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Anthony,my apologies. I was at work, meant to type in "NZ" and typed "OZ" instead. Can I blame it on the jet fuel fumes, geographic disorientation or just old age??? The weather here in the Northeastern US is beautiful. And with a longgggg list of things to do, I am still going to try and steal a few moments of modeling time... We'll see. David

Hi Guys, Time has been very scarce lately, thus little progress on the project. I did put together the instrument panel. Hope to place some weights in it, and do a little seam filling and sanding over the weekend. Question to anyone who has built the 1/32 scale Testors Jetranger before. I noticed that the base of the instrument panel is not symmetrical. Is it supposed to be that way? Also, I am trying to work out the logistics of glueing the interior parts to the one side of the fuselage, and assuring that they line up with the other side of the fuselage once assembled. Any suggestion

Remington, Have you been kidnapped? Impatient people(me) want to see how things are coming. I understand that the glass is coming from Oz, so there may be some delay. Just acting like my 8 year old son - I wanna see, I wanna see... David

John, Nice work on the APU. I agree that glass can be a pain, especially where it meets the fuselage. On my first(and only) completed rotorcraft to date, while it taking for a test flight( admiring my work) it fell to the floor. The windscreen and chin bubble broke loose from the fuselage, and cracked the surrounding paint - Oh the humanity... I was able to recover, and complete the model. But, I feel your pain. I did dip all of the clear parts above in Future prior to attachment, but still ended up putting the glue on a little heavily after the repair. I have heard of a couple of diff

Hey Brother, My prayers are with you for dry weather and minimal damage. Take care of your priorities, the modeling will wait. Don't ask me how I know... Hang in there. David

George, Translucent, opaque, transparent, - what ever the reality, you KNOW that Oliver will make it look great! Oliver, I don't know what else can be said about your fine craftsmanship. Just know that you are an inspiration! I appreciate each update. Thanks for taking the time to photograph each step, and share your progress. David

Neo Nice work so far. I like your technique for painiting the belts/buckles. Is all of the buckle detail molded in on the seats? I have an ADAC version of the 145, but didn't notice that much detail. I am at work at the moment, so I can't check. Look forward to following your progress. David

Daniel, I am back to work tomorrow. It is supposed to rain here tomorrow, but we may have an EC-135 in our maintainence hangar. Let me know what specific photos you need and I will try to get them for you. I assume that you want the right side view, as that is where you have removed the cowling? You can PM or e-mail me directly. By the way, I like your progress thus far. How did you make the angled antenna under the cabin? David

Bought myself a Revell 1/32 EC-135 Polis version helicopter from Hobbylinc. As the wife doesn't always know what to get me for my birthday, so I thought that I would just order it myself... It is a great kit, containing lots of neat little extras as well as the corrected fenestron tail fin. This kit will hopefully become a replica of the aircraft that I fly on every day at work. It is also nice, as it is molded in white, as opposed to previous yellow, red, or orange versions... David

For anyone interested, there is a company called Heligraphx. They make vinyl window decals and license plates of helicopters. This might be a great idea for displaying your finished models, or just something to place on your wall. If you are/were active in a flight service be it military/commercial/ law enforcement, firefighting or EMS, they can probably do your aircraft. Their attention to detail is amazing. The company is owned and run by a former Coastie turned EMS pilot and his daughter. Their products are reasonably priced, their turn around time is good, and well made. As one of t

Winnie, Super job! I especially like the bright colors, and the graphics scheme. Nice work. David

I am planning a project that will involve opening up doors to reveal interior details. Most of the doors have recessed panel lines, while a few others have raised panel lines. I would appreciate hearing your techniques and suggestions on how to accomplish them. Thanks. David

Remington, Bought myself one of the Polis kits from Hobbylinc for my birthday! Man, what a kit. That, and thanks to Daniel, I can now build two verisons of my aircraft. The first will be a simple version using the ADAC kit, along with the parts that Daniel sent me. I have the matching paint, and am waiting on the decal to be made. Later, I will do a more detailed version(will attempt open doors,etc) with the Polis kit. Just have to get my Delaware State Police Jetranger done first. David

