AgapeModels.com forum member Chris (WWIIAirFanatic) shared his pictures of two classic builds from Monogram. I love these old kits, right down to the working details. Great stuff Chris!

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Well I finally finished them: The SB2C Helldiver and F6F5 Hellcat both from Monogram. (1973 and 1967 respectively)

I picked these two 1/48th kits up from a local friend, they were in exceptional condition. Just a couple of fun kits to build and for as old as they are they were surprisingly trouble free except for the decals. I didn’t use all of the markings because quite frankly they were fairly thick as far as decals go and the decal solution didn’t work that great on them. So to avoid excess silvering and ruining the overall look I just used the bare minimum.

These are my first two planes with the faded two tone, I did as much detail as I could with the brush and added some silver thread for the antenna also. Overall they make very nice shelf models and the fact that the wings fold up is not only cool but saves some space on my desk…just like on the carriers they were assigned to.

Enjoy. :-)

Here is another build from Raleigh Lamb, this time a great looking Bf-109G-6 in the markings of Erich Hartmann’s aircraft.

History
Well, I don’t think there is anything I can add that would shed any new light on the history of the Bf 109, and most of you know at least a short history of the legend of Erich Hartmann. To make a very long story as short as possible, he began training in gliders as most promising Luftwaffe pilots did. Joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 I believe, at the age of 18, went through flight training, and was posted on the Eastern Front with JG 52 in September of 1942. Erich and three friends were told to ferry four Ju 87s to a unit which was nearby JG 52, so being the proper Lieutenants that they were, climbed into their new mounts, briefly familiarized themselves with the controls, cranked engines, taxied out, and Erich unceremoniously ran his Stuka right into the ground controllers hut! Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But I’ve been beholding this kit for a month now as I’ve worked on it, and I keep coming to the same conclusion.

Fairey’s Barracuda was one ugly airplane.

While there have certainly been aircraft that looked far more odd, and a few even uglier, I can’t think of any that actually went into production. It kind of makes me chuckle, picturing some designer at the Fairey headquarters, sitting back from the drafting table and thinking “Yeah, baby- that is the airplane!”

Despite it’s looks though, it served well. Used as both a torpedo and dive bomber, it took part in the April 1944 attack on the Tirpitz. Serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific, the Barracuda uglied it’s way through WWII. IN fact, it served in the Fleet Air Arm until the mid-1950s. Proof that you can go far on something other than looks.

Still, I picture the Seafires and Sea Hurricanes sitting in the hangar bay making fun of the Barracuda. Read the rest of this entry »

Raleigh Lamb sent in this wonderfully detailed build report on his great looking DML T-72.

History
First introduced in 1971, the T-72 was designed as a cheaper, and less complicated T-64 to replace the aging T-55/T-62 Fleet. It was originally supposed to be a stopgap measure for the Soviet satellite states, and reserve units. In testing, the Soviet Army was so impressed with the design, that further development, and deployment was initiated. The T-72 has a crew of three, dropping the loader position in favor of an auto loading mechanism, which, I have been told, can leave an inattentive crewmember missing digits and/or limbs. The auto loader services a 125mm smoothbore cannon, which can fire APFSDS(armor piercing, fin stabilized, discarding sabot), or HE-Frag rounds. Secondary armaments include a co-axial 7.62mm machine gun, and 12.7mm NSVT machine gun mounted on the commander’s copula for anti infantry/aircraft. It is powered by a V 12 cylinder turbocharged, multi-fuel (designed as a diesel) engine, which gives it a maximum road speed of 37mph. The first Western encounter with this AFV was during Desert Storm, where the U.S. M1A1 Abrams and British Challenger 1 Mk. 3 for all intents and purposes, had their way with the Iraqi Republican Guard, who was it’s main user. Whether this was due to lack of training and poor deployment on the Iraqi’s part, or technological advantage and higher training of the Abrams/Challenger, and their crew is still in debate. Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member Wayne Dippold (Eagle334) shares his small-scale Thunderbolt. It looks great Wayne!

