News Feed

Ian Doody 作者
My very much long awaited build of Boba Fett's Starship from the Empire Strikes Back, Slave 1.

Doubtingmango
Nice build

bughunter
Another one of those crazy scratching people 👍

Robert Podkoński
Look who's saying this 😄

Simon O'Gorman
Some of the detail work I see on 1:72 kits on this site is unbelievable - this is another one - fantastic work Davy 👍

Denis Dogadov
I like your serious approach.
I have assembled two Fokker D.XXI 1/72. One of them was converted from the Novo set. The second one is from Special Hobby
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Denis Dogadov
My version of the engine and hood. I took the details for revision from the Blenheim model Novo.
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Rui S
Excellent 👍 I'm in 😎

Mr D
Very nice start 👍👍 like it

Cuajete
Great!

Alec K
I like that cockpit 👍

Davy Vos 作者
Thank you very much every one! And looks really great Denis! 👍🏻👍🏻

Jan Peters
Excellent detailing! Following for sure 👀

David R. Meizoso
Your cockpit work deserves an ovation. Astounding build!

Alec K
Wow, this thing is almost done! Looking really good 👍

Villiers de Vos
Detailed work. Booking my seat.

Cuajete
Fantastic painting job 👍
Well done so far!

Tom M
I like the model very much

Davy Vos 作者
Thank you very much all! 😊🙏🏻

Jennifer Franklin
That is some impressive painting!

Skyhiker
I'm late

Finn
Well done indeed!

Munkyslut
Lovely detail, cockpit is perfecto👌

Villiers de Vos
Fantastic work on the interior. The exterior paint work is also very good.

J35J
Late in, great build & scratchwork!👍🏻

Davy Vos 作者
Thanks all! Really appreciated!

Michael Kohl
Very high quality

Mark K
Truly beautiul,

Skyhiker
Your seatbelts really came out nice for this scale. Kind of amazing. You're a wizard.

CaptGPF
Agree with Skyhiker - amazing!

Guy Rump
I'm late, looking forward to final result, looking excellent! 👍

Steve Desarzens
It looks really good, congrats for this amazing result 🤗
Love this airplane, built my version 2 years ago but in 1/48 scale

Cuajete
Great!

Jennifer Franklin
Very nice work! It's beautiful.

Rui S
Looking Great 👍

Rui S
Very nice work 👍 but not the best teaser 🤔

Mark K
Looks good!

Curatorm
Very good work with that oldy.

Guy Rump
Great recovery job with the cockpit. Very nice work! 👍

komoras 作者
@Rui S - Thanks! I hadn't been using a PC for last 5 years, and updating all over the phone was not so user friendly...so here we are! There will be more of the same updates, but I'll for sure make some real time WIPs!
@Mark K - Thanks!
@Curatorm - Thanks! With little care it builds into an almost up to date model 🙂
@Guy Rump - Thanks! Was using the ArmaHobby one as reference. Not the most precise work as it is barely viable, but it is there! 👍

Rui S
I see. I was just trying to say that your work its much better then a box art 😉

Villiers de Vos
Beautiful work.

hotrod55
Cool flat tracker

hotrod55
Just picked one of the triumph 1/8 kit to start my flat track conversion

Robert Podkoński
Taking a first row seat, of course! 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Welcome Robert, nice to see you again at my model build. 🙂
It will again be a plane with a special paint job.

Robert Podkoński
How could I miss such a talent show? 😉

Rando
Love me a Swedish delta 🙂 or I guess Czech in this case

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Robert, you've come at the right time. I started airing my show today. 😉

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Welcome, Rando. I'm glad you're here. You're not wrong, the plane will be in Czech colors. 😄

Mark D
Nice and following this build! I heard that the panellines of this Italeri kit are a bit soft or a bit deep, are they? It looks, well, acceptable.

J35J
Taking a chair 👍🏻

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Mark, it's true that the plastic of this kit is a bit softer than the standard kit, but it's nothing terrible. Also, the panel lines are a bit thicker (compared to Tamiya or Eduard kits), but again, not entirely bad. The kit does have a few minor shape flaws as well, but overall it's pretty good and with a little effort you can build a nice JAS-39 model from it.

I will describe the kit's faults and how to fix them, including modifications to the "C" version (the kit represents the original "A" version), as the model is built.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
J35J, welcome. I hope you have a good time. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Little progress on the model.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm preparing the hull for its closure. I've glued the assembled engine and cockpit to the left half of the fuselage.

Alec K
Looking great! Taking a seat for sure 👍

Vloudila se ti tam čeština, pics 13-16. Jen v případě že to nebylo úmyslně 😉

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Hello, Alec! There's always room for you at my place. 🙂
Thank you for letting me know. It was my fault. The texts are already in English.

Jos Jansen
Watching

Michael Kohl
Me too

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jos and Michael, welcome!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The fuselage halves are already glued together.

Jos Jansen
How's the fitting...?

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I haven't put much together yet. The fuselage halves can be glued together without any problems, they fit together well and the panel lines follow each other. The glued joints are gapless, just sand them lightly. When gluing the fuselage tip, care must be taken to ensure that it is turned correctly. If the tip is glued to the fuselage with the bottom side up, it will not follow the shape of the fuselage correctly when viewed from the side.

If there are any problems during construction, I will point them out.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Work on the model continues. The first problems are appearing. It was necessary to modify the joints between the upper and lower half of the wings and also the joint between the fuselage and the wings. The use of putty and sanding is unavoidable.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Little progress today. I glued the wings to the fuselage and started prepping the other parts.

Rando
Really cool techniques Ludvik! Taking notes on how you reduced the gaps

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Rando, thank you for the compliments. 🙂

The technique of extending the fuselage by gluing struts from inside the fuselage is nothing new. I have been using it successfully for many years. In my opinion, this technique is better than gluing the wings to the fuselage without extending the fuselage and then repairing by filling large gaps with putty and sanding.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm continuing with modifications to fix some bugs in the model and rebuild it to version "C".

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I sanded and puttyed the model. And I got to the point where it was hard to recognize the places that still needed to be repaired. So tomorrow (time permitting) it's surfacer's turn. I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The Gripen model has been sprayed with Surfacer.

Alec K
Looking good! What Surfacer do you use (1000, 1200)?

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Hi Alec, I use Surfacer 500. After finishing minor finishing work and sanding the Surfacer, I spray Base white 1000 (both are Gunze) on top.
I then spray the camouflage paints on top of that prepared surface.

Alec K
Thanks 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Most of the errors are already corrected after sealing. Now I will add some small details on the surface of the aircraft. I'll have to scratch most of them.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Not much time to work on the model this week. But some progress was made on the model after all.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
When I looking the photos I found minor differences in the details on the underside of the rear fuselage. The model will need to be modified.

Christian
Beautiful work! Thank you for sharing all of this tremendous research detail - very fascinating. I have this same kit on my "to-do" shelf, so I'll be looking over your shoulder for tips and ideas.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Christian, welcome aboard! I'm glad you're interested in my project.

When you look over my shoulder, make sure you don't make the same mistakes I did. I've just discovered that my inattention has caused the flare hole to be too far forward. I'm working on correcting that mistake right now.

And I remind you that the modifications described are only for Czech Gripen. For other users' aircraft these details may differ.

Vintagemodeler
Another one to join to the observation, as I will have to do it at some point aswell . Is it the Front Noise need to be replaced by the quick boost?

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Welcome Vintagemodeler! I hope that in the course of building my model you will find inspiration for building your Gripen.

I'm very sorry, but my English skills are not perfect and I don't understand your question. Could you elaborate on your question a bit?
Thank you.

Vintagemodeler
Yes mr! I cant believe how you did those amazing scratch! i just mean if front noise looks good, as few people told me that it need the QUICKBOOST upgrade part, i get it for mig 29 and Su-27, but didnt get it for JAS-39 yet, as i didnt saw that much difference.
kind regards

Mark D
JAS 39C/D Gripen - Correct Nose (Quickboost QB 48 227, 1:48)

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Vintagemodeler + Mark D, thanks for the explanation.

