JohnRatzenberger

'nuff talk, get back to work .... :D

My modeling skills are suspect, but I can choose camera angle

With a minor twist and planking you might be able to do it, depends on the dgree/direction of the twist versus the grain on the planking.

Well, I get a complete, but am not totally happy about it. Final stats: 23.30 clock hours of which about 18 were actual modeling time. (If you follow the thread you'll see problems with nacelles and struts, and then the decals -- this is my self-review.) The kit is actually OK -- as I noted throughout, it fits but lacks locator pins to help the process, particularly while assembling the fuselage sides, top, and bottom. The instructions, particularly around step 32 where one is supposedly assembling the nacelles and mounting them -- well, I simply could not understand them and the exploded diagram was of no use. There is also a minor glitch around the heater -- the instructions say to make holes if you want it, but the holes are already there. Probably the only other thing to watch is mounting the exhaust ring to the nose engine, being sure you can get the engine firmly mounted on the fuselage. The trailing edges are way too thick and the corrugations a bit heavy. My two errors. First and foremost, was not prepping ahead of time to possibly uncover the trouble spot with the nacelle and struts. That cost me several hours, which I would have had available if I hadn't been doing real life things. Second, was that I should have realized the decals were going to fail on me. I'm sure there are aftermarket items somewhere and I should have gone looking -- it's not like this was a last minute event. Oh, well, all my choices …. no biggie. For the next Blitzbau, I need to think simplicity …. but then I said that last time ... So, at this point, I am undecided. I might strip these decals, fix up some flaws, and try to find some aftermarket, and/or I'll drag my 2nd copy out of stash and try to figure what I did wrong on the nacelles, etc, and find some decent decals. It does look good, on its stand, in flight. The windows are big enough that some pax & stews ought to be added. I'm happy with the way Barney & Fred in the cockpit came out -- too bad about the glass (and my lack of effort to attempt cleaning). It wouldn't take much to add the few pieces of rigging to this, in particular a representation of the control cables on the very prominent arms on the outside of the fuselage.

Ron, I'm not visualizing the twist you have, but in my older days of doing this, we used to steam 'em out with a little counter twist to teach the wood its place ... Depending on the size of the area and the degree of un-twist, use anything from a steam iron to a pouring some hot water over it ...

If it's January, it's Blitzbau time on the UAMF. A Blitzbau is a 24-hour build, although there is a wuss option to split in 2 parts and not go straight through -- I take that option, but call it the senior citizen option. In the past I've done 144 CBK airliners, this year it's a 1/72 CBK airliner ... You can track the progress here. http://gregers.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=11535 I'm done today and will pick up in the morning.

Well, there's about 500 of 'em, but the real answer came in the mail today ....

Thanks, guys, I'll go looking. The build thread is here http://gregers.7.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=11476

I'm building the MPC/AMT/ERTL "The General" in 1/25 which is roughly in the G-scale/gauge range. It comes with a base I do not like (gravel isn't scale) and some fake firewood molded in a big piece. I would like to make a 19th Century roadbed about 3 feet long so I need decent looking rail, ties, spikes, and gravel. I also would like to find scale wood (split logs) to put in the tender. I've been to Walthers, got 30-40 pages from searching & have no clue what I'm doing .... Can anybody narrow things down for me a bit ? I have no RR shops anywhere nearby, and where we live, not even decent trees to go lop off branches/twigs to make my own firewood. Thanks in advance ...

My workroom is inside, spray booth and all, so cold doesn't impact too much except to cut into my heavy duty sanding and resin which I usually do outside.

Really great !!! I also like the ones in ice and would love to see a few close-ups ...

Hmmmmm, wasn't there a discussion about a new logo ?

Thanks Mark (& Mark A also) !! I'll go with that ...

Yes, I have MPC in 1980 -- are you saying it originated at MPC or it (may have) just been an MPC repop of another manufacturer's kit. I have not got an answer back from AMT/ERTL yet ....

I have the AMT/ERTL rebox of the 1980 MPC kit of "The General". I need to know the lineage of this kit -- is it an MPC original or did they repop it from elsewhere ? Thanks in advance ...

I'd vote for the StIrling .... with a glider tug option ... I've tried and trashed 3 of the Airfix ones for simply being too old & poorly molded ....

Hi Bob, Welcome from Nags Head, NC. Our chapter, down in New Bern, has a couple guys who do dinosaurs.

Great work, Don !!! Looks like you took all the options and went full-bore on it. That the McCudden figure doesn't look like him isn't your fault. I've got that kit waiting to get onto my workbench. I've been thinking about using the greyed out parts to convert it to a WV. I have an unfinished Roden WV that I could use for any other parts ... By the time I get around to it, Encore will probably release their own WV ... or maybe do their thing to the DH-2 ...

I also built that but remember it as Adams or Renwal ? I won't be gettint the Academy one, but one has to marvel at the amout of detail now, compared to waaaay back them ....

Mark, Is that B-1 in 1/72 ?!? It's a monster !!! Next picture, put a yardstick next to it ...

Try Joe's Models ... http://www.joesmodels.com/ I got the LF Models 1/72 Kellett XR-8 ... he may have more older US subjects from European kit makers.

Greg, You are correct. FYI & FWIW, regimental battalions (as opposed to separate battalions) had no place in the bumber number system unless for a Bn Hq vehicle. The standard sequential lettering of companies in a regiment made identifying the battalion redundant. So, Greg, your example of SSgt Poole's tank is correct -- Div-Rgt * Co-# = 3^-3^ * I-35, where I'm using ^ for triangle. To continue on battalions, I Co would be in 3rd Bn. The notation is Div-Rgt * Bn#HQ-#, so a vehicle in 3rd Bn HQ would be 3^-3^ * 3HQ-#. But let's remember that Tim asked for a jeep in 394th Inf Reg, 99th Inf Div, so what he got from us earlier (99-394-I * HQ-nn) answers that question assuming he meant in the headquarters.

Tim, Hannant's is showing two variants, the Ki-48-I Lily and the Ki-48-II Light Bomber as well as a mask and a PE set for them. To be released is a Ki-48-I Light Bomber. This link ought to bring them up ... http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/index.php...%5B%5D=code+asc I don't see them on-hand at UMM-USA yet ....

Mark, Do you normally build on commission ? I have been asked to several times and will not because the model will then not be for me and I can't do (or not do) whatever I want to it. Maybe you need to step back from the commission stuff a bit ? I always like to kick up my enthusiasm by getting interested in a theme, researching the history, collecting kits, etc .... Not saying I actually build anything (I'm not anywahere as prolific as you are) ... John

Tim, UMM-USA, IPMS member John Vojtech's online store, is the US distributor for AZ Models. He is showing four variants 7219, 7220, 7221, 7222 available. http://www.umm-usa.com/ I have lots of Silver Wings info if you need anything ...