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Revell Germany 1/72 scale Republic P47D-30 Thunderbolt

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:11:39 GMT

Cem Avci
Karşıyaka, Izmir, Turkey

Cem says he made a few modifications to Revell Germany’s 1/72 scale Republic P-47D-30 Thunderbolt: “I changed the solid reflector plate of K-14A sight to clear acetate,” he writes, “modified the pitot tube, and added antenna wire (from my wife’s hair).” He also used Eduard seat belts and Turquoise Decals’ “Turkish Air Force Markings,” and laser-printed his own code and serial numbers. Tamiya Diorama Texture Paints cover the groundwork, and various enamel and acrylic paints (especially Revell, he says) finish the model.

Revell Germany 1/72 scale Super Hornet

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:10:07 GMT

Raúl Corral
Munich, Germany

Raúl writes: “Being a real fan of the Hornet (I had the pleasure to see them landing and taking off often while completing my military service in Spain, serving in the 11th Fighter Wing), I knew a Super Hornet would sooner or later be in my collection.” He selected Revell Germany’s 1/72 scale Super Hornet and marked it for VFA-31 with decals from Twobobs. The pilot figure was pulled from a Revell Germany F-16.

Trumpeter 1/72 scale F-105 Thunderchief

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:08:44 GMT

Bernie Hengst
Little Britain, Ontario, Canada

Competing directly with the F-105 Thunderchief, the supersonic F-107 Ultra Sabre never made it past the prototype stage. That didn’t keep Bernie from building Trumpeter’s 1/72 scale kit, though. He added seat belts as well as a pitot tube above the intake (shown in the box art but not included in the kit, he says). The plane is depicted as the second prototype, 55-5119, displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. Vince Pugliese photo.

Tamiya 1/48 scale Spitfire Mk.I

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:07:03 GMT

Jack Geratic
South Porcupine, Ontario, Canada

“This is a 1/48 scale Tamiya Spitfire Mk.I depicting 609 Squadron during the Battle of Britain,” says Jack. “Serial No. N3280 was the mount of Canadian Keith ‘Skeets’ Ogilvie when he achieved his first kill. The prop and exhausts are Ultracast products.”

1/25 scale 1941 Chevrolet club cab pickup

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:05:36 GMT

Greg Anderson
Hubbard, Minnesota

An automotive dream drove Greg back into modeling: “I may never get to build the real thing,” he says, “but as a start, I took two 1/25 scale Revell 1941 Chevrolet pickups to create a ’41 club cab. Colors are as close as possible to OEM using off-the-shelf spray paint. I had not done a model since I was a kid. It was an enjoyable project.”

1/72 scale Star Wars 'Millennium Falcon'

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:03:56 GMT

John Simmons
West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, England

John writes: “Here’s my 1/72 scale FineMolds Millennium Falcon. I tried to stay as faithful to the 32" studio model as I could, trying to replicate every stain, scratch, blast mark, etc. The model is lit by 17 LEDs, and the cockpit has fiberoptics — even C-3PO’s eyes!” Two 9-volt batteries supply the power; the switches are hidden inside the bottom turret, held in place by magnets. John base-coated the exterior with a mix of Humbrol camouflage grey and light gray enamels, then detailed panels with various Tamiya paints and weathered with powdered pastels. He says, “I fabricated a few greeblies with brass to the cockpit walkway and engines, added the missing ‘fins’ on the bottom, and filed away notches along the sides. The blast marks and a long tear on the bottom of the hull were created with a Dremel minidrill. Resin engine fans and photoetched-metal grilles are the only aftermarket extras.”

1/35 scale Gen. Patton's Beep

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:01:54 GMT

Gregory Tarris
Allendale, New Jersey

Gregory built Skybow’s 1/35 scale U.S. 3/4-ton Dodge WC-56/57 Command Car to model Gen. Patton’s famous “Beep,” known to soldiers by the air horns that announced his presence in the field. Gregory used medical tape and shoe polish to simulate the worn leather of the seats.

Polar Lights 1/350 scale NX-01 'Enterprise'

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:59:44 GMT

Michael Cervantes
San Antonio, Texas

It was fun with Photoshop for Michael, who used a NASA photo as background for his Polar Lights’ 1/350 scale NX-01 Enterprise. He finished the hull in layers, spraying antique brass, applying masks from Aztek Dummy, overspraying with steel, then adding some voyage fatigue with Tamiya weathering powders.

Tamiya 1/35 scale SdKfz 251

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:57:51 GMT

Senai Tokay
Istanbul, Marmara, Turkey

Senai painted Tamiya's 1/35 scale SdKfz 251 with Tamiya’s German gray, weathered with Gunze Sangyo pigments, and muddied it up with Lucas 2267 acrylic gel and more Gunze Sangyo pigments. The final touch was an acrylic wash.

