CANicoll

That definitely was a lot of fun! I also remember standing in line to get on the bus and turned around Radu was right behind me. As Tim said, we need to get the band back together and do it again. I'm not sure about Texas this year, but hopefully! Maru - are you coming back over the pond?

Ahh, that is what the strips are for, to spread the windscreen! Wish I had that idea when I built Lou IV (with the blue wings ) as it definitely would have helped. YEP, that was definitely a problem with the earlier kit. I have one last one so will definitely check out the fit on that build. Now that I think about it, I am pretty sure Passion Wagon (the green Mustang) uses the Aerocraft clear windscreen and canopy. Clear resin, polishes beautifully, highly recommended! Solves both problems - the fit of the windscreen and the clarity of the canopy. Chris

We really did have a good time because of the group we had. Good to meet people face to face! And Tim is as tall as he sounds! It definitely was HOT, and Tim, me and a few others had to sit and wait, in a cafe they closed to clean, for a bus to leave and bring us back to Phoenix. I think we FINALLY got one of the drivers to take a group of us back while the others were still out in the boneyard.

Thank you Martin! Sorry, missed hitting send on that. I did get to see the Catalina based at Duxford taxi and fly off - these are grand aircraft!

Really looking good!! Do love the shape...

So... Did you finish the C-17?

Thanks for keep on this, John. I had the narrow windscreen problem on a VERY early Revell build but not sure how your fix addresses that? Those early kits had problems with their canopies and windscreens. But I'm sure I'm missing something in your fix. My build of a later release (a year or so after the initial release) fixed the windscreen issue, but not the canopy clarity issue so I've always used AM or Tamiya canopies on my Revell builds. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! Chris

Maru is one of the super nice people in the hobby and a terrific museum companion. She and a group of the SIG 32 folks all went out to Pima together a few years back. That was a lot of fun, running from under one aircraft's wings to another to get out of the sun. Smart and friendly, she's tops. AND we share a birthday (ok, Ok, hers was a few years after mine... FINE! MANY years!) so how could she NOT be a terrific person?!? Chris

Thanks Carl, much appreciated! It was a big cut.

Mike and Peter - I started to hollow out the tail but realized that I was not going to get enough out to really make that much of a difference. Oh yeah, it is definitely tail-HEAVY. Mike, I just hit the Belcher website and it looks like he released a later tail for the 5A and it is two pieces, so hollow. Oh well... The bottom contour is off - ironically the resin piece is flatter while the kit's fuselage is scalloped a bit. But it sounds like we have some of his early work so I have a feeling the newer pieces fit even better. Oh well! Now in the process of researching the crew dress so I can get them painted, then masking the clear parts. I want to show both pilots in their seats, one waist gunner on his gun looking out, and the other waist gunner looking out the open window for a downed crew. These pictures help, but if anyone has a larger/better ones I would be grateful!

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing how the tail affects how the plane looks, once it is painted.

Carl, Looking great! The detail is amazing and really comes out with that wash. And getting those decals to settle is something else. Great job! Chris

Thanks Jeff and Mike! If this hadn't worked out, not sure what plan B was going to be... The bottom of the resin tail doesn't quite match up with the contours of the fuselage bottom, but it is pretty close. Left side matched up perfectly fuselage with a nice tight line. The right side was off a little bit, but that could have been my cutting. Still, pretty close! The bottom contours are off but again, pretty close. Letting this cure for a day, but in the meantime, its Voodoo time! Chris

Looking at Ernie's bench, I see that I really need to organize all of the extra bits I have so I know what I have, where. Hmmm. I THINK I know where to put the bins... One of the cool things about this GB is seeing builds of subjects I never knew existed like the Friedrischafen, or knew about, but never saw built, like the Schnellboats. Among the other builds. Not to mention manufactures such as Lukgraph which I knew very little about. VERY cool! Extremely interesting build, Ernie! Can't wait to see how it all comes together but the 3D parts really adds great detail and simplicity as you pointed out. Chris

