Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

What a week.  First, we have had some very cold weather.  It got down to -2 degrees Thursday morning.  Now we are getting dumped on by a big snow storm (we are under a Winter Storm Warning until 6:00 EST tomorrow).  We could end up with 8 inches of snow by the time it is done.

I just scored on eBay.

Merry Christmas to me! 

Ken 

Nice score. Ken. I assume that is the 1/48th version?

I should be nice to myself for Christmas.Not sure what I would like though. I just don't 'feel' Christmas right now.

If you don't mind my asking, how much did you score that for? I only ask because I have this in my stash (1/72nd):

I bought it maybe 25 years ago and it has a price sticker on it of $9.79 sale priced from $14.00!

I finished fixing the undersides of the LEX's and now I am much more satisfied with the results. I think I figured at the time that nobody would ever see the seams.... But I knew they were there! Also, I have been working on some of the gear, assembly and PE parts. These aren't cemented in yet, only placed here to keep them steady and correctly positioned for the various parts to be added.

Gear doors, though the one in the center (with PE parts on it) is actually the wrong. The correct part is in the next frame. The plate on the door will match up to the PE part I have to remove from the incorrect part on the inside. Sometimes those Eduard guides are a bit too vague.

By the way, meet my little friend! He stands on the shelf nearby and watches me work..... Ok, I am a bit silly. I do have a few wolves all over my house! Pictures, calenders, figures, rugs, blankets, t-shirts, books and even my computer at work has a wolf theme for the desktop! Saw this guy in the store last week and he followed me home!

Anyways Ken, sounds like you ended up with the deep freeze we had here last week! I had -13 one night, with some places in the state reaching as much as 35 below! There were 5 days in a row with minus temps here, but not a lot of snow.

Some creeks actually froze into ice dams and caused some local flooding as water backed up behind these dams!

It's got to get better Ken! It is in the 30's here right now and it is 2 a.m. Hopefully the warmer weather will head your way! Keep warm and watch yours and your Mom's pipes!

Jim

By the way, I was just reading that the J58 engine used on the YF-12/A-12/SR-71 family only derives 20% of it's thrust from the engine at mach 3.2? I don't totally understand all of it, but the spike at the front captures the shockwave of the incoming air and literally "squirts" it though to the back of the engine for the additional thrust!

That Kelly Johnson was one smart dude!

jimbot58

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

What a week.  First, we have had some very cold weather.  It got down to -2 degrees Thursday morning.  Now we are getting dumped on by a big snow storm (we are under a Winter Storm Warning until 6:00 EST tomorrow).  We could end up with 8 inches of snow by the time it is done.

I just scored on eBay.

Merry Christmas to me! 

Ken 

Nice score. Ken. I assume that is the 1/48th version?

I should be nice to myself for Christmas.Not sure what I would like though. I just don't 'feel' Christmas right now.

If you don't mind my asking, how much did you score that for? I only ask because I have this in my stash (1/72nd):

I bought it maybe 25 years ago and it has a price sticker on it of $9.79 sale priced from $14.00!

I finished fixing the undersides of the LEX's and now I am much more satisfied with the results. I think I figured at the time that nobody would ever see the seams.... But I knew they were there! Also, I have been working on some of the gear, assembly and PE parts. These aren't cemented in yet, only placed here to keep them steady and correctly positioned for the various parts to be added.

Gear doors, though the one in the center (with PE parts on it) is actually the wrong. The correct part is in the next frame. The plate on the door will match up to the PE part I have to remove from the incorrect part on the inside. Sometimes those Eduard guides are a bit too vague.

By the way, meet my little friend! He stands on the shelf nearby and watches me work..... Ok, I am a bit silly. I do have a few wolves all over my house! Pictures, calenders, figures, rugs, blankets, t-shirts, books and even my computer at work has a wolf theme for the desktop! Saw this guy in the store last week and he followed me home!

Anyways Ken, sounds like you ended up with the deep freeze we had here last week! I had -13 one night, with some places in the state reaching as much as 35 below! There were 5 days in a row with minus temps here, but not a lot of snow.

Some creeks actually froze into ice dams and caused some local flooding as water backed up behind these dams!

It's got to get better Ken! It is in the 30's here right now and it is 2 a.m. Hopefully the warmer weather will head your way! Keep warm and watch yours and your Mom's pipes!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Yes, that YF-12A kit I bought on eBay was 1/48 scale.  I paid $102.50 for it.  I have seen it go for a lot more.  The box was in rough shape but I don't care about that, just as long as the contents are all there and are in good shape.

