HubertB

Very nice Albatros. And don’t worry about the long time. I still have an unfinished Aichi Hansa (a Hispano-powered, Japanese licence-built, W-29). I started scratchbuilding it in 2008, BEFORE WnW launched its kit, and also before it went OOP with WnW Hubert

Tuning Vespas is a thing for teenagers in suburban dwellings, Ernie. Talk about a 40s’ crisis Hubert

So the lesson seems that, when the plating is well done (i.e. a primer varnish and a -rather thick- homogeneous metallized plating) like in these old 70’s truck kits, the traditional cleaning methods will struggle ... You need to break through the surface tension on the metal plating, and for this you need micro-asperities, that will give a « bite » to the paint stripper. Just like champagne : you need micro defects in the cristal, or dust particles, for the bubbles to form ... Lesson stored for future use Hubert

Hubert

Don’t hesitate to make me an offer . It’s a nice kit, not without its fault, but it turns out into a nice result everytime I have seen one finished. The AM I bought can contribute to making it even more stunning. I was thinking of kitbashing it with the Revell kit to correct the slightly too blunt wing-root radiators, and the Revell kit is a (free) part of my package If i can remember where I put it, I will add the Tasman vac-form transparencies, I KNOW I have, but where ? And there is no beating the slender looks of a glass-nosed Mossie Hubert

On its way ... Now in the hands of the Portuguese, then Canadian Post Office, which is a lifetime adventure in itself, I understand Hubert

Absolutely. The product doing the work is caustic soda. It’s fairly agressive, so most oven-cleaners now have a «no-caustic soda » formula. If you can find caustic soda (soude caustique) in your DYI store, try it. Remember to wear gloves, a respiratory mask, and to dilute caustic soda in water, not the other way round. ( in short read the instructions on the bottle ) HTH Hubert

Bumpitty bump for the week-end Hubert

The alternative is to steam the strips. Take a plumber's PVC pipe long enough to hold the strips. Plug it on one end to the kettle, and on the other end, plug it with a small hole in the plug to vent-off the steam. It will work like a tubular pressure cooker. Pressure-resistant tube, like the one for swimming pools works better just for this safety reason Hubert

Remember heat allows for easier bending, especially if it goes two-ways like at the stern. Soak the srips in water, then swipe them with a soldering iron at minimum temperature, or under a hot air gun. Pre-twist them to shape, and finish the shaping in-situ. PVA glue adheres well to moist wood, btw. Hubert

Quite a cook, indeed ! Keep it on, and in a few hundred thousand years there will be a new charcoal mine in sunny Texas Hubert

Well I do find the same after a golf play, especially whan its warm and sunny like now. The only thing is the course is open (anew) but the club-house bar is still closed, because of Covid-19 restrictions Hubert

Nice progress, Ron ! Hubert

Cool project. I love these heavy duty engines Hubert

I’ll send you the shipping estimate, Ernie ... Hubert