VADM Fangschleister
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Posts posted by VADM Fangschleister
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I bought some 1/48 3D printed BDU-33's off eBay, not knowing that Dave Roof was the vendor.
Such excellent service. Got here well-packaged and intact quite quickly. Way to go, Dave!🤜🤛
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On 5/21/2025 at 2:14 PM, dai phan said:
I live in Blythewood and it is within minutes from Columbia. There is one Hobby Town 326 St. Andrew Road, Columbia SC. Not too well stocked the last time I was there years ago. Dai
I went there a few months ago. January or February I think. It is under new ownership and stock is slow-to-appear but he hoped to be fully up-and-running by now, May/Jun 2025.
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Chris,
Do what matters to you. Take care of your health first, everything else comes second. You made a mark on the plastic model aftermarket scene and many, including myself are very grateful for your application of extreme talent to the industry. May God help you in your challenges and allow you the abilities to make the models you want to. You're a fine, decent human-being and you gave so much of yourself to this hobby. Be well.
Fang
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This comes with a very sad story. Years ago, I managed to find a more-or-less intact Verkuyl solid aluminum Jetstar in 1/50 scale. It came from Mexico and, had various nicks, bends and such and the paint was atrociously scratched as well as the wings no longer joined to the fuselage. I pondered for some time, knowing that it had some shape issues and decided to just clean it up, fix the damage using epoxy putty after stripping it completely, reshape the front of the midwing tanks, add the "+" intake splitters and make a base for it. Here it is, as far as I got on it.
It went into storage in 2019 while I moved to Kansas from South Carolina to work at Flight Safety. It was a tumultuous time and I hated Kansas with every fiber of my being though I tried very hard not to. It was a great job but all my things were 1000 miles away and the company had no inclination to move my stuff for me. Just as well, since COVID blew it all up and the 180 instructors they'd hired since 2018 got let go.
Upon my return to South Carolina, I learned one of my storage units had been auctioned off due to a "clerical error" and all my projects, plus my model stash along with family heirlooms, jewelry, photos of my daughter, etc. were all gone. Also, two very expensive RC EDF's that had never been flown. I was livid. Got ten cents on the dollar for the value of everything.
But part of the casualties was this Verkuyl Jetstar model, probably now in the toy bin of some drooling mouth-breather kid who tossed it around and destroyed it, running it over with his tricycle. I shouldn't be that way but I'm bitter about it.
This is what motivates me to learn CAD and print a 1/48 model of it and one that's well-done, very accurate and can offer it as a kit to others. Life comes at ya fast. Stupid people will destroy your dreams and you have to hold fast and move on. I tend to suck at that but I try. I want it all back. However, I'm alive and can recover from it all. Who knows? Maybe I'll make the definitive model of this machine yet, eh? Who's with me? :-)
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On 10/20/2024 at 7:29 PM, Drifterdon said:
I forgot to mention that years ago Combat Models did a vac kit of the 106 in 1/32. I used to have one but 1/32 wasn't my scale so I sold it off.
I saw that kit. Combat kits are very labor intensive but the results are worth every bit of effort. They have a terrific list of unusual subjects and I almost pulled the trigger to get one of the F-106 and a few others. Decided not to for reasons unknown.
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My own bucket list still consists of a 1/32 F-106. Yes, it would be big but about the size of Monogram's 1/48 B-58. So, not impossible.
I'm still on the CAD tutorials. The process is the punishment...ha-ha. Eventually, maybe by 2050, I'll have proficiency and find out that everything I know is obsolete. One can hope, eh?
Tech moves so fast that I can hardly keep up. I was a kid when digital tech arrived, I was in my teens using the high school computer that could use either BAISC or FORTRAN and...then in 1992 I got my first PC, a 386, then a 486, then it went vertical again and now, I'm left in the dust with a short budget and a prehistoric laptop. Sheesh.
However, it's all been good and plastic modeling will gradually see the paradigm move to buying the files or the kit from vendors who have created some very good models.
Now, if we could just get Testors Model Master enamels back. :-/
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On 10/14/2024 at 2:51 AM, Drifterdon said:
Since my last post, we've gotten a really nice 1/48 AH-1 Cobra. Now someone needs to do an equally nice 1/48 HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helo.
And a 1/48 Grumman F11F Tiger would be nice too.
I'm with ya on the F11F
Perhaps those in the 3D CAD-O-SPHERE might find it a worthy project.
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Okay....Back in 2016 I made some noise about getting back to this. From that moment, everything blew up in my world. Now I'm retired and have gotten my man-cave in my last and final home. It's one thing I definitely want to get finished before I shuffle off my mortal coil. There were many moves, issues with a storage facility that auctioned off a large portion of my stash and personal property due to a "clerical error". I got ten cents on the dollar for the value of what was, essentially, stolen from me. Guitars, furniture, family heirlooms and....my stash collected over some many years. The other storage unit still had my "other" stash, and remained complete.
