rkranias

Now on to the GBU12 Paveway's. 2 GBU's and a mere 7 parts each. After overall Gunze 1500 black primer the GBU 12's get some paint love. Overall olive drab. Laser guidance tech housing masked and painted brown. GNU 12's decals, lots of them...9 each. Hooray! Final varnish to seal decals then on to panel line wash. A varnish of Tamiya FX86 flat clear 1:1 with MLT seals the panel wash. On to the laser seeker head. Using my DSPIAE cutter I cut 2mm dia circles of HUD film. Secured with HUD film Future. I know you're wondering...HUD film placed correct side up. To create the lens I carefully placed a dot of thick UV Acrylic glue on the tip of laser seeker. Then cured with a shot of UV light. Color me happy. A little dusting with Olive Drab pigment on the bomb casing to come. The end is near on these guys.

AGM114 Hellfire missiles done, finally. What seems to be an eternity the AGM's are finally completed. Each missile has over a dozen pieces each and the racks are 8 pieces each. A lot of hours into these. Laser Seeker Eye lights up thank to HUD film placed underneath the lens. These missile racks drove me crazy. Had I not put in so much time into the missiles I would have abandoned the AGM's as ordnance option. Fidgety, difficult and uncooperative are best adjectives for these.

The AGM and GBU's will be use magnets for load-out change options. The AGM's masked and ready for NATO Black. sThe 2 missile racks are in the upper right. Magnets? The AGM's have 12 pieces each, 10 photo-etch. While the launch mounts have 8 pieces each, 6 photo-etch. The AGM's will be glued on the racks. Then the complete unit will me matched with the wing pylon with magnet installed. NOTE: That magnet is actually a 2mm dia, 1mm thick magnet. GBU12's with lots of work remaining. The GBU's are a 7 piece each, 1 photo-etch affair. The GBU's will use same wing pylon as the AGM's.

Eduard ordnance. This step has been a double edged blade. I've been looking forward to this step, then again I have dreaded this step. Originally, I was going with GBU12 Paveways for the load-out. Then after I saw pics of an A29 with AGM114 Hellfire load-out I decided to go with the AGM's. Trim and clean the AGM's and rack. The Laser Seeker Lens is a very nice clear resin offering. My first thought is to paint the back silver. Then... Using my Dispae cutter I cut 3.0mm disc of HUD film. When positioned behind the Laser Seeker Lens the HUD film gives off a pretty cool effect depending on angle of light. HUD film installed and the clear lens glued. Laser Seeker Lens Lens masked then a coat of GUNZE 1200 Surfacer followed by GUNZE yellow-orange for the ID stripes. Yup, not gonna use the transparent decals. Photo-etch fins added. Time consuming is an understatement. Then masked yellow with .75mm strips GUNZE NATO Black applied then masks removed. Varnished decals applied then varnish again for panel line wash with a semi gloss varnish. Varnish is Tamiya Gloss and Semi-Gloss diluted with MLT 1:1. WIth majority of lens not covered with paint the HUD film does its thing with light. Not sure if this will work when model is on the table. Ok, one down three more to go.

That's me after about 2 months of near lockdown with two teenagers. We believe COVID19 hit our house in early Feb. Me, wife and both kids (13/15) at the same time. High fever, coughing all night long and very weak for 10 days. It was hard on all of us. Kids and most importantly our teachers adapted to virtual classroom. It was not perfect but it got the job done. Kudos to our kids' teachers. This fall our school district got technology sorted and the virtual teaching model is transparent, kids have accountability and teachers doing a terrific job. Hardest was watching our kid's sports vanish. Soccer, field hockey, ice hockey, swim team, tennis and riding came to a screeching halt. They missed their friends. We load of our kids with summer camps (mostly day camps with a few sleep over camps): riding, hockey, science, counseling training, volunteering...all cancelled. Wife's job turned from partial home based to completely home based and virtual. Zoom meetings replaced conference calls. My volunteer work at NASM Udvar Hazy is on hold until further notice. Our local IPMS (NOVA IPMS) has been conducting virtual monthly meetings via Zoom is working well and keeping us connected. I was on a roll with COVID bench time early on. However, lots of home projects and keeping active with kids has made bench time somewhat diminished. We live close to the beltway near Washington DC I-495 and we always hear the steady hum of traffic, especially in the evening. It was dead silent for 3 weeks. Incredible. Our neighborhood actually got a little closer as many families/couples/elderly would walk the streets. Wife and I would sit in our front yard for our own "happy hour" and engage with neighbors walking by. We live about 1/4 mile from Rock Creek Park. The Park Service closed a portion of the road in Rock Creek on weekends allowing pedestrian, bike, roller skate only. A positive outcome of COVID is people getting out and exercising. I count my blessings our elderly relatives are ok and other family members have been spared COVID19. Also count my blessings income not compromised.

good stuff Harv. textile belts drive me crazy until finished. then I'm happy to have gone through the angst.

