I forgot to mention that they are all 22" X 17".  Pretty good size.

Ken

Son Of Medicine Man

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.

 

I just saw this same kit in identical condition go for $152.50 on eBay!  And the person who won it had 5 more bids on top of the one that won!  Just shows how much more it could have gone for!  I did good!

Ken

Hey those are really nice looking prints Ken! And congrads again on the YF-12.

Gamera

Hey those are really nice looking prints Ken! And congrads again on the YF-12.

Thank you Cliff!  I got the prints for a total of $75.00.  That comes out to $6.25 a piece.  And I am pretty sure that they are all out of print.

Ken

Growler's coming along very nicely; i've started using that detail wash in grey and black for panel lines etc and am happy with the results.

I loved the prints you scored Ken. If you haven't already, they could contribute well to a "shrine" of some of the best our country built. As far as the F-111 controversy I never worked on them but two guys I knew that came from Upper Heyford or Lakenheath said they were a beast to maintain. One of the fellows was an ECS troop (environmental control systems) and the other a crew chief. Really bad FMC rate and lots of maintenance delays. I wasn't there so I can neither confirm nor deny but based on what I know of the plane it wouldn't surprise me. Still ya gotta admit it's one cool looking bird!

Son Of Medicine Man

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

We share a few faves, that Firefly among them!

Yeah big honkin' F-84F in 1/32, ,,,,,, Factory Chrome Plated...LOL

Jim:

AWESOME!!! - now in my collection!!!

Best,

Dom

Nice prints Ken! You are the E-bay Master!

I know that the F-111 was not the greatest plane ever, or anything like that. It's just that many of the older planes are so much more interesting subjects than most modern fighters. I think the F-35 is , while the variety of older fighters like the F-111, or a Phantom, "Thud", or the F-86 seem like they almost have a personality all their own. What would you rather display on your shelf? One of those or an assortment of all grey on grey F-16's?

I would love to do more early jets, but frankly I have always been a little gun shy about all those shiny natural finishes. Simpler to me to throw on a camo paint job!

Here are a couple more F-111 pics for you.

Another 'dump and burn'

And here are those folks from down under having some fun with their 'Pigs'. The longer winged FB and the C model did have provisions for those outer pylons but were never actually used. They didn't pivot either, like next two outer ones.

Hey guys! I`m still lurking in the background and can`t wait to get modelling again. Made some progress with the house...picked up my demo permit yesterday and the old house is scheduled for destruction tomorrow. Also turned in all constrution permit apps to the MUA, should be a 20 day wait to get those back. The modular company rep has my new home scheduled for production for the 1st week of January...quite a few to be built ahead of mine but could have it by the end of Jan-early Feb.....not soon enough for me...lol.

I`m going to be busy the next few days, finishing up shopping,etc. so , if I dont get a chance to get back on the forums, have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Len

mikeymize

Growler's coming along very nicely; i've started using that detail wash in grey and black for panel lines etc and am happy with the results.

I loved the prints you scored Ken. If you haven't already, they could contribute well to a "shrine" of some of the best our country built. As far as the F-111 controversy I never worked on them but two guys I knew that came from Upper Heyford or Lakenheath said they were a beast to maintain. One of the fellows was an ECS troop (environmental control systems) and the other a crew chief. Really bad FMC rate and lots of maintenance delays. I wasn't there so I can neither confirm nor deny but based on what I know of the plane it wouldn't surprise me. Still ya gotta admit it's one cool looking bird!

Thank you Mike.  I do have a sort of "shrine" in my "Man Cave".  When you walk in, all you see on the walls are USAF aircraft.  I literally do not have any more wall space for pictures.  I will have to take a picture of them hanging.

Ken

Bockscar

Son Of Medicine Man

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

Many thanks Ken;

We share a few faves, that Firefly among them!

Yeah big honkin' F-84F in 1/32, ,,,,,, Factory Chrome Plated...LOL

Jim:

AWESOME!!! - now in my collection!!!

Best,

Dom

Totally agree with you Dom!  The F-84F would have to be done in natural metal finish shined up!

