Peterpools

Absolutely glad you guys are here Peter

Harv i’m sure I have you beat .. closing in on 71! Yup; remember when kits for details had a cool looking blob of a pilot for the cockpit detail and to make sure the decals went in the spot, their location was marked by raised impressions! Pretty cool way of building back in the day Peter

Phil Yikes, I need to make it official Welcome and let the good times roll! Peter

Yup, feeling right at home Peter

Hi John Looks like we're getting psyched up for next years Nats and just the build process is going to be fun for sure Peter

HI Phil Not yet but she is still by the bench and every ime I think I'm ready to dive back in, I get sidetracked with another project. I've been thinking about trying for Chattanooga next year and right now I have two builds I want to do: Tamiya F-4J Heller Lockheed L-749 Connie in EAL livery. If I have time, finishing the OWL would be a great idera. Peter

Ernie It's a crime to do all that interior work and then it's lost forever; a lot like your Felixstowe, just so much of all the detail work you did and it couldn't be seen when she was closed up. Those are three tough choices for the scheme and if there was a pole for us to vote; I would love to see a Midway recon cat. I'm still grinding the gears and if I can figure out how to work Chattanooga in next year with the Chief, I'm going. Build wise, I'm narrowing down what I want to try and get done. Right now I'm planning on Tamiya's F-4J with a lot of AM but no slicing and dicing. After the Phantom, I'm going all the way down in scale to 1/72nd: The Heller L-749 Lockheed Connie, Eastern Air Lines. Not planning on going nuts as there is so much to do with the basic kit. Long way down the road before I have to make any decisions. Peter

Ernie Holy Cow, what a build plans and my money is riding on your - nothing like pressure form the start. I followed Kent's gorgeous PBY build and the work was spectacular. Just need to get my brain in gear and I thinking your cat will be as HPH designed the kit and not a cutaway? Right with you on the gear needing to be metal as she is going to be one heavy Lady. I'm hoping to figure out a way to make it to Nats in Chattanooga next year plus I really need to buckle down and actually build a kit or two to enter. Of course, this will alter my plans at the bench a little but nothing new about that. Keep 'em comin Peter

Thanks guys and glad to see so many old friends here on LSM.. For me, what's in the past is done and over and looking forward to enjoying hanging with everyone, sharing builds and a laugh or two. Just learning how to find where everything is and catching up. I'm finishing up a 48th scale GR,9 Harrier and then it's back to 32nd scale with two projects lined up and ready to go Keep 'em comin Peter

Phil, will check it out. I found this video on line last night and thought the coverage was very good. Only wish I could have gone Peter

Slways a milestone in the build: buttoning up the fuselage. Fit looks mighty good. Keep ‘em comin Peter

Hi Ernie Just saw the post and glad you’re here. Nothing better then building models and doing some hanger flying with old and new friends. Looking forward to following your builds as always. I have my 48th scale Harrier underway and after she is across the line, have the next two 32nd scale projects lined up and ready to go Peter

Just found this link on line and the video on the contest is excellent. Enjoy Peter

Mike Thank you for taking the time to not only take some terrific photographs but to upload them and for sharing them with us. Peter

Thanks Rob, much appreciated. Many years since I built a Hasegawa kit and back in the day, fit issues were common and psrt of any build. I guess, over the years lots of the finer points are forgotten. Still a nice kit but I do think Eduard should have done a better job with the instructions pointing out the correct way certain assemblies need to be done. The drawings are vague and that’s part of the problem. Can’t blame Hasegawa as they did their job years ago but when you add to a kit, bump up the price quite a lot, a bit more care with the instructions would have been nice Peter

John Looking forward to your next update and engine pics Keep ‘em comin Peter

Oliver Holy smokes absolutely amazing work. Just totally immersed int he build since day one. Keep 'em comin Peter

John Awesome work on the front office and the weathering is superb. The seat cushion is my favorite - looks dead on the money Keep 'em comin Peter

Awesome ... perfect work Peter

Brilliant work and finish Peter

WOW Fantastic finish ... Peter

Simply beautiful finish . .perfect Peter

Absolutely gorgeous. Peter

UPDATE: 8/5/18: ALMOST READY FOR PRIMING As I am almost ready to hit the priming stage, I completed the major assemblies and started to add a number of the PE parts and small plastic details that would be a pain after painting to add. As careful as I could be, after numerous test fitting parts and assemblies, I've encountered some nasty fit issue., I'm not sure why and I'm sure somewhere I was off a bit, after also tweaking everything until it looked right. The three piece wing assembly, the LEX and the cockpit turtle deck, fit issues galore. Parts just didn't fit and after a lot of muscle, still required a lot of trimming to fit and that was going to now throw some other assemblies out of wack a bit later on. The forward leading intakes assemblies with the blow-in doors were also off a bit and somehow I had the feeling the troubles started with the main intake fuselage duct and compressor blade assembly and how the assembly went in. I removed it twice, working the fit the best I could at at that stage,as it did look correct. Just seems there weren't enough positive location points and just the slightest of errors and presto zingo: there is trouble in paradise! Next, the forward fuselage assemblies was a struggle to fit and that could only be from intake assembly also slightly off. The refueling boom assembly was a nightmare – the fit was horrendous and I used what seemed like a pound of Milliput to fill in the gaps, that you could have sailed a battleship through. With a lot of sanding, filling, sanding and scribing, I have everything together and looking correct; fingers crossed. The glass is just strating to be fitmin various places but I'm getting there. A small rant is now in order: for what the kit cost, I can't find fault with Hasegawa as it's not a new kit but I certainly can with Eduard. I don't know how clear or accurate Hasegawa;s instructions were but Eduard's leave a lot to be desired. Where parts go at times is a guess and flip the Harrier over and the stores are a mess of uncertainty. I'm sure a combination of of stores can be set up, but how about a loadout diagram to help us poor Yanks unfamiliar with RAF Harriers and stores? I have found some of the PE pieces are a bit to thin to represent the part they are replacing (some antennas but not all). At this pint, I had only one run in with the carpet monster and needed to scratch out a few vents I lost. I also decided to add the four outer wing pylons now and will add the balance after painting and decaling. Next up: Finishing all the glass, wind screen and canopy, then final clean up and it's priming time. Thanks for checking in Peter