Thanks Jeff. of course I enjoyed this little Jug. Out of box and lots of brush detailing. clearly took me out of my comfort zone. Cheers Phil. Thanks Harv!

Done in about 40 days. Revell P47M #04185 (I know P47M did not serve RAF SEAC, just don't look at the engine or cockpit too closely. And the kit cost $5) Out of Box build Drilled out Blast Tubes MRP used through out with exception of Alclad for Drop tanks and Gunze for Interior Green and Chromate Yellow colors. Cockpit detail picked out with Vallejo Model Color Decals from Eduard Aussie Eight Spitfire kit Tamiya FX86 Flat Clear overall

Panel line wash added then sealed Tamiya XF86 Flat Clear thinned with Mr. Leveling Thinner 1:1. Exhaust stain with MiG Industrial Dirt powder. Turbine and Flight hood get a shot of Alclad 123 Exhaust Manifold. Cordite stains is highly thinned Tamiya X19 Clear Smoke. Remember, less is more. Powder effects sealed with mineral spirits then overall sealed sealed with XF86. Locator pins for drop tanks are .5mm aluminum rod. Landing gear installed followed by racks and drop tanks.

Test fit engine/cowling. Decals applied straight on the MRP paint surface, no gloss decal prep. Effort was flawless with no silvering. Underside decal work completed. Marking were borrowed from Eduard Aussie Eight decal sheet. Recognition lights are kit decals. Gloss varnish overall to begin weathering. Gloss is Tamiya X22 clear and Mr. Leveling Thinner 1:1 ratio using my PS290 ProCon Boy with .5mm equipped with fan nozzle.

Underside masked MRP 108 Dark Earth is applied to topsides. First covering is marbled, then... blended. My Iwata airbrush photobomb is due to maintenance effort. MRP110 Dark Green applied. Marbled then blended. Masking removed.

ID Stripes. I'm doing a RAF SEAC scheme with Dark Earth/Dark Green/Med Sea Gray camo. This scheme will also be used when I get to my 1:32 TAM Mossie, hopefully before the apocalypse. Another element which drew me to this scheme are the white ID Bands. No only for the look but for the challenge to replicate. Using MRP 135 White the ID Bands are first marbled. The cowling got some ID Band love as well. Then blended. The camera really blew up the white, it's not that solid. After full paint cure I mask the ID Bands. Medium Sea Gray MRP 112 marbling begins. Med Sea Gray blended. After cure will mask undersides to begin upper camouflage.

Closing things up. Fuselage buttoned up and wings glued in place. A little sanding and scribing. Masking cockpit and wheel wells complete and little more surface prep. After breaking blast tubes off multiple times I've folded some paper and taped to tings to protect further breakage. Black from the attack. After primer Gunze Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black cures will begin masking for ID bands.

Thanks Phil.

Prop, engine and drop tanks get a little love. While drying rack is full I'm going to work on the prop. Engine work complete abd test fitted in the cowling and prop. Prop tips painted. Another test fit this time with the fuselage. Prop boss/spinner painted MRP 135 White and masked with tape and maskol. Tips masked and ready for a shot of Tamiya XF69 NATO Black thinned with MLT. After the Tamiya XF69 Nato Black cures more masking to paint the prop hub Alclad 102 Duraluminum. Making removed and I'm happy with results. Test fit with engine.

Thanks Harv. Having fun with this little Jug.

nice change-up Ernie. looking good and fun to watch you enjoy this.

Details picked out with toothpick, pointy brush using Vallejo Model Color. After dry, sealed with varnish then Mig dark wash highlights all the details.

nope...nice try. no wired engine. this is an out of box build.

My OCD has kicked in. Drilling out blast tubes with a .35mm drill.

While at the Old Dominion Open IPMS Richmond, VA show I was asked (challenged actually) to do a P47 build as a group with several members of our local IPMS club. The challenge was to finish the build in 30 days. If I can find an inexpensive kit at the show I'm in. Soon after COVID19 hit so I'm also calling this my COVID19 build. It's complete, I'm going to periodically post WIP pictures. I'll keep you all guessing, till the end, if I actually finished in 30 days. 30 minutes later I found this gem for USD$5. My scheme will be a RAF Thunderbolt Mk.II SEAC. Parts cleaning begins. Really? Must cut the landing gear doors? Cutting apart the landing gear doors...1:72 scale. Various priming done on pit, interior engine, etc Interior Green for...the interior. Gunze 302. Yellow Chromate for wheel wells, inside cowling. Gunze 27.

love the exceptional scratch work...looking great.

beautifully executed. what did you used for the "rope"? also, paint details for the "rope"...asking for a friend.

Nice pit work Ernie.