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Hi Gang, Looking to find out what the length and wingspan of the 1/72 scale Italeri C-130J kit are? I am planning on building my first fixed wing aircraft, and am trying to decide if I will go with the 1/72 scale or Minicraft 1/144? I have read reveiws on both, and located dimensions for only the 1/48 and 1/144 scale versions. Thanks. Sincerely, David

Wayne, No worries. I enjoy learing about the history and reasoning behind the different color schemes. I just wish that I had some historic reference to go by for this project. Oh well, it kind of gives me a little "artistic license". No offense intended to anyone if it is not historically correct. Anyway, I received the fine decals from Joseph at Fireball Modelworks. His work is exceptional, and his customer service fantastic! I was able to get the blue stripe masked and painted, before a marathon shopping trip and dinner with the family. I hope to apply some Future tomorrow, and the

Gino, I had actually considered adding the anti-glare panel after doing the original line drawing/paint scheme. I just have to decide where to make the paint break lne. I have a bottle of French Blue Acryl sitting here in front of me. I also have a tin of Humbrol 109. It is a flat color(not a problem as the whole model will get a coat of Future), but since it is an enamel, I decided against it due to compatibility issues. I had placed the model in a food dehydrator yesterday for a few hours to expedite the curing of the Tamiy red. I hope to get the blue stripe masked and shot today.

Hey Guys, Didn't mean to stir up any controversey. Since I like both the standard white/red/ blue and high visibility international orange/white color schemes, and I was unable to locate any photographic evidence, I decided that the former would probably be more "period correct". I am just begining to learn about and develop an appreciation for the USCG. My hat is off to all of you whose fine work is represented on this website. I can only hope that my final effort does some justice to the men and women of the USCG. I am grateful to all of you who have shared your knowledge and projects

Well, after a successful day of puttying, sanding, mixing and masking, I was ready to take the plunge, and put some color on the JetRanger. Unfortunately, the Testor's Acryl Coast Guard Red that I received from Sprue Btothers the other day was chunky, gloppy(is that a word?), and useless. I played around with some Tamiya paints that I had, I was able to come up with a pretty good match, and began to prepare to practice airbrushing. As I have never been an accomplished airbrush user, I have used rattle cans with good results over the last several years. So, I primed some water bottles, and p

Well, after admiring and collecting rotorcraft kits for many years, I have finally "taken the plunge" and begun my first project. I had actually started it several years ago but lack of knowledge, and skills left the project tucked away in a box. After dusting off the parts, this is what I began with. Once the interior was painted, and fuselage halves joined, I started working on the seams. My first attempt at masking off the windows. Here she is with a first coat of gray primer. Seams were touched up, primer sanded, and white primer applied. This was followed by more sanding,

Hello, I am new to aircraft modeling, and recently applied Future to all of the "glass" on the Bell Jetranger that I am working on. Per a friend's suggestion, the clear pieces were left on the sprues, washed with mild detergent and rinsed in water, and dried. The parts were then dipped in Future, and any excess on the bottom edge was wicked away with an absorbent paper towel. The parts were then set aside to dry and covered to avoid dust settleing on them. I was very pleased with the result. The model is masked and awaiting final color coats. Hope this helps those who have never worked

I am working on a project, and was wondering what paint do you guys use for blue stripe on United States Coast Guard aircraft? I am going to the hobby shop tomorrow, and would like to pick some up. Thanks. Sincerely, David

Oliver, Thanks for your reply. I took your advice, and dipped all of the "glass" in Future. Shook off the excess, and blotted any remaining Future that pooled at the edge. Set them aside to dry per your suggestion. I also left them on the sprue, so that they wouldn't get marks from the tweezers. When cutting away the sprue, I plan to cut as close to the part as possible. Do you then just file any remaining stub, and apply Future to the bare spot? Sorry for such elementary questions, just want to get it right... Thanks. David

Hey Guys, I am finally "building" my first helicopter model, instead of just lurking and planning... I have searched in the Tips n Tools section regarding glueing of helicopter windows prior to painting.There is a lot of information about fixed wing aircraft, but I was looking for what you guys prefer to use to secure your windows before masking? Also, when dipping your windows in Future to protect them, how do you do so without getting that pool at the edge from where your tweezers grasp the part? I apologize if this should be posted elsewhere, but was hoping to get answers from those who