Remington, I don't know how I missed your last update. Looking great! Have you had a chance to do any more work on the project? Look forward to your next update. David

Ant, Even though it may seem wasteful to buy of jar of Aclad for a single project, the high performance characteristics, as well as avoiding the hassles of the MM Chrome are worth it. I have used Alclad for many non-aircraft subjects. It really is great stuff. As it is a lacquer, it dries hard, and handles well. Just my two cents... David

For anyone looking to do an "Air Methods" aircraft in their current paint scheme, "Scalefinishes.com" carries matches to their blue, white and red paints. I am preparing to build the EC-135 that I fly on at work. Decals for this graphics scheme are also being designed at the moment. More details will be available when the decals completed and available. David

All great comments above - technique simply applies to the desired result. One thing that I didn't see that although basic, bears mentioning. Pay attention to the thickness of the paint/clear coat on sharp edges or surfaces. The amount of pressure used on a flat surface will surely cut through the thinner layers of paint in those areas. It is great to see that you are practicing prior to trying a new technique on your pet project. I have had many moments of regret where I was too impatient to practice before using a new technique or product in the past. Look forward to seeing your projec

I know that many here have suggested using Tamiya Lacquer Thinner to thin Tamiy White Fine Surface Primer for airbrush use. Anyone have any suggestions as to the thinner to primer ratio? Thanks in advance. David

Daniel, Have you had a chance to do any more work on this project? Just wondering... PM on it's way. David

Yes, That is the nose. The 145 kit comes with two, but one is too short, the other is too long. As far as the medical interior, most of the ones in the Revell kits reflect European styles, not those used in the US. The stretchers and backboards can be easily made from plastic, brass, and wood. Soft sided medical bags can be made from Sculpey, Fumo, or a similar product. I can provide a tutorial on making them if there is any interest. The 145 kit contains a similar angular radio configuration for the patient part of the cabin, but again, it is on the wrong side of the aircraft as oppo

Remington, Another great project! I agree that good work takes time. My pet project of building my own EC-135 can't be rushed. A recently re-introduced thread of Julian's EC-135 build is a great learning tool. http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....howtopic=116997 I would reccommend acquiring an EC-145 kit. As Julian had mentioned, many of the interior components are much more appropriate for the newer EC-135's especially the Air Methods/Metro Aviation interiors. I plan on using the 145 kit for the seats, IP, and interior floor. I hope to eventually acquire one of the Polis kit

After much thought, I have finally decided on what will be at least my first project for the Rescue Group Build. I will be modeling the Bell Jetranger 206 that was the first medevac aircraft flown by the Delaware State Police. This program began back in 1971. The aircraft is very similar to the currently available 1/32 scale kit. I am using a Testor's version that was purchased over E-bay a few months ago. Reference photos are very hard to find. The photos below are courtesy of Robert Ward. There is a replica of this aircraft on display at the Delaware State Police Museum in Dover. Thi

As above, it depends upon the paint that you are using. I have had success with PollyScale, and Testors Acryl and to a certain extent Tamiya. With the first two, add some Liquitex Retarder Medium, and a little of their Flow-Aid. You may need a little distilled water with the PollyScale or Acryl thinner for the Acryl as well. With the Tamiya, use the above Liquitex products, and a little of their brand thinner. The only challenge, is that the first coat of some acrylics will lift with the second application of a brush coat. This problem can be solved by a thin coat of Future between co

Remington, Looking great! Just as a suggestion, if you can get your hands on a food dehydrator, it can speed up the drying time between coats... Can't wait to see it progress. David

As a side note on the subject, FineScale Modeler magazine (Nov. 1999) featured an article on printing decals with an ALPS printer. As part of the article, the authors(Paul Boyer and Rick Johnson) featured how they used the ALPS to print the Presidential Seal. Anyone with access to the article, check it out. The single photo of the resulting decals looks really cool. David