Wolfman63

The second week of the AV-8B Harrier build started off with detailing and assembling the forward fuselage and mounting the cockpit. The aft fuselage was then assembled and the intake. The forward section was mounted tp the aft section. I then assembled the intake cowl and the exhaust nozzles. Next I worked on the wing assembly. This required a little putty to fill a small gap between the fuselage and wing assembly but the rest of it all fit together very well. I proceeded to add the details to the fuselage like the ducts and the refueling probe. Speaking of the ducts, the two ducts just behind the canopy are too close together on the kit. I previously built this same Hasegawa kit and found out too late that these were in the wrong position. With them in the wrong position it does not allow you to position the canopy in the open position. On this build the client would like the canopy open. After reviewing some reference photos I re-positioned the ducts in the correct location and verified the canopy can be in the open position. The scheme for this is VMA-214 with the triple grey. The underside will be light ghost grey with the upper sections dark ghost grey and a medium grey camouflage section on the upper wings. I am starting to apply the base coat of the paint and then I will be assembling /detailing the under wing stores, weapons, and targeting pod. All the details and photos are in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/av-8b-harrier-plus-vma-214/

I polished it by hand. How to repair, clean and polish clear parts. – David's Scale Models (davidsscalemodels.com)

Welcome to the start of my seventh commission build this year. This build I will be using Hasegawa’s 1/48 AV-8B Harrier Plus. The client is a former Harrier pilot and wants a model of one of the many aircraft he flew in his career. I will be using Caracal’s AV-8B+ decal set and using the VMA-214 “Blacksheep” aircraft #2 scheme. The other accessories I will be adding are the Quinta Studio’s 3-D cockpit decal set. This will be my first time using them. I will be using Eduard’s 500lbs JDAM’s, Meng AIM-9 missiles, and the aircraft will be mounted in a display case with a base replicating the flight deck of a carrier. To start off this build I first worked on the canopy and windscreen. These both have a seam that runs down the center of each. I sanded the seams out with 1500 and the 3000 grit sandpaper. I then polished both pieces inside and out. With the seams removed and both sides polished the canopy and windscreen are very clear. Next I began working on the cockpit. I first cleaned up the cockpit tub, instrument panel, and added the 3-D decals. The decals are very thick due to the raised areas. These work like normal waterslide decals. Soaking them in some warm water then applying then to their locations. I used a little decal set to make sure the adhered to the surface. There are some levers, handles and knobs that need to be attached. These are set in place with a small drop of CA glue. The result is a very realistic appearance. On the rear cockpit bulkhead they even have some weathering and shading to add to the realism. On the instrument panel the gauges and screens are coated in a clear gloss. Once all the decals on the cockpit and ejection seat are applied and the cockpit assembled the cockpit looks fantastic. I am now working on cleaning, detailing, and assembling the forward fuselage. All the details and photos are in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/av-8b-harrier-plus-vma-214/

This last and final week of the Chilled Toon A-10 “BRRRT” Egg Plane was spent assembling and applying the custom decals. I also used some acrylic gel to make lenses for the landing lights. A final top coat was applied which completed the aircraft. This was an interesting build. Being full resin required lots of prep work but in the end I am happy with the outcome. I think that there is room for improvement. One thing would be the canopy. It would have been much better if it was at least half as thick. Even with sanding and polishing the inside and outside surfaces you can still see the printing layers inside the clear resin. The decals supplied with the kit would be better if they were printed in a higher resolution. The only decal I used supplied in the kit was the “H” on the nose. For the most part the 3-D printing was decent. As noted before the small hole behind the gun mount was the only issue. The assembly required some minor filing and sanding to install the weapons onto the wings and the landing gear struts. If you build one I recommend taking your time with the prep work. It will make final assembly a lot easier. The aircraft was then packed very carefully and shipped to the client. It is estimated to be delivered today All the details and photos from start to finish are in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/chilled-toon-a-10-egg-plane-brrrt/

