Hi guys.  I'm still around once in awhile, but haven't been very active on the bench (or the forum).  My bench is also totally cleaned off, Ken, and I'm taking some time off after the TF-102.  ( In looking at the pics of your bench, I think you need more paint!!)    I see that there is a new 1/48 F-94 coming out, and that's one from my early military experience that I haven't built so that might be next.

Ken - looking forward to seeing your Phantom.

Russ - Great looking work on the BUFF.  Skillful effort on that wrinkled skin.

Greetings and good luck to all,

Kbuzz (one of the other Kens?)

Dom: Good to see you back friend, and yeah the EPA has rules about every other friggin' thing.  As a lab guy you would not believe the crazy rules and regulations they come up with. Frankly the worst thing I've come to believe for the environment is environmentalists - it's gotten to I swear we can't do out jobs for their meddling.

Hi Dom,

Glad to have you back friend.  I will some photos to post in a while of what I got done today.

Ken

Glad to see ya back Dom...  I hope the delay getting back on was "Bear"able.... 

I can see it now.  Government bans polystyrene, and there is a 10 million man march of worldwide IPMS members marching on D.C.  lol.  I'd just about pay money to see that... almost anyways.

Son Of Medicine Man

Good news everyone!  Jim just wrote me and he is okay.  He said he has been busy with extra hours at work and he took a trip across state (Colorado) to see a friend a few weekends ago.  He said he appreciates everyone's concern.

Ken

Jim said something a while back about his trip,

and I said I would be 'rare' last week....Jim needed some

reflection time for sure.

Rich was thinking that mean't dinner for Grizzlies....lol

Sad I missed such a great week of posts.....

I liked Rich's idea of building from a massively cluttered work bench.

i talked to the Smithsonian, they actually have fossilized sections

of work bench Rich had years ago....

I haven't quite got Rich's talent, but I am working on it.

As for Ken: He is putting all of us on......

He opened his own LHS.....lol

You Know Cliff, the EPA is thinking of banning styrene

hobby kits because of their petroleum content and carbon

footprint. Am I joking?, yeah, are they?.....probably thinking about it for sure.

Ken How's your mom?

Dom

Dad always told me to prewash the trees. but since i usually end up working on a kit after dinner it doesnt really matter, i always end up with greasy fingerprints on it. I just give it a wipe down before paint and were away and laughing.

Striker8241

Thanks, Ken. Good info!

You will never guess who gave me that tip!  Berny!  He used it for cleaning resin parts but I found it works just as good on plastic.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. Good info!

Striker8241

Cool, Ken! Looking forward to seeing your progress. And thanks for the tip - I didn't know about pre-washing the parts to remove mold agents. BTW - what ratio vinegar to water?

Thanks,

Russ

Hi Russ,

Not everyone agrees that it is a necessary step to prewash the parts.  But I know from my own experience from working in a factory where plastic molded parts were made that we did use a release agent on the molds.  Now we did have a process where they were supposed to be "washed", but I know that sometimes "things" happens.  Also, it only takes just one missed spot to ruin a paint job!  So I like to play it safe.

As far as the ratio, I never bothered with measuring.  I use a good strong solution, so say about 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water.  I also use a soft bristle brush (a cheap long bristle paint brush or even a soft toothbrush will work).  Then rinse thoroughly with cool water and dry it with a paper towel to avoid any water spots.  Of course be really careful not to snag the small pieces with the paper towel or you may break them off.

Ken

Cool, Ken! Looking forward to seeing your progress. And thanks for the tip - I didn't know about pre-washing the parts to remove mold agents. BTW - what ratio vinegar to water?

Thanks,

Russ

Hi Everyone,

I washed all of the plastic in the kit today with a vinegar and water solution to make sure to get rid of any residual mold release agents.  I also gathered all of my aftermarket parts for this kit which took a little bit of time to find.  Tomorrow I plan on starting on the seamless intakes.

Ken

Good news everyone!  Jim just wrote me and he is okay.  He said he has been busy with extra hours at work and he took a trip across state (Colorado) to see a friend a few weekends ago.  He said he appreciates everyone's concern.

Ken

Guys extremely limited access

great posts, wish i could say more

but the clock runs out fast on

this rebuild C-rap...lol...

more Sunday guys!

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Well here it is!  The kit that I am going to put that cockpit into!

 

Looks nice, Ken! What scale is that?

 

Russ

Hi Russ,

It is 1/48 scale.  Hasegawa is considered by most to be the best kit in 1/48 scale of the F-4 Phantom II.

Ken

Nice bird Ken!  I think the Hasegawas are the best F4s out there.  I just inventoried my half done FGR.2 which I am going to finish after I finish the Hornet for the ANZAC build.  A couple of suggestions.  You might want to go with some AM seats.  Legend makes the best I have tried for the Hasegawa kits.  Nice detail and sharp lines unlike some of the Verlindens which look like they were made with wax molds.  And adding some AM intakes is a breeze. (pardon the bad joke).  Eduard also makes a real nice PE kit for the cockpits.

Love the workshop!  Mine will never look like that.  Too much stuff in way too small a space.  I like your compressor and air line setup.  A lot better than dragging the compressor all over the workshop.

