HubertB

Tsssk …. Tsssk …. Tssssk … Hubert

Well, t may be over-engineered and finicky in places, but you went through this build like a breeze, John. And the result is great, as per your usual 👍 ! Hubert

6% humidity on a small island 😖 …. Ouch … Hubert

You are absolutely right, Peter: the plate is an aerodynamic fairing that moves with the horizontal stabilator as it is being trimmed. As such, there is a (small) gap between the plate and the fin. The thickness of the plate is a result of molding limitations … and Radu’s interpretation of its width, based on a - IWM, I believe- preserved 109 G. Hubert

I have spent VERY little time at my bench in the last 8 weeks, and therefore made VERY little progress But i have made some, and will post some pics next week-end, when I am back home … Hubert

Agreed. It looks a LOT better. Hubert

This Val is looking good, with proper oil canning of the wing skin 👍! Hubert

You know that the old trick of blowing on it is actually a good way of accelerating the polymerisation of CA, which takes place thanks to the humidity in the air (and breath is actually high in humidity) ? Hubert

It’s there. Another good reason to support Ukraine 🤗 ! https://www.halberdmodel.co/products/curtiss-sc-1-seahawk-1-32-scale-model-kit Hubert PS: Andreyi told me the first production batch already sold out, but my order is in the queue

Or, as Leslie Nielsen would say … Hubert

That is the problem with the Eduard preprinted PE: they use a 4-colour printing process akin to your household printer, and not with a very high resolution on top of it, and the dots associated with this process do show … In this respect, Yahu seems to have a different approach, as, of course, Quinta and Red Fox, with a 3D process on top of it. And, of course, Airscale use a - very fine - silk-screen process. This is why I never use the Eduard printed PE. Just not worth the money IMHO. Hubert

The fix to the tailplane looks convincing, John. Well done 👍! Hubert

Great start on the power-egg, Peter 👍 ! Hubert

Looking good Ernie ... Now to find the finished Helldiver and P-40 in the "ready-for-inspection" section 😇 ... Hubert

There are so many kits in my stash in need of a good AM R-1820. I needed to find out one after the bitter disapointment of the Vector one with its uneven distribution of cylinders. First of those was the venerable Grumann Gulfhawk, but this version of the R-180 won't fit the bill : Al Williams' Gulfhawk used a G-100 where the ignition harness was BEHIND the pushrods. But all hope is not lost, as I found what looks like a good early R-1820 design on Cgtrader. And, as an ultimate resort, I could always design my own. I have already 3 radials' designs in my lap, with a Wright J-9 for the Mistery Ship, a R-985 and last a G&R Mistral 9Kdrs. But I am getting a bit lazy, if someone has done a good job before me ... Hubert

I remember succeeding doing railings in 1/600 for an Airfix HMS Repulse, using stretched sprue, and it looked to scale, to boot. It was a one-of-a-kind success though, as I never managed to replicate the railings for other projects. With hindsight, it was probably the quality of the plastic sprues I used. I then found PE, and forgot about replicating the « stretched sprue experiment ». Hubert

Great result ! I thought the bottom would look a little barren, but the Nautilus wreck is a great addition 👍! Hubert

This is what the FPW models R-1820 looks like. Definitely far far far far superior to Vector’s offering, although painting it might prove somewhat of a challenge… HTH Hubert

GWH, another offspring of the Trumpeter empire, had already released a few years ago an excellent 1/48 TBD. Which gives me great hopes that the 1/32 will be a good kit, without the need for an Accurate Miniatures or Tamiya 1/48 kit for them to copy … Hubert

Received yesterday from Poland FPW Model’s 1/32 Wright R-1820. It’s an amazing piece of 3D-printing technology … and a challenge to paint … After a cursory glance It looks like a late production R-1820, but I need to check more in depth the corresponding version. Hubert

Regarding the B-24, if it’s scaled down from their 1/32 offering, then buyers will end up with a more modern, but less accurate, version of the Monogram kit … Hubert

No. Upside down 🙃 Hubert

Hubert

I hear you Ernie, yet … - 8 million Ukrainians taking refuge outside their country, 5.5 million displaced in the country, shifting unwillingly their location … - At least 180 000 Russian military casualties, and 100 000 Ukrainian - more than 7 000 Ukrainian civilian deaths - some sources estimate 5 to 7 times more - and 12 000 wounded - again it could many times more … - at least 8 000 children illegally deported to Russia - at least 65 000 war crimes perpetrated against the Ukrainian population by Russian troops - hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of houses destroyed, not to speak of key civilian infrastructures, amounting to an estimated USD 350 Bn to rebuild those, of which thousands and thousands of Mom & Pop businesses - 60 % of the Ukrainian population pushed below the poverty level - Ukrainian GDP down 35 % I’d say that, even if their products are genuinely great, if Quinta were to fall victims of the decisions of their dear leader, so be it … Apologies to Gary for this thread drift … Hubert (whose business lost 18 % of its turnover last year, because of the EU economic sanctions against Russia, btw)

And quorn … Hubert