Ken Cartwright

Hi Dave, I'm not too bright sometimes, and I didn't notice you were from the UK until I read the comment about your passport. I have seen several people there from other countries, so I don't think that's an issue. I do not know of any shuttles from the gate to the flight line, only from the parking areas, so being dropped off at the gate would be a long haul. I don't know that I can make the Friday show, but I plan on being at the Saturday show, so if you're going that day and would like, I could either pick you up from the hotel and you could ride to the show with

I live about 2 miles from the base, and I don't know of any shuttles from downtown, or anywhere, really, to the show (but then, I don't really look, living so close). I haven't had any real issues with parking on base, but always go early. Friday can be a good day to go, but sometimes there are acts that don't perform that day, so I usually go on Saturday, and sometimes go back on Sunday. I would buy tickets in advance, and for where depends on what you want to do. I think the best views are actually in the bleachers, but they're not the most comfortable and don't have any shade

In the past I have used a low-magnification microscope, I think sometimes called a dissecting scope, to paint small parts, and it's worked out well. The other day, I saw the item below for sale and picked one up and it seems like it might work very well for painting small parts and things like that. It can be found from various sources by searching for pallipartners lcd digital microscope, but I picked it up from Woot: https://electronics.woot.com/offers/pallipartners-lcd-digital-microscope-1 It is self-lit, has a rechargeable battery so you don't have to have it plugg

Nice build! I had that as a kid and loved it, before I really cared about building for quality or accuracy (and I'm not sure I'm there yet). I only remember thinking that the window frames were a pain to paint, but I loved the plane, and the kit having a moving turret, and as I recall, a fairly detailed cockpit (probably soft by today's standards, though).

Looks great! I'm in for one in 1/32 and one in 1/48.

But to answer your question, I'm not a pro by any means, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but I personally would use the same airbrush for both, just making sure I clean it in between, which I would always do anyway. I'm sure it doesn't hurt to have two airbrushes if you can afford it, though.

Maybe it's just me, I would use something more lethal when shooting lawyers...

Wow, that's an amazing collection of aircraft to have seen, and some great liveries! Very nice!

I completed one kit, and while I'm sure many would find several faults with it (including me), it was a lot of work, took months, but it's still the best I've done, and it was a tremendous learning experience. And it was nice to complete one for a change 🙂

Thanks again! In the photos I took, things look a little more blue-tinted than the stock colors I had seen, which is why I tried mixing, and I got the light ghost gray too blue (and I thought that was FS36375). The darker blue is a standard Tamiya color, and I think it matched the photos OK. I might have had my camera set incorrectly, making them look more blue than they really were, though. I did some checking and found some other photos that had them looking blue-ish, and others that were gray, so maybe it's an image processing issue or maybe some were painted differently for a while, I'

That 48ers pilot looks interesting, thanks! I am trying to replicate F-16s from some photos I took back in 2009, like the one below: I got after-market decals and built the Hasegawa kit to try to replicate it, with limited success, but I was hoping to take what I'd learned and do a better job with the Kinetic kit. I want to build it in an in-flight configuration, which is why I want the pilot. I do have another Hasegawa kit, but I'd rather not take that pilot in case I want to use it for another in-flight configuration. I made a lot of screw-up

DISCLAIMER: I am not very experienced nor very good at building models. Apologies for asking what I'm sure has an easily available answer, but my googling didn't turn up any obvious solution. I'm looking to build the Kinetic 1/48 F-16C in a Block 25 configuration, and I'd like to have a pilot in it with the correct helmet (not the JHMCS) - does anyone know if there is a figure out there that matches that criteria that would fit that kit? Thanks!

Thanks, I did see one clip from that, where he talked about going to Elmendorf in Alaska in the '90s. He said he'd never lost to an F-15, but I wasn't sure if he meant in WVR or overall. In the story he tells, he seemed more focused on the pilot than the plane, and he actually kind of cheated (acting like his radio was out to throw him off), so I wasn't sure how well that really represented combat between the F/A-18 and an F-15. I'll have to go back and watch more of his interview to see if there's more info. He did say he kind of dreaded going up against F-16s, which I thought

Tomcat fans, not so much maybe. I posted this in a flight sim forum too, but I think people here might enjoy it as well. This is a clip from a discussion with a former F-15 pilot, and I'm sure he's biased, but I still think the info is very interesting - real insights into tactics and technical aspects of air combat. There's a whole series of videos from this interview, so just go to the channel to see them all. https://youtu.be/ihXixbz0OMc

I have to agree Rotorman. I'm not very skilled at model building, but I tried some of their paints and found the coverage lacking, and then when working with a part after washing my hands that were a tiny bit damp, the paint started coming off on my fingers. I then found that I could just wipe it off with a damp paper towel. I cleaned it off, used Tamiya paints, and everything was fine.

I'm not an expert, but I would say that the sky (and by sky I assume you mean clouds) should not be blurred, as any cloud close enough to be blurred would just be a white background, given their relative size.

Great photos! Impressive F-35 and Thunderbird shots!

Yes, great photos! It's cool to see the Navy Legacy Flight with the SHs, Corsair and Skyhawk.

Here's a video where he talks about that encounter, and uses those terms (the link should go to the beginning of that encounter): https://youtu.be/aNzZHQcUMrc?t=307

Yeah, those are very cool shots - great angle!

That link says: The F-15E Strike Eagle is currently the only aircraft outfitted with the SDB weapon system. Future platforms include the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-117, B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. Do we know how long ago that was written? It may be old, and it's since been cleared for those that were listed as "future" platforms by now.

Would this work? https://spruebrothers.com/has36002-1-48-hasegawa-weapons-set-b---us-guided-bombs-rocket-launchers/

Hello, I don't know if these will help (and I'm not even certain it's an ALQ-119), but if you think they might, I can get you larger versions of them. I'm traveling, but I should be able to get them in about a week, and possibly sooner.

It could be that, or that I handle it too much when applying, or something else, or some combination. I'm in SoCal, which is relatively dry, but probably not as dry as Las Vegas.