Academy 1/32 scale F/A-18C

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:56:04 GMT

Donald Thornell
Groveland, Massachusetts

“I am a big fan of large-scale planes,” says Donald, who built Academy’s 1/32 scale F/A-18C and loaded it with CAM bombs and missiles. He finished with Testors Model Master paints.

Revell German 1/253 scale USS 'George Washington'

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:54:23 GMT

Per Arne

Rikvold Tallahassee, Florida

Per writes: “I built Revell Germany’s reissue of the cutaway SSB(N) 598 USS George Washington, nominally in 1/253 scale. This kit (No. RG0008) is actually called USS Abraham Lincoln and contains markings for the five GW-class boats: SSBN 598 USS George Washington, SSBN 599 USS Patrick Henry, SSBN 600 USS Theodore Roosevelt, SSBN 601 USS Robert E. Lee, and SSBN 602 USS Abraham Lincoln. I chose the name of the original vessel of the class, which was also the name used on Revell’s original kit, circa 1960.” He removed the starboard aft missile silo and replaced it with a transparent plastic tube so one of the Polaris missiles can be seen in its silo; replaced ladders with photoetched metal from his spares; and used more spare photoetched metal to add windows to the front of the sail, “two rows of three, as seen on the GW sail displayed outside the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Conn.,” he says. He painted the outside of the hull with Tamiya NATO black, and the inside “a gray somewhat lighter than the plastic.” Interior details are painted according to kit instructions, with some exceptions to make things stand out.

Tamiya 1/35 scale M2A2 Bradley

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:51:07 GMT

Sean Pearson
Fleetwood, Pennsylvania

Sean modeled Tamiya’s 1/35 scale M2A2 Bradley for Operation Desert Storm and loaded it with scratchbuilt stowage and items from the Tamiya Modern Equipment set.

Revell 1/32 Typhoon FGR4

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:49:20 GMT

Dean Edmondson
Antrim, Northern Ireland

“I put every skill I possessed into this model,” Dean says of his 1/32 scale Revell Typhoon FGR4, “from rescribing panel lines to scratchbuilding detail for the cockpit, landing gear using brass and metal rods, white styrene stock, etc. The inboard pylons were scratchbuilt, as were the FOD covers. The model took me five months to complete.” Dean dropped bombs from his spares, RBF tags from a Tamiya F-16CJ, rolled a Flightpath ladder up to the plane, got a figure from Mastercasters, “and used a ton of decals in the cockpit and on the landing gear and weapons,” he says.

1/32 scale Apollo 16 Lunar Module pilot Charlie Duke

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:47:27 GMT

John Sims
Jacksonville, Florida

John writes: “This is an old EVA 1/32 scale resin Apollo astronaut. I decided to craft a vignette from an Apollo 16 image I had seen. The figure is altered to look like Apollo 16 Lunar Module pilot Charlie Duke. I repositioned the legs and arms to match the photo by cutting at the joints, gluing the limbs back, and adding some Squadron putty. After sanding, I was able to paint with Testors Acryls and add other details, such as the geo-hammer, sample bag, and correct hose alignment. The lunar surface and boulder are made from Sculpey clay. I've made several of these little guys, and they are a hoot.”

1/125 scale USS 'Shields' DD-596

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:45:28 GMT

John Truesdale
Tucson, Arizona

“This is Lindberg’s 1/125 scale “Blue Devil” destroyer built as the USS Shields DD-596 in World War II. It’s radio-controlled using Radio Shack R/C truck parts. Cost of R/C unit: $21.”

Monogram 1/48 scale Me 262A-1A

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:43:03 GMT

Achilles Avendaño
McAllen, Texas

Monogram’s 1/48 scale Messerschmitt Me 262A-1A got a good workover from Achilles, who scribed panels lines as needed and loaded the cockpit with photoetched-metal and scratchbuilt details. He used preshading and pastels for the weathering.

Academy 1/72 scale B-17C

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:41:16 GMT

Alan Clark
Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England

Yes, Academy has a Boeing B-17C in 1/72 scale. But this one is twice that size — and scratchbuilt! Alan says, “The fuselage is plastic plank-on-frame construction; the wings and empennage are .6mm, three-ply timber sheet over wood spars and ribs, covered in .040" styrene sheet. The engines are resin castings. The interior, bomb bay, wheel wells, etc. are fully detailed. The whole model is cosmetically plated in aluminum and pewter sheet, and all insignia are hand-made. The model took two years to research and construct.”

