Dreamsof51

Very nice. I just finished Robert Scotts P-40E for the review team. Never get tired of building or looking at Flying Tiger birds.

James In addition to log book entries I have photos and some articles as well as some letters my grandfather wrote me when I sent him the issue of Airpower magazine that had an article on the CCW. I'm not that great at posting photos on here but can send them via a regular email. Send your address to chris.l.smith@me.com if you would like to see them.

I know this airplane very well. In fact my Grandfather William Atrill was a test pilot on it. He demonstrated it for the USMC in Quantico VA. He wrote the only pilot manual the airplane ever had. If you tied the tail to a fence and advanced the throttles the aircraft would lift off the ground. This made for very short takeoffs. My Grandfather was very critical of the handling saying it was possible to run out of control authority especially during take off. This was one of the reasons the concept never took. Custer refused to accept the design had flaws that needed correction. When my Grandfather passed away a few years ago I received all of his log books. One of them contains all the CCW flights including an emergency landing with an engine fire. I've also been in contact with Custers grandson Joel who is in the process of writing a history about his grandfathers airplane. With the advances in fly by wire and such the concept is probally more viable then ever. If it was ever put out in kit form I would be second in line after you Wes.

I can't wait for his one. One of my all time favorite jets.

If your gloss coat is future as others have stated, I have a tip thats a bit late but I'll give it anyway. When I use future I never use solvaset. I ruined a nice project doing that when the white spots you described appeared under my decals. I've found micros decal set doesnt react that way. What I normally do is use a diluted mix of water and future as an undecoat before I place the decal. I would second the future into the bubble trick to fix what you have.

I salute you Gil. I've never been able to finish a vac kit. There are some cool subjects in that medium. I recall a company who made some nice civilian twin engine piston stuff a few years back. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Thanks Bob

Well Its finished at last! Please take a look at part three in the review section. This was the most challenging build I've ever done. While there are areas I will do better next time. I'm pretty happy with the result for the first time out. Any comments on areas I could improve would be a great help to me. This wont be my last sailing ship model. Thanks for the advice and resources. It really helped. Chris

Its always an honor to meet the people who we model subjects after. Theres always a hanger reserved for WWII vets at the Camarillo Air show I attend every year. I've met several great airmen who are always eager to tell you the stories of their wartime experience. Most of the time they are selling their stories in book form so I never leave empty handed. Sadly, even in the few years I've been going I notice empty seats each year. I take my son and daughter to this event but I don't know if it will ever have the meaning it does for me. Great model, thanks for sharing the story. This is why we model.

I use enamel and lacquer whenever possible. Dont really like the way most acrylics go down. That said, I have had good luck with Tamiya but only through an airbrush cut with rubbing alcohol. Its misery to brush since its sticks to itself if you go over a spot more than once. I tried Testors line a few years back and was not at all satisfied with how it went on. Shortfall of Tamiya line is color selection as others have said. Tamiya primer is second to none, when you can find it.

Very nice work. I built that kit a few years ago in its tanker version. The folding wings and steps are nice touches. That big canopy is begging for an aftermarket cockpit. Like you, I did mine out of the box and it builds up into a cool model. Welcome back to model land. Its never been better.

That is really cool. The base is amazing. All I can think of when I look at it is what happened to the guys inside. I know someone who still deals with the aftermath of a similar experience in Iraq. Thats what a model like this is supposed to do, make you remember the people involved. Great job and thanks for sharing.

Tamiya spray lacquers. I've also had good luck with the Testors lacquer line. Just make sure you give pretty of time for the paint to out-gas or masking and polishing will give you fits. See the recent article in the IPMS journal.

I like the shading a lot. Its one of my favorite methods to add depth to an aircraft. Very clean work to this point. Can't wait to see it marked up. Thanks for sharing Chris

Bob, Thats great information. Are there any good books out there that address the nomenclature and methods for sailing ship construction?

I love the big scales for the ease on the eyes but what to do with them when finished.! Great looking model.

Hanson, After a quick look at the movie, I agree it does look 99 percent like the black pearl. John thanks for the answers. I want to age it for sure but the sails are an issue. Since they are injection moulded, im not inclined to tear them up much. I may just dirty them up. What little I've read would indicate the hull below the waterline, would be covered with pitch (black) in lieu of bright white. It's a beautiful kit. I'll be posting part one soon which is a peak in the box. This ones going to take a while.

