DocRob

Cool project Gaz, I only build one model with LED lights, the Nautilus submarine, where I bought a dedicated lighting kit, because I'm not much into electronics. It was easy to install with some required extra work. Most important is to check for unwanted light emissions. I don't know, which kit you have, but there are lighting kits out there for Klingon battlecruisers. I can imagine that my submarine with it's maybe 15 LED's would run for three days with one 9V batterie. Only one example: Amazon.com: Polar Lights - Star Trek Klingon K't'inga Lighting Kit 2T (Upgrades to kit POL950), 1:350 (MKA031M), White : Arts, Crafts & Sewing Cheers Rob

Painting is always a little tough with these not up to the task and therefore upgraded with skirts and whatever addons Panzer IV's. Will it be a tri tone camo? I wish you luck with the airbrushing and I'm sure you will master it. Cheers Rob

Thank you Kai, I will definitely build another bike kit soon , but have no idea which. My favorite bikes doesn't exist in plastic. Im looking forward to painting the body parts too and if I fail with these, I will convert the Ducati into a naked bike, which suits me as well. I only had naked bikes for real, to me the best thing is, having a good fitting leather gear, a great powerful naked bike and the wind blowing, a curvy mountain road ahead, can't beat it. The rim decals are only so-so, from very close they are not perfect, but I spare you the view. Thank you Peter, I maybe expressed myself not too well, the kit is well engineered and not overly difficult to build. It's only, that you have to chose a different approach than with most planes and armor builds. It took me a while to adopt, but now I really enjoy the different approach needed as a welcomed new variety. Thank you Mark, you should give it a try. In your able hands, I'm sure, there is a gem in the making. Have I mentioned, that I would really enjoy to follow a build of one of the Hiro bikes . Mille gracie, Carl. The Ducati Monster was always a bike, which I really liked, but couldn't get me comfortable on it, as the proportions of the bike are a bit strange and it fits better to smaller people. This was my last bike in Berlin (Sorry no own pics, I shot analog by this time). It's like a sharp blade, raw power, but with a perfect balance, stability and precision. You could go 200 km/h without any bad reactions from the bike, which is a good thing given the long fork and rear suspension. It may not look like, but the KTM is exceptional comfortable for greater guys and I drove more than once 500-700km day trips. In the city, the KTM handles like a bike, being light weight and powerful and it sounds like a Harley on speed, I would love to built the KTM as a model, but there is none. Cheers Rob

The beast has wheels, for my taste not much more is needed, other than a seat and the ignition key. I love naked bikes and wouldn't store my lengthy bones behind a plastic body, but this is another story. The red stripes for the rims are segmented decals and they gave me some head scratches. Fit of the decals is good, but due to a bit of carrier film extending, it's difficult to blend them in, even with Micro Sol. I did the best I could, without ruining the finish of the rims and then applied some semi matte coat on the decals as they were to shiny. You have to be very attentive through the build. One example is the front wheel. You start painting the rim and and then drill, build and paint the breaking disks, which look nearly equal, but are not. before gluing these on you add the tire, which has a direction as well, which corresponds to the decal on the rim. If you follow the manual very closely, everything will fit, but there are some trap doors for the 'I prepare everything and then assemble' type of guys, guess how I know. More than once, I had to remove a part, which was securely glued in place . I want just emphasize, this is a different type of kit, where assumptions are not made lightly like with most planes. For the luckily supplied vinyl tubes, it pays, to fix the tube on a to assemble part and after gluing it in place, you have only to fiddle in the other side. Cheers Rob

Thank you Peter, well appreciated from one of the masters here. Cheers Rob

That engine looks absolutely great Mark, I have to build one of those Hiro kits, when I'm grown up . Cheers Rob

Thank you Carl, it's good to have so many good looking paints, waxes and metals for replicating metal surfaces, but in the end, nothing beats the real thing, if it's made so well like Tamiya provided here. Thanks Phil, I think a visit on Ducati.com would help for sure, but take care biking is addictive and reduces bench time . Cheers Rob

Oh, that is from the manual, my subpar pics follow later . Cheers Rob

Thank you Gentlemen, I'm a bit afraid of first the delicate rim decals (thin red stipes), which I started yesterday and the painting of the body, which of course has to have a great shiny finish, after lots of masking painting and decaling. Building bikes is somehow different to planes or armor. There is no in and out, no cockpit and wheel wells to finalize close the fuselage and then paint the outside. A bike is open and close at the same time, combining lots of different materials, textures and finishes in a very confined space. It's harder to keep the overview, specially with such a delicate and complicate machine, like a modern super bike. It's a burden and fun at the same time, as replicating materials in plastic is one of my driving forces in modelling, you couldn't ask for more . Cheers Rob

