ghodges

Nice Mirage! That's the kind of modern jet I like to build. I jut don't care for all gray jets. Thanks for the inspiration! GIL

SWEET! That greenhouse canopy came out sharp! I also like your painting and weathering. It's got just enough dullness to imply use without abuse! Congrats on a very lovely build of a kit that's NOT a shake-n-bake! GIL

You're taking your chances either way. Decals that are designed for a specific kit usually fit; but not always (manufacturer's error, as in the P-26 decals I'm currently using). You probably increase the chances of a misfit if you use a different brand of kit than the one the decals were designed for. That said, it shouldn't be much of a difference. Usually it's things like where a decal wraps around a leading/trailing edge or a compound curve. Those are the places that will be least likely to be identical and cause some problems. Just keep in mind that most modern (post 1990) releases are pretty close in airframe accuracy (sizes). If you start trying to use a MUCH older kit, like an Otaki Mustang from the 70's or a Hawk Mustang from the 60's, all bets are off! GIL

That camo on the Buccaneer is lookin' great! GIL

I've made some painting progress on the 2nd Peashooter (the resin kit)... The dark red seems to be a good march to the red in the decals (we'll see!). Cheers! GIL

PHEW! I was able to get the day of the show off! I can't get off for the R-3 Regional, or the Atlanta show, but at least I'll make it to Warner Robins! GIL

Some baggies are clearer than others. Find one that is clear enough to see what you're doing. GIL

There's one other technique not mentioned so far. You can use LARGE clear storage bag (freezer bag, food saver bag, etc.). Just place the parts in the bag and then reach inside and cut off the needed part. Even if it does go flying, it's trapped in the bag! GIL

Zee cowling she is repaired, and all of the other little touch-ups are done too! Not perfect by a long shot, but it will do for my shelf. Now that i know how to tackle the problem, I have higher hopes for the other P-26 model (in spite of it being the lower quality kit). By the way, the initial painting has started on it. I applied the yellow for the wings and the dark red for the cowling and the tail today. It should be dry enough by next Monday to paint the OD! Well, I'm off to Venice for a model show, so I'll see y'all next week! GIL

Yup! That's the Pup in the latest Journal. Great article and build! GIL

That's a lot of fine detailing! I look forward to seeing the finished model! GIL

I know the feeling, but you're lookin' good! By the way, what scale is that kit? GIL

I've got a vac B-47 too. I honestly don't know if it's the Sanger kit, or an old ID vac. However, it's PLAIN, with no resin or metal parts, and a LOT of scratchbuilding will be needed. Still, it's SO COOL...... Glad to see I'm not the only masochist here! GIL

Thanks for the link Rodolfo! Nice pics of some impressive work! GIL

I've got most of the cowl repaired, but it needs another gloss coat or two before I take any pics. As I have one more of these to build, I've hit upon a MUCH simpler solution, now that I know about the problem ahead of time. It will be a lot easier to split the long fuselage flash in half and overlap it to make it smaller! I can do that and make it's width at the front match the cowling decals and at worst have some yellow overlap in the flash down the side. Anyway, that's what I'll try on the next one! GIL

Mike: are you talking about a template set to serve as a guide for scribing? I have the old Verlinden 3 template steel set that has come in handy over the years. However, more often than not I use simple drafting templates as guides. The only time I dig out the Verlinden set is to do squares with rounded corners. A quick trip to your local art store or office supply place can supply you with cheap guides of all sizes and shapes (squares, ovals, circles, etc). Another plus is that these plastic guides can be cut down if you need something smaller and easier to handle. Also, if you take one of the larger plastic templates (at least 8" long) and cut off one entire edge, you'll have a long, flexible straight-edge guide for scribing! Hope this helps! GIL

Looks great to me too. You hit the nail on the head about NMFs; practice, practice, practice! As for me, I've found that the primer step involved with Alclad is a little more forgiving than the "sand and polish" step needed with all of the other silver finishes. You don't save any time either way, but I have had more luck with Alclad than with Metalizer or SNJ. GIL

Tim: if you decide to dump your "how to" books, I heartily suggest giving them to newer members rather than selling them. It's just one of those "little" things that does you and them a world of good! GIL

Welcome back amigo! Your story echos many of our own. My kids were all born in the 80's also, and are now grown and on their own (still waiting for the youngest to leave and stay gone <_<). As for the wife.....well impress on her how your hobby keeps you out of the bars! But, don't let her meet any of us at a show, where we will DRAG your butt into the local bar after a tough evening of judging! Enjoy your new building phase, and please post some pics when ya get a chance! GIL

I still have Shep Paine's Building Dioramas book. I also had the IPMS Plastic Modeling Tips book (gave that to a new member), as well as the Kalmbach book on building vacuform models. I have the "Encyclopedia of Modeling" and one of the Verlinden aircraft books. As for "using" them.....well I've read them all and gleaned the techniques I needed from them. However, I think they've all served more to inspire me rather than actually "teach" me. All in all, I feel they've been very helpful! GIL

That's a clean looking assembly for a limited run kit. Looks like you've got the big stuff licked! GIL

Good news: the decals are on! These decals lay down beautifully and are opaque enough that there's no undercover bleed through of the blue in the bright yellow. The BAD news: The cowling decal SUCKS! The biggest problem is that it was too small as printed (or the width of the flashing on the front fuselage is too large). As you can see, I've positioned it on the cowl so that it aligns properly with the fuselage flash. However, I had to CUT it to do so. Now I'll have to repaint the blue and the yellow in the center to make it look right. There's a lot of other small areas on the tail and the wheel pants that will also have to be touched up. I'm not too disappointed in that, since it's VERY hard to print the decals to handle all those compound curves. I do like these decals, but be warned about the fit of the two around the cowling! More pics after the repairs have been made! Cheers! GIL

Sorry for the delay, but I've had a week of computer problems (which I hope have been fixed)! SO moving on.... The Hobbycraft P-26 is painted. The blue is Mr. Color "Character Blue, and the yellow is Model Master Chrome Yellow. I hope to get it decaled in a day or two. The Classic Castings P-26 is shown here primed and coated with Mr. Surfacer 500. It has since been sanded and primed again. Also, much of the interior work is done, so it will be closed up and sanded and primed one more time later this week. By the way, the white primer is from a spray can of ARMORY white primer, which is made for the figure/wargamer guys. It's very close to the same thing as the Tamiya white primer, except that you get a much larger can for the $. Look for it in a shop with wargaming figure supplies! Cheers! GIL

I can't vouch for an FS#, but to my eyes that looks EXACTLY like the what you get in the little bottle of Testors Gloss Engine Gray. You might want to check it out. GIL

Nice work Duke! That A-12 is fantastic looking! And, I actually saw 2 Hunters fly over today twice; as the Navy is conducting war games out of NAS Jax. Congrats, and thanks for sharing! GIL