BN7149

That looks awesome! I love the contrast of the assorted scuzzy Navy grays with the high-viz portions, really cool subject. -Ryan

Sweet shots, Mike! Glad you decided to attend, it was a good day for an airshow, and Fort Wayne is great for getting close to the action. While it wasn't "technically" part of the show, the best part for me was watching the A-10's getting ready to launch from the north side of the ramp. Here's a few more photos: -Ryan

I went to the last one (2016) and thought it was pretty good, although the A-10 demo was cut short by rain... or hurricane. Lots of A-10's were sitting around, at least a half dozen I'd say in the static area. There was a good mix of other regional military jets on static, too. I think they mentioned they would have a B-52 on static this year, also. When I was there we parked downtown and were shuttled into the base by school buses which was kind of lame. This year it looks like they will have parking around the airport/base perimeter. I say go for it! -Ryan

Started some priming today putting down some Mr. Color GX2 as a base for natural metal. Both planes will get the natural metal treatment, and then one will have OD sprayed on the upper surfaces. The GX2 was thinned a little more than 50/50 with Mr. Leveling Thinner and I was astounded and how smooth it went down. In other news, I was also astounded at how well my sanding spots showed up... 🤨

Thank you. I apologize that I've had little to update for a while now. I just finished a couple college courses this past week that were more intense than I had hoped, so modeling time has suffered. I know... excuses, excuses. I've just finished masking the windscreen sections and cockpits of both in preparation for paint. I was disappointed that the windscreens of both kits seemed to fit poorly, and the cleanup of those areas along with the wingtip lights are pretty much all I've accomplished since my last update. I did manage to paint the cowl for "Maggie V", too. -Ryan

Kind of looks like another Maverick. It's comparable in size to the one on the left wing, and though it's distorted quite a bit by the exhaust, it seems like the fins are sticking out at similar angles.

I didn't even think I cared about ANG F-84F's. Then, because my curiosity was piqued, I decided to look them up. Thanks. Now I want all of them. -Ryan

Because AMC Gray wasn't boring enough already.... 🤢

Thanks! Sorry for the late reply. This should link to my post under the "Planned Builds" thread. -Ryan

Hi all, I'm getting things sorted out for an upcoming Su-17M4 I'm planning to build but running into an issue on the markings. I am looking for one iteration of the Sukhoi archer logo (or whatever it's called) that faces starboard (see photo below). Of note is that this particular version of the marking has a red star on the blue of the archer. Seems like 95% of the logos I can find on other sheets are only for the port side. The sheet from the screenshot below is from the Eduard boxing #1149, but if a similar decal exists from another kit or aftermarket sheet, that would be fine too, provided it is between 3/4" to 1" in length. I will gladly pay any shipping and am willing to toss a couple bucks your way, even if you never planned to use that marking. Thanks! -Ryan

We're in full-on disaster mode here at the bench. Miscellaneous parts are coming into shape and the main airframe assembly is basically done. -Ryan

I had a similar issue with a Kitty Hawk kit I had ordered from China. Item shipped to a town 50 miles away from me, was "delivered" and then "returned to sender", at which point it spent several weeks bouncing around the state and eventually looked like it was finding it's way to me, but never arrived, even after some inquiries with USPS. Eventually I opened a case with ebay and requested a refund and it was granted almost instantly after the seller ghosted which I was thankful for. I was able to purchase the kit from another retailer in China and it arrived without issue. Were you given a SpeedPak tracking number? That's what I had on the above mentioned issue. Ebay seller in that case was jingmmm_jak77go, who does not appear to be a seller any longer. To be honest, considering the number of things I order from overseas, I have only ever encountered an issue twice, both times resolved favorably so I'm probably pretty fortunate. -Ryan

Little behind schedule due to work and weather, but got the seams cleaned up and wings on last night. So far my only gripe with the kit is the fit of the gun ports into the leading edge of the wings. There probably wasn't a better way for them to make it work, but it was a sketchy clean-up. I think I got it good enough. -Ryan

Same here.

Thank you! I did notice the behavior of the decals was slightly different between the two kits, despite being identical. They came from different retailers at different times, so who knows what environments they might have been kept in. That seems consistent with the prevailing opinion about Tamiya decals, though. Shame, since everything else about Tamiya kits seems to be the gold standard. Thanks! So I guess my username betrays my origin as a railroad guy! I knew someone was bound to notice. The SD40-2 predates me, so it doesn't seem too strange. What's hard to believe is that all those 6000 hp types from the late 90's are scattered to the wind on lease fleets, rebuilds, or scrap piles... THAT makes me feel old. -Ryan