Peterpools

Eduard needs to do a bit better on the QC, especially for what the parts costs Keep ‘em comin Peter

Alberto Good call on the colors - FS numbers look correct Keep ‘em comin Peter

Mike Brilliant work. Keep ‘em comin Peter

John looking so good and completely agree - no need to spend time building assemblies that will never be seen Keep ‘em comin Peter

John Yes, sad and most likely the future for Tamiya Keep ‘em comin Peter

Absolutely gorgeous work Keep 'em comin Peter

Kai Has Italeri missed any part or assembly that doesn't need major work or corrections? Only answer possible is Italier they are trying to give the builder the biggest bang for their buck in terms of build time. I'm also banning my Mirage to the stash with the AM I bought Keep 'em comin Peter

Mark Best of luck with your new job and the best for the future for you and your family Keep 'em comin Peter

Glad no one was injured on the beach and the Avenger was salvaged Keep 'em comin Peter

Hi John I use to wonder the same for the passed few years but deep down I'm feeling Tamiya has pretty much written off 32nd scale and is going to be concentrating on 48th and 72 scale scale aircraft kit for the future. Looking at the cost these days for bringing a Tamiya quality 32nd scale kit to the market, the time and cost has just sky rocketed and the sales just aren't there any more. I fell in love with their Mossie kit, as it easily is the best injected molded kit I've ever built and there were plans for an additional version - never released. Sales vs costs had to be the killer. As bad as I feel about the situation, it seems Tamiya has closed the hanger doors on 32nd scale and gone with the flow of who is buying kits, subject and scale. Last I looked, the Mossie is going for $225 at SB and I guess the market has said it's just too much. Yes, I would love a Tamiya Hellcat, Jug, Lightning and a P-51B but I just feel, they are just not going to happen any more. Peter

Awesome progress on the Tomcats. Keep 'em comin Peter

Mark Paint work is beyond stellar and your detail work is perfect. Keep 'em comin Peter

Phil Your F4 looked awesome - hoping Rob goes for the Horton Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Mark Very much appreciate. While ZM kits are yerrific kits, at this stage of the game, just hang in there and wait for Tamiya's F-4 which is right around the corner Keep 'em comin Peter

Kev Thanks for the kind works. Finally making some much needed progress Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Gaz Much appreciated. Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Rob Just my style with aircraft - like them neat and clean and ready for inspection in my display case. Completely agree about ZM over engineering their kits - which easily increases the costs for no really good reason. Looking forward to you working your magic on a Horton - now that's one kit that breaks the inertia detailing rule for the right reasons Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Harv Super kit, great details and trying to stick to my guns of just build what you will see and enjoy the ride Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks Phil A bit behind on replying to posts, still dealing with some medical issues. Yup, ZM's F4's certainly were ground breaking and brought the Phantoms to a new level of detailing and accuracy. Where ZM just gets way too bogged down for me is the instructions and over engineering. I'm old school, prime only with medium gray and just not a weathering guy for aircraft. I counting the days, waiting for Tamiya's F-4B's and hopefully will be dieting on them for a while. Keep 'em comin Peter

I love Phantoms and number one is the F-4B. Tamiya's is going to be a gem for sure and I'm willing to bet there won't be any fit issues as well. Just amazes me that with all the research and new kits Tamiya has brought out, none have been released in 32nd scale Peter

ZM F-4J Phantom 1/48 Scale Over the years I’ve purchased a number of ZM’s Fabulous Phantoms. The kit is wonderfully detailed, requires slow and careful assembly, reading and re-reading the instructions numerous times. I found most of ZM’s instructions to be on the confusing side with additional assembly notes somewhere on the page which I normally find too late. My personal opinion, just way too many drawings and at times, I still wasn’t clear where and how the part should be added. I did purchase ZM’s PE Cockpit Interior set and a resin set of ejection seats (note sure whose) – the rest of the build pure OOB. Only one set of markings is included, decals are beautiful and printed by Cartograf. Sorry for not photographing the cockpit and fuselage portion of the build but when I started the kit, I hadn’t returned to the forum and didn’t think much about documenting the build. Use of my hands where very poor by then and the kit sat for months, just being too frustrating to deal with. Once I was able to pick up the ball, progress was slow but enjoyable. Airbrush work and priming: MRP –One color I have a hard time achieving full coverage with: MRP White FS 17875 and I normally now use either either Tamiya or Mr Color. I did have a few fit issues and I still feel ZM kits are over engineered with more parts to make up an assembly then actually needed. So here we go. The fuselage built as per the instructions, including the engines, which will never be seen but they are there. Wings assembled as per the instructions as well, with Tamiya Panel Line pin wash in the wheel wells to bring out the wonderful details. I did manage to lose one part and after contacting ZM USA – Volk’s, in order to purchase the missing part (fret), I needed to show proof of purchase from an authorized dealer. The kit cost $75 and the replacement part with postage was $19.90 – seems a bit extreme to me! Right now, I’m cleaning up the fuselage and wings, getting ready to add the canopy in the closed position and then priming. Canopy masks are not included and I bought three sets from DN, enough for future builds so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping three times. For a top of the line kit, they should have been included. Right now, working on the Sparrows, Sidewinders and drop tanks; built, painted and decaled. So here is where the build picks up. Please accept my apologies for the terrible photographs - a bit too tired to set up the lights and background. Thanks for checking in Peter

Alberto Great idea - if you do decide to use the 1975 cammo color scheme the green and dark brown were different then used today and seems to be a matter of conversation as to what are the correct colors Keep ‘em comin Peter

Mike Perfect way to install the control surfaces - lots of extra work but insurance that they won’t be prone to breaking off in the future. nice work on the linen tapes Keep ‘em comin Peter

Tony looking so good Keep ‘em comin Peter

Martin Amazing work and attention to detail, plus the skills to pull it off perfectly Keep ‘em comin Peter