DocRob

Happy birthday Bill, you got yourself a beauty. I will build Gabriels Fokker on your box, but have a different D.VII boxing with the decals from Lifelike.

The Kawasaki is done, luckily so, the summer is not . It was ment to be an easy build and it was, the kit is perfectly engineered and a joy to assemble. Painting and specially applying the wet transfers were a bit harder, with the HGW product partly failing for the fourth time, I used them. All in all, the outcome isn't perfect, there are some residues on the canopy, which I couldn't remove and I didn't weather or panel lined the plane, because I was afraid to destroy the camo. In the display case though, it is a colorful addition and the build was a laid back summer experience. And this is for Kai Cheers Rob

In the moment there are some Phantom builds around here, different in scale and in version. Your British version looks fabulous and I like the low contrast scheme, paired with that black fin. The FOD covers are another eyecatcher. Cheers Rob

Wow, what a great looking Mirage. The paintjob is stunning and very contrasting. You see, all the extra work paid off at last and I raise my hat, to you being tough enough to fight the very bad base kit. Cheers Rob

I'd like to buy a ticket for the ride. I love the fugly Wessex and very often was close to purchase the Fly kit. After seeing Shark's build here, I iced my plans, but that needn't to be forever. Can't wait to see, what yours will look like. I have the 1/48 incarnation of the HH-34J from Gallery models, which I plan to build as a German Bundesmarine SAR. I heard it's a good kit and should be a good start into the bigger Wessex. Cheers Rob

Interesting planes, great pics. Thank you for taking us on the tour Carl. Cheers Rob

The Panzer IV looks well built Phil, can't wait to see it in final colors. I always opt for spraying things separately, but nearly never on the sprues. I've never build a Schürzen wearing vehicle, but really like to do so. I have a Jagdpanzer IV with mesh Schürzen and a less than half build STUG. Cheers Rob

Great looking P-38 Phil, congratulations. I'm very pleased to hear (and see), that the Academy kit is doable and not only this, you achieved a very beautiful result here. Painting is flawless and I'm inspired to start mine sooner than planned. I have an Academy with goodies (later model in NMF) and the Tamiya waiting for me. Cheers Rob

Do we expect an acrylic water using underwater display for the non land based version, Carl? Cheers Rob

Great work on the intakes and of course the absolutely gorgeous looking pit. It's a good idea to strengthen the joins on such a big bird, to have a better control of the gaps and a sturdier plane in all. You may start to raise a tiny bit of interest in me into a plane, I never had any love for, shape ways. Keep on with your good work Carl. Cheers Rob

You will love them Peter, except maybe for the smell. They spray perfect. Be prepared to use even more thinner than with acrylics. I use a ratio of 1/3 LP-color and 2/3 Levelling thinner or Tamiya Lacquer thinner. Cheers Rob

Who reads all these stencils in reality . Great work Peter, missiles and tank are looking bueno. Having built two Tamiya kits in a row, I found one rare letdown with them. It's the color callouts. When there are lots of different colors and detail work involved, it can be quite confusing with all these X-, XF-, LP-, TS,... Please Tamiya print your manuals in color. Cheers Rob

These are the most important days in modelling, they are the foundation to cash in at the previous work the next day and have great results. Like Kai said, the gunsight looks perfect. Cheers Rob

This boat (I remember you trying to sell us the story, that the boat followed you home ) will eat up a lot of space when displayed, but it's well worth it. Beside the great build and looks, I admire your will to give desperate and lost kits a new home. I always remember your story, when my wife has this fierce view, when I receive a new kit. One day, I will tell her... Cheers Rob

I can't understand, how companies can interpret shapes completely wrong, when there is an original plane at hand (given the G4 and G6 are equally shaped in this area). In the end Gaz, it's a bit like my canopy with distortions. You put a lot of research, effort, work and money into the kit. Finish it, and you'd be surprised, nobody will note the issue (except us ). Luckily it's the bottom side. Cheers Rob

Inter It's always interesting to see the motivation of fellow modelers and what is driving them through the sometimes painful process of building a kit. You are very lucky Peter, that you have a wife, supporting you with your hobby and accepting the display shelf in the house. My situation is a bit different, my wife accepts my hobby, but would never support me. She likes to see me doing things with passion and dedication, but has no understanding for all the money, I spend on the hobby and has a general dislike of weapon thingies, which I can understand. It's not only because of her, that there are no kits displayed in our houses, I wouldn't like that either. We have a very special shaped and decorated living area, where kits simply wouldn't fit in. This status quo is ok for me and sometimes, I manage to get my wife involved into a specific model related subject, when I achieve to address her professional pride, being an engineer for technical risk management on a very experienced and advanced level . It takes some minutes then for her to mind, that she have been tricked in and we both have a laugh. If I follow the lead, you are leaving with your avatar, for example a Piper Cub would be not too difficult to build from scratch or based on a wooden kit. With 3D-printing on demand, even the complicated sub assemblies like engine or interior are in reach. Obtaining scaled technical drawings of the better known types shouldn't be a big prob either. C'mon Peter fulfill your dream and let us peek in. Cheers Rob

