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1/32 Trumpeter A-10C Hog- "Putting Lipstick on a Pig of a Kit"


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There's also a little "flap-like" darker feature at the front between the fins, which has a little circular window in it, so I painted this with Alclad Gun Metal and then filled the little window and the ones between the collars with clear Future.

In case nobody else has chimed in, the "flap-like" thing is the cover over the argon bottle that cools the seeker. It's usually a similar, but lighter color than the rest of the seeker head; sort of a greenish steel gray. It's held on by three captive screws and retained by a wire cable. There's a small pressure gauge behind the little window.

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Thanks guys for the kind words and understanding!

I'm working on the AMS Resin Mk 82 AIR bombs and rocket pod. Unlike the Wolfpack pod, these parts are really good to begin with, but I just HAD to modify them- and they turned out looking pretty darn good if I do say so myself. :rolleyes: I'm going on vacation for about 2 weeks, so no updates until then.

In the meantime, I do have something to post that's more modeling related than my dog! Ever wonder where to store all your models, especially BIG 1/32 ones like F-4's and F-14's? Well, I've had mine exposed to dust and potential damage for years, but I finally found a solution that works. Glass shelving is usually too narrow in depth and if you want something big with lighting and doors, glass shelving units can cost $1,500 to $2,000 for something decent- and that's without shipping. I've noticed that retail shops like jewelry stores always seem to have something that would work, so I checked out a few local retail store supply outlets to see if I could find something that was relatively inexpensive. Bingo! I found this unit, which is "frameless" and measures 18" deep, 30 " wide and 6 feet high. Unassembled, it sells for $500, which might still seem like a lot of money, but I have 1,000 to 1,500 hours invested into my last 3 builds, so what do you think they are worth to me to keep them safe, but still be able to look at them? This unit did not come with lighting, so I bought some battery powered LED "hockey puck" lights that I stuck with strong 2-way tape (supplied with kit) to the bottom of each glass shelf. They cost only $50 on ebay and they even came with a remote control with a dimmer switch that turns them all on and off at the same time.

Cabinet1.jpg

What's cool with this shelving is that it's clear on all sides, so you can see almost all sides of your model and display model contest awards if you've got them. Now a few close-ups. The Lancaster bomb bay is very detailed underneath and won't fit in the cabinet, so it sits up high where you can see it through the glass below.

Cabinet5.jpg

Still my favorite.....

Cabinet2.jpg

But these aren't bad either and they are small enough to get 2 on one shelf. Note the puck lights above and below....

Cabinet3.jpg

The F-4J still gets lots of love, even though it's mostly OOB.

Cabinet6.jpg

These are still pretty good, but as I build more and hopefully better models, they will get the boot back outside one day. At one model per year of progress, they are safe for quite awhile.

Cabinet4.jpg

Have a good summer boys- while it lasts!

Edited by chuck540z3
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Thats Really, Really Nice,

i wish to have my fav models up on display just like yours. i have just started and decided to pursue this hobby,i removed a section of my stairwall and slotted in a cabinet.

hope to have an impressive display of models just like yours.

2014-05-23074106_zps36052a61.jpg

2014-05-23074129_zps8fd6b1ce.jpg

Cant wait to see your completed A10, real sorry about the snake head decal, i was really hoping to see it when its finished.

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Chuck,

Nice find! I'll have to start looking into something more permanent then what I use these days: Stackable semi clear storage boxes. I can still see my models, and they're protected from dust and dirt, but not exactly a thing of beauty either. My issue is that I build about 4 models per year, so I'll need 2 cases to start with. Still, a lot cheaper then a custom display case. Have also heart that Big Box furniture stores like IKEA have display cases. Just need to invest the time, and take a look at what they have.

Joel

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Shan,

I've never seen anything quite like your built in wall display. unfortunately, even if I had a wall I could use, my wife would veto the idea asap. We agreed more then 30 years ago that one spare bedroom would be my hobby room, and everything stays within those walls.

Joel

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Joel, I have the same issue, so I chose a place which would not take up floor space. Also my wife didn't like the idea that it could be viewed from the living room. So the best place was the staircase and my buddies get to check out the models on the way to the man cave (study room)

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GREAT spot and display case Shan! How deep is that?

Joel, there are two issues with most of the "consumer" cabinets you can easily find, including IKEA. First, for 1/32 models, they are almost always too shallow at less than 14" of depth. The wing span on the CF-18 is 16.5" and it barely fits in my cabinet as it is. For most 1/48 models, they might work, but my 1/48 Lancaster never will. Second, if you find something on the 'net that will probably work, make sure you can pick it up locally. My cabinet weighs almost 200 lbs and is obviously fragile, even though it comes unassembled. Shipping of something like this will be either unavailable or very, very expensive.

