ghodges

It can be done even if they're not commercially available.... This is the old Revell 1/32 kit. As I recall (and it was at least 15+yrs ago) I used Frisket paper to make templates for the Hun Hunter XIV name, as well as the "40", and then painted those items onto clear decal sheet. By painting turqouise and black 40s and then overlaying them at an angle, you can make the side codes. The squadron insignia (bird) was hand painted onto clear decal film (multiple tries) and then I used the best effort. The rest of the markings can be painted or taken from the spares box. I post this just to show that it's not too complicated to do yourself IF there's still no commercially available decals. It's one of my favorite schemes and I also have it in 1/48! Best of luck! GIL

The BOXES those kits are in may be 1981 editions, but those Revell 1/28 WWI kits all date from the late 50's/early 60's! Regardless, they're some of the best tooled kits ever produced by Revell, and with the exception of some minor inaccuracies on the Triplane, they're still VERY good builds. Those decals will simply make them all the more unique! GIL

I did a quick search and found FOD covers for Phantoms in 1/48 and 1/72, but not in 1/32. They're not too difficult to build. What style did you want? That might give an idea as to how to advise you on building them yourself. GIL

Magnificnet MiG Jeff! The NMF looks just right to me.The Russian stuff always seemed to have a flatter, steelier look to their NMFs; as opposed to the brighter aluminum look on American planes. Thanks for sharing! GIL

Ernesto: I'm not sure but I think those decals date from the 1980's. I'd have to delve into my old Updates/Quarterlies to see when they were available. AHA! I did a little digging through my old Updates (still have EVERY IPMS issue from '77 til now) and found the WWI decal ad as NEW in the spring (Mar/Apr) 1982 Update. They were also still listed on the Special Products ordering form in the Update as late as 1984. You have some decals there that are closing in on 30yrs old! By the way, Scale Master did 1rst rate work, and the decals (if "mint" as described) should work great! GIL

So Ed...how long does it take to airbrush an entire room with an Iwata? GIL

Maybe...but I'm not going to rush either build just to do so. Got the gear assembled (but not detailed) for the Esci Kfir. They are NOT well engineered and took a lot of fiddling and the addition of "pins" to position them and check the sit of the model (4+hrs of work just for that). I'll post more pics when I make some significant progress! GIL

Those look sweet Dave! Are they plastic, resin, or metal bodies? GIL

Welcome Ernie! First, thanks for your years of dedication in law enforcement, keeping us safe! Glad to have you on the forums here with us. Don't know about those "obscure" interests in 1/48 a/c and 1/35 armor though...... Naaah! You'll fit in with the rest of the inmates here in the asylum! Cheers! GIL

The more you do, the more impressive it becomes! GIL

Hmmmm....let's see.......you have more small scale armor built (alone) than my entire stash (@250) and built (@130) combined! Never apologize Mister! It's a sign of modeling weakness! And you call yourself the "Duke"..... GIL

I have two projects going: the ESCI/Isracast 1/48 USN F-21 Kfir; and the 1/48 CollectAire resin T-45C Goshawk. Pics of them (though not my workbench) are in the a/c topic area. Cheers! GIL

Excellent airbrushing! It's patterns like that one that have dampened my enthusiasm for building more Luftwaffe types. You're off to a great start and I look forward to seeing more progress! GIL

Thanks for the kind wrods guys! Mark: The Kfir will be a US Navy Agressor F-21A which was used in the 80's. The Goshawk will be in the new Yellow Wing scheme just rolled out to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation in 2011. GIL

Man, you guys have some MAJOR SKILLS! I've always admired Williams Bros. kits ecause they bothered to put out stuff no one else did. Those are some SWEET builds guys! Thanks for sharing! GIL

Well......here it is, 2010 is 3/4s gone and I haven't even started my Trumpy 1/350 Saratoga. Still, I've been having fun building what I have built, so I can't complian! I'll get to it sooner or later, the good Lord willin'! GIL

Ten models a day keeps the wife at bay.......... Hey Duke! Your Hienkel's prop looks to be a bit out of balance. Is one blade missing, or will it be in Italian markings and go wop-wop-wop through the air?......... Lookin' good! GIL

Yea, it's been a year or two since my last contribution, so it's probably about time......I'll see what I can come up with the next few months! GIL

I'm building the F-21A Kfir just because it's such a COOL looking jet, and I still occasionally see one in the air over Jax (ATAC aggressor bird). This is the 1/48 ESCI kit with some ISRACAST resin parts grafted on for detail and correction purposes. Mine will be in USN markings (Isracast decals) The next one is the 1/48 CollectAire resin T-45C Goshawk. I'm building it for the resin group build on Hyperscale. This is a very nice kit with pe and white metal parts as well as resin. The only complication so far is the leading edge slats, which were molded separate but "solid". I had to use a motor tool to give them their airfoil shape and build up the under-slat area with strip plastic and Milliput (which is drying in this pic). Note that the cockpit area is so open that all of the painting and detailing can be done later! The main gear well fit very nicely and only needed a little detailing with strip plastic gussets and solder for hoses. There's still much to be done of course! The markings will be in the brand new USN Aviation "100th anniversary" scheme rolled out a few weeks ago; that is: white fuselage with a black nose and tail, and CHROME YELLOW wings with black chevrons! It'll be pretty, if nothing else! Comments, questions, and critiques welcome as always! Cheers! GIL

Well, I can honestly say that building models hurt my first marriage. Oh wait! You want stories with a BAD ending.... Oh well, never mind! GIL

I've seen them in the "beading" and "rhinestones" sections, and also in the "scrapbooking" areas. GIL

Nice classic build Bob! Tuck's Spitfire may be one of the epotomes of the term Ace, and you've captured that very well with your build! I'm guessing this was an OOTB build? Thanks for posting! GIL

Impressive production line Duke! How do you keep all of their parts from getting accidently mixed together? Do you have a humongous work bench that allows easy separation of all of your on-going projects? I know I have space problems if I have 2 going at the same time! GIL

I don't know of a list, but have fun, especially with all of the 2nd edition versions! I know I have at least 140 of them and I've made NO attempt to buy them all (just the ones I need for building). My oldest ones have the original $3.95 price on them! The biggest problem in a vendors area is not buying a duplicate while thumbing through a pile of them! Best of luck! GIL

Ahoy Bob! Welcome aboard the forum. Lots of us built models when we were young and then drifted away only to return in our adult years, so you'll find you're right at home! Have fun and don't be shy about asking questions or posting pics of your models when you get them built! Cheers! GIL