jimbot58

Hard to say what the trigger is, though stress can be a big one. I had some more than usual stress Friday morning, and I was so frustrated I wanted to resign. No doubt that could have been it. A Bunch of things can trigger migraines such as certain foods, drinks, changes in sleep schedules, etc. People who have them frequently are supposed to keep a log or journal to nail down what their triggers are.

That aside, I just chilled out today and even got a bit of work done at the bench.

Painted my 'rubber band' tracks along with replacement links:

And tried to get some of the running gear ready: The parts taped to my balsa block are the centers for the tires below. The small dark things are the return rollers. A small piece of masking tape is seen still in place that covered the pins so i won't have to scrape them later..

Also more of the Stuka is going together:

I'm not worried about the crack under the wing as the only time someone would see it would be if they were to pick it up-that would be a crime! The last person who attempted to handle one of my models is now known as "Lefty"!

Hi Jim,

I sure hope you don't have any more episodes for a long time (if ever!).  Very sorry to hear about whatever stress you are going through at work.  Could it be about your health care coverage for next year?  Just a guess, since we are in the middle of being introduced to the choices for ours.  And boy do ours suck!

Great work on your "rubber bands" and other assorted parts for your tank.  And the Stuka is starting to look like a Stuka!  I really got a laugh out of the "Lefty" joke!    Thank you for that!  I need the humor!

Ken

mikeymize

Just got back from a quick trip to Nashville over the weekend and was sorry to hear about your adversities with the migraines Jim; my dad used to get them and the only "cure" was to sit in a dark quiet room and wait for them to end. Miserable. Very sad to hear of your crash with the Stuka; next time the pilot might want to apply the dive brakes! BTW Ken, I have been TDY to Grissom a couple times and seem to remember they had a small air park near the entrance. Not too elaborate but they did have some decent static displays as I recall. I wonder if it's still there; have you seen it?

Wow Mike, I can't believe that you brought that up about the Grissom Air Force Base Museum!  I am actually planning a visit there this Saturday!  That is so weird!

I haven't seen it, and it is a crime since I live so close.  Most of it is outside, and this Saturday looks to be the last nice day for the year.  I have been trying to talk my local IPMS chapter into making a group trip to it all summer but they keep blowing me off.  So I have decided to go by myself.

I will take plenty of pictures and post them here.  One plane of real interest is a TF-102A.  Plus I have been told by the members of my IPMS chapter that the F-84F is a special version.  Here is a link to their website:

http://www.grissomairmuseum.com/ 

Ken

   Just thought I'd post a few pics of my 109. I think I mentioned the catalyst for this was the bio I recently finished of Hauptmann Marseille aka the "Star of Africa".  I  originally thought the cockpit to be RLM 02 grey but finished it in RLM 66 black-grey and did the wheel wells in 02 grey as my research was pretty consistent. I didn't go for complete accuracy as I chose to put the squadron logo on the engine cowl in spite of being 99.9% certain that's wrong. ( I just thought it looks cool!) I put a little wash in the recessed areas and will do some more weathering tonight. 

No idea how accurate she is Mike but she looks great!

Great looking plane, Mikey! And the logo does look good there. Where else would they put the darn thing anyway?

Russ

mikeymize

   Just thought I'd post a few pics of my 109. I think I mentioned the catalyst for this was the bio I recently finished of Hauptmann Marseille aka the "Star of Africa".  I  originally thought the cockpit to be RLM 02 grey but finished it in RLM 66 black-grey and did the wheel wells in 02 grey as my research was pretty consistent. I didn't go for complete accuracy as I chose to put the squadron logo on the engine cowl in spite of being 99.9% certain that's wrong. ( I just thought it looks cool!) I put a little wash in the recessed areas and will do some more weathering tonight. 

Great looking 109 Mike!  Another one of my favorites!  Always loved that big cannon in the center of the propeller!  Just a cool, mean fighting machine!  Of course not good for the Allies, but I am just admiring the engineering of the machine itself.

Ken

Striker8241

Great looking plane, Mikey! And the logo does look good there. Where else would they put the darn thing anyway?

 

Russ

Well as it turns out....found a photo with this paint scheme and the geschwader emblem located right where I put it. Guess I'm accurate after all. Just finished the last bits and will post completed photos for everyone's viewing enjoyment. Have a good weekend all!

Aha!  You're psychic!   Now tell me where I put my glasses...

