lesthegringo

A combination of toothpicks, blu-tac and tape finally got it out, but I am starting to wonder if the stuff I was using has passed it's sell by date, and so is becoming more difficult to remove. Anyway, thanks again to all those who replied to this! Cheers Les

Thanks, will give that a go! Les

Gents, pretty self explanatory question, used rubber ammonia based masking solution, now the damned stuff doesn't want to come off! Any suggestions? Cheers Les

That Takom Tiger kit looks fantastic, thanks for the video! My son kept on talking about the Meng Mk.V kit we had seen at the LHS, even though they had the Takom Tiger too, so we went and got the Mk.V. Looking through the instructions there are loads of hatches that can be left open, plus someone put me on to AFV Modeller issue 88 where they have a diorama of a Mk.V under construction on the build line. That settled that, we can legitimately leave parts open! Depending on how we get on with it, we may go and get that Tiger later on. As for the MiniArt SU-122, an online

Thanks, will check that out Cheers Les

Thanks, Murad - my son seems to like the Russian tanks too, will check that out! Cheers Les

Guys, I have managed to get my teenage son into modelling, which seems to be quite a victory these days. He's taken to it really well once I realised he didn't share his dad's passion for aircraft and let him build AFV's. I'm very pleased with what he does and want to encourage him to continue, not least because it keeps him away from the dreaded Xbox for a while! However he wants me to build something with him, which is great, but he wants a tank which is not my thing. He has been showing me reviews of lots of models and builds to try and get my enthusiasm for one of them, and thr

Yes, you put a little pile of talc onto abit of paper or aluminium foil, then drip CA onto it. You then mix it with a toothpick or similar until you ger the consistency you want then apply it to the joint. The more talc, the easier it is to sand, but it is not as strong. Within two minutes of mixing it will be cured and hardened, so use small amounts at a time and if you want use tape on either side of joints to reduce the amount of sanding. Also, while it is curing it will gel, and you can use a knife to cut any excess away. Hope this helps Les

Talc and CA for me, nothing else comes close. Mixed right it never shrinks, dries (cures, actually) fast and is easy to sand, plus it scribes well and holds a sharp edge Cheers Les

Lee, apologies for the late reply, it is the A6M2 boxing 61016 Thanks for looking Les

I've been prepping Eduard's nice F-4B/C exhaust set for painting, and looking at reference pictures I get the impression that the perforated inner barrel of the thrust augmentor tube has a greenish tinge to it. Not having a handy F-4 in my garden, I can't cross check it, so would like to know if that is just a photographic illusion or whether (like some of the Russian engines) that is a resistant coating on the metal. Most pictures do show the typical combustor products brown and light grey streaking, but there are enough of them that have the greenish tinge to make me hesitate

Whatever they are called, too much trouble! A knock on question - I heard somewhere that the slotted tailplanes are incorrect, in that the slot mounting points are perpendicular to the leading edge, whereas they should be parallel to the aircraft long axis? Les

Thanks for confirming. I suspect that I'll not go to the trouble of dropping the slats though, I do enough stupid stuff to slow my builds down! Cheers Les

Thanks - even the box art shows non-slotted I take it the Bicentennial Phantoms boxing of Eduards F-4b is correctin calling out the slotted tailplanes? It's in the stash Les

Guys, a lot of photos I have seen of Vietnam era F-4c phantoms have them showing the non-slotted tailplanes, yet the Academy instructions tell me to use parts H3 and H4, which are the slotted type. Bothe the slotted and non slotted are in the box, which is correct? Cheers Les

Thanks guys, they look pretty good. Not sure why that Cybermodel review didn't show up on my search though. I may have a puntvwith those Cheers Les

Guys, apologies for the delay, the forum was down so I couldn't see them. Cheers Les

Guys, came across some pre-painted photo etched sets by a company called Dreammodel on the net. I looked for any reviews but came up blank. Has anyone ever used them? Cheers Les

Guys, I have the Eduard Mirage lllc kit with the Israeli markings, but don't want to do one in that scheme. Does anyone have an alternative scheme the want to swap for this sheet? Cheers Les

Thanks for this - I was one of those who had given up. Gonna give it a go for my MiG-23 canopy, I'll let you know how I got on Cheers Les

Guys, I have one of the older less detailed kits, unfortunately I have crushed the entire clear sprue. If anyone has a complete canopy, either the three piece version or the one piece, I would be able to give it a good home Cheers Les

I built three, and while the doors do need a bit of careful fettling, they are not difficult to make fit. I managed and I really don't consider myself to be a good modeler. Just take your time and remember that the door edges are not square to the surfaces. The thing to watch out for is that if you glue the wing upper surfaces on to the fuselage first to ensure no gaps, the wingtips will have a step as it makes them mismatched. Again, not insurmountable Cheers Les

The cyano and talc mix is the best for me, as you can adjust it so that it is softer or harder by using the different viscosity glues - thinner varieties allow more talc while still being workable so are softer when cured. Fast, no shrinkage, cheap, and can be sanded to a very fine finish. Les

Here's a radical thought - if you don't like it, or think it's taking too long, perhaps you can go and find something that you do like and is available. Personally I don't have an issue with the projected canopy design, and I think too much is being read into the colours used on the CAD renders. I suspect that it is shaded differently for illustrative purposes. As for people criticising the release date, how unfair can you get? Instead of people marvelling at all the new and impressive models coming out in what I think is a golden age of modelling, we still find a way of focusing on the