Novità

Rui S
Excellent work & presentation 👍

Matthew Goetz Autore
Thank you. I leveled up with a cheap photo box from Amazon and some diy backgrounds since I enjoy sharing my projects.

Dave
Really nice work, looks good.

Rui S
Excelente trabalho 👍

Mark K
Beautifully done!

Bozzer Autore
I'll get some more pictures up, later today, but basically this is something that I've always wanted and finally got the chance to have.
I printed this myself, after purchasing the files. I have to admit, these are bloody amazing files. I had a few hiccups during printing, and this was narrowed down to a corrupt flash drive. I can't wait to get this one done and on the shelf.

Martin Oostrom
Show us the pictures!

Bozzer Autore
I shall, Martin. Just need to get back in the cave and take some. I can tell you that the chassis is very good. It lines up almost flawless.

Mona
oh there's the uhmm...trailer 😉 👍

Bozzer Autore
After dinner, I'll make sure that I grab you both some pics 😉

Bozzer Autore
Ok, as promised, just for you guys 🙂

Martin Oostrom
It looks so weird in that milky plastic

Bozzer Autore
@martin. I bought some ABS-like, transparent resin, so I could use it for clear parts. What you see is, 2mm thick clear. I've not tried it any thinner, but for my taste, it's not good enough to use as glass for cab windows, etc? However, I'll give it a try, soon, just for a sample. Even i can be wrong, sometimes?

Martin Oostrom
You're not wrong, you tried something new that didn't work out as hoped. No shame in that!

Nigel Chapman
How have I missed this?
Wow Bozzer that is awesome. I agree with Martin it does look strange in that colour. At first glance I thought it was bread dough!

Bozzer Autore
The original mistake was how I orientated the print. Also, I cured it in my machine. On the second attempt, I cured it slowly by sunlight and started assembly before it was fully cured. That turned out better, because I was able to get a better joint and the Super Glue held it better. Still a little filling, but a much better result. My plan is to light sand everywhere, then apply a filler/primer. I need to source this, but I will.
You boys will appreciate this....
The wife walked into the new cave, and stopped talking!
She's now aware of the stash that I've accumulated, during her absence. She said that I must have spent a lot, on kits?
I told her that they're cheaper than hookers!
When the swelling goes down, from my black eyes, I'll start modelling again!

Mr D
Looking great 👍
What is it made from??
I've never come across a build like this??

Martin Oostrom
You should have gone with 'cheaper than booze' 😂

Nigel Chapman
Taken out of context 'starting modelling again' doesn't sound much better 🤪

Bozzer Autore
Lol, she was cool with it really.
@Mr D. This is an ABS-like, clear resin and printed on a resin printer. It's the largest resin build, I've done, to date.

Mr D
Thanks Bozzer, learned something new.
Looks a fun project, all the best with it 👍👍

Bill Newcomer
I have been out of the loop as my summer has been very busy. I shall be very interested how this comes along. I can afford a 3D printer, I simply do not have the space for one.

Ben M
Nice work. Resin printing is hard.

Bozzer Autore
Thanks gents. I'll be honest and say, 3D printers are a great tool, however I still love to do scratchbuilding. I can print and it zips away, while I paint, sand, glue, etc, but getting out my steel rule and measuring a length of plastic, then turning it into something cool, makes my heart pump faster.
When I watch you guys, create your own masterpieces, it spurs me on. The inspiration that I get from some of the modellers on this forum, is priceless.

Bozzer Autore
Oh, I forgot....
There's a special limited edition Convoy 4K UHD twin disk Blu-ray dvd that's coming out soon. Currently it's on pre-order at Amazon. If you are a collector or fan, it's a good buy.
RIP Rubber Duck, your legend will live on.

Yngve N
I'm here. In case you come back to do some more work Bozzer 😉

Bozzer Autore
I've actually laid down some primer, and that revealed a few gaps and bumps. So, I sanded and filled, primed again and checked, and yes, there's more sanding. I'll get some pictures of it.
Glad to have you onboard Yingy. You'll like this 🙂

Liane Lonesome
I like that, too! It's amazing what you can do with a 3D Printer, which I unfortunately don't have. Uhm, can you glue the printed parts with "our" normal plastic glue or do you need ABS glue from Tamiya? I don't know anything about 3D printings...

Bozzer
That's a nice looking colour. Can't wait to see it finished.

Liane Lonesome Autore
Thank you very much! It means a lot to me! ♥

Liane Lonesome Autore
I just ordered Vallejo Gloss Polyurethane Varnish and try to get rid of the chassis hardware store varnish fail. Oooh jeeez.... :.-( Until Tuesday I cannot finish my chassis, which I wanted to.

Bozzer
I've just been playing with some SMS paint. It's called Abyss. It's airbrush ready, and the effects are amazing, in natural daylight. I sprayed mine over white, at first, and it took too much paint. So I swallowed my pride and covered everything in Semi Gloss Black, then shot the Abyss. It was an expensive lesson, but worth it.

Liane Lonesome Autore
I can feel with you! ^_~ But I'm glad you could made it! I also lost so much money in my childhood and ... uhm yeah, still today. Haha.

sc114
Read the poem at your leisure. It's about you, too! Have you probably not forgotten the Russian language?!
Русскую душу ногами пиная.
Помни фашист про 9 мая!
Помни отцов наших, помни дедов!
Кто проливал вашу грязную кровь!
Кто победил во второй мировой!
Кто и сейчас в нашем сердце живой!
Кто отстоял живота не жалея!
Кто шёл под пули под ваши за НАС!
Кто чтит заветное слово ПРИКАЗ!
Кто пережил ваш продажный ФАШИЗМ!
Кто умирал презирая НАЦИЗМ!
Кто дал нам мирное небо и море!
Кто ради Нас пережил это горе.
Помни ФАШИСТ мы заменим дедов!
Я умирая сказать вам готов.
РУССКУЮ ДУШУ НОГАМИ ПИНАЯ!
ПОМНИ ФАШИСТ ПРО 9 МАЯ!!!

Mark Sherwood
I'm pulling up my overstuffed comfy chair. 👍🥸🤘

Nick Dragone Autore
Warning, I work at a glacier pace at times. Grab a pint and ease in 😄

Mark Sherwood
I have a well stocked fridge 😁 and I frequently nap. Thus I'm pleasantly surprised by events after forty winks. 😴😳☕🤘🥸🤟

Spanjaard
I am sure i have seen somebody posting pictures not of an over, but something used to dry food, but i can not remember who that was. but it was being used to get the paint dry quicker, i think.

Liane Lonesome Autore
Now that's interesting. Thank you very much!