I think the QUICKBOOST nose is not necessary. According to the drawing, the nose from the kit has a good shape matching the drawing. The bad shape of the nose is elsewhere. The top of the nose needs to be corrected. The windshield in the kit rests on a raised area that is not on the real model. However, this can easily be corrected with a little putty.

A clear description of the basic modifications to the Italeri kit can be found here: kits.kitreview.com/jas39agripenreviewrw_1.htm

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Moving the flare launcher to the correct position is done. I will fix minor errors after spraying the model with Surfacer.

Vintagemodeler
Amazing article! What a nice work mr!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Vintagemodeler, thanks you!
I agree, the article clearly describes the modifications of Italeri's biggest faults. But since this article was published (2005) many JAS-39s have been upgraded (some machines more than once) and the appearance of some details on Gripen aircraft has changed. When building a particular machine, it's good to have not only a drawing, but also photos of the particular machine.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm continuing to restore the lines between the panels. It's slow going, but the lines being restored are increasing.

Alec K
It's looking good Ludvíku (👍

Vintagemodeler
Will be an epic build 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thank you Alec!
Vintagemodelerer, the quality of the Italeri kit (considering the time of release) is somewhat half-hearted. But with some effort it can be used to build a nice model. I've already made most of the modifications. Once I finish restoring the panel lines, the model building will go faster.

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Welcome Guy Rump! Good to see you.

Jennifer Franklin
It's been a while since I looked at this one, Ludvik; it is progressing nicely. Your work is exceptional; the attention to detail is beyond my imagination. I love watching what you have done.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you for your kind post. I'm just trying to build my models as best I can and it's great fun for me too.

bughunter
Oh, two Saab at once - no wonder that I nearly missed it! Nicely done too.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Yes, I'm building two Gripens at the same time. Both aircraft have a large number of the same parts and the same basic grey paint. It makes my job easier.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Italeri kit contains only one additional tank. But I need two tanks. That's why I decided to make them. To make both tanks the same, I made two.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The auxiliary fuel tanks are ground down.

Alec K
Very interesting way to make the auxiliary tanks 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Hi, Alec!
There are resin tank castings that can be purchased as separate accessories. However, their price, along with the cost of shipping, is high. It's much more than half the price of the Gripen kit I bought from Italeri. So I decided to make the additional tanks myself.

The choice of how to make the tanks was simple. Making the moulds and then casting the tanks is quite laborious. In addition, I do not have a vacuum pump, so air bubbles would form in the castings. I also don't have a 3D printer and I don't know how to model in 3D software.
Therefore, I figured that making tanks out of paper was the easiest way for me to make them at home.
I think paper is an underrated raw material in plastic modeling. With a little knowledge and skill, you can make various accessories (e.g. additional fuel tanks) out of paper. And as a bonus for the work involved, paper add-on tanks are very light and don't put unnecessary strain on the landing gear. 😄

Alec K
I agree, all good points. For what it's worth, here are my few observations regarding casting from personal experience: for a small job like the tanks, you really don't need a vacuum pump (nor, and IMHO more importantly, a pressure tank). Yes, you will likely get some bubbles in the resulting cast, but those can be fixed relatively easily 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Alec, I also have experience with making parts from cast resin.You are right that bubbles can be fixed fairly easily with putty. But for making 2 tanks I find casting unnecessarily laborious.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm continuing to build the Gripen. I finished restoring the lines between the panels and added more details to the fuselage.

Alec K
👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm continuing to fix the minor surface errors that surfacer showed. I've also started riveting.

CaptGPF
Love the super detailing - as well as the extensive riveting work. Are you planning to rivet the wings as well? I will need to use your trick of using wires to pull the wings up to close the gaps on the next build. The Italeri kit is a good foundation for the Gripen, but it is sorely lacking in details - I'm glad to see you putting that into the kit.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
@CaptGPF
Thank you for your comment. I'm really glad that my ideas will serve someone else.

I don't plan to rivet the wings. None of the photos (that I have) or the drawing show any rivet lines on the wing surfaces. Except for a few rivets on the leading and trailing edges of the wings. And I have already made these few rivets on the wings. If there are any rivets on the wing surfaces, they are ground in with the surface and not visible under the camouflage paint.
On the other hand, I'm considering removing the rivets from the Gripen Kitty Hawk wings (Kitty Hawk made the rivets marked all over the wing surfaces).
I will definitely do some weathering on the wings though. It's very visible on all Czech machines.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I have little time to build models lately. So at least in one short spare moment I made an experiment with tinting the transparent cockpit covers.

Thomas Haberl - (TH SCALE MODELS)
Hi Ludvik! This build turns out t be another "crazy" build ... your view for details is amazing. Do you spend more time on research or building? I´m not sure 😉 again something spectacular is going to come here. Keep going (❁´◡`❁)

bughunter
Wow, your tinted canopies are looking great! I once used a mix with Alclad (on a egg plane) and nearly ruined the clear plastic as it was dull matt afterwards 🙁

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thomas, at the moment my lack of free time doesn't allow me to pursue modelling as much as I would like 🙁. It's just a transitional period and I hope it will end soon.

As far as research is concerned, I have a database on my computer with information, drawings and photos of aircraft, literature ..., for all the aircraft that interest me and I would like to build models of them. And I am constantly adding to this database. So the moment I start building a model, I simply open the appropriate folder in the database and draw from the information I have stored there.

In some cases, for example, when I was building the MI-24, I was lucky enough to work with a guy who works in an aircraft repair shop as a mechanic, and he would take pictures of various details of the helicopter's structural elements and email them to me, according to my instructions.
I am now using similar friendly help in building both Gripens.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Bughunter, the procedure I used, I found on the website of a Czech modeller. With long-term testing of different color types from different manufacturers, it achieved the best results with metallic Gunze paints (MC series) and Gunze Mr. Leveling Thinner. The procedure is simple. I mixed gold (MC219 - brass) and brown (H017) into about 1 ml of diluent. From each colour to just a small drop (on the tip of the brush). Metallic paint does a partial transparency effect based on your point of view. From a certain angle, the cabin appears opaque, and from a different angle, you can see right through it. And that little bit of brown puts a slight damper on it.
The original instructions recommend the metallic colour MC215 - copper, but the author used this on American machines. According to the photos, the Gripen cabins are toned to a tawny colour and this is better matched by the golden hue of brass combined with brown. The precise dilution ratio is not critical, but he wants to test it. The important thing is to spray gradually a few thin layers (just to dust lightly) and spray the next layer of paint until the previous one has dried. With a thick layer, diluted metallic paint makes irregular spots.

And if it doesn't work, just wipe off the paint with a soft cloth dipped in thinner and start over.

Jennifer Franklin
That is impressive, tinted canopies. Thank you for sharing the technique.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, it was my first attempt at a tinted canopy. I found a tutorial online and decided to give tinting a try. I did a few experiments on pieces of clear plastic first so I wouldn't ruin my canopy if it didn't work out. During these experiments, I tried different shades of metallic paints and chose the best combination of colors based on the results.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Gripen is ready to be sprayed with primer.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Gripen got a smart white coat (primer). Once the cockpit equipment is completed, it will be the turn of spraying camouflage colours.

Mark D
Have you dipped the canopy in for example Alclad Aqua Gloss? It helps for transparency.

CaptGPF
I read on Finescale modeler that you could get a golden tint using a mix of transparent smoke + transparent yellow diluted down with thinner.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
@Mark D
The canopy in the photo of the partially assembled model is not the final solution. I'm still experimenting with tinting the cockpit canopy. The goal is a canopy that will be transparent from a certain angle and partially act as a mirror from another angle. I'm well on my way, but it still needs to be fine-tuned.
@CaptGPF
There are more ways to colour the canopy, of course. Using transparent paints is probably the easiest way. But it doesn't achieve the mirror effect described above. To give you a better idea, I have included a picture of the cockpit canopy from several different angles.

CaptGPF
I'd love to see how you can achieve that angled transparency effect!