Somehow the Anigrand monstrosity in 1/72 scale survived. I last touched it in 2011. Where did the time go? However, I have re-discovered it, have been accumulating some resources to get back on it and it needs to be completed. Vidar, the putty I used is auto-body pinhole filler, and from 2016 to now, the part where I used it is not cracked, split or shrunken. Maybe you thought I was using the other "red stuff" that does that. This stuff adheres to anything and retains its molecular stability for years. Maybe in 50 years it will crack but I kind of doubt it.
Biggest gripe is that Testors Model Master paints are gone. I had a large collection of them, first using them in about 1983 or so. I have decided on Vallejo acrylics and that will have to do. I also have learned how to make some decent decals via a very nice graphics program and experience making watch dials. I also found something really cool online that will help make a real nice cockpit. It should fit the bill nicely.
The cockpit is an area that is nothing short of vague and empty. I've already begun working the coaming on the right side to match it up with the left that was done one and a half decades ago. Shelf of doom? Heh. More a simple case of life getting smack-dab in the way of everything.
Again, if this doesn't materialize, feel free to yell at me. I've got plenty of time now.
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Much Obliged, SWO, looks pretty good. Yep, much to add but having a starting place to work from helps a lot.
Thank you.
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The goal for the KH F9F-8 Cougar is a third-wire trap diorama but I need the base with a 1950's wooden deck and the wires up.
I've seen some of the offerings but except for scratchbuilding one, I don't know if there's one available. Plus, if I do have to SB it, I need lots of ref photos for all the surrounding details.
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I've seen this kit on eBay going for considerable sums and noting that there's no aftermarket items for it. However, it's a unique footnote in Canadian aircraft manufacturing history and a significant, albeit terminated, milestone. Along with their four-engine jetliner, it never got very far and it still astounds me why it was directed that every piece of evidence of its existence be destroyed. But, fear of soviet theft was probably very real though, locking up all the paperwork was so hard it couldn't be done or that nobody could be trusted to manage it?
Anyhow, I was considering getting this kit for future building frustration, though I may re-think that. This is due to becoming fascinated with it based on the 1990's TV miniseries/movie with Dan Akroyd in it. They really had something there and like all promising technology that was canceled, it's a bit depressing. Still, it has a loyal fan-base.
Is there any aftermarket for it at all? Decals? Detailed photos for the general public? Seems the scrubbing of the machine was fairly thorough but does that mean the outlines of the plastic kit are just a "best guess". I mean, take one to a contest and no judge can critique it because there's no documentation, right? LOL
Discuss......
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17 hours ago, habu2 said:
I can't tell if this is a legitimate first post by a new member or if it's thinly veiled spam for the RC company in the link. OP hasn't been back since making that first post.
Well, if it's an advert, it could be worse. At least it's model related and I give credence to the notion because it's not a static display model. Still, it's kinda cool. Did not notice the one-post poster. Good catch.
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Gareth! Noice, mate!
Nothing beats a Spitty, ever. Hope you get many good flights from it. Have not seen one with floats in this foamy RC universe as yet. Very cool.
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3 hours ago, Gary F said:
I believe the second wave is just that Squadron got some of the KH kits and sold out and now a second wave of the kits will be arriving in near future.
Several other retailers/online stores have been getting KH kits lately.I see. Well, NOS is okay.
I’m still jonesing for that 1/32 F-106 someday that Trumpy was gonna do, then KH. Looks like I’m gonna have to 3D it. Also someday.
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3 hours ago, Spruemeister said:
Most of them are coming back.
Would you happen to know the story on this? Storm Factory got the 1/32 F-5F molds but is second wave a new kitmaker? Marketer?
Been away for a bit and out-of-the-loop. Is there a thread somewhere. Thanks for the heads up. 👍🏻
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Huzzah! At last, The market (I think) was sufficiently saturated with this kit to bring the price down on remaining NOS and available ones. I finally got a 'sub-$100' Cougar off of eBay for $60 + shipping. There were others offered at 'buy-it-now' prices for $50 but I didn't see them until I had already submitted my bid. Someone did do the sniping thing in the last 30 seconds and I often wonder if the sellers have different accounts to raise the bid price on an otherwise static, no-bid-action on an item....
Well, anyway, it arrived last week and I want to do a dk sea blue bird, possibly on a carrier deck. I think I need an Essex class wooden deck, no? I see some nice aftermarket items out there but may have o scratchbuild since my budget is low. Or, time for the same reason. I had entertained the notion of a third-wire trap with the bird still in the air just slightly before 'impact' with some nifty/stout engineering with piano wire but that may prove impractical and result in creative use of clear lucite or similar. Haven't decided.
I have been bird-dogging this kit for years, ever since KH went OOB. Now, the new low price may ('may') mean that someone is popping it again under the Storm moniker?
