BlrwestSiR

Their sprue cutters are very nice but don't drop them. They're easily broken if dropped. I snapped off one tip after dropping them. I ended up grinding down the other side to match and they're now usable but a bit short. I keep them for back up after replacing them. They're also sold by Meng but are the same piece. Sometimes the Meng ones work out to be cheaper. Carl

It's too bad we missed each other Richard. Nicely done Mustang. Carl

I had the afternoon off so got to work on the cockpit. I removed the raised details from the cockpit tub and then painted it grey. I then started on the Quinta panels.

I was planning to sit until I was further along with the Lancaster before starting this but decided my bench wasn't cluttered enough. This is the recent ICM kit. I've got a bit of AM for it, primarily the Eduard PE set and the Quinta cockpit details. I've also got an Aber M-61 brass barrel set that I've cut down to better approximate the length of the one on the gun pod. This I had assumed earlier.

They actually said pretty much that to Sue when she asked how much stuff they'd bought.

It's a great tool. I've had one since they first came out. There's an add-on that lets you cut concentric circles with the same centre point. So it's easy to make roundels. Carl

Peter, I've gone through similar debates on my McLaren. It's nice to show off some of that lovely detail but it also spoils the look of the car. I've got the added problem that the tires in my kit have rotted from age and only one pair is usable. MFH at one point made replacement tires for the Tamiya kits but they're now around $350 a set which is almost double the kit itself!

Thanks Peter! Findlay likes ships and occasionally armour kits. He prefers battle wagons and I suggested the Tamiya 1/350 New Jersey which someone had for $50 ($35ishUSD) but he thought it was too big. Edward builds a bit more of everything but was fixated on getting an aircraft carrier. He thought my suggestion of the Trumpeter 1/200 Hornet might not go well with Mom and bought the Antietam. Man, my kids are too rational...

I keep going through the stash to see what I've got Ernie. I'm going to go with your suggestion and do the AH-1 but I want to get the fuselage on my Lanc closed up first. That should be sometime this week and then I'll start. Carl

Yes! Missed posting that pic. Also these.

Peter, if you're looking for any of the Porsches (934 and 935), they were all re-issued within the last 18 months so shouldn't be too hard to find. I picked up the 935 but not the 934. Tamiya changed the mould slightly on the 934. The original release you could build as a road car but with a bare interior. Those parts are no longer in the kit and the instructions have been changed. The most recent car they did in 1/12 is the Porsche Carrera GT. That one has a partial metal chassis in it and pre-formed mesh screens for the engines. If you really want one near and dear to Mr Tamiya, find a Caterham Super 7. They supposedly used Mr Tamiya's personal 7 as the reference for the model. That was re-issued about 2-3 years ago but may be harder to find. It's a gorgeous kit with aluminum body panels that you bolt onto a chassis. Here's mine from the original release. Carl

With the various vendors, there were many deals and some hard to find stuff available. My boys had a great time and added to their stash. I just picked up one kit: Overall, it was a nice return to normal. It was pretty much as I remembered the last one I went to. Well worth the hour drive from our place. Carl

Nothing like being surrounded by a bit of history.

Automotive. One for Ernie:

Armour

1/32 planes

Some small scale stuff:

Here's some pics. Starting where we did, sci-fi: I didn't know there was a Destroid Monster in 1/72 until today. Wave had teased one but it never made it into production.

Thanks Bill! I've got the corrected blister as well. I need to eventually get the bulged bomb bay doors for my other Lanc.

More work on the cockpit. The IP, control stick and the controls by the pilot's seat have all been added. The navigator's position. I've now attached the front section to the kid wing area above the bomb bay. Not much will be seen here so it's fairly basic and I've left it as such. Lastly I've added one sidewall of the bomb bay.

Thanks Jeroen and Peter! I'm really enjoying my approach to this build. Nothing feels like a chore.

I'm saving those for my B-17F when I get to it. Seems more appropriate to have a Twinkies wrapper there. AJ-K had the fewest in-service hours of any of the planes that went on the Dams raid so definitely in a like new condition.

Thanks Kai! For the desk, unused Hasegawa's self adhesive wood finish. It's a very thin vinyl sticker that I cut to fit and applied. First time I tried I and it seems to have worked out ok . Thanks Ian! I actually followed many of the mods and corrections that you made on your build. Hope to see you back at it.

Harv, hope to see you back at this soon. Carl