As I continue with my commission builds this next one is another Egg Plane. A couple of years ago I built a 1/48 A-10 for a client that wanted it to match the aircraft he flies in the online at the Digital Combat Simulator website. It had custom decals and was fully illuminated. You can see that build at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-a-10-thunderbolt-ii-dcs/ He liked the novelty of the Egg Plane’s and decided he wanted an A-10 with the same scheme. He located an A-10 egg plane from a company called ‘Chilled Toon”. The thing is this kit is not your typical plastic injection type like the Hasegawa egg planes. This is a 3-D printed resin kit. This requires a little more work to build. Also regular model adhesives do not work on resin. The aircraft will be put together using CA glue. The kit comes with all the pieces including the canopy all printed with resin. The first thing I worked on was the canopy. The kit comes with two different canopies. One closed and one 2-piece open version. It does include a pilot/cockpit and it was decided to use the open canopy. The clear resin is very thick and has a frosted look. I started by wet sanding the pieces with 800 then 1000 and finally 2800 grit sand paper. Once the sanding was completed I polished the inside and outside with Meguire’s PlastX polish. This cleaned up the canopy very well. However, due to the thickness the view thru the canopy is still distorted. It would have been better if they printed the canopy in half of the thickness. I know 3-D printed parts are typically a little more brittle but at half the thickness I feel the canopy would still be workable. Next came cleaning up all the parts. The 3-D printing process prints in layers. This leaves the parts with very fine lines between the layers. I wet sanded all the parts with 1000 grit sand paper. On the fuselage right behind the gun housing due to the difficult angle there was a slight hole. I filled this with some putty and there were a few areas that had small divots from the printing process which were also filled with putty. The weapons were already mounted on their mounts so cleaning these up was a little tedious. The gun required some sanding and the gun mount needed some clean up with a file so the pieces can fit together. I also had to modify the cockpit/pilot a little. The pilot sat too far forward and would not fit under the windscreen of the canopy. I trimmed the rear side to move the pilot back a bit and used a small piece of sheet styrene to fill the front gap. Finally I started painting the base coat on the separate pieces. I used the original decals I made for the 1/48 version I previously build and scales/shaped them for the egg plane. I painted the pilot helmet and applied the squadron logos to the sides. I am now working on assembling the kit and then apply all the decals. I should be able to finish this over the next week. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/chilled-toon-a-10-egg-plane-brrrt/

The fifth and final week of the “Lady in the Dark” is finished. The week was spent detailing the display case. I added a sheet of styrene to represent the taxi way. The reference photos show the taxi and runways were slightly raised with drainage on the sides. I covered the base with a sheet of sand. I then used gravel to line the drainage areas. Finally I blended some grass and shrubs to the edges. In the section behind the aircraft I created a puddle and added some tall grass as well. I then used some Airfix accessories for the ammunition crates and oil barrels. The barrels were kind of bland in detail. I used some styrene rod to create the top lip and make the cap. On one barrel I drilled out the cap. This barrel was then laid on its side and using Tamiya smoke paint I “spilled” a little oil out of the opening and on the ground. Finally I used various shade of brown, grey and black pastel chalk to create stains and grime on the taxiway. The aircraft was then placed and glued down. Halfway thru the week the new nameplate arrived. I used some sheet styrene to make a holder to mount the nameplate. This completed the project. As for the kit itself, with the exception of the boom and nose fit the rest of the build went very smoothly. The instructions were presented and arranger very well. The Print and Scale decals worked out well. The few kit decals I used also worked very well. It is kind of a shame the kit had the “Lady” in the incorrect colors and the wrong serial number. Overall the kit was a nice build. The Scene-A-rama diorama kit worked out great. While I do not typically build the smaller aircraft in 1/72 scale this was an enjoyable build. Thank you for following along with this build. Happy modeling! You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-northrop-p-61b-lady-in-the-dark/

With the fourth week of the “lady” build completed I spent the week painting and detailing the aircraft. To start with I masked the open areas and painted the base coat of the aircraft with semi-gloss black. Then I added the antennas, landing gear doors, the cowls, and turret. There were some areas that required touch up in the landing gear bays and the belly cannons. I then installed the nose bay boarding ladder. Once all of this was completed I then started to add the decals. I used a mix of the kit decals for the general decals and the Print and Scale for the specific “Lady” scheme and the propeller decals. The kit propeller decals looked incorrect for the colors compared to the reference photos. I had been previously warned that the Print and Scale decals tended to fall apart but I had no issues with my set. I used the kit walkway decals as these were only 3 sections where the others were 6 sections per wing. All of the decals worked out very well. Once all the decals were placed and dried I covered the top coat with a matte finish. I then removed the canopy masks and added the two antenna wires that went from the tails to the rear of the center fuselage. I used EZ-Line fine black for these. Next I began to weather the aircraft with pastel chalk. For the exhaust stains I started with a medium grey, then a red/brown, and finally black. I then weathered the leading edges of the props and wings with a sand brown. I used the sand brown and some mud brown of the wheels, struts, and landing gear doors. Finally the under wing landing lights were installed and this basically completed the aircraft. I am now working on the display case base. I am using the Master Tools medium display case along with some Scene-O-Rama accessories like sand, gravel, plants, and even a little of their water effects to create a small puddle in the drainage ditch area accented with some long grass reeds. This will represent a typical pacific island air field. I have some scale drums and ammo crates to add to the scene as well. I also ordered a black aluminum name plate that will be etched with silver lettering with the aircraft details. I should have this build finished over the next week. Stay tuned for the big finish! You can see all the photos and details in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-northrop-p-61b-lady-in-the-dark/

