No More Excuses GB: Part Deux. Closed to New Entries But Finish What You Signed Up For

here is the link to my LAV-III /forums/t/144712.aspx currently finishing take 2 of wing root seams on old 1/32 me-163, 6x6 COUGAR is primed, k-5 rrgun is ready for second base coat which will fix some superglue boogers and 1/35 SEEHUND is ready to drill out the holed for 1/8" clear rod i am using to mount it. torpedoes are done and primed. just am learning not to add a lot of fiddley stuff like mirrors and periscopes until much of the handlling is complete. too bad i forgot that with the 163, that propellor is just asking to be broken.

wayenc, looking forward to seeing more of your work.  I am glad to hear that this GB is boosting your confidence.  It makes me feel as if I am started something good.  Thank you.

was sitting around my partially reotganized workshop and pulled the 1/350 EMDEN from the shelf queen shelves. i had stopped because of trouble fixing the seam where the clamshell hull sections meet the hull (done so they could just change those for DRESDEN. as my seam fixing has improved a lot i was able to fix these so another is added to the pile to finish. this group build is doing wonders for my confidence. i am building some new stuff while working on old stuff and the quality is much better. of course they are newer kits but still. i stay calm when i drop something or break something and my first thought as i grab the flashlight is "ok how do i fix this?" before finding the part. my building is much improved so i am pushing on to new things (like all the pe on the canadian LAV-III and base building). i also have gretaer control over my concern about perfectionism and 100% color accuracy (which is why i avoid some of the "detailed reviews" on other websites. if i can make old stuff look good, i can make newer stuff look great (ie alanger POTEMKIN (awful) zvezda BORODINO)

Thanks, Earnest -- there was a great satisfaction in bringing this one to the finish line, as it had been the wavy camo that defeated me a year ago when I started it for my Early Jets GB. I think I have a workable techniquye now, though, and look forward to more in future!

Cheers, Mike

Thunderbolt379

Wow Mike, the Meteor came out fantastic!!  The camo came out great and the panel wash and detailing are superb!  It wa a joy to watch this come together and culminate in such a beautiful aircraft!!  Congrats on an absolutely fine job!

count on me! my finished brit subjects are more, typhoon tempest wessex victory harrier gr3 and gladiator (and others that was destroyed ). A British GB will be a good excuse to get the new revell halifax

Cheers, mate! Glad you like it, I was looking at the model as your message came in. That's only my second RAF subject since I was a kid, the first being the Phantom I finished a few months back. I think there'll be some more Brit subject matter coming along -- possible Group Build fodder! Well, I have two Spits underway back to back too, one for the Spitfire GB, the other hopefully for the mag...

Cheers, M/TB379

NICE METEOR MIKE!!!!!!! WELL DONE MATE!!!! Note to self *must get mancave sorted, must get mancave sorted, must get........*

Maybe, but "finished" is the key word.

The same day i thrown another two colors from same period , because turned in a single piece of solid color

Hope to add another shelf queen here in future because i feel like the 66 will be my worst finished kit of last 10 years LOL

Mike, the front page has been updated.  Looking forward to seeing your T-72.  10 years is a long time, even for a shelf queen.

bsyamato, at least you got one more use out of the paint.  That stuff is too expensive to have to throw out.

I was just throw in the trash an old humbrol white brought in the same eb-66 periood (1996-97), and before to throw it tried to paint something and he worked!!! so i use for another eb66 layer

strange world

nice pieces waynec

Well well done meteor thunderbolt

waynec -- thanks for the tips! Yes, I know all about blowing images up too large and having a heartattack at things that are not actually real I try to keep scale firmly in mind when critiquing myself, especially in view of my current eyesight (need glasses... Hey, I've made it to 49 without them, which is not bad going!) magnifying specs are my usual companions at this time.

Kevin -- many thanks! For the pic, how about second from the top?

Glad you liked it, there's a great sense of satisfaction in completion, especially completing one that's been twisting in the wind for a long time. The upcoming T-72 I started nealy ten years ago, so this one will be very satisfying to finally declare finished too. I might look back at my list of unfinished items and take a stab at one or two others before this catch-up build is over!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

waynec, I like the fact that you have a few rail subjects to complete here.  Nice to see something a little bit different.  The MAS looks like a cool build too.

