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I shot a clear coat onto the Jagdpanther and once that had dried for a day, I applied the decals. There's not many but they do have to go over the zimmerit. The kit ones are a bit stiff so I was a bit concerned. After application I pressed on them with a cloth dipped in hot water. This made a huge difference in their conformity. We'll see once they're dry. There's also a sneak peak at my next project in the above pic.

Thanks guys! It's always nice to find new updated options for subjects. It's even better when they're less expensive too.

Jeff, you should get one if you can. They're usually less than $50 loonies shipped from China. Compared to what the Dragon ones go for these days, I'd say it's quite the value.

Thanks Ivan! That's what I wanted to know. Carl

Thanks Martin! Looks like I found my answers. Or at least confirmation of them. Carl

Hi folks, I was wondering about what ejection seat did the Canadian CF-104D have? I'm not sure the two seater also used the C2 seat or were they equipped with the MB ones? Also, did they have the short burner can or the longer one? Lastly, did they all come mounted on sticks like this one? just seeing if anyone's paying attention... Thanks in advance. Carl

I promised my son he could try airbrushing so after his session at the bench I got to work on the camo I used AK Real Colors for the green and brown. Once that dries, it'll be time for stickers and then a bit of weathering.

Thanks Mike! Thanks Phil! The Meng tracks aren't that fussy. I just found I could get the Rye Field ones together easier and quicker. I did end up using them for the spare track links that are stored on the hull. Thanks Kev! She is big, especially compared to a Sherman.

Got any pics of the one you broke? I'll see if I have any I can send you as I have some various leftover PE bits. Nice progress too on the Tiger.

And..... ........She's done! Just kidding. Well, the tracks are done anyways. I threw on Fellowship of the Rings while I was at my bench and had them done by the time the movie was over. Then I couldn't resist fitting them, the roof and gun to see what it'll look like. Carl

Thanks Wolf! Great looking Tiger too. So very clean.

Thanks Gaz! I hear you Martin. I've got a Leopard and M24 in the same situation.

An amazing pair of ship models Ernie. Thanks for sharing them.

Wow, looks truly fantastic there.

So here's what the Meng tracks look like. A pile of the track horns and links. After taking about a minute per link and getting through a dozen, I went for Plan C. I pulled out my Rye Field Models Panther G kit and swiped the tracks from it. They're also individual link but have fewer sprue attachment points. The teeth are also moulded integrally with the links. The fun part is they use pins to hold together so they work after assembly. There's different pins for the inside and outside edges of the tracks even. There's a jig included to help put them together. What also helps is the pins are moulded so that they plug right into the links five at a time so they go together much quicker. A quick snip to remove the sprue and done! Now to finish the rest of them.

Thanks Rob. I know, three parts isn't that bad. Modelkasten tracks for the Sherman are 8-10 pieces per link.

For me, I'm having a bit of a hard time seeing a difference between the two. Probably because I'm on my phone. Both look good though. I believe that Peter from Airscale does the rivets on top when doing NMF. Catl

Ok now the fun part. If you think cutting, trimming and gluing 550ish tiny pieces together to make some tracks is fun. The Meng track links are each three parts and each link has three attachment points. Then there's two teeth per link that need to be trimmed and glued on. Thankfully there's no ejector pin marks on them but you still need to do 87 links per side. I thought I was going to be clever and use some Dragon tracks I found in the stash. They're from a Panther kit that ended up as landfill. No sprue clean up needed and pretty much ready to assemble. I even had the links that are made to go around the drive sprocket. Then upon closer inspection I noticed they're different than the ones in the kit. So back to square one. Or do I order some AM tracks and put this on hold for a bit?

My dad is like that. He's 77 this year and has worked more in the last 15 years than he did in the same period before. I think part of it is if he retired fully, he'd be home and wouldn't know what to do. My mom is the same. She was a workaholic (60 hours a week was normal for her) but took early retirement as the bank was changing their retirement benefits. Took her a couple years to adjust to it. Now she volunteers at her Buddhist temple to keep her busy.

I'm kinda? I quit my job to be a stay at home dad. Does that count? Just 12 more years before I can call it on that job.

That's what the green stuff is for? I thought it was for masking. Either way, that's really cool.

I finished off most of the hull details and got some paint on. There's a couple spots where the zimmerit is a bit thick but overall I'm happy with the way it's turning out.

Thanks Phil! I'm enjoying it so far. Everything seems to be going together nicely without any issues. Carl

Well, I haven't finished the smaller details yet but I am getting closer. The PE grills are done along with the various hooks on the engine deck. I've also started on the main gun breech. So I'm still plugging away at it.

Holy cow! That'll be the size of my house when finished.