AIRCRAFT - USMC Group Build (ends 7/30/04)

I haven't lost interest Gary, just no progress.....I've had two infected teeth since Wednesday.....the dentist determined that they were too infected to do emergency Root Canals until Monday....Even though I'm on pain medication, It has been throbbing nonstop.....so I haven't been able to do much in the modeling area if you know what I mean. I tell you what though, I'm looking forward to those Root Canals, and my Wisdom Tooth is getting yanked at the same time....I gotta believe that it will hurt a heck of a lot less than I'm hurting now!!!!

Forgot to mention, that while I'm pretty much bed ridden, I've been researching like crazy the squadron I'd like to model the F4U-2 Squadron after....VMF(N)-532....And it has been extremely hard coming up with paint schemes, and photos....but I have found a very exciting item in my search....a squadron patch!!!! So, I will be sharing that with the group as well, as I'll be getting it this week!!!! Score one for me!!!!

Haven't lost interest either.

Tonight I got the Sidewinders installed on their rails, and the rails installed on their pylons.

Congrats, Gary, on finishing the kit so quickly -- especially after being out of town for a while. My builds tend to take a while because I only take (or only get) two to three hours a week to model. Still, I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Regards,

It will kik36, it will. depending on your dentist - you should be feeling like your old self within a day after the work.

No progress as of late. Work. I should be able to spend some time sanding on the morrow.

Bored? Not bloody likely. I've got 3 great kits going and a fourth on the way. Gary, you should have alot of fun with that harrier kit.

QUOTE: Originally posted by kik36 I haven't lost interest Gary, just no progress.....I've had two infected teeth since Wednesday.....the dentist determined that they were too infected to do emergency Root Canals until Monday....Even though I'm on pain medication, It has been throbbing nonstop.....so I haven't been able to do much in the modeling area if you know what I mean. I tell you what though, I'm looking forward to those Root Canals, and my Wisdom Tooth is getting yanked at the same time....I gotta believe that it will hurt a heck of a lot less than I'm hurting now!!!!

Heath,

I told my dentist about your condition yesterday and he said it is possible to do a root canal in your condition. Come on up here to the Bay area and go see him, I think your dentist has been spending too much time playing with the NOS.

I assume you are on Penicillin V also correct?

Mike

Amoxicillin, and I was on Vicodin for the pain, but they stopped working a long time ago, now I'm on Vodka Chasers!!!! LOL It's partially my fault, my dentist is out of town until Mon, and I didn't want the other hack working on my teeth yesterday....I kinda regret not doing it yesterday, but the other guy really is a hack, and pretty jerky....I hope he prescribed the right meds....unless he was a jerk about that too!!!!

kik36,
I hope everything gets better for you. I know how you feel, though. I've had similar experiences with my teeth. My solution to teeth is to just have them all pulled, and then get false teeth. Seems to me that dentures would be a lot less trouble than real teeth, but my dentist thinks that I'm crazy for even thinking something like that.............. Something about taking food from his family's mouths.

Looking forward to seeing that patch, by the way. VMF-532 is now VMA-532, if they haven't been disbanded. I don't think the USMC has any fighter-only squadrons anymore. All the gun-squadrons are based on either attack or fighter-attack aircraft, so the designations are gonna be either VMA (V=fixed wing, M=Marine, A=Attack), or VMFA (F=Fighter). Of course, this excludes the helo squadrons, and anything else that doesn't fly a Hornet or Harrier (does this sound right, Sergeant Major?).

Lufberry,
I am looking forward to seeing your Phantom II. I had the chance today to get a Tamiya 1/32 F-4J with USMC markings for $60, but had to pass on it, as I already have the Revell 1/32 F-4E, and haven't even started on it yet. Oh well. Maybe if I wait a little longer, I can find one a little cheaper.

wibhi2,
I am SO looking forward to building the Harrier!! As a matter of fact, as soon as I get off of this computer tonight, I'm gonna start doing some test-fitting. I hope that you're having great luck with your four Harriers. You've almost got enough for a squadron!!

Good luck to everyone!! Semper Fi!!

