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                        My First Plane...be kind

                        2831 views
                        29 replies
                        1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 6, 2003 10:15 PM
                        Very nice!

                        I really like fact that you added captions with the pictures and your honesty. Personally, it gave me a greater appreciation of the work and thought you put into it and also highlights the challenges you dealt with. Keep up the good work!!

                        BTW -- I love the top part of your site -- "If I can do it, anyone can!" Smile [:)]
                        Report Abuse
                        Kolja94
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Oak Harbor, WA
                        Posted by Kolja94 on Friday, June 6, 2003 8:39 PM
                        Tenchi-
                        I found all the JFK 50 cent pieces on my last trip to Reno - they're at the black jack tables....

                        Seriously this forum is really great - i've been at the hobby for a long time and still learn great tricks here. I'm just a weee bit jealous that they weren't around when i started! But it's a "happy jealous" since I'm happy for the new participants in our hobby that can get the help here and learn quicker than I did!

                        Karl

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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 6, 2003 9:56 AM
                        Hey y'all! I just get so happy when i see all the postive feedback you have for me! It really does encourage me to want to do better work!

                        andy thanks as always for your kind support!
                        karl i got my tube of white glue at the ready and think i'll use it in addition to the future dip just to be safe
                        gregers excellent tip about the rivets...i'll totally sand them down next time
                        dan and tenchi believe me, if i hadnt had the internet as a resource (read the FS forums and anything else with tips that i could find for about a week before i started), i'm sure that p-38 would have had a lot more problems than the one's you seasoned vets see

                        as always, thanks to you all!
                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Friday, June 6, 2003 5:19 AM
                        Hey Mer,
                        nice work! It's good to see that someone else here does gear-up planes! That's almost as rare nowadays as a JFK 50 cent piece!
                        PS: The plane is a hell of alot better than the first plane I ever did! It was a Monogram F-8, with a Southeast Asia camo scheme of Salmon Pink, Gloss Green, and Olive Drab!! Did I mention I used model cement as an adhesive/gap filler OVER the paint, and I coated the canopy in model cement to make it look shiny?(I didn't know it would fog up! Honest!)
                        Report Abuse
                        Buddho
                        • Member since
                          March 2003
                        • From: Newport News VA
                        Posted by Buddho on Friday, June 6, 2003 3:52 AM
                        Your first plane is a very good start.
                        My first had so much glue inside of it that after painting...days later, sink marks started forming and the body began to cave in!
                        Regards, Dan

                        Report Abuse
                        gregers
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: UK
                        Posted by gregers on Friday, June 6, 2003 1:03 AM
                        Nice one MER1122 you certainly made a silk purse out of that sows ear of a kit. Nice one. The only advice that i can give is to get rid of the rivets on any aircraft kits that are 1/32 or smaller if they were scaled down to that size they would be just about invisable anyway...Stunning work for a first kit . keep it up....Gregers
                        Why torture yourself when life will do it for you?
                        Report Abuse
                        woody0369
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: USA
                        Posted by woody0369 on Thursday, June 5, 2003 9:19 PM
                        Great job, I'm actually working (not for much longer though) on that same aircraft from monogram. This beast has me so frustrated that I'm about to toss it. Besides having to fill and sand EVERYTHING I also decided to be brave and foil it. Stupid me, what was I thinking!

                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 9:07 PM
                        Keep 'em coming!!!Wink [;)]
                        Report Abuse
                        Kolja94
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Oak Harbor, WA
                        Posted by Kolja94 on Thursday, June 5, 2003 8:52 PM
                        HEYYYYYYY - is that REALLY your first attempt? I think you're pulling our collective leg!!! Wink [;)]

                        Seriously, that is REALLY great work!

                        I use one of two techniques for canopies: One, just use white glue or Testors Cement for Clear Parts (which for all I know is white glue). The other technique is to dip the canopy in Future, which also fills many small scratches and helps the canopy seem more shiny and life-like - then you can use CA superglue because the Future protects the clear plastic from crazing.

