Landlubber Mike

Nice job Peter! Great fortitude in hanging in there with all the issues. This is going to be spectacular!

Chris, thanks for that info. I might go ahead and pick up one of the newer tails as I'm not sure that I want to risk hollowing it out. Of course now that I'm looking at the Belcher website I'm seeing lots of interesting goodies...

Funny, someone gave me a smaller Delta bandsaw because he was upgrading, and I bought a Sherline lathe for my wooden ship models. I barely used either, so took up pen turning and now those tools actually get some use. I might need to look into a router to be able to make nice bases like the one you made. Looks fantastic!

You've got a really beautiful piece there. Will set off the Schnellboat very nicely. Did you router the edges? Looks very nice. How did you do it? I know you do full size furniture so maybe you have a router in the workshop.

Really coming along nicely Kevin. That base looks beautiful - I love Padauk. I used it for the first time on my La Renommee build on MSW and loved how nicely it works and finishes.

That came out great - the panel lines match up very nicely. Don't forget what you did on yours because I might have to send you mine whenever I get to the kit! Did you end up hollowing the inside of the tail? Mine is completely solid which means substantial weight. I think the later versions had hollow centers, but mine must be one of the early iterations.

Congrats on a fantastic build Ernie! Really nice job!

Wow, that worked out perfectly, nice job! I'd probably need a stiff drink before attempting that!

Wow, really nice work! And if your production is meager, mine must be pathetic

Looking good! There's a relatively inexpensive book out there on how to build the kit that might be of help where things make no sense: https://www.amazon.com/OS2U-Model-Kingfisher-Hoover-Instruction/dp/1729343538/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1XP6MZADJIB9T&keywords=kitty+hawk+kingfisher&qid=1674142262&sprefix=kitty+hawk+kingfisher%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-2

Nice Ernie! I think it's safe to say you can probably retire that mat - it certainly did it's job with the Helldiver!

Wow, looking really good there Peter. nice job!

Funny, as I was looking at Ernie's pics I said out loud "What a beauty!" -- turns out you said the same thing! Good stuff Ernie, wow!

Great start Rob. The PE/aftermarket looks fantastic - great detail!

Oooh nice one! I saw one on eBay not too long ago and was very tempted. Looking forward to seeing this one come along and for your thoughts on the kit.

My dad used to love them - would listen to them all the time in the car. Hope you and your wife had fun Ernie!

Um, your SOD models look better than my completed ones Very nice job on this one!

Looks like a cool subject, and the resin parts look very crisp. Looking forward to your build!

Looks great! I actually have been moving away from Vallejo primer as I find it has a tendency to lift, at least if painted on metal (I like using it for things like the cockpit or interior where there is no masking). Mr. Surfacer primer has been my go to, but I might have to try Vallejo again given your words of support! You're right, it's very easy to use!

After seeing the ResKit rotors and other aftermarket a while back, I got a hankering to build a helicopter. Will be following this one for sure!

Wow, this is looking spectacular Ernie. Very nice job!!

Wow, looking really good Peter! You're moving along quickly!

Ha! It almost came to that!

Thanks guys for the positive vibes. I managed to get everything pretty much painted and assembled pre-clear coat/weathering over the weekend. Stayed up way too late last night to get to this point, but things were going well and I wanted to go with the good mojo. Looking back, I'm not sure that at my experience level hacking up a Special Hobby kit to add in half a dozen plus aftermarket items was a smart decision, but I'm pretty happy how this is turning out. It probably doesn't look like it, but getting the engine mounts, engine, cowl, bracket, etc. were hours of work! Lots of dry fitting, sanding, filling, etc. The CMK parts are very nice, but the instructions are not always the clearest at times. I almost cried when I accidentally snapped one of the V-shaped landing gears in half trying to drill in holes for the hydraulic cables, but somehow the modeling gods were with me and I managed to get it put back together without much trouble. Anyway, here are some pictures. Clear coat tonight, weathering later in the week, and hopefully done with this and the Wildcat by the end of the long weekend so I can start the group build. Thanks for looking in!

Looking great Hubert. That punch set looks fantastic. Good luck with the appointments