Entry Dated September 7, 2007 - Hmmm...when the *&#% am I going to finish a build????

In between packing, work, photography and other miscellaneous crap, I do have some time on my hands. What I find that I use in this type of time (given constricted space in which to have any sort of scale-model building setup) is that this is a great time to actually research a few of the builds that I’ve been seriously looking at. Namely, the Monogram MiG 29 (the MiG 29 is straight out of the box, so I won’t need much research other than to pull out the paint-, Spitfire and the F-14A Tomcat (Black Aces retro) that have been languishing in my stash. I think my next bit of effort come some free time is to actually hit MS Explorer and search “Sukhoi Killers F-14” or “Black Aces 1981” and see if I can come up with some research information. There are also books on model-building technique that I could purchase, but that requires money and given moving considerations, that’s gonna have to be for later.

So what next after my Revell binge of building a Black Aces F-14A or Douglas Bader’s Spitfire Mk. II? My thoughts have actually turned towards building a couple of WWII aircraft for practice modeling. One of them is actually a P47 Jug and the other is a P-38 Lightning as well as a P-51 Mustang. By then, I should be sufficiently secure in my airbrushing and paint-stripping techniques to be able to tackle the Monogram F-117A Nighthawk. After about 6 or 7 model kits, that’s when I’m going to have to seriously look into getting myself a display shelf (glass-enclosed) or that’s when disaster is going to seriously strike. I have two kittens (11 months old) that are prone to getting into things when I don’t want them to. And the last thing I’d want is to have one of my finished models take a nose-dive from whatever shelf I put it on.



I have several Two-Bobs Aggressor decals, and thus need a bunch of F/A-18A Hornet kits, as well as a few F-5E and F-5F kits. What I would like to see Revell do is bring out some of the older F/A-18A and F-5E/F-5F kits in re-release so that those who want to do those kits can stock up on them. Goodness knows, I’d be spending a good $300.00 on F-5E/F and F-18A kits. And not to mention, but there’s a bunch of F-16 Aggressor decals as well. F-16A/B NSAWC, Old School and Red Flag F-16Cs.

I’ve been also looking at the Trumpeter F9F-2 Panther, but as far as I’m concerned, I have no interest in the Panther other than for some kit-building experience as the Black Aces (the history project that I’ve considered doing) have only flown the Demon, and the Banshee, the F-4H1 Phantom, F-4J, F-4B and the F-4N Phantom IIs as well as the F-4U4 Corsair.



In terms of equipment, I don’t need much else to purchase. I have to get myself a double cartridge respirator mask, a set of safety goggles, the Dremel and a few other tools, a moisture trap and then I’m pretty much set. All I need is to get a little help from Noel in setting up the airbrush. As they say, it’s all a matter of safety. And you don’t want to mess with resin dust (the word on the street is that it’s carcinogenic). That and I pretty much have to lock myself out on the porch while spray-painting and sanding resin parts since I have a kitty-cat who just loves to sit on my lap and purr. It doesn’t matter whether I’m post-processing shots I’ve done (photography) on my computer or I’m working on my model kits, my lap is fair game. Needless to say, my finished models are probably going to be “fair-game” too. Gotta ask ARC members how they keep their furry little companions from inevitably doing something like say, perhaps, an errant tail-flip into latest model-build that sends said model-build for it’s inaugural and only flight in a parabolic curve into either cement, rug or tile floor and having said human chase said furry companion all over the house threatening dire things upon their furry little hide.

Another set of models that I’m thinking of adding to are the MiGs from Italeri. I’ve been looking seriously at the Italeri MiG 23 and 27 and getting those to add to the two Esci MiG 23s and the sole Hobbycraft MiG 27 I have. I have also thought of the Academy F-111A if I can find a BOLD TIGERS set of decals. When I have the chance, I’m going to seriously take a look at that Revell F/A-18F and the Hasegawa F/A-18E Super Hornets. I’ll use the Revell F/A-18F to do another Black Aces Hornet, using the Two-Bobs Decals…(Fast Eagle 102?). Because, understandably, the Revell kit decals will probably be only Fast Eagle 100 or 101. Then maybe a 1/48 Gripen, Draken and Viggen…how Swede it is. Yes, I know…a really bad pun. I can drive myself over the mental sanity precipice by working on that green checkered camo that the Swedes used on their Viggens during the early stages. Oh, yeah, I’m already there anyways. Oh well…it was a thought. At least it isn’t as bad as trying to do the F/A-18 Hornet with the Digicamo that one of the ARC’rs attempted and succeeded. I’m waiting for a great 1/48 F-22A kit to come out from Revell. And the Eurofighter and the French answer to the 4th Gen fighters. And of course, there’s always the 1/48 early MiG jets (MiG 15, 17, 19, and 21 variants) once I master the art of Bare Metal Foil.

Once I’ve mastered styrene, I can move then from styrene injection molded to vac-form then to resin kits. You could end up spending a lifetime learning the different techniques. Oh hell, I’d just like to build a decent kit for once.

There are quite a number of kits I’d like to accumulate, however there’s a limitation on what I can do in a lifetime. So unless they discover the solution to immortality, then I won’t have the opportunity to complete every jet kit known to man. Oh well…