I'm dying to see how the F4 comes out, so keep us posted.

Rich

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Well here it is!  The kit that I am going to put that cockpit into!

I am using this kit because the F-4EJ is a "hard wing", meaning it does not have slats.  The F-4E used in Vietnam did not have slats except for a very few at the very end of the war.  They were added later after the war.  The F-4E that I am building did not have them at the time period that I am representing. 

Here is a shot of the instruction booklet:

 Here are the sprue shots:

 

 

 Here is a shot of the wings.  Another nice thing about this kit is the fact that the landing gear bulges that Hasegawa put into the molds for the Navy and Marines versions of their kits are not on this one, so no sanding and grinding!

 

I will be ready to start on this hopefully tomorrow.

Ken

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Well here it is!  The kit that I am going to put that cockpit into!

 

Looks nice, Ken! What scale is that?

 

Russ

Hi Russ,

It is 1/48 scale.  Hasegawa is considered by most to be the best kit in 1/48 scale of the F-4 Phantom II.

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Well here it is!  The kit that I am going to put that cockpit into!

Striker8241

Gee Ken, I thought you said you had a work bench. That looks more like a factory...

Nice cleaning job, though

Russ

Thank you Russ!  I appreciate the compliment!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Well here it is!  The kit that I am going to put that cockpit into!

I am using this kit because the F-4EJ is a "hard wing", meaning it does not have slats.  The F-4E used in Vietnam did not have slats except for a very few at the very end of the war.  They were added later after the war.  The F-4E that I am building did not have them at the time period that I am representing. 

Here is a shot of the instruction booklet:

 Here are the sprue shots:

 Here is a shot of the wings.  Another nice thing about this kit is the fact that the landing gear bulges that Hasegawa put into the molds for the Navy and Marines versions of their kits are not on this one, so no sanding and grinding!

I will be ready to start on this hopefully tomorrow.

Ken

Gee Ken, I thought you said you had a work bench. That looks more like a factory...

Nice cleaning job, though

Russ

Scorpiomikey

.....i want to swear in appreciation for your work area. Thats incredible. I love it. I understand now why it took so long to clean it.

Thanks MIke!  I am going to try my best not to let it get into a mess again, at least not for a while! 

Ken

.....i want to swear in appreciation for your work area. Thats incredible. I love it. I understand now why it took so long to clean it.

Gamera

Welcome back Dom and hope things calm down a little for ya.

Ken: I too think you should take some photos before you mess your bench up again!

No problem on the pictures!  I am more than glad to provide them after all that work!

Here is a shot of part of the wall that is behind me as I sit at my workbench:

 Here is another shot looking further down the same wall:

Here is down to the end of the wall.  My computer is next to my workbench which makes it nice for when I need to look up any references.  Also notice above the computer is the air line I ran last winter from the air compressor in my garage:

 In this next shot is the top of my workbench.  My workbench doubles as my paint booth.  The metal box you see on top is a bathroom vent that I mounted with a hose running to an outdoor outlet.  It also makes it nice for when I am using any toxic glues or solvents.

 The vent also has lights in it.  I lined the inside of the booth with aluminum foil to help with the lighting.  In this shot you can also see my lighted magnifying glass which I use a lot!

 Another view:

 Here is the view from the other side:

 Here are the decals that I sorted and filed:

 Here is my drawer with some of my hand tools, air brush, and assortment of other items that I want to keep handy:

 Another drawer in my filing cabinet where I keep my larger quatities of different paint thinners and storage bags along with a vacuform machine:

 Here is just one of my many shelves containing part of my stash:

 Here is the bottom of one closet containing part of my stash:

Here is the upper part of the same closet:

I am so glad to have my mess cleaned up!  It feels good!

Ken 

Dang Dom.  Don't scare us like that.  I was starting to wonder if you got eaten by a Bear or something...

Rich

Bockscar

Russ:

I can't post a lot for another week;

amazing work, that BUFF will look like it earned retirement man!

Ken:

I'll catch up. things are a bit hectic for year's end.

shisshhh...gotta go guys......I'l b back to normal soon...loll

Aaaauuugggggghhhh!!!.....Sanding!!!!!.......Aaaauuuuuugggghhh!!!!!

Welcome back Dom and hope things calm down a little for ya.

Ken: I too think you should take some photos before you mess your bench up again!

Bockscar

Russ:

I can't post a lot for another week;

amazing work, that BUFF will look like it earned retirement man!

Ken:

I'll catch up. things are a bit hectic for year's end.

shisshhh...gotta go guys......I'l b back to normal soon...loll

Hi Dom,

I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving Day!  Sounds like you have to make up for having a day off!  We look forward to having you back soon.

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Excellent work Russ!  That looks great!     

Ken

Thanks, Ken! I guess it looks ok from a distance, but close up - ehhh, well, I'm learning ...

Hey, Dom, good to know you're ok. We'll look forward to having you back soon.

Russ

Russ:

I can't post a lot for another week;

amazing work, that BUFF will look like it earned retirement man!

Ken:

I'll catch up. things are a bit hectic for year's end.

shisshhh...gotta go guys......I'l b back to normal soon...loll