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lesthegringo

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Posts posted by lesthegringo

    Full interior kits - advice needed

    in Armor General Discussion

    Posted

    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 build we found tends to indicate that radical surgery would be the only way to display the interior in any meaningful way, so that one will be dropped from the list.

     

    Now, we have the Meng Mk.V, which we would like to do in the colours of the one in Bovingdon (which for us is conveniently located on the other side of the world). Meng have chosen Vallejo colour callouts, so can we have Mr Color, humbrol, model master or Tamiya equivalents for

     

    70.876 brown sand

    71.012 dark green

    71.015 olive brown

     

    Thanks for all your help

     

    Les

    Full interior kits - advice needed

    in Armor General Discussion

    Posted

    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 three caught my eye, all of which have full interiors. The extra detail interests me but from what I can see once you finish the build, it is all hidden inside and so looks like, well, just another tank from the outside. Aircraft have access panels, open cockpits, bomb bays, engine cowlings etc so that you can show it all off, but I'm struggling to see, aside from some (necessarily) tiny access hatches, what can be done on these vehicles. I am not a fan of the 'cut a big hole and paint the edge red' display method, and I am certainly not one of those modellers who is happy because he knows it's all in there even if you can't see it. So if you kind people can share any advice we would love to hear it.

     

    The three kits that attracted my attention are (all 1/35)

    Meng British Heavy Tank MK.V

    Takom King Tiger

    Miniart SU-122

     

    All are fairly expensive models (at least over here in Australia) so I would prefer not to have to go for aftermarket, however if that was to aid displaying the interiors, it would be good to know about it.

     

    Cheers for looking

     

    Les

    Fillers and Putties? Which one is best?

    in Tools 'n' Tips

    Posted

    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

    J79 8/15 afterburner thrust augmentor tube colouring on F-4

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    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

     

    Cheers

     

    Les

    Academy F-4c tailplane, which one?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    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

    Eduard P-39

    in Props

    Posted

    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

    Filling fuselage gaps

    in Tools 'n' Tips

    Posted

    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

    AMK 1/48 F-14!!!

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted · Edited by lesthegringo

    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 very minor negatives. You may not agree with what each company releases and the way they do it but at least give them credit for what they do.

    *SIGH*

    Les

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