Kevin Callahan

Good heavens; that would look great sitting next to my Airfix Concorde. But the price ($550+) is going to be a serious issue with Mrs. 72....

Though this link is a couple of years old, it discusses Wonder Wire, a ceramic wire that I use for rigging. The thing about it is that it cannot kink like metal wire, nor sag like various invisible threads. Basically you cut it to length using a divider, and then attach it with white glue. You could use cyanoacrylate or epoxy too I would think, but white glue dries clear and seems to hold it. In 1:72 I don't typically drill holes at each end, but you could certainly do that. There is an address with a source for Wonder Wire in the posting. http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_refe

>>>Oh Trumpeter, if only you'd have released this one in 1/72<<< Add me to the list of fellows who would love to see this re-sized to 1:72! It's not exactly a grail kit for me, at least not enough to do all the work to spruce up the 50+ year old Monogram. But I'd be happy to put a new-tool version into the display case.

This is the last of the new models that I have to roll out, because I haven't actually completed anything since early July. Weather and other distractions just seem to get in the way in the summertime. In any case, this is the Siga/Ace kit. It is comparable to the Mauler, even perhaps a bit rougher. The decals are certainly less workable, and some literally crumbled or folded on themselves while soaking. I was able to save the large markings particular to the aircraft, but almost all of the stencilling was a loss. And there are no aftermarket sheets for the FJ-1 to take up the slack. It wi

I'm about 100 miles to the west of the fires and have been tracking the reports. Been through Ellensburg a bajillion times, though usually heading for points east. Thanks for posting the nice photos. Hopefully they can keep the injuries down til this one is cleaned up.

It's Maulermania! C'mon, somebody has to have built the CzechMaster Resins kit. We can complete the set!

Here's one you don't see completed very often. This is the Siga kit, a short lived line of mostly postwar naval aircraft from Ukraine. Definitely on the lower end of the short-run scale, with slablike pieces and an appetite for filler. The surface detail is nice and petite, though, which makes up for some of the construction challenges. Siga decals can be a trial - my FJ-1 Fury almost ended up with generic spares box markings as a result - but most of these went on with minimal trouble. The canopy is injected, which also makes me willing to forgive a lot. If it concerns you, I should note th

I still have 3 completed models to get posted. This is the Special Hobby L10 Electra, part of the Lockheed twins series. Typical mid-period SH, with a vac canopy and some resin bits. Fit was satisfactory; some filler but not an unusual amount. The decals came from Draw. I've always appreciated Greg's marketing of civil and commercial decals for 72nd scale types. In most cases I would prefer that to a military scheme, if only for the uniqueness of it. This is a Northwest Airlines example from around 1940. The markings are in their "digital silk" format: overall carrier film and very thin. I o

Still catching up on completed builds. This is the Academy PV-1. Not a bad kit to build, though I did have some self-inflicted wounds due to impatience. It took me a while to decide on the markings, though when I discovered the Carpena sheet in the decal stash (having just finished a book on the conflicts between DeGaulle and the other allies) the choice of a Free French version seemed timely. Plus it only had to be painted one color! This is the third in my series of Lockheed twins (the L-10 and L-12 have already been finished). The PV-2 Harpoon is one the horizon. This is completed model #

Congrats Ken. I'm always a sucker for a good collection portrait. I've never actually built an Su-27 (though I have done a Berkut and MiG-1.44 so I've been in the neighborhood). I've heard that the Trumpeter kit is the one to get - Do you concur?

Many thanks H. I was happy enough about how the kit worked out that I'm still giving consideration to the Valom XF8B.

Thanks all. Sorry, those are the only pictures I shot of it. And I like the idea of a windowshade as a larger backdrop. I'll have to go price some of those locally and see what's up.

I've fallen rather far behind in getting completed models listed in the forum. So here is a creation from the end of last month. It is the Matchbox NF11, though I believe this one came in a Revell box. The decals came from one of my many Modeldecal sheets, and were for 256 Squadron RAF. I still have a debt of gratitude to Dickie Ward for all those wonderful RAF markings. There is enough putty and Mr Surfacer on this model to sink the proverbial battleship, but if you have ever built the Matchbox kit, you knew that already. This is completed model #405 (#30 for the year), finished in June of

Not one of the great all-time models, it narrowly avoided the Shelf of Shame and did finally get finished. This is of course the Academy kit with an old out of print Xtradecal sheet. Excuse the tatty background; I still don't have any posterboard large enough to accommodate the four-engined types. This is completed model #404 (#29 for the year), finished in June of 2012. For more details visit the 72 Land blog referenced below.

This is one that I rather enjoyed. At first I wasn't sure, since Valom doesn't have the greatest reputation for fit. But I really had no major issues with it; certainly no more than any other non-steel-mold kit. The kit was actually for a T4 (got a good price at the Great Models closing sale) but I figured with the Warpaint book that I already owned I could do a B1, since the plastic was likely the same in both boxes. I used the Freightdog sheet on postwar Brits (72004S) for the markings, MSG and Black. I wasn't convinced by the indented tiny rivetting, but under a coat of paint it looked