The Patient is ALIVE!!! Sorry to steal Peter's update format (which is brilliant, by the way!) but I am just so happy I don't know what to do. Doing the Belcher Bits tail conversion on the Cat is something I've never attempted before - anything on that scale - and I was certain I'd cut the fuselage poorly or crooked or in the wrong place or whatever. Long story short - it worked!! I have to say thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support in doing this conversion. Here we go! The very simple and clear instructions from Belcher Bits said to cut 3.2mm in front of the last panel line. Basically where the scratch mark here is. I measured using calipers, actually, and the metal points were handy for making the scratches on the surface. Must say, very happy the paint shows the scratch clearly. Next step was to mark the line using tape for use as the border for the cut. FWIW, this is the ZM tape. Both sides were marked. Since I am a neophyte at this kind of thing, I decided to do a 'practice cut' close to the tail just to see how the razor saws worked on the styrene and how easy/hard it would be to keep on a straight line. While it LOOKS bad, actually the cut was very clean and straight. I scraped the blades around to see if they would find the groove (they did!). Speaking of razor saws, here is what I used. Started with the dual-sided razor saw (with the snapped blade) as it seemed to be easier to start the line with. Debated which side to use, and eventually went with the full-length side (60 count? Can't remember). I do have a replacement blade, but there are times when the shortened blade comes in very handy (like cutting small clear parts). Once the cut line was established on the fuselage, the old, trusty razor saw came into action. This thing has to be 25 years old and mostly is used to cut resin pour blocks from parts. The two blades are about as fine, but the larger razor saw provided the hope for a longer, straighter cut. It delivered! Instead of flipping the fuselage around and cutting right and left sides, decided to start on the left side, cut most of the way through, then use that to guide the saw for the right side. Does this remind anyone of the Halloween costumes of a saw-blade buried in the head? Here is the comparison of the two tails. While the kit tail looked fine to my uneducated eye, wow, the resin tail really provides a different profile. And the moment I know you have been waiting for. YES, it fits BEAUTIFULLY! Some filler will be needed, but wow, I don't think a lot given the how well the dry fitting is. From the top. The fuselage halves are not fully joined this far back. I was not sure what to expect with the fit, so left some wiggle room. Does not look like it will be needed. Time to give the resin tail a good washing and will more than likely attach it to the fuselage tonight. Whew!

Ernie, that is just a beautiful build. Congrats!! Chris

Ernie, I think this would be a great thing to add to the site. There are so many smart and talented modelers here who share so many tips and how-tos. A place to store all that knowledge would be terrific. Chris

Thanks John! I have one more Revell Mustang in the closet and a little while ago pulled everything out of the box, looking for the masks I have (found them!). I have THREE sets of resin tires. For this build I'll go with a mis-matched set (which apparently happened fairly frequently) so if any of the Mustang builders are interested in the remainders, send me a PM! I also have a TON of extra Tamiya and Revell parts and decals from the previous builds (two each actually) so if you need something, you know how to reach me. Chris

Fantastic work, Sasha! Those wheel wells are amazing and your detail painting is terrific. Where did you find references for the F-82? And your cockpit work. Whew, that is a lot of really good work! Terrific subject matter and this is a new manufacturer to me - will have to look them up. Thanks for the excellent pictures! Chris

Carl, Wow, Bold heads. I'm just blown away - The visual appeal is AMAZING and those tubes look fantastic. The level of detail you have here is really impressive. Wow!

Wow, now that is some persuasion! And patience to make it work. Looking good Gary! Black CA? Not sure I've heard of that. Chris

Peter, Your seams are looking terrific and so is the masking. Even your masking is neat!! There is so much glass that your efforts here are so visible - those canopies are a key feature of the aircraft. Looking good! Yeah, these old birds LOOK good, but the devil is definitely in the details. You are making it work! Chris

Rob, You are doing amazing work and your patience is being well rewarded. Can't wait to see more of your PE work since I'll NEVER undertake such an effort myself! I used to cut PE on a glass plate. It does dull the knife blades, but I've started using a sharpening stone on those blades. That works pretty well, actually. Lately, my go-to for PE cutting is a pair of Xuron PE Shears and I LOVE them, the Xuron 9180ET shears. They are super sharp scissors and cut PE beautifully.

Here is the CNN version - more details and pictures of the 97 year old pilot!

Fran, thanks for sharing!!