I get them from Amazon See my tip page at Masking with Kapton Tape – David's Scale Models (davidsscalemodels.com)

The third week of the Lady in the Dark was spent detailing and building up the engines and aircraft. I am hoping to get everything together and ready for the base coat of paint. For the engines I cut some 30 gauge wire to replicate the pushrods and then detail painted them. I assembled the propellers and mounted the engines in the painted cowls. Since I was using the resin engines I had to cut off the propeller shafts as these were too large. I replaced them with 26 gauge wire which fit the engines very well. With the engines and cowls completed I installed the booms, rear stabilizer, and nose. There are a lot of fit issues. First the nose is the correct shape but a little thinner when mating to the fuselage. This required putty on the sides. The second area is where the rear part of the booms met the fuselage. I had to sand the wing side down and reshape the curves. With a little more putty the booms were now fitted to the wings. The main wheels were then detailed with photo etch hubs. For the nose wheel I opened up the spokes and detailed the nose strut with photo etch accessories. The kit upper turret gun barrels were replaced with the Quickboost resin version. I then used kapton tape to mask all the canopies and windows. With all of the sections completed I am getting things ready to paint the base coat so I can then start adding the decals. I also ordered some accessories that will be used when I go to detail the display case that the aircraft will be mounted in. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-northrop-p-61b-lady-in-the-dark/

The second week of the P-61 has been spent detailing and building up the main fuselage and wings. I started by modifying the belly cannons by adding the flash suppressors. These were then mounted in the belly. The radar station and cockpit were then mounted. The nose gear bay was then detailed using photo etch wiring and brackets. On a side note, typically adding resin cockpits to models requires lots of sanding and adjustments to fit. The Ares resin section actually fit very well without any issues. I actually had to add a brace to the forward section to support the nose gear bay panel. The fuselage halves were then put together. The fit is average and requires some putty to fill in the seam areas. The wings were then attached to the fuselage. The wing to fuselage fit was very good. I moved onto the wings. The photo etch set replaces the leading edge vents/vanes. I needed to trim out the mounts for the kit version so the photo etch ones can fit correctly. I had to reshape the area and use a little putty to shape them. Moving onto the engine/boom assemblies I added the forward and rear bulkheads to the main gear bays and also cut out the molded lower screens so the photo etch ones could be installed. The main landing gear struts were then cleaned up and detailed with photo etch parts. I am now working on the engines. I am using the Quickboost resin engines. I have added the photo etch ignition wires. These needed some minor adjustment as they were designed to fit the kit engines. It looks like I am going to need to make the pushrods for the engines as well. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-northrop-p-61b-lady-in-the-dark/

This is another commission build using Dragon’s 1/72 P-61A/P-61B Black Widow Night Fighter. The client is a huge fan of the Northrop P-61 and really liked the 1/48 scale I built last year. He wants a 1/72 version in a case for his desk. For this build I will be using the Ares resin cockpit detail set, Eduard’s exterior photo etch set, Quickboost resin engines, Quickboost resin gun barrels for the upper turret, and Print and Scale decal set. Once built, the aircraft will be mounted in an acrylic display case to protect it. The reason I am using the Print and Scale decals is because the kit decals have a lot of errors for the Lady in the Dark. The Lady’s dress on the real aircraft is blue instead of red, the size of the nose art on the kit version is too small, the squadron logo is missing, and the kit does not provide the correct serial number. Starting off with the cockpit I cleaned up all the resin parts. The radar operator’s station is the first area to assemble. I drilled out the holes on the bottom and then using some scrap photo etch and wire I made the handle for the entry. The resin seat had separate sections for the bottom and back. I used wire to make the seat back mount. The base is a photo etch mount that comes with the Ares kit. The only problem with this is the side rails/handles are too small to fit correctly. I cut them off and used wire to replicate the rails and made the arm pads using acrylic gel to form them. The turret control is from the kit. It was modified to remove the bottom tab which was used for the kit floor and I added the photo etch adjustments to finish it. The radar console was then detailed using photo etch parts which included gauges and the lamp. I used styrene to make the avionics equipment that sits under the console. Turning to the cockpit section I duplicated the rear seat for the gunner the same way I did the radar operators seat and then detailed the resin pilot seat. The resin instrument panel was detailed with the photo etch parts and I added a couple of control levers. More control levers were then added to the cockpit tub. Everything was painted and assembled. I am currently working on the main fuselage details so I can assemble it. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-northrop-p-61b-lady-in-the-dark/

