BlrwestSiR

If you're ever in Toronto, come by for a tasting. When I worked at a wine agency years ago, we had a company party. Near the end of it the owner took out a bottle of very rare white chateauneuf du pape. My more knowledgeable colleagues said he shouldn't open it. He then said that good wine isn't meant to be collected, it's meant to be shared amongst friends. So it should be with scotch or bourbon, or whatever your tipple of choice is.

Awesome. In that case, I've also got the Yamato 1/3000 SDF-1 from Do you Remember Love in kit form. If I knew what those go for these days I wouldn't have started it but so it goes. Is there a 1/200 Yamato? I have the Bandai 1/500 and they did a 1/350 but the old version. Hachette has a 1/350 part work of the SBY2199 version.

I'd say no on the wheel wells. The Aires one is nice but a PITA to fit. As is typical of Aires.

That's further along than I've gotten on mine. Do you have any specific markings in mind? Tiger meet or a line jet? Carl

With these sets out, the thought of grabbing a second kit has crossed my mind as well. And I haven't even started the first. Carl

I know with my very rusty soldering skills, these sets will come in very handy. I'll definitely have to get these when I have the chance. According to lore,it always takes someone to do the hard work for other modelers to get a mainstream/easier option. So thanks for doing the hard work and taking one for the team Rob! Carl

Well, looks like there's a new option for the wing struts. https://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/product/fokker-e-v-dviii-brass-wing-strut-set-for-the-mikromir-kit There is a separate one for the gear. https://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/product/fokker-e-v-dviii-brass-undercarriage-set-for-the-mikromir-kit Carl

Got a bit more done today. There's some PE bits to add to the engine. One of them needed some complex folding. Here's the basic part prior to the origami. After some head scratching, I realized the drawing showed the part partially folded. The final shape was a bit more logical. There's a also a pair of heat shields to make. These at least were less complex in shape. I also got the cylinder heads painted and installed. Same with the serpentine belt assembly. Lastly, I painted the rear suspension arms.

Thanks @DocRob! It's my first build of a MFH kit. I've only seen a couple RFI threads on them so it's great to see @mark31 showing his Lotus build too. They really are impressive kits if pricy.

I primed the engine and then gave it a wash. The wash has really made the details pop out. I also painted the serpentine belt and gave the pulleys a wash there.

Mark got it pretty much spot on. Their most recent F1 cars are from the early to mid '90s. The most recent kit in 1/12 is the Carrera GT. It's a significant step up from the older 934 and 935 which both were reissued last year. They're still nice kits and have better fit/detail than the Stratos I'm working on. The Caterham Super 7 was also recently reissued. That kit builds almost like the actual car with aluminum body panels. I'm not sure on the UK pricing but the 934/935 kits can be had here in Canada for around 200 Loonies (Canadian dollars) so good value for what you get in my opinion. The GT is usually double that or more. Same with the Caterham. If you don't mind 1/20, there are far more recent kits available along with AM detail sets if you want to go crazy in that regard. Carl

Great explanation on the printing @HubertB. I always wondered about it myself. Carl

Seems a decent fit with your tweaks Harv. Like I said, Hasegawa kits have given me fits over the years.

Well, this might be an expansive way to get one then. https://www.wheelswingsestore.com/pcm32011-pacific-coast-models-1-32-fw-190a-1-2-3

Lol, I sold my MDC Tiffie but still have the Fisher Sea Fury as well.

I was working on the engine last night. I finished cleaning the basic block and heads. I then used JB Weld to glue them together. A coat of etching primer and some paint are next on the list. Here's the partial engine compared to the one in the Fujimi kit. Night and day, especially with the piece difference.

You're right, I forgot about that.

I just got the Tempest from Krow in the Christmas raffle so that's one more for me.

Very nice work Mark. Great work on the carbon decals. As for pet hair, we've got a Calico cat, an orange cat and a border collie. So doesn't matter what colour you're painting, something will show up.

Thanks Mark! I saw your purchase of the 1/12. I might be able to get one this summer. I'll have to see how things pan out.

I did their Hurricane as well. The metal wing one. I found that it needed test fitting but if you did it it really eliminated a lot of the putty work I saw on some builds. I pretty sure my Spitfire had hardly any putty on it. No shake and bake but enjoyable all the same.

Would a Hasegawa A8 canopy work? I think I have one here.

They're listed as new so I wonder if they were found in some distributor's warehouse. I remember talking to a guy who worked at Aoshima and they found a full skid load of Mad Max V8 Interceptor kits. This was well after they'd been discontinued so HLJ bought them all and promptly sold every one. Carl

For me, they seemed to be cursed. I've built two of their kits so far, the Spitfire IX and the Hurricane. I didn't have any significant issues getting either together but both got dropped when almost finished by accident. Smashed into enough pieces that they weren't worth fixing. I still have 3 of their Spitfire XIV kits to do so I definitely like them. Hopefully I break the curse by then. Carl

Truly superlative work on the interior there Rob. I really like the level of shading and weathering you've given everything. Carl