David G.

Thank you Carl! David G.

Hmmm, you maybe correct Peter. I'm not sure I agree with you on all the weight being evenly distributed among the three wheels though. I know that most road vehicles have an unequal weight distribution between the front and rear axles. Old American front-engine cars carry about 2/3 of their weight on the front axles. For my old VW Bug, the weight distribution was the opposite. I've also driven trucks across scales and when their carrying cargo, most of that weight is over the rear axles under the cargo box. That's why there are more wheels and tires back there. Unequal weight distribution between the front and rear of vehicles is also the main factor behind tongue weight when towing a trailer. A tremendously important factor to consider when setting up a rig. Even the human body has an unequal weight distribution between the left and right legs. It's not much but it's there. But now I'm curious. I do have a kitchen scale that I think I can use to set up a semi-scientific test. I'll ty to find some time to do that today and I'll record and report the test and results. Cool! Thanks for the suggestion Peter.

Thank you Juergen. I had considered using magnetism but I ended up putting lead shot into the front wheel instead. It brought the weight of the wheel up to one whole gram! This is something I'm also considering. Thanks for the tip Gerald, I'll certainly explore this option as I get closer to finishing the build. Me too. Thanks again for all the tips and pointers and thanks for taking the time to share them with me. David G.

Thank you Brian. That's a great idea, I'll have to check into that. Maybe a piece of 16 ga copper primary. Another great idea, thanks Jim. David G.

A beautifully detailed and weathered diorama! David G.

Excellent construction and detail, a beautiful build! David G.

Nicely done! David G.

Impressive work so far Len! David G.

I think the ride height looks fine, not too far from factory stock. The color is great too, Tamiya Gunmetal is one of my favorites. I used it on my '59 Chrysler Imperial. Nice work. David G.

What a cool build Bob! Nice work knocking the chassis into place. David G.

This looks like a fun and interesting build, David. I'm going to enjoy watching you work your magic with it. David G.

That's just cool. David G.

Nice work on the changeover! It will look great once you finish working it in and get some paint on it. David G.

Hello Everybody! It's starting to look like this "simple" kit will remain so. Relatively so at least Aoshima provided some tubing to use for the battery cables and the PCV return for the air cleaner. I replaced the tubing for the battery cables with some wire. Installing the PCV return tubing is going to require a little more work. There two problems: First, the air cleaner sits too low in the engine compartment. Second, there is not enough room between the air cleaner and the valve cover for the tube to bend without kinking. I heated and bent a piece of styrene rod to replace the fitting that the hose attaches to. That way the bend is made by the fitting and not the tube. I was able to find a junk wheel part from the parts box that gave the air cleaner just about the right lift. I also drilled out and replaced the fitting with the bent styrene rod. All it needs now is a little paint! Well, after all that work the tube still has a little bit of a kink to it. I could replace it with some wire but I think I can live with this. The tube does look better than it did when I started. Besides, this "engine" makes this kit only about a step-and-a-half away from being a curbside. That's all for this round. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post any comments or questions you may have. Thanks, David G.

The paint, I'm not sure of. I needed some gold and it's what was available at my local hobby shop, and a good gold it is too. It seems to be some kind of enamel hybrid. Thank you for the compliment David. I am trying to make this one worth my while and so far, I'm happy with the results. Thank you Andy. I was a bit taken aback by the amount and level of work needed to bring this kit up to what I consider an acceptable state. So much so that it sat in my stash for several years before I screwed up the courage to have a go at it. In many ways, it's more like a DIY toy kit than a model. Rather like a disassembled promo, very much a product of its time. David G.

Thank you so much Steve. I got lucky that day, my hands were unsarcastically steady. Thank you Bob. I do wish that they would update some of these early kits. I do get tired of correcting their shortcomings. Thanks Bil, I'm especially pleased with how well that turned out. David G.