Nice work once again on the Growler!  Your seam work is great!  You always do such good detail work.

I know what you mean about the Eduard guides being lacking.  I swear I could probably make some money on just writing "How-To" guides for a lot of the aftermarket stuff that is out there.

Cool looking wolf you picked up there!  I decorate my "Man Cave" with Air Force photos.  In fact, I wish I had more walls for all of the pictures I have!

It just barely quite snowing here finally!  I don't know how much we got officially, but it looks like we got close to 8 inches.  I cleared our drive way twice and my Mom's once.  The temperature right now is 29 degrees but it is supposed to drop again.  It is going to get down to 13 tonight and down to 4 tomorrow night.  I am done with winter!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Well to go along with my new acquisition, I just purchased a set of decals by Cutting Edge.

Here is a review of the decals:

 http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decals/ce/decal_ced48293.shtml 

Ken

Nice find on the decals, esp. if they are OOP. The Testors set looked to be a little skimpy.

Not much going on today, so I spent some time with the Growler.

Painting the forward gear. Looks pretty beefy, but I guess it would have to be if you are going to use it to fling a 48,000 lb. aircraft off the front of an aircraft carrier with it. Still more to do on it.

I also began some washes for those panel lines and rivets. I apply wash to the area and when it's mostly dry I rub off the excess with a rag from and old t-shirt.

Down below, and out of focus you can see where I pre-painted some of the hinges on the PE fret for the gear doors. Seems like I'm getting closer, but I still have much to do, with all the stores, PE parts for the canopy and cockpit, engine nozzles, etc., etc.

Jim

jimbot58

Nice find on the decals, esp. if they are OOP. The Testors set looked to be a little skimpy.

Not much going on today, so I spent some time with the Growler.

Painting the forward gear. Looks pretty beefy, but I guess it would have to be if you are going to use it to fling a 48,000 lb. aircraft off the front of an aircraft carrier with it. Still more to do on it.

I also began some washes for those panel lines and rivets. I apply wash to the area and when it's mostly dry I rub off the excess with a rag from and old t-shirt.

Down below, and out of focus you can see where I pre-painted some of the hinges on the PE fret for the gear doors. Seems like I'm getting closer, but I still have much to do, with all the stores, PE parts for the canopy and cockpit, engine nozzles, etc., etc.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Nice work once again!  Your wash looks outstanding!!     

The decals are just about OOP.  According to the website he only has 13 sheets left (12 now!).

Yes, the kit looks a bit skimpy in the picture, but it is the best YF-12A in 1/48 made to date.  And it is long OOP.

Sadly, there were decals that I SHOULD have bought when they were available a couple of years ago.  They originally sold for $23.00.  There is a set now on eBay that is about to end that is going for $123.05 right now.  They were made by Afterburner.  Who knew?

Ken

I just checked, and those Afterburner decals ended up going for $153.50!  I don't think I have ever seen a set of decals go for that much!  Holy Cow! 

Ken

Good to catch up with y'all. I love that wolf Jim and would suggest he keep an eye on the model while you're gone. As long as he doesn't criticize the work you're doing too much!

Ken, that Blackbird sure had a hefty price tag but it's only worth what someone's willing to pay and that must be one sought after jet. Please be careful building that one!!!

Been fiddling around with a German half-track. I'm putting a 7.5cm L46 gun on it just cause it looks meaner that way. Can't do too much as the ankle is still healing. Approx. 3 more weeks of antibiotic therapy and then done. I hope. Thank God for sick leave and the money I rat holed away for sh$t like this. P.S. Stay warm up there Ken.

mikeymize

Good to catch up with y'all. I love that wolf Jim and would suggest he keep an eye on the model while you're gone. As long as he doesn't criticize the work you're doing too much!

Ken, that Blackbird sure had a hefty price tag but it's only worth what someone's willing to pay and that must be one sought after jet. Please be careful building that one!!!

Been fiddling around with a German half-track. I'm putting a 7.5cm L46 gun on it just cause it looks meaner that way. Can't do too much as the ankle is still healing. Approx. 3 more weeks of antibiotic therapy and then done. I hope. Thank God for sick leave and the money I rat holed away for sh$t like this. P.S. Stay warm up there Ken.

Hi Mike,

Good to hear from you again!  I hope you are feeling better.  Too bad you won't be done with the antibiotic therapy before Christmas, but at least you are home now!

I can't wait to see the pictures of your German half-track.  Sounds pretty cool!

