Landlubber Mike

That's looking really great - nice job!

I haven't spent a ton of time looking at the WnW lozenge decals, but a few of the ones I looked at in the stash seemed a bit too stark - at least for my liking. Certainly washes will tone things down a bit, but I like a more muted tone, which Aviattic seems to have nailed pretty well. Will the Duchess be your first wooden ship model? If so, that's a great one to start with! Happy to help where I can. Plastic certainly can send you down a number of rabbit holes when it comes to things like aftermarket, paints and washes, etc. Wooden ship models have different rabbit holes - power and hand tools, replacing kit wood with "better" wood, etc. Don't ask me how I know that As for communicating with others in the hobby, I have to say that forums like these make modeling immensely more fun. Not only is it a great learning venue (not sure how people did models in the past pre-internet!) and inspiring to see masters at work (though, it can be a bit intimidating as well!), it's just a lot of fun with all the camaraderie. Compared to other hobby boards I've been on, the modeling boards seem to be full of good people not looking for unnecessary drama.

Great job on both Rob! I have a few WNW kits in the stash, and have worried about adding the lozenge decals and getting a cartoonish look to the model. You did a really great job with them to avoid that issue. Thanks for posting such a detailed WIP. When I read logs like yours, I realize how much more there is I have to learn. Your tips with the Albion tubes and connectors were really fantastic - had no idea you could buy such things. And your metal and wood work is superb. Lots to absorb, thanks again for taking the time to share and post!

I hear you. I actually have three 1/64 wooden ship models in progress. There are so many repetitive tasks on the wood side with planking, cannons, etc. sometimes I get burned out and move to another.

Rhetorical question? Of course!

Yes, I just saw Fran's review and this kit is now moving up to near the top of the want list

Some really great work there. That cockpit is fantastic, nice job! I'm building Tamiya's F4F-1 Wildcat, and it went together very nicely. I hear Tamiya's Corsair is the same way.

Really nice work Hubert. Thanks for the recommendation on MRP paints, I'll have to try them out.

Thanks Phil, really appreciate it. The bridge and fore mast could have been a little better, but that was what I started with. I got the hang of working with the PE later in the build. The stuff was just so fine that you could breathe on it and it would bend. Once you find a system that works for you, it really wasn't all that bad.

I've had nothing but great interactions with Sprue Brothers. I'm a very happy customer.

A little frustrated with Kitlinx. Back in December, I ordered what were supposed to be their last two Taurus gnome engines in stock. Rest of the order, which included other Taurus aftermarket, arrived no problems. The Taurus engines, however, were not in the box and as everyone knows, they aren't exactly inexpensive. I've now sent four or five emails directly to Loic without any response. I've bought from Kitlinx in the past and never had a problem. Even on a prior order, I had purchased a resin figure set which was missing some parts and a replacement was sent. So, my money will go elsewhere. Just wanted to pass along my experience so others aren't similarly impacted.

Ouch, looking at these closeups I realized that the back railings must have gotten pushed in. Couldn't see it with the naked eye, but the pics certainly showed the issue. A little toothpick action and she's back to normal

Holy cow Frank, amazing work! I didn't realize such a model existed. I came close to bidding on a Pro Modeler Catalina, but I might instead keep my eyes out for one of these. Talk about an epic build of a really cool subject! Nice that the wings are truncated too - this subject at 1/32 must be a monster, especially with the full wings included. I just noticed that HpH has a full Catalina also, but I think I'd go with the cutaway.

Thanks Peter, appreciate the kind words. At some point I'll have to work on something at a larger scale instead of these puny ones

Thanks guys! Rob, the 1/700 isn't all that bad as long as you have an Optivisor and good tweezers. Even better, they take up minimal bench space. Probably because the pieces were so ridiculously small, I didn't beat myself too much when it came to trying to put it together as perfectly as possible. The pictures make the model look rough, but they are taken at pretty significant magnification. From a normal viewing distance, it actually doesn't look half bad. So come in and join us, the water is fine I've got a bunch more in the stash, but ultimately working to get my skills up to where I can tackle this one - IJN Ise carrier battleship. This one will be a doozy with the pagoda style bridge, lattice work, etc.

Nice work Rob!

Wowzers, what a book! I see AK put out a few other "F.A.Q." books - does anyone have them and have any thoughts or recommendations? This one looks like a real excellent how-to.

Very cool - i'll have to look into them!

That's really great Fran, nice job!

Nice! What kit is that?

Thanks guys! Harv and Fran, break out the Optivisor and get going! If I can do it, you most definitely can!

Masterful PE work there, wow!

Very interesting, thanks for the clarification. Looking forward to this build!

Looking forward to this one! Great Spitfires and the art work is nice as well... Those Quinta 3D decals look fantastic. Are they applied as decals, or are they glued on?

I love it! Great model and great diorama! I've always been scared away from those Aires and other figures, as the boxes make the figures look a little rough. But they seem to actually be quite nice with crisp details.