What a sad story behind your marvelous build Rod. Painting and weathering looks perfect, as are the pictures. Cheers Rob

Great and atmospheric pic Gaz, but the canopy looks distortion free . Looks like it has Hasegawa origins. Cheers Rob

Thanks Peter, I don't like unsolved mysteries, at least with modelling. It's an error prone hobby and a lot is about fixing the errors. That puts understanding of the situation in focus and mostly, through analyze a problem, you will conclude and find ways to solve the problem. Not in this case, because I can't find the possible source of the problem, but as I have written, so be it. Honestly, I have to admit, I have a display shelf in my workshop, but the reason for that is not displaying my builds, but storing them more space efficient, than in boxes, where they eat a lot of space and are prone to damage. The shelf gets more and more crammed and sometimes, I give away a kit as a present for friends. Mostly, after a build is done, I loose interest in the kit, with only some exceptions. The only model, I will display somewhere in the living area will be a wooden sailing ship, when done. For me it's about building, painting weathering and challenge myself with new techniques, materials or processes, after finishing, the air is out. Does it make sense? To me it does, because I really enjoy the building process as a calming and focusing time and in the end, there are some of my builds, I'm really proud off. Cheers Rob

Muchas gracias Amigos, for your input and reasoning. I will change my approach . The KI-61 just made it back from intercepting B-29's at high altitude and there is still some ice from condensation onto the canopy, that easy . Nope, it's not and I'm wondering about myself. I don't display my builds and you are the only bunch, I'm showing what I do, so why do I care? I cant explain it, but I do. For this build, which was more planned as an easy summer distraction and a camo experiment, I will leave it now as it is, but I'd like to understand what happened, to be prepared for the future. Normally I dip my canopies in Pledge, but didn't do it this time, because the parts were crystal clear and distortion free. It was the first time, I used HGW's Kabuki masks, but nothing ran under the masks and the distortions seem to be no glue residue. I used Revell Contacta Clear for all my canopy works and never had issues. I think, it's very similar to thinned white glue for wood and not very aggressive or fuming. As I said in the beginning, I will try another approach, it's a summer build, it's a cool plane, juuuuust relax and have fun. What was that all about...? Cheers Rob

Beautiful and very detailed, the cockpit area looks positively busy. Cheers Rob

My frustration is starting to rise, the canopy fogging or smearing isn't solved easily. First I tried to clean with a cotton swab, to no avail, then brushed on some Pledge onto one pane, the one on the left in the pic, nothing. After further inspecting, it almost seems, the distortions are in the clear plastic or inside, for whatever reason. I tried to dismount the main canopy part with the help of a blade, but couldn't get it loose without fearing to destroy it, which enhanced my confidence into Revell Contacta glue, which I hadn't before. I'm running out of options, is this really the point, where I have to accept the distortions, or to put a putty made tarp on the canopy, brrrrr. The middle and aft part of the clears is supplied for an open representation of the KI-61, but to install them, you have to change the fuselage mounted railings, which are different for open and closed canopies. Oh, by the way, the distortions are definitely not scratches and they are visible on nearly every pane, on some barely noticeable on others more. Gaz, I would appreciate a pic of the real thing having distortions on the canopy, for whatever reason. Cheers Rob

Simply stunning Peter, your Phantom looks like the one on the boxart, super smooth and refined. The panel lining is like it should be with the chosen look, very fine. Cheers Rob

Haha, great one Gaz. Would the Japanese have known about HGW's wet transfers, they would have invaded the Czech Republic instead of fighting against China, only to get a bad batch of copycat airbrushes. Cheers Rob

Thank you, I guess the Otaki build experience was quite different from the Tamiya one. Building was a breeze with absolutely no issues. Muchas Grazias Gaz Thank you Peter, I will evaluate the canopy prob today and decide then what to do about it. The spot on the underside was caused by me, while cleaning away a tacky spot with a cotton swab dabbed in a hint of alcohol. It worked without problems on the extra tanks, but here, the aluminum color darkened. Repared with the True Metal wax, it looks like new. Cheers Rob