Peterpools

John It surely is

Scott When I built my Sea Fury, I don't remember having to deal with air bubbles but those gaps!

Chris Terric work - the canopy fit looks spot on the money as well as the radar antennas. I'm most like one of the few builders who hasn't used Uschi flexible thread or even EZ Line yet. For radio antenna lines I still use stretched sprue and I know I'm a dinosaur and have to buy some. The Whirlwind does have antenna wires and I need to decide which way to go.

December 1st is a bit tight for me as I wanted to start and finish my ZM 109 before the GB started. I'm in with the old, Monogram Vought Kingfisher, it's in the stash and ready to go.

Phil Should be a stunner for sure.

Carl I do prefer the Tamiya/ Olfa knives blades these days but finding the blades is not easy in the states. I was smart enough for me (a rarity for sure) when I purchased my two Tamiya sets to also purchase two 25 pc packs of blades as well. I'm pretty sure I bought them from BNA in Australia but not positive.

Gaz Maybe it wasn't you at all but even if it was and you went back to review the instructions, you should be able to see what your error was. If it's that's hidden and you can't see it now, most likely you wouldn't see when doing the initial assembly, the fault lay with ZM's instructions. No matter what for me, a soon to be rooky 109 builder, your struggles and comments are so important. Just can't thank you enough for all your commentary and pointing out the how and what to look for at each step of the build.

I still feel the overall issue isn't A or B team as we know how well qualified Radu is. For me the issue is just cramming way too many details and parts into a tight space, add in molding tolerances and presto - fit issues. You can't have a scale engine in a scale space as the thickness of the plastic is thicker then the scale thickness of the aluminum. Tamiya came close with its ultra-thin cowlings but I'm still willing to bet the engines are a bit undersized. For me, the answer is: leave the cowlings off or include an engine plug replacement so that the engine can be displayed off the model. Last option: start trimming the parts on the engine until the cowling will fit and can be glued into place.

John Never knew .. thanks for the info.

Thanks Phil Looks like I'm going to give them a try

Carl At least you tried and plan C is where I normally wind up when there are any issues at the stage of the game

John You're amazing - looks perfect.

Thanks Carl, I'll be waiting for it.

Might just give them try. yes, I know I'm weak.

Phil They are available on our side of the pond but I've been using X-acto and Tamiya almost all of my life. I have so many X-acto and Tamiya handles. changing just isn't in the cards - of course buying a set of Swann Morton knives and blades is an option for sure.

I couldn't wait any longer and finally pulled the trigger. Before ordering the P-40, I did a lot of research on the kit itself, colors and paints. The colors and paints are a complete quagmire ... way too many opinions and way too many assumptions online and the colors are NOT RAF Dark Green, Dark Brown and Gray underside. You cannot actually buy any of the three correct colors straight out of the bottle, with the old Model Master enamels being the closest. In the end, my final source: Dana Bell! I have a lot of charts as well.

OMG, I've been waiting for the entire 18 years and can't wait to get the Devastator on the bench. I just can't believe after all these years Some day we might know the real story as to why she took nearly two decades to become reality. No question, I'll be buying more then one.

Carl Thanks for the heads up: I'm in for one of each: F-35A, B and C. I'll be keeping an eye for when they are available to order.

Scott Right with you and fully agree .. for the most part I buy X-acto and Tamiya blades, pay more but find they cut better and last longer. Hurricane Ian destroyed Fr Myers and Naples and is headed your way. Be safe tale all the precautions you can.

Jani Welcome aboard and looking forward to following future builds.

Rob I'm already seated front row and ready to be onboard for the entire journey.

Chris Looking mighty good, up on her legs. On my end, the cammo looks terrific and I can't see any overspray - so your sanding/repair work worked perfectly. Right with you, gloss black is a tough color to photograph and I use a diffuser over the light source to remove the hot spots and glare. Working outdoors makes it even worse. Of course, the secret weapon side for me is both Photoshop and Lightroom and I don't think I ever posted a single photograph that haven't been through at least one of them. Nice work on finding a work-a-round the nose weight issue and of course I've been there as well.

Thanks so much Chris. What I did for the masking (I'll take some photos and add them to the next update). I start with the kits painting/decal plans and determine the enlargement percentage as the top and bottom views are normally a different size then the side views. I hit Staples and make enough copies to cut out masks for each of the colors. Then it literally it takes a ton of hours to cut and roll up tiny strips of Tamiya tape attached the bottom of the masks and then a lot of time to place the masks. All this raises the mask a tiny bit off the model surface. The end result is a demarcation line that is slightly soft as compared to a standard mark that yields a hard edge. All the cleanup work I did on any overspray or small bleed through was done freehand. I've been a HUGE advocate of MRP lacquer paints since they first came on the market and are my number one, go to paint. I tried AK Real Colors for the first time and am very impressed and love the way they shoot. For me the big differences is: MRP is shot straight from the bottle and AK needs to be thinned. Right now, I'm on the fence as to which I like better as I get the same results from each. I also have a large investment in MRP paints and am planning on using them on my next build: ZM Bf 109. Looks as if the build will determine the paint. The biggest drawback to MRP is availability while AK is sold by more vendors. Surely seems we have the same issues and thoughts on the MM spray booth but what it is, it is. For now, the spray booth is my limiting factor on how large a kit I can build and paint. I also try to keep the filter clean and do replace them when needed with filters from MM. I'm pretty picky on seams and if I can see it. no matter how tiny, I'll go back and redo them

Kev, much appreciated. Yes the Whirlwind's span is smaller then the Mossie; glad you checked out the specs and it is considerable. The Whirlwind is a much smaller aircraft then the Mossie. I plan on displaying them side by side in my display case.

Gaz Geez, the ZM 109 is certainly having its fit issues and no, I don't think for a minute it's you. I really don't care who the manufacturer is but the more removable panels there are to show off the underneath details, the fit of those parts become worse and worse. Terrific work on your fix and repair, which resolved the fit issues. If the cowl is going to be closed, why in the world couldn't ZM just provide a simple plug to replace the engine (yes, Tamiya doesn't either, but they do not have these types of fit issues) and you wouldn't have had to go through all this aggravation. With a simple engine replacement plug, the entire nose cowl will fit and you could have displayed the engine separately on the display stand in the kit. I'm right with Carl and I'm a Tamiya Fan Boy ❗ You get what you pay for and no they aren't shake and bake kits - they are just well engineered to a high standard that reflects their cost. Most of mine have the cowlings off to show off the Merlin's and on the ones where the cowlings are closed up, at best I had a few minor fit issues, so easily fixed. I'm still planning on my ZM 109 being my next build, taking careful notes on Gaz's build and Bill's as well. For my two cents: just way too much plastic being crammed into way too small of a space - there just doesn't seem to be any breathing room.