Chappie

Placed an order for the Part 1 sheet because I've got two Kiwi A-12 conversions. Gonna build the prototype and the M-21. BTW Kursad- did you see my email with early F-16 photos? I like this "Early" series and would love to help with an F-16 sheet. Chappie

Good day everyone. I was a regular on ARC for a long time, but I put modeling aside in 2007 to try my hand at warbird journalism. After dozens of articles, one book, and lots for flights with and in some incredible warbirds, a hobby has turned into a part-time job, but I am dipping my toe....just a little..back into modeling and looking to build a 1/48th F-16 collection- one of each Block and one from each country. In the last few weeks I've put together the list of kits and decals I need and have just about obtained them all, except one...... I have not been able to locate a copy of "Vipers: The Next Generation" anywhere. Is anyone hoarding a copy of 48037 that they are willing to sell? Chappie

Fantastic news Kursad. Will surely grab these for future use. Chappie

Alrighty. I will certainly purchase a sheet when they are ready. Thanks!

Hello Kursad! Long time! I've bene out of modeling for about 7 years, but I still have a 32 kits stash that I will get to someday. Two of those kits are 48th SR-71s which have two A-12 conversions and an old Eagles Talon D-12. I see the last post here is July, are these decals out yet? Chappie

Hello everyone. As a former modeler myself I know that modelers are often the best historians when it comes to markings and unit histories. I am working on a story on TBM-3E 91726, which rolled off Trenton's Eastern Aircraft production line on 8/31/1945. It is believed to have gone to British and flew with the FAA in the immediate postwar period. Its USN service didn't start until 1950. Can anyone fill in this gap? Is there a database that cross references USN BuNo and RN serials? My deadline is Monday, so any help wold be appreciated. Chappie

Oh yeah, I know #86 wasn't Pappy's aircraft and that is was only used as a publicity prop, but it does hold a place in Black Sheep history. I bought Bruce Gamle's "Swashbucklers and Black Sheep" last year and it is what sparked a renewed interest in 214. Chappie

Hi Scooby, I did notice some similarities between the sheets, but the Fundekal sheet does not include #86 or #915. It is an amazing sheet though. Extremely detailed. It even includes and aircraft from little-known VMF-441. It was recently discovered that the F4U-1A BuNo 17799 at the Planes of Fame Museum saw combat with that squadron in 1943. Chappie

Thanks Larry. I did find that site after I posted this message. Quite a few gems from the past on that site. Chappie

Hello again everyone, I've been out of modeling for almost a decade now, but I still have my 27 kit stash in the attic that I will get to.....someday. I am looking for two old Cutting Edge decal sheets in 1/48th scale. 48-226, which includes several of Boynton's Corsairs 48-267, which includes a Korean War-era VMF-214 F4U-4B. Anyone have one or both of these for sale? Cheers and Happy New Year, Chappie

Thanks for all the replies fellas and thanks Phantom of the congrats. I just finished a 60+ hour work week which is why I haven't been here to check on responses. Since I know the Hasegawa kit so well I'll just look around the internet for a B or D model and pick up a resin cockpit set. I'm not worried about weapons, we were only carrying a single inert AIM-9L on Sta 9, but we were also loaded with 210 rails on 2 & 8, WWP on 3 & 7, wing tanks, and a C/L pylon. What I want to do is attempt a Ken Middleton-style mount where I pose the jet in a vertical climb. That was the most impressive part of the flight- full burner take-off, holding the jet down on the deck while we accelerated to the end of the runway and then stood her on her tail and went straight up to 17,000. My pilot was one of the pilots that got airborne over DC on 9/11. Pretty cool stuff. I don't have a photo hosting site or whatever they are called otherwise I'd post a few photos of the flight plus some shots of my warbird A2A photo flights. Thanks for the assistance. I'll be around. Cheers, Chappie

Fan-damn-tastic conversion. Well done. Chappie

Good afternoon gentlemen, In four days it will be official- my retirement from the ANG. Come September 1, 2014 I will have served 21 years 3 months 11 days. The highlights of my career was kicking off OIF in 2003, and the second and by far the biggest was my F-16 Incentive Flight in F-16D 85-509 up in Cold Lake in 2005. Experienced a max performance climb, took the stick for some akro, and punched through the sonic barrier and up to 1.22 Mach. I'd like to build a model of that jet and asking what would be the simplest way to build a 1/48th small mouth Block 30 D-model. I've been out of the hobby for 7 years and back then I was building Hasegawa kits and purchased two of the then-new Tamiya F-16C. I'm not getting back into the hobby, my new one is keeping me very busy, I'd just like to know the best way to go w/o a lot of resin, PE, etc. Don't need decals either, when I flew the jet, it had just come back from depot and wore only its serial number. Chappie

Good day everyone, I"m researching the Tupolev Tu-2 and looking for any books that cover the type, especially combat ops during WWII and Korea. I've already ordered Andrei Tupolev's memoir and 'Tupolev: The Man and His Aircraft'. Anyone else have suggestions on where to gather information on this aircraft? Chappie

Ahhhhh.....the Good Ole Days of the Cold War with the U.S. and Soviets with thousands of nukes pointed at each other and F-15s in Air Superiority Gray and color national insignia. Things were so much simpler back then. Chappie