Gino, I too have a great appreciation for the fine job that you did. I hope to one day do a similar conversion. I have looked at your build thread about 10 times already. What a great job. Right now, I am just "getting my feet wet" with my first helicopter build. I don't know how you guys who build 1/48 and 1/72 scale do it! My hat is off to you. I will probably stick to the larger 1/35 and 1/32 scale kits for future projects. Thanks for your inspiration! Sincerely, David

I have recently thought of having custom masks made for painting the graphic below in order to build a replica of the helicopter that I fly on at work. Due to the complex pattern, and difficulty in masking consistent angles and lines for each layer of color, I had considered having a sign shop make the masks up using vinyl or a sheet of removeable adhesive label material. They have printers/plotters which "cut" the vinyl/label material. This would allow for consistent placement of identical masks. Anyone have any experience with such a concept? Any feedback would be appreciated. Specific

Aaron I second that! I have had great success with Tango Papa decal paper. Tom is great to deal with, and his product is always "fresh" By this, I mean that he makes it up in small batches, so that the decal film works better. He explains the technical side of it better on his website - www.tangopapadecals.com I have no affiliation to Tango Papa other than being a satisfied customer. The blue tint to the backing paper does make viewing and handling white graphics easier. White decal film can be useful for making stripes on emergency vehicles. David

Michael, Any progress on the Long Ranger project? Just curious to see if you have had time to work on it lately? Anyone else working on a Jet Ranger/Long Ranger project?

Yeah, my crew doesn't look like that either... David

Anthony, I have been away from modeling for a bit, as life, work and family have taken precedence. I will be looking forward to your project with great interest. I have always been a fan of the 412. Several years ago, I had begun a conversion of the Revell 1/32 scale Huey into a 412. It was to be based on the colorful units flown by the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Obviously, at the time, I lacked the skills, knowledge and reference material to execute such a project. I had attempted to reshape the nose of the fuselage with Evergreen styrene strips. I also attempted to make a new cow

Hey Gang, I am working on a resin project that I plan to prime with my favorite Tamiya White Primer. I then will be spraying with Tamiya White and Yellow(from a rattle can). The color separation will be masked with Tamiya tape. My question is: How long should I wait for the first color(white) to set before masking for the second color(yellow)? I don't want to risk pulling up the paint, but was also hoping for this to be a less than extended project. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, David

Georg, What a fantastic job! Your EC-145 came out great. I especially like the interior detail and the exterior graphics. The folks at Vanderbilt must be proud. I would like to see the progress of your ambulance model. If you could PM me, or post it under the "Non Aircraft Models" section, that would be great. I am currently working on an ambulance(actually two of them) right now. Keep up the great work! Sincerely, David

Georg, Incredible detailing! I especially like the "Zoll" monitor/defibrilator mounted on the Port side wall over the gray equipment pouches. Now, I have to go outside and check my helicopter to make sure that you didn't "borrow" mine(LOL). Your work was worth waiting for. I look forward to your next update. David

Mad Viper, I assume that you don't have an airbrush available at this time. That is a shame, because it would provide you with many different options. That said, I don't know if you have Testor's available in the Netherlands, but they used to have a color, German Silver (if memory serves me correctly) available in their Model Master line, as a spray. It had less of a "chrome" quality to it. A word of caution though, Testor's regular silver enamels take "forever" to fully dry. Good luck with what ever you decide upon. Sincerely, David

Several years ago, I bought a few rolls of Parafilm M. Now, I am finally thinking about using them. Is it safe to use Model Master enamels and lacquer paints with, or should it only be used with water based paints Thanks. David

Below is my recently completed Hummer Brush Firefighting Unit. It was built for my fictitious Bear Fire Department. The unit was based on the 1/25 scale Jurassic Park Hummer. It received major scratchbuilding to the roofline and rear body. The pump, engine, hosereel, compartment, and tank were also scratchbuilt. The truck is painted with Tamiya White and Yellow. Graphics were custom made on an ALPS printer. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks for looking. Sincerely, David

Many places that sell airbrushes also sell the moisture traps. Michael's, A.C. Moore, etc. may have what you are looking for. Good luck. Sincerely, David

Anthony, I am speechless! I have to agree with LD, "This isn't scale modelling, it is scale engineering in plastic!". Your attention to detail, and accurately recreating every shape and surface is just amazing. You are a true inspiration. I look forward to each update. I believe that when complete, your Westpac will actually lift off and make a few orbits around for all of us to see! Keep up the fine work. Sincerely, David

Hey Guys, Thanks for your replies. I will have to get some of the PollyScale Clear Flat. Sincerely, David