Bill_S

Glad to see you back at the bench, John. I hope things have settled a bit after the storm.

I don't understand why this one is so hard to find...

I told you so!

When I have that stuck lid issue, I turn the bottle upside down and put about 4 or 5 drops of lacquer thinner in the gap between the lid and the jar. Give it about 10 minutes, and the paint lid unscrews by hand.

Thanks, Phil!

I've got (among other things) Roden's Dr.1 on the bench. I ran into an issue with the tailplane. The gussets for the upper elevator control cables are space widely apart from top to bottom. You can see a small white dot below the gusset; it's from where I drill a tiny hole from the other side. I did some checking, and it appears that the locations are correct. Now, how to drill through and hit the right spot on the other side? I made up two pieces... I tried to drill in my drill press, but the steepangle and the small diameter of the drill made it impossible. The drill just deflected when it hit the plastic. I resorted to drilling by hand. I started perpendicular to the surface, then changed the angle as I progressed, until the drill was horizontal (or nearly so. I still need to open the hole a wee bit, but it goes through, and hit the right spot on the other side!

Outstanding wood grain effects, Rob. The IP looks much better than that decal!

I heard it was just 7 MPH short of being CAT 5. Hope you made it through without much damage, John.

I've officially joined the E.Ling Fan Club.

No worries, Ernie. It's a D.III, and I have another kit. I figure as soon as I finish a scratch built one, the original will show up!

Looking fantastic, Ernie! With so many projects on the go, how do you keep from losing parts? Somehow, the tailplane from my Pfalz has gone missing...

From what I've read on TOS, the scale paint masks site was designed to be used by anyone, anywhere. They've gone so far as to NOT limit the masks to 1/32 scale and above. Anyone who creates masks can post it there for all to share. I think it's a great idea, though it's still in its infancy - so I'm not sure how well their library is populated yet. I'm not afraid to give kudos where they are due.

Hunker down and be safe, John. Do you have enough Tamiya Extra Thin?

I've had a motorized grinder for years, but the last time I recall using it was on my daughter's braces when her orthodontist was out of town... As you can see, that control column is pretty well buried. Even more so once the cover is on...

Looking good, Rob! I'm currently building the W.29, and you can't see much in the depths of the cockpit. Nice work on the floats, too. I was afraid to attempt that on my build.

If it were me, I might just try to fold it to take up the excess.

Mine too, Gaz. Did you get the one with the MvR bust?

Is Tantra the plural of Tantrum?

Those big tanks look like they could become an expensive hobby, Rog!

Happy birthday, John!

I got so tired of the sniping that I resorted (long ago) to sniping myself - especially if it was something rare that I REALLY wanted (read Scratchbuilders REX conversion). I would watch the auction with Bob Seeger's "Come to Papa" playing in the background. These days, it's Buy It Now for me. I don't care for playing the game - I have too many started kits to waste my time at the computer (except for LSM!).

Fascinating. Thanks for posting!

Off to a great start, John! I wish someone would print those Sandman decals in 1/32... BTW what brand of paints will you be using for the exterior?

Good luck, Gaz. Having played the bidding game a number of years ago, watch out for snipers (people that swoop in with mere seconds remaining and outbid you). The only way you can combat sniping is to bid again - at the maximum you are willing to pay for an item. You bid will only increase if someone else bids. Just pray that their bid is less than your maximum. I've been bitten a few times by snipers.

Indeed it is, Carl. I would like to get more while they're still available, but funds are limited these days!