ajd3530

I went there once, in 95. I was just a wee little 7 year old, and my most vivid memory was getting the crap scared out of me when i saw just how freakin' BIG that B-36 was in person. And of course getting to sit in that cut out F-4 cockpit. I was one pumped up Phantom driver.

It is amazing how big the museum is to contain aircraft of that size.  And now they are adding another building and the main attraction will be a C-5 Galaxy!  I am definitely looking forward to that!

Ken

mikeymize

Striker8241

Lol, I would hope not . BTW, having the landing gear accidentally fold up on the ground was a real problem at first. Then they installed a "squat switch" on each gear. When any gear compresses on landing, gear retraction is disabled.

We had the same thing on F-15's but called "WOW" Switch for Weight On Wheels.When your in the military they tried to GI Proof everything. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not!

Very cool information guys!  That is what I like about this group build, all the trivia information just like this.  Keep it coming!

Ken

mikeymize

I'm very jealous Ken. I've only been there once and wished I had more than a day to see everything.  At the time I lived in the Detroit area and the drive wasn't too bad. Now's a different story; I don't even like going to Nashville! Thanks for thinking of your modeling buddies by getting lots of pics and videos!

Hi Mike,

Yes, I do feel very lucky that it is only a 3 hour drive from where I live.  I try to make it there at least once a year.  And there is no way you can see everything in a day.  Especially if you are taking detailed pictures of each plane!  And I don't know about you, but I can only stand taking that many pictures for about 4 hours before I need to take a break.

Ken

Jim: The new monitor looks great, a big improvement from the smaller one.

And nice work on the dragster too. I don't know much about cars but the engine etc looks really good to me.

mikeymize

jelliott523

I've found myself buying accessories and tools I never have used before.  Trying new techniques and making sure I take time in working with things.  These forums have given me great ideas and tips.

As soon as i get to a point of actually posting pics of the work in progress I will do so.

I know what you.mean When I first got back into the hobby it seemed everybody here was building better staff than me. But then I stopped looking at it as a competition and started using the tricks and techniques others were using.We all have our strong suit and weak areas; but my goal is to enjoy the time at my bench and not get too hung up on perfection. I do the most accurate and realistic model and that's enough for me  Sometimes I'm satisfied, others not but the process is the fun and quality almost always gets better the more I build. For me this hobby is all about relaxing and having fun

Sometimes we can be our own worst critic. At first I was shy about posting my stuff as I thought it wasn't good enough. Even though I've learned a lot, I still feel my work is far from perfect, but it's fun to share ideas and tips, or even to just show off a bit! I have gained enough confidence that I think it would be fun to participate in a show, if one ever is held closer to home. It would be twice as much fun to win a prize or two!

Hey guys!

I am happy to report that the operation on the computer seems to have been a complete success, and the patient seems to be doing fine! The new monitor is awesome and works fine without having to worry about drivers. I was concerned because I had a Viewsonic one time that wouldn't work at its full resolution without special drivers being installed.

I'm sort of test driving all the USB ports to be sure all is working and all my toys charge up, so I'm adding a couple of photos of my new set-up. Sorry if it is off topic!

Yes, there is tape stuck along the bottom, but free is free! (Also, don't pay attention to the dust! I'm working on it!)

The new 7-port powered hub! Now all my toys have a happy place to charge! There are a couple of thumb drives plugged in (one is dedicated for Ready Boost, which adds additional available RAM) And the other device is my Mp3 player, happily taking on a charge!

I'm pretty much in USB port heaven now, with the two external HD's plugged into their 3.0 homes and now able to run at their full speed! Plus I have 2.0 ports open everywhere! 2 on the front of the computer, 2 on the side of the monitor, and 7 on the hub! Plus there is now one open on the back as well! Now I need more gadgets!

Now something model related: I started this dragster a long time ago, and never finished it. I kind of stopped when the paint on the body didn't turn out so well. I was thinking of stripping the body and trying again. My painting skills may have improved since then.

A close-up of the engine: I added the wires:

I have been kicking around the idea of doing a car for a change of pace. Either finishing this one or one of several Chevy Chevelles I have laying around. I had a red '68 Chevelle Super Sport back in the day, and though all I can find are '69's and '70's, they are pretty close.

I still am going to finish the Voodoo, have no fear!

Jim

P.S. After spending the last 20 minutes trying to find the charger cord for my phone, I'm glad I did all this! Now I can leave all the cords in one place and just dangle them off the side of the desk! No more swapping!

J

jelliott523

I've found myself buying accessories and tools I never have used before.  Trying new techniques and making sure I take time in working with things.  These forums have given me great ideas and tips.

