[Excellent Photo of USAF Rescue Grumman HU-16 Albatross]

Did you scan the negative or have it scanned?  I have a number of 4X5 negs that I would like to have scanned.

[Looking for 3 View of F-4C/D USAF SEA Pattern]

I have a T.O. 1-1-4 that has the F-4 SEA color scheme.  If you’d like a copy of the whole T. O., I can email it to you.

[Donations]

You might email Jim Stepanek (IMcrazyjim@aol.com).  He’s the region coordinator for Florida & can give you all the information.

[Oranges and Tomatoes]

Great comments, David.  I helped photograph the aircraft entered in the 2015 Nationals in Columbus.  There were so many excellent models, choosing the winners had to have been difficult.  I remember hearing some of those comments & thinking why weren't you in there judging.

[1/48 Monogram F-105F]

Thanks, Gil.  I'll have to give your technique a try.

[1/48 Monogram F-105F]

Outstanding work, Gil.  I'm constantly amazed at how good the tires/wheels turn out on your aircraft.  What's your secret?

[Vintage Kit: HAWK 1/48 T-33 (1958)]

I was assigned to the 48FIS at Langley 1985-1986.  We had 2 T-birds.  The cheat line on both was the same blue as the arrow on the wing tip tanks.  I purchased the Caracal sheet & emailed them with a photo of the birds when I noticed the black cheat line.  Their response was too bad.  We’re not correcting it.  I have both the old Testor’s & GWH kits.  The GWH kit has the correct cheat line.  I have never seen a 48th T-33 with a black cheat line.  The squadron admin office had hundreds of slides of their F-106’s, T-33’s, & F-15’s.  There were no black cheat lines on any of them.  

Again, excellent job on the kit.  I wouldn’t repaint it either.

[Vintage Kit: HAWK 1/48 T-33 (1958)]

Well done.  My only comment is the cheat line is the wrong color.  It should be blue not black.

[1/48 Hasegawa F-15E Dual Role Fighter]

I'm with the Duke.  Excellent work on polishing the canopy.  Hope you'll post how you mask the canopy & paint it.

[1/48 Monogram OA-4M Skyhawk]

Very nice build, Gil, even if it is a Marine bird ;}.  One thing I've noticed on a lot of Scooter builds is there is no step at the back where the slats sit. The slats actually sit on top of the wing.    Why all the manufacturers haven't corrected that error is beyond me.

[The Duke Finishes Three in March]

Lookin’ good, Duke.  You & Ron Bell seem to love the braille scale armor.

[Packing Contest Models for Air Travel]

B&H Photo has the same case for much less money & offers free expedited shipping.  https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Pelican™ 1510 Equipment Case&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma I usually get items shipped from New York to Arizona in 3 days.  I have a couple Pelican cases for my camera gear.  They are 2nd to none for quality & packing security.

[ICM Replacement Parts]

I have an ICM 1/48th scale O-2A Skymaster that I've managed to mangle both props (parts A15 & 16) & part A54.  I emailed icm@icm.com.ua 2 weeks ago asking how to get replacement parts.  Still haven't gotten a reply.  Anybody have an idea how to get the parts?

[USS Constellation Decals]

If Dave can’t find his, I think I have a set.

I found my copy.  Send me your email address & I'll send you a copy.

[IPMS Journal issue due?]

I received the September/October issue a couple months ago.  Not sure what's happening.  Hope 1 of the guys on the e board will have an answer.

[Prepping PE For Soldering]

Thanks for the responses everybody.  I obtained some flux from the tech at work who does a lot of soldering.  I guess a LOT of practice is in the offing.

[Prepping PE For Soldering]

Do any of our esteemed colleagues have a preferred method of prepping PE for soldering & painting.  I've heard soaking the fret in white vinegar helps remove any residual oils so paint adheres better.  Anybody have any other advice?

[Chuck Contrino, new member from Brooklyn, NY]

My welcome as well, Chuck.  There are quite a few of us who got started when we were young & came back later in life.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  That’s part of what we’re here for.

[The Duke Reaches Another Milestone]

Looking good, Mark.  It's taken me 3 months to get a Monogram 1/48th scale F-106 to the point where I'm almost ready to glue the fuselage halves together.

[F-106 Nose Weight]

Interesting idea, Pete.  I've never heard of Woods's metal before.  I found it on amazon.com but, it looks like a rather small amount.  Any idea where it can be found locally?

[F-106 Nose Weight]

Thanks Mark.  That's about what I expected.  BTW I've been using self-adhesive wheel weights for a couple years.  They are in ¼ ounce segments and can be pounded very thin & folded/molded into almost any shape you need.

[The Covid-19 Effect]

Work at Batteries Plus in Chandler, AZ.  We're considered essential so, we've been open since the beginning.  Early on we reduced our hours a couple hours a day.  No we're back to business as usual.  The retail side dropped off for awhile but have slowly come back.  Commercial sales have actually risen beyond what they were this time last year.  I've been working more hours because some of our folks decided they didn't want to risk the chance of exposure. 

My model building has never been prolific.  I have 2 kits waiting for the temperature to drop during the day so I can airbrush in my shed (Phoenix set records for the most 100 degree plus & 110 degree plus days this summer as well as 1" of rain for 1 of the driest monsoon seasons on record) and a Monogram F-106 on the bench.

It hasn't affected my buying much.  I already have most of the kits I want(very limited stash storage space) so most of what I have purchased is paint, resin, & PE.

[F-106 Nose Weight]

I'm very slowly building a Monogram 1/48th scale F-106.  Any of you that have built either the Monogram or Trumpeter kit recall how much nose weight you used?  It probably won't be very much as the main gear is set fairly far back on the airframe.

[Monogram F-106]

Thanks for the information, Richard.  I'll have to get some.

[Monogram F-106]

The P-51's are put away for awhile.  I pulled out the Monogram & Trumpeter F-106 kits to finish in 48FIS markings.  I have Detail & Scale markings that Bert sent me when I was with the 48th 1983-1985.  The Monogram seat has good detail but, it's all molded in.  The Trumpeter seat consists of 6 parts with no harness or other detail on the seat and there are 2 complete seats in the kit.  PE harness is included but has to be painted the correct colors.  Eduard to the rescue.  Set 49714 was designed for the Trumpeter kit.  Most of it should work with some careful modifications.  I'm reasonably satisfied with how the seat turned out other than I got too much glue in several places.  I tried using CA but, couldn't get parts settled where I wanted them before it setup.  Ultra Glue from Ammo by Mig seems to work just fine.  It gives the extended working time I like to get pieces settled where/how I want them.  The seat now consists of 21 pieces.  The 2 small hook pieces on side of the head rest are flattened solder.  The PE parts were gobbled up by the floor monster.