Ken

jimbot58

Nice prints Ken! You are the E-bay Master!

I know that the F-111 was not the greatest plane ever, or anything like that. It's just that many of the older planes are so much more interesting subjects than most modern fighters. I think the F-35 is , while the variety of older fighters like the F-111, or a Phantom, "Thud", or the F-86 seem like they almost have a personality all their own. What would you rather display on your shelf? One of those or an assortment of all grey on grey F-16's?

I would love to do more early jets, but frankly I have always been a little gun shy about all those shiny natural finishes. Simpler to me to throw on a camo paint job!

Here are a couple more F-111 pics for you.

Another 'dump and burn'

And here are those folks from down under having some fun with their 'Pigs'. The longer winged FB and the C model did have provisions for those outer pylons but were never actually used. They didn't pivot either, like next two outer ones.

Thank you Jim!

And those are some nice pictures of the F-111.  And more interesting info as well.  You really are a "Vark-head"!

Now I would have to disagree with you about painting a natural finish.  With the skills you have shown, I am sure you could master painting a natural finish!

Ken

troublemaker66

Hey guys! I`m still lurking in the background and can`t wait to get modelling again. Made some progress with the house...picked up my demo permit yesterday and the old house is scheduled for destruction tomorrow. Also turned in all constrution permit apps to the MUA, should be a 20 day wait to get those back. The modular company rep has my new home scheduled for production for the 1st week of January...quite a few to be built ahead of mine but could have it by the end of Jan-early Feb.....not soon enough for me...lol.

I`m going to be busy the next few days, finishing up shopping,etc. so , if I dont get a chance to get back on the forums, have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Len

Hi Len,

It is good to hear from you again!  I was hoping you might be in your new home by Christmas, but at least you will soon be seeing actual work being done toward getting your new home built before Christmas!  That should be lifting your spirits!  You have been down a tough road for sure!

And I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas as well!

Ken

Len: Good to hear from you again and it's good to hear that they're making some even if slow progress on your home. Merry Christmas to you and the family!

Guys, now I'm thinking a NM shiny aluminum F-111 would be pretty cool!

Gamera

Len: Good to hear from you again and it's good to hear that they're making some even if slow progress on your home. Merry Christmas to you and the family!

Guys, now I'm thinking a NM shiny aluminum F-111 would be pretty cool!

A natural metal shiny aluminum F-111!  Now that would be a sight! 

Ken

Hi gang!

I feel a little sad right now, as I only turned on the tube a short time ago, and learned that the little 17 year old girl here in Colorado, who was shot in the head with a shotgun by another student, lost the battle for her life. Because of this cowardly act, I am saddened that her family and friends will always remember Christmas this way.

R.I.P. Claire

That aside, it's been kind of a tough week here. Always working extra hours and it seems like I just don't sleep as well as I should. Last night I was so exhausted, I struggled to make it home without dozing off, and when I got home, I crawled into bed without even getting undressed. The bad thing was that I was wide awake at 3 a.m. I wandered around the house, played games on the computer and even cleaned up some files on it. I finally lay back down at dawn and got a few more hours of sleep. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up around the house and finally sat down at the work bench.

I think I'm done with the washes on the Growler finally. Maybe a few spots to touch up.

I also have been working on the gear. It has PE parts and a wash applied. There is a rough spot in the oleo from an ejector pin mark, but that will be behind the wheel and hard to see.

I'm trying something I read somewhere by drilling out the landing light, applying silver paint in the cavity, and later fill with a drop of Microscale Kristal Klear for a lens. You can also see one of the axles is mis molded so attaching the wheel may be tricky. There will also be a PE door that covers the long diagonal strut.

Aldo worked on was one of the gear doors that has 4 PE parts on it so far. I am trying something new (to me!) from Testors, a lacquer based primer, which is ready to spray. There is also a "sandable" primer I didn't try yet. Maybe this will make that white easier to apply, and I wont have to spray so thick to get it to cover.