As soon as i get to a point of actually posting pics of the work in progress I will do so.

Russ: Thanks for the photos!

Jelliot: Sounds cool, looking forward to photos!

Jim: That sucks, hope things straighten out soon. Congrads though on the new monitor. I used a 14 inch for years until it finally burnt out and I got a huge one too!

Haven't heard from Ken, so I assume he is just sitting there with a huge smile on his face, remembering his weekend!

Little time for my projects. I had to work again on Saturday and that was mostly sitting there for almost 5 1/2 hours watching training films. That was after five days that ran as long as 11 hours or more.

Today was catching up on house chores, but the worst part was going of to Mom's to pack up a bunch of her clothes and take them to a donation box. I could only handle that for a short time, and now I just am drained. Plus the situation with the nephew has not resolved itself!

If I get out of this funk, I have a bunch of work to do as far as a computer upgrade. One of which is a Dell 19" flat screen monitor that I was given by my boss. (The new upgrade that is coming calls for us to use 22" widescreen ones.) It will be pretty cool if it works, as I am currently using a 15" CRT at home. The new (to me) is a professional grade, has digital input  and will also act as A USB hub! I just hope it works with generic drivers as Dell is kind of stingy as far as providing them.

Jim

Just wanted to send a quick update.  I am still plugging away with the models and life (not necessarily in that order).  I just ordered the Aries cockpit upgrade kit for my F-4G, looking foward to working with it.  This has truly been a great experience getting back into the modeling routine.

I've found myself buying accessories and tools I never have used before.  Trying new techniques and making sure I take time in working with things.  These forums have given me great ideas and tips.

As soon as i get to a point of actually posting pics of the work in progress I will do so.

Glad to see you enjoying yourself Ken, after your basement flooding and other issues you're due a good time!

Striker8241

castelnuovo

~

Striker, I just love your signature  . I have flown a plane only once with an instructor...it didn't take full power to get to the terminal

Lol, I would hope not . BTW, having the landing gear accidentally fold up on the ground was a real problem at first. Then they installed a "squat switch" on each gear. When any gear compresses on landing, gear retraction is disabled.

Were you taking lessons with the instructor or was it just a familiarization ride?

Cheers,

Russ

It was a familiarization flight. Lasted about half an hour and I absolutely loved it. I did the taxiing, take-off, in flight maneuvering but not he landing of course. I was sooo excited, I actually flew a plane..... It was a Piper Cherokee.

Son Of Medicine Man

Hi Everyone,

Spent today taking lots of pictures at the USAF National Museum.  Took the "Behind the Scenes" tour and took lots of pictures there too.  It is amazing the amount of hard work these volunteers put into restoring their aircraft!  Everything has to be built from scratch.  And they are just as addicted to being authentic and attention to detail as we are!

One of the planes they are currently working on is the Memphis Belle.  We got to see the ball turret which has been completely restored.  And the sad thing is, all that work will never be seen by the public once it is installed back into the plane.  (You can't see inside it from outside the plane.)

And I can't believe my timing!  They are shooting off fireworks tonight, which I was told is a spectacular show.  Everyone that lives around the Dayton Ohio area come to see it.  And I will have a front row seat, since I am staying at the hotel directly across the street.

Tomorrow is the Dayton Air Show, then I will trek back home.

Ken

Hi, Ken,

I know you're enjoying your day so I won't say I hope so...   Looking forward to those pictures!

BTW, there's a whole flock of F-101 pictures up on the USAF SIG forum, including a bunch in SEA colors.

http://www.usaf-sig.org/Forum/index.php?topic=654.msg2588#new

Cheers,

Russ

Lovely work on the T-55 castel. Stretching an antenna should be a breeze.

I went there once, in 95. I was just a wee little 7 year old, and my most vivid memory was getting the crap scared out of me when i saw just how freakin' BIG that B-36 was in person. And of course getting to sit in that cut out F-4 cockpit. I was one pumped up Phantom driver.

Striker8241

Lol, I would hope not . BTW, having the landing gear accidentally fold up on the ground was a real problem at first. Then they installed a "squat switch" on each gear. When any gear compresses on landing, gear retraction is disabled.

I'm very jealous Ken. I've only been there once and wished I had more than a day to see everything.  At the time I lived in the Detroit area and the drive wasn't too bad. Now's a different story; I don't even like going to Nashville! Thanks for thinking of your modeling buddies by getting lots of pics and videos!

Glad to hear you are having such a great time!!  Enjoy the air show in the morning!!!

Hi Everyone,

Spent today taking lots of pictures at the USAF National Museum.  Took the "Behind the Scenes" tour and took lots of pictures there too.  It is amazing the amount of hard work these volunteers put into restoring their aircraft!  Everything has to be built from scratch.  And they are just as addicted to being authentic and attention to detail as we are!

