crackerjazz

Thanks, phamtom. No worries, Steve, you should do the same. The 1/32 is unwieldy enough for me I can only imagine what the 1/18 is like. Thanks, Youngtiger, I'll need all the luck I can get : ) I did work on some 1/32 models but I'm notorious for abandoning builds when I'm overwhelmed. If I manage to pull off the rescribing work it will be a good sign that I'll pull through : )

Thanks Steve and Mr. Happy! : ) Glad to document my adventures and misadventures, Mr Happy : ) I wanted to modify the wings to make them detachable like those on the 1/48. It will aid a lot in painting and transportation. I stared at the wing mechanism for the longest time trying to figure out how to go about it. I figured the arc-shaped gear and the pivot have to be a single part. So I covered the back and filled the gap with layers of CA+baking soda which cures instantly and is super strong. I then opened this up

Worked on removing those thicker panels on the sides of the fuse. I'd been wondering about how to go about it. I started with a file then I remembered I had a sanding tool.. What it looked like before: Also did the other side: Will just scratchbuild those pitot tube base plates (?) that got sanded off in the process. And here's what it looked like before:

Hi Bastian, thanks! Steve, thanks, I haven't decided on the squadron yet. I was kind of thinking scruffy grey... again : ) JackMan, yeah, not sure what Tamiya had in mind doing a mix of raised and recessed panel lines. It's hard to believe that somebody presented the plan in a boardroom before production and everyone agreed : ) I was worried about the piano hinges on the engine bay doors, some forward fuselage doors and wing undersides as they're the hardest to rescribe but thankfully they're well represented.

I've been away from modeling for a good year I think. I feel quite out of touch and wanted to work on stuff again. I found a good deal on the local ads for a Tamiya 1/32 F-14 that's been started which I thought I might breathe some life into. I remember staring longingly at one of these kits at the hobby shop as a kid. The only 1/32 Tomcat I could save up enough money for was the Revell one. The guy I bought it from said he started this back in the 80s so that's 40-year-old paint and tamiya tape : ) He already did the co

Was trying to resolve the bobbing issue. I think I've found a way. Some flat bars are harder to bend and cut than others. This would have made a great single-piece stand but bending it made my tennis elbow flare up. And somehow I couldn't drill into it. Tried different types of bits, even cobalt ones and nothing. It must have been manufactured using with some alien technology : ) I had to go back to my original one and just added a support bar in front.

Cool shot, Jeff, thanks! : ) This would look great in cofee. And it must be interesting to be at the controls of that boom.

Hi mb1k thanks - here's the link. Didn't get to finish mine in the group build so i had to start a different thread for it.

Hi Alex, thanks for checking in on my little project. My modelling life has been languishing of late but hopefully I can get back to it soon. There was so much I wanted to do that nothing got done : )

Killer stuff, Elmo! : ) The ultra-realism is incredible.

Thanks Gregg! : ) You get a nice aroma at first, then the smell turns sour for couple weeks as it gasses, I think, which fades away and goes back to the faint coffee smell as it candies. I'm still looking for a good fixative to seal it off completely, though : )

The drill bit went off center and ate through the side of a bezel and had to fix it. I wondered about that empty section on top of the center console. I had to move the whole panel upward to match reference pics. I also cut off a portion of the lower part of the front panel to fix the shape.

Hi I have some kits in the stash that will just take too much time to build. And since I just don't see myself having all that time to finish the stash anymore I just want to be able to build a portion of the kits at least. I'm almost always drawn to the cockpits so maybe I'll build those as they're often worth displaying on their own, especially with the advent of detailed printed instrument panels -- it's just a pity they practically disappear when you close up fuselage halves. I'm gonna try building this Huey cockpit with the goal of displaying it as a little subassembly. I'll also pr

Lovely work! Those engines look incredible!