Anyway, I took this week off and maybe I'll get a few things done around here. A big project that I worked on today was sorting through tons of mail and other paperwork, filing, shredding, and trashing. Something that just got away from me for a couple of years, if you can beleive that! Things got out of hand with everything that happened with Mom and work, and just went down from there. It was just overwhelming, I don't know what got into me today, but it's a good thing.

Cheers all!

Jim

Hello again gang!

I decided to do a bit more Christmas shopping (for me!) and went through Squadrons "Inventory Blowout" sale. I selected this:

Their price was about 20 bucks. However, the PE set was out of stock, which I found over at Sprue Brothers and the kit for about 5 bucks more (the kit). I considered the shipping charges for both and decided it was cheaper in the long run to place my complete order with SB. Sorry Squadron...

Unfortunately, with the holiday shipping being what it is, I doubt I will see this present before the Holiday. SB is usually about 2 days out for me, but unlikely this time.

I have the Hasegawa version already, and although described as fairly accurate, it has those dratted raised panel lines and no intake trunking. Online reviews definitely gave the nod to the Academy kit as about the best in this scale.

"I wish me a Merry Christmas!"

jimbot58

Hi gang!

I feel a little sad right now, as I only turned on the tube a short time ago, and learned that the little 17 year old girl here in Colorado, who was shot in the head with a shotgun by another student, lost the battle for her life. Because of this cowardly act, I am saddened that her family and friends will always remember Christmas this way.

R.I.P. Claire

That aside, it's been kind of a tough week here. Always working extra hours and it seems like I just don't sleep as well as I should. Last night I was so exhausted, I struggled to make it home without dozing off, and when I got home, I crawled into bed without even getting undressed. The bad thing was that I was wide awake at 3 a.m. I wandered around the house, played games on the computer and even cleaned up some files on it. I finally lay back down at dawn and got a few more hours of sleep. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up around the house and finally sat down at the work bench.

I think I'm done with the washes on the Growler finally. Maybe a few spots to touch up.

I also have been working on the gear. It has PE parts and a wash applied. There is a rough spot in the oleo from an ejector pin mark, but that will be behind the wheel and hard to see.

I'm trying something I read somewhere by drilling out the landing light, applying silver paint in the cavity, and later fill with a drop of Microscale Kristal Klear for a lens. You can also see one of the axles is mis molded so attaching the wheel may be tricky. There will also be a PE door that covers the long diagonal strut.

Aldo worked on was one of the gear doors that has 4 PE parts on it so far. I am trying something new (to me!) from Testors, a lacquer based primer, which is ready to spray. There is also a "sandable" primer I didn't try yet. Maybe this will make that white easier to apply, and I wont have to spray so thick to get it to cover.

Anyway, I took this week off and maybe I'll get a few things done around here. A big project that I worked on today was sorting through tons of mail and other paperwork, filing, shredding, and trashing. Something that just got away from me for a couple of years, if you can beleive that! Things got out of hand with everything that happened with Mom and work, and just went down from there. It was just overwhelming, I don't know what got into me today, but it's a good thing.

Cheers all!

Jim

Hi Jim,

That Growler is looking fantastic!     

I know what you mean about not getting enough sleep.  I have been battling that myself now for over a year.  I am taking sleeping pills to help me get to sleep and stay asleep.  But I still don't stay asleep for a full 8 hours.  I usually end up getting only between 5 and 6 hours.  I know it has to be taking a toll on me.

That is a great tip about the landing lights.  I am anxious to see how that turns out.  I bet it will look pretty good!

I am also interested in seeing how that new lacquer based primer works.  If it does help with painting the white that would be great!

Good luck with getting caught up on that stack of mail!  Maybe you will get lucky and find a check!

Ken

jimbot58

Hello again gang!

I decided to do a bit more Christmas shopping (for me!) and went through Squadrons "Inventory Blowout" sale. I selected this:

Their price was about 20 bucks. However, the PE set was out of stock, which I found over at Sprue Brothers and the kit for about 5 bucks more (the kit). I considered the shipping charges for both and decided it was cheaper in the long run to place my complete order with SB. Sorry Squadron...

Unfortunately, with the holiday shipping being what it is, I doubt I will see this present before the Holiday. SB is usually about 2 days out for me, but unlikely this time.

