Steve N

My wife and I managed to get a room in the convention hotel. We plan to fly down the previous weekend and spend a couple of days sightseeing before the show. SN

Thanks! Like I said, I wasn't really concerned about any delay, just wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row on my end! SN

Hi! I ordered some decals a couple weeks ago, but I'm not sure if the order went through. I used PayPal, and the amount was deducted, but I never got any kind of confirmation. This isn't a complaint, I just want to make sure I placed the order correctly! Thanks! Steve

I lived in the Denver/Boulder area back in the early 80s. I recall tons of great hobby shops..Colpar being the Gold Standard. We visited the area on vacation in 2017, my first return in over 30 years. I was shocked to discover the first hobby shop I had visited when I lived there was still a going concern: Thompson's Hobbies in Lakewood. I have no idea if it's still open or not. Their bread and butter seemed to be primarily craft stuff, so hopefully they're still afloat. I made it a point to buy a couple things when we were there, just for old time's sake. SN

The R.J. Shop in Hillsdale, MI. In the County Seat, about 20 miles away. Might as well have been on the moon for us kids not old enough to drive. My friends and I could usually talk a parent into taking us once a month or so. A tiny little shop, part hobbies, part crafts, and part photography supplies, named after owners and operators Bob and Jean Elliott. That was where we discovered incredibly exotic things like Airfix kits and Pactra paints. I don't think the place lasted past the mid-80s when the owners retired, but I still have very fond memories. I recall how honored I was when th

I have both volumes (bought them from Mr. Doyle personally at this year's IPMS Nationals) and just flipped through them. Excellent modelling references, although leaning more towards the technical side, covering the different variants with lots of detail photos. Not much on markings or paint schemes. Volume 1 covers the early Liberators and features a bunch of walkaround and interior photos of the B-24D "Strawberry B i t c h" preserved at the USAF Museum, while Volume 2 covers the later variants and features lots of walkaround and interior photos of the Collings Foundation's B-24J "Witchcra

The correct color would be RLM 02. It's a greenish gray. I don't know if Tamiya makes it in a rattle can or not. SN

Mike West (Lone Star) is currently not taking orders, as he's occupied with caring for his ill wife. I saw him at the recent IPMS Nationals, and he said he's maintaining his presence on Facebook just so people know he's still around and still working on products, and he'll eventually get back to selling again. SN

I'm not sure you could use any actual Zero parts..the proportions are very different from the AT-6. I did a conversion using the Airfix kit back in the late 1970s! The engine was a standard AT-6 cowl, just with (fake) cowl flaps added. I still plan to eventually do the conversion using a Academy AT-6. The mods include: Rear cockpit faired over, with solid rollover pylon behind the pilot New canopy (taller and fatter than an actual Zero) Decking forward of the cockpit built up, with fake guns leading edge "bump" for the wheels smoothed out Round wingtip exte

I'm not ashamed to admit I've shed a tear or two when a beloved car fired its final cylinder. SN

I'm not sure where they're getting gray. AFAK, all HE 111s (except the pre-war ones) left the factory with the undersides painted RLM 65. I very light blue with a slight greenish cast. SN

So sorry to hear this..I know how gut-wrenching it is. We lost one of ours a couple years ago..she was very ill and we made the decision to send her off to Valhalla. SN

My wife and I caught a matinee this afternoon. I'm much more of a WWII buff, and really don't know much about modern jets, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. No spoilers, but the scene with Iceman was incredibly poignant. Maverick's character is also given far more depth than in the original. The "enemy" is never identified, and the aircraft insignia is fictitious, but based on the scenario and equipment it would pretty much have to be Iran. As for minuses, for me the finale stretched believability way past the breaking point, and there was one moment that's supposed to be super tense, but if y

We flew from Chicago to Vegas and back on Max-8s for the IPMS Nationals last summer. I'm not really a seasoned air traveler, but to me the Max definitely seemed to have a smoother, quieter ride than the older 737s we've flown on. We flew almost the same route from Chicago to Phoenix in 2018 on -800s, and they were definitely noisier. The return flight from Phoenix was pretty bumpy, but I'll put that down to weather. SN

I think we could use some Random Cat Facts right about now. 😸 SN

Mine landed in my mailbox a couple days ago. Absolutely gorgeous! SN

Thanks for the info. I ordered the B-36 sheet and got an e-mail saying it wss shipped on Jan 22, and was beginning to get concerned. SN

I know I'm being nitpicky, but the cowl flaps would likely be closed in flight. SN

Looks like the retro-reflective panels on the S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carriers. SN

Just be sure to get masks for the G4M1. Hasegawa's G4M2 is a totally different kit, and masks would be incompatible. SN

I'm not sure if the Squadron Vac set addresses the issue, but the "surprised" look of the Hasegawa windshield can be rectified by carefully sanding off the frames, polishing the plastic, and then cutting masks the correct shape. SN

The Squadron canopies are simply repackaged Falcon ones, so they would be the same. SN

As a die-hard 1/72 builder I'm admittedly biased, but I would concur that overall the Academy kit is the best of the lot. Just as much interior detail as the Monogram 1/48 offering, but a more manageable size. Plus it has engraved panel lines and good fit. That's not to say it's perfect. Academy completely omitted the prominent turbosupercharger cooling gills on the engine nacelles. These could either be laboriously scribed, or you could use the panels included in the (rather expensive) Eduard PE set. Academy also doesn't include gunsights for the sighting blisters (but included one for

I'd love to see new tools in 1/72 of the Ki-21 "Sally," PB4Y-2 Privateer, and my personal dream, the Ford Tri-Motor (preferably both the 4-AT and 5-AT.) SN

I wish I had a time machine. I'd go back to the late 90s and stock up on a couple dozen bottles of Floquil Bright Silver lacquer. That stuff was fantastic. SN