GusMac

Nice progress Tom. Those photos actually give a true representation of the scale of this beast.

Still can't get over the colour of that plastic! Any other shade of green has to be an improvement Harv...

Great explanation Hubert thanks. Hadn't even thought of what grain there is in silk being enough to cause moire patterns. Brings back bad memories of physics lab experiments 30+ years ago!

Hi Hubert No I got your meaning but I probably didn't make clear that I've no intention of buying the AK primer. I bought the black primer for the Vallejo Metal Colors which I tried previously and it just seemed like a difficult to use, watery black gloss which made no difference to the finish compared with just shooting it over the black Mr Surfacer. After having my fingers burned by a few products I've decided to stick with that as my go to primer for everything I can. Although you might lose a bit of sheen on a few metallics, as Ernie said, some tend to be unrealistically shiny unless your doing a showroom model. Gus

Nice Carl. Nice to see some Balvenie in there, it's probably my favourite of the Speyside malts.

Thanks guys. I tend to use Mr Levelling as my go to thinner for everything so that should be okay. I've only used the Extreme metals over black Mr Surfacer 1500 so far and I like the results but I suppose for a shinier result a gloss base might be better.

I think I've mentioned before that I used to ski and that one of the local hotels to the Glenshee ski area had an owner from Kentucky who had an amazing selection of Bourbons. Can't remember too many but some were very nice. Never did quite understand the 'rules' he used to tell us about for what the corn/maize content had to be to qualify for the different grades. They're very hard to get hold of over here other than Jack Daniels which I don't think is a 'proper' Bourbon is it? Quite different to a lot of our whisky, especially the very iodine rich Islay malts such as Laphroaig or Bunnahabhain. As my wife says 'they smell and taste like cough medicine!'

Insanely good again Rich.

Thanks Carl, that's good to hear. I see a P-47 in my future.....

Think you're right Carl when l look properly at the undercarriage!

I've never used Alclad metallics due to their lacquer nature and my wife having a health issue which precludes using anything too noxious. I've just tried the Extreme Metals paints and found them very nice to use and they give what seems to be a very robust finish. Most importantly, my wife finds the smell tolerable. So, my question is to anyone who has used Alclad and the Extreme Metals and how do they compare? I'm tempted to do a NMF P-47D as that was the first LSP kit I attempted when I got back into modelling and I did it using rattle can AS-12 as it was before I had an airbrush. So I'd like to revisit it and do it better and I'm wondering if the Extreme Metals are an option for this. Gus

Nice picture Mark. Mirage 2000 behind you?

That's a bummer Cees, especially so near the end. I hope if the promised Brit Phantoms ever appear they make a better job of the canopies

Great start Mark. As you say the gloss black will be hard but you've got a great shine looking at that picture with the polishing compound tube.

Makes me wonder if we should use cats as a 'handicapping' system. Easy shake'n'bake kit - you need at least 3 cats on your lap Ernie's Fokker kit - cat free .. and various levels in between!

I'd second this. The Dspaie cutters are the best modelling purchase I've made in a long time. They go through any plastic like butter and you get a beautiful smooth cut with no crushing at all.

Nice one. The Videoaviation stuff is excellent but watch the decals, they are sooo delicate.

Not sure it wouldn't actually taste better than the real thing!

Nice result with the Shaders Jeroen. I tried them on my AMX-13 build but the effect is seen a lot more clearly on the metallic surface.

Hi John Hannants carries the Xtracolor paints and has the two shades you need in stock. They're £1.85 for a 14 ml tin. You might be able to order direct from them?

My grandfather was a farmer so I know it's a damn hard life Alan. He would never leave the farm at Xmas or New Year even if invited to one of his kid's for Xmas lunch, etc. Cattle always had to be fed. I take my hat off to you for what you do and it's one of the reasons we always try to support the local farmshops rather than the faceless supermarkets. Quality is also sooo much better!

Thanks Alan. Pain has faded now so it's more the boredom that's getting to her!

Similar over here near Stonehaven, damp and raw but also freezing at night. My wife fell on Sunday when we were out with the dogs and broke her wrist, so my bench time is going to be restricted by being having to do all the cooking, etc. Can't moan as I normally get away fairly lightly on that. I'd an uncle out in NZ who had pigs which were actually quite keen swimmers. Mind, it was a good bit warmer there than it is up here.

Happy New Year to you Alan. Hope you're Hogmanay wasn't too boring.

Looks good Alan. Weather's been bloody chilly around here recently for working out on the farm, don't envy you.