I have the Hasegawa version already, and although described as fairly accurate, it has those dratted raised panel lines and no intake trunking. Online reviews definitely gave the nod to the Academy kit as about the best in this scale.

"I wish me a Merry Christmas!"

Hi Jim,

Looks like Santa is being extra nice to you this year too!  Very cool!

Ken

Hi Everyone,

Believe it or not, I finally got a chance to do some work on my F-84E tonight.  Actually, I have been spending a lot of time doing reference work for colors.  Anyway here is the cockpit tub.  I still need to touch it up, but this is how it looks tonight:

Ken 

Nice Ken! You are definitely a stickler for accuracy! Many times my matches end up being "Eh! It looks close enough!" I try to be accurate if I can, though.

As far as my "gifts" to myself.... Who else is going to be doing this for me? My unemployed, public assistance dependent, money leeching sister and her kids? I give, give, give and receive little in return. The person who should be helpful and supportive is an immense stone I carry about my neck, which seems to grow heavier everyday!

Even Mom, who was a very generous person much of her life had become very frustrated by the situation.

In the meantime, I cleaned up and sprayed the wheels and other landing gear, and my Testors lacquer primer quickly showed all the errors and mold separation lines I missed. I went to resand and found the primer had already dried to a very hard finish that was hard to sand. This could be some useful stuff! There was also a sandable version as well, and I think I will pick up some of that on my my next trip to the LHS! I've never used primers before, but I may start. Have to try it on a kit build.

Jim

jimbot58

Nice Ken! You are definitely a stickler for accuracy! Many times my matches end up being "Eh! It looks close enough!" I try to be accurate if I can, though.

As far as my "gifts" to myself.... Who else is going to be doing this for me? My unemployed, public assistance dependent, money leeching sister and her kids? I give, give, give and receive little in return. The person who should be helpful and supportive is an immense stone I carry about my neck, which seems to grow heavier everyday!

Even Mom, who was a very generous person much of her life had become very frustrated by the situation.

In the meantime, I cleaned up and sprayed the wheels and other landing gear, and my Testors lacquer primer quickly showed all the errors and mold separation lines I missed. I went to resand and found the primer had already dried to a very hard finish that was hard to sand. This could be some useful stuff! There was also a sandable version as well, and I think I will pick up some of that on my my next trip to the LHS! I've never used primers before, but I may start. Have to try it on a kit build.

Jim

I totally agree with you Jim about buying your own gifts!  I told everyone in my family and friends to stop exchanging gifts with me only on the premise that it was silly to try and guess what each person wanted.  And the alternative is to supply lists, which then it becomes more like just exchanging money.  So since we are all adults, we don't do it anymore.  We just get together for Christmas and have fun.  We have dinner, play games, and enjoy each other's company.  Which also helps to relieve the stress of trying to figure out that "perfect" gift.

Ken

Hey nice work all around guys!!!

And heck, you worked for it Jim, it's YOUR money and YOUR hard work so if you want to spend it on a kit it's YOUR business...

Personally I bought myself a little Christmas cheer as well...

Zoukei-Mura J7W1 Shinden

BTW guys what do you use for a flat final coat??? I've been using Model Master matte varnish and had a few situations where it turned white. So I tried Vallejo matte varnish. A few small test runs worked out well so I sprayed the Blackhawk with it this weekend. Well, final result is the chopper looks like it's been whitewashed. I sprayed another coat of a mix of MM matte and semigloss over it and think it wiped out most of the white stuff. Still I was so ticked off I had to walk away from it - sorry I was really hoping to get some photos up and finish the thing this week. Guess there's nothing to do but keep hacking away at it. 

Hi Ken,

I'd like to join the build.Not sure what I'll be building but will let you know in a day or two once I sort through my stash.Thanks!

Douglas

Gamera

Hey nice work all around guys!!!

And heck, you worked for it Jim, it's YOUR money and YOUR hard work so if you want to spend it on a kit it's YOUR business...

Personally I bought myself a little Christmas cheer as well...