Daniel
I had good results with holo nail powder:
Starting Pic 24
Fat Amy WIP | Album by halohead (1:48)

Ludvík Kružík 作者
@CaptGPF
A very thin layer of metallic paint takes care of the angled transparency effect.
@Daniel
Thank you for the illustrative example. Your canopy looks great.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm continuing work on the cockpit. I am gradually adding more details to it.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The "box" at the rear cockpit wall had to be modified. After correcting its dimensions and location, I added a few cables to the rear of the cockpit. More cables will follow shortly.

Jennifer Franklin
The couple of wires that are in there look great.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you! I hope the cockpit will look even better with the addition of more "cables" and the scope slide. 😉

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I wasn't in the mood for the delicate work of adding wiring today. So I busied myself with fixing a badly shaped engine nozzle.

Robert Podkoński
That's a true craftmanship on this nozzle, Chapeau bas!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Robert, thank you for the compliment! 😉

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I continue to work on completing the cockpit wiring.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The cockpit cables are in place. I glued a few more PE parts to the fuselage and now I will prepare the model for spraying.

Jennifer Franklin
The cables look amazing, Ludvik; your attention to detail pays off.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you for the compliments. 🙂 I appreciate it.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I prepared the model for spraying with camouflage paints.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Gripen is ready for decals application. 🙂

Daniel
Beautiful work + you're really fast! 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thank you, Daniel! My speed is only temporary. Soon I will start making smaller parts and the model building will slow down. 🙁

I have started applying decals to the painted model. So far I have only managed to apply the decals with the special anniversary coloring.

bughunter
What a colorful nice looking outfit 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The colour scheme of the in-line machines in a combination of two grey colours with little visible markings is practical for military purposes, but somewhat boring. It's good that there are aircraft with special paint! 😄

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Due to the extraordinary activities that took place during the day, I only got to the model briefly today. In those few minutes I only managed to glue a few decals. I added the national emblems and a few small labels. I will add photos later, when all decals are on the model.

Robert Podkoński
Beautiful scheme indeed.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Robert, from the first moment I saw the pictures of this Gripen in the attractive anniversary livery, I knew I would eventually build one. When the decals for this machine appeared on the market, I didn't hesitate a moment and bought them immediately. And now the moment has come when I am fulfilling my resolution.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I "painted" the cockpit canopy with strips cut from painted decal paper.

Jennifer Franklin
The canopy looks amazing

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you for your compliment. 🙂

The work on the baldachin will continue. I've only finished the outer part. I'm still working on the inside of the canopy. The inner frame, cross brace, rear view mirrors and the "collar" in the front need to be completed.

"Sparky"
Great idea. I have always wondered why there is not a product to just stick to canopies instead of painting them for the frames.

CaptGPF
Thanks for the tips on the canopy - I have an AH-64D in the queue and was wondering how to achieve the same effects you just taught us! thank you, Sensei! 🙇‍♂️

bughunter
Ludvik, your macro is merciless! I guess in real size it will look better.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm so glad you found my tutorial on painting canopy frames helpful. 🙂

Since masking the canopy, spraying the frame and a thin strip of gasket is laborious and the result is not always 100%, I was looking for another method that would be easier and less laborious. Using decals met my requirements. The application is simple and the results are accurate. And when layering the decals, even a very thin line of gasket can be easily created. And the use of decals also eliminates the laborious cleaning of paint that occasionally runs under the mask.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I painted the auxiliary tanks this afternoon. Like the plane, the tanks have a special paint job.

Jennifer Franklin
The auxiliary tanks look amazing Ludvik

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you for your kind words. 🙂

I worked on the hangers today. For the middle hanger under the fuselage I used a part from the Italeri kit, but first I modified it slightly, sanded it, made new joints and added rivets. For the underwing hangers and rocket adapters I used Kitty Hawk parts. These were left over from an earlier Gripen 9241 build where I replaced them with castings from CMK. For the wing hangers, I replaced the plastic pins with wire ones so I could accurately glue the hangers to the wing. For one thing, the plastic pins were large in diameter and would not fit into the holes in the wings, but more importantly, the wire pins served me well when spraying the hangers and then applying the decals.
The fewer stencils on the aircraft, the more there are on the hangers. I applied 54 decals on all five hangers combined (5234 did not have a forward fuselage hanger when it carried the annual livery). And I still haven't glued the decals on the rocket adapters.

bughunter
Attractive combination of grays and colors 👍 Well done so far!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Frank, I was intrigued by this machine from the first moment I saw it. The combination of the dark grey motif on the upper surfaces of the wings and fuselage with the red, blue and white accessories on the vertical tailplane and canards is (at least to me) very attractive. Although I find the special colour scheme of Czech tiger-themed machines very successful, this annual livery was a very pleasant change for me. As soon as I found out that there was a decal set for this livery, I knew I would definitely build this aircraft. 😄

This week unfortunately my work obligations did not give me free time to work on the model. I only managed to apply decals for the AIM-120 rocket adapters.
I also ordered a set of AIM-9 rockets from Eduard. The rockets in the Italeri kit are inaccurate and modifying them would basically amount to making new rockets.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
After a short break, I continue working on the model. Gripen has all decals applied and repainted with clear coat. Now it's time to work on illustrating the operational wear and surface contamination.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Today I did weathering and minor surface damage to the aircraft.
... and I also glued all the racks.

Thomas Haberl - (TH SCALE MODELS)
Turning out great Ludvik 👍👍👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Hi, Thomas.
I'm so glad you like the weathering. I did a little experiment. Instead of traditional oils, I used Agama patina powder. I was pleasantly surprised. The powders work very well. Unlike oils, using patination powders is easy, fast and accurate. And if something goes wrong, the applied patina can simply be washed off with a cloth or cotton swab dipped in clean water (with a little detergent if necessary). 😉

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm sure I won't get to work on the Gripen today. So at least I took two photos of the Gripen in daylight with the auxiliary tanks temporarily installed. I like the result, the painted add-on tanks nicely complement the special anniversary livery of the aircraft. 🙂

Alec K
This will be a beauty 👍

Guy Rump
Looking great, following. 👍

Jennifer Franklin
Looks amazing!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Alec, Guy and Jennifer, thank you so much for your kind posts. It is a great support for me to continue working on the model. 🙂

Michael .
Love the decal work.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Michael, thank you.
All decals used on this kit are from Czech manufacturer of modelling accessories JBr Decals. I think he did his job perfectly.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I'm kind of running out of free time lately. Every time I think I'm finally going to get around to building a model, something creeps in. So at least I bought a few accessories for my models, including a set of Sidewinders rockets from Eduard. The ones in the Italeri kit didn't work out so well. 🙁

Rando
Thanks for the nice look at Eduard's Sidewinders, I'm going to have to buy some for my Hasegawa jets that have none eventually. Glad to know they come with a jig too! And I hear ya on the free time thing, my Mosquito probably would have been done weeks ago

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Rando, if you are concerned with the various suspension armaments, check out Eduard's site. Eduard offers quite a wide range of rockets, bombs and other armaments in various scales.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I spent time this afternoon making the main landing gear legs. I also finished the nozzle.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
I have modified the appearance of the landing gear wheels and am continuing work on the landing gear legs.

Robert Podkoński
Landing gear looks awesome, Ludviku! When finished, your model should stand on a mirror surface!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thank you, Robert. I've only finished the front landing gear leg so far. I started with it because it's the most complicated. Filling the "tubes" on the main landing gear legs will go faster. Compared to the front landing gear, they are almost wiring free.

Building the finished model on a mirror base is a good idea. However, I have a slightly different solution. The model will be placed in my display case of finished models on a glass shelf that is approximately eye level (of an adult). If you lean slightly forward, you can see the bottom of the aircraft with the armament and landing gear due to the glass shelf.

Alec K
Great progress 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
After a break I resume building the model again. I'm adding hydraulic and electrical wiring to the main landing gear legs.

bughunter
Was your break due to a visit of the Mosonshow?
Your lastest work on the model parts looks nice!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Bughunter, thank you for your kind contribution.

