Completed 11/26/16 Trumpeter 1/32 AV-8B Night Attack Harrier II

Nice job Toshi, you have become quite the modeler and enthusist! Always fun to see your work and comments.

Max

Hodakamax

Nice job Toshi, you have become quite the modeler and enthusist! Always fun to see your work and comments.

Max

 

I try to always keep my threads fun and interesting for you members to read.  I guess this is what's it all about and especially for myself, it's the part of me having the upmost fun and satisfaction of getting to know current and new forum members that visit my threads.

Thank you so much Hodakamax for your support and belief in me.  It's extremely appreciated!  Also thank you for the visit!

Toshi

Here we go!  This is the last and final installment of the Trumpeter 1/32 Harrier build.  It was such a fun and exciting kit, I loved Trumpeter's kits so much so in that I just won a bid last night via eBay of a Trumpeter 1/32 P-38 Lightning.  I've read nothing but excellent reviews of this product.  There was next to little to no negative comments.  

I really loved the way this kit came out.  It's fit and finish were great!  Although in the hands of a master modeler like fermis, he found a couple of errors in which he not only corrected but he informed me on how to correct the issue at hand.  Check out his Harrier thread!  He built the same kit as well, it's just awesome and very awe inspiring how his turned out.

If anything, I've learned from this kit, fermis taught me to be more vigilant and cognitive of any issues that arises no matter how small the detail in which was the case in this build.  I also learned how to use the AB to pre-highlight the panel lines.  It showed up finally on this build.  I was having such a difficult time trying to accomplish this.  I'm glad I got a hold on this technique.

Below you'll find the very last of the ordinance in place of which are the AIM-9L's.  As I mentioned previously, I know I'm not supposed to load up the Harrier like this but with all the ordinance available I just couldn't resist.  There's still four more spruces that are still in bags of ordinance that I have not need to touch nor open.  Thank you so very much for your support through my short tenure on FSM Forums (I've been here 1 year and 8 months) and am still learning.  Thank you for all of your support and the visit to my threads!

Toshi

Mr. Toshi.

President/CEO

Toshi Fine Model Co.

Dear Sir

My sincere congratulations for your latest production, it's a really well crafted and finished model aircraft. You have often said, you feel that your work is not up to the level of some of the other modelers on FSM, but you have proven yourself wrong. This Harrier is superb, thank you so much for the post and photos and for sharing your efforts with us.

I vote for you, to be one of the Top Guns here on the forums. And I'm very happy to see you have made your new building space workable, as others told you, if required you could build your models in any space available.

What's next for the production line? We'll be watching to see. Thanks again, Toshi, good to see you back in business.

Patrick 

patrick206

Mr. Toshi.

President/CEO

Toshi Fine Model Co.

 

Dear Sir

My sincere congratulations for your latest production, it's a really well crafted and finished model aircraft. You have often said, you feel that your work is not up to the level of some of the other modelers on FSM, but you have proven yourself wrong. This Harrier is superb, thank you so much for the post and photos and for sharing your efforts with us.

I vote for you, to be one of the Top Guns here on the forums. And I'm very happy to see you have made your new building space workable, as others told you, if required you could build your models in any space available.

What's next for the production line? We'll be watching to see. Thanks again, Toshi, good to see you back in business.

Patrick 

 

 

 

I have learned and gleaned so much from you all for me to progress this far and am forever indebted to you all.  Thank you so much for your vote in confidence as well as your belief in my abilities!

Toshi

Nice clean finish here Toshi. What is next for you here?

Nicely finish Toshi, thats a good looking Harrier.

stikpusher

Nice clean finish here Toshi. What is next for you here?

 

In consolation for me, she turned around and again got another steal for me, a Academy 1/48 P-38J Combination Version #12282 kit that can be either or a p-38J, P-38L, P-38 F-5E, or a Droopsnoop.  Plus as a bonus she also threw in for me a:

Eduard Brassin P-38J Big Sin Resin photoetch Super Detail Set for Academy

Collection of 5 photo-etched sets and Brassin sets for P-38J in 1/48 scale for Academy.

The set contains:

- wheels

- cockpit

- turbochargers and air intakes

- steel seatbelts

- painting mask

How could I say no!  LOL!  

At some point, I did tell her that I'm interest in a Eduard Profipack.  Who knows what kind of deal she'll be able to get?  

As soon as my Academy kit and Eduard Brassin set arrives you can bet I'll start a WIP as I've never built a Academy 1/48 kit nor utilized a Eduard Brassin set.  This is really exciting for me.  stikpusher, thank you for inquiring on my next project and the visit as well!

Toshi

Bish

Nicely finish Toshi, thats a good looking Harrier.

