Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Thanks, Ken! Once again, they don't look nearly as bad in person, but the camera is very unforgiving. As I said, I still need to clean them up a bit with a file, but I have to be careful because they're so delicate. Believe me, this will probably be the last time that I attempt this! Thaks again for the kind words - it's much appreciated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Steve, this is turning out to be one of th emost exstensive tomcats you've ever done. All I can say is WOW!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Which is why it's taking me forever to finish it! Thanks, Brian - this one has put me to the test in a number of different ways. However,the good thing about this build is that I've gotten a lot more comfortable with scratchbuilding parts....more out of necessity than anything else. The next F-14 kit box that I open will say HASEGAWA or ACADEMY on the side. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Cheslo Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 I am continuing to enjoy this thread immensely, Steve! You da detail king! Seriously, though, I am learning a great deal by watching you build this bird. I am sure it will come in handy one day to refer to when (if? :blink: ) I do a jet. J.C. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Thanks very much, Jamie. However, to be completely honest, the stuff that I do pales in comparison to what most of the other guys do in this forum. I consider myself to be pretty much of a 'middle of the road' kind of guy, but I certainly do appreciate the kind words. If nothing else, I'm glad that this thread has been informative, and hope that it's helpful to you. Of course, when you decide to start building jets, feel free to drop me a line if there's anything you need. Once again, thanks for the kind words. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FrankC Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Steve: It's looking really good- those scratchbuilt parts will make a difference. Glad to see it's getting close! congrats! :unsure: :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 (edited) Thanks, Frank! Funny...I got to thinking about Atlanta the other day, and I started thinking about the guy that superdetailed that itty-bitty Tiger tank. Remember how he actually built two of them, to show how he did everything? I was actually thinking about building one out of the box and displaying it next to this one, to show where all of the scratchbuilding came into play. Then I came to my senses....these R/M kits are a pain to build, and to be honest, I don't know how Darren Roberts does it. He can crank these kits out like nobody's business, and they're always really nice. Funny....my wife came home yesterday and came down to the shop while I was making the canopy hooks. First, she gives me a strange look for peering through the magnifier.....with an additional pair of of magnifying glasses on. If that wasn't bad enough, she had to ask me what I was doing. When I showed her, I got an even stranger look....and that was after she had to squint to see them! :unsure: Got some free time today, so I think I'll get those Sidewinders painted up and install that alpha probe and windscreen. I'm really gettting anxious to get a coat of paint on this puppy and start the weathering process. :lol: Edited November 28, 2005 by Steve Filak Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pete "Pig" Fleischmann Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Steve! ...The Milliput work is very cool. This will be stunning when all done! Awesome work! Regards, Pig Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Thanks, Pete! This build has been a bit of a challenge, but it's kind of a personal victory for me that I used almost no aftermarket parts on this one (save for the LANTIRN pod, and I had to modify that as well). If nothing else, it's forced me to do some scratchbuilding.....and while it's been time-consuming, it's also been a lot of fun. My next build is going to be straight out of the box, though! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ishthe47guy Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Nice work, Steve-o. I'm hoping that in the next few weeks, (months, more like) there will be a Monogam F-14 on my workbench that, strangely enough, has very similar modifications to it like the one on your workbench. Keep it going, man. Chris Ish, the sometime modeler Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 Chris! Good to hear from you - where have you been hiding yourself? Anyway, thanks for the kind words, and I hope that this thread will be of some use to you when you start building yours. It's nice to finally see light at the end of the tunnel with this project, since I've been at it for over a year now. Like I was saying earlier, all of this scratchbuilding and what-not is neat, but I really need to start cranking some models out. This is fun, but it takes way too long! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jamie Cheslo Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Of course, when you decide to start building jets, feel free to drop me a line if there's anything you need. Once again, thanks for the kind words. :) Steve; I will certainly take you up on that offer! I have an F-4, a CF-188, and an F-2B (Japanese Bird) sitting in my stash, just waiting for me to get enough nerve together to crack one of 'em open. So when I do decide to begin that "journey of a 1000 miles" I will be picking your brains for sure! :D Take care, and great work again (don't sell yourself short) J.C. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 So when I do decide to begin that "journey of a 1000 miles" I will be picking your brains for sure! Jamie- My wife tells me that it's slim pickings, but you're welcome to it anyway. