Darren Roberts

NOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You won't regret it. It's one of the most awe-inspiring natural events I've experienced. It's very humbling.

All I can say is "WOW!"

Yup. All the new castings have it. There are no more of the original castings left.

You actually don't need the pre-production overwing braces. If you look closely at that picture, that aircraft has the standard wing sweep area found on the Tamiya kit. All you'd need is the early beavertail.

Yes, you can make any of the pre-Block 70 airframes. I thought about doing that early Wolfpack set of markings. They are unique!

I guess I'm the odd duck here. I haven't had a drop of alcohol in my life. It's not because I'm against it, though the POTENTIAL effects are devastating. There are four factors that did it for me. One, there is alcoholism that runs in my extended family, two I drink because I'm thirsty, and I drink a lot, three I don't like being out of control in my decision making, and four I was a firefighter/EMT and saw what effects alcohol caused in accidents. It wasn't pretty! I have a very outgoing personality, so I don't need alcohol to "loosen up". I'm also a very relaxed person, so I don't need alcohol for that either. The smell puts me off, so I can imagine that the taste would too. So, there you have my odd ball story of why I've never drank.

I'm in a suburb just south of KC, so I'm headed to my sister-in-laws in a small town in Kansas called Hiawatha. They should get about 2 minutes of totality, and I have a place to sleep! I teach 4th grade, and the school districts here have tried to convince the parents that the kids will see the same thing not being in totality. I strongly hinted to my parents that was not the case, and if they could, take their kids north just 30 miles. It will be worth it!

I found the Kinetic kit to build up easier than the Hasegawa, but the Kinetic's wheels look weird. I'd change them out.

I got a box of 12 on eBay for $80. It was a heck of a deal! I'm going to use them all for the Fight's On decal sets. Here's a profile of a Skyhawk I just finished with the canopy closed. I don't think it's all that bad. I'm not passionate about the Skyhawk, though.

This is a debate that will never end, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As some have stated, it's not what is being said, but HOW it's being said. This applies to both sides of the issue. Before posting something, stop and think what it would sound like if you were face to face with the person. For those that enjoy accuracy, cut down on the hyperbole. For those that enjoy building for building sake, take what the other side says as informational and don't think they are talking directly to you when the they say a kit is a piece of garbage.

I've started the history build for VA-86. First one done is the Monogram A-4E. It's a great little kit that can still hold it's own. I did this one OOB, but it could use a new seat and maybe new wheels.The intakes go nowhere, so I used a set of Steel Beach intakes with plugs to take care of the see-through look. Other than that, it's a pretty nice build. I used Mr. Paint Light Gull Gray and Alclad White Primer for the majority of the scheme. Decals are from the old Victory sheet.

I so wanted to buy that kit, but with a kiddo starting college in two years and another right behind her, my wife would have killed me if I had bought it!

This is the old Revell kit that I did for a fun, quick build. It was missing decals, so I went with the experimental camouflage applied during Vietnam. The markings came from the spares box. Rex, this one's for you!

NOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great job guys! I wish I could have gotten over to your table. I wasn't able to get away from mine that much.