As another completely unrelated subject, I still have my 1/72 Anigrand Lockheed Jetstar on the shelf-of-doom, awaiting more activity. It has been over a decade while life got in the way. So much has happened. Several moves, deaths, medical confrontations and more but I still think it would be nifty cool to finish. The latest hurdle was my stash was 'accidentally' auctioned off, along with about $20k worth of other property due to a 'clerical error' at my storage facility in South Carolina. A great many highly collectible and rare kits were sold off, whereabouts unknown. I did all the legal inquiries and it seems the storage facility did all the proper legal things and we settled for pennies on the dollar. But I am out some really cool kits along with family heirlooms and more. There were also tons of 1960's/70's pop-culture TV shows on DVD along with photos of my daughter in her youngest years.
*sigh*
But enough about that. Move on...the modeling world is my oyster and I'm retired, have my man-cave almost configured and the watchmaking has come to a halt. Hyperinflation has put a stop to people buying 'frivolous-nice-to-have' things and I'm at a work stoppage X two years on that.
However, and also, I have my crealty 3D printer and am STILL struggling to learn computer drafting to make some things that nobody will ever make a kit of. Among them are some utterly cool 1960's first generation business jets. Everyone ogles the Lears. I have my sights set in a different direction.
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8 hours ago, Shaw said:
Actually, I don't know where that one is, but the other one (encased in Lucite) is part of the Smithsonian's collection. Here is some of my research on those models...
They seemed rather fragile, so I'm not sure the one outside the Lucite would still be around... but if it is, it counts as both prop and studio model (having represented the Enterprise in "The Doomsday Machine").
Very cool. I did not know it was used in The Doomsday Machine but it makes sense for all the forced perspective things they had to do. Your rendition of the replica is aces! Might even do a 'shop of yourself in a similar pose as The Great Bird Of The Galaxy with your model properly positioned. No, I'm not being snarky. Just something fun to bring smiles.
In other news, and possibly due to intrusive algorithms in my web searches, a metal replica of the Cat's Paw Enterprise appeared in my eBay feed and I bought it. Made by a feller in the UK. Not as precise as the original but not bad and not too expensive ($30 w/shipping) and should be here in January some time.
Glad the Lucite-encased model still exists. You may be right that the 'unsecured' one simply got broken. However, with all that said, I think that the Enterprise was and is simply the most iconic of science-fiction creations. If I remember correctly, everyone wanted something believable and 'serious' and not some cartoonish/ridiculous creation. Something that people would accept as a logical creation that had functionality. Granted, some of it is quite fantastic but in the very best of ways. Matt Jeffries was a national treasure.
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Very excellent reporting.
Now tell us where this one went:
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On 11/10/2023 at 7:17 PM, Dave Williams said:
I expect the 999 price is a placeholder that will get updated as the kits get closer to release. If you look at the 50002 kit, the AH/MH-6 kit, it’s showing 258 yen for the full kit and 20-30 yen for individual sprues or the decal sheet.
My advice would be to just be patient. If you really want something, preorder from Squadron. They don’t charge you until it comes in, so if it never arrives, you aren’t out any money.
Wellllll goll-durnnit! I BEEN patient a'waitin' fer these dang critters ta come back, sheriff! My patience is a'wearin' mighty thin these days. Ain't much I can do 'bout it though. Jest don't like waitin' is all. Shucks.
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I've been following the F9F-8 single seat on eBay for some years now. Prices on the Bay varied widely but nothing I could afford/was willing to pay for. The listing for this new mfr shows it at ¥ 999 which is about $140 US but I think since lots of their kits have this amount, it may just be a 'place-holder' or approximation. In any case, $140 is a lot but considerably less than what's being asked on eBay. Would love to see it under $100 but that is likely a pipe-dream. Should have bought the Cougar and the F-101B when first offered.
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Looks pretty nice. Nice effort on the fan blades, something nobody else seemed willing to tackle to that level. Nose also looks really good. As "slow" as kit production is these days, the ones coming out seem to be setting a better standard. The old argument of them being in the money business and making kits that have a wide appeal still holds as they need to make money to stay in business. So the off-chances of seeing this quality in a 1AB1F2 Wifferdill is unlikely.
Still Jonesing for the Trumpeter 1/32 F-106 they promised in 2003. :-/
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I had a long ago brief email exchange with Trumpeter back in the early 2000's about a 1/32 F-106. The respondent told me that Trumpeter would definitely be producing that kit. I do not intend to make this a wish list entry...the emails really happened. Then, I believe Kitty Hawk intended to do a 1/32 T-38 but went OOB. Their 1/32 F-5F has the complicated canopy bits...and I would guess that although the two aircraft are completely different, the canopy bits are almost identical.
VMFAT-501 SgtMaj Retirement Gift
in In-Progress Pics
Posted
So how did it turn out, sir?