GusMac

Looks great. Love the dusty look.

I'd agree on the NMF but having just discovered AK's Extreme Metals I'm determined to give it another bash. They're easy to use and seem to give a bomb proof finish, so if I can sort out the right shades then I foresee another Trumpeter P-47D in the future. Back to the topic at hand, I f*****g hate PE harnesses, especially for jets. Anneal them folks say, I'd be better melting them! Thank god for fabric belts but they only seem to exist for WWII and earlier.

Detail does look good and remarkably crisp given it's age. Plastic does look quite hard.

Big congrats on getting published. It's such a stunning build it deserves all the accolades it gets.

Thanks for the info Rowdy.

Nice solution with the wingtips Cees. Didn't think it looked too bad originally but the fix is definitely an improvement. Sometimes it's definitely worth going worth your gut instinct when something is just niggling you.

Stunning work again Rowdy. I love the crumpled metal effect on the wing roots. Do you use lead foil for that?

Lovely result Fran. The yellow looks nice and weathered.

Thanks Gaz.

Great service Rob. Not a site I've ever looked at but some good prices and shipping to the UK is reasonable. Must resist!!

Lovely result Rob and I'm sure it'll look great in a dio. I really like the finish you got with the oils especially on the floats.

Hi Rob The matte coat is an interesting one as it's sold as a primer. It's the Ammo transparent primer but I saw it recommended as a matte coat by Matt McDougall and thought I'd give it a try as I've had good results with most of the Ammo products I've tried. I quite like the very slight sheen it has and it's very forgiving - you can flood it on and it still dries flat. Cheers Gus

Well, we had a nice bright morning here (it's now drizzling!) so I managed to get some outside photos as promised. I've certainly spotted another lesson from taking the photos - remember to weather the inside of the drive sprockets and idlers as they will be visible on pictures taken at oblique angles!

Thanks guys. I'll try and get some pics in natural light but that's weather dependent up here and the seasons aren't on my side! It was quite dry and bright today but blowing a gale so I'd have been relying on the weight of the tracks to stop it blowing away.

Thought I'd post some picture to show I have been doing some modelling recently. Got this kit as a birthday present earlier in the year and thought it was an opportunity to try some painting and weathering techniques for armour. First kits I did when I came back to the hobby 15 years ago were a Tamiya Chieftain and T-62 but they were brush painted with no attempts at weathering and the rubber band tracks. Given the CHET I've got stalled will need weathering I thought this was a chance to try some new techniques. It's OOB apart from RM Modellbau metal barrel and Friul tracks. First time I've used them and they're fiddly but I like the result. All paints and weathering materials are from Ammo. I'm fairly happy with the result but there are a couple of things I'll need to practice. The mud isn't as stark in reality as it appears with the flash but I feel it's a bit uniform and monochrome, so I think I need to invest in a wider range of the mud products or try mixing them with other products to alter the shades. As ever, all comments, hints and tips welcome.

That's looking great Cees. Amazing work to get to this stage.

What are you planning to use Cees? One filler for all or a mix and match approach?

Thanks Phil. I'll have a look at those.

Great, thanks Francisco. I'll have a look for that.

Hi all Does anyone know of a website that can match paints from a variety of manufacturers to colours of a national flag? I have the colours as Hex, Pantone or RGB values but can't find a way to see if there are any paints that are close. I've tried the Paint4Models site but got no joy. I can't find the IPMS Stockholm page I used to have bookmarked as it seems to be a dead link. Any thoughts would be welcomed! I'm looking for hints for a future build inspired by Ernie and Hubert.

Looks good to my eye Carl. Big enough to get a good grip of the base without the risk of damaging the models with random sleeves, arms, etc.

Hi Gaz Yeah, my H&S Evolution has a trigger limit as well but it's just having the trust in my own abilities. It's just a confidence thing as I've always swayed away from anything too risky like that. Each new build though I try and push myself to bring in a new technique or skill. I'll get there...

Very nice Gaz. Never had the confidence to try something like that. Just imaging getting a big blob if you hit the airbrush trigger too hard.

Exquisite stuff Tom. This will have real presence when it's done. In fact, I'm sure I've sat in smaller kayaks!

Too true Ernie! Didn't realise you'd an Antiques Roadshow programme over in the US as well. Not really a show I watched here but my parents were obsessed by it. I think mainly to see if anything looked like some of the old crap they had, to see if they could cash in!