Nice 109! I have a 109 and a 190 in Hasegawa I plan to do...... someday.

I've been pretty busy lately and so much is going on right now, that I haven't had the time or even the desire to sit and work at the hobby desk. Tonight I  forced myself to do so and actually found it to be more than a little therapeutic.

First the Stuka:

I cemented on the engine section and began working on the underside of the craft. I cemented on the mounts for the 37mm and the one assembled cannon shown here is only dry fitted in place for the moment.You can see its going to need some seam work done there.

An interesting bit of engineering on the part of Academy was discovered when I opened the bag containing the sprue for the gun pods. The muzzles are actually open!

They achieved this by drilling through the sides of the sprue and into the muzzles of the guns! I was very impressed! (Note that one of the guns was already removed!)

The magazines are going to be a bit of work as they have some nasty ejector pin marks in them. I'm using some Mr. Surfacer to fill them. It usually takes several layers to fill as that stuff shrinks quite a bit.You can see the drops I placed in the holes and by morning they will dry pretty close to level.

I also Dull-coated all the running gear on the Panzer.  I hope to minimize damage from handling when I go to assemble them. The thing that I am concerned with is if the tracks are going to fit right. I have heard that the "DS" material can shrink or stretch. Since there is no sag on these tanks, it could be a pain. They can be stretched if too short, but too long will be a pain. They can be shortened by cutting or I read you can shrink them by dipping in hot water. Both scare me as something could go wrong.

Very impressive how they drilled out the barrels; I've never seen that before. As you mentioned, the fitting of the tracks could be tricky. Better to err on the side of caution and ensure you have more than what you may need. I'm sure there's some advice regarding that to be found in the "armor" posts if not here. Best of luck with that.

Tracks seem overly tight so I have asked for advice over at the armor section.

mikeymize

Well as it turns out....found a photo with this paint scheme and the geschwader emblem located right where I put it. Guess I'm accurate after all. Just finished the last bits and will post completed photos for everyone's viewing enjoyment. Have a good weekend all!

What a pleasant surprise that must have been!   

Ken

Striker8241

Aha!  You're psychic!   Now tell me where I put my glasses...

I usually leave mine on top of my head!   

Ken

jimbot58

Nice 109! I have a 109 and a 190 in Hasegawa I plan to do...... someday.

I've been pretty busy lately and so much is going on right now, that I haven't had the time or even the desire to sit and work at the hobby desk. Tonight I  forced myself to do so and actually found it to be more than a little therapeutic.

First the Stuka:

I cemented on the engine section and began working on the underside of the craft. I cemented on the mounts for the 37mm and the one assembled cannon shown here is only dry fitted in place for the moment.You can see its going to need some seam work done there.

An interesting bit of engineering on the part of Academy was discovered when I opened the bag containing the sprue for the gun pods. The muzzles are actually open!

They achieved this by drilling through the sides of the sprue and into the muzzles of the guns! I was very impressed! (Note that one of the guns was already removed!)

The magazines are going to be a bit of work as they have some nasty ejector pin marks in them. I'm using some Mr. Surfacer to fill them. It usually takes several layers to fill as that stuff shrinks quite a bit.You can see the drops I placed in the holes and by morning they will dry pretty close to level.

I also Dull-coated all the running gear on the Panzer.  I hope to minimize damage from handling when I go to assemble them. The thing that I am concerned with is if the tracks are going to fit right. I have heard that the "DS" material can shrink or stretch. Since there is no sag on these tanks, it could be a pain. They can be stretched if too short, but too long will be a pain. They can be shortened by cutting or I read you can shrink them by dipping in hot water. Both scare me as something could go wrong.

Hi Jim,

That Stuka is coming along real nice!

Thank you for the tip on using the Mr. Surfacer to fill the pin marks.  I will try that.

That is pretty cool how Academy drilled out the gun barrels!  Kudos to them for coming up with the idea and doing it.  The jig to do that has to be a bit of a pain to align and keep lined up on the production line.  Just a little off and the whole sprue tree is junk!

I hope you find an answer to your problem with the tank treads.

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Aha!  You're psychic!   Now tell me where I put my glasses...

I usually leave mine on top of my head!   

Ken

Yup, I looked there. Nothing but a few white hairs and some "No Step" labels...

Striker8241

Son Of Medicine Man

Striker8241

Aha!  You're psychic!   Now tell me where I put my glasses...

