Rick in Maine

Thanks for clueing me in. Now I'll pursue getting one sent over to this side of the Atlantic. Maybe I'll find some super deal. S'pose? Rick in Maine

I read some test-shot reviews in some of the 2018 English model magazines that liked this new Revell 1/48 Beaufighter. Did I miss the kit release? Did it dry up and go away? There's a few Eduard parts for it.

Sometimes we think of going to Canada as well! But I'm not going to discuss politics. Despite all the good things about living here, Maine is, admittedly, a hobby shop and air show desert. The last hobby shop and military base have disappeared. but, despite that, there are two strong IPMS chapters as well as modelers in the rural areas. The big air show expected this year at the former NAS Brunswick cancelled. Some businesses have had success at the former Loring AFB and some really fast motorcycles have used the long runway. Many of us use mail order and, fortunately, get great

We've lived here 21 years. Maine is a neat place to live and visit. I suppose it is fair to say you'd need awhile to get into the culture like King writes about. Some people say it is hard to get to know Mainers but we have made several very good local friends. Anybody not born here is a "from away" and we don't fight it. Some do and get, shall we say, unhappy. It is a beautiful place, too. From sea coast to mountains. The summer gets pretty crowded with "from-aways" in many places. Fall is wonderful. There are two IPMS chapters: Portland and Down East. Down East group meets in Han

Yes! IPMS chapter at Ellsworth/Hancock...IPMS Down East. Hancock County Scale Modelers if you will. Meets first Wednesday at Hancock VFD 2 @ 7 pm. There's also an IPMS Chapter down in Portland. Email or message me and I'll give you a phone number. Where are you? I'm doing this at the meeting right now. Rick

Based on past experience, I agree with you Sernak. I just cannot figure how to get to a bigger screen from an app make for iPhone or iPad.

This also ran well on a Mac back "then." An iPhone is small, though I'll give it a try. I'll lobby GraphSim about larger Mac use i.e. laptop and larger. I was glad to see even the short previews for the present app. May have to spend my money on it! Rick

The Graph Sim F/A-18 Hornet 3.0 was one I enjoyed for a long time. It was easy to just go out and bore holes in the sky, shoot some landings, land and carrier.The game wasn't dependent on difficult combat but I could mess with that if I need some hostile action! I'd download it from the old-games website if I knew it would run on my current MacBook Pro. Rick in Maine

My first plastic model build was an Aurora P-38. As long ago as it was, I remember my biggest problem. Too much glue. I couldn't squeeze that tube of glue gently enough. The model was a mess!. Rick IPMS 0809

Yes. It has the makings of a scam. Still, check it out with Apple. Like other 'puter companies, its a rather convoluted path to a real person and the results are almost always worth it as far as I am concerned. These kinds of scammy things are still uncommon (I didn't say unknown) for Macs. Rick A 20 year Mac man.

When making crosswind landings as part of my flying lessons, even that little Cessna 150 looked from the cockpit like it was headed into the woods. Thats when I learned about cross-controlling. Looks mighty impressive on that A380. Rick in Maine

And the company probably had to drop some $$$$ to get rights to produce the kit. Then they turn out an F/A-18A that's still lacking, to be nice. But I'm applying logic thinking to an illogical situation. Doesn't work. Rick in Maine

Just quickly scanning through these, it looks like most but not all of them are short run kits or from a long time ago, i.e. the Aurora P-38 of the late 50s. Being more positive, and not trying to stop this thread, seems like we are in much better shape than we were. Maybe the advent of computerized mold-making has made a big impact to the good. Also, I hope, the feedback we have given model kit makers has helped a lot. I've got an MRAP that is just awful. It's soon to begone. Rick in Maine

This sounds like the best possibility so far. It's on a pallet and has appearance of a real aircraft in many ways. Now, anyone recall something like this in the mid to late 80s? Thanks ikar.

Thanks Don and Finn and all others for checking further and mentioning other possibilities. I'm about to go looking for a serious spotter (which I am not) for help. I have gleaned the following info from the slide: The view is of the front left side. In the immediate background is an Aerostar fuselage with wings and horiz. stabs. removed. Also sans rudder. Registration is N333WT which is currently registered to a Beech King Air. The F-111 cockpit does not have any of the plexiglass installed and the frames have details like a "real" F-111 vs. the mockups.. The seats d

Some kind of training piece is worth considering. Does anyone know if General Dynamics built some extra escape modules? So far no one has been able to tie the module to Springfield Illinois where the shot was made. Kind of an odd place to be in a civilian hangar. IL ANG is there. No connection to the F-111 AFAIK. The gray fuselage color puts it late in the F-111 era, the FB-111 era or the RAAF era. The story of the Moscow Module was very cool. Somehow I doubt it is the one I'm trying to identify. It would have to have gotten from Vietnam to Moscow to Springfield Illinois. Highl

This is not about an F-111 model. I suppose it's fair to say it is a module, though. I have a Kodachrome slide, undated, of a 1:1 scale F-111 cockpit section.It may have been taken on the 1980s. I cannot identify much about it. The module is gray, maybe the overall gray of late F-111s or FB-111s. It is an image of the module sitting in a crowded, dark hangar. Behind it is an Aerostar fuselage. The information written on the slide in my handwriting is "F-111A, 67-4823 (?), Springfield, IL." Though in my handwriting I do not recall seeing it or taking this shot! I have searched all over th

Exciting! All the weapons drops were cool. Nicely put together, fun to watch.

I also meant to add: Your mileage may vary. That is...the results you get may be different. Two important things: Keep building and keep experimenting with finishes based on what you read here on ARC. The right one for you is in here somewhere. Rick

Future can carefully be laid down, with a brush, over almost anything. Practice on something first. It's been years since I have brushed Future on anything but small areas. One important thing I was taught to do was not overlap brushstrokes and to get missed spots while doing the second coat. Use a good quality brush no more than a ½" wide. When you are finished with the model post it here. Cheers from ½ way round the world (Maine USA). Rick

That's so tempting. I built the LEGO Mars Rover and liked assembling it. It looks admittedly odd among my more conventional models. The whole Saturn/Apollo stack seems really cool. Thinking! Rick in Maine

You youngsters should have seen the Aurora P-38 of the mid 50s. Metallic blue plastic, gaps begging for large amounts of putty (which was unknown back then) and lots of space for lots of nose weight. It was bad and still remembered in 2017! Box scale but around 1/48. Rick in Maine

Who'd a thunk it? This thread really took off. Lots of guys have put in their 2 cents. Good pictures of "whatever" get attention. These are first rate. Now I want to see what I can do. We've got the critters here...just need to get set up.and get a lot of practice. Twomg has some winners...a lot actually.

This is a keeper. These replies address all the questions and, even how to do a lot of them. Now I want to dig my ole kit out of the stash and try again. Cheers Rick in Maine

The best advice I ever got about PE...Just do it. I learned a lot from other modelers for which I am very grateful. All the advice in the world didn't do any good until I used it myself. From that I refined my technique. It still came back to Just Do it. It's like the old I am a spammer, please report this post. ad. Just do it! Gad. Have I slipped into the "grumpy old man" role? And so young...68! Cheers Rick in Maine