BlrwestSiR

Back in '93, I was in Hong Kong and went to a small hobby shop that specialized in garage kits. They had an awesome selection of kits and products from various small cottage industry makers. One of them was a gorgeous skeleton model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I think it was around $120 USD at the time so I didn't get it. Fast forward to 2021 and Bandai came out with a plastic model of a T-Rex skeleton. I promptly picked one up for the stash. Taking a quick break from the pair of FW 190s on the bench, I finally started it. It's 1/32 scale so should make for a nice display next to the FWs. After about 90 min of bench time, just need to add some legs.

That looks good. Much better than a flat piece of PE. Carl

With the wing on, I started work on the firewall. First up was the ammo cases for the cowl guns. Then it was time for the engine mount. ZM provide an addendum sheet with an alternate approach to installing the engine. I decided to try this approach on the build. Instead of gluing the engine mount to the back of the engine first, I mounted it to the tube frame. While doing the test fit, I noticed that the side mounts were a bit long and the frame wouldn't mount flush like it should. I ended up trimming the mounting peg on the tube frame slightly and then everything fit as it should.

Paul, I built it when it first came out. It goes together very nicely. I didn't have any issues with it. Carl

Rob, ZM have definitely improved in the quality and details of their kits. I have the Ta152 in the stash but haven't gotten to it yet. The earliest ZM kit I've built was their Skyraider and the details on the FW190 and their BF109 are both so much better.

I hear you Martin. I thought it was a bit odd in the breakdown as well. But they've made the parts fit so I guess that's what they're counting on. Definitely some(much?) of the internal detail is overkill but at least it's not impacting the build.

The two fuel tanks that go under cockpit won't be seen except for maybe the cap thingies on the topside through some holes into he cockpit floor. I painted those silver and ignored the rest. The aforementioned holes in the cockpit floor. With the fuel tanks in place on the underside of the cockpit. Finally the lower wing panel to cover up all that detail. Oh, I forgot to grab pics but the wing is now attached to the fuselage. Got carried away test fitting everything and one thing led to another and before I knew it, there was cement involved.

The turkey wasn't big enough for everyone coming over tonight so we're supplementing with a leg of lamb. The turkey has been on for 90 min, and the lamb just joined it. Happy Gooble Gooble for the Canadians on here. Carl

More work on the fuselage. The upper rear part was added next. The fit is just about perfect. A quick swipe with an 800 grit sanding stick and the joint is flush. The tail was next. I glided the two halves together and then joined them to the fuselage. There's a small gap that a lick of Mr Surfacer should take care of.

Rob is right, using a hairdryer really helps to get decals down over some crazy shapes. Scale Motorsports used to recommend it in the instructions for their carbon decals. Another option to try is a towel dipped in very hot water. The only risk there is the decal can potentially lift/move with the towel. Carl

I've used DN Models in the past several times for custom masks. I've sent them artwork and they've provided a quote and then the masks. Their prices have been very reasonable for the custom work. This CF-18 tail was done using their custom masks Maketar masks usd to provide a similar service but I haven't seen anything from them in quite some time.

Now that's scary. Don't even want to see what the rest of the car looked like.

That was my mom. We didn't dare touch her sewing scissors.

Those ammo chutes don't look easy to fold into shape.

That's a seriously low bridge.

That would be our youngest.

Nice recovery there Rob. Glad you were able to solve it without damaging the lovely paint work on the body.

They're kit parts. Everything so far is OOB. The only thing missing is seat belts.

I started adding the control linkages to the cockpit tub. The two long rods connect to the rudder pedals. The starboard fuselage side is next, followed by the rear bulkheads and lower fuselage. Since I'm not planning to have the rear section open, I didn't bother to paint any of the details back there.

I totally would.

Those exhausts look great. How did you do the heat staining on them?

Definitely some great looking models. Thanks for sharing the pics Martin. Carl

Turns out there's a lot more decals to apply to the cockpit. They really bring out the detail that's for sure. I also painted the IP. I used the clear version and masked off the dial faces first. Then a coat of paint and I removed the masks. Finally more decals, this time on both sides of the panel.

The pop of colour looks great.

I finally started to do some paint work on the cockpit. I was going to use Mr Color 116 for the RLM66 but the bottle I had was empty. I decided to use the AK Real Color version but wasn't thrilled with the colour. It didn't look right. Looking around at nearby shops, a Gunpla store near me had some in stock so I ordered it along with some other stuff to get free shipping. Once it arrives, I repainted the cockpit. This was much better. I gave the tub a panel wash and a light drybrushing. The consoles then got a couple decals applied to them.