Hey guys just want to drop in here. I am on vacation/holiday and I've got pretty horrible wi-fi in the motel so I'm not sure I'll be around much till next week.

Almost Finished!

Got all decals on.  Also did the weathering, using thinned oils and pastel chalk powders...my own...not someone else's.  Basically, artist pastels, rubbed with the back of a number eleven x-acto blade...it's that easy.

Anyway, I need to attach the ariel wire, and a few paint chips, and I'll list it as "Fini"

Here are some of the pictures:

Hope y'all enjoy the pics!  Great model, and I look forward to the next one!!

Regards

Freddie from LI

Great looking build Freddie , That's my weathering technique as well LOL.

Very nice! 

Great work there Freddie, looking forward to seeing it with the finishing touches and how you go with the other planes.

The ship is coming along slowly, other priorities as always. Did have a win when trying to get decals for the door. I tried black and grey rectangles, but it never really looked right.

The solution I ended up with was to get some dark grey stars and bars from an F-18E and slice into them so I got four open rectangles from each one. I was happy with the result.

Portholes weren't so good - I drew black dots on clear decal film, and tried sticking them on. I have fond the clear film(two different types) very fragile and much better at sticking to my fingers than anything else...

Hey Freddie sorry I missed your post before, love how she's coming!

LA: Really nice work there!

Guys, looking forward to getting back home tomorrow and some real internet access so I can look at your photos without waiting ten mins for this thing to load them.

Hey Gam,

Since I really haven’t started rolling on the Takao yet and she is likely to take a few months I wanted to see if I could throw in a 1/72 Airfix Kate from the "CarDiv5 Shokaku" tribe.
It is on order and should be here within the next week or two.

Hey Steve, sure! I'll put you down now. Sorry would have got to you earlier but I spent four hours on the road yesterday and then wanted to take care of some stuff at home and didn't get online at all.

And BTW Happy Easter everyone!

No worries Gam, I know what it's like to have limited internet.

I received the Kate today!! Yea!! It looks like the new Airfix molds with the same plastic and fairly deep panel lines but looks very detailed and I am stoked to start on her.

Looks cool Steve. I'm not familar with much in the way of 1/72nd kits but it looks pretty good for an older kit. 

It's a 2015 release. 

Ah thanks! For some reason I was thinking it was an older kit. I've heard a lot of good news about Airfix's newer kits.

Steve, hope it's good because I have three of their new boxings (but all english old chap)

So here is the progress photo for the Hikawa Maru; all the big (!) bits are together, all the pe railings, lifeboats, ventilators, masts and derricks still to be painted and added.

So while I have you here Steve, what is the usual way to run this - PE railings before or after adding the detail bits, or do everything all at once starting from the top/inside working down and out?

Hey LA that's some sharp work! 

I have to try a ship someday... 

Just a quick update on the A6M5, started adding some color and some chipping and scratches for visual interest.

Yeah. that's some sharp work! I always tend to overdo it, yours looks like it should.

LOL, I don't think you could overdo late war Japanese aircraft chipping. Early war is a diffrent matter.

modelcrazy

LOL, I don't think you could overdo late war Japanese aircraft chipping. Early war is a diffrent matter.

 

Lol, I mispoke there, I meant I tend to get unrealisticaly big chunks of paint flaking up. 

My mistake! 

BTW Gam, do you play World of Warships as Gamera57?

Nope not me, thought about it but that's someone else. 

I did play World of Tanks for a little while as Gamera977 but got bored and frustrated with it and quit about four or so years ago. 

LOL, when I got blown away last night I looked at the name and wanted to tell you who you sunk. I have a lot of frustration with WOT as well, but WOWs is slower.

modelcrazy

LOL, when I got blown away last night I looked at the name and wanted to tell you who you sunk. I have a lot of frustration with WOT as well, but WOWs is slower.

 

LOL! Don't blame me, I wasn't there, didn't know anything about it, no one can prove a thing! 

I have thought about trying WoW, I've heard that it's not as overrun by idiot players as WOT. I wasn't that a great player but I didn't shoot my own team-mates or sit at the base the whole match and do nothing.  Thing is I've got too many distractions as it is without getting into another game. I have about a dozen models I really need to buckle down on and actually finish. 

Jelliot, the chipping looks great on the Zero

So in a first for me I have put on PE railings. This involved fragile brass going everywhere, tongue stuck out at all angles, cursing super glue, bits of tape all over the place and here is the result:

So that's the first one done, I will report back in August with it complete...

Lol LA, I know what you mean. I've joked about the fact that when I pass a certain point I end up knocking off three or more PE parts whenever I attach one.

Still looks great!

I'm wondering how she'd look beside a Godzilla or Gamera figure...

I excitedly started the Airfix Kate. The plastic is the typical Airfix plastic, kinda soft but easy to work with. The wing ribs that are installed at the wing folds are too thick but I really don't believe that will matter once everything is complete. The cockpit is molded into the wing and fuse sides and is assembled on the wing.

I can't believe I have never built one of my favorite planes before.

Will have more later.

She's looking good Steve. 

Funny, I have Hasegawa's 1/48th kit in my stash but I've never built one either. I always dig out another fighter when I build aircraft, I really need to finish some bombers to complement them. 

Model three of three for the GB is complete...   I really enjoyed building this Tamiya 1/72 A6M5 kit, and in my humble opinion has to be one of the finest kits I've ever built. With one tiny exception, the fit and finish was simply outstanding. This Zero is modeled as it appeared at Wright Field in October 1945 having made the rounds as a test and evaluation aircraft. This A6M5 Zero currently resides at the Smithsonian, albeit in its original colors.  Enjoy and looking forward to next years GB!

Steve: Really nice work there. Love how detailed the cockpit is, I would have thought it a 1/48th kit if you hadn't said it were 1/72nd.

WrinkledM: Ohhhh, that's sharp! Love the NM finish! Unfortunatly I cannot get PhotoBucket to work tonight, I'll try to get you photo posted ASAP. That's assuming you want to use this one?

If I didn't already have so many photos on PH I'd drop it, I swear everytime I use it I feel like I've been kicked in the head....

Edit: Ok I got your photo posted, let me know if you want to change it.