You can produce good pictures with an Iphone too. I often use mine, when I'm too lazy to pick up the camera and lenses. I found, that color rendition is better with my Iphone, than with my Panasonic Lumix system, using the default settings. When photographing with the phone, I don't use the normal camera app, instead, I use ProCam (five well spent Dollars, when I remember it right), which allows to use manual settings for the more important settings, like white balance for color rendition and F-stop, to control the depth of field. It also helps to incorporate a 2x zoom with the phone's camera for natural looking pictures of close ups, concerning the angles. If you use the normal wide angle settings, the picture doesn't look right. Cheers Rob

Excellent paintjob Mark. I like the pre shading effect. To judge the grey is difficult from the pics, on some it looks bluish on another light gray, but I'm sure, you will make the grey fit. Cheers Rob

Nice and clean build John, the finish is perfect, I can't be bored by Corsairs. Cheers Rob

The last days, there was a lot of work, but not much to show. I sprayed lots of parts semi matte black and others in titanium silver and aluminum and painted a lot of details. The kit is great, but not easy to build and paint. you have to be very attentive and concentrated, to orientate everything right, with all these complex shaped parts. Another difficult task is to glue all the painted bits and pieces with their delicate surfaces, without glue residues showing. I managed to have that on one part. The extra metal fork set looks great and is a nice, but not essential addition to the kit. In the fork set are also included a turned and anodized oil reservoir for the rear damper and some tiny turned and drilled screws for the braking disks. The tiny bits and pieces for the front fork. The aluminum rings around the blue anodized parts have six drill marks from above, amazing. Here are the finished front braking discs, with the applied aluminum screws for vibration absorption. You can't see all the details, like the suspension axle, which was chromed for a better look, The oil reservoir is made of turned and anodized aluminum with an Öhlins decal. Chain and chainwheel and rear brakes. Cheers Rob

Im waiting for this to happen too, but ordered the new release of the old 1/12 Brabham BT44 kit yesterday. @Ernie, OT off, sorry . Cheers Rob

Vielen Dank mein Herr, your detail work looks splendid. I use Revell contacta clear for clear parts, which seems to be similar to white glue for wood. Since last week, I feared, that the bond could be not strong enough, but then I had the canopy fogging issue with my KI-61 (not caused by the glue) and I was not able to remove it, without using brutal force. For the position lights, I use the same technique, but for a newer looking plane use a silver coat on the backside of the clear part. Cheers Rob

Do you still need the base kit? Cheers Rob

Ernie, Model Factory Hiro has some highly detailed 1/9 kits in their range. There is a Vincent too. They are pricey, but you can cancel the last three zeros from the real thing . Cheers Rob

Where is the dust Carl? The brakes cry for continuing with the McLaren. If it's 1/20, then Model Factory Hiro produces tires fitting to the different decades. Cheers Rob

I always see this one, when it comes to Hughes helis. Cheers Rob

Welcome to the forum and please keep us in the loop. Metal and wood, right down my alley. OcCre rings only a bell connected with wooden ships with me, but this locomotive is really interesting. Cheers Rob

For my Adirondacks I used the following Festool plan. It's in German unfortunately, but the PDF includes a part list and drawings of the parts. Baupläne Holz | Holz-Ideen & passende Bauanleitungen (festool.de) Cheers Rob

I have a similar, but smaller and cheaper tool since years and when it came to assembling single link tracks without a jig, like Friul's, I found it not very handy to work with. The downside is, that the links were secured by the tool on both sides, there is no way to insert pins or brass rods. It might be usable for plastic length and link segment tracks though. Like Carl said, lots of the single track links which are included in armor kits are build up with the help of included jigs. Cheers Rob

Mille gracie Amici, I used some more chrome pigments on the chain links and will use it now as it is. Cheers Rob

Sorry to hear about your problems Harv. If it's only sitting which causes the pain, you should think about a raisable bench and work standing. Sometimes I'm thinking about building one for me too, where working erect is at least an option. You will be well soon, I hope and you will notice, when the Bourbon impact is bigger than the one of the painkillers . Cheers Rob

Peter I feel your pain as we already discussed, brothers in fogged canopy issues . Your Phantom looks superb and after changing the canopy you will have achieved a stunner. Could it be easier to remove the canopy with a sharp blade, where it fits the fuselage? As I had similar problems with my KI-61 build a week ago, I will experiment soon, if this fogging issue arises, when the canopy parts were dipped in Future / Pledge before, which I normally do, but not with the KI-61. I used Pledge as a clear coat many times and really like the product, but it has it's shortcomings. It is sensible to fogging, when Micro Sol comes into play and it reacts with Tamiya's panel liner and I fear, some of the hotter weathering products can lead to damages too. Oh how I hate to realize the different unwanted reactions with these aggressive chemicals in modelling. Cheers Rob