Sgt Spooky

I normally use Testors MM Light and Dark Ghost Greys for my Hornet builds, but ran out the other day and decided to use Tamiya AS-25 LGG and AS-26 DGG to paint a current build. I did a test spray and it looked okay, so I went ahead and painted the model. After it all dried, I noticed that the DGG looked very blue. I placed it next to a previous build in which I used MM colors, and the difference was distinct. The MM greys looked grey with no color tints, only lighter or darker. The Tamiya greys both had distinctive blue tints to them to the point where they don't even look grey. I read somewhe

You mean like this? E-bay link

Just to add on to this, C and D models also have 3 antenna blisters on each side of the forward fuselage: 1 below the windscreen just under the LEX, 1 just above and midway back of the nose formation light, and 1 below the nose formation light before the nose cone area. You can see it clearly here. The standard A and B models only had the 1 antenna blister below the nose slime light.

SOLD.. Thanks for all the interest

PM sent

I trying to see if anyone can point me in the right direction on this. I've run into a snag with my current builds with some crew names and modex's. The crew names and modex's on these builds need to be customized, but the only place I could get them printed locally (with ALPS or Laser) no longer does waterslide decal printing. Anyone know if there is a business online or is there someone that can help me out with this? I tried doing it with my inkjet setup, but it doesn't come out right with small lettering.

I've got both the Black Box and Wolfpack sets, for my ATARS bird I got in my pipeline for later this year. With the dry fitting I've done for it so far, the Black Box seems to line up better, but it doesn't have any clear parts for the camera housing, while the Wolfpack set does. I may end up using the Wolfpack set just for that reason, since the clear parts won't fit on the black box set and my Wolfpack set isn't that far off that a little filler and sanding wont fix. The Wolfpack set has some extras for that I won't need for my bird though, like the dual C/F dispensers. I'm going to be usin

Cool beans guys. Thanks. Will pick them up today on the way into work.

Does anyone know if the 1/48 Ace Rafale kits are reboxes of the Revell kits or are they knockoffs? Just curious since I saw both a B and M kit in my LHS on sale for 10 bucks a piece and was wondering if they would be worth the pick up.

This is a retool of the retooled F kit boxed as EA-18G from back in 2005 or so. It doesn't have a speed brake and this boxing adds more specific EA-18G parts. The original 2005 EA-18G boxing was based on the concept demonstrator (even the decals were for the concept deomonstrator) and left out some of the production aircraft antenna (IFF pizza box, saddle antenna on spine, etc.), and still had the gun ports on the nose. This newer boxing adds is supposed to bring the tooling to production aircraft standard.

Ken, Nice looking build. How did you create the gun ports on the nose? I tried using a small drill to create them on this kit in the past but couldn't quite get the angle right.

Title says it all. Looking for 2 sets of 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18 'A' tails. Associated rudders (Parts C7 and C8) and stiffening cleats(Parts B14 thru B19) would also be appreciated, but the tails themselves are the main pieces I need. Please send a PM if you have these parts leftover or spares you'd be willing to sell or part with.

May have to get a hold of them somehow then. Like to see how they look next to my scratch built ones.

Thanks for all the input on this guys. I've decided to go with the loadout Jim's friend provided: 1 - AIM-9M 2 - 2 x Mk 82/Mk 43 TDD 3 - Fuel Tank 4 - AAS-38 FLIR 5 - 2 x Mk 82/Mk 43 TDD 6 - AIM-7 7 - Fuel Tank 8 - 2 x Mk 82/Mk 43 TDD 9 - AIM-9M The trick will be modifiying the Mk 82s with rounded noses so that they will appear to have Mk 43 TDD fuzes and still be proper length Still running into an issue with decals though. I looked at the decals from the Hasegawa kit, and they are pretty much the same as the ones I have except for a different BuNo (163119) Modex (301), and the cor

Hmm.. overwhelming majority of Alclad so far. Guess I will try it out.

They are the Testors decals from the mid/late 80's releases of the F/A-18 A/B and RF-18D kits. My particular sheet is the 1989 'RF-18D' sheet. I decided to use them since it was the closest I could find to how they were painted during Desert Shield/Storm. They aren't the best, but are in suprisingly great shape considering they are 20+ years old and I gotta use what I have available. If they don't work out, I at least have enough data to paint on the tail stripes, VALIONS and VFA-15 lettering. I can swipe the lions from an A-7 kit if needed and I also have a few stencil sets I can use should I

I'm sure this has been debated many times before and everyone swears up and down with their particular choice on this, but I'm looking for some opinions on the best brand for natural metal finish color for aircraft. Later on this year I'm doing a USAF F-86F-10 and since this aircraft will be from the Korean War era, I need some advice on the best brand and color. Application method would be airbrush.. no spray cans.

Maybe I'm wrong, but are those Durandals next the GBU-12s on the stores sprue?

Wow, Thanks. Always nice to get the straight dope from an actual source. Looks like I have an option then as I do have some spare 82's I can round off to look like they have Mk 43 fuses. Jim, your friend wouldn't have happened to have been the pilot of aircraft 304 would he? It'd be awesome to do this bird up as his on that mission.

I'm working a Desert Storm era F/A-18A from VFA-15 Valions and had a couple of questions that I hope someone here can help with. 1. I wanted to do an early loadout, since the BuNo (163121) I have decals for show this bird was lost due to engine failure a week after the start of hostilities. I was thinking of the following loadouts: Option 1 2 x AIM-9 4 x Mk 83 LDGP 1 x AIM-7 1 x AAS-38 FLIR or AAR-50 TINS 2 x External fuel tank on inboard pylons 1 x External fuel tank on centerline Option 2 2 x AIM-9 6 x Mk 83 LDGP (2 on VERs on inboard pylons, 1 on outboard pylon) 1 x AIM-7 1 x A

Not sure about the J-8, but I did a comission build for a friend of a PLANAF JH-7(PLANAF Bort numbers start with an 8), in which I used Testors Model Master Aircraft Gray (FS 16473) and it came out perfect. it wasn't an exact match, but lined up with all of my references at the time. I have seen pictures of JH-7s in white however, but these appeared to be early JH-7s when they first entered service in the mid to late 90's. All of my references were from early to mid 2000's. I also think it depends on the time period. I once saw a J-8 in the late 90's and it's appearance was that of a flat we

Thanks for the suggestions. Never really thought of Future as an adhesive, but it it works..

I've used a number of photo-etch and brass components on my builds to this point, but I've never actually used them inside the cockpit or attached to the canopy. I normally use CA glue on these items, but since my current build is closed canopy, CA glue will only serve to fog and craze the clear parts. Any advice on which glue to use for this purpose? Right now I need to attach canopy mirrors to the canopy frame..

Desparately looking for a Afterburner Decals Air National Guard Viper Wing Kings II decal sheet! I was away for awhile and was unaware that Afterburner was closing up shop last month. If anyone has this sheet and is willing to part with it I would be most grateful. Please send PM with price.

Just took a look a Raymond Chungs A-6E and looks nice and it got me thinking about going back to my A-6 kits again and making a 'true' 1/48 A model (not building a 1/50 Fujimi). I did a little research some time ago and so far I've come up with the following items to backdate to an A-model intruder: - omit the intake scoop near the tail - use the perforated speed brakes - omit the TRAM turret - use the Pre-TRAM instrument panel - use MB Mk. 5 ejection seats (if I can find them)for early A,Mk. 7 for later build A - remove wing tip antenna pods - use the ECM pylons from the EA-6A