ghodges

That looks like some major progress to me. I like the looks of the single seat Voodoos. The stubbier nose on the recon version is really different from all of the other 101 versions too. Nice wrok! GIL

SWEET looking camo! GIL

I'd advise going with a flat paint Tony. In real life, any sheen would wear off quickly, and in "scale" it would appear flat anyway. GIL

Looks absolutley great to me Kevin! That Sonia kit was a real jewel for a 70's molding (as were the Nichimo Ki-43-1 and their Ki-45 Nick). Looks like you did it up right! Thanks for sharing! GIL

Hello Julien, and welcome to the forums! You've gotten some good advice thus far. There's a lot of very knowledgable people here. Just keep in mind that what works for one guy may not work for you, depending on circumstances. There's no "right" way to set up shop; just whatever you find convenient and affordable! That said, I'll also recommend the nitrogen tank over a compressor, but not for noise reasons. With the nitrogen you don't need a water trap and the regulator gives you much finer pressure control compared to most hobby compressors. I prefer enamel paints, but in your flat the fumes may steer you to using acrylics....good luck! GIL

Thankfully, my love of 1/48 has made me imune to such plastic seduction.... However, I will enjoy looking at pictures of them and seeing them at shows! They will be impressive! Gil

Very nice! GIL

Naaah...you'll do fine! As I recall, the toughest part of that conversion was the keel section in the back (I did the single seat F-101A). You can help yourself by going with AlcladII. The need for a gloss gray or black enamel primer will help fill small scratches you might otherwise miss. You don't have to actually get a GLASS smooth surface to start with. You can use the primer to get that. How do you plan to handle the camera windows? This should be FUN to watch! GIL

Really makes you wonder.....when a virgin company like WingNutWings can put forth jewel-like kits from the start, EVERY time, and yet other companies seem to think their job is to release injection molded scratch-building projects! Look at the bright side James....you're serving your fellow IPMS members by alerting them to what truly faces them if they want to try this kit. You'll also have quite a sense of accomplishment by the time you wrestle this beast into submission! GIL

Beautiful Butcher Bird! The weathering is particularly impressive. Is that a reboxing of the Eduard kit, or did you add some aftermarket for those wing gun bays? GREAT looking model! Thanks for sharing! GIL

I've tried acrylic paints a couple of times with no luck. I only use them for brush painting details. Since I paint in the garage, and fumes are not an issue, I use enamels and lacquers. I use mainly Model Master, Testors, and Floquil, and I also have few tins of Humbrol. For NMF I mainly use Alclad II; but I also use SNJ (with and without the powder) and Metalizer metallics in spots. Heck, I even have some "home brew" silver I made following Phil Hale's formula. I use lacquer thinner almost exclusively for all thinning, especially for airbrushing; although I do have some Model Master thinner I use to thin paint IN their bottles. I'll use Testors Gloss Coat on camo projects and use Future acrylic to gloss light/white scheme models. Testors Dull Coat is the clear flat for me! I find the main advantage to using Model Master/Testors is that they're readily available in a most of places you can buy kits! Cheers! GIL

Getting there....... Still gotta do the decaling, etc., but 99% of the painting is done! GIL

Those are both excellent Sabres! GIL

Nice pics! One thing that always amazes me (besides the great quality of the models) is WHAT the folks choose to build. Lots of interesting things to look at! Thanks for sharing! GIL

Very pretty view Phil! Just the kind I like to LOOK at, and in NO WAY would ever want to have to experience! That's why I live in sunny Florida! We to have a guy here in our club who puts those 1/700 pe guys on his ships. Hard to see, but quite impressive too! Stay warm! GIL

They look good Duke! Mig Mad Marine is one of my favorite Saber markings. I also like the camo on the Heinkel. The Germans had some neat schemes even before the war! Thanks for sharing! GIL

James, if you expected more from a $100 kit, then you simply haven't bought enough costly crappy resin kits! I know what you mean though.....and it is a common complaint for a lot of the newer releases (are you listening Trumpeter?!), especially the big scale stuff. Personally, I have a simpler way I rate a new kit. Is it better than the previously available kit? For the 1/32 Ta-152, it seems better than the old Combat vacuform, and therefor worth the money, even if the expectations are still less than hoped for. I'm looking forward to watching you work your magic on the rest of this model! GIL

Wonderful 106 Duke! A true act of friendship that your buddy I'm sure will cherish. That's a good looking build.......perhaps 1/48 is your TRUE calling! Thanks for sharing! GIL

Will the engine be visible when done? Does it have nose panels like the new Tamiya Spit IX kit? Or is this more a case of being Trumpy-like in that they provide something to be built even though it won't be seen..... GIL

Guess who has to repaint the bottoms of their wings, main gear doors, and flaps? Got this pic of the bottom in an email tonight. Well.....guess the yellow on the wing bottoms will just have to go! However, this is a case where procrastination has paid off (finally)! I've been dreading painting the wing chevrons because of the white cheat lines, especially on the yellow bottom and over those flap actuators. well THAT problem's been eliminated! I can paint the black chevrons and then do the cheat lines on the wing tops with decals! GIL

Welcome (ahem) aboard Ron! You sound like so many of us and I'm sure you'll will fit into this nuthouse like you own your own straightjacket. I've always admired shipbuilders, especially you guys who dabble in the 1/700 stuff. Delicate work! I look forward to seeing some of your work! GIL

Have made some progress in painting the Goshawk.... Note the "B" tape mask on the fin in order to replicate the squadron marking. The kit decals have black B's (useless on the black tail fin!), so I used them to cut masks. Still need to paint the black, the wing stripes (tricky!), and some more red details on the fuselage. The front panel is already in the model under the windshield. I also still need to add a wash to the tires and the gea.r This shows how I plan to try to make the det cord for the canopies: drawn in pencil onto clear decal paper (these are first attempts, not the ones that will be used). The idea is to Future them into the canopies! I've just been lazy, or this could be done already, but hey! it's a hobby!! GIL

Kevin: check over on Hyperscale. The rumor as of Saturday is that Hasagawa's next 1/32 release (per recent announcement) is the Jack! GIL

I think the ONLY relationship is the Takara name, which I understand to be a distrubitor (much like Bachman of Bachman/Fujimi back in the 70s). The Revell 1/32 kits you mention (and you're sitting on a gold mine of diminishing returns there!) were kitted by Revell of Japan. Tomy was another Japanese company that kitted their own molds. Up until recently their kits were the only way to get some of those planes in 1/32. As I recall, the Tomy 1/32 kits were noted for having good ariframes and surface details, but sparse/inaccurate cockpit/engine details due to engineering those spaces for the inclusion of an electric motor to make the prop spin. If you want a quick build for the shelf, or a "nostalgia" build, the old Tomy 1/32 Ki-84 would be a fun project. However, if you want to build a serious replica, or a Frank for the contest table, I suggest selling the Tomy kit to a collector and getting the new Hasagawa Ki-84 instead. Hope this helps! GIL

I have to say that after reading your discription of the parts and decals, I was surprised at how nice they actually look! I understand that they weren't as nice and didn't peform as well as expected (especially for the price), but your skills enhanced them nicely. While the main panel doesn't "pop" (as you said), to me it very closely resembles an actual panel without lights and power. It think it looks quite ralistic! I look forward to seeing what you can do with the rest of the kit! GIL