Mike, the Meteor looks fantastic sir!   You have the perfect amout of gloss to the clear coat.  Well done.  Any particular photo you want on the front page?

very nice. i like the slight sheen to it. i sometimes overspray w/ a semi gloss as a change from flat. i have the same problem with shelf queen kits. missing parts or i foirget what color paint i used. it is also interesting to see how my skills have improved in the past year. there are things on these kits i now know how to fix easily. this group build has been a good experience. i will keep a couple of 3x5 cards with each newly started kit listing any specifcs including what paint i am using. i sometimes use cya instead of plastic in case i think i may need to take the part off. some debonder and a lot of patience and a scalpel w/ safety glasses usually works. i too have found photographs will show up things missed. sometimes i think we get too close to the model similar to editing your own work. once i found i missed weathetring the entire top of a tank turret after looking at it in photoshop. WORD OF WARNING like digital art do not zoom in too close ie the pixel level. you will find all sorts of errors that truly aren't seen with the naked eye, even with the ipms judges' laser flashlights.

waynec -- I love that 1:72 railbed, it looks extremely realistic!

Well, Kevin and all, I'm calling the Tamiya Meteor finished. I did the formation lights earlier, unmasked the canopy, fitted the landing gear, pitot and radio mast, and brushed just a little dust around the gear, in the bays and on the underside, and some carbon behind the shell chutes. The Meteors deployed forward to Belgium did not actually see combat, and this aircraft will be somewhere around that time, mid-'45, so she may be reasonably clean.

One of the hazards of a build over a long time is parts go missing, and the clear sprue has vanished somewhere on my bench. When it turns up I'll install the three vertical light lenses, but there's precious little else I can do until then. perhaps remove and reinstall the pitot at a straighter angle (it was CA'd in place, so that might not be too wise...) and there are some touchups needed on the vertical fin that I only spotted in the photos.

So, without further ado, here's the gallery shots (I even took them against FSM-ish blue!)

All comments welcome, and I hope you've enjoyed watching this build reach completion.

The T-72 will be coming in the not too distant future, I'm waiting on some paints to be delivered for it.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

All work is looking great!!! Well done peeps !!

thank you. have 2 more of those in the stash too, had a whole bunch of energy on saturday and cleaned up 3 work tables in my workshop. here are WIP pics of 1/72 k-5 which is one of the two for the group build and the italeri 1/35 MAS. this has been a frustrating model since i opened the box last april and foound a deformed torpedo. fixed it last week to get this one done and off my back.

Thunderbolt379

I'll be out tomorrow but hopefully will have this beast finished the day after, and the next photos you see will be the gallery shots.

Mike, looking forward to seeing your finished model.  It looks great now.  I am sure a bit of weathering will take it over the top.

macattack80

Thanks bysamato!  I unknowingly got some aluminum paint on my fingers and now have some shiney fingerprints on the fusleage.    Not too big of a deal I guess.  I just have to smooth it out and reshoot a little bit of gloss black.  This build is not wanting to be completed.

Colors have mysteious way to go where they should not go lucly alluminium on black is simple to cover.

Thunderbolt wainting for final shots

Guys, the Tamiya Meteor is very nearly done. I've unmasked the engines and fitted the jet pipes, assembled the landing gear, satincoated the doors and applied the code letter to the nosegear forward door, masked and sprayed the main gear bays aluminum, washed the beast and applied a final clear over the decals (satin again, the Miscroscale flat is indistinguishable...) Remaining jobs: fit landing gear and bay doors, unmask canopy, add pitot and radio mast, paint them, add dust and carbon...

I'll be out tomorrow but hopefully will have this beast finished the day after, and the next photos you see will be the gallery shots.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thanks bysamato!  I unknowingly got some aluminum paint on my fingers and now have some shiney fingerprints on the fusleage.    Not too big of a deal I guess.  I just have to smooth it out and reshoot a little bit of gloss black.  This build is not wanting to be completed.

Well done on the sub Waynec  

Perfect black there Kevin !!

Thats a nice little boat you built!

I was able to get some work done on the F-14 last night.  I painted the gear bays white and got the leading edges of the wings painted aluminum using MM Metalizer Aluminum.  I also painted the gun port and flare/chaff dispenser aluminum as well.  Hard to see in the pics because of the gloss black finish.

thank you. i didn't want to overdue it since these boats didn't have the range to stay out long. i had a container of alcohol and q-tips next to me. i used a coptic pointy dark grey alcohol pen to paint the vents but didn't worry about slop over. i used an alcohol soaked q-tip to "clean up and streak the hull. the rust is dry brushed.

That looks great waynec!  The weathering looks fantastic!

this wasn't on my list but finished icm typr IIB uboat. antenna id model rr ez line. on to k-5.

Mike, Good to hear the T-72 will still be a go.

I will get going on the Tomcat tonight.  I promise.  Between that, the Stryker and the Hawkeye, the workbench is a bit full.