eharrold44

I'm part of the target market for the P-40- love 'em- and even I think it's redundant to release another P-40E. All the bases are mostly already covered on that one. Want one that builds up nice out of the box, at a decent price point? Hasegawa. Want a cheap kit that provides a nice starting point for scratchbuilding and superdetailing? There are a TON of AMT and AMtech Warhawks still floating around out there. If it's around $20 and better than the AMtech I might pick one up, but the price has to be right. I don't want to get too down on a company putting out all-new molds, and I appre

Wonderful work. The shading looks great, and the attention to detail is superb. The wear on the tires and the fine wire work on the undercarriage really adds to the realism. Great subject, BTW!

I've been researching some colors for two models- a Pearl Harbor SB2U Vindicator, and a USAAC P-35. I'm having some trouble nailing down exactly which paints I should look into. The Vindicator is supposed to be gray (Neutral Gray is what it was called, IIRC), while the P-35 is the USAAC Olive Drab over gray scheme. I know there were a million different shades of Olive Drab, depending on who built the bird and how it weathered, prior to 1943. I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up custom mixing that one, unless someone more knowledgeable than I can make a suggestion or correct me on it. I was

I always smash my tripod and accessories after I'm done shooting for the day. It's standard practice for any serious photographer, though I prefer to use a sledge instead of a common hammer.

Varyag herself won't pose a serious security threat to any of the major naval powers. On her own she's not a game changer, not in the slightest- though she could potentially be trotted out in a regional conflict with a lesser country as a show of force. It'll be interesting to see is if this is the beginning of a serious carrier program, though. China's been moving towards carrier development at a glacial pace, but it's something they've been wanting to do for a long time. This is just another small (but meaningful) step in that direction. While I do think China could potentially develop

Military action and a possible war with Iran over a lost drone is highly unlikely, especially since no one has any idea how valuable it will be to them. So, that leaves official and back channel diplomacy, which probably won't work. If anything, we'll get the thing back in several large containers sometime around 2014.

My order arrived okay. It shipped pretty quickly, given how slammed they probably were. HB F4F-4 mask, Eduard Yak-1 PE, Aeromaster F-16 Barak decals, and some 1/48 ammo belts- all correct and nicely packaged. I'm not excusing the incorrect shipments anyone here received, but like I said- I'm sure they were slammed. That was a heck of a sale they had going.

I can believe Iran had something to do with the drone's disappearance. "Hacking" sounds like something that requires a ton of technical expertise, but often that's not the case. Some hacks are insanely simple; a hacker recently gained access to Mark Zuckerberg's private pictures on Facebook simply by exploiting a bug that lets you see all of a user's photos if you flag one of them for inappropriate material. It was so easy, anyone with knowledge of the bug could have done it. As Jay said, it's possible that something as simple as broad spectrum jamming could have caused the drone to cras

I'd suggest the Monogram P-51B/D kit for practice. It's small, the panel lines are fairly simple, and you'll be out $15 max if you mess it up. I'm using one for scribing practice at the moment. The Trumpy rivet tool is okay for the price, it looks like it'll do an acceptable job if you're patient with it. The flimsy plastic construction and the irregular shapes it makes are the main negatives, but the shape of the rivets looks fine at normal viewing distances IMO. I tried it out on a scrap piece of styrene and had some modest success with it.

Cyrus, it's pictures like yours that keep me going. Very inspiring work! As frustrating as it can be for me, seeing the work others have done makes me think more and more that scribing is one of the absolute indispensable skills to have as a modeler. It costs nothing other than time, the expense of Dymo tape, and the initial investment in relatively inexpensive tools- and it vastly improves the look of just about any model. It can really turn a solid build into a great one. The only risk (as I'm finding out) is that once you start, especially on a kit with raised lines, there's no goi

So I finally discovered Cockpit Detailing Zen a few months ago. I've gotten to the point where installing wires, drilling instrument panels, and painting fine details is smooth and relaxing. I just can't get into that mindset when it comes to scribing, though. It's such a huge undertaking on 1/48 jets, and my impatient nature is constantly getting me into trouble. I rush, I apply too much pressure, the scriber wanders off the guide, and I end up making a mess of most of the kits I attempt. It's very frustrating. I know how to scribe, and I do it well when I take my time, but it's just

My Hobby Lobby marked down a ton of the Tamiya kits (mostly Swordfish, Vipers and Zeroes) and replaced them with Trumpy 1/72 and Revell 1/48 stuff once the shelves became depleted. I'm guessing the same thing will eventually happen everywhere.