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wing_Nut Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 Hi Steve, Congrats on quitting smoking that is a most excellent achievement. Second, WOW!!! This is shaping up to be an amazing piece of artwork. I love all the scratchbuilding, especially your "milliput clinic". I've had this stuff in my workbench drawer but was never able to get anything worthy from it. After looking at what you've accomplished, it's sparked a renewed interest . . . . where's my rolling pin?? Great work Steve, I'm looking forward to future postings :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 Thanks a bunch, Brian. BTW, I was sorry to hear about your workshop. I know that you had a bit of a catastrophe in your basement, and I assume that your Tomcat is on hold until you get your hobby room squared away again. Hope you get up and running soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wing_Nut Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 Thanks Steve, i really appreciate that. It's going on week 7, getting close to finishing but the modeling withdrawals are worse than when i quit smoking :P I can't wait to jump back to the Tomcat but reading about yours is holding me over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaRiO FDZ Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 THank You Steve for posting them Pics :) AMAZING job you're doing, I hadn't had a chance to see your In-Prog Pics until today, but DAMN!!!! Impressive work :) Keep it up (and keep up sharing it :P) Take Care Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 Brian- I can definitely sympathize. I had a similar catastrophe back in October with a flooded basement. However, mine is completely unfinished, so at least I didn't have to rip out any walls. My problem turned out to be a large root ball in the floor drain, and once we unclogged it, everything dried right out. Luckily, there was no severe damage. A few kits on the bottom shelves got wet boxes, but other than that, all is well. I hope that you can get back to rights soon - it sucks when you can't use your workshop. Mario- Thanks very much for the kind words as well. I'll absolutely keep everyone in the loop as the build progresses - it's been an interesting little study on this kit to document every step of construction. I wanted to get a few odds and ends done last night, but wound up getting called into work for a while. Hopefully, things will be quiet later this afternoon, and I can get a little painting done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bugfan Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 I AM WATCHING YOU STEVE Bwahahahaha . Nice build so far, I cant wait to see the finished product!! I especially like the miliput trick and the seats!!! Just remember you ARE being watched ;) Jack aka BUGFAN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 I had a feeling that the Big Fella was looking over my shoulder! How goes it, Jack? Have you started that Tamiya kit yet? I'm really looking forward to seeing you work your magic on that one! Thanks for the kudos - I'm sticking with it, and hope to have it ready for paint pretty soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
afterburner Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Very Nice work, Steve- I've got a couple of those kits laying around- looks like I need to break one open. I need a break from my current build anyways. You certainly have given lots of inspiration! I've built a couple of these suckers and though not perfect, by any means, they aren't bad. Must say that rescribing is almost a necessity, and you did a nice job on yours. Well done, can't wait to see the finished product! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PBoilermaker Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) Steve, it is nice to see someone else (in addition to PR1 Hall) getting the front office correct for the "B". Looks really good so far... -Mike Edited November 30, 2005 by PBoilermaker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 Thanks again, guys - all of the support has been very much appreciated, and it also helps me to keep on track to get this thing finished. Some minor stuff got done this afternoon (cleaned up a few seams here and there), but nothing really photo-worthy. Steve, it is nice to see someone else (in addition to PR1 Hall) getting the front office correct for the "B". Looks really good so far...-Mike Mike, it's funny you mention that. I was going to leave that whole thing alone with the glareshield and the HUD, but the more I looked at it, the more it bothered me. I'm kind of surprised that none of the available PE sets have the Sparrowhawk HUD included. It wasn't that hard to make, but it did take a while (and a few tries, admittedly). Somewhere along the line, I also lost the LANTIRN controller as well, so I'll have to make a new one - that will probably be one of the last things that I do with this build. Very Nice work, Steve- I've got a couple of those kits laying around- looks like I need to break one open. I need a break from my current build anyways. You certainly have given lots of inspiration! I've built a couple of these suckers and though not perfect, by any means, they aren't bad. Must say that rescribing is almost a necessity, and you did a nice job on yours. Well done, can't wait to see the finished product! Hey, if you think mine's perfect, you're not looking close enough! Seriously, I had to make some concessions with this build, and the one thing that I had to resign myself to is that the intakes will never be perfect. I'll probably go over them once again to try to smooth them out a little more, but it's just one of those things. I also thought about using intake covers, but my personal preference is to have the aircraft look as though it's ready for flight. One other suggestion I would make is to look for Darren Roberts' article here at ARC on tips for building the R/M kit. He's got these kits down to a science, and can crank them out like nobody's business....not to mention the fact that they look fantastic when he's done with them. More to come in the following days. Thanks once again for all of the enocuragement, support, and kind words....it makes for great fuel when you start slumping on a project like this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) Hey Steve- This photo needs to be credited to Dana Potts via myself. I just realized you had given me credit for all of his photos on your site as well. Can you fix it? Thanks- Brian Edited November 30, 2005 by Steve Filak Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Filak Posted November 30, 2005 Author Share Posted November 30, 2005 Brian- I just added the text on that previous post where the picture first appeared. I'll have to go back to ScaleAIR, pull all of the pics down, and add the text to each the next time I get a chance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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