 

Toshi

I've have been proudly designated as the official babysitter for my 4 month old grandson Ezra James.  He is now the light of my life.  So my bench time is limited to a few days a week.  Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  And I'm definately not complaining.  To me it's a blessing.  I'm enjoying every minute of my time with him.  You see, when he's old enough, I want to be building kits with him side by side.  

He'll also never forget the time he spent with his Papa!  When I'm long gone he can look at these completed kits and have fond memories of his time with me building these detailed kits.  This is one facet of the meaning of life.  

With sharing that moment in time, I'd like to add if I may the Harrier build mounted on my; "Wall of Fame", next to the Tamiya Avro Lancaster and a Trumpeter Stuka.  Thank you forum members.  And keep a look out for my P-38 Lightning build of which I just ordered.

Toshi

Nice clean build toshi, another fine looking model. That Trumpy P-38 is HUGE!

The Academy P-38 is a very nice kit with a great fit. The pit needs some tlc but then you are getting some am goodies for it. I built one as a comission a while back and it was a joy to work with but DO NOT use the kit decals. They are terrible.

I too have been taking care of my grandaughter since a newborn and now she is one. In a few weeks I will be taking care of my newborn grandson too so it will be two babies. My son and daughter inlaw work on different shifts so I will have both kids for about 3 hours or so daily.

To PlasticJunkie,

Thank you so very much for your kind comments in regards to the Harrier build.  That had to be one of my favorite builds thus far.  Other builds I enjoyed were the Visible B-17G with PE Interior, Strike Eagle, and the Visible Dauntless and Me 262 to name a few.  Well actually, all my builds were favorites in succession.  LOL!  

I guess the Harrier build meant so much to me as it was my build after my move in which I thought I would have to quit due to space constraints.  Not only that but the fact of the matter is that this Harrier build looks like one of my best and favorites in my collection as of yet in my humble opinion.  

Thank you for your feedback on the Academy P-38 Lightning kit!  I'm pleased to know how well it's design, fit and finish is.  I'm also pleased by your recommendation in that the Eduard Brassin Big Sin AM set was a wise choice.  I'll definately look into AM decals as you suggested.

As for watching grandchildren.  I at first was hesitant and a bit scared.  It's been 23 years since I cared for a baby.  It was like riding a bike.  Wobbly at first but straight forward after a few attempts.  LOL!  I'm amazed and give you lots and lots of credit for watching a one year old girl and a newborn baby boy no matter for a couple hours a day.  You're a brave man!

My babysitting time can run from three hours to nine hours a day.  Yes, that's a very long day for me yet very fulfilling.  Whew!  LOL!  But every time I look into my grandsons angelic face and he smiles or laughs back, it melts my heart.  I just don't miss the diaper changes but it has to be done at least for now.  

I can't wait to take him on walks to the park and go fishing with him.  Building snaptite kits, and flying balsa wood gliders and rubber band propelled airplanes.  Then to finish the day off with ice cream, cotton candy, and chocolate only to send him on his way home on a sugar rush and let mom and dad deal with him.  LOL!  I guess that's what grandchildren are for, to spoil and have fun with grandparents!

Thank you for sharing your story as well as the visit on my thread.  I'm so happy to have these conversations with you!

Toshi

That is one good looking Harrier you built there!! I like the armament load on it, it really looks "the part"

well done.

Theuns

Toshi

Enjoy your grandkids and don't you worry none. For me it has been 28 years since holding and caring for my newborn kids. My granddaughter can't wait for her daily ride in her blue wagon around the neighborhood (with grandpa pulling). She adores it and smiles during our stroll. I also can't wait to take them for ice cream and raiding the toy shops!  

Just want to show you how the Academy P-38 builds OOB. It's a very nice kit as I previously stated and all the am items will elevate the wow factor. I mentioned the decals cause they are very thick and refuse to stay put even with Solvaset that is very strong. The decals I went with are ultra thin and are fantastic specially over BMF.

I think you will enjoy building this kit. I just remembered that I added resin nose guns, a vast improvement over the kit's. No filler at all except for a couple of small spots  at the boom/wing join area. 

You're Harrier turned out great, Toshi.

It's very nice that your first build in your new place turned out to be one of your favorites, what with your negative expectations and all.

I think your new grandbabysitting duty is awesome! Good for you.

Looking forward to your next project.

Another fine build Toshi!  Looking forward to your next one.

Mike

Theuns

That is one good looking Harrier you built there!! I like the armament load on it, it really looks "the part"

well done.

 

Theuns

 

fermis was building the same exact build during my build and he mentioned that his kit did not come with rails for certain armaments.  I thought I was in trouble as I did not have extra rails like fermis did.  He had the resources to do so.  

After careful evaluation, I realized every single ordinance came with rails.  fermis mentioned that his was a early version while my kit was a revised edition of which I was happy about.  However at this juncture, since I had all of the resources needed to load up the Harrier, I decided to do so, hence the final reveal.

For me, the most important critique was from Mrs. Toshi.  She thought that the Harrier looked really cool with the ordinance loaded up.  That's all I needed.  I'm also very happy that you approve as well!  Thank you Theuns for your support, read, and reply!

Toshi

Toshi

Enjoy your grandkids and don't you worry none. For me it has been 28 years since holding and caring for my newborn kids. My granddaughter can't wait for her daily ride in her blue wagon around the neighborhood (with grandpa pulling). She adores it and smiles during our stroll. I also can't wait to take them for ice cream and raiding the toy shops!  

Just want to show you how the Academy P-38 builds OOB. It's a very nice kit as I previously stated and all the am items will elevate the wow factor. I mentioned the decals cause they are very thick and refuse to stay put even with Solvaset that is very strong. The decals I went with are ultra thin and are fantastic specially over BMF.

 I think you will enjoy building this kit. I just remembered that I added resin nose guns, a vast improvement over the kit's. No filler at all except for a couple of small spots  at the boom/wing join area. 

To plasticjunkie,

I will definately enjoy my time with my grandson and with your recommendation, will not; "Worry none".  He is just so little and fragile yet he's a tough little bugger!  LOL!  That must be really cool to be pulling your granddaughter around in her blue wagon around the neighborhood.  You must be one proud grandfather!  

Your Academy P-38 looks awesome as a OOB.  I just hope I can do some justice with the Eduard Brassin AM kit.  I've only worked on one resin cockpit in my life.  It was a Revell Baa Baa Blacksheep kit.  The resin kit was from Verlinden.  I'll start to look for AM decals via eBay right now.  

The resin nose machine guns is a very nice touch.  I'm also glad that little to next to no putty was needed in this build.  I have built a small handful of Academy 1/72 kits and greatly enjoyed the fit and finish of each kit that I assembled.  Thank you once again!

Toshi

Greg

You're Harrier turned out great, Toshi.

It's very nice that your first build in your new place turned out to be one of your favorites, what with your negative expectations and all.

I think your new grandbabysitting duty is awesome! Good for you.

Looking forward to your next project.

 

Toshi

tempestjohnny

Another beautiful addition the museum Toshi. Can't wait for the WIP on the Lightning. My vote is for the droopsnoot. Not to many seen

 

Toshi

Buckeye

Another fine build Toshi!  Looking forward to your next one.

Mike

 

Toshi

Enjoy your grandson, Toshi!  I have 3 grandsons under 3 years, and 8 grandkids in total soon to be 9.  There was a lot of screaming and running going on Thursday!

So far I have a couple of grandaughters who have built a few models, but the grandsons?  Nahhh!  Oh well.

Nice Harrier, and you did it pretty fast, too.  The skills are definitely there.

That is a good looking Harrier you built, Tosh.

I saw one at a Confederate Air Force air show in Harlingen, Texas (very near the border with Mexico) back in about 1976. Maybe 1978, who knows, the memory is not as good as it once was. I do remember thinking it was like something out of a science fiction movie, taking off and landing vertically as it does. And it was so very loud!

As to the Academy P-38, I recently built that kit as the F-5 Lightning, the photo recon version. It is a really good kit with decent details. Your Eduard set will really spice up that bird. Look out for the wing to boom connections, and the booms can actually twist out of alignment to where the rudders are not properly vertical.

jeaton01

Enjoy your grandson, Toshi!  I have 3 grandsons under 3 years, and 8 grandkids in total soon to be 9.  There was a lot of screaming and running going on Thursday!

So far I have a couple of grandaughters who have built a few models, but the grandsons?  Nahhh!  Oh well.

Nice Harrier, and you did it pretty fast, too.  The skills are definitely there.

 

Thank you for your kind comments on my Harrier build.  All I did was to be inspired by your builds and the many FSM forum members builds!  Also thanks for the visit!

Toshi

Aggieman

That is a good looking Harrier you built, Tosh.

I saw one at a Confederate Air Force air show in Harlingen, Texas (very near the border with Mexico) back in about 1976. Maybe 1978, who knows, the memory is not as good as it once was. I do remember thinking it was like something out of a science fiction movie, taking off and landing vertically as it does. And it was so very loud!

As to the Academy P-38, I recently built that kit as the F-5 Lightning, the photo recon version. It is a really good kit with decent details. Your Eduard set will really spice up that bird. Look out for the wing to boom connections, and the booms can actually twist out of alignment to where the rudders are not properly vertical.

 

Toshi

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!  Never in a million years would I have thought to hang models vertically on the wall, but it makes perfect sense!  This will solve both my "not enough place for completed models" problem, and "lack of decor in spare room" problem. 

Mustang1990

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!  Never in a million years would I have thought to hang models vertically on the wall, but it makes perfect sense!  This will solve both my "not enough place for completed models" problem, and "lack of decor in spare room" problem. 

 

Toshi