Liane Lonesome Autore
Got it: Found a video on YT for how to use a Dehydrator for drying paint and I am fascinated. Next I will buy a Dehydrator! ^-^

Spanjaard
👍 i must say i have not tried myself but it seems better than the oven

gorby
I assume you want something to make enamel paint dry faster Liane? If so I'm not sure how enamel paint would react to being in a dehydrator. Maybe it would just dry the surface of the paint, leaving it liquid inside.
Alternately…..you could do what many modellers do and have more than one build at the same time so when the paint is drying on one, you could be working on another model.
Or you could do what others do, including myself, you could use acrylic paint which drys much faster.

Liane Lonesome Autore
Hey gorby! Thank you for your reply!
I understand you so far, but no, I won't use enamel paints anymore. I used it a very lot in my childhood and I always hated them coz of lack of details going down under them. Meanwhile I ordered an used Dehydrator and I will make some pictures of how I change it for fitting the parts in it.
Why I'm doing this?
Now it is my last week of vacancy and I'm a (in proper us-english) female semi truck driver in Germany (driving a Mercedes Actros with a long 40 Ton Tri-Axle Tipper-Trailer for scrap), so I have to work mostly from the night to the early evening. It is a very hard and much time consuming job I got.
In conclusion to this and coz I use mostly 2-4 layers of (airbrushed) paint - best example now is my chassis from the Pontiac with 4 layers meanwhile - it is very hard to cure them in a passable time. I painted my chassis around 2-3 days before and it is still a bit, how can I say, just touch dry. But you can feel it is still weak/soft paint.
So, in other words my goal is to dry may layers and parts in general much more efficient and of course faster because my life & space time is purely limited for let's say 1 hour per evening. That is really not satisfying to me. ^-^
PS: I'm using acrylic paints from Vallejo and Tamiya, only.

Mr D
Nice project...be interested to follow... looking good so far 😃👍

sc114 Autore
Hi! It's going to get better and better!

Ben M
👁️👁️

Ben M
36 🤯

Skyhiker
Good luck Jennifer

Robert Podkoński
I'm taking my first row seat here 😉

Kenneth
Wow 👍 The kit looks fantastic but also very challenging. Best of luck, Jenny, looking forward to the build!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Welcome, Skyhiker, Robert, and Kenneth.

Kesa Tiho
Looking forward to the complete build. Hope your little helper doesn't get any stray fur under your decals which FYI: is not a good time 😄

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Hi Kesa, welcome. Yes, fur is a constant challenge.

Naram
following !

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Welcome, Pierre!

Hans-Jürgen Haag
👀👍

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Welcome Hans-Jürgen!

shuai shao
A perfect first step

Guy Rump
Following! 👍

Michael Kohl
It is supposed to be a very nice kit. Wish you happy modelling hours.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Welcome shuai, Guy, and Micheal!

Villiers de Vos
Booking my seat as well.

Felix
Taking a seat!

Mr D
Nice project Jennifer 👍 put your masking skills to the test .
Good luck with the build 😀👍

Mr D
If you collect enough Airfix flying hours..... They include a free 🐈😺 cat on you next purchase, Good British value folks 😁👍

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Welcome, Villiers de Vos, Felix, and Mr D. My current cat models might object to this free cat you speak of.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
New printer enclosure and spray booth all properly vented.

Dave
You have a very nice workplace set up there and this kit looks interesting as what finial version will be.

Guy Rump
Your spray booth and workspace are so impressive!!! 👍

Rui S
Great setup 👍

Naram
that proffesionnal level 🙂 I envy you ! (have a table 1/3modelkit,1/3 work station and 1/3 dinning (it long it is a dinning table).

Lorraine Lin
Very nice workplace, and a nice box for your 😽 supervisor.

Mark Sherwood
Wow! That's impressive. 🤘🥸👍

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thanks everyone, I promise I'll post some photos of the model soon, especially now that I can airbrush again even in this cold weather.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
I posted a few photos of my hand-painted parts. If anyone remembers my Memphis Belle, you can see I am improving.

Dave
The detailing is look very sharp 👍

Naram
some progress. good ! (i did not do anything this week end me....)

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Dave and Naram, a mate has given me some suggestions on how to further improve so expect better soon.

Desert Marlin
Wow Jennifer, nice workshop!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thanks, Desert Marlin; living in a cold climate makes it a necessity if I want to do anything in the winter.

Naram
@ Jennifer, if I may : an easy way to quickly make it look great would be to put a panel liner wash with oils (tamyia) or even easier a pass a acrylic contrast paint (like vallejo or citadel) quite easy and will make pop out the instrutment and tools on the wall.

Naram
... also will define the structure.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Naram; I will do that. I just bought the contrast paint; it will be here on the 21st.

Dave
That looked like a interesting day at the war museum. just might have put that on the bucket list. Noting that Panther and T-34 in the back ground.

Naram
Indeed must be cool to do model kit in this!

Mr D
Looking good so far Jenn 😃👍

Dave
That a nice touch.

Desert Marlin
Excellent work! Looking well used for sure!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you Mr D, Dave, and Desert Marlin. It's very motivating to get everyone's feedback.

Felix
This is looking great! Is the kit fun so far, Jennifer? Me wants too!

Villiers de Vos
Good weathering/wear and tear in the cockpit.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you Felix and Villiers de Vos. Felix, yes, the kit has been fun, in fact it has been a dream to put together so far.

Guy Rump
Taking shape beautifully! 👍

Mick Burdett
Looking good, good choice to make

Skyhiker
That's a pretty cool spray booth you have there. Is that custom made?

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Guy and Mike. Skyhiker, I bought the spray booth from Amazon. It's one with a water curtain.

Desert Marlin
Very nice tool for painting!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
I love it, Desert Marlin; I live in Canada, so it gets too cold to open a window for a couple of months of the year, and with my pets, I am not willing to risk their health.

Felix
You have a very nice workplace, Jennifer! That Anson is coming along nicely. I might have to get one of the first series before they sell out. The new schemes do not appeal to me too much, frankly.

Mr D
Nice 👍 take shape now Jenn, enjoy following 👍

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Felix and Mr. D. Felix, so far, this has been a dream to put together, and I would recommend picking one up for sure.

bughunter
That is a lovely strut work around the cockpit! Looks nice so far.

Troy Campbell
I agree that is nice work..

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, bughunter and Troy.

Mr D
Hi Jenn, the wet palette 🎨 looks good, l was thinking of getting one,
If you ever need very fine tip brushes for detail work, (Nail lines brushes) are definitely worth a try/consideration, they use them in beauty Parlours to paint flowers n star's on ladies nails....so they have incredible accurate tips.
I buy the short 6mm ones.
Build is looking really good, looks like a nice kit. 😀👍

Desert Marlin
The cowlings are turning out great!

David Taylor
looking good Jennifer.

Felix
Lovely progress!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Mr. D, Desert Marlin, David, and Felix. I must pick some up, Mr D. Thanks for the tip.

Troy Campbell
Awesome work

Skyhiker
Looking good Jennifer. I can already see a dramatic improvement in your skills from your last build. A few more builds under your belt and you will be winning awards. Keep it up. You're doing great!

