Peterpools

Jeroen Bomb Bay looks spot on the money Keep 'em comin Peter

John Some mighty nice work and a terrific fit solution. Can always count on you to find the best way to cure a problem Keep 'em comin Peter

Ernie Going to be a great build and just love your signature ... now that's an airplane - taildraggers forever Peter

Smitty Thanks for the info - eill go back and take a look Peter

I have a contest question regarding the IPMS NAT Contest Categories. I’ve read the rules and am not sure where the following model would/should go: The Fisher AD Skyraider conversion of the Trumpeter kit. While a conversion, the rules say such ‘commercial conversions’ are at a disadvantage to conversions accomplished by scratch building and really not recommended to be enteted in the conversion category. The only other category would be as suggested: stratchbuilt & conversion but the same applies. So my question: is there a contest category for such a conversion that it can compete fairly on the quality of the work done or not entering, as it will be playing second fiddle to scratch conversions. Peter

John WOW< you sure are rolling ... the engine and interior looks great and nice choice on not spending time on those hidden details - I would have done the same 'Keep 'em comin Peter

Ernie Looks pretty good right out of the box. I think I can see the canopy framing - is it well defined and just doesn't photgraph well at this point? Keep 'em comin Peter

Ernie I'm going to hold you to it so we finally get our long awaited and much needed P-51B. Of course, we can't thank you enough. Peter

Thanks John To my mental lapse, I didn't realize I had installed the chaff and flare Spenser backwards and needed to cut it out with a micro saw and flip it around. Of course, it was now a tough job as I couldn't use the glue tabs and needed to do a bit of additional surgery. It's back on now and I'm working on cleaning up the mess and carefully applying some Greenstuff to further clean up the seams. never seems to amaze me, when I think things are rolling along: Murphy shows up. Peter

Thanks Phil Glad you have your garage re-organization done and next on the list is to install the spray booth. Everything takes time and when it's ready to roll and tims allows, you will be set to hit the booth and bench at full throttle Peter

Jereon Very much appreciated and nothing like a change of pace to keep the juices flowing. Peter

UPDATE: 8/12/18: PRIMING AND AIR BRUSHING – DONE It's been a busy week and lots of bench time. First up, the windshield needed the moldline removed, polished and then the Eduard mask set added. Easy and went on well but it only covers the outside circumference and additional Tamiya tape is needed to complete the job. The glass nose tip was painted on the interior surface, glued in place with CCA, sanded and polished. Of course being so small and my clumsy hands in no way could mask it with tape, for the very first time I tried Mr Masking Sol Neo and I'm hoping I did it right. Of course, there will be no way to know until the very end of the build .. oh what joy! The intakes were masked and it was time to move the Harrier into the paint booth. Priming: The Harrier was primed with Mr Surfacer 1200, thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner and Mr Color Color Retarder to insure the primer went down level and super smooth. Somewhere during priming I decided to change paint schemes and went with Harrier ZD 464/54, 20 (R) Squadron, RAF Wittering Air Base, 2002 with a gloss blue tail. 2/3 of the way through painting and with the gloss blue tail also done, I changed my mind again and went back to my original build plan, which required scrapping the painting scheme I just nearly finished and back to square one. The tail was painted Mr Color 316: FS17875 Gloss White and then to my astonishment, I didn't have Mr Color 335 – Medium Sea Gray in the paint stash for the fuselage. Nothing much to do but switch gears and I pulled out the correct MRP Medium Sea Gray. Even though both paints are lacquers, I shoot them quite differently, so I had to keep the old brain focused a bit more then usual. All was going well and my first BIG mistake hit me smack dab between the eyes: following the instruction's build sequence, I had installed 4 of the 8 pylons and now painting the yellow/green leading edges turning from what would have been a simple and easy walk in the park, into a nightmare. First up, I didn't have the correct color but was able to make a the mix using MRP paints. Masking the upper surfaces was snap and went very quickly but masking around the leading edges and between the pylons was a tough go. Finally after what seemed like hours of masking I was ready to shoot some paint. Second BIG mistake: Wait, not quite yet: The rear stabilizers needed to have the leading edges masked as well. Holy smokes – why in earth did I again follow the instructions and install them before painting? Now another simple masking job turned into a few more unnecessary work. Finally the air brushing was done and no problems to report. Wait, another easy masking job still needed to be done: the tail cone – now masked and painted Dark Green as per the instructions. The shadow line on the leading edges is a photographic shadow line from how I positioned the lights. I tripled checked and there is no seam line on the model: whew! Next up: Gloss and decals, the gear and wheel wells (?) and start the loadouts. Thanks for checking in

John Can't wait to wish you a happy birthday this Wednesday ... I only have a few months to go myself for the big 71. Peter

Phil Completely agree. Peter