Hey Gary, I just wanted to personally thank you for starting this Group Build!!! I was a part of Marine Corps Aviation, and I have learned more about it participating in this build, than I ever did whilst I was in the Marines!!! Thank you, and I look forward to seeing everyone's pics July 30!!!!! I sure hope you all participate in my group build when I think of one!!! You all are a very wonderful group!!!! Cheers!!! (And NO, I haven't had THAT much Vodka!!!!)

kik36,

You are VERY MUCH Welcome!! I really appreciate the kind comments. What was your MOS while you were in the Corps? Hope you get to feeling better. Semper Fi!!

6323 Avionics Technician on the CH-53E for four years....got out as a corporal, CDI (Collateral Duty Inspector...I inspected everyone's work, and signed off the birds for flight), and a shop supervisor for night crew!!! Now I am an avionics tech on General Aviation birds such as Cessna, Beechcraft, Piper, and Mooney....and of course the occasional P-51, helicopter, and other various warbirds!!! To say the Corps did not play an important part in my life would be silly, as they trained me for my career, and I'll never be able to repay them!!! Other than showing my pride!!! Semper FI!!!

Gary I too would like to thank you for starting this GB. While I was unable to serve due to health reasons. I have always wanted too. But by starting this GB you have inspired me to get my projects rolling.

I worked on the F/A-18A yesterday. I airbrushed and started painting the cockpit panels. The night before I assemble the engine intakes hope to finish the cockpit today and have the A assembled by next weekend. Gary I go for my DL this thursday. Cant wait. Wish me luck.

jimz,
Good Luck!! I hope that everything goes well for you. By the way, what do you do to get rid of the seams in your intakes? I've thought about maybe buying the Seamless Suckers parts, but I don't want to spend too much money on any one kit. BUUUUUT, my fingers are always way too big to get in an intake to sand away a seam.

kik36,
Again, thanks for the kind words. It's ALWAYS great to be a Marine!! I was a sergeant when I got out in July of 1995, after spending 11.5 years in. I was a 6482 Deceptive Electronic Countermeasures tech, and was also a CDI & shop supervisor. At one time, I was the NCOIC of Work Center 640 (a GYSGT billet), but that was during Desert Shield when just about everyone else in the shop was sent overseas (I eventually went over there). I didn't initially go because I was in a school at NAS Oceana, and missed out on the all the fun. Just bad timing I guess. Not that I was wanting a war to happen.....
And I whole-heartedly agree with you on the Marines - I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the Corps. I credit the Corps with everything I know about my job, and, in some aspects, my life. Shoot, I'm starting to sound like a recruiter now. Anyway, I hope everything goes well for you at the dentist. Get 'em all pulled and get dentures!!

I am only working on my first five models right now so I am not getting too picky. I will in time, when money is no longer this much of a problem. I just want to get something done. That is my current motto.

Did some more work on the cockpit today and sealed the top and bottom of the fueselage. Now the next step is to sand and do the final assemblies before painting. Then i will do some more touch up work on the C model and paint them at the same time. Hope to paint the aluminum finish by next Sunday and no later. Course I have said that one before.

jimz,
Just keep at it & don't get discouraged. Before you know it, they're done. Good Luck!

Gary you need to fix the listing. You still have the F/A-18C model As a Chippy Ho release. That is from a Navy squadron. I have to figure out were to get my hands on a set of Marine Corps decals I LIKE for the C model. I have only seen one set i really like but I want some more experience before I use that set. I wish I had the set from P26 from Hasegawa but I don't.

The kit is the Chippy Ho release but I am not able to paint it like that. As this is a USMC not a USN group build. Sorry for the confusion.

QUOTE: Originally posted by garydmason jimz, By the way, what do you do to get rid of the seams in your intakes? I've thought about maybe buying the Seamless Suckers parts, but I don't want to spend too much money on any one kit. BUUUUUT, my fingers are always way too big to get in an intake to sand away a seam.

Try wrapping a piece of sand paper around the shaft of a paint brush, file or wood dowel. Make the paper long enough to be able to hold it while doing the seam.

Started with the Wildcat yesterday, first serious attempt with PE ever. That stuff is just amazing! Not very easy to work with, but the result is just so much better then OOB. I'm planning to do this much more. Thank you all for convincing me to use this!

Hi all,

You guys sure are fast! I am so freaking close to finishing the airplane, but I've been that way for a couple of weeks.