I usually leave mine on top of my head!   

Ken

Yup, I looked there. Nothing but a few white hairs and some "No Step" labels...

  That made me laugh!!

Ken

Jim: Yeah, those guns are pretty cool, I've always liked Academy kits but never seen muzzles drilled out like that, very clever!

Not sure about the tracks, I've never had problems with them on 1/35th kits but 1/72nd I can see could be a whole different kettle of fish.  

Hi Everyone,

I have not announced it here yet, but one of the IPMS members in my local chapter announced in our last meeting that he has terminal cancer.  I have admired him very much and always enjoy listening to him talk about his time he spent in the USAF.  He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

In fact, it is his plane, the "Hoosier Hotshot", that I was going to start after I completed the F-4E.  Well now with his announcement, that has changed the timetable for what order I am going to complete the aircraft.  So I have put away the F-4E and cleared the workbench to make room for his.

It took a good while to pack away the F-4E project!  There was quite a bit of small projects within that project spread out on my workbench.

Now that it is safely put away, I got out the new current project, the Hobby Boss 1/32 F-84E Thunderjet!

Here are the pictures of sprue trees:

And true to my style, I am replacing the cockpit with a resin aftermarket.  This one is done by AMS Resin:

Here are the pictures of it out of the bag:

 Right now the resin cockpit is soaking in Bleche-Wite to remove any residual mold release agents.  Tomorrow I will give the cockpit tub a coat of the base color.

Ken

Ken, that's a very fine thing you're doing for the fellow. Looks good and good luck with the build!

I got a little more done on the two choppers:

The Apache looks a lot more menacing with the missiles mounted eh? 

The stupid bleeping canopy got messed up somehow, looks like the mask etched into the clear plastic. How I have no idea since I used Tamiya tape, Future and acrylic paint- none of which are 'hot' enough to melt into it. I sanded the worst out and dipped it in Future twice so hopefully it won't look too bad. 

Meanwhile I pre-shaded the Blackhawk though you can't really see it now that it's gloss coated for decals- I shoulda took photos BEFORE the gloss coat but I was on a roll!!!

Gamera

Ken, that's a very fine thing you're doing for the fellow. Looks good and good luck with the build!

I got a little more done on the two choppers:

The Apache looks a lot more menacing with the missiles mounted eh? 

The stupid bleeping canopy got messed up somehow, looks like the mask etched into the clear plastic. How I have no idea since I used Tamiya tape, Future and acrylic paint- none of which are 'hot' enough to melt into it. I sanded the worst out and dipped it in Future twice so hopefully it won't look too bad. 

Meanwhile I pre-shaded the Blackhawk though you can't really see it now that it's gloss coated for decals- I shoulda took photos BEFORE the gloss coat but I was on a roll!!!

Hi Cliff,

Your Apache does look mean as hell!  It is coming along very nicely.  Great job!      And as far as the Blackhawk shading, it sounds like you have it done just right.  I always think a lot of people put it on too heavy.  You shouldn't really "see" it through the top coat.  I think it should just be enough to make the panel lines stand out.  But that is just my personal opinion.  Anyway, the Blackhawk looks real nice.  You did a great job filling in the seams!   

Ken

Ken, that resin cockpit looks remarkable I can only imagine how good it'll look once painted and detailed . I'm sure your buddy will appreciate the build. Have you obtained any pictures from him as to the specifics of that particular aircraft ? I have always loved the USAF jets of that time period. Squadron has a good "walk-around" book for research if you haven't got it already. Best of luck on this one my friend!  

mikeymize

Ken, that resin cockpit looks remarkable I can only imagine how good it'll look once painted and detailed . I'm sure your buddy will appreciate the build. Have you obtained any pictures from him as to the specifics of that particular aircraft ? I have always loved the USAF jets of that time period. Squadron has a good "walk-around" book for research if you haven't got it already. Best of luck on this one my friend!  

Hi Mike,

As a matter of fact, yes, he gave me a slide show of pictures of his plane.  Also, Eagle Strike Decals put out a sheet with his plane!  Although it is in 1/48, so I will have to scale it up to 1/32.  Here is a link to a review of the decal sheet:

http://decals.kitreview.com/decals/esp48143reviewjk_1.htm 

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

I have not announced it here yet, but one of the IPMS members in my local chapter announced in our last meeting that he has terminal cancer.  I have admired him very much and always enjoy listening to him talk about his time he spent in the USAF.  He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

In fact, it is his plane, the "Hoosier Hotshot", that I was going to start after I completed the F-4E.  Well now with his announcement, that has changed the timetable for what order I am going to complete the aircraft.  So I have put away the F-4E and cleared the workbench to make room for his.