Pietro De Angelis
Good job Jennifer and congrats for your workspace!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Troy, Skyhiker, and Pietro De Angelis!

Rui S
Looking good, indeed 👍

gorby
Very nice progress so far.

Ludvík Kružík
Jennifer, the beginning of this year has been a busy one for me and I have had very little free time for my hobbies. That's why I discovered your new project so late. But I have to say right off the bat that I'm very intrigued by it. Your modeling skills are improving at an incredible pace. If the growth of your skills continues at this rate, the time will soon come when I will turn to you for advice 🙂.
Perhaps the change in scale from 1/72 to 1/48 has contributed to this. Anyway, you're doing very well and I'll be happy to follow the continuation of your build.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Rui, gorby, and Ludvik!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
I am super happy. I managed to pick up a second-hand light box for photography, and the difference in the quality of my photos is lovely.

Dave
If you decide to try and apply quick shine to a project. In an airbrush, applying lite coats. If you want to apply it with a brush, I find using a nylon one works the best with no brush marks. Personally I like using tester's 1/4" nylon brush and painting it on.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thanks, Dave, I will follow your advice.

gorby
I'm sure your cats will love your new light box. 😄

bughunter
Congrats to your light box! I'm using also a cheap foldable one (due to space reasons) with my working lamps. You know the result from the Goblin project for example.
Some photographic tip: for a big depth of field I use the "A" setting of my camera, close the aperture (high value like 14) and let the camera select the rest. This will result in high exposure times so a tripod is needed for the camera (use self-timer or remote shutter release).

Mark Sherwood
Congrats on the light box. Your build is coming along nicely. 🥸👍

Ludvík Kružík
Just a little clarification on bughunter's post. The camera setup mode that bughunter describes in his post belongs to a group of pre-installed programs that determine camera behavior. And the mode described is called aperture priority mode.

It very much depends on what camera you own. Not all cameras allow such settings. Moreover, different manufacturers use different designations for different photographic modes. One manufacturer's "A" may stand for aperture priority mode but another manufacturer's "A" may stand for auto mode.
The best way to find out what this is for your camera is to consult your camera manual. The mode selector itself is a definite help. If you find "AUTO" and "A" on it, then "A" is aperture priority mode. But it is possible that the manufacturer used the letter "A" to indicate auto mode. And the semi-automatic aperture priority mode on the selector is marked with the letters "AV" or "Av" (aperture value).

Jennifer Franklin Autore
@gorby, it's funny you should say that. Within an hour of me setting up the light box, my boy was lying on top of it.
@bughunter, I use a Samsung Galaxy S24, so I will figure out how to use it as you describe. I don't have a tripod yet, but I will add it to my wishlist.
@Mark, thank you
@Ludvik, good to know

Ludvík Kružík
Mobile phone cameras inherently have a large depth of field due to the miniature size of the lens and sensor chip. (A more detailed explanation of why this is so would be a long story.) But that doesn't mean they can't handle depth of field. Manufacturers get around this problem by using two or more lenses with different settings, and using clever algorithms and filters to compose the resulting image from each lens and adjust the resulting image to match the desired effect. What the mobile camera loses in optics, it can make up for in hearty help from sophisticated electronics.

Desert Marlin
All my photos have been from an iPhone 12. Distance, zoom level and lighting definitely affect all the choices be tween Program mode, Aperture priority and Automatic type features. Image compression is perhaps the hardest effect since there is such a short lens(s) on these phones.

Djordje Nikolic
Jennifer I agree the photo quality is really good. I tried a very cheap photo booth and I didn't do it justice, this is looking very serious

Felix
Dear Jennifer, that Anson is really lovely. Any issues with gaps? I heard of some problems with the cowlings.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
@Ludvik Kružik, interesting, I did not know that about mobile phone cameras.
@Djordje Nikolic, thank you
@Felix, I found putting the cowlings together challenging (take three pieces and turn them into a perfect circle) but in the end they both fit together well. No major gaps to speak of really.

Troy Campbell
Really cool detail .... nicely done!

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Troy!

Mr D
I was wondering how they moulded the cowlings as it's a complex shape.
Looking good Jenn. Keep up the good work 👍👍

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Mr D.

Mr D
Hi Jen, model looking good, the light box is good 💡 idea.
Could you let us know how you get on with the Acrylic floor shine ? as I'm sure a pledge future replacement would interest many... As supplies run out.
Good luck on next steps of build and hope your buddy 😺is not moving into the light box anytime soon 🤣
👍

John Hughes
Yes, this one is a bit of a flying greenhouse, isn't it? I managed to snag a bottle of pledge a few years back. Not actually used it yet.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Mr D, I will keep everyone posted re: the acrylic floor shine. I am adopting a puppy so I may be offline for a little while.

gorby
Gizmo looks great and I hope he will become a well loved member of your family! I'm sure you won't be one of those foolish people who think that small dogs don't need training.

Ludvík Kružík
Very nice puppy, for sure it will be a great companion. And he will surely reward you generously for the love, tenderness and care you surely give him.

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you Ludvik and gorby. gorby don't worry, this is my second small dog, and I have spent a lot of time and money training my current dog.

Dave
THATS a cool addition to your family. Looking forward to the stories in the future.

Rui S
I'm hoping Gizmo, bringing a lot of happiness to you 👍 but it also brings a bit less time to spend on the hobby 🤔

Mr D
Gizmo is great 😃👍👍 more pet hairs too get on the masking tape 🤣
Build is looking good

Jennifer Franklin Autore
Thank you, Dave, Rui S, and Mr D. @Rui S I need something to get me outside and active, this is not time that I would be spending modelling as I don't get exercise while modelling 🙂

Troy Campbell Autore
I figured since ive built the charles w morgan whaler i would build her sister ship the wanderer....

Dave
Is this the same scale as your last one. If so this will be a good looking bookends.

Ben M
👁️👁️

Troy Campbell Autore
Hello dave
Its 1/87 a bit bigger it will go on top ( if all goes well) ha ha and the morgan will go inside of cabinet i think the morgan is 1/110 its box scale ( 1968)
Thanks

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks ben

Troy Campbell Autore
Well so far so good....
Those 60's decals i had to pull off of the backing!!!! Whew...
Also im impressed with the details in my opinion it rivals even some of todays kits

Jennifer Franklin
Following!

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks jennifer

Troy Campbell Autore
LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Dave
The hull looks great. Now for the nightmare (Rigging).

Troy Campbell Autore
Ha ha ...
Yeah the fun starts... i am looking forward to it though... also to the molded sails/ yards im curious what i can do with them...

Dietmar Bogatzki
Never seen this kit before looking like a easy build so far, nice paintjob 👍

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks dietmar
Its old aurora 1966 well made ive never built this one i think i built the cutty sark as a kid. Too bad they are out of business

Troy Campbell Autore
Cant do anything mast wise until they set.. so working on the molded sails they havent turned out too bad

Lochsa River
...love this....great detail work....

