CANicoll

A Hustler in 1/32? OMG, well maybe with all the petrol we are saving with electric vehicles we can divert it over to styrene production for the B-58 and maybe a B-36 and B-52 to round out the bomber list?

Found this over at Britmodeller: 1/32- Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird by Vintage Fighter Series - test model - release mid 2023 - The Rumourmonger - Britmodeller.com. This will be one seriously large (and I bet, mega expensive) model!

A desert spit! Yay and go for it!!

Beautiful build and a great display stand as well! Excellent detail. Thanks for sharing.

Definitely let us see what you build for a display case!! Love the build, and I'd be delighted to try my hand at it, but I just cannot afford the kit!

Hi folks, I've had a few folks in my local hobby club ask me about venting spray booths outside so I thought I would share something I came up with the vent those noxious fumes we don't like. My spray booth is from MicroMark (the smaller one) with the exhaust out the back. There are four basic elements to the solution: some insulation foam board, 1" thick (pink seems to be the color at most DIY/home improvement stores), some flexible dryer vent hose, a flexible metal joint and finally, a dryer vent. This started out when I was trying to vent out of a window that opened horizontally - that is, opened bottom to top. I'd stick the dryer vent into the window opening and stuff the rest of the opening with a towel. It worked great, until I moved and now my window opens left to right, so the opening space is vertical. Hence the addition of the foam board. Here is the hose set-up. The metal flange attached to the white dryer vent was needed as the flexible hose would not stay firmly attached to the dryer vent. Now it fits pretty tight. I took the flaps out of the dryer vent as I usually put this into a window that has a screen in it which prevents the flaps from opening when the spray booth fan is on. I think pretty much everyone has done something similar to this. The next problem to solve was how to block up the open window when I have dryer vent installed. I've tried a few different things, but this is what I have settled on - using the insulation foam board. But a single piece of board would not go easily into the gap, so I crafted a three-piece solution (but two pieces would work just find, too). This way I can "unfold" the board into the window frame grooves top and bottom. The flange from the dryer vent fits perfectly into one of the window frame grooves, while the foam board fits into the gap where the window would normally close into. This keeps the board very stable once the window is closed. The pieces are taped together with packing tape which seems to stick better than regular tape, and is also impervious to the weather (yes, I spray in all weather and temps!) To strengthen the joints, it is a good idea to tape the other side as well: This also helps make the joint wind-proof. When this is in the window, there is very little air infiltration coming in unless the wind is REALLY blowing outside. The extra piece also makes the set-up fold up a bit smaller making it a bit easier to store when not in use (see the first picture). So far this has been pretty durable - it has been in use for 3 years now. Hope this is helpful for anyone who is finding it challenging venting their spray booths out a window, and needs a solution that is portable and does not keep the window open the whole time. If someone else has another solution, please feel free to add to this thread. Happy holidays!

Gary, You are amazing with the rivet detail. I just can't even fathom trying my hand at that - the straight-line problem not withstanding. I'm still debating on getting the HGW rivet set for the 1/48 P-38J. It is the holiday season after all!! Chris

Gus and Kevin - great looking work! Love the smaller builds, esp the WWI birds. NMF is a challenge as the base has to be perfect, but yours looks great. I keep going back to Vallejo's gloss black primer, which I also use as a gloss black when needed. Sometimes it LOOKs bad after I spray it, but it then settles down into a nice glossy black that seems pretty tough. It also dries incredibly quickly - I've sprayed over it in a matter of a few hours, and done light masking in the same timeframe.

Carl, Where do you put these when you are done??

I'm behind this by ONE DAY and John has the cockpit together and the major assemblies all painted. I thought I had mastered painting pieces on the sprues and before assembly but I'm in amateur status compared to John. Wow! I have ONE more Revell P-51D kits in the stash, and it has a mountain of AM for it, including the AMUR flaps I love so much (for the oil canning effect). Gotta love the Revell cockpit - the detail is amazing, and the Barracuda decals really makes it pop. The wings on those carrier Mustangs are FILTHY. I wonder what that is all about? Also looks like there is a placard on the seat on the Mustang at the bottom left of the picture. I'm not touching my Mustang until John is done. Oh yeah, that will be Thursday. I would not even be able to get the parts washed by then if I tried!

Wow, looks like an epic release and thank you so much for the huge number of pictures, and your notes. That is a huge amount of work right there. Were the A-20 wings really that riveted? I wonder about the oil-can effect on the wings but this is one area where I am not well versed.

That is one HUGE model!

AHHHH. Ok, got it! Thanks. How is the new job location working out?

Stunning build! What a beauty. Whew!!

That is a might fine looking ... umm target? My knowledge of armor is soo poor, but when I see what you've done and how interesting it looks with all the details then it captures my imagination. I hear you on the pre-shading. I've also seen where I pre-shaded, laced on a base-coat and obliterated the pre-shading, so did the shading again and then hit it again with a lighter spray to get the effect. Doesn't always work. Can't wait to see more of your build. Chris

You need a better hiding scheme for your stash!!

So smooth! Looking great and the fit looks perfect. Nice work!

And I'll add if the recipient is overseas from the US, I'll substitute a $75 gift card to the Hobby shop of their choice. Unless you REALLY want the F-4C! Chris

Thank you Rob! Very much appreciated!

Ok, finally sorted through the stash and took a hard look at what I may build ( uh huh...) and what I most likely will not. I'll offer up the 1/48 ZM F-4C Phantom II, with the G-Factor Brass landing gear which I picked up at SMW in Telford a few years ago. If the recipient is overseas (from the US), I'll offer up a $75 gift card to the hobby shop of their choice. Thanks to Ernie for organizing this, and I'm voting to have Ernie participate along with the rest of us!

I just scared the daylights out of the cat laughing out loud, and now have a nice scar on my leg where she launched from. Who knew this was going to be so dangerous!

Microscale HO decals huh? Excellent. I would have gone blind trying to free hand the stripes! What acrylic paints are you using?

John, I'm just amazed this is an OOB build - the detail is amazing. The cockpit is fantastic. That level of detail is just something else. I especially like the wear on the seat. How long did it take you to put that all together? Your build speed and quality are out of this world. Are those prop tip stripes paint or decals? I have not built a Hasegawa kit in forever, but you are making it look fantastic. I'm disappointed you are not building Tallahassee Lassie, being a FSU grad, but hey, can't have everything. Vallejo Model Air works pretty well for me. I turned to that when I could not find Model Master Acryl. The problem I have is finding the right colors. Vallejo color matching is horrible. But the paints (and the primers, esp the Gloss Black primer) I think are pretty good once you get the chemistry right. I do love the MRP paints. Respirator and all. The colors you are getting are amazing as well - the blue around the canopy is striking. And I'm a huge fan of painting before assembling, when possible. Great work!

Whenever I can get back to the UK I hope the Mach Loop is active. It would be worth it to haul all the camera gear out there for this.

Gary, thank you so much! Seeing the quality of your work and that of our other friends here is really inspiring (and often daunting!). Cheers! Chris