Well I've really done it this time. For some reason I've yet to understand, I asked for Zvezdas 1/72 scale pirate ship "Black Swan'" from the last review list. I'm an aircraft and car modeler normally. This is the first sailing ship model I've ever built. The kit looks great in the box and I'm really looking forward to it. My issue is the paints that are called out. The box art shows a worn faded wood while the photos on the back show a clean brightly painted ship with a cream colored lower hull. My questions are as follows: 1. What time period would a vessel like this have been built and by whom? 2. What class of ship would you call it? 3. Are the bright colors really what a ship like this would have? Would the wood surfaces have been varnished? As you can tell from my questions, I really don't have a clue so any information or links would be most welcome.

The reason 9/10 people live in LA, the weather! B)

OK as a resident of LA, I so get this. It's a micro version of what I see most everyday driving to work. The roller coaster incline reminds me of the gridlock going over the Sepulveda pass on the 405 Fwy. Once you get over it, its a free for all speed fest! His comments about the "freedom," of driving really hit home. Several car companies are working on self driving cars and some states are looking at their road systems capacity to handle them. Government regulations both State and Federal are slowly choking out cars with any aspect of true driving joy to them. I'll be heading to the Art musuem to see this first hand. Its fascinating.

OK after looking through a few of these projects heres my two cents. I really enjoyed the pilots and cockpit work. One of the Phantom projects had awesome pilots. Really like the way they're posed. The exterior painting process is so meticulous right down to the missles and bombs. As for the weathering technique, I find it a bit heavier than I would do but its well done. Modeling is a very personal hobby. Each of us has our perception of what looks right to us. One of the factors that attracts me to this hobby is that I have control of the process, something not common in most other areas of life. This modeler clearly has mastered the technical and artistic sides to create what his minds eye sees. I enjoyed the end results and his willingness to share them. Theres a lot of good basic to advanced modeling going on here.

I go through the same thing from time to time. Normally I would just walk away and come back when I do feel like it. Since joining the review team thats not possible since there are deadlines. Overall the review models are good for me because I've got to go out and do something on a regular basis to finish on time. Its kept my skill level up so when I do get a burst of motivation, I'm ready to do my best work. It also forces me to read up on the the subject and to write about the subject and experience. I've learned a lot by doing so. I look for inspiration from books I've read or from going to airshows or carshows. That reminds me of all the reasons I like building scale replicas of those subjects. Don't have the money to do the full scale versions so models are the next best thing. Xbox therapy is a non starter. Unlike my son who can get nailed over and over without frustration, I'm a ball of nerves after 15 minutes! wheres the joy in that? A lot of times I've found if I go out and just sit and do something, the spark ignites and several hours later I look back on a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience, which is the point of having a hobby like this right?

Lets see, my total count of completed models for 2011 is seven. Six of those were reviews for this website. There are a lot of in between projects I've made progress on but only seven offically done. Since the list is small I'll share it. 1. Revell 1/24 55 Chevy ( for my Dad) 2. Dragon 1/48 Me 110 D-3 (review) 3. Monogram 1/48 F-80C (review) 4. Revell 1/12 Shelby GT 500 (review) 5. Fujimi 1/24 Ferarri 458 Italia (review) 6. Eduard 1/72 B-24 Liberator w/ resin details (review) 7. Revell 1/24 Kurtis Kraft Race car. (review) In the works, Zveda 1/48 Lavochkin La 5 fn w/ eduard PE and quickboost resin, Revell 1/25 Shelby GT 500 . Happy modeling in the new year!

This is a timely topic. I recently finished a big scale car for the review team that needed the best possible finish. For inspiration I went the a local model show and saw some work that made me realize I've been getting lazy! That led me to ask some questions on this forum to which I received several helpful replies. As in most things in life, modeling (no pun intended) yourself after those with more talent than you can only make you better if you are really committed to the effort.

OK fellas, the wait is over. The Shelby review was just posted. I'm generally happy with it. The paint is not as glossy as I would have liked but I did learn a lot from all of you. Enjoy.