BN7149

How do the engines differ between the A and C models? Could you use aftermarket parts for the C (like the awesome KA Models exhausts) and still pull off an A model? Excellent choice on the 5th FIS Eagle, by the way. They were the best looking of those ADC F-15's in my opinion. -Ryan

Fort Wayne and St. Louis F-4E's in Hill Gray, and/or Euro-1. Selfridge F-4D's with the subdued gray checkerboards would be cool, too. I guess those were probably a Hill Gray scheme. -Ryan

Who chose a cat? You might as well tie-wrap the trigger on a chain-saw and toss it around the cockpit! -Ryan

Cliff, Glad to hear a good initial impression of the set. Have you happened to notice if there is provision for having one nozzle partially closed? -Ryan

I would agree that is mostly true. Our boys seem more than happy to bury themselves in Legos and Hot Wheels from sun-up till sun-down. Those diecast collector models are pretty nice, and you're right, also expensive. That was the beauty of the Ertl versions, rugged, interactive, and priced right. The version that you linked to isn't too bad, small, but at least acceptably realistic and kid-resistant. Thanks! I knew I wasn't the only one! I had the base, too. My parents still have the control tower, but the lighted airfield part is long gone. Most of my friends had some of the planes, too. One even had the pistol-grip thingy that you could put the jets on to make various noises. It was corny, but we sure wore it out back in the day. Thanks for the link on the Blue Angel's version. Nice to see that they still exist in some form. -Ryan

When I was a kid back in the late-80's, I guess I was spoiled to have the rugged, reasonably high-fidelity collection of the "Force One" diecast military toys from Ertl. The fighters were all a decent size (probably 1/72-ish scale) with stickers to apply and ordnance to hang from the pylons, flip-up landing gear... not bad for what they were. Having two young sons of my own now, I'm having an exceedingly hard time finding anything similar out there. Many of those Ertl jets can still be found for purchase, though most are listed for collector prices. Are there any modern alternatives with similar qualities out there? Everything I see is absolute trash. Not just because an F-15 isn't lime-green, but because it could never stand up to the abuse that even my relatively tame kids would inflict. My boys have discovered my old collection at Grandma & Grandpa's house, but they look like they've been through a real war. They did fly numerous sorties all over the neighborhood, after all. I was just hoping I could find something new they can unwrap and call their own. -Ryan

I've made a couple paint orders through Seal Model in recent years and had the same experience in each case. Items were all carefully packaged in multiple layers. They even went so far as to shim the voids between different size bottles with packing peanuts to eliminate the chance of anything shifting or breaking. -Ryan

I appreciate that, Stefan. Maybe I'll shift these over to the In-Progess discussion. In any event I'll definitely share once completed. -Ryan

Okay, well... never mind. For some reason I was operating under the impression that the build went until July 31st... until I just looked at a couple other threads in the group build. whooooops! Sorry, I should have paid closer attention. -Ryan

After my last post, I decided that I needed to repair some of my joints on both planes as I wasn't happy with how well they showed up under GX2, and was afraid it would be worse with the natural metal finish. That was a major setback, but I'm happier with the results now. So, last night I FINALLY got around to spraying the AK Xtreme Metal aluminum on everything. Also put down some AK XM steel color on several parts as well. While that all sets up, this morning I pulled the masking from the canopies to make sure that all worked out (seems like it has) and also started some random decal work on the propellers and other small parts. I'm trying my damndest to get these done within the next few weeks. -Ryan.

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