DocRob

Thanks Carl, it seems more and more vendors don't send chemicals in larger jars than 30ml. I can only guess, it's the same with the aqueous version, but will keep it in mind, if my usual supply dries up. Cheers Rob

Great work all around Mike. I can't add to the tube thing question though, maybe it's a mine. I don't think there were dragged sonars by that time. The PE looks tedious, but adds a lot of detail. I can imagine the patience it took, to assemble these pieces. I never used PE flat rigging, but the AIMS set looks like you should slot the ends of the wires, maybe in a scalpel cut small hole. Measuring will be not so easy, but you could slot in one side and look where the second slot has to be then. Cheers Rob

Some goods arrived today. You might think the primer is nothing special, but it becomes harder to get the stuff sent to my island. Some Spanish vendors don't send these jars to my island anymore. This packet made it through from Germany. The spoked wheels are from Copper State models and will be used on my Albatros B.II and Stahltaube. A third set, I may use for my Fokker E.II. The Italian chap will be an addition to my lately finished Lancia ICM. The spoked wheels are luckily safely packed in boxes with padding material and separated in their bags with a staple. And they look ABSOLUTELY FREAKING MARVELLOUS . Cheers Rob

Not a complete kit, but maybe helpful for some inter war projects. 1/32 R-985 Wasp Junior US aircraft engine – ARMORYMODELS.COM Cheers Rob

Thank you shark and Carl, the shape of the plane is very appealing and somehow no frills. There are still some details to add, like the Naxos radar and fittings for the rudders and antennas, which I will not add until after painting. I guess, the slender looks will remain though. Engineering wise, it's a most interesting airframe too, so many new technologies envolved and it was even flying in different roles. The night fighter variant shows also, where development fails sometimes, as the Arado was not well equipped for the job. Cheers Rob

Interior is looking nice Bill. Which livery have you chosen for yours, plain green or camo? Cheers Rob

Interesting conversion possibility, Martin. Back in Berlin, a friend of mine got a drive session in one of these as a birthday present. The tank dated back to the NVA (East German Army). Not the best pictures, but clearly show, how to get your tank muddy . Cheers Rob

I built some WNW kits, Paul and with the first one, I had the same reservations like you. It's a learning curve, but it's manageable. The kits are absolutely fantastic and hard to screw up. Like you said, a simple rigging job helps at the beginning, but it's not so hard to do. The difficulty is the price tag now, with the D.VII with the ever lasting demand for the type. Another option would be another manufacturer. There are CSM, Roden, MikroMir and a lot of resin producers around. I built the MikroMir Fokker D.VIII and it's a crude cheap kit, which needed a lot of extra attention, but with some scratching and detailing you have a nice bird with only a tiny bit of rigging. Cheers Rob

I have the same kit and will cover it in Aviattic's linen finish decals instead of painting. The decals are still in the mail, along some sets of spoked wheels from CSM for my early WWI German birds, finely 3D printed. Are you planning to WIP the Fokker, Bill? Cheers Rob

Thanks for the information Martin. I knew some about these conversions, but how these armor boxes were constructed internally is news to me. I built the Tamiya kit a long time ago, using Legend resin upgrades and Voyager PE. If it's not the place to show the kit here, let me know and I edit the pic away. Cheers Rob

Thanks fellas, the Primer sprays supersmooth, but there are some areas, I need to address. The lower wing roots need more flller and foremost the area around the radar operator hatch. Cheers Rob

That engine looks fantastic Mark. Hopefully not all will be buried unseen in the car. Cheers Rob

It is indeed a very interesting plane Peter, well ahead of it's competition by far. I masked wheel wells, engines and the canopy with sponges, tape and liquid mask and gave the Arado a rub with an alcohol soaked cloth. I paid a lot of attention to seal the canopy section air tight with liquid mask and with filling the gaps before with Revell Clear, because I hope to hinder the inside of the canopy from fogging due to thinner fumes. Prime (er) time - I applied Mr. Surfacer 1200, which sprayed very well as always. After drying, I sprayed the canopy section gloss black, to accept the riveted decal strips for the framing, if I decide to use them. Now I have to check, where I have to further work on the surfaces, be it filling or scribing. Meanwhile I sprayed other parts like the Rato rockets and their parachutes, external fuel tanks and the parts for the landing gear, which will be detailed with chrome oleos and braking lines next. Cheers Rob

I'm not completely sure, how it works, but my guess is, the triangular resin bit contains an explosive load. When fired backwards the chute got pulled out of the compartment under the primed PE part. There is so much advanced technology built into this plane, it's amazing. Cheers Rob

Splendid work with the seat belts Carl, That's why they use these huge glass dome canopies, to show all the nice detail . Cheers Rob

I will look over your shoulder Kevin, as I have the SH Tempest MK.VI in my stash, which I like to finish in NMF. Cheers Rob

Thank you Peter and Gary, I'll wait for the 1ManArmy masks to arrive, until I decide about the paint scheme. For brown/green, I have camo masks, but a grey German nightfighter camo is also a possibility. Meanwhile, there is some detail work to be done. I added the PE hinges to the wheel doors and the breaking parachute release mechanism to the fuselage, where I used 0,55 mm brass rod instead of the supplied thread. Cheers Rob

Very nice Kevin, I have to say, I cannot find the yellow too far off. It depends on the lighting. It seems too bright on pictures, I guess you have used a flash. On the first and the last pic, it's only a tiny bit too light. With all the risks involved, I would tone it a bit down with a filter, other than respraying. Cheers Rob

Looks splendid and sexy Peter, it's such a nice airframe and you do her justice. Cheers Rob

Well done Sasha, the 109 came out beautifully. I really like the slightly faded paintjob. Cheers Rob

Well, normally I don't plan on future purchases, Mostly, I see a kit and if my mind starts to render images of the built kit, I'm sold. There are some temptations though. CSM's Bristol Scout, the still available WNW Felixstowe, Master Korabels 1/48 wooden 42 ft launch of Twelve Apostles, maybe the new tool 1/24 Mini Cooper from Hasegawa with some extras. I almost forgot, there is the 1/24 Spitfire from Airfix sending 'buy me' signals. You'll know it, when it's there . Cheers Rob

Fantastic work, water and figure look absolutely great. Can't wait to see the heli hovering. Cheers Rob

Muchas gracias amigos, it's a milestone indeed, with most of the difficult areas of the build addressed. Now it's straight towards painting, but I haven't finally decided which scheme I use. Brown and green like the manual suggested or grey mottled nightfighter scheme. I will wait for the 1ManArmy stencil masks to arrive, as they often include markings for a special plane and decide then. For green and brown, I have a mask set and I somehow like the scheme. @Bomber_County Phil, you forgot to mention luck . Cheers Rob

Yesterday, I received decals for my McLaren made by the Italian company TB Decals, including tabaco ads. Interesting though is the different interpretation of the bright red color. TB Decals to the left seems to orientate on the Zero Paint red in the middle. The Fujimi decals on the right are somewhat darker. Not being an expert, but evaluating photos, the truth would have been between them with a slight bias towards Zero Paints. Cheers Rob

The thing got wings finally and it's tail. Fit is good so far, but a little filling will be needed at the wingroots. The Arado is a big kite and one of the main goals until the finish is not to knock off the protruding FUG antenna posts. She will not be a tail sitter, my glued in weight was sufficient. Cheers Rob