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks lochsa river wasnt quite sure on the sails but they are shaping up for what they are

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks murtaza

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks walaroo

David Taylor
Looks great.

Troy Campbell Autore
Thanks david... slow process ran out of white and black thread! ....
No way! ( ha,ha )

David Taylor
Never ever done a sailing ship,would'nt have the patience so in awe of you modellers that do.

Troy Campbell Autore
Ha ha
Yeah after this im diving into italeri f14 i think.... a first for me i love your work!

walaroo Autore
So here are two Hobby Boss 1/48 kits; F8F-1 and F8F-1B. They both have the Eduard cockpit PE set for the Hobbycraft kit, which took some cutting to make fit. Like most Hobby Boss kits that I have experience with, there are a larrge number of inaccuracies and oversimplifications. Still, they will look like Bearcats when completed. The fit is very good, the panel line look like they will take a wash well, and there is an option to fold the wings! I decided I want to do a US Navy with folded wings, and a silver Thai Air Force...

Ben M
👁️👁️

Marcel Klemmer
👀

Łukasz Gliński
Following

Christoph Kunz
Da schau ich Dir mal über die Schulter.

Robert Podkoński
Taking a seat, for sure!

Alex K
... sure!

Michael Kohl Autore
Welcome mates. Happy to have you around.

Michael Kohl Autore
Those familiar with the kit might have noticed the absence of the firewall. I simply lost it and decided that I will just omit it as it is invisible anyway.

bughunter
A very interesting plane! You made a good progress with another (parallel?) project 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
Parallllllel, alternating. You name it. 😉

J35J
Great start!👀

Cuajete
Well done so far 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks and welcome.

Nicolas
Great start.

Thomas Haberl - (TH SCALE MODELS)
Interesting build and very promising start - I´m in for this 🙂

Jennifer Franklin
Following

Michael Kohl Autore
Moin zusammen Thomas und Nicolas.

Michael Kohl Autore
...and Jennifer too, of course. 🙂

Nicolas
Interesting approach to simply sand the control surface structure in the primer. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good result.

Denis Dogadov
As a base for the red color, you need to use yellow, then the red will be bright.If you put red on white, you will get just pink.

bughunter
Michael, using different primers for one top coat is my idea! The usage of my idea is geBIERenpflichtig! 🙂

Łukasz Gliński
Looks like you're the partial member of The Infanous Order of The Pink Primer 😋

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
@ Nicolas: I cross my fingers too. But looks like I have to do some homework before the final coat (see below 🙂 )

@ Denis: thanks for your input. I tested your suggestion on a scrab wing. With LP-7 I get a nice hue as well over white primer and pink base alike. Problem is that there is almost no difference between them. Over yellow (XF-3) the red receives a rather orange hue which I do not like for this project. But I am optimistic to finetune that and use lighter yellow or buff as base coat and see how that turns out. I'll keep you posted.

@Frank: So, se wollen erheben ne kleene GeBIER?!
Da trifft es sich ja gut, dass mein diesjähriger Adventskalender aus 24 Flaschen feinem fränkischen Bier aus 24 verschiedenen Brauereien besteht. Es wird mir eine Freude sein, ein-zwei-drei mit Dir zu teilen - in N?! In M?! Gruß 🙂

@Lukasz: I applied, but as PartPrimerer I am only allowed into the Entree so far. Full membetship pending. 🙂

Welcome Guy

Denis Dogadov
Yes, I will be interested in what your red color will turn out to be. I recently painted small parts red, but there was a noticeable difference in color, depending on the color of the soil. Perhaps your LP-7 is better.

Michael Kohl Autore
I tested a couple of base coat variations for LP-7. A nice combination in my eyes is achieved when using Mr. Hobbycolor H413 yellow as base for the darker areas and pink (Tamiya X-17) for the lighter ones. But that would have meant to redo the whole base paint. So I stuck to my combination and mourned the loss of contrast.

Mark Sherwood
Looks good to me Michael. 🤘🥸👍

Cuajete
Me 2! 👍

Jennifer Franklin
That is a gorgeous colour red

Christoph Kunz
I say the same as Mark and Jennifer. 👍

Łukasz Gliński
Add some white today and it will be perfect Xmas gift just in time 😋

Jennifer Franklin
There's the white! Perfect Xmas gift.

Jakub Biganovsky
Really great job. I appreciate your approach.
I didn`t test different base color. I used GS Aquarius H23 at first piece at black surfacer, and it wasn`t fine. I will use gloss yellow at 2nd piece.
How did you do such perfect wing bottom side. It looks really nice. I had relatively big gap there and some residual step although I precisely brushed big material layer out from both wing half. Maybe, the used glue did a step at the end.
I thing, that this, wings bottom, is weakest part of this model although, as you ar writing, engine nacceles also need some attention.

Bernhard Schrock
A nice red! 🙂

Michael Kohl Autore
Welcome mates and thanks for your encouraging and funny comments. Bottomline I am quite happy with the shade of red. I just haven't made up my mind about how gloss it should appear finally. If I would have had access to a cutter I would have scanned the bigger decals and cut masks for painting the letters.
Now what's left are the tail skid and a few bits and pieces at the wings and the stabiliser.

@Jakub: wing assembly requires some scraping and dry fitting. With super thin cement I didn't encounter any issues afterwards. But there still remains a considerable gap towards the flaps and ailerons which I filled with super glue.

Mark Sherwood
By Gum. That's a lovely looking aircraft. Kudos Michael. 🤘🥸🤟

Robert Podkoński
Looks beautiful already, Michael!

J35J
Almost there! Great build & paintwork👍🏻

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks mates. Let's see whether the year is still long enough to finish the plane.

bughunter
Nice 👍
Regarding the cutter - you know I can always help here! If you still want to do it may another mate can scan the decals ... or next project.

Cuajete
Fantastic job. Very nice result. Great!
Congrats!

Zbynek Honzik
Great job! I like it very much, Michael. 👍

Jennifer Franklin
I agree with everyone; great job, nice result, and I like it very much.

Rui S
I like it, a Lot 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
Thank you all for sneaking in.
Couldn't finish it last year, so might be the first to be completed this year.
Wish you all a lot of happy modelling in 2025.

Neuling
Very beautiful model. A good start into 2025 !

Nicolas
Great looking model. 👍 Happy 2025 to everyone.

J35J
Excellent! Your setting the scene for the 2025 build year👍🏻

Robert Podkoński
Absolutely fabulously looking model!

Guy Rump
Great result, congrats!

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks mates for yor very nice feedback. Is a nice kit. Still pondering about a few details for a little vignette.

U1 PLAMO
Beautiful! That's a wonderful piece of work!

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks mate

Christoph Kunz
High End Modelling. 👍

Cuajete
The figures and other elements look great. Are they 3D printed or commercial?

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks Christoph and Cuajete,
all items are commercial, some classic resin casts, some 3D-printed.

Jennifer Franklin
I love the additional elements, especially the bike.

