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ghodges

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by ghodges

  1. Welcome Frank! That's some impressive work! Be sure to share it down in the armor topics too. Make yourself at home and let us know how we can help you have more FUN building models! Glad you're here! Gil
  2. Great looking Warhawk! Thanks for letting us ride along! Gil
  3. Is there ANYONE, either the Embassy Suites themselves, or the San Marcos host committee who has (or will) set up some sort of system to where rooms that are cancelled can be picked up by people like myself who missed out on getting a room in the convention hotel during the show? Is there any kind of "waiting list" that has been or will be established to enable this? Is there any "system" in place or planned to help fill the cancellations and vacancies that always occur a month or two before the convention starts? Thanks! Gil
  4. ghodges

    J-16 Cockpit

    Good question...... after Googling "J-16 rear cockpit images", there doesn't seem to be any pics that show one way or the other. Unless you can find some other references, I'd simply go with the model as molded unless you can wait to start the model when you can get accurate info. Sorry I'm not more helpful. Hopefully someone else with better knowledge will be along soon! Gil
  5. Looks like a viable alternative.... but does it leave any residue, and how easy is it to remove? Also, once it has paint mixed into it, can it be used again? Gil
  6. Wow! The detailing in that cockpit is astounding! Looking forward to seeing this one finished out. Gil
  7. I believe this falls into the same category as the Trumpeter 1/32 TBD Devastator. It was announced about 10 years ago or more, and it wasn't until this year there was an actual test shot produced. So, it appears it may be finally released. As for the C-17A, until you see an actual review of a test shot, it could be in the pipeline, or it may only have been "announced" to test the marketing waters and see if the response from modelers warrants continuing forward with producing it. This is a decades old practice. There were models listed, and even pictured, in old manufacturer catalogs that were never actually produced. It's even easier today; and since they can now show 3D drawings of the potential kit (even broken down into its subassemblies), it looks like it's closer to actual production than it is. Yet one more thing to remember is that a large number of these companies are in China. The economics between the USA and China, like our relationship in general, is more and more unstable; meaning a release from there to here cannot be counted on to be on time, even if it is in the pipeline. Hopefully, when you get to within a month or so of its announced July release date, there will be some more concrete evidence or information about it. But, don't be surprised if there isn't. Until then, just keep your fingers crossed! Gil
  8. Thanks for the kind words! Yes, I've built several straight winged 1/48 F-84s, including a Tamiya F-84G in those same exact markings! I have a soft spot for nifty-50 subjects, and especially the older straight wing jets! 1/48 Hawk kit 1/48 Battle Axe kit 1/48 Tamiya kit 1/48 Promodeler/Revell kit and the 1/32 ID vacuform F-84G I built back in the 80s..... Gil
  9. Welcome Scott! Glad to have you here with us! Settle in and make yourself at home. Let us know if we can help you with your project, and most importantly, help you have FUN building models! Gil
  10. Just finished the HobbyBoss 1/32 F-84G. This is a nice kit that went together very well over all. I built it OOTB, and the only real problem was closing up the top nose gun panel. The kit comes with a complete gun bay that's obviously meant to be displayed open. It takes some putty and elbow grease to close it up. Otherwise, all the other panels and the kit parts fit quite well. Though this is the F-84G, the parts layout (separate side nose fuselage intake vents and separate wingtips) suggests that HB could easily release an earlier F-84E with a few different parts and a non-braced earlier canopy. The kit has metal gear, but I used the plastic gear, which are slightly better detailed. The kit rubber tires are very good and fit their hubs well, unlike the 1/32 HB B-24D. The kit has both the early and later style ejection seats, and markings for the Korean War or a later French Air Force Thunderjet. The kit also has a very nice selection of drop tanks, bombs, and missiles. I chose to simply hang a pair of 500lb bombs underneath. Another nice touch is HB supplies 3 nose weights that