This next build is another commission for a returning client. The kit is the Hasegawa SR-71 Egg Plane. Hasegawa has a large series of these egg planes. They feature an egg-shaped distorted interpretation of a real world aircraft. They are quite easy to build. It took me only a few days to build this interesting kit. The fuselage, wings, and engines fit together nicely. I used Vallejo Jet Exhaust for the engines. I did add a couple of changes. I added cloth seatbelts to the seat and on the nose gear I drilled out the molded landing light and added a clear lens on it. The canopy was masked with kapton tape. The entire aircraft was painted with Tamiya semi-gloss black. The kit decals went down very well. A final top coat of clear matte was sprayed completing this kit. This was a fun and easy kit to build. The novelty of the Hasegawa egg planes is interesting. I recommend these kits if it is something that interests you. Happy Modeling You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/sr-71-egg-plane/

The fifth and final week of the VMA-223 build is complete! I completed the final touches on the fuselage. I added a clear lens on the nose gear after previously drilling out the molded light. The dorsal light was cut off and a clear lens was added and painted with clear red. The HUD and windscreen was then installed. Next I added the det cord decal to the inside if the canopy and attached it to the canopy frame. The canopy assembly was then placed in the open position so the cockpit details could be seen. I did some final touch-ups on the weathering and this build was completed. As for a review of the kit, it was a nice kit to build up. The landing gear just required some minor adjustments so it could sit on the gear correctly. The fit of the parts was very good. I did not use the kit decals which by the way were minimal. I would recommend buying an aftermarket set that includes all the placards and correct decals. The resin 1/48 Eduard AN/ AAQ-28(V) Litening pod has some nice details and the decals are very accurate. The only downside is it would have been better if they had clear lenses and maybe some internal details behind them. All that is left now is to pack the aircraft carefully and ship it out to the client. Thank you for following along. Happy Modeling! You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/

The fourth week of the Harrier build has been a little tedious. First was installing the outer landing gear. These were about 1mm too short. This caused the aircraft to wobble on the main gear. I cut small strips of 1mm styrene and added them to the mounting points of the struts. Now the aircraft sits evenly on all for landing gear struts. I then worked on the AIM-9 missiles. The kit missiles looked a little too thick and had mold marks on the tail fins. I have a couple boxes of the Meng 1/48 weapons and decided to use these. The wing shape, size, and details looked much better. So I built these up, painted, and added decals. Next came installing the decals. I used some extras for the standard markings and then trimmed and started adding the decals I made for the particular scheme. I used white film decal sheets to print up the decals. It took a couple of tries to get the background color to match the paint. The shark mouth decal took a little bit of time to size it correctly as well. Finally I did a lot of detail painting for the nose, ECM sensors, refueling probe, and some general touch ups. I need to make the pilots name decal and then I can begin the weathering to match the reference photo before applying the top coat. I can then finish up the canopy and external light details. Hoping to have this completed by the end of the week and then prepare it for shipping to the client. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/

Finishing the third week of the Harrier build I installed the intakes and other fuselage details. The resin Litening pod was painted and applied the decals to complete it. The aft exhaust nozzles and exhaust plates were painted and then I used pastel chalk to weather them. The front exhaust nozzles were painted and the inside was also weathered with pastel chalk. The wings were built up along with the drop tanks and installed them. I then began painting the base coat of paint on the upper section I used FS36118 and for the underside I used FS36173. I installed the main nose gear and main aft landing gear. I am working on the wing landing gear. Many have said that these will require adjustment so that all four landing gear sit properly. I have had to do this on previous Harrier models. Once the aircraft sits correctly on the gear I can do some more detail painting then onto the custom decals. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/

