Looking good GH. That model is a beast at 1/32 so hope you have the display space. The previous builds I have seen show some really amazing detailing by Tamiya so this one will be a real looker.

Thanks PJ, yeah, a little big.  Right at 24 inches long with a 15 - 16 inch wingspan.  I am going to but it on a base with a plexi cover.  Hoping the local Vererans home here in town will take her, thay have showm great interest in having some of the builds for permanent display as I get them done.

GH, that's a great way to display your model. Give it to the vets and let them enjoy and tell old tales while admiring your work. Awesome!!

BK

BrandonK

GH, that's a great way to display your model. Give it to the vets and let them enjoy and tell old tales while admiring your work. Awesome!!

BK

 

Thanks guys, planning on the same with the Gato/Wahoo in the sub GB.

As an aside I cleaned out the paperback books and took a big box down there....staff was estatic to get them, and there was several Cussler, L'amour, Clancy, etc. in there.

GH: She's coming along extremely well. And kudos on donating to the vets! 

GH,

She's looking real good!

Hello all, thought I'd drop in with a quick update on the progress of the U-2S. Sorry, I dont have any pictures at this moment in time to add. I've been fairly busy since the end of June. My nieces were in town for a month from Austrailia so we stayed extremely busy with traveling and vacations.

As for the aircraft, its going to be huge. I've done some rescribing work and there is a lot of filling and sanding to be completed. The molds for this kit are definitely not good. There is a lot of flash, poor fitting seams, and the detail has left a lot to be desired. Academy tried to do a good thing by adding the PE fret to dress up the cockpit area, most likely to draw your eyes away from all of the other terrible parts. I'm going to plug along with this one and see it to the end. It will most likely be a display best viewed from a distance to say the least.

Thanks guys.  Since I am one as well, no kudos needed or looked for.  Anything I can do to honor or help in anyway is just done by my nature toward them. 

Misssed one of my buds that had moved about 50 miles away when he didn't make it to the Vets advocacy picnic on Sat.  Had a couple of things for him, so called him and found out he was in the home here recovering from shoulder surgury.  Is already pretty much locked into a chair as an amputee with hip, back, and neck issues due to a nasty jump accident years ago, grabbing another man whose chute fouled.  Former SF.  Spent about 3 hours with him until the staff kicked me out.  He sure was glad to see me, and I him.  I don't know who came out of last night better, or maybe at least even.

OK, gentleman, a quick update on the Predator. The decals are on with a little help from Micro Sol. I did a little touch-up painting. I also did a very slight panel wash just to make it look a little used. Here are the pictures:

In my haste, I forgot to weight the front end. So I plan to drill the front tire and put a little hook on the base. Hopefully this will keep the front end down. I did not like the kit supplied AGM-114 Hellfire missles so a I bought AM Hellfires. More on that in the next update. 

Thanks for looking!

Bruce

The decals on the Predator look great. it's shaping up very nice.

A short update on my Phantoms...........

I will close up both pits cause I'm trying to keep the build as simple as possible and don't feel like scratching out the rail details and locking lugs so closed up it will be. To help improve the clarity quality I used a Q Tip dipped in Simoniz haze remover polish and applied it to both the inside and outside of the clear parts to really polish them up. I then dipped them in Future and carefully wicked all the excess and set them aside to cure. The clarity is incredible and will make it easier to view the interior details.

I sanded smooth any area that needed it and used PPP on the side intake parts that had some nasty uneven joins. The areas were sanded and polished out. The rear pit bulkhead on both Phantoms also needed PPP to even out things.

Both Phantoms are almost ready for a prelimiary primer coat to see how things sanded/polished out.

more to come........... 

Bruce the Preditor looks simply awesome. The decals really make it come to life.

PJ, those Phantoms are shaping up nicely. And yes, those canopies look really really good. I'll have to try the simonize on the next one.

BK

Bruce: Those marking look sharp! 

PJ: Phantastic work on the Phantom so far! 

PJ, BrandonK, Cliff,

Thanks you for the compliments! I hope to have the Predator completed soon!

PJ,

I like what you have done with the canopies! They look great! And I did not realize F-4's had the gold tint on the front canopy. I'll have to remember that.

Bruce

My windscreens are clear, it may be the lighting or angle that you see it in another color. The center section sometimes looks greenish not because they were tinted but due to the thickness of the laminated glass, while the rest of the clear parts were thinner. Depending on the lighting and angle viewed, they looked greenish or bluish. 

I like the look of that Bruce, nice work.

plasticjunkie

Bruce

My windscreens are clear, it may be the lighting or angle that you see it in another color. The center section sometimes looks greenish not because they were tinted but due to the thickness of the laminated glass, while the rest of the clear parts were thinner. Depending on the lighting and angle viewed, they looked greenish or bluish. 

 

Thanks for the response, PJ, it must be a reflection off the surface. I apologize for the mistake.

Bish

I like the look of that Bruce, nice work.

 

Thanks, Bish!

I shot the first coat of flat last night. And started on the AM Hellfires I'll post some pictures after work today. I'll be making a base this weekend, and might even have it finished. We'll see!

TJ, no problem, you in like Flynn.

BK

I have been very slack wrt modling lately because of cold weather and work deadlines.

I had a little time so I did some work on the 53.

The effect looks quite rough now, but the cabin will be like a dark cave so I am not to worried about it.

I still have allot of stuff to build for the cabin, the roof section is going to be vert tricky as I can nly do it once the fuse is joined and access will be limited...

Theuns

Theuns, that is looking very nice. I'm sure the kit designers never had any idea where skilled modelers like you would take their kit.

BK

Wow Theuns, that's some nice work on the ribbing there. Gee, if that's slacking you must be a fireball when you're active! 

Thanx.

Theuns

The added ribbing makes one heck of a difference as you look in there even after closed up so great idea Theuns.

Some progress done on the Phantoms. These are the markings they will wear. First is VF-84. This IMO is one of the coolest looking Navy schemes on the F-4. Fear the bones..

And the second will wear VMFA 235 "Death Angels"...

Got the black basing and marbling done and firstcolor on...

The USMC Phantom received all its colors...

Bottom view...

Same for JR...

and belly view...

Still need to shoot the NMF on the stab leading edge on both and minor touch ups. The NMF rear lower fuselage was done in Alclad and will take some other shades to simulate the heat stains. More to come........

Oh wow PJ, you're about two-thirds done already! 

And love that star-spangled radome on the VMFA-235 bird.

Gamera

The radome art is what cought my eyes. Even though I'm fairly ahead things slow down now cause I like to let the paint sit for a couple of days before hand brushing several coats of Future and again I let them sit for several days before the decaling starts. 

Tj

Thanks. I like the black basing/marbeling technique over the panel line pre shading method much better as it produces subtle unaven shades consistent with fading, weathering, etc. Lots of weathering to come specially on the VF-84 Phantom.

PJ, those F4's are coming along real nice. I agree about the Jolly Rogers being so cool and the Death Angles one is very cool too. Love what you've done so far.

BK

@Theuns,

That interior looks fantastic! I really like the contrast of the bulkheads. Great job!

@PJ,

Both Phantoms are coming along beautifully! I will concur with others, the Jolly Rogers skull and crossbones are some of the best schemes on a phantom. And I really like Marine Phantoms, glad you decided to make one a jarhead bird!