are cleverly designed to fit under parts inside the nose gun bay. I added a couple of extra weights since I closed that area up. No masks are supplied, which would have been a great help in masking off the canopy, and especially the round pressure seal on it. The model was primed with Tamiya rattle can gloss black. The overall NMF was AK Extreme Metallics Aluminum, with Alclad Airframe Aluminum used for the varying panels. The kit decals work very well, and tighten down into the subdued surface detailing nicely. They release from the paper pretty quickly (30secs or so), and seem to work best when applied as soon as they're loose. They seem to get a bit more fragile the longer they sit wet and not applied. The multicolor striping did need some touch up with paint on the edges, as they fit well, but not perfectly. Overall, this was a very pleasurable build experience that gives me the most used fighter bomber of the Korean War. Comments, critiques, and questions welcome as always! Gil
  11. Excellent start! That cockpit really looks the part! Gil
  12. Very sharp and clean looking Shooting Star! I like the alternative later style wing tip tanks. Like Ron said, a win-win! Gil
  13. Welcome Russ! Glad to have you back with us! I too joined back in '77. Between moving between houses and transferring from OH back here to FL, I can sympathize with having to pack all of the models, the stash, and the bench tools; not to mention the work in getting set up again when you get to your new home. You didn't mention where in MI, but there should be an IPMS club or two near you hopefully. In the meantime, make yourself at home here and let us know how we can help you have more FUN with our hobby! Cheers, and best of luck for a smooth move! Gil
  14. Very nice! I was not at all aware of this prototype, and it's amazing just how modern many of its features appear and mimic features of the newer "gen 5" planes. Thanks for posting! Gil
  15. This is the 1/48 CollectAire resin E-1B Tracer, a long out of production kit. It's one of their better kits, but it did give me some troubles, especially the decals, despite gloss coating the decal sheet twice! I cut the wings and folded them... the kit is designed to let you do so, but the wings are molded in the out position. My wing fold detailing is busy, but entirely bogus, so don't rely on my build for "accuracy". The most difficult part of the kit is having to build the main gear before assembling the nacelles, as they cannot be inserted later. It also needs a good amount of nose weight to sit on its gear, though in real life the Tracer tended to sit on its tail wheel when the wings were folded. This is the basic kit. The major parts are hollow molded.... I heated and bent some thick strip plastic to make the wing fold spars, detailing the "hinge" with punched discs... Building the mutli part main gear legs... Detailed the gear nacelles and gear wells with some strip plastic... This shows the vacuform canopy with the overhead control panel the kit provides I made gear door hinges by punching rings and cutting them in half.... The decals, despite gloss coating, tended to fray and tear, as you can see with the bat emblem... it was repaired using a fine tipped Sharpie pen The 4 part wing walk decals had the same problem... You can see the touch ups in this pic (highlighted by the flash) Test fitting the folded wings to the fuselage.... On to the finished model! Gil
  16. Welcome Dig! Glad you're here! Make yourself at home and let us know how we can help you have more fun. Gil
  17. Very sharp and "svelte" looking T-Bolt! Also a great tribute to one of our great aces and leaders of WWII. Gil
  18. Love the idea of a Hawkeye that spied on the Jap fleet in The Final Countdown! I've got a Nimitz sheet where I can do almost any of those planes, but just haven't gotten around to doing so. Gil
  19. Interesting build, and one your work is so smooth that the new wing doesn't immediately grab your attention. Definitely gives it a new look! Gil
  20. Excellent! And yet another WWII prototype I wasn't aware of! Thanks for posting! Gil
  21. Very nice triple play! All 3 look great, but that Javelin just has another level of "cool" to it! Thanks for sharing! Gil
  22. Congrats on an involved conversion! I too had never seen this version, so thanks for the "education" too! Gil
  23. Eric is being a bit modest, as he's an EXCELLENT ship builder and yet another fun guy to have as a member of our First Coast club! Glad you're here too Eric! Your builds need to be seen by a great many more others! Gil
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