Thomas Haberl - (TH SCALE MODELS)
The comet turned out beautifully 😊 - excited to see the finished dio my friend 👌🤞

Michael Kohl Autore
Thank you Thomas.
progress is a bit slow as the last figure I bought needed a decent makeover due to casting imperfections. Same with the barrels I bought. Issues I weren't used to from.Balaton and White Storck Models.

Alec K
Very nicely done 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks Alec. Yesterday two figures were painted, the barrels redone and after I went full circle I am back again at the high base which I left for - first a bigger, then a smaller one with different layouts. Now I am confident with the actual concept and I am optimistic that I can still finish it for the Moson Model Show end of april.

Nick Dragone
Stellar!

Jennifer Franklin
I like the red headdress; the pump on the barrel looks nice, and I'm getting excited about the completed dio.

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks Nick and Jennifer for the heads up. I finished preparing the base and should be able to put things into place within the next days.

Cuajete
I agree with Jennifer 👍

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks Cuajete. Little by little I inch myself toward the finish line.

Ignacio
Excellent! I have this kit in my stash so I don't only love the pictures but your comments on the building too!

Michael Kohl Autore
Nice to hear that my statements might be helpful.

Michael Kohl Autore
If I don't change my mind again, then this build is completed. I shot some preliminary pictures but hope to add better ones under daylight conditions.
Thanks for joining, for your interest and your feedback.

Rui S
Impressive work and small scale Dio 👍. Congratulations

Christoph Kunz
Beautifull, simply beautifull.
Thank's for sharing.

J35J
Excellent dio, taking every part to the next level! Congrats👍🏻

Zbynek Honzik
The combination of the beautiful aircraft and very impressive mini diorama is truly extraordinary. And precise figures that look as if they were at least in 1/48 and not in 1/72. Really great work. A joy to behold. 👏👏👏

Cuajete
Wow... great scene. Fantastic job! 👍

Jennifer Franklin
I love the dio, the airplane is sharp too. Is that a dog or a cat?

Łukasz Gliński
Outstanding dio! I bet it's a cat 🙂

Robert Podkoński
I echo all the praises!

Teeage
Due to circumstances I missed this build completely. Very nice build! I reccon the strugle for the good color of a basecolor.

Michael Kohl Autore
Thanks a ton to all of you for your kind comments and praise. I feel flattered.
Maybe a word about the idea for the vignette. As said this plane was the winner of the Mcrobertson Air Race which was initiated for the centennials of Melburne and took place in 1934. When announced it was clear that the Americans would win it anyway as some fast and reliable aircraft had been released from there. 'But not without a fight' stated DeHavilland then and developed the DH.88 for this purpose. The race had some compulsory stops and Allahabad in then India (nowadays Pakistan) was one of it. Unfortunately I haven't found any pics of Allahabad airfield of this time and mused that it probably was a dirt strip. So that is the setting.

Teeage
Sehr schön ausgedacht 💪🏼

Michael Kohl Autore
🙂 by the way Jennifer and Lukasz - it is a cat. But I did struggle to paint it the way to make this obvious (and I obviously failed 🙂 ).

Thanks Teeage. (to prevent misunderstandings: all information concerning the race are historically accurate (at least to the best of my knowledge), only the Allahabad setting is the result of my imagination.)

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRobertson_Air_Race

Jennifer Franklin
my dog looks a lot like my cat, the small dogs can easily be mistaken for a cat

Jan Peters Autore
This will be build straight from the box, for an old school Tamiya Group build over on twenot forums.
I will share my ventures here too 😉

gorby
Taking a seat. 🙂

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome mate 🙂

Robert Podkoński
Me 2!

Jan Peters Autore
A warm welcome for you as well Robert 🙂

Rui S
I'm in 😎

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome Rui 🙂

Djordje Nikolic
Following

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome Djordje🙂

Jan Peters Autore
Started 🙂

István Szücs
Watching!

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome István 🙂

Jennifer Franklin
Ohhh... following

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome Jennifer 🙂

Jan Peters Autore
More building done tonight, had a nice evening with some friends coming over, chatting, drinking and building 🙂 

J R
Looks great so far, will love to see it complete

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks JR, and welcome 🙂

David Taylor
Watching.

Jan Peters Autore
Welcome David 🙂

Jan Peters Autore
More work done.
It amazes me how much detail there is in this kit. Also how everything fits just great. Tamiya has a reputation, which is well deserved 🫡

David Taylor
I've built a couple of Tamiya Landys and found the first one the suspension was lacking so I Cannibilised the Italeri steering and suspension.Fits great.

Jan Peters Autore
For a kit tooled in 1976, I think it is exceptionally good

Jan Peters Autore
More details added.

gorby
Looks good so far Jan particularly with the extra detailing you are adding.

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks Gorby 🙏🏻

Patrick Hagelstein
Cool build! Following along!

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks and welcome!

Jan Peters Autore
Almost ready to paint

Jennifer Franklin
Stowage is a nice addition.

David Taylor
looking good.

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks mates!

Jan Peters Autore
I started to paint this one.
It is coated in Tamiya X18, this will be over sprayed with old rose as a basecoat, before the final layer of beige pink is layed on.
I've managed to knock off one of the smoke dischargers, and I still haven't found it yet 🙈

Jan Peters Autore
Turning Pink!

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks Guy, and welcome mate 😊

gorby
The colour looks good.

Jan Peters Autore
Thanks Gorby, I'm quite happy with the outcome 🙂

Jan Peters Autore
Made a start on painting the details.

Jan Peters Autore
Some progress made, and started to paint the figure 🙂

Jan Peters Autore
Slowly working towards the end 🙂

gorby
I saw a real one of these on Saturday and it looks like you've got the colour spot-on.

Jan Peters Autore
It was a lot of hassle to get a good shade Gorby, but I have found the beige pink from Mig an excellent colour for the pinkies.

Jan Peters Autore
Meanwhile the model is done 🙂
Just need to finish the base.

gorby
Fantastic! Looks just like the real thing.

Guy Rump
Great job Jan! 👍

David Taylor
Brilliant job.

Jennifer Franklin
Gorgeous and super original!

Ben M
👁️👁️

Clair Greenwood
At 55 years old here it's really hard to stand on my head, if you go into advanced settings you can turn your photo's to face correctly. I know because I have to fix all of mine too. Have fun with the photo etch, thats actually my favorite part of building a model. You'll need a folding jig to do really nice bends, and for glue I've used and had great results with Clear Nail Polish, Microscale's Micro Kristal Klear, Mig Ultra Glue, and of course super glue. For positioning I do a 2 step process when my pe part is ready to install, first a tiny dab of Microscale's Micro Liquitape and let it dry a few minutes till it turns clear. It in now sticky like a very light adhesive and can be placed and manipulated into just the right position, then a dab of your choice of glue. If you go with any brand super glue and it's the thin kind I highly recommend a Glue Looper set, very cheap and will last forever. Clean up old glue on the tip with a cigarette lighter. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your build 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
I've done a terrible job with my first ever part.
Glue looper? Why have I never heard of these things? lol we are practically twins. Well, I'm 56. With the modelling skills of a 5 year old 😳😂

Danny Ray Autore
@lorraine are there actual female modellers? Clair is that a male name where you live? Surely there aren't 2 female modellers on earth? I'm showing my 1970's attitude here. 😳😂
By the way Lorraine cute cat. I have a dog but he's scared of cats. In fact he's even scared of doors! lol

Lorraine Lin
Danny, female modelers are relatively fewer in China, especially military modelers. But we do exist😜 And I also see many females in this community.

