Peterpools

Paul Nice, steady progress on the Valentine, looking mighty good and well detailed. You just can't beat Tamiya engineering, where everything fits without having to figure out the assembly sequence and location. Not having built any armor, I never thought about where the brakes are and having them on the outside should save interior space.

Mrk She looks awesome up on her legs ... nice going. Peter

Gaz Great decision for your latest build 👍. For markings: yellow 10 or 20 would be my choice. Same here, as soon as Sprue Brothers had the kit for sale, I dove in and bought it - my first 109! I've been planning on building mine as soon as the Whirlwind is across the line, which hopefully will be in a few weeks. I'm out to lunch on how much of the interior details to add and show at this point and will be doing the lead Hartmann scheme as well. I plan on doing mine OOB as ZM kits are more then enough detailed for me and I not expecting any accuracy or build issues (thank goodness) I'll be following your build ever so closely to see how it's done and your thoughts as well. Please take lots of photographs along the way. I'll be front and center for the entire journey, taking notes and enjoying the ride.

Kev Absolutely. It was surely a close one, disaster averted at the last second.

Rob "... but is fail an option...." nope 😉

Rob Nice progress - chassis and engine look so good. This is one kit I can't wait to see the cammo work start.

Rest in Peace your Majesty. A bright ray of sunshine in our world has flown west.

Mark These snags just seem too always sneak up when you least expect it but letting them rest for another day and clearing your mind, while working on other areas is the best way to handle the situation. Nice work on the wheels - looking mighty good.

John Beautiful build and another Corsair to add to your collection. I was on the Completed Build Forum and left a post as well.

John Another gem in record time. Just love the finish and she looks so good. Awesome work as always

Thanks Mike, When Kias first pointed out my error, I didn't think the repair would work but luckily it did.

Thanks Mark Glad it's repaired and I'm now working on the main gear and it's 'oh so delicate'

John Just glad kai spotted it when it wasn't too late. Of course, my build will be a great resource of pitfalls and mistakes to avoid. 

Carl, thanks Buddy, that makes me feel a lot better.

Thanks Mark for the update and a breather is the best way to take a fresh look at what needs to be done and then when you're ready, back to the build issues. Those limited run and resin kits - just have a mind of their own.

Rob Well said and absolutely correct

Thanks Dennis, much appreciated. To be honest, if it wasn't for Kai, most likely I would have noticed something was wrong way after the Whirlwind crossed the line.

Mark You're speeding through the HEMTT M1147 and it's looking so good. What was the holdup point on the Viggen?

WELL, I DID IT AGAIN Don’t know how but I did it again. Now I know why I had so much trouble with the fit and shape of the nose … I had it on upside down. Kai sent a PM the other day pointing out my mistake and at first, I couldn’t believe it but he was a 100% correct. I went back and looked at the same photographs I’ve used all along and the instructions and sure enough, I blew it. Bad enough I had it wrong but this was already the second time I removed the nose; first time was to correct the cannon angle and try and remedy the nose profile. Thank goodness Kai saw my mistake as any later in the build and it would have been impossible to correct it without stripping the entire model back to bare plastic and there was no way I would have had the energy or desire to do it. At that point, the Whirlwind would have become a permanent resident of the SOD. Looking for an excuse, there is none, the blunder was mine. The Repair: First step was to remove all the Tamiya Putty from the first repair so I could see the actual nose seam line in at least a few spots and tape the cut line. With a CMK Fine Razer Saw Blade, I ever so gingerly cut the nose off. The first time I removed the nose and cleaned up the mess, there was not much of the fuselage wall left and I needed to build up the glue faces with Evergreen styrene. It worked well and now doing it all over again, I had to cut through and then remove all the styrene bracing and start over. I prepared the nose and fuselage as best I could, added new internal styrene bracing for some much needed strength and carefully glued the nose back on, which didn’t fit at all. What I was able to accomplish at this point was to get the cannons square to the Whirlwind center line and play with the nose cone until I had the right profile. There were large, ugly gaps nearly completely around the nose but I just let the Extra Thin do its job and dry thoroughly overnight. The mega gaps were filled with sheet styrene and when dry, I went to work sanding and shaping. CCA was used to fill any remaining gaps, holes and ultra thin seam cracks. From here, a lot more sanding with the worst of the repair over. It’s done and I’m ready to rejuvenate my mojo, get the juices flowing and get back on course. With this build, I’m never going to say; the worst is behind and it looks like smooth sailing. The only time it will be smooth sailing is when I cross the finish line. Please excuse the photos as I wanted to document the work as I progressed and there was no time to do my normal setup One ugly repair up to this point, with adjusting the alignment and profile as best as I could. Starting to fill in the gaps with Evergreen Styrene Done and moving on.

Scott, some mighty nice progress on the Texan and you are handling the KH fit issues one after another, like a hot knife through butter. Just seems that a majority of manufacturer's run into fit issues when the decision is made to use removable panels - almost never fit. I rarely leave them open and as with the case with the Texan, need to spend lots of time correcting the fit. Why in the world can't they just mold it closed and leave cut lines on the inside for those that want the panels open?

Mike Very nice progress and all the small details are certainly adding up in a big way! Right with you about the fit and instructions ... just requires so much extra time to figure things out before getting on with the work at hand.

Mark Absolutely the best way to avoid frustration when a situation isn't going well on the Viggen, just put it aside and think things through with a fresh mind and perspective. Nice choice for your fill in/alternate build - will be following all the way.

Bill Nice work on the gears - looks perfect and so good on the Big Cat.

Kev Right with Rob, beautiful work.

Ernie Perfect work on the wing attachment butt joint - your system solved any and all problems and looks spot on the money.