CANicoll

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!!

When I have music on, its mostly 80s and 90s. Boston, 38 Special, Eagles, etc. Other, more current stuff too. But when I'm at the workbench, the TV is usually on and if its not a football or hockey game, it might be Battlebots or Love it or List it, Gold Rush, or Flea Market Flip. Anything I don't really need to watch - so more background noise...

Nice! What a find!!

And now I'm $100 poorer. Thanks guys! Mk VIII on its way...

Carl, Thanks! Oh, I see now, the IXc is not on sale, but the others are. Blast...

John, Where are you finding the Spits for $99? I'm on TamiyaUSA and SB sites, the IXc is $155. Did I miss a quick sale? I see it on Ebay for about $99 total. Chris

Must be a local thing!!

Peter, That is one of the reasons all of my models are behind glass. The dust really does bad things with finishes. Hubert and Carl - the plan was to cut the tail off and fit the new resin one today, but I got behind and after attaching the canopy and windscreen to the Voodoo, it got too late. Now waiting until I have the proper time to do the surgery. But definitely not attaching the clear parts just yet. In any event, they can be masked before being attached to keep progress moving forward. Keep the comments coming, guys, I appreciate it! Chris

James, I'm with Peter and Ernie on the Quinta sets, and esp Peter's suggestion to use Future to apply - I did that for a SU-29 I built. Looks awesome! And Peter's Mossie build was one for the ages - he did a magnificent job (as usual!) on his build, but I think it was one of its best I also am a fan of the 5th option, the Polish Mossie. Can't wait to see what you do with it and all the AM goodies! Chris

Peter, No clue at the moment! However, hanging from the ceiling is definitely an option.

I'm looking forward to the 1/48 B-26 actually, and hoping it has a nice cockpit and interior to go with it. I built the old Monogram kit a long time ago and it is sitting on top of my display case. It should go into the bin, but I have a very hard time getting rid of any old models unless they have been severely damaged somehow. Kind of pining for the days where one side of the bomber fuselage is clear. Agree with Peter on the open vs closed kits. Like the Tamiya Mustang vs Revell. Why go through all the trouble with the engine in the Tamiya kit if you are never taking the nose panels off? Both have lovely cockpits, so when I want a 'full' build, I go Tamiya. A 'quick' build - Revell. That way I can focus on the cockpit and the scheme which for me is the fun part. Then, oh yeah, with Scott's generosity in the Christmas swap, I have the ZM Mustang! Seriously considering building that with the starboard fuselage and wing panels off so show the inner workings. Chris

I'm 62 and you both put me to shame! I'm looking forward to being as active and hopefully continuing to do as good work for another 20 years.

Check this out. Navy Pilot to receive the Navy Cross from a dogfight 70 years ago - and he was flying a Panther! More than 70 years ago, Navy Capt. Royce Williams flew in one of the greatest dogfights of all time, taking on seven Soviet jets alone in an engagement that remained classified for decades. This Friday, Williams will receive the Navy Cross — the service’s second-highest award for valor — for his heroic actions. “The heroism and valor he demonstrated for 35 harrowing minutes 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew.” said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Cal.), who has previously advocated to have Williams receive the Medal of Honor for his action, in a statement on Jan. 13. “His story is one for the ages, but is now being fully told.” On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams – flying his second mission of the day – took off from the USS Oriskany in a Grumman F95-5 Panther as part of a combat air patrol mission over the Sea of Japan, near the border with North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. “We started to rendezvous with each other as we climbed out of the clouds,” Williams told Task & Purpose last year, “And that’s when we heard from the combat information center that there were inbound bogeys from the north.” Thousands of feet above Williams were the contrails of seven MiG-15s, one of the most advanced fighter jets in the sky at the time and one that outclassed Williams’ Panther in speed, maneuverability, climb rate, and the weapons range. After the other three Panthers in Williams’ formation flew away – reporting mechanical malfunctions with their planes or otherwise disengaging with the enemy after – he was left flying alone against Soviet jets. “In the moment, I was a fighter pilot doing my job,” Williams told Task & Purpose. “I was only shooting what I had.” Climbing towards the Soviet jets, Williams fired at the last aircraft in the formation. He quickly found himself on the tail of a second jet and opened fire, bringing it down. With five Soviet jets remaining, Williams was now on the defensive, avoiding the diving attacks of the enemy jets and looking for chances where he could engage, all while keeping an eye on his fuel and ammunition levels. In more than 30 minutes of aerial combat, Williams shot down at least four MiGs, even though his own aircraft would eventually land with 263 holes in it. Nursing his plane back to the Navy task force, Williams considered bailing out, but told Task & Purpose, “I knew in that weather I wouldn’t have survived in the time it took to find me.” When he was debriefed, he was quickly made aware of the real implications of what he had just done. With the Cold War in full swing, he had shot down actual Soviet jets — and, unbeknownst to him during the flight, he had been directed towards them based on a classified intelligence collection program from the National Security Agency. The commander of Naval Forces Far East told him to never discuss the engagement with anyone, ever, and Williams was credited with a single confirmed kill while the rest were distributed among the other pilots who had avoided the engagement. While Williams proceeded along with his career — another 23 years that included 110 missions flown over Vietnam — the incident became a bit of Navy legend. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, records began to emerge confirming Williams’ accomplishment. Since then, an effort has been made to recognize Williams’ feat and award him the Medal of Honor. The Navy Cross is awarded for “extraordinary heroism or distinguished service in the line of his profession, such heroism or service not being sufficient to justify the award of a medal of honor or a distinguished service medal.” Williams will receive the Navy Cross in an award ceremony on Jan. 20 in San Diego, California.