                        Karl

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                        Butz
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: Niagara Falls NY
                        Posted by Butz on Thursday, June 5, 2003 7:09 PM
                        Whaz up mer1122,
                        SWEET job on the lightning..!!! Keep up the good work my friend. Lookin forward to seeing more of your work.
                        Flaps up,Mike

                        If you would listen to everybody about the inaccuracies, most of the kits on your shelf would not have been built Too Close For Guns, Switching To Finger

                        Report Abuse
                        ADleitch
                        • Member since
                          January 2003
                        • From: Syracuse, NY
                        Posted by ADleitch on Thursday, June 5, 2003 6:30 PM
                        Hi Merideth. You know I will be kind, Yoou have done a great job with a bad kit, you should be patting yourself on the back. Keep it up and soon you will be teaching us a thing or two.
                        Its Better to Burn out than to Fade Away!!!
                        Report Abuse
                        Woody
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Third rock from the sun.
                        Posted by Woody on Thursday, June 5, 2003 4:58 PM
                        I'm thinking back to my first kit-the Aurora PBY-5a. I slapped it together with enough glue to build my next dozen and the rest is history! My first effort was less than admirable, but yours is very nice. I'll be sure to check out your next two projects.

                        " I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way." --John Paul Jones
                        Report Abuse
                        midnightprowler
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: East Bethel, MN
                        Posted by midnightprowler on Thursday, June 5, 2003 4:37 PM
                        Merideth, that is really awesome. Don't sell yourself short. You've got what it takes, keep it up!!!
                        Lee

                        Hi, I am Lee, I am a plastiholic.

                        Co. A, 682 Engineers, Ltchfield, MN, 1980-1986

                        1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

                        Ask me about Speedway Decals

                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 4:34 PM
                        QUOTE: Originally posted by Lufbery

                        Mer1122,

                        I think it looks pretty good. I'm hoping my first serious build (in about 12 years) turns out as nice.
                        -Drew


                        Drew, you're not going to build a decent model for 12 years?????Tongue [:P]Wink [;)]Tongue [:P]
                        With all these forums I'm sure you could cut that down by at least half.Wink [;)]

                        Ray
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                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 4:30 PM
                        Excellent job!!! Keep it up!!

                        Ray
                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 3:31 PM
                        stangfanatic i did a combination of spray testors metallic silver for the body, then brushed paint for the details, interior, props, replacement panels etc...i'm fixin to take the plunge into airbrushing with my current project...cross your fingers for me!
                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 1:47 PM
                        did you use brushes to paint it? looks pretty darn good. I'm afraid to use brushes on mine because i don't want to have the urge to throw them out whent he paint doesn't look right. (right now, they're all unpainted, and you can tell the putty from a mile away, plus all the sanded spots look awful)
                        Report Abuse
                        coldwar68
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: Zanesville, OH USA
                        Posted by coldwar68 on Thursday, June 5, 2003 1:45 PM
                        mer1122,

                        That is a good lookin' plane. You did a very good job on it. I only hope that I can get enough patience to do one that good some day! Big Smile [:D]

                        Jerry

                        I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it. -Jack Handy

                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 11:12 AM
                        thank y'all so much for the positive support! i hope to see improvements in my latest endeavour, the Hawker Typhoon. It's already going so much easier than the p-38 kit.

                        claymore thanks for the tip on decals...for this plane i clearcoated, decaled, decal-set, weathered...next time i'll clearcoat again before weathering as you suggest.

                        thanks again to everyone for all your help!

                        merideth
                        Report Abuse
                        JGUIGNARD
                        • Member since
                          March 2003
                        • From: USA
                        Posted by JGUIGNARD on Thursday, June 5, 2003 9:44 AM
                        VERY nice job for first time out ! Way ahead where I was when I first started.

                        Jim
                        Most of us are acquainted with at least one "know-it-all". He may be as close as the mirror. [}:)]
                        Report Abuse
                        upnorth
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Canada / Czech Republic
                        Posted by upnorth on Thursday, June 5, 2003 8:57 AM
                        Awesome!!!