My break was due to a much less fun thing than attending the Mosonshow. A colleague and I have rented a space where we have offices. At this point, our lease is up. We had to find a new place and prepare to move. We already have the offices, now we have to move in and get everything ready to work in them. So there will be more breaks.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
After this afternoon, both landing gear legs of the main landing gear are complete.

Cristian A
OMG this is so satisfying to watch!! Great model, you are super talented 👍🏼

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Cristian, thank you for your compliments. I appreciate it.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
The first part of the wiring and hydraulics in the main landing gear shafts is in place.

Jennifer Franklin
Looking amazing! I love the detail of your work.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Jennifer, thank you. I appreciate your kindness.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
After a forced break, I'm back and resuming work on the Gripen. 🙂

Ludvík Kružík 作者
In May last year, Gripen had an accident. During careless handling, the model fell off my desk. Several small parts broke off and the glued joint on the underside of the nose cracked. This accident threw me for a loop and I had to take some time to get back in the mood to continue building the Gripen.
And now it was time for me to continue building.

Alec K
Ah, bad luck. Glad you got your mojo back and bringing this beauty to the finish line 👍

DuperScale
Oh man, thats hard. Hope you can finish the gripen.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
DuperScale and Alec, thank you for your support. As they say, everything takes its time. Yes, the successful repair has given me my mojo back. 🙂
The home straight is in sight, but there are still a few details to finish. I'm looking forward to finishing the colorful "bird" and putting it in the display case. In my opinion it is one of the most beautiful Czech Gripens.

CaptGPF
I think everyone here has had their fair share of accidents - my worst one was when my cat decided to play with my A-10 and send it "flying" into the ground!

That repair looks fantastic! I can't even tell where it was damaged! It's great to seeing you recover from this mishap, especially after the beautiful work you put into it!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
CaptGPF, thank you for your kind words.

The aftermath of the crash has been repaired, but I still need to finish highlighting the lines and shading the panels on the repaired bow.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
One more step closer to the finish line.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Today another small shift in the work on the model.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Another small piece to the "puzzle".
It's the little things that (thanks to their small size) give the most work.

gorby
Fantastic detailing!

Jennifer Franklin
The wheel bay wiring and canopy detonator cord, as well as the cross brace, look amazing.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
gorby and Jennifer, thank you for your kind comments.

Ludvík Kružík 作者
After this afternoon, I can again report a little progress. 🙂

bughunter
I assume the hydraulic cylinders in pic 172 will work 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Ooooh, yes, that would be very cool. But I'm worried there's no hydraulic pump small enough to work. 😄

Vincent
This project looks amazing! Good luck getting it to the finish line!!!

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thank you, Vincent!

I only had a little time today, but I still moved my project one step closer to the goal.

Shar Dipree
Great work so far! 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Shar Dipree, thank you for your kind post.
________________________________________

After this afternoon, the Gripen has (almost) finished the front landing gear.

Alec K
Solid and steady progress Ludvíku, I love it 👍

Ludvík Kružík 作者
Thank you Alec! Work on the chassis has progressed again.

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 作者
Welcome mates. Happy to have you around.

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

J35J
Great start!👀

Cuajete
Well done so far 👍

Michael Kohl 作者
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 作者
Moin zusammen Thomas und Nicolas.

Michael Kohl 作者
...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 作者
@ 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 作者
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 作者
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 作者
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 作者
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 作者
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 作者
Thanks mate

Christoph Kunz
High End Modelling. 👍

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

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

Michael Kohl 作者
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

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 作者
Now that's interesting. Thank you very much!

Liane Lonesome 作者
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! ^-^

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

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

Liane Lonesome 作者
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.

Patryk S. 作者
As I travel often between Germany and Poland and did move my workshop to DEU I decided to duplicate it in Poland as to not loose time without my hobby. This is my first pararel project in the workbench in Poland. Another short run.

Cuajete
Unusual model... Following!
Lucky to have duplicated your workshop 🙂 👍

Guy Rump
Watching 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Cleaned up the wing today and deepened the first wheel well. Did use pattex sos glue to fill the edges. I can not reccomend this glue enough - it works far better than any filler and is easy to sand. I use it also as glue where possible as it gives a strong join.

Patryk S. 作者
@Cuajete and Guy: welcome! I bought jut the tools needed to do simple kits so I do not waste my time on not modeling 🙂

Patryk S. 作者
Deepend the second wheel well and removed the injection stubs. The plastic is very hard to sand but very easy prone to overscraping wit a scalpel blade. This is going to be a greater challenge than the hawk.

Cuajete
Good job so far 👍

Villiers de Vos
This little gem will need a lot of TLC. I looking forward to following your progress.

Robert Podkoński
Watching with interest for sure! (just a word of warning here, Patryk - I remeber from one review of this kit that the vacu canopy is too small - have you checked it already?)

Daniel Klink
You're a brave man Patryk 🙂
Following👍

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you for joining Robert and Daniel! @Robert: I did a search for builds of this kit - there is a problem with canopy fit but nothing not to overcome. I did actualy stumble on an open canopy picture of the XP-77 during the search - the canopy didn't slide back but went rotating downwards flush into the fuselage so only the front frame is visible after opening. If I will have to much problems with fit I might replicate it in the open position.

Vincent
Well this is interesting good luck on this one!!!

Robert Podkoński
Open canopy surely would add more interest to this fascinating plane, Patryk 😉

Patryk S. 作者
Managed to cut of and sand the resin from the castings block, unfortunately breaking the rear cockpit wall in the proces. Glued it and the control stick to the tub with pattex sos glue. Additionaly i managed to prime the resin parts.
Thank you for joining and the comments Mates!

Patryk S. 作者
Dry fitted the resin inserts - they fit very good to the fuselage halves - no sidewall trimming needed. After that I primed the back portion of the seat and the insides of the fuselage.

Łukasz Gliński
Missed this one so far. Thx for the glue tip 👍

Neil
Following also mate 👍👀

Patryk S. 作者
Thanks for joining Łukasz and Neil!

Patryk S. 作者
First layer on the resin parts and fuselage interior painted. I prefer to brush paint small parts in this scale, saves a lot of time of paintbrush cleaning and after a clear coat and wash you don't actually see any difference. The Ranger V770 engine on 99% of pictures I have seen was pained Neutral Gray, so I went with this suggestion. The instruction states that it was black.

Patryk S. 作者
Second layer on. Started some detail painting in the cockpit and did clean up some of the kits parts. Thank you for joining Villiers!

Cuajete
Well done so far 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Did some rought preliminary detail painting on the seat and engine - it will be corrected after the second layer. Need to get sone rust and copper colors from my workbench in Germany to finish the engine detail paintig. Did also test fit the exaust ports to the fuselage sides - much trimming was needed for both the ports and fulelage to get a good fit. You can see the difference - lower on the picture is the fuselage side which is allready corrected.

Patryk S. 作者
More datail painting and silver drybrushing for the seat and cockpit. Small corrections needed, the camera catches more than my eyes. Next a coat of clear flat and a dark wash awaits.

Patryk S. 作者
Managed to glue the cockpit together, working on parts cleanup, which is extremely difficult due to the plastic beeing extremely sanding paper resistant. Reworking the exhaust system to beter match the original.

Robert Podkoński
I am impressed with your perseverance here, Patryk. Keep it up!

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you Robert!

Patryk S. 作者
Cleaned up all of the parts and sanded them to 2500 grit, now they are ready for priming. Assembled the propeller and glued the engine front in one of the fuselage sides.

Robert Blaschke
Fingers crossed 🙂
One of special features of this plane was, that the canopy was not opening by sliding, but rotating backwards into the back fuselage. 🙂
Youtube Video

Patryk S. 作者
Thank You for this valuable reference Robert! It helped to solve some questions that I had, might reeork the exhaust system after seeing this.

Patryk S. 作者
Primed the small parts with the 1st layer of Tamiya spray matt black.

Patryk S. 作者
Did prime the other side of the small parts with the 1st layer of tamiya black matt. Rescribed one side of the fuselage as the original scribing was almost invisible and added a document pocket to make the cocpit a bit more busy. Did also put the first layer of Interrior green to the front wheel bay.

