Another stellar kit from Chris of Vanguard Models. It was about time to present this one to our landlubber forum, as I followed your prototype build on MSW eagerly. Having built Vanguards Duchess of Kingston sans rigging until now (winter business), I can only state these kits are among the best you can get as wooden ship models. I have HMS Sphinx in my stash, so it will be a while to consider Indy as a new project, but she is so tempting. Hey Ho, Hornblower, let's go

That's a nice coupe there with the Corsair. Splendid work as always and the GSB came out perfect, like on the pic I found from some years back in Pensacola. Cheers Rob

@belugawhaleman, Paul, you can build the larger Char B1 bis. The Tamiya kit is wonderful, and it's easier to paint, being larger and a bit boxy. You can also try markers for the outlines. It worked on my Lancia recently, but yours has to be thinner. Cheers Rob

Interesting Peter, I'm along with the guys, great choice and a kit, I have thought about buying sometimes. If you are interested I can post some mediocre pics of the real thing, I took in Pensacola some years ago. Cheers Rob

Nice work on the IP Carl. I really like the idea of using the outside ring masks for coloring the bezels. I used these often for other jobs, but never thought of them for bezels. Am I alone in thinking te ZM IP looks very soft in detail and a bit toyish? It was the same with the TA-152, where I used PE. I don't know what it is with ZM, The Phantom IP's look absolutely crisp, means, they are able to deliver. Cheers Rob

Great result. Like Gary said, not easy to weather. I remembered, that I took some pics years ago in Pensacola from the real thing. Not the best photos, the lighting was very bad. Cheers Rob

Never liked Bikini Tops, .... on Jeep's I mean. Cheers Rob

I used AK's Real colors some time now and I really like them. They spray very fine, thinned with Mr. Leveling Thinner and cover very well with only light coats. Until now, I only painted interiors with only a bit of masking, using Kabuki tape and Mr. Neo liquid mask without any lifts. I only primed the PE parts here. I will use AK's RC for the exterior on my actual Corsair build, but I will apply primer (Mr. Surfacer) for that task. I will mask insignia and stencils with Kabuki and I can't foresee, what kind of physical abuse will be used during weathering (hairspray, chipping, sanding, ...) and which kind of medium I use (acrylic, lacquer, ...). Like you, I want to skip unnecessary steps, but for a paintjob, I will opt for a durable base, instead of having paint lifts or other effects at times, I'm thinking of completing the build. My experiences (many) with Vallejo Air were mixed to subpar in every aspect. They lifted easier, spray more delicate. I trust RC colors way more, but like I said, when it comes to ruining a near finished kit, I will go the safe way. I'm not a re-doer, I will never strip a paintjob, the first application has to be the last, with corrections naturally. A completely ruined paintjob would de-mojo me and I probably would bin the kit. Cheers Rob

The gap in front of the windscreen, how wide is that? I guess far less than half a millimeter. Maybe sanding the hull parts a tiny little bit would you spare the filler, if the main canopy part fits afterwards. Cheers Rob

The camo came out great Peter. Good to hear, that you are recovering and your hands got steadier with time. I am always afraid of freehanded spraying, even with my normally steady hands. Cheers Rob

Great looking paintjob on the Panther, John. I never built a GSB bird, but it seems to flow naturally from your hands. Cheers Rob

Great job Martin the tiny BTR looks amazing. Let us now about the results of the competition. Cheers Rob

Muchas gracias hombres. I want to have a worn, but not overused look with the Corsair. Painting the interior green was done with three different shades of the color along with some brown panel liner. After flat coating all, I applied some Uschi van der Rosten iron pigments, which are among the finest you can get and gave everything a slight metallic sheen, which I really like simulating painted metal. Then some scratches and tearing with AK's True Metal Wax dark aluminum applied with a toothpick finely and then rubbed into the surface with fingers and cotton swabs. The seat belts were pre crumpled, rolling the paper parts through my fingers and after assembly the received a brown wash, rubbed in with my fingers. Cheers Rob

Good to hear, you are better now. The Valentine looks nice and I do like your method of building length and link tracks too. Cheers Rob

Wow Mike, that's a stunner. Detail and painting / weathering is looking so real, as does the water. One of the few occasions, where everything blends into a perfect result. Cheers Rob

Today, I finished the other side of the tub. The HGW belts were a bit fiddly, but nowhere near the Luftwaffe seat belts. Like always, I assembled the parts with the buckles still on the PE fret. The decal silvered and there was nothing I could do about it. Luckily I use masks for the stencils . Cheers Rob

There is something like a 109 G hype noticeably here lately . Nice detail work on engine and cockpit with yours. I don't mask the gluing surfaces on spars and other parts, but clean them with a swipe of a fiber pen, when it comes to WNW tolerances. Cheers Rob

Thank you ( @Martinnfb, @Peterpools, @JohnB and @BlrwestSiR ) gentlemen, It is truly amazing what can be done oob with these Tamiya Corsairs cockpits. The level of detail and the crispness is very good. I'm right with Carl and John about the placards. I planned to apply more, even did, but some were blown away by the airbrush while matte coating over. I had only the AirScale placards, where many didn't fit to my photo reference, so I left them off. I was considering buying the Barracuda placards, but that would have taken too much time and I didn't want to start another build. Having not much luck with decals generally, it might have been a wise move to skip most of the tiny beasts, where silvering is also a problem. Cheers Rob

Great stuff Martin and a great time with the family it seems. Thanks for showing. Cheers Rob

The cockpit is almost ready with only the leather headrest and messenger bag to add and of course the HGW seatbelts. Everything fits into the fuselage, where I had to do a lot of grinding with my last Corsair and the Brassin cockpit. With the supplied detail, there is no real need for resin substitutes. I'm actually considering, adding some lead wire, but I have to check how much can be seen afterwards. Cheers Rob

Wow Carl, the best review is a build review and you are up to a fast start. You put yourself under considerable pressure not only doing a review, but one of a ZM kit and even more demanding a 109, with so many Messerschmidt nuts around . At least you failed in one aspect, by painting up the parts, no all grey plastic 109 anymore or does that only count for the external sight. Cheers Rob

Great fix to the cowl issue Gary. All will look great now under a coat of paint. Cheers Rob

Nice progress Chris the Nachtjäger is coming together nicely. I like your mottled camo, which to me just has the right contrast. I made a note about the fit of the windshield for my build, when time comes, but I'm a real coward, when it comes to freehanded mottling . Can't wait to see the 262 with decals for contrast and blended with a unifying coat of clear flat. Cheers Rob

I use different kinds of Tamiya blades, which never let me down quality wise. I resharpen them with my Japanese griding stone. It has a 1000 and a 6000 grid side, which hones the blades perfectly. I use the smaller triangular blades for mask and decal cutting, because they handle more agile and the large triangular ones for clean up and plastic shaping. Cheers Rob