balls47

Yessir, Go over to Zone Five Modeling Forums. Scroll down and go into the Toolbox. On the second page, you'll find a post by Jens H. Brandal titled, "Bare Metal with Brush." It was posted on 2-5-14. He explains in detail how to apply MM Metalizers (buffing only) with a brush. I have tried this technique on jet exhausts, smaller parts, and even practiced on some larger stuff. This technique works great. Good Luck

Yessir, If you have any electrical armature stores that sell electric motors and such, check them out. I bought a squirrel cage fan (new in box) for ten bucks. I mounted it on the top of my homemade paint booth. It works great.

Thin those oil washes with turpentine or Turpenoid. Better yet, use something like Flory's Model's washes.

If you're just doing fuselage halves, just take a razor blade and put it into the panel lines going over the top of the fuselage. Then, roll the razor blade right over the top of the fuselage through the WET Milliput or whatever putty you are using. When it dries hard, sand off the edges, clean up your trough, and you're done.

Paul, You must have built thousands of models over the years. I've seen some of these before in FSM reviews, your "how to" books, etc. They all look pristine. Which one is the earliest built one of the bunch?

Hey, You did a very nice job on the Tanmodel kit. I've got one in the stash that's gonna work its way to the top pretty quickly. Any advice? I noticed that the surface is a bit grainy. Did you sand yours down or just go with what was in the box? Thanks ahead of time. Again, great job. I also have Caracal decals.

Great work Darren. Wow!!! Your model brings back memories of my late uncle. He was in the USN, assigned to an aircraft carrier in the early 60's. I know that he had to be involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was just a little tyke. I asked him about the airplanes. His favorite was the A-5 Vigilante. He called it a "monster." Thanks for the memories.

I don't know what your skill levels are, but you could carve a master out of Basswood, then make a couple of new ones out of clear plastic. Buy a vacuformed canopy from a mail order place like Squadron or SprueBrothers.

Use a very fine grit stone. As far as you Harbor Freight stone, you get what you pay for. Go to a meat market. They can give you their catalog. There is a company in Grand Rapids, MI that sells knives, stones, etc. I have a stone that my granddad gave me. I sharpen my #11 blades all of the time. They are just like new. If you need honing oil, don't buy a name brand honing oil. Use mineral oil. You can get almost a lifetime supply at Wally World or any such store.

Try Papa Tango decal paper. I've used it with ALPS printed decals. It works great. I've also had pretty good luck with the decal paper and cover spray from Testors. Just make sure that you give your sheets a clear coat to protect the colors. Good Luck!!!

What Bill said as far as what to look for. This comes from over-engineering. Most guys just want an A-7. I despise open panels. If panels are open, there can be nor ordinance hanging on the airplane Maintenance would scream. I wish they would add them as an extra part. If a guy wants to build a kit with the panels opened up for maintenance, make them as extra parts. Billy Modeler has to cut the panel open, along the panel lines. It would actually be easier because the inside stuff would be a separate piece. It would be much easier painting if it was not attached to the fuselage. Pa

Great job. I have a few of those to build, but they're gonna be the dull two tone gray used by the ANG. 354 is probably the most modelled A-7D. That's not meant to be a negative, because 354 is probably the best looking A-7D out there. Again, great job.

I don't use a knife to scrape the seam off. For me, there's too much of a chance of gouging into the plastic. I usually start out with a sanding stick or a fine file if the seam line is big. I also tape both sides. When I get the worst part off, to the point that I can't see any seam line anymore, then I start out with a lower grit stick. I use them until things are pretty smooth. Then, I'll start with the fine grit sanding pads and work from lowest to highest grit. I have also used nail polishing pads. I usually buy those in bulk, because I want to spend as little time as possible in

Yepper, I built a Monogram 1/48 scale F-84F. It's gear-up because it's gonna be an in-flight desk model. I sanded off most of the raised panel lines and gave it a few coats of Future. The plastic is dark green, and It's gonna be a NMF Ohio ANG Thunderstreak. From past experience, this should really make the Alclad look great.

Hey A21-29, This sounds like what I went through about a year ago. I wanted to strip the paint off of a model that was pre-painted in China. I tried everything imaginable. I was out in the garage, tearing my hair out when I saw my container of Rain-X on my workbench in the garage. I had nothing to lose, so I put a little bit of Rain-X on a cloth and wiped across a wing. That paint came off so easy that I almost fell over laughing. I took a piece of unpainted sprue and scrubbed it with the Rain-X, then let it set in a small puddle of Rain-X. The Rain-X had no ill effects at al

Yessir, I may be preaching to the choir here, but don't use it on anything acrylic. The two may become one. Anyway, I use the blue Humbrol Maskol at times. I put down a first coat and let it dry until it's sticky, but won't come off to the touch. Then put one a second, heavier coat and go almost to the edge, but not quite. It may level down to the edge. Also, on this second coat, I stick a piece of toothpick into the wet, blue Maskol. (I break a piece of the toothpick off and stick the broken end into the goo. Put the pointy end up.) Let this piece of you use start to dry into the M

Ditto what Joerg says. I purchased a compass cutter from Micro-Mark several years ago. I know exactly what you are trying to do. As for the paint bleeding through, airbrush thin coats of paint. Mist the paint on with lower pressure. IIRC, isn't the painting sequence black, yellow, black? If so, you are really in luck. I may be preaching to the choir here, but paint the whole spinner yellow, put on your tape(this will obviously mask the yellow) After the yellow is dried AND cured, then paint the black. But first,you might want to test your yellow on a piece of sprue. If it doesn't cov

Disreguard

Great job. I like the Santa hat on the pilot. I wonder if Pete F. ever wishes he had the opportunity to fly the Block 30's.

Great job!!! That intake is really impressive. It looks nothing at all like the kit intake. I've spent a lot of time around A-7's. We used to have 3 ANG units here in Ohio. Your finish work is outstanding. It looks like a 1/1 scale A-7.

The old Superscale sheet for the F-14A marking that you are looking for is decal sheet #48-57. It has VF-84, VF-213, and VF-1 (Ferris scheme).

Yessir, You need a paintbooth that you can vent outside, through the window that you open. One of my neighbors has a woodshop. I went out and bought the needed material and a squirrel cage fan to mount on the outside of the box. It has a small fluorescent light inside. I paint in the basement, right under a window. I vent the paint and fumes outside through a 4" flexible dryer hose. I also wear an organic respirator. When I am done painting, I can barely smell any paint fumes at all. The next time you paint, take off your respirator. If your room smells like a body shop, that p

I've used a battery powered Dremel tool on slow speed. The battery powered Dremel doesn't have the power that the AC powered units do. As with the Proxxon sander, you have to be careful of you will cut and gouge the plastic. If you run the speed up too high, it will also melt plastic.

Hey Phantom, I love this F-4D, because it's a Buckeye Bird of the 906TFG. I'm hoping that Jake does this sheet in 1/48 scale. I wanna do this airplane with "Dayton Air Show" markings so bad, I can't hardly stand it. I may have to just bite the bullet and by the same 1/32 scale kit you used for this build. I have the Hamilton Air Show markings like your kit in 1/48 done by Repliscale. As usual, you did a great job. Your a model making machine. I don't know how you do it with the job you have. Be safe.

Have you ever looked at the oil in a bottle of white enamel paint after it has separated after it sits for awhile. The oil turns yellow. Most white enamel paints will yellow over time. I have had MM white enamel that yellows and then some that stays white. It's a crap shoot. I have switched to lacquer or acrylic for whites, and have had no issues.