HubertB

Sorry for your wallet, but on the other hand you will not regret it. This is a kit that can be built OOB with great results. Probably a better mojo restorer than, say, a Hasegawa P-47. Isn’t it Ernie ? Mine is under way as well, and will be - almost OOB - as well. I say « almost » because I want mine finished as the Paris 1934 Airshow P11/IV prototype. So that entails adding wheel-spats, and going for a red-and-white livery. Hubert

I bought mine from Micro-Mark. It was made of hard PA66 (a plastic type) at the time. It works well, and I am happy with it. Nowadays, you get some in machined metal, which is better as you get sharper edges at the bending point. From Micro-Mark : https://www.micromark.com/Etch-Buddy-Photo-Etch-Bending-Fixture And the top items, quality-wise, from RP Toolz. If you peruse their site, and are a tool-geek like me, you can easily spend a few kits’ worth on their site, but you won’t regret it. http://rptoolz.unas.hu/en/spl/450289/PIRANHA-PE-tools HTH Hubert

There is no denying that the cover-up and lies of the local authorities, then the communication-control attempts by the central power of the PRC created a time-gap where other countries could have been warned and could have started action. On the other hand, it seems from studies in different countries that the virus had reached the Western world by the beginning of January. When the lock-down of Wuhan was decided on January 23rd, the virus was already circulating out of China. And not many, if any, Western governments took the signal that locking-down 60 million people was a very drastic measure that implied a very very serious threat. In fact some Western leaders are still trying to play down the seriousness of it to this day. The virus was already in their country and yet they were pretending the situation was under control and would disappear soon. There is a French saying that with "ifs", you can put Paris in a bottle. If the Chinese authorities had not wasted time lying and trying to hide the issue, maybe the outcome would have been different. But if the Western governments had acted sooner and more strongly, and some leaders not been in denial until only a few days ago, the crisis would not have reached its actual worldwide proportions. And, let's be fair, even the people did not take the issue that seriously until a few days ago. I do not act and react today as I did two or three weeks ago, and I am sure most of you are in the same league. So, in the causal chain of actions, responsibilities seem to be distributed evenly along the time-line, IMHO. At least, in Western democracies, we can expect the people to ask for accountabilities, and, hopefully, we can ultimately use our voting ballot to sanction incompetent or complacent leaders ... Hubert

... or to safeguard the toilet paper stock. May still be a good idea nowadays Hubert

Could be a Russian design .... Hubert

No need to apologise, Martin. This is the absolute truth. This is meant to be a light-hearted thread where we can share our desires and hopes, modelling-wise. As for being in survival mode, I understand very well what you mean. I have spent more time this week working on my business’ survival than I usually work when everything is doing fine. Part of the survival measures will be cutting my income to the minimum. All my modelling purchases were done before the crisis exploded. My other time-eater of the moment is the house I am having built. Until last week, I was getting very crossed at the idea of the works getting late and potentially impacting the delivery date. But now, I will welcome a three-months delay with relish ... Hubert

Yeah, that’s what I keep telling myself all the time. But somehow these kits have developed an uncanny capability to sneak past the best resolutions. Such stealthiness is somewhat frightening sometimes . Thank God, Trumpeter’s TBD is not on this year’s release schedule (or is it ?). That will leave something for the post-Covid-19 times Hubert

Looks more like target than something wIth wings. And Paul Fisher’s Fairey Firefly in development has gone in flames with the rest of his business, unfortunately for him (and us) Hubert

Gawd ... I’d forgotten about the Bf-108. If I can find a decent civilian scheme for it ... Hubert

Ok, as a (big) number of us have some extra modelling time nowadays, and also time for mulling/daydreaming, and as there are plenty of kits already released, or about to be released, what would be on your « models-to-buy » list for this year ? Your list does not have to be : - aircrafts only, - 1/32 only, - new releases only (for instance I would expect a Tamiya Corsair on JohnB’s list ) - IM plastic only, - complete kits only, if you badly « need » AM stuff. I’ll bite first with my list (all aircrafts in 1/32 scale, ofcourse ) Trumpeter 1/200 Titanic (done) IBG PZL P11c (done and on the bench) Silver Wings DH-82 Tiger Moth (ordered - waiting for delivery) Lukgraph DH-89 Dragon Rapide Dora Wings Dewoitine 500-510 Daco Fouga Magister Fly Saab J-29 (tbc) Well, this is a long list already. Bad news is the income will be down with the Covid-19-induced economic slump, and thus slush funds for modelling. Good news is some releases will be delayed for the same reason. so, what’s yours ? Hubert

Just had the confirmation one of my employees was in hospital with Covid-19, in a serious but stable - very high fever - condition. He has felt ill since last friday. As he was still on the company premises on Tuesday the 17th, he was, maybe already infectious ... His mother is also in hospital in a more serious condition. I don’t know which way the infection was transmitted between mother and son. And some people in this world believe it should be « business as usual » by Easter ? Hubert

Excellent ideas. I confess I did not think about them. Whatever the scheme, red and white seem « compulsory » colors. And don't forget to clip the wings ! A « rising sun » scheme seems an idea (like the Super Corsair), although probably not a good one in an immediate-post-WWII racing configuration, where anti-Japanases feelings were still strong. Hubert

Wow ! Another masterpiece in the making ! Hubert

I agree with Bill. The sleeve-valve system of the engines entailed two intake and two exhaust ports. With 18 holes, this ring is for a 9-cylinder engine. Hubert

I see no reason why you could not use enamels on resin, Jeff. In fact the modus operandi should not be any different from polystyrene. So go for it, and keep us posted of your trials Hubert