GM, those missiles sound like how the real ones are built- sectional. I am curious to see them! Kinda gives me an idea here if need be.

GM and Gamera, I am looking forward to more photos of your work on your builds!

and thank you guys for the kind words on the Tigershark's camo. I was working on that and a Vietnam F-104 together so two birds at the bench simultaneously really upped the work load. It's over in the Vietnam Air War GB if any of you want to take a peek.

Again looks good SP! Just a nice looking plane with sharp camo - ya can't beat that by much.

GM: Sounds cool, looking forward to the photos.

Well, the Corsair is done except for one landing light I still need to add. Didn't get the gun-sight perfectly straight but it's close enough for me. Hopefully photos this weekend.  

GMorrison

My Freightdog box came in today.

I'll lay it out and post it tomorrow. One interesting item are the Matra R550 missiles in 1/72. Hi Planes did the nose and tail sections in 3D printing, connected by a section of rod, all for less than 10 dollars the pair, and clean as a whistle.

I'm also happy to find that the A-4Q, the Navy (Armada) one, is Light Gull Gray over White. Like a cup of cocoa on a cold winter night.

Interesting. I've been wondering for awhile now why manufacturers haven't been running missiles etc like that. I'd rather fiddle with keeping those parts aligned instead of the typical "sanding a compound curve while trying to maintain its shape" scenario.

My Freightdog box came in today.

I'll lay it out and post it tomorrow. One interesting item are the Matra R550 missiles in 1/72. Hi Planes did the nose and tail sections in 3D printing, connected by a section of rod, all for less than 10 dollars the pair, and clean as a whistle.

I'm also happy to find that the A-4Q, the Navy (Armada) one, is Light Gull Gray over White. Like a cup of cocoa on a cold winter night.

Nice freehand camo work Stik. Looks like you used masks. I hope I can do that good on my Mig.

Thank you GM. Yes that is freehand, and yes those are the SEA colors: 34079, 34102, and 30219. I used Humbrol enamels. I can smell the paint curing in my garage when I was just in there...

Thats a really well done paint job. Did you freehand the camo?

Are those USAF SEA colors?

Yes it is my friend. I did some image searching this morning to look for a shade of gray for the tail top and found this gorgeous shot, with a weapons load out I liked...

Based on that photo I decided to go with Humbrol's Dark Gray 36081 for the fin tip. Then I went back and touched up overspray colors with my airbrush, darkest to lightest, and removed some masking after everything was dry. Unfortunately the Tamiya colors that I used to prime and base the rudder flash chipped a bit on each side when I removed the masking tape- Tamiya at that!! A first for both, so I need to go back and touch up next week...

out of my spares box came the appropriate rocket pods, which I airbrushed with Humbrol OD 34087

Yeah, looks great SP! The wrap-around camo is quite sexy!

Thank you guys. Today's plan is to do some overspray touch up and then mask off and paint the top of the vertical stabilizer. I need to do a few image searches to see the proper color on that.

Roger, overall the fit is decent-typical Monogram of that era. Nothing a little careful test fitting and gluing will not fix in most areas. The only areas that needed any filler were the fit of the intakes/LEXs to the fuselage & wings. My kit had just the slightest warpage on one side that really amplified that there. If I did not have SO many other kits to build and serious lack of display space in my home I would be tempted to go get another one of these and build it using lessons learned here. The Gray Demonstrator bird could be done in a weekend really. I am just taking my time on this one.

Looking good Stik, nice transition between colours too.

Looking really good SP.How's the build quality been for this kit so far?

There is possibly another storm due in here on Thursday, so today was a good day for more airbrushing. I can probably get the touch up work needed done tomorrow.

Today I added the 34079 Dark Green to my Tigershark. Boy do I really like those "wraparound" camo schemes. They make a plane look like it is supposed to be down in the weeds taking care of business!

Looking forward to it SP! Funny raining cats and dogs here this morning too, tampered off now though.

It's not a big deal with the Corsair, just want to make sure everything is straight and there are no major glue spots before I put the canopy on. And yes I've had to rip half-dried canopies off before after getting in a rush to get done!

Just wait until I get the 34079 green on. Then it will be looking sharp! Depending upon weather here I will get that color on in a day or two. It's raining pretty good here now and supposed to continue thru the morning. Lord knows that we need the rain here big time! Anyways, I am looking forward to more progress photos of your Corsair in the near future here. Take your time to get it just right...

Hey SP, the camo looks great!

Was hoping to be finished my Corsair today but had some issues with getting the gunsight straight before cementing the canopy on so I just let 'er go a little longer.

Almost ;-)

She's almost ready to fly off the bench SP!

So far so good today. I got the rudder masked off and then began the camo in tandem with the F-104C that I am working on in the same colors. Tan 30219 followed by Green 34102

Again apologies for the blurry photos. I swear I am ready to drop kick half of my high tech electronics here until they end up in the surf down the street...

