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Hi Len, Those are googley eyes from a craft store. Carefully removed the back with a new #11 blade to take out the "eye". Thanks!

Hello, Regardless of subject or type of paint, airbrushing is such an enjoyable experience for me! It is my therapy. Love it! Will let it dry for a few days before inspecting and deciding if more is still needed. I hope this is the last coat of paint. Thanks,

Hello, Stop me before I hurt myself! One of the smallest part I've ever scratchbuilt! These are the pedals that control the tail rotor. It is 2.2mm wide. Now I need to do the other side. Thanks,

Hello, Just keep swimming... Thanks,

Hello, And we have COLOR! First coat of color. However, this paint will take a long time to dry. I airbrushed it over 4 hours ago and it is still very tacky, almost wet. But it looks good so far. Almost complete coverage but it still needs more paint. This pic reminds me of a bass Thanks,

Hello, I've said it multiple times but I'm going to say it again: I've never claimed to be normal! Quick mockup. If I wake up at night and see it in the table I may squash it thinking is a bug. Thanks,

WOW! That is really outstanding! What size/scale is that? *EDIT* DUH! I see it says 1:10 Sorry

Hello, You didn't think for a moment that I was going to trust my tail rotor to some wimpy unbalanced plastic shaft, did you? Brass shaft. Added a sleeve inside the housing so the shaft can be installed AFTER both housing parts are glued together. Thanks,

Beautiful!

Cool! I'd like to get one but they are going for quite stiff prices these days.

Hello, I machined the stationary swashplate and added the control rods and brass driveshaft. Can you tell the difference over the kit's part? That plate is 5.5mm or 7/32" Thanks,

Hello, I've had this model in my stash for more than 25 years. SA318 Alouette II in 1/100 scale. I've never seen a built one. I think I know why. It is pretty crude, instructions are a joke and it is SMALL! Since I'm a masochist, here we go. This is a couple of hours of work so far... If this was an important subject, it would be a good candidate for a complete scratchbuilt. Thanks,

Hello, Doing one can be a challenge. Doing 2 identical ones a bit more. Finally finished the rotor hub. I really, REALLY like it. Thanks,

Not really. That was the first thing that popped into my head. But it would make a good movie quote I know what you mean. While not quite the same, I run the BB/pellets shooting range at the Boy Scout camp.

OK, listen to me: On the third picture, you NEVER NEVER EVER stand in front of a loaded M16, M60 or even a pea shooter! you understand me? Translation: Awesome job!

Nice! Love them all but that F-80 Shooting Star is really nice! I used to do aircraft as well but a mix of scales. From 1/32 to 1/48 to 1/72 to 1/100 to 1/144 to oddball scales. Currently working on my first aircraft model (helicopter) in over a decade. Thanks,

Thank you Spike! The model is a "curbside" and only has the exhaust. These helicopters used the 9 cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone radial engine putting out 1525 HP. I believe this was the last piston engined chopper to be in military service. Thanks,

Hello, What part of "A simple build" I didn't understand? Round is supposed to be round. Injection molding is not. Brass rod IS. The rotor is a helicopter's signature. Adding blade pitch links made of wire. At the end, the rotor itself will be a 16 piece sub-assembly! Of course it needs additional painting. This is tiny even for a "bigger" scale like 1/48 Added material to the sides to force the fuselage out a few mm or so Added bracing to the top cowls to help panel alignment The metal tape will help conceal the huge gap. Will eventually add rivet details to disguise it. and added material to the rotor base for a tighter fit. Seems to be moving along! Thanks,

Hello, I'm liking where this is going... Thanks,

Thanks! Mike, that looks good! OK, I may be on to something here: Paint sourcing is a pain for me. Nothing available locally. Last hobby shop closed over a decade ago. I have to buy everything by mail. Paint is particularly tricky to air mail. Not to mention expensive. So I can end up paying about $10 and wait a month for a little bottle of paint to arrive. For this project it occurred to me: What about the paint dept. at Home Depot? Long story short, I spent about an hour with the paint guy and he was very enthusiastic and curious about this. We went thru the color samples and compared to online pictures. Yes, we were aware of screen differences. We decided that LANCO 4K3-8 SPLIT PEA green was the closest to the olive drab I was looking for. So he prepared me a quart of rust fighting enamel (cheapest alternative to Rust-oleum) so it can be thinned and airbrushed. The quart was $8 This will be enough for a whole army of probably hundreds of models as I'll be using maybe an ounce or so. Before you ask, I'd love to mail some to you but the post office will not let me. But feel free to drop by and take some! So I did this little test. It airbrushed beautifully and since it is somewhat glossy, decals should work well and dullcoat on top would take it to the finish line. Here I did another experiment: This damaged car body was sprayed with aluminum paint from a spray can and then airbrushed the green on top. Yep! I think I'm on to something here... and the model will not rust Thanks,

Hello,the In my latest biz trip I found a nice hobby shop in El Paso Texas of all places and this followed me home. Revell UH-34D helicopter in 1/48. This model dates back from the '60s and it is a bit crude by today's standards but it is going to be a fun build. I will build it as the Liberty Bell 7 recovery helicopter piloted by Jim Lewis. The famous spacecraft that sank in the Atlantic in July 1961 after taking the second american and third person in history (Gus Grissom) to space. The hatch exploded prematurely and the capsule filled with sea water. The helicopter lost the battle trying to recover it. Grissom was rescued by another helicopter. After careful consideration, I'd attempt to build the interior after the fuselage is glued so seams can be addressed. Started working the seams. Still not done but progressing. After the seams are worked I'll start working the extremely shallow panel lines. Thanks,

Hello, The Revell's C6R is 1/25 and the GT2 body is 1/24. I did not like how the roll cage looked at the front. It was too far from the A pillars. So after careful examination it was modified to widen the bottom so it will be closer to the A pillar. Made strategic cuts so the tubing would "bend" where I wanted. Bracing was replaced. The dash will be modified accordingly. Thanks,

Hello, After a lot of relentless butchering, I was able to get the Revell C6R Interior tub to play nice with the C6R GT2 chassis. The roll bar is not fixed yet. this is only a mockup. Also notice the molded window net disappeared. It was the wrong size, wrong shape, wrong thickness etc. It just did not work. The correct one is planned. Thanks,

Hello, Destruction in the name of construction! Rusty Trusty was let loose! Testing... Thanks,

Looking good! That's a great model. I converted mine to a 2002 model year. Thanks,