Excellent work on the panel wash and the subtle shading- the canopy looks flawless, as well! Great paint job and attention to detail!

I've never liked the pre-war, yellow wings USN paint jobs. I love colorful Navy birds, but those schemes were a bit much. Heck, you can throw in just about every paint job ever applied to a P-26 while you're at it.

This is a great idea. I like to look for deals on eBay, but I'd love to see a specialized market like this one take off and serve as a viable alternative. I just registered.

The Kinetic Vipers were tempting, but I only ordered a handful of aftermarket bits. Yak-1 details, ammo belts, some masks. Can't really afford to spend too much with most of my Christmas shopping yet to be done.

I'm looking through the catalog, but they're out of a lot of the things I've had on my wish list. Is anyone else doing Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials? Sprue Brothers has a discount on aftermarket accessories. That's the only other one I know of.

In the last week- -Eduard PE for the Hobbycraft P-35. Got it for a good price, and it should look great with the kit. -Another AM Dauntless. Specifically, the New Zealand SBD-4 boxing. It's my 4th Dauntless so far. I'd stop buying them if there weren't so many bargains to be found on eBay. Can't resist a good deal on an SBD.

My dad served on the Saratoga with VF-31 during that time period. He came on a few months before Flynn was relieved. He says he doesn't remember there being black walkways there at that time. BTW, Kudos for doing a VF-31 bird! I'm about to start working on one myself as a Christmas gift for my dad.

Pretty much anything that won't scratch the surface or leave any sort of residue will do. I would think latex gloves would be fine, though I've never used them myself.

Have you tried this? It's similar to Tamiya tape in thickness, pliability and tackiness, but it feels a bit rubbery and stretchable. Might do the trick. 3M Artist Tape for Curves I found it at Hobby Lobby in the section with the drafting supplies, so I imagine it's available in pretty much any big box hobby store.

I think it's easy to get tunnel vision when you want to do one thing- lightening holes in interior detail, seat belt buckles, ammo belts, etc.- you convince yourself that the one tool/PE set that will make a job easier will see a ton of use. But there isn't much need for lightening holes if your next projects are all mostly out-of-the-box modern jets, and there's even less need for a WWII .50 cal from that big PE set.

Couple of suggestions/questions: 1.) Did you wash the kit pieces prior to assembly and painting? Most plastic kits probably still have some remnants of a mold release agent on them when you first take them out of the box. Thoroughly cleaning the kit parts should be Step 1, if you haven't been doing it already. 2.) Avoid handling the model with bare fingers. I think no matter how much you clean your hands, you'll still probably leave some amount of skin oil on the painted surface. Always handle with soft gloves or some other soft, non-reactive material. I tend to use lens cleaning cloths

I totally understand how daunting the idea of rescribing a model can be, but I say go for it! It's a pretty cheap way to vastly improve the look of certain kits. The cost of the tools is minimal; I use a needle scriber I bought for less than $10. Even if you go all out and invest in a couple of different types of scribers, a stock of Dymo (thick labeling machine) tape and some templates, you're still not going to break the bank. Here's a nice how-to guide to get you started, if you ever feel like giving it a shot: Rescribing Panel Lines That being said, rescribing isn't going to be th

I applied most of the markings. The decals are a mix of the kit's (US insignia) and an Aeromaster set. I used white vinegar as a setting solution, waited 24 hours for them to cure, and then hit them with some Micro Sol. Micro Sol is wonderful stuff; the decals on the cowl snuggled down nicely after application. Great product.