Ken Cartwright

Very nice! I really like the F-35 with the vapor cone!

Thanks for the info! I had just seen them at the local hobby store and didn't know much about them, and didn't do much searching before posting here because I was interested in hearing input from people who've used their stuff. I doubt it's paint that went bad, it's just my lack of knowledge - I was basing my approach on my experience with other paints. I'm sure using a primer is good for a lot of painting situations, I just never needed it before. The paint just turned into liquid as soon as moisture touched it, which is why I wasn't sure if a primer would even make a difference.

Sorry for resurrecting this old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one and clutter up the forums. I recently tried using Mission Models paint and while it came out of the airbrush well, and seemed to cover well, I was able to wipe it off with a wet paper towel, even after it had dried for days. I did not use a primer coat, but I used to use Testors Model Master acrylics and never had an issue. Is there a trick to using these paints? I'm concerned that they may be easily wiped off even with a primer coat, given how easily it came off the parts I've tried. As an example, I

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As a followup to this, it made me think of the dissecting scope and how well it worked, and it occurred to me that I could probably order one. I found one on ebay for about $100 and decided to order it. I have to get used to it again, and I found that for the fine work I was doing that a round toothpick was too large, but here is a view of my testing of it on a Hasegawa 1/48 F-16 dash. It's amazing to me how quickly the eye-hand coordination kicks in to be able to make very small movements while looking through it. I'll try using a pin or needle for paint application in the future.

Yes, ditto to the two previous posts, it's very close, it would just depend on the security lines, deplaning time, etc.

I am currently working on my first Hasegawa 1/48 F-16CJ kit, and so far I am liking it. I had just been working on an Academy 1/48 F-16A/C, and found it to be a nightmare. I had heard that the Academy kit was kind of a copy of the Hasegawa kit, and I see similarities, but there are multiple key differences that seem to make the Hasegawa much easier to assemble (air intake and wings, in particular). It's sold as a CJ/Block 50/52, but I think i can use the older parts that are still included (smaller intake and exhaust) to make it pretty close to a Block 25, which is what I want.

I'm not much of a builder, and am trying to do more and build up some skills. That said,I don't know that I've ever built one down to the point of the exact pain colors, but other than that, I've been close. Having limited skills and time, I rarely if ever use aftermarket parts, so most of the deviations from the process for me is in build sequence - I often build things out of sequence to assist with fitment, painting, etc.

Years ago I inherited a dissecting microscope from an older brother, with nice lighting and two levels of magnification, and it was great for painting small details. Being a dissecting scope, it had lots of room and just enough magnification get close to small objects without zooming in too much. It didn't take long for the eye-hand coordination to kick in to make small movements based on what was being seen, and this looks like it might be a similar tool, if it's real and all.

Yes, nice build! Looks great, and is a nice reference to one of the F-14's movie roles 🙂

Might be a little late, but this covers the Tamiya kits and blocks, both in the video and in some of the comments:

I don't know if this helps anyone at all, but in 2009 two 144th Fighter Wing F-16s did a fly-by at an air show, and one of them had the "bird slicer" IFF antennas and the other didn't. Antennas: http://www.techflyer.net/images/rs09/album/1U8P7375.jpg No antennas: http://www.techflyer.net/images/rs09/album/1U8P7331.jpg

Regardless of whatever Habu's involvement may be with the F-35, you seem invested in criticizing it for some reason. As I recall, you once posted that a company said they were able to track it, but in researching it I found that the company in question was trying to sell their tracking equipment, and the F-35s in question were flying in a configuration where they could be tracked, so it was pretty meaningless. As far as whether the F-35 is worth the investment, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, The Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, D

FULL DISCLOSURE: I suck at building models. I am currently working on the Academy kit, and have found it to be a miserable experience. I had one kit with the wing-droop issues mentioned, and the second isn't quite perfect, but is much better (I tried to fix the first one and destroyed the wings). The air intake has a large step/gap from the gear panel insert that's included, and I think it was designed to be built with the canopy open, so building it closed was difficult because the seat seemed too high. I haven't done a thorough comparison with the Hasegawa kit, but t

I don't know if this is helpful at all, but back in 2007 I was able to photograph what I think is a squadron flying the types of F/A-18Ds you're referring to, as they took off for a deployment. Might be too long ago now, though. Photos can be found here: https://www.techflyer.net/images/vmfa225/album/

Nice build! I actually have one in the stash, just waiting to get around to it.

I wasn't sure so I looked up a few photos and they don't really seem to have darkened panel lines, and in fact it's almost the opposite - pain peels around the panels and more metal shows through This is a great photo I found, and I think it shows the kind of weathering that they generally have:

Wow, looks cool! Are you going to 3D print it?

Quoting you just so you get a notification of the link I posted, since it may not last long. https://www.amazon.com/Hasegawa-36117-48-Aircraft-Weapons/dp/B004GUTDMQ ebay seems to have some available too, but I don't know how this pricing rates on any of them: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=1%2F48+hasegawa+weapons+e&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=1%2F48+hasegawa+weapons&_osacat=0

Theoretically, there is one in stock through this Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Hasegawa-36117-48-Aircraft-Weapons/dp/B004GUTDMQ

Yes, really good work correcting all of the issues with that kit - it looks great! And adding one more release to your list, Round 2 has it now, and they have made some improvements, including to the Darth Vader figure, but it still has many of the same original issues you had to fix.

Wow, really nice work, looks great!

Yes, two posts up 👍 🙂

F-35B pilot forced to test out the zero-zero ejection seat. No definitive word on the pilot as of yet, but hoping they're OK: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2022/12/15/pilot-ejects-after-f-35b-crashes-on-texas-runway/

Yes, looks like it. They added a link to buying a gaming chair, or at least that's what they said it was, I didn't follow the link.