Zoukei-Mura J7W1 Shinden

BTW guys what do you use for a flat final coat??? I've been using Model Master matte varnish and had a few situations where it turned white. So I tried Vallejo matte varnish. A few small test runs worked out well so I sprayed the Blackhawk with it this weekend. Well, final result is the chopper looks like it's been whitewashed. I sprayed another coat of a mix of MM matte and semigloss over it and think it wiped out most of the white stuff. Still I was so ticked off I had to walk away from it - sorry I was really hoping to get some photos up and finish the thing this week. Guess there's nothing to do but keep hacking away at it. 

Sorry to hear your having trouble. Are you talking about the Testors Lacquer based Dullcoat?

In any case, it sounds like it's drying before it hits the surface. Make sure it's thinned properly and that your airbrush isn't pressured too high. also, spraying from too far can be an issue. If it is an acrylic, I don't know those that well and others may help there.

Jim

Hey Jim I'm very excited to hear how the new primer you spoke of works out. As Ken and I'm sure many others have pointed out anything that helps with the application of "the dreaded white" would be very welcome indeed!

Tragic to hear of that dear girl passing away; so senseless. Sad to say, the authorities will probably use this to enact more "Zero Tolerance" anti-gun laws that will have no effect…….

Ken & Jim et al., I too have to rely more and more on meds for sleep. Ironic that as we age we seem to be more tired than ever yet can't sleep. Go figure.

Hi Cliff,

Nice Christmas present dude!    That looks like a really nice kit!  I keep hoping that they will start working on the 1/32 A-1E Skyraider that they promised some time back.  I have their 1/32 A-1J Skyraider and 1/32 A-1H Skyraider.

I have not worked with any flat clears yet.  But I will be here pretty soon on that cockpit tub.  But from my many years of experience painting cars, I know you can get a milky white finish from too much humidity.  Did you spray that indoors or outdoors?

Ken

roger_wilco

Hi Ken,

I'd like to join the build.Not sure what I'll be building but will let you know in a day or two once I sort through my stash.Thanks!

Douglas

Hi Douglas,

Welcome aboard!!    So you have a stash?  So obviously you are not new to this hobby.  Do you have a favorite area of interest?  What ever you decide, it will be fine here.  Just let us know when you have one picked out and I will update the front page.

Ken

mikeymize

Hey Jim I'm very excited to hear how the new primer you spoke of works out. As Ken and I'm sure many others have pointed out anything that helps with the application of "the dreaded white" would be very welcome indeed!

Tragic to hear of that dear girl passing away; so senseless. Sad to say, the authorities will probably use this to enact more "Zero Tolerance" anti-gun laws that will have no effect…….

Ken & Jim et al., I too have to rely more and more on meds for sleep. Ironic that as we age we seem to be more tired than ever yet can't sleep. Go figure.

Hi Mike,

I hope your ankle is getting better.

Yes, it is ironic that as we get older that sleep seems to evade us.  I have tried everything but the only thing that works is the drugs.  My Mom uses sleeping pills too, and she is long since retired.  So it isn't like she has a job to keep her awake at nights.

Ken

Ack, that sucks about the girl losing her life...

Douglas: Welcome, this is a great bunch of guys!!!

I dunno about the matte varnish. I sprayed it at pretty low pressure and we've had a wood stove going in the basement where I paint so the humidity is super low. Wonder if the low humidity is causing the paint to dry before it hits the model!?!

Hi Douglas! Welcome aboard!

Well, today makes my 'official' start of my vacation! I got up late, played on the computer, ate breakfast, napped, worked on the model, napped, had lunch, watched TV, worked on the model, took another nap,  then had dinner, went for a walk and worked on the model!

How does that sound so far?

I finally Dullcoated much of the upper surface of the Growler as I want to get started on the canopy PE parts.

The glass sees light at long last:

Of coarse it doesn't fit snug because of the PE parts underneath. I would have had to trim and sand to make it all fit, if I was to keep it closed!

Let's see how it might look open....darn fat fingers!

Looking forward into the 'office'

Looking down...

Next is all this fun!

Of course trying the primer here as well!

Jim