Revell 1/32 Hawker Huricane

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:39:33 GMT

Bob Schlosberg
Scottsdale, Arizona

Bob built Revell’s 1/32 scale Hawker Hurricane and painted it with Testors Model Master Acryl. He says, “Despite the prominent rivets, raised panel lines, and the very age of the kit, it made a decent model to add to my collection of World War II fighters.”

1/24 scale 'Somewhere south of San Antonio, late 1932' diorama

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:38:09 GMT

Tom Fort
Edinburg, Texas

Tom built this 1/24 scale diorama for the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, “to show that smuggling from Mexico through South Texas … didn’t start recently,” he says. Tom set the scene “somewhere south of San Antonio, late 1932,” he says. “Burro trains from across the Rio Grande would rendezvous with autos at remote spots, where crates of Mexican beer and other ‘liquid refreshment’ would be unloaded and put into the cars for fast trips north to San Antonio, Dallas, and elsewhere.” The cars are an AMT/Ertl 1927 Model T and a Franklin Mint diecast 1933 Ford Deluxe Tudor. Preiser provided the burro and beer crates. Tom planted assorted dried plants from a crafts store and got the prickly pear cactus from Plastruct. He made his own wire fence and a cross-buck pack saddle for the burro.

Revell 1/40 scale 'Scissors Bridge' M48 AVLB

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:35:49 GMT

Chris Curtis
Helena, Montana

Revell’s box-fitted 1/40 scale “Scissors Bridge” M48 AVLB first appeared in 1960. It’s been reissued several times since, recently in Revell’s nostalgic “History Makers” series.

RMP 1/35 scale Renault FT-17

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:33:59 GMT

William Erdmann
University Park, Illinois

William’s 1/35 scale Renault FT-17 is an RPM kit of the French tank that in 1918 became the first driven into combat by Americans in World War I. William finished it with Testors Model Master enamels.

1/72 scale Israeli M7 Priest

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:30:51 GMT

John Yahl Jr.
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

John writes: “To build an Israeli M7 Priest, I combined the 1/72 scale Italeri ‘fast assembly’ M7 Priest with the Italeri 1/72 scale M4A1 Sherman’s wheels, bogies, tracks, and engine, along with some Black Dog resin canvas rolls, Academy stowage boxes, and Italeri, Hasegawa and Imex figures. I added a driver with control levers, cut open the driver’s front hatch, and cut down the extended pulpit. I airbrushed with a 2:1 mix of Tamiya acrylic paints: XF-51 khaki drab and XF-62 olive drab. After Tamiya sand and light sand weathering powders, I applied decals from AFV Club’s IDF Armor-Part 1 sheet (No. AFV-7208).”

Revell 1/8 scale Apollo Astronaut on the Moon

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:29:05 GMT

Dale Nosko
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Revell’s 1/8 scale Apollo Astronaut on the Moon has been, and doubtless will continue to be, reissued several times — and people like Dale will be happy to build and paint this representation of one of the most memorable moments in history.

USS "Enterprise" vs. Doomsday Machine

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:26:36 GMT

Mike Walston
Bradenton, Florida

Mike writes: “I built the original ‘Star Trek’ series USS Enterprise from Round 2’s reissue of AMT/Ertl’s 1/2500 scale starship set and put it in the path of a 14"-long scratchbuilt Doomsday Machine. The LEDs in the model were aimed at red-tinted foil lining the maw's interior, which created a ‘burning ember’ glow. The stand was taken from Round 2’s reissue of AMT/Ertl’s 1/650 Enterprise kit with an additional plastic hook attached.”

1/144 scale Eastern Air Lines "Silver Fleet" DC-3

Tim Kidwell — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:23:20 GMT

Jim Van Cleave
Corpus Christi, Texas

“I’m usually a hardcore science fiction builder,” Jim says, “but a friend in San Antonio asked me to build this Eastern Air Lines ‘Silver Fleet’ DC-3, similar to one he flew in long ago. It was a great experience — especially trying to master the bare-metal finish of that long-ago airliner!” Jim added three antennas not provided in Minicraft’s 1/144 scale kit. He flattened the tires a little to “weight” them.

FineScale.com Community

Revell Germany 1/72 scale Republic P47D-30 Thunderbolt

Cem Avci Karşıyaka, Izmir, Turkey

Revell Germany 1/72 scale Super Hornet

Raúl Corral Munich, Germany

Trumpeter 1/72 scale F-105 Thunderchief

Bernie Hengst Little Britain, Ontario, Canada

Tamiya 1/48 scale Spitfire Mk.I

Jack Geratic South Porcupine, Ontario, Canada

1/25 scale 1941 Chevrolet club cab pickup

Greg Anderson Hubbard, Minnesota

1/72 scale Star Wars 'Millennium Falcon'

John Simmons West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, England