[img1]

Clair Greenwood
Thats ok Danny, Im 55 and act about 5 lol. I get along with my 3 year old grand daughter on the same level 🙂 Clair is a dude unless there's an e on the end usually. I have 2 cats, the one is super skittish, I remember when he was a kitten he farted, it scared him n he ran a good 15 feet before turning around to look at his butt. Hahaha

Clair Greenwood
Oh and to get that paper off use some nail polish remover. It dissolves super glue pretty quick. Then touch it up.

Rui
Great conversation going on here!

I have to catchup:

1st - I'm in the same age bracket at 59 with the modelling ability of a 90 year old who can't find his glasses 🙂

2nd - whats this I here about using a lighter to cleanup the tip on glue! How does that work? Is it for super glue cleanup? I'm always dealing with nasty clogs.

3rd - Where I live in Canada we have very few female modellers. In fact, I have never seen one. I have a theory that females can be amazing modellers because of small fingers. I don't have fat sausage fingers but they are big enough to get in the way of intricate work.

4th - @Danny I know another modeller on here named Jennifer. She is relative new to the hobby and already quite good. Lorraine's work is amazing!

Lastly - I have cats. I use to have dogs when I was younger, but now it's cats. They drive me crazy and I think the little assassins are trying to kill me, but I love them to bits.

Danny Ray Autore
I love this site. So much good advice and just when I felt like giving up I get lots of lovely people encouraging me to carry on. Thank you. I also need to give a shout out to Jakko. I drive him crazy with almost daily questions and he's never once told me to stop and leave him alone! 🙂

@Rui, I'd love to see a few more females in the hobby. In fact I need a new wife and one who could help me build a model would be a definite bonus. It's all about the lack of sausage fingers, as you say 😂

Lorraine Lin
For PE parts, I use lighter to clean up the instant glue. It works very well, 100% burned up.

And sometimes, I wish I had a third hand, help me to hold the small parts so I can glue them together😛

Thomas Mayer
Remove superglue from a glue looper, a needle, blade, or whatever metal item you use, by holding it into the flame of a lighter. Let the tool cool of, remove residue with a paper towel.

Thomas Mayer
Glue loopers:
SCM Search: Glue applicators looper*

Danny Ray Autore
Thanks Thomas.
@lorraine a third hand would be invaluable! In fact on a serious note are there items you can get to help with that? I often find myself wishing I had something to place a model in when I need to add a tricky part. I bought a small jewellers vice that I sometimes use but if there are other devices I'd love to try one!

Lorraine Lin
I bought a soldering helping hands in electronics store. It helps sometimes.

Danny Ray Autore
I think I'll get one too Lorraine. By the way I'm seriously impressed at your skill. Are you a professional model maker? Or something similar? Film business?

Robert H.
I have the same kit on my workbench right now, take care the instructions have a few errors and some missing steps to do, just in case you haven't noticed

Lorraine Lin
Danny, I'm not a professional modeler. Building
models is just a hobby in my spare time. I've learned a lot of skills in this community.

Clair Greenwood
I have 3 or 4 helping hands of different sizes but this one is on my "snag it eventually" list : amazon.com/gp/produc..8B8CMKBF3NX&th=1 , should prove handy when I am repairing electronics as well.

Danny Ray Autore
@Robert yeah I've noticed one error so far. I bet yours comes out a lot better than mine!

Danny Ray Autore
@Clair, thanks I'll look at that. I think I'll buy one! 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
@lorraine how long have you been modelling? You really are skilled. I'm very new to it but I think it'd take me at least a decade to get to your level!

Robert H.
@Danny, t's not about better, it's just about fun !! and you learn and get better with every model you build - may you've noticed that K3 and K4 track parts the designations are swapped, some drill holes that need to be made are not shown, best you download the instructions of the original Academy kit, last page shows some corretions .... scalemates.com/products/img/5/1/1/839511-44-instructions.pdf

Clair Greenwood
Well said Robert, without having a fun time we'd all be doing something else instead.

Lorraine Lin
@Danny, about 6-7 years. Agree with Robert and Clair, it's all about having a fun time. I enjoy those few hours late at night when I build models. I can fully immerse myself and forget about other worries. And I also enjoy to learn and to share with all the friendly mates here.

Danny Ray Autore
I agree but I'm at the stage where I'm messing everything up. I think it'll be a lot more fun when I get a bit better and I have a system for doing things. I mostly make (so far. I have 61 kits and about 2/3rds are AFV) tanks. Can't decide whether it's better to spray the wheels and tracks before adding them or once they're glued in place. I'm veering towards the 'before' scenario. Same with the tools and things like machine guns and rifles (from my universal carrier). I don't feel confident at all with figures. In fact I'd even say they scare me. 😳😂

Robert H.
@Danny, take it easy, may start with your more simple kits, to mess something up sometimes is part of the never ending learning process and fortunely on armour models you can easy hide a mistake by covering it with something, at least mostly 😉 I airbrush the assembled main groups, hull, turret, wheels, tracks... separately. I also glue small things like tools before airbrushing to the hull, I've no problem to paint small things with a fine brush after... just look always what makes more sense. Figure painting is also not such a big deal, many tuturial on YT, start with simple guides.... and don't try to paint eyes, mostly not necessary at all 😮

Clair Greenwood
Danny bro,. you didn't mess anything up... Thats the beauty of modelling war machines, Battle Damage 🙂 I've been building models on and off since '74 and I still make colossal goofs here and there. I was doing a Santa Maria all wood kit and guess what, I goofed and cut off in scale probably about 10 feet on the poop deck. I just planked and kept going, now it's a pee deck that bring your own bottle Hahahaha. We all screw up dont fret just learn and do better on the next one buddy 🙂 As for painting, I always paint parts separately, my hands shake a good bit anymore so I'd make one hell of a mess if I didnt.

Danny Ray Autore
Thanks chaps. Great advice. That made me laugh clair. Pee deck and bring your own bottle. 😂
I actually thought this yesterday. Why am I worrying about a rip in a wire mesh on a machine that's had dozens of armour piercing shells slung its way? Of course it's gonna look beaten up! That's a sure sign that I've not (yet) done any weathering whatsoever! 🙂

And Robert I agree. It's a good job I've (now) got 62 kits (just bought another panzer iv by Ryefield oh and a hetzer by Takom so 63 kits! (They were so cheap on temu. The Ryefield was just £11! Well with my discount.
I have now stopped buying. For now 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
@lorraine. I hope I'm half as good as you in 6 years!

