Dick Montgomery

I don't think there's sufficient room forward of the CG to get this thing to sit on its gear! The first one I ever built was screwed to its base and I always worried about the nose gear fatiguing and pulling out of the wheel well. I'm building a 3rd one now (built two at once and put the better subassemblies on a single airframe for the "client") which will be wheels up. It will be donated to the local AFROTC at my high school.

Revell kit? No...this was back in the day when Monogram was Monogram, men were men, and glue didn't smell like bananas. This is the Monogram 1/48th 5202 kit. I believe 5200 was the original version, without the atomic bomber props. 5202 had the wide blade props contained in the kit. This kit included the flush plugs that fit over the gun turret mounts and the side blisters but one needs to remove the turret fairings molded on the fuselage. Being a person who cuts first and then measures I got the holes too big but 3M Acryl Blue body putty and loads of sprue can fill the grand canyon. I made the base. Its a highly technical and very difficu.......aw heck.... it took five minutes to cut the three parts out of scrap acrylic which I buy at the Plastic Supply for 50 cents a pound. BTW- the wings are not glued on. The owner of the model ( a non-modeler) thinks he's going to display this thing on a coffee table. (Right!) I convinced him that it would be easier to move it and store it if he could pull the wings off and slip them back on at will. The fit on this old bird is just that good!

That will have to be a long distance smootch. Tom is in New Braunfels, TX and Matt is 6 hours away in Lake Charles. LA. Welcome aboard Matt! Does this mean I have to bow and kiss the ring when I go to CALMEX? Oh, and my boy won at TMS on Sunday!!!!!

Ok...Finally found a setting in which the image actually shows up. For those viewing for the 1st time I couldn't get the image to "stick" here. Ken and Tim made comments before I found a way to get this image to "stick". ">Visit My Website

Try http://www.gatorsmask.com/

Gator Glue works wonders for the attachment of clear parts and also P.E. parts. I've been working on a B-29 (the old Monogram kit) and G.G. worked quickly to "stick" the two nose glazing pieces in place. It even fills the gap around the canopy and then dries clear. Love this stuff!

Wow! That is a great story....living near the scene of the crash. And a great way to relieve stress! Great Job!

There was some similar information on another website....bottle or liquid being blue...etc. One person reported usage was identical to Future. A second person reported that new product didn't dry as clear. Any follow up on the new stuff by anyone?

Steve, I also found "scotch" tape to be less than adequate. I use bits of masking material for the carriers sheets from Cutting Edge, Gator Masks or any other brand of vinyal masking material. I also use blue "painter's tape". It comes in different widths and behaves like masking tape...much less "stick" but sufficient for modeling.

Dang Tim! That looks great!

I completed an OOB build of the Trumpeter HMS Hood for an IPMS Review submission some time ago. Now that I am about to add some photo etch to the model I thought it wise to put it under cover. I learned how to build inexpensive display cases out of scrap acrylic some years ago and have quite a number of them in the War Room. The process is not difficult, and with the proper tools (a high quality table saw is important) which I, unfortunately do not have, one could build these cases at a "professional" level and at very low cost. I purchase the acrylic sheet pieces from a local plastic supply business at 50 cents per pound and this particular case weighs less than two pounds. The acrylic sheet is 3/16 thick so its strong and solid. Using a jig saw to cut the pieces to size took about an hour. Assembly of the case (its like building a model!) took another 2 hours, mostly letting the adhesive dry. After cutting the wood base to fit the size of the case (don't do it the other way around.....) and then attaching some inexpensive wood trim to the base, today I applied the first layer of Medium Gel simulating the ocean surface. By this evening I'll have some color on the "waves" and over the next few days I'll add some ocean spray and more color. I'm not that skilled in this technique but if I can get decent results so can you. If you wish to see some pics "in progress" please go here: Visit My Website Its a Photobucket album of four pics.

MV lenses are top notch. You may also want to go to the Dollar Store or Hobby Lobby and look for a package of Googly Eyes.....those little clear plastic bubbles with the black dots in them that scrapbookers use as "eyes" on cards and stationary.

Maffe, Benvenuto. Felice siete qui.

Absolutely! Support the local guy first!!!

Tomk, I may have two of the IL-2 Acc Mini kits in 1/48th and I'd certainly be willing to part with one at a reasonable price. Let me know if you want me to dig thru my stash to see if, indeed, I've got a spare.

I'm currently using ColorPlace gray primer, a Wal Mart product. Needs lots of shaking before use but when applied in light coats it goes on with little or no grain. Just shot primer on an old Brit.Soldier metal figure that I'd had for 1000 years. I will not get the same results you got but I'll try! I like Andrea colors but have used oils sparingly.

Gents, With regret, I needed to put the Corsair on hold. I'm working on two 1/48th Enola Gay aircraft (commission) and I need my available work space and time for the B-29s. While I'm following your Corsair build I can't join the band....rats.

Do you remember the name of the cottage Ind that did the Indy winners?

I use an auto-body putty called, "3M Acryl Blue". It's $25 a tube but my first tube lasted for 10 years! It is a fine grain putty and feathers extremely well with sandpaper. One can sand dry or wet, either way it works well. It dries quickly, depending on how thick one applies it. Wetting it with finger nail polish remover allows an even smoother surface than just the putty applied with the fnpr., but that slows drying time. I swear by this stuff and use either it or stretched sprue without exception.

Yep, that one and about 2,400 others are yours!!

Here it is:

Sounds like a real pain to build. Not familiar with the kit.... is it fairly old? If not, I'm concerned about any recent releases having these same design issues.

Jack, How about sending these to the webmaster for inclusion in the Member Gallery?

Great job with the subtle shading. Any way you slice it the Base Star is a cool piece of hardware.

Great pics of the Shermans!!