David G.

That's a clever solution! David G.

Hello Everybody! Work on the Northrop P-61 Black Widow continues so here's the next update. Getting ready to spray some gray for the underbelly! Even though this is primer it should be fine after I spray the dull-coat on it. Also, the radar unit and radome are complete! That's all for this update. As always, thank you for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment if you wish. David G.

It certainly is testing my skills. What aircraft would you build Jim? David G.

They were painted black when first issued but some were repainted while in service. This is the kind of look I'm going for on this build. Thanks for the comment Carl, it's always great to hear from you. David G.

Yes you do! It's a fighter actually, the Northrop P-61. I like to challenge myself with different build genres on occasion. David G.

Thanks Jim! I thought about tinting the rear quarter windows but I felt if I did that I'd also have to tint the rear window. Given the trouble I was having just getting an even tint strip across the windshield, I thought I should just leave well enough alone. Besides, tinted windows weren't really a big thing back in 1965. At least that's my rationalization I have them installed and they actually look pretty good. They seem to do the job that I wanted them to. Thanks again for the offer Jim, I do appreciate it. That's a great looking T-Bird BTW! Thank you kindly Will! David G.

Those are perfect! 😮 Isn't that an old automotive engineering trick? Placing larger wheels in the rear to provide a smoother ride when stiffer springs are used for heavier loads? I'm guessing with all the additional coachwork on this beast, the rear springs would be a little beefier than stock. David G.

That's a great color choice Robert! It's the type of color that lends itself perfectly to that chalky oxidation that one often sees on old cars. The tape pulling the paint off the rear of the hatch is what I call one of those "happy accidents". It'll be cool how you work that in. David G.

Hello Everybody! The work on the '65 Ford Galaxie continues! Needing a little break from the foil work, I decided that it's about time to install the trunk hinges. Nothing tricky here, just a standard capture mechanism held in place by the interior. Speaking of interiors, this car comes with a convertible styled interior. It has the large enclosures for the top mechanisms (inset). I think I want to try to hide the back seat area a little to draw attention away from these. A good way to do that would be installing some rear side windows. I've whipped up a set using some acetate and strip styrene. I'm not sure if I'll use them, most of that depends on how well they turn out. That's all for now! Please be sure to like, comment and subscri... Oops, wrong platform! Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to share any thoughts you may have. David G.

Beautifully done! David G.

Ah, it's been a while since I've seen this one David. I have to say that the building does seem more in proportion to the 1:32 scale features. For the forced perspective photo, if you reduce the zoom and take the photo from a bit farther from the set that should reduce the field depth moving the foreground and background closer to a common ground.... uhh... the same focal plane. It's nice seeing this diorama again David. David G.

A tremendous improvement on the radiator Jim! David G.

I know I'm late to the game on this one but now I'm all caught up and all I have to say is... Wow! What a delightfully ambitious project, you seem to have things well in hand Jim! I really like all the mods and improvements you've made so far. One point on the suspension. You seem to think that the rear sits a little too high. Wouldn't there be reduction in weight over the rear axle with the removal of all the sedan or wagon bodywork and glass? And maybe the rear springs would be a little stiffer in anticipation of possible cargo? Any combination of these and a couple of other factors could be used to rationalize *ahem* explain the little bunny-lift in the back. Honestly though, the stance looks good and natural to me. Keep up the awesome work Jim! David G.

Thank you for taking the time to post that mini how-to Donald. It's great seeing the work that goes into builds like this. David G.

Dang Johnny, that looks great! 😮 David G.

Beautiful job punching up the interior Jason! Once you get some paint on it, it'll look like it came out of the box that way. David G.

Wow Daniel, I don't recall ever seeing stacks bent in such a way. Those are cool! They look like something one would see on a Batmobile, air intakes that double as smoke grenade launchers! I wonder if having the stacks leaning forward like that actually imparts a significant ram effect or if it's just more for show. In either case, it's cool. David G.

Thanks Len. It is becoming more of a challenge to find the will to work on this one. Most of that lack of will comes from thinking of all the time and effort that I'm putting into such a simple kit. All that work just to have something that will (at best) look pretty good when it's done. I would have rather put that time and effort into improving the kit rather than correcting its flaws and defects. Thank you Jim, I appreciate your kind words. Honestly, that's one of the reasons I do these WIPs. To share information about the kits I work on and help model builders manage their expectations. When I'm considering buying a kit I do a search to see if I can find any WIPs or build threads on it. Reviews and "open the box" videos are helpful but they can only tell one so much. If you really want to know what a kit is like to build, watch someone build it. It's nice knowing when someone draws benefit from my efforts, thank you both for that. David G.

The good work continues on this, nicely done Robert! David G.

Hello Everybody! I've been saying since shortly after I started this build, "This kit may be simple but it's certainly not easy." It continues proving that to me every time I work on it. With the top of the rear bumper fitting to the body a little better, it's time to address some of the other issues it has. Like these horrible gaps it has on either side. Each side gets a little scrap of styrene reinforced with CA and baking soda. These will support the putty that I will use to contour the bumper ends to better meet with the side moldings and body. Now we're getting somewhere! I'm still not sure how I'll manage to blend it all together but "one step at a time" as the saying goes. Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to post any comments you may wish to share. David G.

Thank you Si. I'm building this one in basic olive drab, or my version of it at least. Painting it black almost seemed cliche'. I haven't decided on nose art, or even if I will use any. If I do make some nose art, it will probably be something that could have been done by the crew at the airfield. I'll brush paint something or make up a decal for symmetry's sake. I built one of these back then too. I think I finished mine- mostly anyway. I do recall being unable to find any zinc chromate paint for the interior so I used a shade of gold. I also remember this being the first model I built with weathering. At least it was my first attempt at it. The directions suggested (and still do) dabbing silver paint on the lead edges of the wings and props to simulate paint chipping. I did this and a few other things. Thanks for your comment Tom. David G.

Thanks Carl. I can remember a time when if you told someone you used a Sharpie pen to color your model car, you'd have been laughed out of the room. My, how things change. David G.

That looks great! David G.

The PE grill is a vast improvement! David G.

Hello Everybody! It's time for the next update on the P-61. Here's a second pass at smoothing and filling the seams in the wings. With the wings filled, smoothed and painted with Tamiya AS-29 Gray Green, it's time for a test assembly. Here's a shot of the front of the aircraft with some tape added for structural integrity And a quick shot of the completed interior. Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post any comments you may have. David G.