Official Alley Cat GB Sept2010-Sept2011

eatthis

thats a nice tip il write that down thanks mate :)

i guess you mean 45 deg either side of the camera?

No prob!

45 degrees works...I usually set up so that, if I'm at 6 o'clock, the lights are at about 4 and 8. But there's a lot of room for variability. The big thing is clean illumination and killing off as many harsh shadows as you can.

I've pushed ahead  with some weathering and decaling on the Tigercat.  The weathering brought the gloss way down, giving the overall finish a much better look. I've gone a little heavy especially on the exhaust stains. I may tone that down a little bit.  I've also drybrushed on a little paint chipping on the leading edges of everything.  Kit decals laid down very nicely using the micro set system.  Time to start on the little stuff.  I'll hold off on the landing gear until the end.  I've heard nothing but bad stuff about the real vinyl tires.  I'm going to use them, but I think I'll get an aftermarket set of wheels ready for when these melt down.  

eatthis

the tomcat and the tsr 2 are both 1/48 scale :)

huh, ive only got you down for a 32nd and a 72nd, did i miss something?

in short yes mate you did lol

i still have the 1/72 but its in its box the 1/32 is 50 ish % done and i bought this because i wanted to do another 48 scale plane to sit next to the tsr 2 :)

damn, sorry dude. things have been a bit up and down here at the moment. Ive been suffering from migraines. works been stressful as all hell. And to top it off ive called off my imminent wedding. Sorry if im a little off the ball lately guys.

Scorpiomikey

damn, sorry dude. things have been a bit up and down here at the moment. Ive been suffering from migraines. works been stressful as all hell. And to top it off ive called off my imminent wedding. Sorry if im a little off the ball lately guys.

OUCH mate this is a hobby ergo your supposed to do it for fun real life is far more important and i dont see what youve got to apologize to us for :)

Scorpio,

Take care of real life, we'll be here when you get back.

thanks guys, you rule. 

Scorpiomikey

damn, sorry dude. things have been a bit up and down here at the moment. Ive been suffering from migraines. works been stressful as all hell. And to top it off ive called off my imminent wedding. Sorry if im a little off the ball lately guys.

Dude, don't apologize to us! Take care of real life, and just remember, this is your distraction from all the stress! 

Scorpio- Take care of yourself ,man.

In the meantime, enjoy these pics of a few 'Cats' at the IPMS Modelpalooza in Orlando, Florida this past weekend. Also more pics over in general modeling page. Took my daughter and had a great time. Only wish I could have releaved the vendors of more of thier stashes. Would be too easy to spend too much.

One of my scores from the vendor tables. May include in this GB if time allows after the other projects I've got going and lined up. Think I'll build it as the Orange Gulfhawk bird or unlimited gold racer .We'll see.Any way, it's in my stash.

 Howard

that blue angels tomcat looks fantastic!!

Wow, love that yellow Tigercat! Of  course, for the moment I've had enough of painting things yellow to last me several months...

Got the natural metal finishes on the Wildcats last night. Alclad Semi-Matte Aluminum on the blue tail, Talon Aluminum on the pink. More pics thoughts on both paints over in the NMF II GB.

Eatthis- Great looking Tomcat! I've always loved the Jolly Rogers markings. I just hope mine looks as good.

Doogs- Those Wildcats look awsome. Can't wait to see them finished.

Scorpio- Hey man, don't worry about the builds. We'll make sure they're all good. Take care of yourself first.

Well I'm finally moved. There seems to be a very loud growl from my stash in the closet. I think it's that Tomcat beggin (demanding is more like it) to come out. There's room on the workbench next to the Osprey. Now if I can just keep the Cat from eating the bird. Lol.

Right, im back, sorta, things are settling down at home, still plagued by migraines though. Im getting there though. Ill try and keep an eye on things, i might miss some stuff though so i apologize in advance if i do.

Thanks for all the support guys.

Is it too late to join this build?  If not I would like too.  I have a Hobby Boss 1:48 F6F5 Hellcat that is a WIP. Some of the WIP pics can bee seen here: /forums/t/131325.aspx

not too late at all, ill sort that out for you now.