One of the planes they are currently working on is the Memphis Belle.  We got to see the ball turret which has been completely restored.  And the sad thing is, all that work will never be seen by the public once it is installed back into the plane.  (You can't see inside it from outside the plane.)

And I can't believe my timing!  They are shooting off fireworks tonight, which I was told is a spectacular show.  Everyone that lives around the Dayton Ohio area come to see it.  And I will have a front row seat, since I am staying at the hotel directly across the street.

Tomorrow is the Dayton Air Show, then I will trek back home.

Ken

castelnuovo

~

Striker, I just love your signature  . I have flown a plane only once with an instructor...it didn't take full power to get to the terminal

Lol, I would hope not . BTW, having the landing gear accidentally fold up on the ground was a real problem at first. Then they installed a "squat switch" on each gear. When any gear compresses on landing, gear retraction is disabled.

Were you taking lessons with the instructor or was it just a familiarization ride?

Cheers,

Russ

mikeymize

The T-55 is great! The subtle job of weathering you did was really nice. I took particular notice of the rust effects on the jerry cans and elsewhere as they really added to the realism. Making one of these monochromatic Russian beasts look interesting is sometimes tough but you succeeded buddy! Thanks for the pics.

Thanks mikeymize. I have built few Russian tanks and at the end always found them somehow boring if it is in only one color. Same goes for dark yellow German vehicles. So I try to dirty them up, scratch them and beat them up to break up the monotony.

Cheers...

Gamera

Wow, looking forward to those photos Ken!!!

The one aircraft that I am looking forward to see fly is the F-86!  I will be taking video of that!

Ken

Wow, looking forward to those photos Ken!!!

Gamera

Hey Ken that sounds awesome! I've visited the Dayton museum but didn't get the behind the scenes tour. The air show by itself is worth the trip though when I went it was about as hot as it is now, and standing outside in it really wore me out. Just make sure you bring plenty of stuff to drink Ken.

Thanks Cliff!  I did splurge and have the "Pitt Pass" which is right next to where the water is available.  Plus I will be able to get some great shots of the aircraft taking off and landing.

Ken

Hey Ken that sounds awesome! I've visited the Dayton museum but didn't get the behind the scenes tour. The air show by itself is worth the trip though when I went it was about as hot as it is now, and standing outside in it really wore me out. Just make sure you bring plenty of stuff to drink Ken.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be visiting the USAF National Museum tomorrow.  A large chunk of the day will be spent on the "Behind the Scenes" tour.  The tour takes you to the restoration hangers where you can see aircraft that are being restored that are not yet available to see on the main floor.

I will spend the remaining available time in the Vietnam section taking as many photographs as possible.  I will post some of those when I get back.

While I am at Dayton Ohio, I will attend the Dayton Air Show on Saturday.  There will be a few Vietnam era aircraft on display there as well.  More pictures!

Ken

The T-55 is great! The subtle job of weathering you did was really nice. I took particular notice of the rust effects on the jerry cans and elsewhere as they really added to the realism. Making one of these monochromatic Russian beasts look interesting is sometimes tough but you succeeded buddy! Thanks for the pics.

Nice tank!

Stretching sprue can be a pain. Usually takes me several attempts to get it right: not too hot, too cold, too fast, too slow, etc.

I have been doing a few decals here and there, but with all the extra work, it's been hard to find the time or energy.

No photos until I can get the time to finish work on the computer. I got the external HD working finally, but moving things around with only a 2.0 USB ports is painfully slow (both drive are capable of 3.0). I plan to make another trip down to the computer store to pick up a 3.0 card which will free up some ports and upgrade the drives. The old one still makes funny noises at times and is very slow so I assume it may not be long for this world. I haven't even added the new hub yet, because it's a pain to pull the whole thing out to plug it in. Funny how quickly all those little plugs get filled up with a mouse, keyboard, printer, 2 hard drives, and thumb drive I have dedicated for ReadyBoost.

Jim

.

Thank you for the kind comments, gentlemen.

Tal Afar Dave, thanks for the tip re stretching, so the speed is the key.

Striker, I just love your signature  . I have flown a plane only once with an instructor...it didn't take full power to get to the terminal

castelnuovo

Well, lets call this one 99.9% done. The remaining 0.1% is the antenna which wasn't provided. Instead, the instructions advised to stretch your own sprue. So I am still trying to get that right.

Comments, jokes etc all welcome...

 

Nice paint and weathering, CN!  I don't do armor so I can't comment otherwise but the tank looks really good!

Russ