mkimages

The most effective method I've tried is to cover the area with overlapping strips of tape (or use wide tape). Then draw the curve directly on the tape while it's on the model. Next, remove the tape, lay it out flat, and cut along the line you've drawn. Then reapply the tape to the model and you have a nicely masked curve.

That looks awesome :D . Lovely job on the build, and the added features really make the presentation. Also, welcome to the asylum. I'll have a vodka tonic.

Awesome looking bases, Mike! :D These will come in very handy. Many, many thanks for posting them for us to use. Resize them to 7.333" x 11.333" x 300 dpi for 1/48 scale. (11x17 times 32 = 352x544 full size divided by 48 = 7.333x11.333) Alternately, just reduce by 1/3 ;) :P

Spiffy! That's a darn nice looking build. Nice presentation, too.

Life Magazine's photo archive on Google has a ton of images that should be suitable for your use as well. Simple searches like "bombers" or "fighters" give some good results, but you can dig deeper to find more. The image files are even large enough to make fair to middlin' 8x10 prints.

Wow, that's purty. Foil finish? Nice job in any case

Got mine today, too (Thanks Ken!). Here are a few shots of the Hasegawa fuselage (light gray) paired with the Classic Airframes. The main difference, as Jennings mentioned in an earlier thread, is the fairing behind the canopy, with the CA example apparently being the less accurate. Dimension-wise, both fuselages seem to be identical.

Neato! Great subject. I'm looking forward to seeing this one come together. I certainly don't envy you the rescribing job on the Monogram parts.

Main page of ARC, then scroll down a bit. You can't miss it. It's an amazing piece of work.

Honestly, if someone has measurements taken from the real item, I'd take that word over any drawing, no matter the source.

FWIW, I get 26.5" OD for the nose wheel from the drawing, or ~0.55" in 48th.

Beautiful job on a beautiful aircraft! I'll second the kudos on the attention to detail, too; very impressive work. That mug is well deserved and it was huge of Darwin to pass it along.

I don't have an Academy kit to measure, but according to a schematic I have (and I'm not 100% on how to-scale the drawing is), the main wheel OD should be just about 38.5", or ~0.8" in 1/48 scale. Also, here's one of my walkaround shots that may be of some help with the brakes. :P

Well, now ain't that something? That's actually a pretty believable modification. Very nice execution as well.

The technique Bonehammer posted is the normal way I do it (though I usually use a dab of white glue instead of blue-tac), and it works great in most cases. For the times when you have to paint them separate from the model, try painting the inside first and letting it dry, then press the door inside-down into a small lump of clay. That way the clay acts as your mask and you can brush away on the outside of the door. Watch that you don't load your brush up too much though. The paint tends to wick around to the inside if you apply too much. If you get clay stuck into crevices on the inside, jus

Wow, nice reference there, Tony. Thanks!

This is really cool! You're doing a smashing good job of it so far. I have a couple of these kits and had thought about trying what you're doing, but never really had a good idea about where to even start. Watching you build yours up is making me give new thought to maybe trying it. I look forward to watching the rest of the build. :D

Nice shots, definitely the prettiest propliner ever, in contention for prettiest airplane ever. Speaking of Connies, I remember as a kid back in the '70s there was a Constellation mounted on the roof of a gas station (or truck stop, or restaurant, can't remember which) on US-41 headed west out of Miami, FL. We'd pass by it regularly when we'd head out to the Everglades for fishing/canoeing and I loved to just stare at it as we drove by. Unfortunately, nobody in my family ever took a picture of it. I wonder if anyone here might remember it, or maybe even have a picture.

Dunno, interesting. It seems to be a later addition. All the pics I have up to FY2002 series aircraft don't have this. Then pics of 2004 series planes do, so it obviously appeared sometime between the two. This is also the time frame when front-line squadrons started getting their Raptors (TY tailcodes don't have it, FF's do) so that may have something to do with it. It looks like the missile launch detector is still located in the forward hump (the little dark area at the rear of the hump) so that's probably not it. I'd guess an antenna of some sort. Perhaps a built-in replacement for the "co

That's a sweet little kit, isn't it? It looks great displayed like that, too. You're definitely on to something with the whole mirror thing. :)

Off the top of my head, the P-80 and the XF-91. :lol:

Well, you've done a darn nice job on a very tough kit of a cool looking and rare jet. My hat is off to you

Not a Blackbird, but I'm guessing that this will fit in this thread OK. These are a few shots of the D-21B drone at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, GA. The B model was launched from underwing of a B-52 instead of the back of the Blackbird and has the two probes on the leading edge of the wings that the A model lacked.

That's certainly looking pretty. Love them bubbletop Spits. I'm interested to see how you go about weathering the silver.

From what Ed wrote, it's 20'x14'; definitely imposing.