nmertes

One thing I've found helpful is starting with a good coat of flat white before airbrushing the gloss. Like you, I've found that gloss tends to take long to dry. I haven't tried Gunze paints but, Tamiya gloss white seems to work about the same. Keep your coat of paint thin & give it plenty of time to dry. I usually airbrush the gloss & let it sit for several days with a cover over it to keep dust problems down.

Since I have to airbrush either in the garage or patio, I tend to wait until it's above 60 degrees. You might try shooting at 60 and see how it works. You may find that it's too cold for the paint to spray properly.

Thanks for the reply, Gil. The Hasagawa version indicates that surgery on the intakes is necessary because of the fuselage design. The versions for Academy & ZM are supposed to be almost but not quite drop in replacements. I think the main advantages to me is that they're cast in white resin which means I won't have to paint them and won't have to try to hide seams. Time will tell.

I ordered a couple of GT Resin seamless intakes for Academy & ZM F-4's from Sprue Brothers. I know the Hasagawa version requires some surgery on the fuselage. Would like to hear pros & cons.

Looking forward to it.

Thanks for the reply, Richard. I knew I'd seen it somewhere but, couldn't remember where. Hazards of having gray hair. I've bookmarked your E-2 build and plan to refer to it regularly when I get around to building mine. I'm building a Hasagawa P-2 currently & put almost 3/4oz. in the radome.

I saw recently an article where the author used self-adhesive weights to overcome the dreaded tail-sitting syndrome of most airplanes. A source was given but, I didn't write it down & don't remember where I saw the article. This morning I stopped by the shop I use for routine maintenance on my car and asked if I could buy some self-adhesive wheel weights. Being a regular customer, the manager gave them to me at no cost. Lesson here is, if you use a particular shop for car maintenance, ask. You might save a few bucks for weights.

Gotta agree with Mark. I remember taking the bus to downtown Winston-Salem in the late 50's, walking the 5 or 6 blocks to George's Hobby Shop to spend my allowance, & getting George's advice on what paints to use. Several years later, I "worked" for him in exchange for a model, paints, or glue.

Thanks, Ralph. That's the answer I was looking for.

Can anybody confirm whether the A-4E/F had turkey feathers inside the tailpipe or not? The Hasagawa kit pipe doesn't have them nor does the Steel Beach Accessories Super Foxtrot Update kit have them. The Eduard A-4 Exhaust kit has them. I have a number of photos that show most of the tail end of a Scooter but, the inside of tailpipe is partially obscured.

Welcome back to the hobby & IPMS. I was assigned to VP-30 at NATC Pax River, MD for just over 2 years in the late 60's. Don't think I ever saw 1 armed like yours. Very nice work. I have 1 in my stash to build with markings for the Pro's Nest.

Welcome to IPMS. Hope you plan to get involved with a local chapter & attend the nationals.

C&H Aero Miniatures is now Cygnus Scale Conversions. I emailed them a couple days ago but, haven't heard back yet. Some of the C&H kits are now sold by GHIModels.com as John Carlton (Cygnus) is apparently looking to get out of the business.

That would be just about standard for me. I had the old Rareplanes vacuform EC-121 Connie for about 10 years when I decided to tackle it. I had most of the pieces cut out & sanded when Heller came out with their injection molded kit. Fortunately, a friend had also started the Rareplanes kit; had screwed up a couple of pieces & took mine off my hands. The Heller kit is still in my stash.

Very nice job, Gil. I've had a go at vacuform and decided it wasn't my cup of tea. If I could find the resin kit, I'd probably give it a shot. All I have to do is find one. I already have the Monogram F-8 kit and I'm getting used to working with resin add-ons so, that's a possible avenue.

I would love to see one of the model companies produce an RF-8 with markings for VFP-63, VFP-62, France, & the Philippines. Hasagawa at least put out a decent kits of the RF-4C and Saab S35 Draken. Tarangus released the SH/SF Viggen & Kitty Hawk released the F9F-8P. There have been a number of F-8 Crusader kits from Hasagawa & Monogram. One of the Hasagawa boxings even included decals for VFP-63.

If you'll send the list to me at nicksr1125@gmail.com, I'll pass the information on to our chapter.

No offense, Gil but, I've seen some of your builds & I'm glad I don't have to compete with you. I'm strictly a relaxation builder & enjoy learning from the experts. It's great to be a member of an organization that promotes competition & mentoring.

James, if you'll email me at nicksr@mertes.us with a price, I'll mail you a check. North American Hobbies said they had one but, haven't responded to a couple of PM's on Facebook.

That's something I'd forgotten about. Do you have the manufacturer & part number?

Thanks, James. I may take you up on that. I found one on ebay yesterday that has the right number but, the picture didn't match. I'll let you know. It's supposed to arrive early next week.

I'm looking for a copy of Aeromaster sheet 48-740 Vigilant Vigi's Part 3. I know, I'm rather late to the game but, that's the way I build. I've checked most of the likely sites, Rare Plane Detective & ebay, and a google search. I found 1 company (North American Hobbies) that shows the sheet on their facebook page. I sent a PM 2 days ago but haven't heard back from them yet. Not desperate but would like to acquire the sheet sooner rather than later. Do any of ya'll have any other suggestions?

Won an Eduard Mig-21 PFM at the Nationals here in Columbus. Have since purchased: Eduard Detail Set Eduard Seat Eduard Exhaust Eduard Ordnance Set Eduard Wheels G Factor Landing Gear Master Model Pitot Tube I spent more on goodies than the kit would have cost. But, it's my 1st major attempt at resin & photoetch.

Found a cleaning station at Hobby Lobby last year that seems to work pretty well. Replace your paint pot with the appropriate cleaner, set the airbrush in the mount on the cleaner & shoot. The cleaning station has about an 8 oz jar & filter in the exhaust port. Seems it was less than $20.00 and I used 1 of their 40% off coupons.

I'm looking for an Eagle Strike decal sheet that has been out of stock for some time. I think the number is 48-001. It's for 1/48 F-4 Phantoms. Specifically, VF-121 which used to be the West Coast RAG squadron. If you have one and would be willing to sell it, send me an email: nicksr@mertes.us. I'm even open to the part of the sheet with just the VF-121 markings.