CANicoll

Don't mess with old ladies! They have been around too long, they know everything, and they don't care anymore. That was too funny.

Also looking forward to putting 2023 behind me, but I'm grateful to have survived the year. Looking forward to a better 2024. I'm planning on making it that way, best as I can! Ernie, Thanks for all you do, as this site and the connections to a world full on great people means a lot to me. The positivity and support as well as the sharing of information is a wonderful tonic to life's challenges. Happy New Year! Chris

Extremely helpful, as always Peter! As we know, excellent paint work is as much an art, as a science. But the science helps!

Beautiful work, Peter! The shading of the paint is terrific beautifully done. And you are a master with the X-22. I've been pretty happy with Tamiya's decals as of late, but Cartograph is certainly the standard there. Looking forward to the next update. Chris

Nice haul!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone! Thanks, Ernie, for organizing this (again!). Wahoo!!

I never even thought of wearing it when I'm gluing... Uh oh. Especially Tamiya Extra Thin, but all of the CA's as well...

Hoping this will be the case this year! THIS hood scoop works, however!! Several years ago I was driving back from a model show in Chattanooga, in a bad winter storm. Fortunately, I had swapped out the stock 'all season' factory tires for a new set of Firestone winter tires on new rims. Right outside of Chattanooga, there were three jack-knifed semi's including one on its side, and several destroyed cars. Snow tires really makes a huge difference, as does all-wheel drive and not being an idiot. AWD helps you go. The snow tires are only so good at stopping...

I think I saw a bottle of bourbon exchange hands here...

Jeff, welcome to the forum and THANKS for getting a smaller scale RFI section created! I never realized we didn't have one. Now we do, thanks. Hey, the build is terrific. Nice and clean and the back story provided makes you fit in here perfectly. Most of us build something with a story that resonates with us for some reason. Nice job on the enamels, and you, like all of us, will benefit from the collective wisdom and experience here. Life does tend to take over some of our hobby time, hang in there. Keep building and posting!

I do like the SH P-39 over the KH (OMG yes! having build both) but it is still a bit of a challenge however you did great on it. This is one of my favorite aircraft from WWII and I just wish we had a really good 1/32 kit. I would love to see Eduard re-issue their P39/P-400 kits in 1/48. They have their P-39N for $40 and this one has some interesting markings in the kit.

Lovely work and especially the splinter scheme. Cool. Your patience in building this kit is admirable. I won't take on a project like this anymore. Too frustrating and I don't want to spend the money on the kit, then all the AM to fix it. I admire you folks who take on these beasts and turn them into well-done kits! I'll buy the cheap Revell P-51D though, and add $75 of AM to make it better! Go figure... I also love the Thunderbird P-51D! Where did you get the decals for it? That and I might tackle a Miss America P-51 one day. You have quite the collection in that case!

AHH!! Ok, thanks for sharing and the idea. Too bad Ikea discontinued the case but it looks terrific.

Wow, the conversion work is perfect!!! Hard to do once, and you did it twice. Fantastic! Chris

Very nice! I have a copy of his biography which he signed for me. Cool!

That looks really sharp!!

Peter, really nice work as usual. The soft lines between colors look perfect. What brush/needle/pressure did you spray at? Also, I am totally envious in your collection of clips and holders! The corrugated cardboard is brilliant. I seem to see a few tags on some of the holders? Part numbers? Again, really smart!

Show us what you build, please. Storage/display space is always a challenge. Chris

Agreed with Peter completely. For years I didn't use any masks, now I have a full respirator and wear it religiously. I don't have a huge supply of the Mr. Hobby Self Leveling thinner so I opt for the other stuff. Good luck with the paint removal!

I'm glad you posted the pick of the clamps for the Tomcat. I have replacement resin intakes for my plane so now I see what I may be faced with! Agree with Peter: where do you put all of these terrific builds?? Happy holidays! Chris

Kriss, The Camo effect is very nice - great job! It is really hard to be consistent on a subject this large, but you nailed it. Chris

Carl, That is a beautiful plane. Nice work! Chris

I did two 1/72 Mustang IIIs and horribly mixed up the parts between the two - and they were from the same kits!! Now if I do multiple builds at the same time I try and do different aircraft, or at least different scales. Although I have mixed up parts between scales before - so maybe I need to rethink that strategy...

Phil, Sorry to hear of all the trials and tribulations you are having with this build. Ugh!!! I have the ZM P-51D to build. I have used oven cleaner to remove paint on a build. It is nasty stuff (don't get it on anything metal!) but it really does work without damaging the plastic. Might be too late to suggest, but have you tried the Vallejo Metal Color finishes? They are not lacquer and I've found they shoot really well. I have had no lifting problems over the Vallejo primers, too. Especially the Vallejo Gloss black primer. I have done Alclad and MRP and love those paints but if you are having prep problems, maybe an easier route is called for? That said, Peter is an ace at finishes so following his recommendations is never a bad strategy. I usually shoot Alclad a about 7 psi at the airbrush but I always do a 'test shoot' on an old model (an 1/48 P-51D which I often clean/strip to keep the layers down) before applying to a build just to check the mixture and pressure. Good luck and can't wait to see how this turns out for you. Chris

John, that is a beautiful build. Well done!!