Thanks very much

Here are some of the WIP pics

The Office:

Work on the engine:

Pre-shading done...Had a heck of a time with the cowling, but I finally got it.

Got her under paint night before last.  Finished up the landing gear and got that installed..Started on the canopy today.

Finished up the Wildcats last night. 

Overall, the Hobbyboss is a decent kit. Some great elements, some less great. Either way, these kits were fun to build and great to use as a testbed for some new techniques and paints, and the boy at least loves his (Lola, being four months old, could care less).

I should be back later in the year with the Eduard Hellcat. 

I'm assuming that the call letters are the kid's initials?  Very cool...They look great

Thanks RAF74! The call letters are indeed their initials...now just have to figure out where to put them in their rooms where they won't get destroyed within three weeks!

I love the his and hers Wildcats, great job.

I'm finally getting a start on the Bearcat, it is a rebox of the 1976 Monogram kit. It offers a CAG plane from 1947 (the box art) and a Naval reserve Bearcat from 1952.  

and the reason I'm really enjoying my return to Airfix, Matchbox and Monogram kits, an hour and I have something resembling an airplane. Great kits for those on the go without much time to build.

Scorpiomikey - can you put me down for Tamiya's F4F-4 as well? 

I'm planning on building it as one of the Cactus Air Force Wildcats of VMF-223. Should be a fun opportunity for some extreme South Pacific weathering!

From what I've seen peeking in the box, the Hobby Boss kits skate a very fine line on the rip-off front...the cockpits are almost indistinguishable!

iv started another tomcat this one wont shoot photograph or bomb anything and will have a cleaner airframe ;)

Nicley done all. just quickly eatthis, can you give me the details for all the F-14's youve got going so i can get you list of builds tidied up?

I think im up to date now.

italeri 1/48 done

revell 1/48 5%

revell 1/32 60%

i dont know if il do the 1/72 cat

Hey all, I've finished  my 1/48 AMT F7F-N2 Tigercat.  No, it's not one of those colorful beauties that a couple of you are planning.  This model represents an aircraft from VF(N)-52 during carrier qualifications aboard the U.S.S. Antietam on April 8, 1945.  I decided to deck her out with bombs and rockets for a little visual excitement.  As I said during the build, this kit is gem.  The fits were great except a little fill work around the nacelles at the forward wing attachment.  I added a little scratchwork in the cockpit, wheel wells, and wired the engines.  But otherwise it was built straight from the box.  Right now Model Masters enamels are my paint of choice.  The final coat was a mixture of insignia blue and Blue Angel blue.  I don't know the ratio.  I played with the color to get a slightly worn look.  And I was trying to use up some paint that I never have used.  I gave it a light weathering with artists oils, sealed with Krylon satin rattle can.  To top it off, I worked and ochre pastel chaulk into the seams to give the panels a little depth.  I sat a pilot in this one, because he busied things up in an other wise plain cockpit.  I broke his neck and turned his head to the side to create a little life rather than the "stare through the windscreen".

Like I said in my previous posts, this kit is a hidden gem.  AMT got it right.  There is a lot of room for scratchbuilding. but the exterior detail is very good.  Landing gear, sway bars on the tank and bombs, rockets, and the engines are first class.  As you can tell, I had a great time with this kit.  Completed, it just looks right setting on all three.  There is a lot of engine and a lot of firepower (4 X 20 mm cannon & 4 X 50 cals) on a relatively small airframe.  I wish it would have had a year on the loose in the South Pacific.  We would have known a lot about the Tigercat.  I didn't know much about the Tigercat before building it.  Getting to handle the airframe, and imagining the power of those two R-2800 Double Wasps made me think of the potential this aircraft had.  It's performance numbers were outstanding.  Reports from the test pilots called it the best plane they had ever flown.  But its arrival at the end of the war and the rapid evolution of the jet quickly pushed it out as an operational fighter.

Hey guys,

I finally got started on the F9F-2 Panther. It is the Trumpy kit.

Here's another shot with the seat in.

cheers,

Dean

Those are two absolutely gorgeous "Cats".  Very nice work.

Darwin, O.F.