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Looks like Hobbyeasy are the first to list a pre-order for the kit: https://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/dqnsmkhtxe8uo2rhbfnh.html $704 CAD plus shipping. So 50% more than the HK one before shipping. Oh boy, going to have to think hard about this one. Anyone got a spare kidney I could sell? Carl

I wonder if they're doing it as a limited run merely to reduce any potential costs and see if it'll sell. I still see lots of HK's initial release of their Lanc with the clear fuselage and that was suppose to be limited to 1000. Carl

That seat looks fantastic. Really great detail there. Carl

A third for me. Hopefully they keep the removable outer wing section that WNW had designed to reduce the span.

It's just been announced that Border Models will be releasing the WNW Lancaster. Seems they're going to do a limited run of them around Christmas. They posted it on Facebook and had been picked up by Britmodeler in their Rumourmonger section. Guess I'd better start saving my pennies again. Carl

I pulled another one of my on again, off again builds out to work on a bit. The Fly Hurricane. I'll see how far I get on it in between the CF-18.

You're off to a great start there Rob. Nice to see an uncommon subject being built. Carl

Please congratulate her for us. My boys have gotten some kid from their Uncles Jeff and Harv here too. I'll have to get them some bench time soon and get them to finish one. Carl

Nice family outing there Martin. Looks like Sofia had a lot of fun. And is that the additions to her stash she has in her arms? I'll have to see when the next show is around here and maybe take the boys. Carl

Get better Harv, which it sounds like you are. Carl

Thanks for sharing Mark. The fit looks pretty good as Hubert said. I'm liking the engineering they've done around the intakes. Carl

Peter, sorry to hear it's giving you as much trouble as it is. As Rob said, this is a hobby and they're supposed to be fun. Glad to hear that's it's on the SoD and not landfill so maybe one day you'll take another crack at it. My He219 is in a similar way. I think that's a kit that's made many a modeler take to drink. Carl

Sounds like this kit is fighting you every step of the way Peter. But it also sounds like you're getting a grip on it too. Carl

Happy birthday Maru! Carl

Peter, not sure if they changed the instructions between the Mk V and your Mk II but here are the Mk V instructions. Just in case they help at all with the placement of stuff, here's the PCM instructions

I started fitting some of the upper and lower fuselage panels. As part of the Aires cockpit set, there's a replacement panel for the hell hole behind the cockpit. Mine was a bit warped and unfortunately I snapped it in half trying to straighten it out. Fortunately it's not as bad as it looks and I found a very straightforward fix. Meantime, in test fitting the spine panel, the fuselage sides were a bit narrow so I added a spreader bar to get the right width. To support the broken hellhole panel, I glued in a piece of sheet sprue that spanned the rear opening. With the two pieces in place. However, I only need the front half as the spine panel covers over where the break is. So that makes things easier. Carl

Thanks Peter, it definitely is looking more like a Hornet. For the paint, the challenge is figuring out the best order to do the tiger head that goes on the vertical tails. It's three different greys surrounded by two other greys. The rest is easier to figure out.

So I sent Jetmads an email this morning and just heard back. It seems anyone who's in Canada, Malta or New Zealand is stuck waiting for their respective postal services to resume accepting packages. Just got to keep waiting I guess. Carl

Wow, this build is just moving along at a brisk clip. Looks nice and tidy. Carl

Glad to hear it wasn't your island Rob. Hopefully those that are affected will be able to return to normal soon. Carl

Harv, I know HLJ carries them and so does my LHS here in Toronto. https://www.hlj.com/search/?q=Wako&productFilter=category%3AAircraft%3B%3Bmanufacturer%3AWako%3B%3Bscale%3A1%2F32 They usually have 2 sets in a pack. The HD are like the fabric that HGW uses and the Standard uses paper for the belts like RB. The HD have to be painted. One thing though. The buckles are plastic so you have to be careful with them. I have broken the odd buckle if you're a bit too rough with them. Carl

Peter, when it comes to AM seat belts, the only company I've found that has included decent instructions on how to assemble them is Wako. They've even laid out the buckles so you can thread them on the fret without clipping them off. I wish some other companies would follow their lead. Here's a pic from their instructions for the Sutton harness.

Now that's definitely jumping into the deep end. Using an AM set and being the guy who gets to write the instructions as he goes. Good plan on gluing the fuselage floor to one side. That should help with placing stuff. Carl

Ok, major milestone in the build. The front and rear fuselage halves are now joined together. Looks a bit anorexic without the flaps and slats or LEXs on. Meantime I've been figuring out what order for the paint colours. Hope to have that figured out soon. Carl

Phil, I'm going check with them this coming week and see if there's been any changes. I've seen a couple builds of the Whirlwind and its seems to go together nicely. As for the Viggen, I think there's a link to someone building that on ARC. Haven't seen any for the Helldiver. Carl