There is Always a Show Stopper...

Everything was going fine with build until that ever present show stopper. The intake trunks on this kit are well in engineered on the inside and they way the pieces go together. However, they don't fit into the fuselage well, especially up front where it matters. Anyone else that is building this have the same problem? I had to pull out the intakes a couple of times and finally decided not to put the pieces of the intake together. I then put them in individually. This seems to work well but as noted, would like to hear other ideas as I am sure there will be more Raptors that I build.

So, what is done...

Cockpit is done ( I leave my seats out until all the painting is done)
flaps together
Vertical stabs on
Bunch of little stuff

Basically I am waiting for this intake issue to be resolved and we can then put the halves together. From that, the big stuff is pretty much done. I think it is going to take some putty and effort though to get those intakes correct.

The Four Hour Update

First off, I don't like the camera I am using so please bear with the fuzzy pics. But, today is about building, not playing with the camera so here it is.




When I opened the post box last night and saw the size of the kit box I was astounded. Looking inside left me even more impressed. This kit is nice and with a bit of weathering and detailing can be made into a real nice kit.

But today we are just making the kit.

Worked on a few things this morning so here is the four hour update.

Have the IP completed. Cockpit tub is about completed.
Weapons bay and landing gear bays painted and in.
Intakes together and painted, will need to be smoothed out before going into the kit.
Small bits added from the inside (like air refueling doors).

Looks like I will close up the fuselage shortly after lunch.

Pictures loaded up.

The 1 Day 1/48 Academy Raptor Challenge

Yes, you saw it correct. I am going to try and build an Academy 1/48 Raptor in one day, minus a couple of things.

Here is the situation. I went to work yesterday and found out that I have maxed out on vacation time that I am allowed to bank up and anything further I would earn would simply be discarded. Sounds like throwing money away to me so I decided to take the day off today, February 17th, to get below that threshold. What to do with myself on an unscheduled day off I ask, build a model all day long.

So, I am going to get started in a few moments and start building. Here are the exceptions:

1. I don't plan on getting to the intricate paint pattern (paint takes more than a day to dry for masking) and thus the decals. I am hoping to get a base coat of paint on by the time the day is over though.

2. Because of the overall paint issue, weapons and landing gear and maybe the metal nozzles probably wont be on the plane but will be already to put on when the paint is done.

I plan to build this OOB with one exception, I have also the Wolfpack engine nozzles with Cross Delta metal plates.

Updates will be posted throughout the day with some pictures as well.

This should be fun, even if I don't make it to the end.

Here are photos of the beginning:

New Tip - Sharpie to the Rescue

There is a saying, use the right tool for the job. So many times when doing carpentry / building and working on the computers we try and go about it the easiest way, picking up whatever is close at hand, applying a bit of duct tape and making due. I learned along time ago things are usually easier when you spend the time or money and get the right tool.

This evening I stumbled across the right tool. This may not be new to some but it is to me. I was standing at the kitchen sink wet sanding the A-7 (because the basement is way too cold) and was looking for something that could help me identify if my sanding was taking care of the seams or not. I picked up a Sharpie and decided to draw a line down the seam with the intent of running a bit of sand paper across the top of it to identify where the bubbles and sinks were in the seams and putty. Low and behold I find that it is better than that. With the naked eye the sharpie made the spots stand out. Better yet, when I took a paper towel and wiped away the Sharpie, it made the spots even more clear because the parts below the surface that needed reworked were not wiped away and remained a deeper black. So, I took it a step deeper and found sanding the Sharpie off even revealed more.

Try it. The Sharpie will take the place of that first coat of primer it seems.

It Has Been A Long Time...

Yup, sure has. I started this thing last spring with the intent of keeping it up to date and here we are in January, seven months from the last post. Lets hope I can do better with the coming posts. Earlier today over on ARC someone had a post asking for blog addresses and I thought it was time to get this thing rolling again.

I stopped posting because of work that needed to get done with my job. You have to prioritize and this and modeling fell by the wayside. Over the Christmas break (I am so blessed - I work for a College and get two weeks off at Christmas) I picked up modeling again and low and behold, it is fun and relaxing.

So, to kick it off, I am working on two models, the Hasegawa FA-18E and Fujimi A-7E, both 1/72. The pictures to the left are of the FA-18E. Later I will do the same for the A-7E, which is actually my focus at the moment.




The A-7 is one I have been wanting to build for about six years. We live in a little town in central Illinois and this town of 15,000 has a small agricultural airport and an aviation museum. The museum has a Gulf War veteran A-7E so this is the aircraft I am building.



The second kit, the one of the FA-18E is just for fun and to experience an aftermarket set I have had for more than a year, the Wolfpack FA-18E/F Wingfold set. What a nice set. In 1/72 it is delicate and that is the real reason I switched over to the A-7. Being out of modeling for a few months I thought I would do a quick build to get back in the game. So, here are some pics. I would post some of my thoughts about the kits and AM parts later.