Scale Modellers, lets talk :)

I did ALMOST finish the Sea King last Summer but discovered that I do not have the right decals for the camouflage paint scheme, only the decals for the festive livery are included.

So while I was trying to source the missing decals, I started working on the T-33, and used the late summer weather to also prime the F-104 sprues.

That then got interrupted in October by drawing my little brother for Sinterklaas (you know, the thing @schurem made an AT-AT for), who LOVES the Super Hornet. So I made him the Academy 1:72 F/A-18E.

Completely in style, I worked on it for months and only barely finished it in time.




The kit is amazing, clicks together perfectly, you barely even need glue, and the gaps between parts are naturally masked and all on panel lines. The decals are great too!

I kept the canopy off and left the pilot unpainted, since the recipient is much better at painting miniatures than “this old man” (referring to Santa and me).

In more recent news, I finally found some Belgian Sea King decals that are being sent to me this week.

So after 2 gift build interruptions and finishing a total of 5 kits, it seems I will finally get back to the second kit I started building.

But first the simpit.

P.S. I suspect the AIM-120 on the shoulder station is not allowed when the inner wing pylon is occupied. But he likes it so I think I got away with it

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Story of my life, condensed into two words
 :wink:

Edit. Great looking SuperBug!

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The shape really grew on me during the build. I much preferred the “slim” Hornet before but I see the appeal of the bigger LERX and the chonky fuselage now.

The outward pointing pylons are still cursed IMO

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Great model - it looks fantastic, and a very thoughtful gift for your brother!

I love the EA-18G “Growler” (despite the name :joy:). One of the most important aircraft in any fleet. But you think an -E or -F looks cursed with the canted pylons? Try putting ALQ-99 jamming pods on - it looks ridiculous!

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That definitely looks like the “in thrust we trust” school of aerodynamics

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Growler is the one “super” I actually like. I’ve got a Hasegawa kit collecting dust in my closet. Speaking of dust
my half-built Intruder has been looking forlorn


Weren’t the canted stores due to slipstream issues when jettisoning them if they were in-line with the fuselage?

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I read the same thing about the canted stores, not sure why you’d ever want to jettison the jammer pods but I suppose separate pylon attachment points is just more weight


I wonder if the “canted pylons, good enough” is the same type of thing that led to the problems with 737-Max?

I can think of one. Apparently these guys were furiously throwing ‘stuff’ overboard and into the ocean.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainan_Island_incident

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It’s always fun to learn little tidbits like that while modelling. I remember when building an E-2C, I was so confused as to why there were exhaust stains running parallel to the wing axis when the engines are of course mounted perpendicular. Then it hit me: They taxi around carrier decks with the wings folded. Interesting note on that, Japanese Hawkeyes only have that exhaust stain on one wing because they unfold the wings on the ramp after starting up the first engine–can’t remember if it was left or right.

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Still neglecting my Intruder to make a George. 1/72 Aoshima kit. I can’t do paint chipping effects particularly well. Might go for less weathering on IJA/IJN kits because the level of chipping those things had in real life is just insane.



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I like George. Very nice Clutch

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So, who did the chipping on that one, because it certainly looks good.

Not using primer, or something like that?

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Probably a combination of that and hot, humid climates that they were in. I’ve tried chipping techniques but the brand of paints I use don’t work so well with that becaues they peel off instead of chip off. For now I’ve been using sponges to simulate chipping but you can still tell it’s a layer on top of the paint rather than below.

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You’re in Japan. Can’t you just keep the models outside for 3-5 years?

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I wish I could find a model of an ice cream truck for cheap. Why? Because, I remembered Twisted Metal exists and I want to kitbash me up a Sweet Tooth

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By the way
 Did you see the TV show?
I’m only 2 episodes in and it seems really fun.
I have no idea of the game’s lore though.

I need to see it. The game’s lore is pretty disjointed. They’re coherent within the singular entries, but get really loopy once there’s a continuity (From 3 to 4). And when they do get a continuity, they’re just silly.

Then, in Black, it all takes place in the head of Marcus Kane, former driver of Roadkill and now driver of Minion, who is ALSO now the split personality of Needles Kane aka Sweet Tooth.

So, honestly, I’d regard complaints about loyalty to the lore as silly; it’s whackadoo and nonsensical.

Really, all you need to know about the lore? It’s Mortal Kombat with cars. There’s a contest called Twisted Metal hosted by enigmatic wizard-type named Calypso. If you win, he grants you one wish. But, that one wish can be corrupted as Calypso likes to take creative twists on granting them ala a monkey’s paw.

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I mean, if they were metal yeah :rofl:

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Two years later and nearly quitting modeling entirely out of frustration I finally finished the Kinetic Intruder. I skipped a lot of details just to get it over with. Terrible kit quality.





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Well, to my amateur eye, it looks fantastic.

I would fly that.

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