Cuajete
👍

Patryk S. 作者
Glued the wheel bay and cockpit to the fuselage side today. No issues with fit.

Cuajete
That sounds really good, Patryk 👍

Moreno Baruffini
I agree with Cuajete, very good!

Patryk S. 作者
Thanks Mates, dry fitted the fuselage halves together and no issues besides some putty will be needed in the lower part of the front fuselage. The wing will need some shimming of material where it meets the front wheel bay but nothing significant. Having more fun with this one than the P-36 or the mainstream U-2A.

Patryk S. 作者
Some advice needed dear Mates: what glue is best to use by vacuform canopies? This is my first attempt, do not want to mess it up.

Robert Podkoński
In such cases I first glue some pieces of stretched sprue (made square-ish in section first with a knife) around the edge of the opening (in distance from the outer edge equal-ish to the canopy thickness) and then I use drops of thin cyanoacrylate glue one-by-one letting each flow under the edge of the canopy and dry for few seconds before applying the next one... But it is quite time and nerve consuming...

Patryk S. 作者
Thanks for the advice Robert!

Łukasz Gliński
Well, I guess there are as many ideas as the mates who use the vacu canopies. I'm afraid of putting together transparent parts and CA glue, so I either stick to some sort of PVA/Kristal Klear (forget the sanding afterwards) or UV glue (usually Bondic, can be sanded after drying very well in UV light).

Patryk S. 作者
Thank You for the advice Łukasz, maybe the ye olde card modeling technique wil be also a feasible solution - butapren glue 😜

Patryk S. 作者
Will look for the Bondic if its available also.

Robert Podkoński
Bondic is a good idea, much less risky than CA glue - the UV setting glue was available in Germany under Revell brand too (I bought such a set few years ago while visiting Erfurt)

Łukasz Gliński
Ahhh, butapren, never forget 😁How did it go?
- Granma, have you seen my butapren?
- Nope, but have you seen that dragon in the kitchen?
For the non-Polish readers: this glue used to contain trichloroethylene when we were young 😄

Thomas Espe
Oi, missed this one so far. 👀
Looking good

Patryk S. 作者
Welcome Thomas!
@Łukasz: Thats a good one😂. I remeber in my town the nice lady that worked in the shop that had then in the 90's would sell me only one tube at a time because she was concerned about my health.😜 I was a card modeler for many years, converted to plastic only a few years ago.

Patryk S. 作者
@Robert: Thanks, I will try too look it up next week in Germany.

Cuajete
In injected plastic, it usually works to protect the cockpit from the ciano by immersing it in Future (or similar) and letting it dry before gluing with ciano. In vacu I don't know, but I guess it will work too. However, I wouldn't risk it if you only have one copy of the vacu.

Patryk S. 作者
@Cuajete: thank you, this is an interresting method indeed. Thinking about making an opened canopy which will reduce the effort and show more detail in the cockpit.

Patryk S. 作者
Progress so far. Added weight to the fuselage an closed it. Managed to paint most of the small parts also. Fit was good in regards of joining the fuselage. A long sanding session awaits in order to get a smooth effect before adding black primer. Also rescribed the panel lines as they were too shalow. Also need to rework the exhaust in the closed position as depicted on the reference I got.

Robert Podkoński
Keep it up, Patryk!

Patryk S. 作者
I will Robert! It will be done, currently working on 5 projects divided between homes in Poland and Germany, so it might take some time. Thanks for still beeing here!

Jennifer Franklin
Looking good, keep it up!

Patryk S. 作者
Thank You Jennifer!

S M
Good dedication on details. Following!

Thomas Espe
👀

Patryk S. 作者
Welcome S M and Thomas! Thanks for watching!

Patryk S. 作者
Update: scribed the lover wing using photo s and the 1:48 czech model kit as references. Small corrections will be needed but under a few coats of black primer and then silver the effect will be ok. The kit had almost no detail on the underside of the wing.

Cuajete
Good progress 👍

Patryk S. 作者
The fight continues. Rescribed the right side and reworked the exhaust according to photos and the czech model kit. Painted all the small bits. Looks maybe a bit rough on the picture but pretty much ok for the normal eye - it will be refined before priming

Robert Podkoński
It is good to see some progress here. Keep it up, Patryk!

Cuajete
I agree with Robert 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you Robert and Cuajete!

Patryk S. 作者
The fight continues. Did attach the wings to the fuselage, the fit was very poor. I filled the gaps with pattex sos glue which I use as filler with very good results. Sanded one side with 800 grit sanding paper and got a flush join.

Nicolas
I'm taking a seat.

Patryk S. 作者
Welcome Nicolas!

Cuajete
Good progress.

Patryk S. 作者
Done also with the other side with rescribing, reshaping of the exhhaust system anf filling and sanding gaps between the wing and the fuselage. The underside awaits.

Michael Kohl
The old Special Hobby kits are not for the faint of heart.
Keep going. Looks good what you achieved so far.
I like the Pattex super glue too.

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you for you kind comment Michael! I am satisfied with the progress so far as it is a very challenging kit to get right.

Patryk S. 作者
Work continues. Rescribed and scribed all the missing detail as seen on period photos. Got over the hardest part which was canopy attachment. Dipped it with a german equivalent of future clear first, then fitted it to the fuselage and carefully worked around it with super glue to good effect. Need to do this a few times in order to blend the canopy into the fuselage. There were some gaps between the canopy and fuselage but they were filled succesfully with super glue.

Robert Podkoński
Great job with the canopy, Patryk! The finish line is on a horizon now 😉

Cuajete
Patryk, you did well to immerse the transparent part in Future to protect it from the gases produced by the cyano.
You are doing a fantastic job with this kit 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you for your kind comment. The build will still take some time as I want to experiment with the new eduard 3d panels and see if they can withstand spray can painting. I will try to coat them with this german Future gloss equvalent as I already tested it on decals and several spray can paints and sealers and this stuff withstands everything I was able to test it on to this time.

Patryk S. 作者
Completed the sanding around the canopy. I am very satisfied with the result. It is maybe not visible on the picture but I managed to get a flush connection of the canopy to the fuselage.

Patryk S. 作者
Attached the horizontal stabilisers with pattex gel glue to have time to tweak their position as they do not have any attachment points. Had to sand both to get a similar look as one was bigger as the other. It is ready for painting, now on to test the eduard panel decals and to see how they stick to the plastic and react to tamiya spray paints.

Cuajete
Well done so far 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Thank You Cuajete!

Patryk S. 作者
Propeller done.

Patryk S. 作者
The fight continues. Corrected the rudder and reshaped the nose a bit to more resemble the original - unfotunately the ca gel I used went into reaction with the painted resin engine and I need to repaint it after I paint the fuselage. Did prime it with the first coat but unfortunately found many areas to correct - its an old short run after all. Did rework the cooling system - it looks better live then on the picture. I think it begins to turn out ok. Time for the next coat.

Daniel Klink
Respect.your endurance is really impressive 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you Daniel. No kit gets left behind on my bench😜

Łukasz Gliński
Respect keep it up 👍 It looks really smooth on the last pic

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you Łukasz!

Villiers de Vos
Very nice progress.

Michael Kohl
Keep it up. Looking good.

Jennifer Franklin
The propellor looks good. Looking good in general.

Cuajete
I agree with the mates 👍
Cheer up!

Moreno Baruffini
I also agree with the above!!!! 👍🏼

Patryk S. 作者
Thank you for you kind comments Mates!

Patryk S. 作者
After 3 surface correction sessions it is finally ready for the first coat of paint.

Patryk S. 作者
Main paint job done. Now on to seal it and to start detail painting.

Villiers de Vos
Nice progress.

Łukasz Gliński
That's shiny 👍

Patryk S. 作者
Paint work sealed and small detail painting done. The panel lines were highlighted with tamiya panel line accent black. Next  another gloss coat and decalling. The model is too glossy so I decided that the final coats will be matt.

Jennifer Franklin
It's a gorgeous silver.

