Monogram Mafia III

You and me both... I have only a few weeks myself...

Hey Devil Dawg, I don't remember that Hun being so difficult; what gives?? Is that one of the recent re-pops?  I've got a couple that I scavenged off of eBay, but I think they are pretty vintage.  Looks like you are working through the tough spots.

Stick- you gotta love that Typhoon!  One of my all time favorites.  That was the first kit that I got the invasion stripes on and they actually looked good!  Coming along nicely; like your modifications!!

Keep up the great work, gentlemen!

TAD

ajd3530, my mouth is watering.... :-)  Love this kit.  Almost certain my 2nd build is going to be a Monogram Jug. Keep the updates coming bro!

Stik, I love your Tiffy!  You're putting more effort into detailing yours than I did.

I've been inactive for a while.  We had a loss in my family at the beginning of December, so I haven't really spent any time at the bench since then.

My Typhoon is assembled and awaiting painting.  The Helldiver is still in parts.

I should be able to resume work this week and get some photos up.

MV, ya can't go wrong with a Bugs Bunny motivational cheer! Thanks for that!

AJD, I liked that Hi Tech Bubbletop Jug kit! Not that they give you much PE to dress her up. But I understand the time saving reasons to pass on it...

cb, nah, the kit guns do not make me ill at all. But that is some truly beautiful work that you did to replace them! Simply outstanding!

Baron, I just can't leave well enough alone. But I am trying not to get carried away here, mainly due to time constraints. And, I have been nickle and diming progress on my Tiffy when and where I can before work over the past few days. I even have been taking progress photos... But not enough time to get them uploaded and posted right now...

cbaltrin

Question. Do these "guns" make you want to vomit? It's supposed to be a fighter plane! If I leave these like this I might as well not even fill an sand any seams on the entire airplane...and brush paint the whole thing while I'm at it...and why not attach the windscreen with Testores tube cement...and leave the framing unpainted... :-)

Ahh... A few hours later (after some work with files, filler and tubing...).

Quite simply outstanding work.

stikpusher

cb, nah, the kit guns do not make me ill at all. But that is some truly beautiful work that you did to replace them! Simply outstanding!

Thank you "Reasoned"!

Heya ajd3530, have you decided on markings yet?  I think I'm going to do something with checkers or diamonds on the nose...

Tal Afar Dave

Hey Devil Dawg, I don't remember that Hun being so difficult; what gives?? Is that one of the recent re-pops?  I've got a couple that I scavenged off of eBay, but I think they are pretty vintage.  Looks like you are working through the tough spots.

TAD

You know, Dave, I don't ever remember having this issue with past builds of this kit, either (I've built two). I bought it at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. The box and instruction sheet both say "Made In The USA" (thanks goodness!!), and have a copyright date of 2001. The box even shows that Benny & Smith own Revell-Monogram (the company that makes Crayons). The two that I previously built were built before 2001, so maybe the new molds aren't up to the same standards, assuming that new molds are in use. I've already closed up the wings and fuselage, so I don;t remember if there was a date imprinted on the insides of those parts. Regardless, it hasn't been the relatively easy kit build that I remember from the past. Oh, well. It's still gonna get built.............

cbaltrin

stikpusher

cb, nah, the kit guns do not make me ill at all. But that is some truly beautiful work that you did to replace them! Simply outstanding!

Stik, I think you've been in 'the business' too long. When I open that box top and see those half hearted blobs of plastic that are supposed to represent the business end of this fighter plane, It feels a bit like waking up in the morning, throwing the sheets off and finding a horses head in bed with me.... :-)

Ok, Ok Don Stick. But In all seriousness, for this modeler who absolutely loves Monogram kits, the best way to show them respect is to make them the best they can be and show that they still can hold their own against today's uber kits!

cbaltrin

Ok, Ok Don Stick. But In all seriousness, for this modeler who absolutely loves Monogram kits, the best way to show them respect is to make them the best they can be and show that they still can hold their own against today's uber kits!

cbaltrin

Ok, Ok Don Stick. But In all seriousness, for this modeler who absolutely loves Monogram kits, the best way to show them respect is to make them the best they can be and show that they still can hold their own against today's uber kits!

I second that enthusiastically. Well said!

Ok, a weeks worth of nickle and dime progress, with a bit more solid work done today...