Oh well. I'm hoping to work on it for an hour or so tonight.

Regards,

Lufbery,

My wife complains of me being fast also.

But, good luck with your Phantom. Ever since you said that you were building a VMFA-333 bird, I've been looking for some decals for that squadron. I wouldn't mind having one of those myself. Looking forward to seeing yours.

Gary,

I've got the decals on, and the Phantom looks really good. I got the decals from Fox One Decals (http://www.foxonedecals.com/).

The specific sheet I used is: 72-006 USMC F-4J Phantoms in SE Asia pt 2. The decals are absolutely increadible and totally to scale. The decal sheet has marking for VMFA-333, -334, and 232. It's also available in 1/48 scale. And VMFA-333 is represented on a different sheet in 1/32.

I'll try to post some more "in progress" pictures soon.

Regards,

Lufbery,

Thanks for the URL. I'll definitely peruse the site tonight sometime. Are you gonna build anything else for the Group Build once you get the Phantom completed?

Nah. Once I get the Phantom done, I still want to make a base for it and paint the two figures that come with it. I think the figures will really show the impressive size of the plane. One of the figures needs some surgery -- he's sitting, and I want to make him standing.

All of that make take me to the group build deadline.

Regards,

-Drew

Lufbery,

Well, good luck on the figures. I never use the figures with my models. I've tried a few times to paint them, and they wound up looking like a 2-year-old had got to them with a can of spray paint. Hope it all goes well.

QUOTE: Originally posted by garydmason My wife complains of me being fast also.

LOL.....MUST RESIST TEMPTATION TO RESPOND.......MUST RESIST TEMPTATION TO RESPOND......

Stoopid resin conversions. Went to deal with the 100% LERX yesterday. Directions say "oh, just cut the wings along this (sic) panel line and glue to your hearts content."
Okaaaay....tape off requested panel line, scribe, whip out handy dandy razor saw and cut. Test fit pieces - strange, the LE's don't align . Install on A/C -, I need a .40 spacer between the 2 for them to sit properly. Well Duuh...The cut should have been about 4mm forward of the panel line. Thank heavens for card stock. Otherwise the ARAAM conversion set (AV-8B II) goes together like a charm.

Cardinal Rule folks: MEASURE twice and cut once.

So who's got $75.00 to spot me for a resin TAV-8B conversion? - Just kidding.
I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that. With all the wieght in the front, I'm sure that I would have to put a bunch of weight in the tail as a counter balance.

wibhi,

FINALLY!! Someone got the joke!!! I posted another humorous answer (to me, anyway) on another thread a few weeks ago (math-related), and it took two weeks before someone figured it out. I thought it was obvious. Had to do with the difference between a Mirage IIIC and a Mirage 2000. My answer was 1997C.

So, anyway, tell us more about these resin conversions. Who makes them? What web-site or catalogue can we find them in? What kits do you need for the conversion? I'm very interested in this. Talk atcha later.

QUOTE: Originally posted by garydmason wibhi, FINALLY!! Someone got the joke!!!

It's not that we didn't get the joke, we all just felt sorry for your wife.

Just kidding.

I had to stay clear away from that one. LOL

Hey Gary, I don't have cable at the moment so I Havent seen the Gunny in awhile, how do you spell his favorite saying? And what is with him blowing up all those watermelons? I don't get it? And I do miss that show. Once I get job though that is the first thing to go back on. Thanks.

Hey Gary - See your other thread on the harrier for the stuff I found on the harrier.

BTW: the other plausible answer is 1889 C - :0)

QUOTE: Originally posted by garydmason Lufbery, Well, good luck on the figures. I never use the figures with my models. I've tried a few times to paint them, and they wound up looking like a 2-year-old had got to them with a can of spray paint. Hope it all goes well.

Me too, but if they really look ugly, then I don't need to show them to anyone. Still, I like the idea of having a little "life" around the plane.

Regards,

Drew as with everything else it will come with time. I am still confused on how to quote. I have yet to figure it outl. Is there a link for instructions?

Drew how do you get it into Boxes? That is the part I am confused with. I can cut and paste but it dosen't look the same. Thanks.

Drew are you interested in the NMF group build? How about you Gary? Due date is Halloween. So there is plenty of time.