Lorraine Lin
Danny You surely can do better. Because I just joined this community last year, while you've been here since the very beginning😜

Danny Ray Autore
Not me Lorraine. I only joined in November. Or thereabouts 🙂
You did say you've been model building for about 6 years? I might have mixed up your comment with someone else. It's my age! Lol

Danny Ray Autore
Can somebody take away my credit card please? I just saw a Takom 1:35 panzer III Ausf.M mit schurzen (armour skirts) on Temu and it was only £15. God knows where I'm gonna put these models once they're built? I'll need at least 3 more houses. Maybe I can build a few model blocks of flats? 😂

While I'm here, do any of you use those PE bending tools to help you? Some are like metal rulers with lots of different shapes to bend around. Another type is a square with another square with shapes cut out and there's a screw down clamp to securely fix the part down when bending. I can get one of each type for around £7 with my current discount . Are they worthwhile or just a gimmick?

On a similar note, I wish I could find a solution to my many different diameter circle masks. Being primarily interested in AFV builds, I find I need (especially if the road wheels are rubber edged and therefore painted in black(ish), I know you can buy specific wheel masks for many kits but they're not cheap. I was wondering if there's a good universal solution. A tool or technique where you can make your own masks or stencils. Bearing in mind, I have the abilities of a not particularly bright or gifted toddler 😂😂😂

Clair Greenwood
I use a Bug from the Small Shop and it's simply a must have to get great folds on the first try. Each bend at the same spot makes brass weaker. So yes, definitely get a screw down type.

As for question 2 >>> Tadah!!!!! scalehobbyist.com/ca..00000048/product.php

I bought one, seems nice quality but haven't needed to actually use it yet.

Danny Ray Autore
Thanks Clair. You the man. As they say. Funny to think I thought you might've been the (wo)man before you educated me about the different spellings of your name! 🙂 then again (I'm assuming here yet again) you Americans do love to change the spelling of the mother tongue! lol 😂😂😂😁😁
But seriously, thanks for the reply and advice. It does make it feel like I'm not in this arms race against 1940's nazism alone. Even though I'm building German tanks 😁😊
You've convinced me. I'm gonna buy a screw down clamp thing. I mean, for equivalent of ten US dollars, you can't really go wrong?

Danny Ray Autore
I wonder if that stencil you linked would cover the British tanks too? I see that panzer iv is mentioned. I have all the British tanks to build. Churchill, Cromwell, valentine, crusader, Matilda as well as the Brit versions of American tanks like Grants, Lees, Stuart's, and shermans ? I guess it'd be expecting a bit too much to have a single stencil to cover all German, American and Brit machines? 🙂

Robert H.
@Danny, I have this USTAR UA-80026, covers all wheel diameters, at least I didn't have one where it didn't fit in scale 1/35. For bending PE parts just a small tool which is usually sufficient for what I need it [img1] [img2]

Danny Ray Autore
Thanks Robert. I've just bought something similar on temu and a square one that you can screw down. Because I've been buying a lot of kits from them I had some discount. The screw down type was originally £20. I got it for £6. Hopefully it'll be decent quality. I'll have a look at the wheel mask. As well as the one Clair suggested. Thanks to you both.

Ben M
Helpful tips abound here. Sorry I missed it til now. Photo 5 looks nicely done. I apply superglue with a sewing needle with the end of the eye cut off like a tiny little U. When it gets gummed up I burn the glue off with a lighter. In my late 50's as well.

My girlfriend builds models as well but isn't on scalemates. I like to build things with my kids also.

Clair Greenwood
Gee Ben, that's a really smart idea there with the needle. I like the ingenuity bud 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
Hi Ben. I forgot that I bought this little tool from Temu. It's a very fine needle on a small spring and it unscrews from the handle where it's safely stored away. Basically you just dip it in the super glue then dot it where you want it. When it first arrived a couple of months ago I was disappointed but it really has helped. Though I obviously had to remember I had it first! lol
So your whole family model build? That's great 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
@clair shall I post a link to the needle tool I bought? It's just a small bullet looking piece of metal that unscrews then you screw it in the other end. It's just a really fine needle on a small limited movement spring like joint. A lot more handy than I first thought! Bear with me I'm not good with computers/phones. I've added a picture of the tool in the project/build photos. See it? They sell them on Amazon too but it was half that price on temu.

Clair Greenwood
Actually Danny yeah I'll grab me a few next week when I get my ssi in.Thanks man I'd like to give that a shot, looks very useful.

Danny Ray Autore
You're very welcome amigo

Danny Ray Autore
I'm embarrassed to post any more pics of the build. It looks like an explosion in a Humbrol liquid poly and Tamiya extra thin plant as an Airfix lorry carrying T34-85 112 Factory production 1:35 kits was passing….😳

Don't think I'm ever gonna get a call from Industrial Light and Magic with a job offer. 😂

Clair Greenwood
Naw buddy, Im sure it's nothing some putty wont take care of, nothing else use tarps and mud to cover bad spots. Perhaps it's a battle damaged 34 getting hauled back for repairs... 🙂

Jakko ‌
Everybody started somewhere, and nobody built award-winning models when they were just starting out.

Also, you'll be amazed what a coat of paint while hide, never mind the suggestions above 🙂

Danny Ray Autore
I think it's because I'm thinking I can put every part in place then use extra thin. I used to apply glue BEFORE placing the part as a kid. Do you glue before for some parts and only glue while in place if you can do that from the unseen side as it were? Like inside a tank for example and the part being on the outside. Also Like the seams of the hull for example?

I am still enjoying building but I seem to be very slow. I just cut a few parts from the tree, sand them down then add a few then stop. I rarely sit for hours at a time. Just half hour here and there while tv is on. 🙂

These 65 kits (yes 65 now but definitely stopped buying. For now 😂 ) are gonna take a loooooong time! 😳😂😂😂

Danny Ray Autore
One more quick question. After handling the model for weeks, it's obviously covered in grease from your hands, do you wash the model before spraying? Like wipe with a little soapy water? It's gotta help the painting, no?

Jakko ‌
I glue some parts by putting glue on first, others by putting the part in place and then flowing glue into the seam. It largely depends on whether I think it will stay put ot not without glue 🙂

As for washing it: if the first coat is going to be paint that is alcohol-based, a lacquer, an enamel, or anything else with a solvent in it stronger than water, there's almost certainly no need to wash off grease etc. Which is to say: I can't remember ever doing it, and the only paints that have given me trouble on bare plastic have been water-based acrylics, especially airbrush-ready ones.

Clair Greenwood
Like Jakko, it just depends for me on the particular part and how it positions before I even decide which glue to use.