It is 18 degrees here at the moment, but with the wind chill, it is only 5 degrees!  Tonight it is supposed to get down to 6 degrees with a wind chill of -1.  But we are in for a warm up.  Tuesday it is supposed to get above freezing at 33 degrees.  By Friday it is supposed to be up to 47 degrees!

Ken

Good news everyone!  It looks like Kitty Hawk is getting closer to putting out that 1/48 F-101A/C!!  They have the art work posted for the box on their website:

http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/#!80115/c23ew 

It shouldn't be too much longer now!

Ken 

Mike, good to hear from you! Hope you get through that crap soon, and I bet you're hoping more than anybody else!

I'm doing a bit better today, and I finally managed to get this done:

And then with the flash on and..... Wait a minute! What's that below the tree?

Hmmmm....How did Santa do that? A blurry picture for now, but I'll have to do better at the bench later. Santa is trying cheer me up!

jimbot58

Mike, good to hear from you! Hope you get through that crap soon, and I bet you're hoping more than anybody else!

I'm doing a bit better today, and I finally managed to get this done:

And then with the flash on and..... Wait a minute! What's that below the tree?

Hmmmm....How did Santa do that? A blurry picture for now, but I'll have to do better at the bench later. Santa is trying cheer me up!

Hi Jim,

Very nice Christmas Tree!  And very cool present!  Santa has been coming around early this year!

Ken

Jim: Nice work on the F/A-18 and the tree. Now that's a pretty present!

Mike: Hope you're up and around soon.

Ken: Congrads there! I wish I'd bought one of those back when they were still in production. I did find the 1/48th SR-71 at a reasonable price.

Hey Gang!

Ok, I did decide to spend a bit of my bonus before the rest went to pay bills. So I finally decided on the re-release of Hasegawa's F-111E. I already have the F-111D/F which I am building as the F, which has that rotating PAVE TACK pod underneath and is the version that bombed Libya way back when. It's hard to tell the difference between some of the version as many times the differences were internal. Some external differences were the intakes on  the various versions and of course the extended wings of the FB-111A and the F-111C/G. (C's being the Aussie version and G's being the converted FB's). I just wanted another HAS Aardvark, though I paid more for it because it is a 'limited' release. (Same kit, different decals)

Oddly, they give you more of the lightning and 'Chief' makings than you would need to build either of two versions.

The "Chief" markings. Originally released as a Bicentennial, but this does not include original decals.

Well, it's off to the stash for now. Someday, I will have 4 of these aircraft lined up on the shelf, FB-111A, F-111E, F-111F, and I forgot to mention the EF-111A Raven that's "in progress". Unless Hasegawa does any other releases. I don't recall if they ever did the A and B versions. (The B was the failed Navy version)

Jim

Wow Jim, you're a real Vark-head! 

Can't go wrong with a few extra decals on the sheet though in case something does go wrong. 

jimbot58

Hey Gang!

Ok, I did decide to spend a bit of my bonus before the rest went to pay bills. So I finally decided on the re-release of Hasegawa's F-111E. I already have the F-111D/F which I am building as the F, which has that rotating PAVE TACK pod underneath and is the version that bombed Libya way back when. It's hard to tell the difference between some of the version as many times the differences were internal. Some external differences were the intakes on  the various versions and of course the extended wings of the FB-111A and the F-111C/G. (C's being the Aussie version and G's being the converted FB's). I just wanted another HAS Aardvark, though I paid more for it because it is a 'limited' release. (Same kit, different decals)

Oddly, they give you more of the lightning and 'Chief' makings than you would need to build either of two versions.

The "Chief" markings. Originally released as a Bicentennial, but this does not include original decals.

Well, it's off to the stash for now. Someday, I will have 4 of these aircraft lined up on the shelf, FB-111A, F-111E, F-111F, and I forgot to mention the EF-111A Raven that's "in progress". Unless Hasegawa does any other releases. I don't recall if they ever did the A and B versions. (The B was the failed Navy version)

Jim

Thank you for all the info on the Aardvark Jim!  That is pretty interesting!

I have the Hobby Boss 1/48 Aardvark F-111A kit. I also have the TwoBobs decal sheet for the Combat Lancers which is the Ops name used for the F-111A's sent to Vietnam.  It took me a while to get that!  I looked on eBay for a long time before a sheet ever came up.

Ken

My temperature is rising and blood press  jacked up based on box art. Jets from that time are the golden age one Will never be that way again. Now all we got is grey,and variations of grey. No more risqué pics of top heavy girls in bikinis tossing out bombs on the bad guys. No more politically incorrect slogans. In short; no more fun

Gamera

Wow Jim, you're a real Vark-head! 

