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Flyingfortress

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Posts posted by Flyingfortress

  1. I know for a fact I have a few models he can have. Pretty simple kits, not Hasegawa or Tamiya quality, but starter kits to wet his whistle as they say. Let me know how things go tomorrow. If all good, let me know and I'll send some his way.

  2. After becoming a CNA and getting hired by a great retirement community, I expanded the Veterans Model Project to focus on my residents who are Veterans. They number about 60 and nearly every week another Veteran moves in. Over the last 6 months I've built models for 7 Veterans ranging from a crew man on a sub tender to the armorer for Gabreski's F-86! The local news paper did a nice article on what became known as the Independence Village Veterans Project. A documentary producer from PBS saw the article and contacted me regarding them doing a feature on the Project. THe corporate office heard about the Project and the 2 head honchos called me in for a chat. Long story short, they were very unhappy about my model building endeavor costing me from my own wallet, so they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. They set me up as an LLC, gave me a hardly ever used craft room on the second floor, told me to buy duplicates of the tools I use at home, submit invoices for EVERYTHING needed from kits to glue as well as an invoice for my hours spent working on the models both in the craft room AND at home!!!!!! They are paying me the same wages I receive as a CNA to build a model for every Veteran who lives there!!!!!!!! To make this even more special for the Veterans/Residents, I get to write up their bio which will be placed in book form in the soon to be completed Veterans Tribute Room along with a photo of them now and back in the day so everyone can put a name to the face. The same bio will also be presented to the Veterans Oral History Project to be submitted to the National Archives in Washington DC.

    Now I get to serve and tend to my residents AND honor Veterans at the same time and be compensated for it! I'm still just shocked and thankful beyond words. Corporate also set up a Face Book page for the Project. Please feel free to visit!!!

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Independence-Village-Veterans-Project/611833115573877

  3. Thanks. The base is a simple wood plaque from Michaels sprayed with Krylon paint and sealed with 5 coats of brushed on Future. The insignia was laid down on the third coat. The post is a small brass road covered in bakers foil. When the light hits it just right, it looks like an acrylic rod.

  4. Thanks. I really didn't know whether or not there were spars or that they had to butt glue the two surfaces. As long as the two dihedrals are close, there shouldn't be an issue, especially with the use of locating spars.

    Joel

    No problem. This is the 5th Libby I've built and if this is like the others, glue won't even be needed being the fit is so tight. That being said, the daughter of the lone survivor has a son who is an engineer, a husband who was a factory machinist and one of the French villagers is a wood carver. I'm thinking they'll make it fit! :thumbsup:

  5. By kit instructions, they're going to glue the surfaces together? What happens if they get glue on the painted surfaces? Do the wings fit correctly, or will there be gaps? And what about the correct and same Dihedral angles? I'm assuming that they will have an experienced plastic modeler do this for them.

    Joel

    The wings are already assembled, all that's needed is inserting the "spars" into the fuselage. As for correct dihedral, I doubt anyone will be measuring.

  6. Where I work resides very many Veterans and management wants me to begin a project dedicated to them. 3 of the men who stand out are a Chinese American who was a navigator on B-24s with the 5th Air Force, a Japanese American with the 442nd Infantry Regiment and a crewman on the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Sheer, sister ship to the Graf Spee! I'll be posting their stories on the Veterans Model Project Face Book page if you'd like to read about them.

  7. Hi Joel, the wings will be attached as per the kits instructions. The original plan was to build the model completely, fabricate a box and have UPS ship it over. But customs became an issues and out of fear of them damaging the model, it was decided to hand carry her in a small box. Hopefully that will go without any problems. She's clean for just the reason you mentioned, it's going into a museum and the daughter of the lone survivor was very specific about the plane being clean being it was shot down on its eighth mission.

  8. This is going to St Leonard en Beauce, France to be placed in a memorial display during the 70th Anniversary of Victory Day. The model is to honor the crew of Star Valley, a B-24 that crashed near that village. The lone survivor was hidden but later captured by the Germans. The villagers erected a dedication to the plane and the crew and each year holds a memorial. The daughter of the lone survivor asked me to build a model that she and her family will hand carry to France where the model will be displayed in the village historical museum. Sadly, the wings could not be attached so as to make transport easier. The wings will be attached upon arrival. The kit itself was an absolute nightmare. Pretty much the entire kit was warped and nearly nothing fit. From 3 feet away, it looks alright. A French TV magazine will be producing a 30 minute show about the plane, the crew, the village memorial and the model. I hope I'm able to obtain a DVD of the show.

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  9. Hoping you all give a moment to keep these hero's in your thoughts. Lost a lot of my guys these last few months. Aren't many left. :pray::salute:

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    Lee Hilving

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    Bill Caryl

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    Neil McNabnay and John Bunker

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    Jim Payne

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    Alfred Sayles

  10. Just finished this for my neighbors son. RoG kit, just as nice as the other 1:48 offering and lots cheaper. Tamiya acrylics. First attempt at putting a model on a display base, came out fair for the first time.

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