OK, after being called nasty names on another board because of my low post count there, I decided it was time to finish something.  I have a bunch of stuff that would've qualified for a Shelf Queens group build on another site, but I wanted to get something quick and easy done from start to finish.  So, I decided on a couple of 1/48 Thunderbolts.  I'm gonna do Hobby Boss' "Easy Assembly" bubble-top and Monogram's razorback.  

I started with the cockpits.  They're basically out of the box except for some tape seatbelts, a wire frame added to the back of the bubble-top seat, and some clear plastic discs for the bubble-top gunsight.  I mixed my own version of Republic's "bronze green."  It doesn't translate well in the pix but looks much closer to the real thing in real life.

After finishing the cockpits, it was time to close up the fuselages.  The HB kit has a fragile tailwheel assembly that's designed to be installed before the fuse halves go together.  

Like I said, it's fragile so I wanted to find a way to install it as one of the last steps after painting.  So, after giving it some thought, I decided to use the "Darren Roberts Revellogram Tomcat Wing" method.  I shortened the locating posts and cut "channels" into the tailwheel assembly.  

This little fix allows me to drop-in the tailwheel after the fuse halves have gone together.  That'll keep me from breaking it off...which I know I would do.

Anyway, I ran in to problem when the razorback's fuselage was going together.  I spilled some super-thin CA on the assembly.  Thinking it was water I tried to blow it off.  Well, it wasn't water and dried all over the tail section.

I was going to try to keep Monogram's raised detail but now I have to figure out a way to save this build.  Hmm...hopefully I'll have a fix in my next post.

Thanks for looking, and feel free to share your comments and/or criticism.

Cheers!

-O