For the wash I absolutely give a nice warm bath with Dawn dish soap to my parts before painting, Im a sweat hog so my hands get all kinds of sweat on the parts, probably a bit of tobacco breath too so they get a nice wash n dry, then paint away with usually acrylics.

Danny Ray Autore
To be honest Jakko, I only have acrylic paints, even the primers I have are acrylic so I'll probably do the same as Clair and give this one a bath. I didn't with my first 1:35 build a Tamiya Panther (I should add some pics but it's awaiting its 2nd coat of gelbraun and the olivgrun and rotbrun too) and it looked like it might've struggled to stick in a couple of small areas due to what was probably greasy fingers. I did buy some latex finger glove things. But they'll take about an hour to put on! Each finger. 😳😂

Jakko ‌
It can't hurt to wash the model, certainly. Well, as long as you're careful not to break any bits off, anyway 😉

Danny Ray Autore
Well, there is that of course Jakko. Knowing me, it'll probably end up just adding more glue to the surface somehow. I'll use the wrong toothbrush. One loaded with poly instead of fairy liquid. 😳😂

Jakko ‌
If you apply glue with a toothbrush then I think we've just located the problem 😉

Danny Ray Autore
Hahaha. Actually, I use a toilet cleaner brush. I find toothbrushes don't allow quite enough poly to get on 🙂.
Can I ask you an unrelated question? I know I have literally asked your advice on hundreds of occasions (no exaggeration. You have the patience of a modelling saint). I know I said I was gonna stop buying kits but there are 3 vehicles I love (one was one I discovered reading the book you wrote Tanks at Westkapelle) the LVT-A4 (is that the one with the cannon on top and MG at the back? That one. And 2 aircraft. The A10 Warthog and the P38 Lightning.
I know you did tell me before but it'd take ages trawling thru your previous replies. Do you know a decent kit of any of them but in particular the LVT? I really want one. Watched 2 documentaries last night. One called Hell in the Pacific and it had LVTs as they landed on Guadalcanal.
The other documentary I watched was set in your local area (or relatively close by). Isleer or Ismeer lake? It was about an Avro Lancaster that had been damaged by flak in Germany and as it flew over the Netherlands to the coast it was picked up by a luftwaffe night fighter and it came down with the loss of all 7 crew. But the Dutch authorities in 2023 built a dam around the crash site, drained it and recovered the bodies so the families of the 3 missing could finally have closure. I think it's great your country shows its thanks and respect all this time later!

Jakko ‌
In 1:35 you only really have two options: AFV Club has an early and a late LVT (4), while Italeri has a range of them (those were also sold in Revell boxes, BTW). The AFV Club kits are much better detailed but harder to build, the Italeri ones are simpler to build but have a number of mistakes. Also, you can probably get two Italeri LVTs for the price of one AFV Club one.

For LVTs in the Pacific, any of the above will do. For British ones in Europe, though, you want an LVT (2), LVT(A) (2) or LVT (4) kit, and if you go for the AFV Club one, the early type, not the late. None of these include the 20 mm Polsten gun, though. LVT-2 Amtrac (Italeri 6462, 1:35) LVT-(A)2 "Saipan" (Italeri 6470, 1:35) LVT-4 Water Buffalo (Italeri 379, 1:35) Water Buffalo LVT-4 (AFV Club AF35205, 1:35)

As for the lake: you mean the IJsselmeer 🙂 That's quite a way from where I live, but I had heard of it, yes.

Danny Ray Autore
Yes that's the lake 🙂.
Wow, as ever Jakko your knowledge blows me away. To be honest the first time I've ever really noticed the LVT (prob cos of my new interest in tracked vehicles since starting modelling) was in your book Tanks at Westkappelle. I think I'll go for an AFV club version but the one with the cannon wasn't at westkappelle, is that what you're saying? Please forgive me, not been up long and I've overdone things a bit this weekend. Not booze. Just walking and stuff. I could sleep another week!

Do AFV do one with a polsten cannon? Was that the A4? The 'A' stood for armoured, is that correct?

Basically I want the one that helped liberate my old mate Jakko! 🙂 but the one with the MG facing front and one facing back would suffice.
I was telling my brother that the allies bombed the dykes on your island the hinder the Germans defence but killed 159 islanders thru drowning in the process! Necessary I suppose but civilians bore a lot of the brunt of things. As usual.

Have you ever built an LVT by the way? Sure I asked before.

Ps that Buffalo with the shark teeth looks great. That might be the one I think. Was that version at westkappelle/vlissingen, etc?

Danny Ray Autore
Did you see it on the news in Netherlands Jakko? At the time? Last year? Or year before? The Dutch authorities do spend large sums making sure allied aircrew get recovered wherever possible. Which is fantastic and a great way of trying to repay the allies sacrifice. Good on you all. I've always liked the Dutch (I know Dutch isn't the correct term for all netherlanders but that's how we were taught . That everyone from the Netherlands are Dutch and all from Holland. And you rightly corrected me. Unfortunately my brain isn't as plastic as it once was and new info tends to need constant reinforcement before it sticks. My brain is under assault at the moment too, trying to learn how to build models 😳😳😳😂😂😂😂😂

Jakko ‌
See your private messages for a reply, as it's getting very OT here 🙂

Clair Greenwood
What about the rest of us Jakko?? lol

Łukasz Gliński
Interesting topic

Rui S
Looking good 👍

Dave Flitton
Watching!

Jeremias H
Looks good so far 🙂

gorby
Beautiful!

George Williams
It looks very nice but how can they call it a full detail kit, it has no engine or suspension/steering detail, and I suspect it's an unlicensed product.

Rui S
Excellent 👍

Harald A.
very beautiful

gorby
It's looking very good so far.

Dexi Goodchild Autore
Thanks Gorby, still a few opportunities remaining for me to totally.stuff it up! 🤣

Alberto
The interior looks fantastic already!

ALBERTO ITURBURU HERREROS Autore
Thanks!

Rando
Following. Love the Hellcat, and this looks ambitious. Cheers!

Stefan Schacht
nice start, I take a seat.

bughunter
A lot of nice scratch work 👍 You take full advantage of this big scale!
For your engine: do you know this product? anyz.io/shop/product/AN011
Please see the attached pics there, especially the engine.

Michael Kohl
Hmm, I think I should follow that... 😉

ALBERTO ITURBURU HERREROS Autore
Thanks a lot bughunter ! i don´t knew that product, so i will order it.
Thanks Mikel for your interest

Spanjaard
wow, fantastic job, amazing scratchbuild details

Akaidada
HOLY!!! impress wrok

Guy Rump
Excellent dio! 👍

Michael Kohl
Great stuff.

Robert Podkoński
Awesome!

Spanjaard
congratulations, jaw dropping dio!

Shar Dipree
Fantastic work. Even though my heart bleeds at the sight of the Hellcat. 👍

Rui S
Great Dio 👍

Villiers de Vos
Very nice detail work. Great composition.