I just measured the Hog. It is 22" long and a full two feet (24") wide! It will never fit in a cabinet, but maybe I can find something to cover it and keep out dust?

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Chuck,

Thanks for the advice. Up until my F-4B build, every model has been a 1/48 scale WW11 single of twin engine plane, so it would fit into those IKEA type cases. Now that I've branched out to include the Iraq Operations, I'll have to rethink my plans. Size has been the main determining issue of why I never got into 1/32 scale. Although now with failing eyesight, and the ever increasing number of quality models, I'm starting to rethink my position.

Unfortunately, for your A-10, about the only thing I can think of that would meet your standards of excellence, is to have a custom case made by a quality Glazer.

Shan

We own a ranch, so there is no steps to a 2nd level, but a set down to the basement, where my son lives, so that option doesn't really work for me. But it sure does for you.

Joel

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Chuck, i made it approx 2 feet deep to accomodate 1/32 scale only models. I computed that it can hold 15 models. I hope to fill them up with lots of goodies!!!!

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Love the case. I am looking for something similar to suit my builds as well. As far as enjoying summer I say go fly a kite. Lol its 115* here right now and humidity is in the 50's. Which means sweat comes out of pores in buckets. But they say it's a dry heat. Point after 100* I care not because hot is hot.

Great looking model as always Chuck anything planned for your next build yet.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank you fellow Geezers!

As far as the rest of you "kids" are concerned, "Get off my lawn!! :lol:

I just noticed (again) that the pic shrinking software on this site is brutal. The eagle pic resolution is 50% of what I see on my iPad, which is shrunk already. Oh well, it's not like we pay for this service in the first place.

Edited by chuck540z3
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Chuck,

You're welcome from the other Old Geezer.As far as your picture issue goes, all these sites use various compression programs to decrease the resolution of uploaded pictures to maximum of 1024x768 or so. Some are much better then others. Facebook is the worst, Photobucket's is pretty decent. I avoid those issues by editing, then reducing the resolution myself, then I upload them. In my case it's either to Photobucket or Flickr. This way what you see is what I've generally uploaded. An additional benefit is that it's a much faster upload through your ISP, various hubs to the hosts site's server.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Thanks guys for the kind words and understanding!

I'm working on the AMS Resin Mk 82 AIR bombs and rocket pod. Unlike the Wolfpack pod, these parts are really good to begin with, but I just HAD to modify them- and they turned out looking pretty darn good if I do say so myself. :rolleyes:/>/> I'm going on vacation for about 2 weeks, so no updates until then.

In the meantime, I do have something to post that's more modeling related than my dog! Ever wonder where to store all your models, especially BIG 1/32 ones like F-4's and F-14's? Well, I've had mine exposed to dust and potential damage for years, but I finally found a solution that works. Glass shelving is usually too narrow in depth and if you want something big with lighting and doors, glass shelving units can cost $1,500 to $2,000 for something decent- and that's without shipping. I've noticed that retail shops like jewelry stores always seem to have something that would work, so I checked out a few local retail store supply outlets to see if I could find something that was relatively inexpensive. Bingo! I found this unit, which is "frameless" and measures 18" deep, 30 " wide and 6 feet high. Unassembled, it sells for $500, which might still seem like a lot of money, but I have 1,000 to 1,500 hours invested into my last 3 builds, so what do you think they are worth to me to keep them safe, but still be able to look at them? This unit did not come with lighting, so I bought some battery powered LED "hockey puck" lights that I stuck with strong 2-way tape (supplied with kit) to the bottom of each glass shelf. They cost only $50 on ebay and they even came with a remote control with a dimmer switch that turns them all on and off at the same time.

Cabinet1.jpg

What's cool with this shelving is that it's clear on all sides, so you can see almost all sides of your model and display model contest awards if you've got them. Now a few close-ups. The Lancaster bomb bay is very detailed underneath and won't fit in the cabinet, so it sits up high where you can see it through the glass below.

Cabinet5.jpg

Still my favorite.....

Cabinet2.jpg

But these aren't bad either and they are small enough to get 2 on one shelf. Note the puck lights above and below....

Cabinet3.jpg

The F-4J still gets lots of love, even though it's mostly OOB.

Cabinet6.jpg

These are still pretty good, but as I build more and hopefully better models, they will get the boot back outside one day. At one model per year of progress, they are safe for quite awhile.

Cabinet4.jpg

Have a good summer boys- while it lasts!

Hi Chuck,

Where in Calgary did you pick up this display case?

Cheers,

Tom

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