Patryk S. 作者
Thanks Jennifer!

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Welcome to the first kit in my life that I can call overengineered for sure.
The white parts are scratched to take the place of PE parts or offerings to the carpet monster (did I mention I have no carpet in here?)
Cockpit solely contains 21 parts (including PE) + decals (fuselage walls not included) 😮
You have been warned.

Friedrich
Following with interest! Happy new year

Alec K
Sweet! Taking a seat.

Robert Podkoński
Watching with pleasure 😉

Cuajete
Woww... I like the overengineered from Łukasz 😉
I can't resist to follow it 😛

Łukasz Gliński 作者
It will be slow, I can assure you 😄
And I might need stronger magnifying glasses too 🙁

Gary Kitchen
Following too!

Juergen Klinglhuber
I will participate too,....

Nicolas
I'm in, good luck with this kit (and your non-carpet monster).

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Welcome Gents to this very frustrating project.
The designer(-s?) went full ahead towards the full compliance with the original as far as I can see.
There is maybe 1/4th of the cockpit visible now (w/o the canopy!) and they really think that a plastic mast glued to transaprent windshield can withstand the rigging.

Cuajete
Łukasz, I think it would have been better to make the Amodel's kit because of the great experience you have with those hard old tools, 😛

The last part with the mast and rigging seems very complicated. It might be better to drill a little carefully into the windshield so as not to glue the mast flush and try not to make it too weak with the wire tauting.

Łukasz Gliński 作者
True señor, considering starting a Hansa Jet or sth like that next 😄
And regarding the mast - this is exactly what I did - drilled a 0.4mm hole to insert 0.3mm tube, squeezed flat on the inside part (the outer part will be made flat later).
The only problem was - I damaged the PE gunsight inside, so I had to rob one from the second kit in the twin set.

Bernhard Schrock
Interesting type of AC. Watching

Łukasz Gliński 作者
It can be considered the very last branch of the Polish gull-wing family - the rear fuselage and tail were incorporated from P.24 licence production line.

Cuajete
Well done, Łukasz! 😄 👍

Jennifer Franklin
Following!

Stefan Schacht
nice start, count me in.

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Welcome Jennifer & Stefan!
I finally started spraying the main colours, the first layer being the famous pink primer 🙂 and RLM04 soon after.
Warning to all future builders: watch out for the cowling, in my case the fit was appaling.

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Well, the detailing of this kit kept me frustrated more and more - so it landed on the shelf of doom.
It turned out I wanted the fuselage band to be too yellow and I flodded the damn rivets. And then when trying to wash the paint off, I took wrong bottle (Mr Hobby Tool Cleaner instead of the levelling thinner) and I melted some rivets completely.
No idea when I'll go back to it, maybe if I buy a very tiny riveter, who knows...
Thanks for watching

Robert Podkoński
Sorry to hear that...

Thomas Kolb
Oh no, what a pity! 😥,

gorby
That's a shame, it was looking very good.
Galaxy Tools do a good and reasonably priced riveting tool which I would recommend:
scalespot.com/review..axy-rivet/review.php

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Many thanks mates.
I'm looking at various riveters, but the fact I can barely see the rivets in 1/72 makes their restoration a challenge on its own.
I definitely need a break from that kit, perhaps I should switch to this one (being A-model mold actually) 😛
IAR-80A (SOVA-M SVM-72013, 1:72)

Cuajete
It's a shame to read that, Łukasz 🙁

It was meant to be. Felicia is calling you 😛
Maybe you can use some parts in the Amodel/SOVA kit.

Alexander Grivonev
That looks totally salvageable. I have the Galaxy tools riveter too, it is quite usable. Bought mine from eBay directly from China

Thomas Kolb
Łukasz, yes, probable salvageable, but I know the feeling when you just cannot make yourself backtrack your steps and rather start over again.

Łukasz Gliński 作者
I'll have a closer look at the riveters, I promise. Not sure my sight will follow, I might need some magnifying glass too.
Let's see if my budget can cope with both 😄

Nicolas
What a pity.😭
I hope you will continue work some day.

Jennifer Franklin
I am sad to see you stop this project, it's a pity, hopefully some day.

Alec K
Sad to hear. Let it sit for awhile, mojo shall recover 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Alright, I went back to it way faster than I initially thought 😄
Bought two sets of riveters and 0,3mm turned out to be the one.
I need to correct the left side of the fuselage before applying the yellow again.

gorby
Good to see you continuing with this build. 🙂

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Started spraying the undersides today, fingers crossed all these rivets survive that 😄

Mr D
Looking really Good Lukasz 😃👍 Like you put the antenna through the windscreen.. correct. I relocated my one to the side as was worried about breaking glass as was stupid thin!
You got cowling nice in the end.
Good luck with the next steps 👍👍

Thomas Kolb
Cool to see you back at this project again! The riveting looks good and the paintjob is awesome too!

Nicolas
Good to see you continued this project. The restored rivets and the paintjob are looking great.

Cuajete
Good to see you continued too. I agree with mates. Restored rivets and painting job looks great 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Thanks everyone, I just sealed the little Romanian bugger for decalling.
Seems like most of the rivets are more-less visible, should be enough for an airplane that is not meant to boost the Exhibitionary Air Force 😄

Jennifer Franklin
The rivets still look good even after your paint layers. Overall looking good Lukasz.

Mr D
Paint looks great Lukasz.... getting there 😉👍

Thomas Kolb
This looks better and better, I am so glad that you didn't quit but decided to push through.

Alec K
Łukasz the rivet master! I love it 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Welcome back - this break was caused by searching a shade to darken the yellow as Techmod decals turned out to be darker than recommended RLM04.

Cuajete
The yellow looking so good 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
It has been washed and I added the aerials

Mr D
Doing good job, it's looking really good now, nearly there 😃👍👍

Skyhiker
So where is the photo of the damage? The last picture looks pretty impressive if you ask me. You do know you can order a bag of 50 to 100 watch wheels online for about 15 bucks. They are used parts but you can make plenty of riveters out of them.

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Well, pics 12 to 15, but my hands were a bit shaky, I was so irritated 🙂
Meanwhile the little annoying IAR made it across the finish line.
Only 3 pics tonight, I'll take some more in the daylight tomorrow, brace yourselves, the Hangar is coming 😄

Rui S
An eye catcher 👍

Robert Podkoński
Good job, Łukasz! Weathering is great, too.

Jennifer Franklin
I'm excited about the hangar and the daylight shots. Even in the artificial light, it looks good.

Guy Rump
Great job! 👍

Clement
Beautiful work, well done!

Moreno Baruffini
Well done!

Neuling
Very well done indeed! 👍

Nicolas
Beautiful.👍

Jakub Fiala
Very nice work, Lukasz! 👍

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Many thanks for your motivating comments, much appreciated. 👍
Daylight pics added, enjoy!

Alec K
Nice job Łukasz. Turned out well 👍

gorby
Fantastic result Łukasz. The hangar photos look particularly good.

Cuajete
Wow... I finally see this one and it looks fantastic. I really like it. I have to buy one.
Congrats!

Łukasz Gliński 作者
I have one more 😁
It's a twin set

rlpnfh
Excellent work.

Cuajete
@Łukasz, I only want one. I need to see if I can scam someone with the Amodel kit so I don't throw it away to stash 😄

Łukasz Gliński 作者
Seguro amigo, take your time 😄

Cuajete
Unfortunately, that's what I'll have to do. 😄😄😄

Mr D
Well done Lukasz 🍀👍👍 great job ...got it over the finish line 👏 very nice...like the extra rivets on the fuselage.
Top job.

Juergen Klinglhuber
Excellent work.

komoras
Glad you got to finish it! 👍
That cowling tho...totally unexpected from a new tool...

Jennifer Franklin
Very nice work! Congrats on finishing it.

Nathan Dempsey
Nice work! Looking forward to the finish.

Stuart Fowle 作者
Thanks Nathan.

Mark Sherwood
Following. 👍

Felix
Lovely paintjob, looking forward to seeing more.