Looks great SP, the Mexican colours on the tail came out great!

RW: Thanks, funny though about ten years newer my Trans Am looks a bit like KITT from Knight Rider- one of the guys in our modeling club used to want me to put a big swooshing light on the front!

Hey SP,

She's looking mighty fine! Can't wait to see her when she's done.Gamera,sorry to hear about your accident but glad you're okay.It bites having a treasured vehicle wrecked like that.I remember when the Trans Am was so popular in the 70s due to the movie, Smokey and the Bandit.

More progress today... Photos of real F-20s showed an Angle of Attack sensor on the left side of the fuselage below the windscreen and a pitot tube on the right. The kit comes with two pitots- one for each side, so I turned one into the AoA sensor and glued the pitot in place on the other side

also one F-20 prototype and Mexican AF F-5Es had a prominent VHF blade antenna on the fuselage spine, so I scracth built and added one...

and looking at other photos showed an inlet scoop at the front of the vertical stabilizer base. On this kit it is molded solid, so I opened it up

and finally, I added the red for the Mexican Tri Color Rudder flash

and masked off the radome to be ready for the camo to be applied over the next few days

More to follow in the next few days...

Yup... I feel your pain... about he car that is ;-) No shots to the ribs for me, although my parachuting and boxing days gave me a few of those before. Not pleasant. We actually do have snow and ice here in southern California, but it's inland in the mountains, not down low here near that big blue body of water that's down the street... almost ready to do some more airbrushing here shortly...

Hey thanks SP, actually it wasn't anywhere near as bad as your accident. We've got this thing called snow and ice which I don't think you have in sunny CA - normally we don't get much down here in VA either but this has been the coldest winter in decades. I hit a patch of ice, well no biggie, just let the car drift forward till she gets traction again. Well, I drifted, had to be 100-150 feet without any grip till the car turned friggin' broadside in the road and slid out to slam into a fence. I was only going maybe 25 mph or so but it smashed the driver's side door all to hell, bent the side frame, and I felt like someone had whaled on the left side of my rib cage with a baseball bat. 

Over most of the pain now just kinda ticked off to see my 2002 Trans Am ruined. I babied that car for the last ten years, she had all the original equipment and looked other than a few dings and pings the same as I'd driven her off the showroom floor. But now since she's 12 years old the Kelley Blue Book value is about $5000 and it will probably cost more than that to fix her. Plus the side frame is bent so I doubt it will ever be the same again. Looked at a few Camaros with the same options and the dealers want about 60 thousand which is frankly more than I'm willing to pay. So I'm just sitting here in a blue funk. 

Sorry, just feel like venting... 

I know the feeling. I am only now getting back into the modeling groove here. Did you get the airbag left jab to the nose and chin Gamera? At least you're able to post here, so that is a good sign. I am very sorry to hear about your collision.

She looks good SP! Afraid I haven't gotten too much done since Wednesday was my turn to be involved in a car accident. Just a little bruised and battered but haven't been in a mood to work on anything lately.  

Oh this will not do... almost 2 days since any postings in here!

Well today I finally began slinging some paint. on teh exterior of my Tigershark. Actually I had done a little bit, but had not yet taken any photos. I masked off the intakes and wheel wells, plyons and blade antenas are glued in place, canopy and windscreen are masked and glued and tacked in place respectively. I had painted the base color of the rudder white for the Mexican tri color rudder flash and masked off the appropriate area as well....

so I used Humbrol 30 RAF Dark Green for Radome Green

and Testors square bottle Flat Beret Green for the Green rudder Tricolor stripe. It was the closest color in my inventory to the MAF National Insignia

and some shots of where I am now

GMorrison

The Neptune is coming along finally. The major airframe components are assembled and shes ready for the Dark Ghost Gray bottom/ Intermediate Blue topside, to be followed by Medium Green camouflage.

Meanwhile I have the Air force A-4P in hand, the Navy A-4Q in hand and the Air force Mirage IIIEA under construction.

The P is a straightforward repaint of the Airfix B. Nice little model.

The Q requires the Freightdog conversion kit nose and spine avionics hump.

That set also gives me the 1000 lb bomb, long range tanks and 350 lb tri-mount bombs I need.

The Matra 530 missiles are on the way for the Mirage from Hi Planes.

I'm looking into a C-130H refueler. Jeaton gave me an Airfix Herc last time we met for lunch.

Sounds like you're rebuilding the Argentine Air Force... they'd look good next to a Falklands-era Pucara!

Looking forward to seeing the Neptune finished,as I've always liked the looks of that aircraft.Nice builds everyone!

Looking good there GM.  It sounds like you have a good Argentine air arm in the wings there. I have no progress worth posting photos of myself. Just some airbrushing of internal parts and almost ready for major external painting.