oortiz10

Hey ARC, A week off from work and spent at my bench resulted in some good progress on my Tiger. I was able to get the airframe painted and glossed, and even started the decals. During the build process, I had to sand off the raised rivet detail on the tail. In an effort to restore it, I tried out some Archer rivets. They look pretty good, and I'm sure under some paint they'll look fine. The only problem is they're pretty delicate, and I've lost a few here and there during handling. I'll see how I can fix that. Anyway, I'm waiting for the decals to dry. Everything will get a another shot of gloss before I turn my attention to the exhaust area. The heavy lifting's done on this build. I'm confident that it'll be done before the deadline. Thanks for looking! Questions, comments, and criticisms welcomed. Cheers! -O

Hey ARC, I had this past week off, and I was able to make some good progress on my Panther. I was able to get it painted and glossed (sorry, no pictures) and started on the decals. The stabilizers are just dry-fitted into place for the photo. As of now, I'm waiting to see if I can source the green nose and wingtip markings from someone who has this sheet but is not using these markings. The decals did not want to settle down around the tanks and the nose. Hopefully I can sand and spray some of the touch-ups, but I'm hoping some extra decals would help fix the boo-boos. The bulk of the building is done! I should be able to get this baby wrapped-up by the deadline. Thanks for looking! Questions, comments, and criticisms welcomed. Cheers! -O

Hey ARC, Just thought I'd post some pictures of my latest 3-footer. This started as a subject for the USN Legacy Squadron GB, but I didn't get it done before the deadline. It's been sitting on my Shelf of Doom for longer than I care to admit. While paint and glue dried on a couple of other projects, I picked and pecked at this one until I got it finished. It's definitely not a contest winner, but it looks cool on my shelf. I saw this picture online and knew immediately that I had to build this jet. The jet's plastic is straight out of the box. The decals are from Two Bobs. The loadout was collected from multiple boxes of Hasegawa ordnance. The bombs in the picture are modern Mk. 83s. Since I couldn't source a batch of those, I used the old Vietnam-era ones I had access to. I didn't change the fins (too much work), but I did modify the fuse a little. The thermal coating is textured spray paint. It's a bit too much for the scale, but I was going for representation not replication. MM paints were used exclusively. This was the first time I tried the black-basing method. I like the effect, especially for modern USN schemes, and I may try it again. The kit was weathered with Flory washes and pastels. Feel free to share your thoughts. Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for looking! Cheers, -O

Message sent. -O

OK ARC, I'm back with some progress... When I left you last, I was trying to decide how to deal with the "see-through" fuselage. I settled on some intake and exhaust plugs. I have a pretty limited modeling budget, and I don't even know if there are any aftermarket parts for this kit, so I decided to make my own. First, I painted the inside of the intakes with the fuselage color. Leaving the intakes off let me paint the area of the fuselage behind the intakes as well. Once the paint had dried, I soaked some facial tissue in a glue and water mixture and stuffed it into the intakes from the back. I did the same with the exhausts, except I stuffed those from the front. Doing so gave me a good solid "fill" of the spaces. After the glue had dried and hardened, I pressed the "forms" out of the parts and sprayed 'em with some paint. Once the paint had dried, I had some convincing intake and exhaust plugs. I glued a scrap piece of sprue to the back of the intake to keep the plugs from falling into the fuselage. After than, I glued on the intakes and rescribed the panel detail. Now that the intakes are installed, all I have to do is plop in a little blob of Silly Putty to mask the plugs while I paint the rest of the fuselage. I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out I'll be back with more progress later this week. Cheers! -O

Howdy ARC, Boy! It's been a while since I've posted anything. It's Thanksgiving (U.S.) break, so I've finally had some time at the bench. Not a lot to show with my Panther except for a quick picture of some fiddly bits. The main assembly received its first coat of GSB, and it's drying. As the pain hardens, I made some progress with the little stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to handle the fuselage tomorrow. The goal is to wet sand and remove any tiny imperfections before shooting a "wet coat" for the gloss. Anyway, here's some proof of the (little) progress. I don't have to be back in the classroom until Monday, and since I don't have any Turkey Day plans, I hope to make some serious progress on this build. Thanks for looking! -O