Stuart Fowle 作者
Thanks Felix and Mark. It is now complete, just need to get some photos done.

Mark Sherwood
Lovely outcome Stuart, nice detail on the engine's. 🤘🥸🤟

Felix
Woah, great looking Meteor!

Nathan Dempsey
Excellent finish 🙂

Stuart Fowle 作者
Thanks for the positive comments, Mark, Felix and Nathan 👍

Mr D
Nice job👍 Great looking tank 👏 smart work.

Yanizzz Z 作者
Thank you friend, this is my very first job, I have never collected anyone before.

Mr D
Great first job, you definitely have the skills to enjoy the hobby.
Nice tribute too. There all brave no matter the side..👍

Skyhiker 作者
Starting a very rare bird. (I am getting bored with the other 9 builds I have still in progress).

Cuajete
I didn't know about this oddity.
Following!

Robert Podkoński
Interesting - watching!

Ben M
👁️👁️ I have this problem of starting too many things also

Cuajete
A lot of work ahead...

Skyhiker 作者
One step closer today.

Neil
Following, looks good 👍

Skyhiker 作者
Working on the fuselage today

Cuajete
Well done so far 👍

Guy Rump
Looking good, following. 👍

Thomas Kolb
Coming along nicely!

Skyhiker 作者
Rescribing and re-riveting the fuselage today.

Dave
This looks interesting. Let me find a chair.

Mr D
Nice project Skyhiker 👍👍 you build alot of Soviet stuff, don't see to many of these... nice choice 😃👍

Skyhiker 作者
I finally got the riveting done.

Skyhiker 作者
Got the wings on today.

Dave
The riveting looks good.

Skyhiker 作者
Thanks Dave. It took me a while to get the riveting done. Hopefully after priming I won't have to do it again.

Thomas Kolb
Very straight riveting. What a difference it makes!

Carlo
Looks like a rare Soviet bird and kit.

Skyhiker 作者
Yes, it's definitely not something you see very often.

Moreno Baruffini
Well done 👍🏼

gorby
Very nice!

Thomas K. 作者
Thanks Moreno and gorby 🙂

Air no 作者
Messerschmitt Me 163 B « Komet »

Maquette Hobby 2000 au 1/72ème montée en Avril 2025.

Montage :

Le mode d'emploi est succinct, limite incompréhensible, heureusement que ce Messerschmitt est suffisamment basique à l'origine.

Il faudra toutefois ajouter dans la cuvette du pilote, un tas de câbles et tuyaux de toutes sortes, des palonniers dignes de ce nom ainsi que quelques leviers dont j'ignore l'usage.

Bien sûr, les harnais seront à trouver ailleurs puisqu'absents de la boîte.

Le tableau de bord est bien représenté, mais à la méthode ancienne. C'est-à-dire qu'il faudra peindre les compteurs en noir, peindre les aiguilles et les chiffres en blanc à l'aide d'un cure dents et enfin, déposer une goutte de vernis brillant pour figurer les cadrans. Rappelons que nous sommes au 1/72ème et non au 1/32ème.

La partie arrière derrière le pilote, demande quelques améliorations. En premier lieu, il faut rehausser la plaque de blindage du siège pilote. Ceci fait, avant de mettre en place la pièce transparente D4, il faudra supprimer sur cette pièce, ce qui est censé faire office de cloison. A cet endroit, il n'y avait pas de séparation du moins pour certains appareils. Les seules cloisons qu'il y avait étaient percées de deux trous chacune. Vous devrez (si vous le souhaitez) les confectionner dans de la carte plastique.
A ce stade vous pourriez me demander pourquoi avoir choisi la maquette Hobby 2000 alors que la maquette Gaspatch Models est quasiment complète ?
Tout simplement parce que la maquette Hobby 2000 coûte 12,20€ et que la maquette Gaspatch Models coûte 41,03€.

Le problème n'étant pas trop le prix qui toutefois reste abordable, mais pourquoi payer plus de trois fois plus cher une maquette qui nous offre une multitude de pièces visibles qu'à la condition d'ouvrir toutes les trappes, les baies et autres ouvertures. N'étant pas partisan du « tout ouvert » la maquette Hobby 2000 me suffit largement.

La roulette de queue dépendra du choix de votre avion. Elle est belle et n'appelle aucun commentaire.

Les ailes sont également belles. Le seul problème est la représentation de l'entoilage des parties mobiles. Qu'ils aient entoilé l'avion, est une certitude, mais c'est un jet de 1945, pas un coucou de 1935. Ces entoilages doivent être aussi lisses que de la tôle. Un bon ponçage (inutile d'enduire) leurs rendra cet aspect et nous permettra au passage d'affiner les bords de fuites qui étaient coupants comme un rasoir.

Seul l'entoilage du gouvernail restera plus apparent, mais pas trop.

Je ne suis pas un spécialiste des jets puisque je vous présente mon premier avion sans hélice. La tuyère n'a rien à voir avec celles des avions d'aujourd'hui, elle est beaucoup plus basique. Mais quand même, elle mérite d'être refaite dans un tube d'alu ou de cuivre que l'on aura pris soin d'affiner par l'intérieur. Les quatre ouïes ovales sur cette tuyère ont été percées pour ajouter un peu de relief.

L'assemblage du fuselage ne pose pas de problème.

Pour la peinture, comme toujours, je n'ai utilisé que de l'enamel Humbrol.

Les intérieurs ont été peint avec un vieux pot d'une trentaine d'années, soit du HB 13 Azure Blue (il n'existe plus dans le commerce depuis Belle Lurette…) mais il est facile à faire avec du gris moyen et quelques gouttes d'un bleu quelconque. Et hop voilà un Rlm 66 presque authentique.

Les intrados ainsi que tout le fuselage ont reçu une couche de Rlm 76. Là encore, j'ai utilisé un pot de Humbrol H 65 coupé de Humbrol H 80 vert pomme.

Les extrados sont en deux tons de Rlm 82 et de Rlm 81. Dans l'ordre l'un est en Humbrol H 80 vert pomme et l'autre en Humbrol H 159 Kaki.

Les taches de fuselage sont également en Rlm 82 : H 80 et Rlm 81 : H 159.

En attendant le séchage, je suis passé à la fabrication du remorqueur. Il en existait deux sortes. Un qui pouvait soulever l'avion, (celui fournit dans la boîte) et un autre qui tirait l'avion à l'aide d'une barre de traction. J'ai choisi cette deuxième version en rapport avec les photos de mon modèle. Ignorant la couleur des remorqueurs, j'ai opté pour un gris clair Humbrol H 64.

Ensuite, sur l'avion, une couche de vernis brillant pour la pose des décalques, puis une couche de vernis mat pour homogénéiser l'ensemble.

Pour la verrière, Hobby 2000 nous gratifie de masques. J'ai mis du temps à comprendre qu'il n'y avait pas de masque pour la verrière principale celle-ci étant trop bombée. Il ne nous ai fourni uniquement que les pourtours des montants de verrière. C'est-à-dire qu'une fois posé, il faut masquer la bulle avec du Maskol, du moins pour une peinture à l'aérographe. Après réflexion cela semble logique.

Après quelques détails à reprendre pour affinage tels que l'antenne, le tube pitot, les supports du parebrise ou la poignée de la verrière et son câble de retenue, le montage peut s'arrêter là.

Les séances photos peuvent commencer.

gorby
Nice work and excellent photos.

Air no 作者
Merci Gorby et bonne soirée.
Philippe.

J35J
Great work and detailing!👍🏻

Maciej Bellos 作者
Italeri's F-16 is a rather modest kit, seems quite good for a beginner. For the non beginner however, it poses a challenge in order to be built correctly. At first there is a 2 mm misalignment of the top panels to the rest of the top fuselage half. Then, it seems that the fuselage is bit shorter than a Hasegawa F-16, and finally the radome is also shorter. All that translates to about 3.5 mm shorter overall length than Hasegawa's F-16.

There is also a misalignment of the instrument panel cover.

