BlrwestSiR

I try to put the AM in the relevant kit but that's not always the case. Sometimes it won't fit in the box so then I have it in plastic tubs. PE is usually in one tub, resin in another and decals in a different one. Unfortunately they don't always stay sorted. For example:

Titan Models is showing a 1/72 Kaspian Sea Monster. It will be vac formed with 3D printed detail parts. I'm tempted by their 1/48 Shuttle stack. https://www.titanmodelkits.com/future-releases.html

And I thought a 1/32 B-24 was big...

ZM have definitely crammed a lot into the kit. I think the Artsina Latina kit might be the only one with more internal detail and it doesn't have a skin to it

At the same time, I started work on the wings. There's several control rods, coolant lines, rada and plates. The coolant lines are the first to go on. They are attached to a section of the spar. This is then added to the spar assembly. Control rods are next. The rad is in two pieces. I found the fit wants the greatest but with a bit of a clamp, they ended up going together ok. The seam won't be visible in any case. The wheel bay liner is supposed to go in at the this point. I found the positioning a bit vague so I took a different approach and left it out for the moment. The lower wing skin is next. It's comprised of several sections. Honestly it could have been done in fewer pieces but I understand they are mimicking the panel breakdown of the actual plane. These were test fitted prior to applying cement. The fit is good. Make sure you clean up any sprue attachment points. There's a couple small gaps around the middle panel. They're probably easily filled with a quick pass of putty or possibly even Mr Surfacer. Flipping it over, I fitted the wheel bay liner and I'm glad I left it until now. This way I can better line it up with the wheel bay opening.

The motor cannon ammo can is several parts. These were assembled and then painted. I then started on the rear fuselage bulkheads while that was drying. They were all glued in place and then painted.

I haven't had any lifting issues with the paint. This is their RLM 02 on the ZM interior. No primer and I masked it off maybe 20 minutes after spraying it. So worst case scenario I'd say.

It's funny but I've never been the biggest fan of the Lee and Grant tanks. That being said, they are definitely distinctive looking tanks. The Miniart versions are nice kits and for their complexity go together well.

It's the little known Flying Chair variant of the 109.

Great job as always John. And just different enough from a Corsair. Carl

I might start mine after the 109 but would love to finish the 104 first.

Since I forgot to follow the instructions, I somehow ended up with the wings attached to the cockpit... Just kidding. They're not glued yet.

While the engine was drying, I started on the cockpit. Here's the parts that make up the floor and rear bulkhead. Again, there is detail that won't be seen once assembled. The next set of parts are for the seat pan, pedal, stick and the expended shell casing container. Here's the two part wing spar mount. Once together, I painted them in RLM 66. The underside will get done in RLM 02 once dry.

The engine oil tank has a couple of hard line that are attached to the back of it. Once in place, the tank is glued to the gear housing. The fit is nice and tight. There's more plumbing to be added to the engine. Here, I suffered my first broken part. I suspect the cat slept on it. Take your time attaching them. Some of the connections are not that clear in the instructions so here's a couple pics of the engine to help with placement. With that done, I gave it a light wash using Tamiya panel line wash.

Nice trick on masking the tailwheel. I'll have to remember that one. For the tailwheel, it will go in place after the fuselage is together. I've tried it a couple time to confirm that. Just leave out the fairing and and it'll go in fine.

That looks fantastic. And fast too! Carl

That BTR looks great Martin. I wouldn't have known it was 1/72 if you hadn't said. Carl

Nice pics of some great looking models. Thanks for sharing Martin. Did Sofia enter her C-17? Carl

Purty!

At least the gear didn't collapse ..

Very nice cockpit Rob. The Barracuda placards add a lot to the cockpit but they're a pain to apply being so small and so many of them. Carl

Congratulations Kevin! That was a fairly low stress GB so let's hope the next one goes the same way. Carl

Nice progress Bill. I'm not sure if I'll catch up to your progress but I'll give it a shot. 😋

Thanks everyone for the feedback. This is my first proper review so I'm glad it's worked out like I hoped. This has been such a highly anticipated kit and from what I've seen online, garnered a fair bit of criticism, not all of which is unwarranted that I felt a proper review should address those issues rather than just be the more typical "it looks good in the box". I mean, my cat looks good in a box . The plan is to build it OOB, and painted accordingly. The only addition. I am going to make is a set of seatbelts. I will even use the decals and not paint masks.

I went through it last night and corrected what I hope is all of the errors. Thankfully there weren't too many.