Mark Deliduka

That is cool. I wonder what kit that is in the pic. I built the Revell kit, but didn't do the aftermarket on her. I then got a second one to do a "What if?" to depict her as a Russian conversion would look with an angled deck, Russian style bridge and semi-modern (Yak 38 Forgers) on deck. I'll be watching this with interest. Still looking for something to do for this Group Build. Gotta go through the stash some more.

Looking good. I remember having to do that also, it isn't too hard. You're coming along very well.

Excellent! Thanks for the explanation.

Wow, I always thought that was an ugly looking beast; one of the ugliest I've ever seen. That being said, I'll be watching for the build review.

I did see this! Great job! How did you do the cement armor? That looks so realistic under that paint.

Thanks Chris! Yeah, I agree, but then again; these ACE kits are all short runs. Alexey has actually been getting better with his molding; many of his newest kits are really going together very well. He does need to work on his animals though, they can be quite tough to get right. I have to admit; despite the issues with ACE kits, I love building them! Alexey always comes up with some awesome subjects!

Excellent! At least you didn't have to deal with the 1/4" gaps in the wing roots that I had to deal with when I built this! You did great! Looking forward to seeing more. You're getting me inspired to try and build my Looking Glass aircraft from AMT. I have several larger aircraft to get done first.

Okay Chris, here's my latest update as promised.... Well, the Nationals are over; I'm back home and been taking care of things that had been neglected while I was gone. My packages of all my purchases are in and so it's time to get some building started again. I'm starting off slow with some small, simple little models after having worked so hard on the Dora. These first few models are some simple little cars from ACE. This first one is the French Traction Avant that I started out on. I got the suspension completed and the interior; then started on the body: I did the same to a Russian staff car, the GAZ 11 or something like that: I also started a Russian GAZ pickup truck as well. I did the suspension underneath, just like the above two cars: Then I built the bed in back and added the interior: And then I started the cab. I gotta add windows before I go much further: Here's a fun shot of all the above cars and trucks alongside the Russian ZIS-6 I started earlier: Next is an early war German horse-drawn machine gun. The first thing I did was to assemble the horses... well, try to assemble the horses. The fit was outrageous, it was amazing to get some seams to actually meet! Here's what I had to deal with: You've heard of the Headless Horseman? Well, here's his horse..... After getting the horses together with their heads, I assembled the two parts of the cart what hauls the gun and crew: You can see they went together quite well. Nice job Alexey! Later on, I went back and filled in and sanded the main gaps and holes in the horses.. They are starting to look pretty good right now: Another simple kit I started was the ModelCollect Russian TOS-1. It's the earlier version of the TOS-1 Buratino that I did from ACE. The first thing that surprised and slightly concerned me was the main lower hull was molded in metal: My first thought when seeing this was "I hope this doesn't crumble to dust like the Dragon kits did"! I went ahead and assembled the rocket launcher box and the upper hull and set them together on the lower hull as a test fit: One of my disappointments with this kit is that they give you no way to make the box elevate like the ACE kit did. It can only be assembled with the box in the lowered position. I'm going to have to fix that. If ACE can make it raise and lower, then I'm going to make this one also raise and lower. Moving along, I started a simple aircraft, another ancient Aurora civilian aircraft in 1/72 scale. This is the Jet Commander that I got at the Nationals. I started with the cockpit and interior, such as they are.....: Then I decided to dry-fit everything together to see if weight was needed in the nose. Surprisingly enough, none is needed. Here is how it is going to look when I get further along: I'm thinking if maybe I can get another one of these kits, and then get something with swept wings that are the same size/scale that I can kitbash to this to get a different plane....... naw, I don't think that's gonna happen..... Next up, I moved on to a couple other more extensive models since they were calling my name. This first one is the Aoshima Japanese truck with kitchen and water tank trailers. I started with the chassis naturally: Next I built the rear bed. I set it up with the benches down for troops to sit on. Here it is dry-fit to the chassis: Finally, I also started the Hobby Boss Br-86 Locomotive. I started out with the main chassis frame: ...and built it up to this: I had a few issue with some of the drive system linkages not hooking up correctly and I'm not sure how to get them fixed. I'll have to experiment. Next I'll be doing up the main tank and driver's cabin. Well, that's all the updates I have for today. It feels great to get back to the bench, especially doing some of these simple, relaxing little kits. Now I also need to finish some other projects I started before the Nationals and get them done; including some rather large subjects. So, stay tuned everyone for more updates. Meanwhile, comments are welcome and thanks all for looking in.