Since I am not in rescribing yet, I decided to push forward the top of the fuselage part and remove a little bit of plastic where the front of the canopy rests. I also removed the instrument panel cover. All the cockpit interior will be replaced by Hasegawa's cockpit. Italeri's cockpit resembles more a block 1-5 aircraft.

Günther Debiscop
Following

John Thomas
Nice start

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thanks John.

Stephan Ryll
nice start

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Stephan!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Slow progress on this one. Hasegawa instrument panel cover has been glued into place. Some dryfiting, still some issues to be sorted.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Cockpit glued in place. The instrument panel is about 1mm away from the instrument panel cover. It just wouldn't squeeze further up. But I am satisfied with the result. The HUD projector lens was constructed with some Micro Krystal Clear and aluminum foil underneath it. It looks ok I think.
Next will be the main wheel bay subassembly. Lot's of dryfitting there, there are some gaps there too.

Konrad -
Watching this one too! A Falcon is always nice to see!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Konrad!

Nikolaos Kouzinis
Καλη αρχη Μαθιε

Maciej Bellos 作者
Ευχαριστώ Νίκο!

Clifford Keesler
Looking good. Nice fixes on the problem areas.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford.

One other thing that needs fixing is the engine nozzle. Well, you can't fix it actually...! The F100 engine, built by Pratt and Whitney, has 15 turkey feathers. The F110 engine, built by General Electric, has 12 turkey feathers. Both engine nozzles in Italeri's kit have 14 feathers!!! So I am going to use a nozzle from Hasegawa's kit, since they will be built as Block 40/50 machines.

Ed Froix
looking good!

Spanjaard
nice cockpit!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Ed and Spanjaard!

Jos Jansen
What's the status about your Viper Maciej...?

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Jos. I have been working on and off. Some wiring has been added to the main wheel bays, maybe I'll post a photo or two. My attention is on the Spangdahlem Viper, I have been working on the bits and pices (canopy, landing gear, seats) left. Yesterday I got her on her feet.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Hans and welcome!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Chronis21!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Arif!

Clifford Keesler
Pit looks good.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford. It is on hold now though...

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Matthew!

Thank you Jos!

Jos Jansen
Can't wait for the reveal pics Maciej 😄 👍! For your reference, I build an exotic Viper two years ago:

scalemodels-jansen.j..odels/f-16c-block-25

Maciej Bellos 作者
I remember your build quite vividly Jos. The bird is a stunner!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Neil!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Juskifo!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome WhiteGlint!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Mirko!

Guy Rump
Looking good 👍

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Guy!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Tommy and Christian!

Sergej I
LOL at pic #21 and #22 😄
Maybe the pilot could use his head too, somewhere 😉

Good progress, Maciej, can't wait for more 👍

Robert Podkoński
Watching, of course! Really good work so far, Maciej!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Sergej 😄

Thank you Robert and welcome!

While waiting for the putty on the Eurofighter to dry, I started tackling the intake. It is the biggest hurdle in this kit.

Clifford Keesler
You will whip it into shape Maciej, I have no doubt.

Maciej Bellos 作者
In order to have some decent progress on the intake, I got some work done in the wheel bays. More wiring needed before I glue it in place.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Marc and Giorgo!

Vincent
I build this kit not so long ago and I know it's a rough build. You did much more than me to fix the problems. Very nice to follow this.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Yes Vincent it's a rough kit and you did yours justice. You made some nice additions behind the seat as well as the oxygen hose looks good and I will try to copy them.

Vincent
Thanks Maciej. The detail on this kit really needed some scratch building. That was one of the fun parts. Good luck with the rest of your build.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Vincent!

Clifford Keesler
Good progress, looks good.

Ben M
Watching

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Ben!

Thank you Clifford. Since I lost the mojo on the Su-57 for the time being, I grabbed the old builds. The goal on this one is to at least close up the fuselage.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Jonathan and Petr!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Not much to brag about after all these days, the right hand side of the wheel bay got its wiring and extra detail. Some wiring will be added when the landing gear will be put in place.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Mark!

Maciej Bellos 作者
After sanding the outer surfaces of the air intake I dryfitted the hand made upper part of the air duct. The kit doesn't have one so I had to make one. Lots of putty and sanding to follow and painting obviously after that. I think it is a good step forward.

Robert Podkoński
Impressive work, Maciej!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Humbled by your nice words Robert! Thank you!

Clifford Keesler
Agree, great work.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Calvin!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Nice to have you here too, Patryk!

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Nice work on the landing gear bays 👍

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Panteli!

Thank you WhiteGlint, still some work to do though.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Luis!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Cortex!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Main gear bay done! The battery will be added when the bay will be glued to the fuselage. The rest of the wiring will be added when I attach the legs.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Rui!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Sergej!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Glad you like it Starfish!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Erik!

Clifford Keesler
Agree looking very good.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford! Still smoothing out the filled gaps. The first try was so and so and there are a couple of holes to fill.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Niko!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome David!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Staszek!

Maciej Bellos 作者
After spending summer with touching any piece of plastic, some progress on the intake. The photos fail to show what's happening further deep, but all in all I think it'll do. Some issues here and there, might be sorted out, or might not. I'll see.

Clifford Keesler
Intake looks good.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford! I think I have come to an acceptable result on the intake trunk.

Since the paintjob is a wraparound camo, I decided to paint the intake and its surroundings before glueing it in place. Much easier me thinks. I will apply some gloss varnish too so as to have it ready for decals later on.

Next big step will be closing the fuselage and masking the canopy. After that I think it will be a straightforward build.

Ben M
Looking forward to seeing more progress!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Alberto!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Louis!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome David!

CaptGPF
Agree with Clifford - intakes are perfect. One question - why did you cannibalize a Hasegawa F-16 for an Italeri?

Guy Rump
Following. 👍

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Guy!

Thank you CaptGPF. That's a good question. I have 3 Hasegawa twoseaters plus some spare tubs and I have an Aires cockpit to use in one of them. So I used a spare tub and I cut off the front instrument panel cover and used them in the Italeri. Yeah, I know it will a pain fitting the aires tub in the hasegawa, but it will be a great improvement over the hasegawa tubs.

As for cannibalizing the Hasegawa, wait until I start building one of them, it will be a carnage!

Maciej Bellos 作者
After a lot of back and forth, I finally got to glue the intake in place. At first I had to apply a gloss varnish in order to do some line wash. After that I used a satin varnish and then I waited a bit before I went on with the glue. In order to have a good bond, I carefully scraped the paint (kind of nervous with that). Glueing it after that was a piece of cake.

As I suspected, it would have been difficult to paint it if glued unpainted. Quite the effort but I think it was totally worth it.

Welcome Cristian A!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Lukas!

Clifford Keesler
Looking very nice, excellent job on the intake.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Clifford!

Welcome Edgaras!

S B
This is a nice subject and it's looking awesome!!!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Thank you Seb! I have to pick it up, I've been dragging myself with another project, hoping it would be easier or faster, but it stalled too. Darn!

Maciej Bellos 作者
Oh wow Ronan, glad you like it! Sorry if I missed the other likes guys, the feed only shows the last guy who pressed the button.

Maciej Bellos 作者
Welcome Moreno!

Cuajete
That paint scheme looks pretty good. Very nice job so far 👍

Ed Froix
Looking great already

Clifford Keesler
Looking good Maciej.

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

Nick Dragone 作者
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. 😴😳☕🤘🥸🤟

Rudy Poseika 作者
The minicraft B24D model sprues said it was a B24 J model. On a clear sprue was the front part of the B24 D. Instructions show that you need to remove the front parts of each side of the fuselage and attach the new parts. So far so good

Dave Flitton
Looking good so far!

Spanjaard
i got mine half done for ever....curious to see it finished on your bench 🙂

Vincent
Very nice!!! I really like the scheme.

Robert Podkoński
Looks good! Good work on this kit.

Guy Rump
Great job! 👍

Mark K
Excellent!

gorby
Very nice and the weathering is excellent!

scalemates
Love it!

Vincent
Beautifull!!!

Mark K
Nicely done!