The second week of the Harrier build was mostly spent on scratch building the fuselage modifications . The nose was changed to a point instead of the sensor. I used a grey styrene rod and shaped it then used putty to blend it to the nose. The sensor was relocated to just above the nose in front of the canopy windscreen. I used a styrene square rod and trimmed it to fit then drilled a hole in the front to house the sensor lens. On the tail section I used a styrene tube cut in half lengthwise to extend the tail vent. I then made the CHAFF blocks and used putty to shape them. It is taking layers to build them up. I still have a layer or two and then use sanding sticks to shaper them correctly. While the putty was drying I assemble the jet nozzles, rear stabilizers, and nose gear. I will be making one change to the aircraft. I will be removing the gun pod and installing the lower shrikes. This is because the client wants to add a Litening targeting pod which is mounted between the shrikes and takes the place of the gun pod. I am using the Eduard Brassin version of the AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod. I also assembled the main wing assembly. I am working on the upper CHAFF pods and then I can install the wing assembly and possibly get the base coat of paint on it. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/

I have a couple of extra decals as well as one extra photo etch part. Most likely use one of the decals.

This next build is a commission build using the 1/48 Revell/Monogram AV-8B kit. The client supported the Marine squadron VMA-223 in Afghanistan in 2011. In appreciation of his support they carried an American flag on a mission aboard and aircraft call sign “ALAMO 12”. Upon their return the American flag and a certificate were presented to him. I have been commissioned to replicate the aircraft. The client supplied the kit to use for this build. The build itself will be mostly out of the box with some scratch built add-ons. I will need to add the front sensor pod above the nose, modify the nose, extend the tail scoop, and add the two chaff panels in the top half of the fuselage near the tail. All of the decals will be made custom for this build. Starting off with the cockpit I detail painted the instrument panel and side panels. The seat had only the lower seat belts molded in. I used some cloth tape to make the shoulder straps and upper seat belts. I then looked over the canopy. Harriers have an antenna on the inside of the canopy. Revell molded these on the outside of the canopy giving the canopy a distorted look. I decided to use a decal on the inside for the antenna so I sanded the canopy using 1000 grit then 3600 grit sandpaper to remove the molded antenna and then it was polished with Meguire’s PlastX polish to restore the canopy to a clear glossy finish. The intake was then painted and the cockpit tub installed so the fuselage halves could be assembled. The instrument panel was then installed and I began to work on the tail section for the extended scoop and the chaff panels. There were roughed in with styrene. I am working on the forward sensor and then will blend the add-ons with some putty. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-av-8b-harrier/

Nine weeks and the “Viper” has been completed! All of the panels and canopy doors have been installed. I used 30 gauge wire for the supports on the panels. On the canopy doors I used black sleeved wire and stripped half of it so it look like the compression supports. I did a little more weathering on the inside and outside of the panels. The next thing I did was to remount the weapons. The kit instructions have you mount two rocket launchers and the Hellfire’s under the wing. The problem is the “Z” only has three hard points instead of four. A fellow modeler pointed this out and the client also noted it as well. For the main rotor I trimmed off the plastic links and replaced them with black 28 gauge wire. This allows the rotor to be removed and installed easily. This is for shipping reasons. With the main rotor finished this also finished this build. The kit itself was a decent build with only some minor issues as noted during the build. The fit was very good. The instructions were in a good assembly order but had some parts not shown like the canopy handles. The paint schemes use the incorrect colors as well. It does build into a nice looking helicopter. I will be packing this up today once the brass nameplate arrives and then ship it out. The client already has the display case for it. Thank you for following along. Happy modeling! You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ah-1z-viper/

As the eighth week closes on the Viper I finished all the weapons and have them mounted onto the fuselage. The kit does not supply decals for the assorted weapons. I had some spares for the rocket launchers and the Hellfire missiles but no decals for the AIM-9’s so the stripes were had painted. From the last update I received many questions on the paint colors used. The kit painting instructions call out to use FS36270 Neutral grey for top and FS3495 Light Grey for lower part of the fuselage. These colors are not the correct colors for a U.S. Marine AH-1Z. I have a copy of the MIL-STD 2161C which is the official Military standard for painting and markings of U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft. There is a website called “Everyspec” ( http://everyspec.com/MIL-STD/MIL-STD-2000-2999/MIL-STD-2161C_49692/ ) that you can download this document as a PDF. It should also be noted that they have TO 1-1-4 which is the USAF aircraft painting and marking document as well. Anyhow, The MIL-STD calls out FS35237 Medium Grey on the top and FS36375 Light Ghost Grey for the lower part of the fuselage and these are the colors I used on this build. I then started to polish and paint the side panels of the canopy. On the canopy panels that open there is a spot to attach the handles. I looked over the instructions and there is no reference that tells you to install the handles. It should be noted in step 16 or 21. Step 20 does not show the handles installed but step 21 does in the illustration. The parts are included on the tree. They are parts D32 and D33. I used some canopy glue to attach them. I need to review the reference photos for where the supports go on all the open panels and then I can install the panels and then finish mounting the main rotor to finish this build over the next week. You can see more photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ah-1z-viper/

