Darren Roberts

I stood next to a B-36 wheel at the USAF museum when I was a kid. It was HUGE!!!!!!

🤣

Wait..they aren't supposed to face out?😄

Great to know. I'm glad you stopped by. I'll be supporting you as much as I can.

I forgot about the P-51H. I'm there with you on that one.

I've thought the same thing as well. The easy part is getting the 3D printer. The hard part is learning a CAD program so you can actually create the part. That's what scares me. I have neither the time nor inclination to navigate that learning curve. If the programs are downloadable, that's another story. Then I would think a 3D printer might be worth the investment.

😂

Interesting topic. I vote for the F-22. All that power with short, stubby mains.

No, he gets "credit" for it. 😄

The F-15 adapted in time. The F-14 was a bit too late to the party. That's why the Eagle is still flying and the Tomcat isn't...or maybe it was because of Dick Cheney. 😡

What's the BuNo and the aircraft type?

There was always a latent air-to-ground capability built in to the original design. There's a picture of a pre-production jet with a belly full of Snakeye bombs slung underneath. The phrase "Not a pound for air to ground" came from a disdain for the bombing mission. That was back when you had dedicated aircraft for each specific role. The F-14 was a "fighter", and it was going to be used that way. Looking back, it was a very short-sighted approach, given that just 10 years later everything would change and the focus would be on multi-mission aircraft. But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.

The F-14B cockpit was essentially the same as the F-14A from a modeling standpoint. When LANTIRN hit the fleet, both the A and B received the square PTID screen. The D cockpit is a completely different animal.

Do you need A-4's? A couple years ago I bought a box (12) of Monogram Hi-Tech A-4's with the intention of doing Adversaries with the Fights On decals. I used one kit out of the dozen, then sold the decals and the box has sat in the closet ever since. I've moved and downsized, so I'd be up to making space and getting rid of the box. PM if interested.

I see what you did there. "Barely scratched the surface" on a thread that involved scribing raised panel lines.😄

This is very eloquently stated, and I would suspect many, many modelers feel the same way. My modeling epiphany occured when I was preparing to do a seminar at the Omaha IPMS Nats a few years back. I was presenting the History of US Navy ID Markings and wanted to have physical examples. I decided to build all of the Monogram Navy kits to show all of the different markings. Because of the time crunch, I built them OOB and didn't worry about accuracy. It was the most fun I've had in years, and it came close to capturing that joy I had as a young child. Since then, I don't enter contests and I do

These are all so accurate! Well done!

Even the Blue Angels protect their name. When I was making masks, it was highly recommended to me to leave off the crest and the script. Otherwise, I'd have a knock at the door and a cease-and-desist letter handed to me unless I got permission.

That is very kind of you. Thank you for the support. As long as you enjoy what you're doing, that's all that matters.

I think the framing is different. With that said, the framing on the Monogram kit is wrong, so you could sand off the framing and polish the canopy, then use the mask to paint on the correct framing. That's what I did the Monogram F-14.

Oh, but I am serious....seriously lazy. 😂

You are spot on Bill. Where it goes off the rails is when comments are made. We've all heard them. "This kit is a piece of garbage that should be tossed in the trash. In fact, I did throw it away because it was unbuildable." Or, "Just stop complaining and build it. Be glad a kit manufacturer even made it." I'm going to dive deep philosophically for a moment. As humans, we tend to seek out validation. That validation many times can be found in like-thinking groups. Human nature is to congregate with others we perceive as similar to us, whether it be values, appearance, interests, etc. I think t

Thanks for the input GW. Your $0.02 are worth quite a bit more.

When you see something you want, buy it, because when you go back for it at a later date, you won't find it.

What disturbs me (and should disturb the powers-that-be) is that a fire on board could cripple this ship (and possibly cause it to be scuttled). What happens if a missile hits it in combat? The Forrestal, Enterprise, and Oriskany had much more serious (as far as what we know at the moment) fires than the Bonnie Dick, yet those were all saved. What's going on with this one that they aren't able to get it under control?