ScottsGT

Started out the day doing some work in the F-16A but around lunch time I said no more. I cranked up the old ‘66, found the new plate, sticker and registration and installed them and went for a ride. I’ve never heat cycled the ring and pinion all the way since installing them almost 2 years ago. Went on about a 5 mile ride. Yea, that’s garage dust I’m trying to see through… Got it home and realized I was driving on tires that only had 14 psi in them. Oops! Aired them up and gave her a bath. In the morning I’ll go on another drive for a good heat cycle again. Might stretch it out a little further though. I’ve got to either drive it or sell it. Tired of seeing it sitting in the garage all the time.

Yea, that stage of the Cougar was a little nervous! It’s looking great!

My MRP and Mr. Color lacquers both came right off the resin unless I primed it. It was very frustrating. I also scuffed the surface I could get to with 400 or 600 grit wet or dry using water to help keep the sandpaper clean. Even small interior details I sprayed top coat on was flaking off days later in some areas unless I primed them. And yes, I scrubbed everything with Clorox/soap and warm water before I started the project.

Amazon refused my review. LOL!

If anyone here has never built a resin kit like this, just look at the pic closer at the air bubbles that come with casting. It takes a lot of patience to go over a resin kit to correct all these blemishes. One reason my Cougar was a 4 month build.

Great news! Had a discussion on ARC with KursadA of Caracal decals. Said he’s had a lot of requests for 1/32 F-35A splinter schemes that he is working on something.

Yay! Another tool I must have! Wide variety of blade types. I’ve got to seriously look into this. Wife being a nurse and now a CRNA, I bet she has some handles stashed somewhere.

Nope. They were marked #11 blades. But good info to have.

Digging deep into the stash for an old classic!

Yea, winds are starting to get sporty right now! Just looked at radar and the worst rain band is going to hit us in about 30 min. Looks like the eye will come in at Georgetown, just south of Myrtle Beach. I rode out Hugo in ‘89 down in Summerville, outside of Charleston. Bad mistake!

All garbage. Sorry, need to vent. Sometime back I was ordering supplies. Don’t remember where it was. But I added a generic pack of 100 #11 “X-acto” blades since I was running low. Fast forward a few years and I finally had to open said pack. They look sharp, feel sharp by touch. Damned things won’t even cut Tamiya tape. 🤬 Tried to tape off a canopy to paint it and the friggin blade slides over the top of the tape. More pressure you say? It just tears the tape. I’ve got another 100 in my Amazon cart that are labeled X-acto brand, but with all the counterfeit crap on Amazon these days I’m going to hold off and buy the X-acto brand in the little black plastic holders. Yea, I’ll pay more. But I want good, sharp blades. I’d run to Hobby Lobby that’s 20 miles up the road but we have Ian causing an issue now and trees love to go to sleep in the middle of the roads in my area when the winds pick up. Besides, last time I was at a HL it seems that they like to swap out a lot of name brand stuff with generics as well. Hmmm…might check out Sprue Bros. Of course that’s going to cost me a lot too because they are like a bag of Lay’s chips. Can’t just get one thing. Update: Techni-Edge from Amazon. Just left a very negative review after I got back from dodging branches in the road and these “extreme” 15 MPH winds were already getting to make a Hobby Lobby run. It’s been so long since we’ve had rain I almost forgot where my wiper switch was on my car. But HL carries several different brands of #11 blades. X-acto also has some Z Series blades. Zirconium Nitride coated. Supposed to be twice as sharp and last twice as long. I guess that means I’ll cut off twice my fingers now? What the heck, I’m giving them a try.

Ours managed to dunk a C. https://news.usni.org/2022/03/03/navy-recovers-crashed-f-35c-from-depths-of-south-china-sea

Anything that gets wet? Does my new Trumpeter 1/32 F-35C count??

Of course!

Less than 1 month build time. I honestly believe that’s a record for me. I will add, ever since I got back into plastic, this has always been one of my grail kits. Just something about the T-6 I’ve always loved. Kind of ironic that a close friend lost his life in one back in 2004 when he was a passenger at a community fair and a guy was giving rides. My buddy cut in line because he had to get to work and during takeoff, the engine died because the pilot didn’t check his fuel knowing the fuel gauge was bad. It stalled and pancaked right into the ground. I have a second kit in the stash and hopefully lessons learned from this build will make the next even easier and better. But I’ve got to learn the aluminum foil trick first. I’ve got a few kits screaming for a real aluminum skin. Including Texan #2.

Well, she’s done! Sneak peek. Putting more pics on Finished Work page.

Yea, I’ve learned the hard way that driving a buffer is a young man’s game. Last time I did it, it took three days for me to be able to walk standing up straight again. Have you ever tried Southern Polyurethanes Inc (SPI) yet? I did my ‘66 with their clear. Stuff is amazing. Owner of the company is available by phone 24/7 for questions.

Yea, I think it’s why it took me 4 months of building to get it done. Several times I asked myself why was it on my bench. But I was damned and determined it would not wind up on the SOD.

The Cougar fuselage sits down into the wing, so no real gap issues there. Now the speed brakes, yes. I did build mine open but I still had to add some styrene strip to square it up. The worst was the inner landing gear doors. They are only open during gear cycling, so I built them closed. Not only was it out of square but doors didn’t sit flush. Maybe my doors were warped over time, not sure. Here’s a pic of the wing to fuse fit you can see the tiny bit of filler that was needed FWIW, my flaps were warped pretty bad too.

Tomorrow we decal!

Thinking you needed another Skyraider?

Just dropped off by the big brown toy box.

Still confused about John having a SOD. He builds so fast, he’s a machine. Good to see some human in him! id never attempt at playing chess with him. But then again, it’s been so long I forgot how to play.

Wow! Talk about being nervous about saving a part that cannot be replaced. My Cougar canopy was the first I have ever dipped in future and could not believe the difference it made. Although it is quite dusty here