redcorvette

Got my replacement decals in the mail on Saturday. Thanks, Mark.

The adhesive in that generation of Monogram decals was pressure sensitive and you needed to gently press them down with a damp paper towel once they were positioned correctly. The opposite of the "Micro Scale system", where you were told never to touch them and let the solutions do the work. The white adhesive wasn't a problem to clean off. I just made sure to use distilled water to avoid any staining. Mark

I emailed Mark about getting a set of replacement set of decals and he responded to me right away and committed to send the replacements out as soon as he received them. Can't ask for anymore than that. Stuff happens, it's how you respond that matters. Mark

I loved the old "box scale" Revell and Monogram kits. The Revell kit had opening cockpits and a removable engine and the Monogram had a spring to eject the bomb out the rear. Great stuff for the mid-60's! Mark

Sometimes caused by using tap water when you apply decals or from excess decal adhesive. The iron, minerals and other stuff in the water can eventually cause spots. I have a gallon jug of distilled water that I used for decals and try to rinse and clean the entire surface off thoroughly before applying any overcoats. Hard to remove once they appear without some aggressive polishing and/or sanding with subsequent retouching. Mark

This is a "gen one" Hasegawa F-4J that I built back in the late 70's or early 80's. It had decals for VF-31 and VF-96's Showtime 100 (which was the box art). It came with four sparrows, two bullpups, MER's for the outboard pylons and a "squashed" centerline tank. Cockpit was a one-piece tub similar to the old Revell kit. Lots and lots of inaccuracies, including a thin 'B' wing, tons of raised rivets, and oleo struts that appeared to be molded in the extended position. Speculation at the time was that they had used in-flight photos with unloaded landing gear when they designed the too

When I was a student at Purdue back in the mid-70's, the Blues did a show in their J's at the Purdue airport. One of my fraternity brothers, who was an aeronautical engineering major, happened to be at the airport when they arrived. He got to chat with them for a few minutes and in the course of the conversation, mentioned that we were having a party at the fraternity house that evening. Later that same evening there was a knock at the door - none other than the Blues! They worked the room, obviously in recruiting mode (and abstaining from any alcohol), for about 20-30 minutes then headed

I've always loved the Revell kit. I couldn't afford the Tamiya kit when it first came out, so the Revell kit was a Godsend from a price standpoint. The general shape is correct and it has engraved panel lines. The seats in the original Revell release were very basic, but the later post Monogram merger releases had nice scaled up seats from the 1:48 Monogram Tomcat. The detail on the LG and wells was a little light, but in 1:32 present a great basis for some scratch-building. Still have several in my stash. Mark

Brush and roller touch-up painting is permitted under Navy specs. I've only seen it done a few times, mostly in tight internal areas or when spraying wasn't permitted or practical. Mark

The original release of the 1:72 Monogram kit from the 60's had a 'working' rotary bomb bay with a nuclear weapon and a spring-loaded ejection seat & hinged canopy. No other weapons or pylons. It was later re-released with the bomb bay molded closed and the spring and trigger for the ejection seat also eliminated. Two outer wing pylons were added with M-117 style bombs. No center pylon. Completely different kit than the later scaled-down version of their 1:48 kit. Mark

Cunningham was a talented pilot, but his other "issues" go way back to his time in the Navy. Mark

If not being a jerk was a criteria for producing decal sheets, then there would never have been any decals of Randy Cunningham's Showtime 100. Mark

Thanks, Alex. Mark

The instruction sheet mentions the need to "deepen" or "remove' material on the kit parts to make the PE parts fit properly. Without seeing it first-hand, my initial thoughts about the large lower fuselage piece would be to use the kit part as a template to form the bend (after sanding off any raised detail) and then cutting away most of the plastic and using some mounting tabs and/or shims to get a flush fit with the PE part. Removing material from the surface of the kit part to get a large PE like that to fit flush & square would be a very challenging and time-consuming task. I've mad

I've used both the True Detail and Quickboost seats. IMHO, the detail on the Quickboost is a bit better, but the True Detail seats are less expensive. If cost was no object, I'd go with the Brassin seats, but I've got way too many F-4's in the stash to make that economically viable. Mark

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing. Mark

Found the instruction sheet tonight. I'll get it scanned tomorrow. Mark

I've got one in my stash someplace. I won't be able to look for it until this weekend, but can get it for you then. Mark

Just got my Blue Angels helmet delivered today. Very pleased with it. Going to look great displayed next to the Blue Angel F-4J currently on my workbench. Mark

No need to apologize for anything as far as I am concerned Brian. You produce a great, high-quality product. I always look forward to you new releases. Keep up the good work. Mark

I haven't built one (I'm primarily a Navy guy), but I was always under the impression that the Revell kit was the best 1:48 F-15E on the market. (I built the Hasegawa 1:72 kit years ago and know that was basically a F-15B with some bomb racks included.) If not the Revell kit, then what's the best option in 1:48th? Mark

With the straight probe the pilot would kick in a little right rudder when backing out of the basket so the resulting yaw would hopefully direct the fuel spray outboard of the intake. Didn't always work. Mark

I'm in the same club. I've always used Dullcoat and Glosscoat thinned with generic lacquer thinner and have never had a problem with it damaging decals. I usually will dust several light coats using my trusty old Badger airbrush. As mentioned previous, it is important to let the decals dry thoroughly before overcoating them. I usually wait 2-3 days. Mark

I haven't done any contests for about ten years. I used to do pretty well locally and at regional IPMS contests. One of the main reasons I lost interest in competing was that I realized I was building more towards what I knew the judges were looking for as opposed to how I really wanted to build. I also found myself purposely entering models in some of the more obscure categories so I might have a better chance to win a trophy. I'm a slow builder by nature and felt that having to meet a show deadline often forced me to compromise on how I really wanted to complete a model at times. I

I've got of stack of Revell Tomcats in my stash just waiting... :D Mark