Thank you most kindly. Though it will be the focal point of a diorama, I hadn't considered attaching it to the base. It's going to be displayed in a curio cabinet and I want to be able to dismantle and remove the diorama. Also I plan to add more to the diorama as I'm able, I already have a Tamiya 1:48 fuel truck to build and add later. Thank you for your comment and the link Joe. I did think about changing the nose gear to support the added weight but that's more effort and expense than I'm willing to go through for this kit. I only paid $12 for the kit on clearance at Michael's. It's hard for me to believe that this kit is still listed as high as $40 full retail! ? The web site does seem like a good resource, I'll certainly keep it in my queue. That, and even with all the weight I could add, the plane still barely balanced. I could have put the larger nosecone on but I didn't like the way it looked on this version of the plane and I want to display the radar unit anyway. It's a nice added detail and goes well with airfield repair theme of the open cowling and exposed weapons. It's like I said, every scale model is a compromise with reality. The plastic rod is a compromise I'm willing to make for the image I have in mind for this kit. Thanks again, -D-

Dang, that looks great Jim! I just love the color! David G.

That is amazingly cool! ? The paint looks great on it! Well worth the wait. David G.

The Edsel is looking good Jim! The paint issue on the hood looks like some light crazing. I just had that happen when I put the first color coat on the London Black Cab I'm currently working on. I've had it happen a few times before and the texture always seems to follow casting flaws; those areas in which you can see where the plastic meets in the mold when its injected. When I get this result, I usually let the paint rest for a day then I hit it again with what I call a "drench coat" of paint. That usually fills in enough of the texture that it will sand out easily. It sounds like we both used the same technique but in a different sequence. David G.

Hello Everybody! Here's the next update on the Northrop P-61 Black Widow. With the plane assembled in "test fit" mode, it's time to assess the weight and balance issue. To balance the plane on its wheels takes a little more than 2 oz of lead shot. This is in addition to the weight I've already placed in the space forward of the cockpit. The alternative provided in the kit is the clear plastic stick seen on the lower left. It goes toward the rear section of the fuselage and holds the plane's tail off the ground. Taking the 2 ounces of lead shot needed to balance the plane and adding as much of it as I can to the nose cone, there is some left that won't fit. Even with this, the plane barely balances. Also, the nose is unsettlingly heavy. The plane will be part of a diorama so I don't plan on handling it much. but I have concerns over what effect that much weight may have on the front gear over the long term. Given all that, the plastic stick is starting to look like the better of the two options. It's barely visible from a normal viewing angle. Even straight-on, it's not too bad. Every model ever built is a compromise with reality, it's something we just have to accept sometimes. To me, the plastic stick is really no different than the strings that are often used to suspend model airplanes or a clear plastic rod used to hold up a space ship or hovercar. It's something I can live with. So I guess that the weight problem is solved and everything is in balance... On with the build! David G.

Yeah, it does look like an evil robot! Thank you David. Yeah, I always like to give each kit I build my best effort, I think that that is a trait we share. David G.

Ah, that makes sense! I should have figured that out on my own. ? Thanks again for the kind comment. David G.

Hello Everybody! It's getting close to what I call the "Buttons & Bows" stage of the build. It's the stage where I'm wrapping up the little details right before final assembly. Yes. Yes I did! I've also been working on the bumpers. I sprayed the front bumper (the one on top) with some Rustoleum chrome paint. My prep wasn't as good as I would have hoped and there were some flaws I wanted to correct so I smoothed ant polished it a little more. I also wanted to do a blackwash of the grille area in the center. Since both the chrome paint and the wash are enamel based, they blended together and made a bit of a mess. It's not bad and it should look better once I put on the second coat of chrome. This series of events inspired me to pre-shade the rear bumper prior to applying the chrome paint. I'll have to see how that works out. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Thank you Carl. The air cleaner. Yeah, this one is pretty much a paint can. A paint can with tubes! Thank you Bil. Is "power barn" a nickname for an engine? Or maybe the Cab itself? The Cab does kind of look like a barn on wheels... in an elegant sort of way, of course. Thanks, David G.