~

 

Ken

Looks like another amazing build coming! Good luck with it, Ken, and good on you for your thoughtfulness!

Russ 

Striker8241

 

Looks like another amazing build coming! Good luck with it, Ken, and good on you for your thoughtfulness!

Russ 

Thank you for saying so Russ!  Hopefully this will be a little easier in 1/32 scale and the plane is smaller than the F-4.  The cockpit also only has one seat!   

Ken

I also forgot to mention that Don's plane is also featured in Detail & Scale Vol. 59 F-84 Thunderjet by Bert Kinzey.  It is on a full color page on page 41.

Ken

Sorry to hear your news, Ken. It's unfortunate that the Phantom will have to wait, but it is for a good reason.

In the meantime, I have been working a bit here and there on all those little bits that take so much time. I have added some of the road wheels. Plus off camera is the muffler getting painted, and some of the other tools that will attach to the outside. I did have a little problem where I went to apply a white filter to those overly dark wheels, I overdid it and they were light grey. So I applied a dark wash to bring out details and then applied a black filter. I kind of like how they turned out all different shades.

Also worked on some of the dangly bits underneath the Stuka. The guns and the wheel spats or trousers (I've seen them referred to both ways) are just dry fitted for the moment. Did you know that those 37mm guns only hold 5 rounds each? I just learned that! Better make those shots count! The round spot is the filled ejector pin mark I mentioned earlier. Another filled spot can bee seen on the fuselage where there was just a bit of a sink hole. This is where I used the Mr. Surfacer 1000 as a filler. Works good on minor blemishes.

Also, there are these odd looking do-dad dangly bits on the wing flaps:

.

Hey guys, I`ve been lurking around, watching everyone`s progress and it`s all great work! I haven`t been doing much modelling lately because we are finally starting to make progress on rebuilding. Almost an entire year has gone by and alot of us are just beginning now...disgraceful. Jimbo, I think those "do-dads" are counterweights for the control surfaces...no hydraulics on that dinosaur..lol. Keep up the good work...I`m watching.....

jimbot58

Sorry to hear your news, Ken. It's unfortunate that the Phantom will have to wait, but it is for a good reason.

In the meantime, I have been working a bit here and there on all those little bits that take so much time. I have added some of the road wheels. Plus off camera is the muffler getting painted, and some of the other tools that will attach to the outside. I did have a little problem where I went to apply a white filter to those overly dark wheels, I overdid it and they were light grey. So I applied a dark wash to bring out details and then applied a black filter. I kind of like how they turned out all different shades.

Also worked on some of the dangly bits underneath the Stuka. The guns and the wheel spats or trousers (I've seen them referred to both ways) are just dry fitted for the moment. Did you know that those 37mm guns only hold 5 rounds each? I just learned that! Better make those shots count! The round spot is the filled ejector pin mark I mentioned earlier. Another filled spot can bee seen on the fuselage where there was just a bit of a sink hole. This is where I used the Mr. Surfacer 1000 as a filler. Works good on minor blemishes.

Also, there are these odd looking do-dad dangly bits on the wing flaps:

.

Hi Jim,

Your tank is looking fantastic!      And I agree with you on how they look good with the wheels have different shades.

The Stuka is looking great as well!      That is very interesting about how the 37mm guns could only hold 5 rounds each!  Thanks for passing that bit of information along.

Ken

troublemaker66

Hey guys, I`ve been lurking around, watching everyone`s progress and it`s all great work! I haven`t been doing much modelling lately because we are finally starting to make progress on rebuilding. Almost an entire year has gone by and alot of us are just beginning now...disgraceful. Jimbo, I think those "do-dads" are counterweights for the control surfaces...no hydraulics on that dinosaur..lol. Keep up the good work...I`m watching.....

Hi Len,

I have been wondering about you and your house.  That is great news that you are finally rebuilding!  Congratulations!  It is disgraceful that it took until now before you could start, but at last the wait is over!  I hope everything goes smooth for you from here on out.  How soon do you expect it to be completed?

Ken