Oh...now you tell me... 😉 -O

Hey modelguy2, I'm working on the same kit and waiting on that same decal sheet. I'm planning on doing the green VMFT-20 markings. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress on this one. Good luck! I'll be watching. Cheers, -O

Howdy ARC, Before I show my progress, I'd like to thank everyone for the pats on the back. Much appreciated! So, I was able to get a little done on my F-5. The pit was installed and the fuselage was closed up. The fuselage's fit wasn't great, so I lost a lot of the raised detail to filling and sanding. As a result, I decided to rescribe the whole airframe. I'm almost ready to spray some paint. I got the windscreen and wheel wells masked. I used Silly Putty for the wells. Some of you might have noticed that the intakes aren't installed yet. You can see straight through the intakes all the way to the exhausts on this one. I haven't glued the intakes on yet because I'm trying to figure out how to solve this little problem. That and I want to paint the area of the fuselage behind the intakes before I assemble them. Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks for looking. Your questions and comments are welcome, so feel free to drop your two cents in the bucket. Cheers! -O

Hey ARC, Not a whole lot to show with this update. Just wanted to share that the wings and fuselage have been mated, and the whole airframe's been rescribed. I'm waiting on a masking set I ordered. Once it arrives, I'll be able to start splashing some paint. I was also able to track down a set of replacement decals. Those are on their way too. Maybe I'll turn my attention to the fiddly bits while I wait for my goodies to arrive. Thanks for stopping by. As usual, your comments and criticisms are welcome. Cheers! -O

Nothing left to say. Iron Eagle (Yang) is a first-rate trader. Deal with confidence! -O

Hey ARC, The title pretty much says it all. I've Googled the begeezus out of this, but my research is inconclusive. It looks like the gear legs vary from metal color to white, but I can't really find anything definitive about the wells or doors. From pictures, it's difficult to tell if the gear well and door interior color is white or a metal color. I think either white or metal would be OK for the legs but does anyone have any solid info on the gear well and door interior color? Thanks in advance, -O

OK ARC, Some time ago, I picked up the F9F-5 I'm working on, and this kit, for less than 10 bucks at a swap meet. I've had a minor setback with the Panther, so I thought I'd start on this one. I've been inspired by Bashaces build, so, here goes...! The kit's instructions say that Step 1 is assembly of the cockpit. Step 1 should be, "Don't leave your instructions where your new Lab puppy can reach them." That aside, I was able to get the cockpit parts painted up and assembled. I added some paper belts to add some visual interest. That's where things stand as of now. Stay tuned and I'll post more pictures when there's more to share. In the meantime, feel free to share your comments and questions. Cheers! -O

Hey John, I was planning on doing a USMC Panther. Problem is, my lab puppy got into my office and shredded my decal sheet. I'm still going to do a GSB Panther, but I'll have to see what markings I can find for sale. Anyway, despite the decal setback, I've continued mashing plastic. I've gotten the cockpit painted and installed, and the fuselage halves together. The cockpit is mostly OOB. I say mostly because I did add some seat belts cut from strips of paper and some "rope" ejection pulls made from twisted strands of fine copper wire. While the glue on the fuselage dried, I turned my attention to the lower wings. I decided I'd rescribe the panel lines, so I went ahead and did that before I painted the wheel wells. That's where I'm at with the Panther. I'll be rescribing the fuselage next. Thanks for stopping by. Questions and comments are welcome. Feel free to drop your two cents in the bucket! Cheers! -O

Hey ARC, Some time ago, I picked up two Revellogram kits for less than 10 bucks at a swap meet. One was the F-5 and the other was the F9F Panther. My goal is to get the Panther done before school starts. I have to be back in the classroom on the 20th, but the kids don't start until the 23rd. I'm going to try to get as much as I can done before work gets in the way. Ultimately, I'd like to try to finish both. Realistically, I'm hoping to finish the Panther. So...here we go! Wish me luck! -O