Another amazing build. Great detail and awesome paint work. Way to go Gil!

Very nice! I love the Mickey as well.

Thanks for these; I like something different.

I like it! :D EDIT: When you like a post that someone else made; the original poster get a notification at the very top (where it says 'notifications') so you can still "feel the love" from anyone who likes your post. I myself noticed three "likes" from Chris on some of my posts.

Yeah, I think I do. I just have to search the stash to see what I have available. Besides, I have so many in progress I need to get done first. Let me check things out.

Welcome to my world Rick! Awesome job on this little model. I love the landing lights; I did that with one of my models as well. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

I like it! I would have figured it for 1/48 scale if you hadn't mentioned what scale it was. Very nice job; especially considering there's no filler anywhere!

That's a good one Kevin! Another one for me is when I can't find a part until days/weeks/months later and it was in almost the exact place I had lost it! And then there's the time I have parts 'tweezerpult' into Oblivion just after I've added glue to them. I also hate when a part has a stepped edge (such as the edge of a landing gear door) and the sprue gate covers both 'steps'. That is really tough to clean out and make look good.

Well, I may have been a 'hoverer' at this year's Nationals, but not by intention. I was taking pictures and heard a gentleman named Lee evaluate my aircraft to someone else. After the other person left, I went around the table and asked him for more info on what he found on that particular aircraft. He was very specific, and even pointed out other issues on two of my other aircraft sitting nearby. I never told him until after he was done that these were my aircraft. He started apologizing and I told him to stop. He said he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I told him that didn't happen. I had asked because I wanted to know; and I deliberately didn't tell him they were mine because I wanted him to be as honest as he could be. I wanted to learn and I did learn! He really opened my eyes that day and I am still thrilled to have been told what I need to watch for. So, if that is hovering; I'll be happy to do it again so I can learn even more! I hope I run into him again at a future Nationals!

Sure did. It was great meeting you. If I could have smuggled your Dora out with me I would have You are not the first one to say that! Frankly, I'm surprised I still have it! LOL!

Thanks Rob! It may take awhile to top this. I was told that they moved it simply because it was artillery and they had an artillery category. It didn't matter to them that they had no OOB artillery category or that I wanted it to be judged as an OOB entry. What's done is done, time to move on. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she'll be making a return engagement to the Nationals in Columbus; I do hope you're there to see her in person. I would very much like to meet you in person.

It is when there's a tie, and the firing order is documented, Pete! ;) OOPs! I forgot what web site I was on. OK, so serious moment. I built a 1/700 IJN Nagato with all the bells and whistles. I had one guy confront me and tell me that in 1944, she was painted a slightly different shade of grey, with the paint chips pulled up on his phone. Mind you, I'm NOT a small guy. I was downright stunned that this dude would come up and NITPICK to me, in my face, on something that, frankly, would be unnoticeable to 99% of the population. Still, seeing as the judges were standing near by, I was pretty pissed. Wow, I'm sorry someone did that to you. That just ain't right. I would have probably replied with something along the lines of, "Well, we know that colors on a monitor or screen are not always accurately rendered so I'm not so sure yours are as accurate as you say they are." I just like to build my models. If I can make them look accurate with a touch of artistry, then I will, but I won't chop up a kit or buy a ton of aftermarket stuff just to make it look accurate. If it looks like a duck then it is a duck.

Welcome Jeffrey! I think I may have run into you at the Nationals a couple times. Congrats to your little one for her award. Feel free to post pics of the winning model, as well as some of your own work. Looking forward to seeing it.

Wow! You are the man! It looks so realistic that I feel like I can step right in and sit down to flip some switches! Keep it going man!

Thanks Chris! No, I'm still alive, which gives me a fighting chance. I got some work, and I also have a ton of things to do here at my house. Once I get most all of them done, I'll start back up again. Believe me, I am very eager to get back to my bench!

I missed that this was a 1/72 scale tank. I had a Dragon 1/72 scale tank that had twisted DS tracks. I laid them flat and they eventually flattened out for the most part. Any remaining kink was removed when I glued the tracks to the road wheels. I also made sure the twisted part was beneath one of the road wheels, allowing the weight of the model (such as it is) help to keep it flat. Let us know how this worked out for you. I want to see more.

Excellent! At least yours didn't have the massive wing root gaps that mine did! I had gaps that were literally a quarter-inch wide. I also had stripped and repainted this model at least nine times before I finally gave up. I'll be watching this with interest to see how it is supposed to look! Keep posting man!