Can't go wrong with a few extra decals on the sheet though in case something does go wrong. 

Guilty! I am a Vark-head! Varks and Rhinos are my faves!

mikeymize

My temperature is rising and blood press  jacked up based on box art. Jets from that time are the golden age one Will never be that way again. Now all we got is grey,and variations of grey. No more risqué pics of top heavy girls in bikinis tossing out bombs on the bad guys. No more politically incorrect slogans. In short; no more fun

Can't argue with that!!! 

The new more stealthy aircraft are cool and futuristic looking but kinda fugly ... 

mikeymize

My temperature is rising and blood press  jacked up based on box art. Jets from that time are the golden age one Will never be that way again. Now all we got is grey,and variations of grey. No more risqué pics of top heavy girls in bikinis tossing out bombs on the bad guys. No more politically incorrect slogans. In short; no more fun

I totally agree with you Mike.  It is kind of funny that our planes used to be bare aluminum and shiny back when aerial combat was up close and personal.  That is when you would have thought camouflage was more important, since you relied on eye sight for detection.  Now with the modern radar where detection and attack is usually made way before you can actually see it, the aircraft is made to be harder to detect by eyesight.

And why in the world does it need to be "politically correct" when you are working with a war machine?  A machine who's soul purpose is to kill and destroy?  Give me a break!

Ken

Nice bird Jim!

jimbot58

Mike, good to hear from you! Hope you get through that crap soon, and I bet you're hoping more than anybody else!

I'm doing a bit better today, and I finally managed to get this done:

And then with the flash on and..... Wait a minute! What's that below the tree?

Hmmmm....How did Santa do that? A blurry picture for now, but I'll have to do better at the bench later. Santa is trying cheer me up!

My little dog hates the salty slush up here,

LOL!!!

Also, just a little thing, Berny walked up beside me down in Dayton, and ripped the F-111 a new one.

I don't know why. I like the aircraft myself, and wish Santa would bring me a 1/32!!

Berny kept going on about the landing gear and wheel wells.

Maybe all the F-111's were hangar queens, I don't know.

Jim, great Christmas trees

Waiting for Santa to put an F-111 under the tree for me.

Guys, I probably won't have a chance to sign in much between now and New Years,

so Merry Christmas Gents!

Here's hoping Santa brings those great kits....

My list:

Trumpy 1/200 Bismarck.....lol.....never saw service in 'Nam....lol

F-84F in 1/32....lol....Ken said he would get me one

1/32 B-58 Hustler.....1/48 BUFF.....

Best good gentlemen.....

Dom

Bockscar

Nice bird Jim!

Also, just a little thing, Berny walked up beside me down in Dayton, and ripped the F-111 a new one.

I don't know why. I like the aircraft myself, and wish Santa would bring me a 1/32!!

Berny kept going on about the landing gear and wheel wells.

Maybe all the F-111's were hangar queens, I don't know.

Well, the 111 had more than it's share of problems in both development and operations. It also had plenty of critics as well..... not everyone was a fan!

Perhaps his criticism was that the main gear door was also the speed brake and during take off and gear retraction, the very large door would fold forward in direct opposition to the airflow. Like stepping on the brakes when you need the power to accelerate. If you search YouTube for F111 gear retraction you can see this in action!

Spent some time making the Growler dirty!

And here is the other wing with most of the excess rubbed away-a few smudges and smears still need some attention:

Found a picture!

Here you can see both the front and rear gear have retracted, and the front gear doors are starting to close. You can see how far the the rear door has to open to allow the gear to fold together and forward into the bay. Good thing those AB's are giving it plenty of thrust!

And I had to add this: I got to see an F-111 do a dump and burn once and it was awesome!

If I keep talking about the Vark, I'm going to end up building one!

Jim

Bockscar

Nice bird Jim!

jimbot58

Mike, good to hear from you! Hope you get through that crap soon, and I bet you're hoping more than anybody else!

I'm doing a bit better today, and I finally managed to get this done:

And then with the flash on and..... Wait a minute! What's that below the tree?

Hmmmm....How did Santa do that? A blurry picture for now, but I'll have to do better at the bench later. Santa is trying cheer me up!

Hey Jim, and guys;

My little dog hates the salty slush up here,

LOL!!!

Also, just a little thing, Berny walked up beside me down in Dayton, and ripped the F-111 a new one.

I don't know why. I like the aircraft myself, and wish Santa would bring me a 1/32!!

Berny kept going on about the landing gear and wheel wells.

