Regia Aeronautica GB II (06/15/09 to 06/15/10)

Those are some Nasty Looking Critters. Not only did we have 'mutant spiders" in Vegas  there was 6- 8 inch long centipede's that we would find on the ceiling. Imagine heading into the bedroom with the wife for a night of "Romance" and spying one of those working its way along the ceiling... So much for the mood after that... Ah yes good old Vegas home of Zillions of cockroaches, spiders, and other creepy crawly things.  And yes we had an exterminator come once a month...

Geeez, those are some seriously nasty critters. I just cant do Spiders. God knows what it is but they just give me the heeby geebies.

Im all of a fluster now, thinking of those but i must post my finished Macchi. At last its done. It should have been done ages ago but for some reason, I couldnt get motivated to finish. Anyhoo, it is now so heres some Picceroonies,

I hope you like it as much as i do. It was a good fun build.

...Guy

 Guy that is a very beautiful looking bird. Your wood grain is excellent. It looks to be real finished wood!  The rigging is pefect!  Outstanding. Hope my efforts turn out 1/2 as well. The colors are very eyecatching and I feel you have once again somehow managed to out do yourself!  I am really thinking this is one of the best I have seen!

 Do you all know we have 14 completed builds here? Six of which are Guy's work!  Dern elves!! Page one updated O ace of modeling daddys! Whom son I wish I was.... Have I missed anyone?

Dad, you are the best. I wish you were my GB Leader. Oops, I think I said that backwards.

Anywhoo, Beauty of a float plane, Guy!

Guy that floater is totally awesome! I think I see another entry for the Gallery. The woodgrain came out perfect. You are definetly ace.

A bad sinus infection is giving me a screaming headache since Friday night so I have'nt been much in the mood for airbrushing with my head feeling like its going to explode. I am hoping to feel better tomorrow so I can get my camo layed down. I know Guy is loking foward to some pics and I don'nt want to disapoint our feerless leader.

Aaron spiders do not bother me in the least unlike our feerless leader. In fact pretty I pretty much have no fear of any bugs or animals of any sort. We have just about everything around here. Fox Coyote Wild Turkeys Deer Racoons Skunks Rabbits. Groung Hogs. You name it we have it. I have even had a Grey Wolf as a pet.I only kill the insects that invade my personal space otherwise I do'nt bother them. I have seen those pics of the camel spiders in the middle east. You could put a saddle on some of those buggers and ride them they are so big!

                                                                                       Soulcrusher

Well I finally sat down and decided to start spraying this crazy camo job. This 202 is a very early build and has a non standard color scheme. I only had a couple of bad BW photos to go by but the pictures gave the color call outs as Sand with heavy overspray of Green and Brown and light blue underside. From the pics it was apparent most of the sand was oversprayed leaving only small sploches of the sand on the wings and almost all of it covered up on the fuselage sides. I could not tell the difference between the green and brown in the photo so I had to make up my own pattern that matched the BW photos. When everything is all done I have to mask of the wing root and spray it gray to represent a field repair with some spots on the fuselage. The paint is fresh in the photo so I do not want to dullcoat over it so I am saving that step for last so the paint looks fresh. Here is a pic. The masks are still on but I think it looks pretty cool.

                                                                           Soulcrusher 

Crusher, Awesome AB job, That has to be one of the hardest camo schemes to pull off, and i think youve nailed it. With the addition of the repaired panel it should blow us all away. Would the nekid panel be grey though? Perhaps thier anticorozione green colour? That was thier undercoat colour. Im sure it will look good whatever and as you probably realised...Im no experten.

...Guy

Guy -  Your Float plane sure turnd out to be a Jaw Dropper. What a Terrific job on the rigging. Next thing you know you will be building one of those old sailing ships and rigging that..

SC - Very Nice Paint work on the Macchi..

Thank you everyone for the positive input. I was really stuck on this one for a week as to how do duplicate it. Finally I just loaded up the aitbrush and started spraying. I just kind of went with it and kept looking at the crappy BW foto and tried to duplicate the look. Who knows if it is actually correct but it looks good to my eyes and the small sand sploches match the photo pretty well so and with no other good photos I am happy with it.

Guy the two photos I have state that the wing root repair was painted in a fresh glossy grey color. I do'nt know how they know it is grey but I have no other resource info to go with so I guess I have to believe them. Meduim gray is a color they would have had around as it was used on some of the SM 79 models witch are in the background in some of the photos so it believeable. I have seen this camo pattern before on a SM 84 but with alot more sand showing through the top colors. This one is very dark and that what makes the BW photos hard to figure. Not much contrast in the photos. Tonight Future so no to much will be getting done.

                                                                                         Soulcrusher

Got all of the decals layed down tonight. The Hasegawa decals behaved very nicely and it just took a bit of Microsol to get them to snug down. Because the large wing Faces have a huge clear carrier I am going to wait until tomorrow to check for silvering as there is bound to be some. Then another coat of Future to seal it all up. These Hasegawa kits build so fast with almost no effort at all. By the way I just grabbed two more kits of eBay. The a Haegawa 205V and another 202 that is boxed with different decal options. I'm really liking these Macchi's! I'll post some pics tomorrow. Its not a very colorfull plane but the unusual camo set it apart.

                                                                                        Soulcrusher

Great stuff Crusher. Those Hasa kits are the biz for sure. I have another 202 in the stash. I think its the camo schemes that sell em to me...that and the fact they all look so gorgeous LOL.

...Guy

I think I am addicted to Macchi's AND 109's now! I think you right about what makes us want to build so many of them. Its because they have so many different camo jobs and the Macchi's never had any standard color schemes. I look at photos of a line up of 202's or 205's and almost no two will have a similar camo pattern or color. Going to lay down some more Future tonight to seal the decals and I'll post some pics. Do'nt want to keep Guy in suspense to long!

                                                                                                 Soulcrusher

Wel I got my decals down last night and sealed them up under another coat of Future. I started assembling some of the landing gear. She will be ready for a panel line wash tomorrow and a nice flat coat then come the fiddly bits and she's done! Opps almost forgot I have to mask the left wing root and paint it grey too! Here are some "shiny pics" for you Guy. I only had BW photos to work with and now that I see it in color it looks pretty ugly with all of the green and brown. Probally a good camo for not being spotted on the field just not as pretty as the Luftwaffe planes with thier Gray-Violet and Grey-Green upper camo colors. Now i see why the BW photos are so dark as this scheme is very dark. Still it is different from any other Macchi's I've seen so I like that.

                                                                                     Soulcrusher 

Now thats looking the biz for sure. Good call on the repaired panel. This is definately going to be a show stopper for sure. Looks like its only thee and me around these parts of late. I think the CAG has got the rest of the scallys busy over at the Fleet air arm GB. Im sure theyll be back to give you thier seal of approval shortly.

Wheres bondo with his Gabby? It was looking sharp. I need to see as i have one of those burning its way out of my stash.

...Guy

Thanks Guy. I think everyone that was going to finish thier builds already have and they have moved on like you have said. I did not plan on building a second but this one just caught my eye and I though it belonged here. It is so close to the end I would have usally moved on also. I probally post the finished pics in the AC forum just so someone besides you might actually see it. I'm of to the KoTS GB after this one is done to finish the Fokker D VII thats about half done and pic up some new skills on stacking wings from all the experts there.

                                                                               Cheers!

                                                                               Soulcrusher

SC- Very Impressive . Your Chi 202 is just plane Cool looking.  I also agree with you that the Italian's had so many paint designs that they can be habit forming. Someday I really need to put the smoke rings on the 205 and get it finished up. 

Currently I have been working on a "King Tiger" my son got me for my B-day several years back. Since another year is about to pass I was feeling guilty about never getting it painted and finished. 

Thanks Sean I think the ugly camo job is really growing on me. I really need to build some armor too. The last thing I built was a 1/35 Tamiya Panther G about three years ago. I think that was one of my new year resolutions to build at least one armor kit this year.

Thanks Frank for dropping in and checking out  my 202. I always look foward to your input. Most everyone else is gone and me and Guy were feeling a little lonely!

                                                                                     Soulcrusher

Guy, don't think I've had a chance to comment on you maachi yet so let me just to the master and say I think yer ace and I wish I was your son!!!

SC, I think the paint job rocks and with the decals on it WOW!!!  Looking forward to the finished product. 

I'm still here SC!  Haven't had much to show lately as my G-6 is patiently waiting for her turn in the paintshop.

Guy- Thought of you today while out for lunch.  Went to a local Irish restaurant for some bangers and mash, and they had a red double decker bus in the parking lot.  A strange sight indeed in Madison, WI!

Hey Frank did you check to see if Guy was sitting in the drivers seat? Guy is your big red bus missing? Man thats gonna coast alot to that bus back where it belongs!

                                                                                              Soulcrusher

It wasnt my bus im afraid. Our suckers are painted Bright yellow. Seems ironic that theyre the brightest and biggest things in our area and people still dont seem to see us till the last minute. Had a cracker the other day, theres a narrow quaint bridge on one of my routes and generally you wait if you see a bus coming over it (Obvious to most LOL). This guy in soimething big and flash, came towards the bridge, oblivious to the 17 tonnes monster crossing, as he squeezed as far left as he could, at speed still, i heard his lovely alloys scraping down the kerb all over the bridge. What a shame. LOL. Heres our busses website. I dont think im on it though, thank God.

http://www.bybus.co.uk/

and one of our busses,

Thx for the compliments Dave, i was going to blame you for not turning up but my mind couldnt quite comprehend me trying to blame you for 'you' not showing up....so i had to go and lie down and have a nap...its me age dontcha know. Got a big one coming soon. im expecting Jelly and icecream and loads of pressies from you lot.

...Guy

Thank you Mucker and Dave for the kind words. I appreciate it. I'm still getting use to the overall dark camo colors. When I get the wingroot sprayed in gray it will probally look better I think.

Frank I managed to grab the 1/48 Hasegawa G-4 kit with then Regia Aeronautica markings. I hesitated a bit knowing the resin colw does not fit that good but knowing ahead of time means when I decide to build it I will spend alot of time with the resin insert to get a good fit.

Guy thats a cool looking bus. If I come visit you will you let me drive it for a bit? I wo'nt tell a soul!  There's only one think though. It ssems they put the steering wheel on the wrong side. Oh you crazy English! What will you think of next? Warm beer.

Someone told me a joke about the warm beer. Tell me if this is true. I was told that the British drink warm beer because Lucas besides making electronics for automobiles notabley Jaguar also makes the refrigerators in England.

                                                                                 Soulcrusher

soulcrusher wrote:

I was told that the British drink warm beer because Lucas besides making electronics for automobiles notabley Jaguar also makes the refrigerators in England.                                                                                  Soulcrusher

Now i have to tell my British friends...

LOL, its one of those urban myths. If someone ever served me a warm beer there would be trouble. I think it stems back from the days when beer was pumped by hand?

As for coming over and having a go in the bus. Knock yourself out. The thrill of driving the thing is starting to wear a little thin but id be glad to let the Coffin dodgers give you an earfull and not me.

...Guy

I though drinking warm beer sounded a little off. Having drank my fair share of beer in my younger days I definetly know how bad it tastes when it is warm. I just could not see how anyone could enjoy that taste. Give me a Black and Tan anyday! I think over on this side of the pond it is just a way for us mechanic types to grip about how horrible te old Jaguar's electronics were. Add that with the myth about the warm beer and it makes sense to  us over here!

I think I know where my next vacation is going to be! Bournesmouth look out her I come! I would love to drive that beastie. I have driven just about everything that has a steering wheel from Dodge Vipers to medium trucks [lorrie] except for a really big bus. I work on alot of trucks and some of the smaller buses which means I need to drive them afterward to ensure the repairs were done properly.Is there a point system in place for takeing out drivers that do not yield the right of way or is it based on the value of the vehicle?

Well back to modeling. I let everything dry all day yesterday as it was a bit damp. Today I am going to mask of the wing root and lay down some gray. Then I was to start adding the fiddly bits like the exhaust and landing gear. I should have some more pics up tonight.

                                                                                       Soulcrusher