Bradley25mm

Thanks Dave for the review link. Christopher

Richard, Thanks for the reply. I’ve purchased everything you’ve mentioned above. I’m going to buy the propeller correction set as well. I’ve decided to really take my time on this one. I’ve opened up the engine panels on both nacelles already. I’lI thin the panels out with my Dremel tool. I plan on super detailing the engines, and gun bays. I’ll have to scratch build the framing around each panel attachment point, as well as a few other things. As far as being tail heavy, I glue all my models to their bases. Have you built this kit? Christopher

Does anyone know of an aftermarket detail set for the engines? Thanks Christopher

👍👍👍👍👍

My first Nationals. Had a great time. Made some new friends, and got a lot of good advice from some fantastic modelers. In reference to judging, is it common place for judges to pick up models off their bases to look at them? Just curious. Christopher

Well, I don’t know where to start. From the cockpit to the engine. The landing gear, and the landing gear bays. Absolutely Phenomenal work. She turned out great. Congrats. Christopher

Really awesome job James. Can’t wait to see more of your work. Keep the builds coming.

Awesome job Ron. Love the subtle weathering. The rigging looks great too.

I must say Ron that you have some of the most interesting builds I’ve seen. Very nice!

Thank you Bill. Yes Mark, he gave me some great advice. Things worked out a lot better than I thought. All that's left to do is recess the light fixtures down the center line. Regards Christopher

Gentlemen, Finished late last night. All that's left to do now is build the base. Since it would have been a lot of work to drop the flaps, and leading edge slats, I'm going to pose it cruising down a taxiway. This build was actually a very good learning experience for me, as far as finishes. While attending the Nationals last week, I had the chance to sit down with a car modeler. He gave me A LOT of info on finishes, and how to make them pop. What he has done in the past, and what has worked best for him. He was a tremendous help, and he answered every question I had. I used the above spray paints to complete the project. I decanted them, and thinned them with Testors airbrush thinner. The humidity here in Kentucky has been brutal. I do all my airbrushing in my garage. I've got a large dehumidifier which I now turn on about two hours before I paint. I set it at 45%. After I painted everything, I would let it sit for about 48 hours in the house. I used #2 Novus polish only to polish out everything. Used a 100% cotton cloth to put it own (sparingly) Except for decaling, I worn nitrile gloves every time I handled the model. I spent around 10 hours polishing everything. It was a lot of work. I did not clear coat anything after the decals were applied. Didn't really see a need to. The only thing that I dirtied up was the landing gear. The actual landing gear is pretty dirty. I used the clear windows for everything. On the actual aircraft, the cargo compartment is a bright white. Although you cant see it, I added seat belts, seat cushions, and decals on the instrument panel. Cant wait to start the base. Regards Christopher

This was the first time that I attended a National Convention. It exceeded my expectations beyond anything I could’ve imagined I was told by a fellow Modeler, prior to attending, that it would be sensory overload. It sure was. Great venue, great people, vendors as far as the eye could see, and some spectacular models. Thanks to the entire Chattanooga crew for all the hard work, and I’m sure, long hours, many spent away from your families. You all have set a high bench mark for others to strive for. A big “Thanks” goes out to all the judges as well. An extremely difficult, and sometimes, thankless task. My hat goes off to you gentlemen. Regards Christopher Bowling

Ed, That is one sharp looking B-17. Love the way that you painted it. The camo job is just the right amount. The rudder, elevator, and trim tabs look really cool being different colors. Congratulations! Regards Christopher

Thanks Mark. Still experimenting with it. One thing that I have found out , is that if you press to hard, WITHOUT wearing gloves, you will leave a light fingerprint that cannot be wiped off. . Once it sat for a while, I re polished the area and it went away. Gloves only, from now one. The clever design team at Revell/Germany designed all the parts with some tight tolerances. Because of this, neither the wings or elevators will need any putty, once attached to the fuselage. I've cleaned the paint off each wing root, and will mask off each attachment point on the fuselage. The landing gear, and bays, have been painted with flat white verses gloss that I painted the engine nacelles with. After looking at several photos on the internet, close up shots almost look like its painted a very light gray. To figure out the paint scheme on the fuselage, I made a color copy of the yellow stripe. After some re-adjustments with tape, I was able to nail down where the white and brown will meet. The elevators were painted with Metalizer Lacquer from Testors. Non-buffing aluminum, buffing titanium, and Gray pewter from Krylon. The engine construction was pretty straight forward. The only issue that I ran into, was attaching the vortex generators to the outside of the engine nacelle. The fit was not great. I used a round file to adjust the inside profile of each one. They now lay flat with no gaps. Regards Christopher

Thank you Ron.