MattN

Very nice! I had do a similar amount of work on the German version, the Italeri 1/48 PAH-2 - so I feel your pain. Yours came out splendidly.

I used Mission Models on my Tamiya F-35A (their Have Glass V color) and I used Createx thinner and poly Hobby Lobby. The Mission poly bottle was unopened and was indoors in a closet(dark and climate-controlled) since purchase, and it had solidified. I played with Mission thinner just to get a feel for how it airbrushed before starting in earnest - and the pigment seemed to clump and separate from the liquid medium and clog my airbrush (Iwata HP-CS). Awful. I did some research and (I can't recall where I saw this) but I used Createx thinner and poly which I got fro

My latest project done, Sword's 1/48 Reggiane Re.2001CN night fighter. Really enjoyed this project. For a limited-run kit, this was a pretty good one to build. The fit was decent to good, and though there were no alignment pins, I made braces along the seams to ensure there would be no overlap or mismatch. I used MASTER barrels for the underwing MG.151 cannon gondolas and also the the Breda SAFAT 12.7mm guns in the cowling. The barrels in the cowling didn't protrude that much on the real plane but since their detail was so nice, I took some 'creative license' to have them stick out furthe

Ultracast has the TwoBobs sheet - for $100..... https://www.ultracast.ca/Twobobs-48-049-F-105D-Wrap-Around-THUDS-p/twob48049.htm

Thanks for the heads-up, sir

Going to place my order now

Saw this on Hyperscale - https://nautiluslive.org/ According to the HS thread they already surveyed Akagi and Yorktown

Can't wait

A prop subject this time, the old Pacific Coast Models 1/48 MC.200 Saetta. Not bad for a limited run kit. The near-total lack of alignment pins, ribs, etc. made for some planning and measuring to get everything to line up and fit took some doing, but nothing insurmountable. The fit of the plastic and resin parts was pretty decent. The resin cockpit was surprisingly well-detailed for a casting from 2004. The recessed panel lines were pretty crisp and only a but of rescribing was needed. The curves on the vacu-form canopy were rather tricky, but all in all I think it turned out pretty well

As close as I can tell (with my aging eyes) it's 30-31 mm. Hope that helps?

No Hurricane expert, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Airfix Hurricane. I also liked the fact that all three boxings of the kit (BoB, Tropical and Sea Hurricane) all had the parts to make all three different versions- just different box art and decals. I built a Sea Hurricane out of the Tropical boxing and scrounged up some Aeromaster Sea Hurricane decals. I have the Italeri Sea Hurricane and it looks good in the box. I also have the Classic Airframes 'rag wing' Hurricane Mk. I and a Hasegawa Hurricane IIC (haven't built those yet either).

That's too bad 😞 I had good luck with the one set (for the ES-3A) that I used. That was a long time ago though - at least 10 years. Maybe their quality was a bit better then.

Slick-looking Phantoms, you two 🙂

Looking good so far! I'd recommend the SAC metal landing gear, esp with all the weight being added. The kit landing gear is spindly and might not hold up long-term (I build an ESA-3A Shadow years ago and used the SAC gear without any problems).

Phase Hangar Resin discontinued all of their traditional cast items in favor of 3-D printing - so their F-14B conversion is no longer available :(

62-301 / My Karma? The Thud with the wrap-around European One scheme?

Wow, that pic of the B undersides is a great weathering reference.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I'm glad you both like it. And the decals were a pleasure to work with 🙂

Tamiya F-35A, using Caracal Model's F-35A International sheet, in Royal Norwegian AF markings 🙂

She's done and in The Display Case 🙂

Here is my 1/48 Tamiya F-35A Lightning, in RNoAF markings. I used a mix of the kit decals and Caracal Model's F-35A International sheet. The PE set for the cockpit was actually for the KH F-35B, but I made some adjustments to make it fit. The seat belts are from Eduard. The Sidewinders are from the kit, as is the GBU-12 Paveway. The GBU-38 JDAM is from the Hasegawa Weapons Set D. The AGM-158 JAASM and GBU-53B SDBs are from Eduard. The Have Glass V paint is from Missin Models. Detail painting was done using Model Master enamels, Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics. My hands weren't steady enou

Been a few years since I went to the SWAMP show, but it was a fun and growing show. Great group of people. The club that puts it on has very few members, if I recall rightly, so they rely on visiting modelers to help out with judging. Their show is running from 10 AM - 4 PM tomorrow, 5/20/23: https://ipmsswamp.org/index.php/CALMEX

Looking good! I hear you on the decals - I used the AOA stencil sheet too. Worked like a charm. But all told, I spent 15 straight evenings decalling my Tamiya F-4B - including all the ordnance, pylons and racks, etc. I had to set mine down for a while to recover from the experience.

Nice 🙂

Nice pics - but no sign of LANTIRN, bombs or racks? I didn't see any markings for those on the decal sheet either 😨