The seventh week of the Viper I applied all the decals for the scheme. The kit decals are very good. The decals laid down and conformed to the surface with just the decal set. Once the decals had dried I sprayed a light coat of matte clear coat to seal the decals. I then used some light grey and medium grey chalk to add some weathering along the fuselage. I then added the clear lights. One thing the kit did not provide was a clear lens for the tail navigation light. I trimmed off the molded section and replaced it with a clear lens. I then added some photo etch details to the top of the canopy. I checked the fit of the canopy top and it will need some minor sanding on the front underside to meet the fuselage. I then started to assemble the weapons. The 70mm HAP’s, LAU-68’s, and the Hellfire’s went together very well. The AIM-9 missiles had some mold marks that needed to be filled with putty. I also trimmed off the nose to make my own sensor heads using acrylic gel. Once the weapons are completed I will install all the panels and the rest of the canopy. I need to work on mounting the main rotor as it needs to be removable for shipping later. I am hoping to have this completed in a week or two. You can see more photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ah-1z-viper/

All have been sold. Thanks for looking.

After six weeks the Viper now has paint on it. Once I added a few more details to the fuselage and mounted the gun turret I painted the base coat of the scheme. I used reference photos from the client rather than the paint guide of the kit. The kit scheme is very close to the actual aircraft. The major difference is the main rotor is half black and half grey and the line between the upper grey and lower grey is slightly different. I ten painted some of the details like the antennas, sensors, and formation lights. One more issue I found on the kit is the Air Data Probe. This sticks up just forward of the cockpit. It consists of three parts, the pole, a junction and a round sensor. The instructions and the reference photos show the junction on the pole shaft. However the kit part does not have a hole in the center to slide onto the pole. I drilled a hole through it using a 0.5mm drill. Once in place the sensor points towards the rear of the aircraft. There is no mounting hole on the backside so using the same drill I made a small mounting hole as well. This coming week I will be applying the numerous decals as well as working on the canopy details. You can see more photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ah-1z-viper/

I have the following kits for sale: Trumpeter 1/48 Hawker Sea Fury FB.II Parts still in original bags. Price SOLD Monogram 1/48 T-28D Fighter/Bomber - 1965 edition Note that the decals have yellowed a bit but everything else is still on trees. Price SOLD Revell 1/28 Fokker DR.1 WW I Aces edition Parts are not bagged but have verified they are all there. Price SOLD Revell 1/28 Sopwith Camel WW I Aces edition. This even includes the original iron-on transfer. All parts have been verified (not sure if these were bagged originally) this also has two sets of decals. Price SOLD Tamiya 1/48 F4D-1 Skyray The upper and lower fuselages have been removed from the trees. All other parts still on trees. Price SOLD . Revell 1/48 A-1H Skyraider "History Makers Limited Edition" Still factory sealed. Price - SOLD Revell 1/48 A-10 Warthog Parts still in original bags. Price - SOLD Shipping - Free UPS shipping with tracking (U.S. Only) Payment - Chime, Zelle, Postal money order or Stripe. For Stripe I will send an invoice. I do not take Paypal.

Five weeks into the “Viper” I added the exhaust to the fuselage. The exhaust was painted using Vallejo Jet Exhaust then heavily weathered with dark grey and black pastel chalk. I next started to assemble the boom and added the photo etch details. The boom and the side wings were then attached to the fuselage. I built up the main and tail rotors then began adding the photo etch to the panels that will be open. There are many screens/vents on the fuselage. Some of these are open holes and some screens fit into a panel. For the ones that fit into panels I painted the panels black and then brush painted the screens with thinned paint so the screen holes do not fill with paint before installing them. This will highlight the appearance of these areas. I painted all the photo etch details with a thin coat as well so when the fuselage is painted the overall coat will be even. I noticed the vent just above the exhaust was incorrect in both angle and shape. The vent has a 90* turn which is incorrect. It is more of a 45* bend to the starboard side. The kit vent was trimmed and re-installed correctly. I will be starting some pre-shading and the base coat painting this upcoming week. You can see more photos and details from the start in my build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ah-1z-viper/