Ivy-5

Hi! Wow these slats would be useful for any FJ-2/3 build ;)/> If you need pylons from the Academy Sabre, I won't use them.

Hi ! Back at work with decals and some weathering: Decals come from a generic US codes and serial Printscale sheet (great decals, BTW) whereas stars and stencils were taken on Microscale 48-117 devoted to FJ-3M. Some weathering was added with oil paints (trying to keep it light...) Now all is going to dry for some days, this will give me time to think about this canopy. Best regards

Wow thanks for your comments. Small update today: busy working on the landing gear. GP nose wheel and leg, Esci MLG legs, Academy Sabre wheels (missing some spokes but still looking better than the Esci offering, IMHO) Starting to look like a Fury I hope. Cheers !

Thanks for the kind comments. Maybe one day someone will bring us modern tooling kits for FJ-2 and -3.

Hi all ! Back to the Fury: box decals are too old to be of any use. While awaiting new decals to complete the VF-154 scheme, I started to mask & airbrush the red and white markings. Who said a Silhouette cutter is a good idea ?

Hi, thanks but I promise it's not complicated surgery, as both fuselages are near to a perfect match along this very line. The only work was reshaping the rear fuse curves, as Sabres and Furies have nothing in common and FJ-3 and -4 are quite different. Cheers.

Hi all, as my MiG-25 is nearing completion I go back to another project started some months ago. As already discussed here and in Mr Thomason great blog, building an FJ-3 in 1/48 involves some steps, such as mating an Esci upper fuselage with a Grand Phoenix lower fuselage, and then slipping the tail forward: Then filling, re-engraving and sanding... priming... painting... Now on to the canopy and rear cockpit deck. Any comment and suggestion welcome !

More MiG work: FOD covers, seat, strut plumbing... currently detailing the canopy Any comment welcome !

Hi all, as the Kittyhawk kit is closer to BM/RB/etc than to PD/PDS variants, I gave it a try as white 37, a BM based in Lipetsk during the late 80s. Kit engineering is weird (at best) but fit is close to most Monogram kits I built. In fact if you don't follow the notice it builds quite easily without much filler. Painting...

Hi, thank you all for your inputs. It is not clear on the picture, but the whole tail has been shifted forward and reworked. I will open a build thread in some days.

Hi again, thank you all for your answers. I've been following this build thread on Britmodeller, and read all comments I could on Tailhook Topics (great blog BTW). This is what made me think I should give it a try so I started crosskitting the Esci and Grand Phoenix Furies (it's simpler than it may seem). Jari thanks for the link, there are 2 useful pictures of the rear canopy deck

Hi all. Some times ago I started to work on an FJ-3 in 1/48. I'm currently searching for informations and pics of the rear canopy deck (seems quite busy according to the p. 190 picture in NF 88)and the MLG bay (is it the same as a Sabre wheel bay ?) Tnaks, best regards.

Hi all ! When I built mine, I mixed parts from an Ar-196 central float (up side) with the Mono float (down side), of course with some putty and Evergreen. Not that complicated, and quite happy with the result. Sorry for the bad quality of my pictures, hope this helps anyway

Hi Vedran, sorry this kit's brand is Evergreen for most parts ;)/> The engine cooler is a reworked casting of the Flashback W.29 kit. I should post a WIP someday, this W.12 has been on standby for monthes now. Fred

I flatten them between two aluminium strips in a vice tool

Hi, on this WIP (Hansa W.12 in 1/48) I'm using flattened brass tubes with steel guitar strings as a core. They are a little thicker than plastic struts, but quite stronger

You are right regarding the Hase -5 back. I read all your posts on -4 comparisons before trying this (thanks for your help !), but I forgot to correct this point, and the hood seems sitting too high on the back now. Hope I remember it next time, in case I build a -4A with Mania nose, Hase -5 fuse and Tam -1 wings.

Yes. However fabric details are not that easy to see even on the real Corsair. Depends on personal tastes, maybe.

You are right, however these are not heavy modifications. I tried it some years ago, and was quite happy with the result. Found it easier than re-engraving the whole Mania Corsair. I used a TD cockpit, by the way.

Hi. What about a Hase/Mania nose and hood grafted on a modified Hase dash 5 ? This can give a -4B with little effort IMHO

Thanks ! James, I started a build thread here, and you are right: I have to finish and close the fuselage to check if this correction is enough. I don't know for now if i have to vacform new transparencies. This should depend on my ability to make clean cuts into the cockpit and gunner canopies. As for the tail, sawing 2 mm off the bottom should be enough to make it look better.

Hi ! following this thread in the Props section I started to build a Mono A-26B into a TT JD-1 from VU-5. Pictures from Harry Sievers match fairly well Alexey Matvienko's drawings This is not exactly the case with kit parts I first removed the tail, sawed 3 mm from the top width, and 1.5 mm from fuselage height. Then built a new glass nose from the solid nose and glass parts. Basically I first glued the glass part, and sliced the solid part until both matched together The result seems (to me, of course) closer to how an Invader should look like Now turning toward the interi

Hi! here's my attempt at correcting the fuselage. I first removed 3 mm from the top width, and 1.5 mm from the height Then i had to saw the solid nose to insert the glass part Time to call this a new build...

Hi, thanks for all these informations. KSL, these drawings are most helpful, do you know of up or down plan views ? Some planes make me feel like I should do a little more than just build them out from the box, and the Invader is one of those. Seems quite complicated to correct, but maybe not as much as it seems. Razor saws are here for this... Don, I asked Gaston Marty some days ago, but he confessed low interest in the Invader. f.

Hi, I'm thinking about building a JD-1 from the Monogram kit. This kit has some dimensional issues: the fuselage is quite strange (I seem to remember reading 3 mm too wide and too deep, but can't find where i saw it), and it seems that the wings are not great either. Would anybody have an opinion about what is to be corrected ? This plane is most beautiful. It should look like something dangerous whereas the kit only looks like a medium bomber. Thanks.