                        You picked a kit for your first model that I gave up on with about 18 years modeling experience under my belt when I tried taking it on.

                        That old P-38 is one of those kits that I think could put a beginer right off the hobby completely out of the sheer frustration it can cause.

                        Grab the Promodeler P-38 someday and post some pictures when you're done, I'd love to see what you can do with the better Hasegawa derived moldings that kit provides, should be a knockout considering what you did with that old beast of a kit.

                        Keep it up!
                        Report Abuse
                        eagle334
                        • Member since
                          March 2003
                        • From: plopped down in front of this computer.
                        Posted by eagle334 on Thursday, June 5, 2003 8:45 AM
                        Grasshopper, you have snatched the pebble from the hand. Good job, keep up the good work.
                        Wayners Go Eagles! 334th Fighter Squadron Me and my F-4E <script language="javascript" src="http://www.airfighters.com/phgid_183.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
                        Report Abuse
                        U-96
                        • Member since
                          February 2003
                        • From: United Kingdom
                        Posted by U-96 on Thursday, June 5, 2003 8:01 AM
                        Nicely done plane, and a professional looking website too!

                        hmmmm I might have to start one myself... it would be good to share my mistakes with others Big Smile [:D]
                        On the bench: 1/35 Dragon Sturmpanzer Late Recent: Academy 1/48 Bf-109D (Nov 06) Academy 1/72 A-37 (Oct 06) Revell 1/72 Merkava III (Aug 06) Italeri 1/35 T-26 (Aug 06)
                        Report Abuse
                        Lufbery
                        • Member since
                          December 2002
                        • From: Harrisburg, PA
                        Posted by Lufbery on Thursday, June 5, 2003 7:54 AM
                        Mer1122,

                        I think it looks pretty good. I'm hoping my first serious build (in about 12 years) turns out as nice.

                        Regards,

                        -Drew

                        -Drew

                        Build what you like; like what you build.

                        Report Abuse
                        fuzzy
                        • Member since
                          May 2003
                        • From: Lewisburg , Tenn
                        Posted by fuzzy on Thursday, June 5, 2003 1:37 AM
                        Nice job! Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to seeing
                        more models.
                        Fuzzy
                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, June 5, 2003 12:58 AM
                        Nice job! I like it!!

                        Murray
                        Report Abuse
                        paulnchamp
                        • Member since
                          January 2003
                        • From: Warwick, RI
                        Posted by paulnchamp on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 10:29 PM
                        Impressive. . . But you are not yet a Jedi. But you're on your way! Keep building; each one gets better and better!
                        Paul "A man's GOT to know his limitations."
                        Report Abuse
                        Anonymous
                        • Member since
                          November 2005
                        Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 9:32 PM
                        Hey mer1122, not bad for a first! Approve [^]
                        I like your idea of posting so we all can see your skills develop. I really like the different color panels.

                        Regarding the seepage under the decal you can solve this by painting base color(s) then using a gloss clearcoat (Future etc.) then decaling then applying another gloss clearcoat. This process wil prevent "silvering" of the decals and seepage. After you do all that weather your model and hit it with another clearcoat, gloss (bare metal) or dull (camoflage).Smile [:)]

                        As to the canopy: Keep practicing and don't get discouraged, I still mess some upafter 20+ years!Tongue [:P]
                        Report Abuse
                        leemitcheltree
                        • Member since
                          January 2003
                        • From: Washington State
                        Posted by leemitcheltree on Wednesday, June 4, 2003 9:31 PM
                        Mer1122,
                        If that's your first ever plane, that's great! Just keep building!! That's WAAAAAYYYYY better than my first attempt. The turbo-supercharger looks very good - nice job.
                        You did note on your web page you should stay away from superglue for attaching canopies - good idea and you can see why................use white glue instead.
                        Nice job, and keep building (don't forget to have fun, too)
                        Cheers'
                        LeeTree

                        Cheers, LeeTree
                        Remember, Safety Fast!!!

                        Report Abuse
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