I started simple with basic airbrushing of black where needed... and learning how to do tighter fine lines with the DA airbrush

then detail painting...

then I added some Pro Modeler wash

and some Monogram ProModeler decals on the IP

PM wash cleaned up with a damp cloth...

and finally dry brushed highlights then sealed with a flat coat... I also added some exterior colors into the oil cooler opening inner surfaces.. and a touch up of Flat Black on the pilot's armor plate

More tomorrow...

Looks fantastic Stik!  I finally finished masking and painting my F-80.  I just have a few touch-ups to do and the major parts of the painting will be done.  I haven't built many NMF planes, and I tried spraying Testor's silver over gloss black.  I think the paint is a little too thick, but it polished up nice using an old t-shirt.  Next time, I think I'll just use the silver.  Now onto the wheel wells and then decals.

Your F-80 is coming along real nice there SB! NMF birds are a matter of trial and error until you find a method that you really like and run with it. Thank you for the kind words on my Tiffy. I just need to do a few more things and then I can get all that stuff installed and close up the fuselage.

Thanks Stik, I've looked at so many different ways to do it and I think you're right about finding what works best for me

ajd3530

Starting to look like an airplane. Now, there is no need to adjust your TV sets, the wings ARE OD. Turns out, the fit of the kit wings left alot to be desired.

stikpusher

cbaltrin

stikpusher

cb, nah, the kit guns do not make me ill at all. But that is some truly beautiful work that you did to replace them! Simply outstanding!

Stik, I think you've been in 'the business' too long. When I open that box top and see those half hearted blobs of plastic that are supposed to represent the business end of this fighter plane, It feels a bit like waking up in the morning, throwing the sheets off and finding a horses head in bed with me.... :-)

Nah, I look at it in the context of time. let's face it, many of these kits are several decades old. The P-51D kit dates back to the mid to late 70s or so, so nearly 35-40 years old. What was cutting edge mold technology then (which it was) is not today. That is depending upon the age of the kit itself. Obviously the older boxings such as a original white box like I saw at a kit swap meet last weekend will have more crisp moldings, than a current re issue. And simple techniques such as some swipes with needle files to clean up the seams and hollowing out the bores with a pin vise will improve the "blobs" as you call them. Let's face it, Ann Margaret is still a beautiful woman, but comparing her looks today to those of, oh lets say 1975, will let you know that time marches on. I says again, very nice work, but remember the reason for this family in the first place... it's an appreciation and respect for bloodline... ;-)

Never, ever in my modeling avocation did I think that I would see/read Ann Margaret used as a comparison item for an analogy on plastic modeling. Good use of mental visuals, Stik!!

I try Dawg 

And now for today's progress report... last night before bed I added drops of Testors Clear Parts cement over the instruments to represent their lenses

Then today in the afternoon I added some Eduard pre painted PE seat belts to the seat. What you see here is about two hours worth of work... with a few curse words and hand cramps thrown in... note to self, do not do tiny precision work after a long hard bike ride, the body needs more time to recover...

Now as you can see from this photo, there was some light framework around the dust filter...

so I spent the later afternoon with wire and superglue making up that stuff for mine

I think that it looks the part....

and as my last bit of progress for today I glued the IP in place

and oil cooler assembly

more to come tomorrow...

Impressive, Stik, impressive. You ever notice that the planes that excelled at ground attack were always the best-lookin' aircraft (my opinion, of course): Typhoon, Corsair, Thunderbolt, Wart Hog, etc?

Simply awesome Stik

DD, ground attack birds usually have a purposeful menacing look to them, while the air superiority types often have more sleek menacing look of their own. At least to my eye- apples vs oranges...

SB, thank you.

Today's update...
first thing at the bench today, I added the seat...

then it was time to glue the fuselage halves together

after that I glued the cockpit bottom portion in place. I Had to do a bit of adjusting due to the PE additions I made to the IP and rudder pedals, etc.

and looking down thru the top with the wing in place...

after I sanded the fuselage seam and scribed in some lines to replace lost ones, I glued the wings on

then a couple views of the back side of the oil cooler that I scratched up... much better than the open space that was there

and finally a test fitting of the stabilizers- once I filed away the mold seam lines where they mate up with the fuselage they fit nice and tight!

I have reached my stopping point for today while the glue dries. After I get the lower wing/fuselage seam sanded I can get the stabilizers glued on and then it will be just about ready for paint!