Maybe all the F-111's were hangar queens, I don't know.

Jim, great Christmas trees

Waiting for Santa to put an F-111 under the tree for me.

Guys, I probably won't have a chance to sign in much between now and New Years,

so Merry Christmas Gents!

Here's hoping Santa brings those great kits....

My list:

Trumpy 1/200 Bismarck.....lol.....never saw service in 'Nam....lol

F-84F in 1/32....lol....Ken said he would get me one

1/32 B-58 Hustler.....1/48 BUFF.....

Best good gentlemen.....

Dom

Hi Dom,

Yes, I would love to see a 1/32 F-84F!  I would snatch it up in a heart beat!  And a 1/32 B-58?  Yeah, I would have to have that too!  And a 1/48 BUFF?  What the heck?  I have a 1/72 C-5A Galaxy, it would go good with that!  Hmm, let's see, what would that equal out to be?  Wingspan of 185 ft. would equal 46.25 inches!  Just under 4 ft.  Yeah, I could do that!

Merry Christmas to you too Dom!  And may all of our Christmas wishes come true!! 

Ken

jimbot58

Found a picture!

Here you can see both the front and rear gear have retracted, and the front gear doors are starting to close. You can see how far the the rear door has to open to allow the gear to fold together and forward into the bay. Good thing those AB's are giving it plenty of thrust!

And I had to add this: I got to see an F-111 do a dump and burn once and it was awesome!

If I keep talking about the Vark, I'm going to end up building one!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Very interesting info about the speed brake/gear doors.  I did not know that.  Thank you for that and the cool pictures.  That is a good picture of a fuel dump.  I bet that was pretty cool to see!

Ken

jimbot58

Bockscar

Nice bird Jim!

Also, just a little thing, Berny walked up beside me down in Dayton, and ripped the F-111 a new one.

I don't know why. I like the aircraft myself, and wish Santa would bring me a 1/32!!

Berny kept going on about the landing gear and wheel wells.

Maybe all the F-111's were hangar queens, I don't know.

Well, the 111 had more than it's share of problems in both development and operations. It also had plenty of critics as well..... not everyone was a fan!

Perhaps his criticism was that the main gear door was also the speed brake and during take off and gear retraction, the very large door would fold forward in direct opposition to the airflow. Like stepping on the brakes when you need the power to accelerate. If you search YouTube for F111 gear retraction you can see this in action!

Spent some time making the Growler dirty!

And here is the other wing with most of the excess rubbed away-a few smudges and smears still need some attention:

Nice work once again Jim!  And thank you for the pictures showing the steps of applying that wash!  It really brings out the detail!  Looks great!     

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

jimbot58

Found a picture!

Here you can see both the front and rear gear have retracted, and the front gear doors are starting to close. You can see how far the the rear door has to open to allow the gear to fold together and forward into the bay. Good thing those AB's are giving it plenty of thrust!

And I had to add this: I got to see an F-111 do a dump and burn once and it was awesome!

If I keep talking about the Vark, I'm going to end up building one!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Very interesting info about the speed brake/gear doors.  I did not know that.  Thank you for that and the cool pictures.  That is a good picture of a fuel dump.  I bet that was pretty cool to see!

Ken

I was trying to guess why Berny may have not like the 111 and it's landing gear. Who's to say?

Dom: Good to hear from you again! A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and your family!!!

Jim: The washes you've been applying have turned out great! Somehow I tend to make sorta a mess with them.

BTW: Put the last stencil on the Blackhawk. There may be some I missed but this is all I'm putting on this one! Hopefully, will get her washed down good tonight and the dull varnish sprayed on and cross your fingers some photos this weekend and soon done. Still can't find the friggin' clear parts for the Apache but since it's only the seeker heads for the Hellfires and the cover for the nose sensor pod I may be able to fake it with some Krystal Kleer.

Gamera

Dom: Good to hear from you again! A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and your family!!!

Jim: The washes you've been applying have turned out great! Somehow I tend to make sorta a mess with them.

BTW: Put the last stencil on the Blackhawk. There may be some I missed but this is all I'm putting on this one! Hopefully, will get her washed down good tonight and the dull varnish sprayed on and cross your fingers some photos this weekend and soon done. Still can't find the friggin' clear parts for the Apache but since it's only the seeker heads for the Hellfires and the cover for the nose sensor pod I may be able to fake it with some Krystal Kleer.

Can't wait to see them Cliff!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

I made a really good score on eBay this evening!  More pictures (although I have no idea where I am going to hang them!).  Here they are: