TXCajun

Wulf is right, but I go a step further. I thin it down so I can spray at 10-12 psi and I never shoot that close to the model. 4-5 inches is the closest I go unless I am shooting very narrow lines for camo demarcation.

Future straight - Shooting 10 psi misting on several light coats to build up the shine works like a charm.

Spruebrothers shows the chisels out of stock as well. Having said that, I own one and only use it for certain things. You have to be very careful using it on soft plastic. The design of the chisel points forces the tip to dig in and I actually broke a tip off when it went too deep in the plastic. ( wasn't pushing hard. Since getting a Trumpeter scriber, that has become my scriber of choice. Everything about the design just seems to work for me under nearly all conditions with the exception of a chucked needle, which I use to scribe circles and other odd shapes.

That is an excellent method I honestly never hit on. Thanks for sharing that!

That is what I call "Modeling" So many of us are "Kit Assemblers" (myself included) and don't really want to accept that. I have deep respect for people who build from plans.

Totally different airframe. Got a chance to be less than 50' from a Reaper taxiing out for a mission once. It's a pretty good-sized machine. Seemed like it was about the length of an F-16. The Global Hawk is is BIG - like U-2 sized big.

I dunno about branching out. There are still plenty of rag-winged wonders to re-create in 1/32nd sized styrene bits. Plus, once WWI is covered, the 20's and 30's are filled with those fabulous Curtiss and Boeing bipes. Sometimes branching out is a good thing, but sometimes when you stray from the formula that put you on the map, things can go south. Take Accurate Miniatures. They made their mark by modeling 1/48th warbirds no one else was touching and did as good a job with those as WingNuts is doing with WWI stuff. They strayed into re-releasing Monogram 1/72nd kits, in order to pick up some

Excellent work on the TriMotor and the shop as well! You are indeed a craftsman extraordinaire!

Please tell me you weren't at ScaleFest this past weekend and that I didn't miss you. Dropping an order for this sheet. Just came from Afghanistan where I saw these fly and got a chance to get fairly close to one taxiing out for a mission loaded for bear (4x Hellfires). Very sinister platform.

Preventing frosting under your decals is easy - stop baking cakes while you model - messy business. Seriously, though... I tend to use a much lower pressure setting for my airbrushing than it seems other folks do. I learned this tip from Floyd Werner. Generally, I spray at about 10 psi and I thin my paint, etc. more than some other folks may. Floyd uses the comparison of skim milk. By spraying thinner paint at lower pressures, I have to gradually build up the paint coats vs. trying to get total coverage in one coat. This keeps my painting from obscuring the details. You HAVE to spray at low

If I could add anything to what has already been said, it would be based on personal experience. I have an Iwata HP-CS and when I have been using it for extended periods without a COMPLETE breakdown and cleaning, I have noticed that a paint film begins building up in the air valve area. I don't know if it is backwash or what, but I never thought paint could flow back toward the air valve. Over time, it gums up the works and keeps the air valve from freely moving up and down. Maybe your issue is similar.

Hey gang. Hoping some of the decal mfgr's and/or artists among us can give me some guidance on this one: I have a Hobby Boss 1/48th N/AW A-10 kit. Everyone knows that there is just one of these in existence and the markings are hum-drum. So, I got to thinking what better subject for a What-If project at some point. I already know what I want to do, but the scheme will require wrap-around nose art similar to what the 23rd TFW "Flying Tigers" or the "Barksdale Dogpatchers" have on them. Without spilling the beans, it WILL be a menacing animal mouth image. So, what I am soliciting is some guid

Great work on the Prowler, Jeremy. Looking forward to following this one. I just picked up the kit from Squadron (finally on sale) and will enjoy seeing your processes and tricks as the build progresses. Still trying to nail down a scheme for mine - probably Afghanistan for obvious reasons - Stew

Thanks for posting. I got a ride in an RAF J not long ago and would like to do a model of one.

C'est très beau travail, Damien! You honor VF-103 by the having your Rafale carrying the Jolly Rogers' colors. Merci de partager ça! Stew

Can't go wrong with a Phantom! Excellent work thus far, Honza. Jeremy, I believe the next move is yours.

Good start, there, Jeremy. Will follow this one for sure. Good to see you on your feet again, buddy. Stew

I started modeling when I was 9y/o. My brother got me interested in it, but my dad inspired me. He was a 20-year Navy vet (43-63) who started out fixing recips and ended up flying in sub patrol and ECW aircraft (PB4Y-2, P2V-6, WV-2) as a flight engineer/plane captain. So, I was modeling for a while before a recruiter convinced me that joining the Army to fly helicopters would be right up my alley. Yes, I wanted to join the Navy, but that's another story that still ****** me off to this day. Unfortunately, I got a medical "down" after I got to "Mother Rucker", so I ended up falling back on my

Some would call your attention to detail "rivet counting", but I consider it a classic example of old-school scratch/conversion work. Excellent work and very inspirational! Thanks so much for sharing this with us! Regards, Stew

Ditto'ed the F-8C suggestion and added the T-45. Plus, construction equipment in 1/24th or 1/35th.

Beautiful work

Nice job. I saw one of these merged paint jobs at the Houston Intercontinental when I flew through earlier this month. The "United" text was in the same font as it has been on the United jets. Darn shame, too. I always thought that the Continental font looked more dressed up.

Try to take some pics. I find few modelers are able to realistically weather aircraft wheels, so I'm anxious to see your results.

Gee, why don't we just sell F-22's to the Taliban while we're at it.

It's amazing what our wives will put up with in the course of our hobby. My crime was leaving ink pens in my pockets. It finally sunk in about the third time of my cleaning the dried ink out of the clothes dryer drum with carburator cleaner and then a soapy rag! Hey, here's another option: Buy white painter's clothes and go play paintball with tactically colored paint balls!