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The kit used was the old Hasegawa 1/72nd scale P-47 Razorback.  The interior came from True Details.  There was no problem with building the kit.  The paint was done with post shading/fading.   Olive drab was put down first then with very thinned black paint panel lines were highlighted then with a lighter version of OD the inside of the panels were done in a haphazard manner to simulate fading.

Forum member Alex (mastermodeler) sent in these great pictures of his Testors/Italeri C-119 Flying Bocar Gunship. Nice job on an aircraft we don’t see modeled often- thanks for sharing Alex!

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I saw a couple of these up-close and personal at the 440th Troop Carrier Wing, as they were “in-transit”.  An awesome bird in its day.  Had the glide ratio of a brick, but sure could do some damage when called upon. It is a Testors/Italieri kit from 1988.

Forum member Wayne Dippold (Eagle334) sent in these great pictures of his Monogram F-101 in some cool Canadian markings. Thanks for sharing Wayne!

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This is the venerable Monogram F-101 Voodoo kit in 1/48th scale. The kit was made straight from the box with no additions. The only complaints I really had with the kit is the lack of positive alignment holes for the main landing gear. They just get glued to a flat spot in the wheel well. The model was finished with Testors enamels with the blue being the square bottle “Sky Blue”. The decals come from Microscale and while impressive left a lot up to the modeler to paint. Only the hawk’s head is printed on the sheet and the jagged separation lines are given as 6 separate pieces with no ideas given on where to paint the black and blue. Otherwise the build was very straight forward.

In early May, I’d posted a build report for Accurate Miniatures’ P-51C “Tuskeegee Airman” kit. As part of the build report, I’d talked about getting to know Tom Myers, who had been the art director for Accurate until he passed away in December. I’d mentioned that it was in Atlanta last year- June in fact- that we’d both met artist James Greene at the IPMS show there. At the show, Tom worked it out with James that he would do the box art for the Tuskeegee airmen box.

The kit has been out for a while now. Now James has made the full artwork available as a print, through his website. The prints look excellent, and show the full artwork as James originally painted it. And at $35, they are a good value, especially being a signed and numbered print.

James said in his email letting me know these were available: “I am now “self-publishing” this print in an edition of 200 Numbered & Signed, using the digital giclee inkjet process. Interested persons may order this and other giclee prints through my website at http://www.jamesgreenfineart.com/.”

James has other nice aviation artwork avaialble, perfect for decorating your work area. Take a look!

Praise the Lord- AgapeModels.com is two years old! Thanks to all the folks who have supported the site’s ministry, through prayer, encouragement, writing, building and so many other ways. (And we’re celebrating with a fresh new look for the site!)

When God showed me this ministry, I asked “Really Lord? A modeling ministry?” He showed me to never doubt Him and His purposes over these last two years. In that time, over 42,000 visitors have come to AgapeModels.com. The forum has 200 members, with a large number active daily. Through it all, I believe we have maintained our focus on God, and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who have visited.

Yet I count it all to God’s glory, because without Him, we can do nothing.

I look forward to what God has in store in the future for AgapeModels.com. For the people still to be met, and lives to be touched in His name through the power of Jesus Christ. And of course, thankfully, to the modeling yet to take place- because even in our hobby we can glorify the Lord.

Again- thank you everyone for your support, and I pray that God will bless all who visit, that you may find power, purpose, provision and peace through the gospel of Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Ephesians 1
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Drew Hatch sent in this very detailed build report of his Special Hobby Barracuda. Drew did a great job adding detail to this kit, and the results speak for themselves. Great work Drew!

The Fairy Barracuda started life on the drawing board in November 1937 as a replacement to the Fairy Albacore as a torpedo/dive-bomber. 35 Barracuda Mk I’s were produced until the more powerful Merlin Mk 32 was ready. In total 1670 Mk II’s were produced. The first squadron to take delivery of the Mk II was 827 Sqn of the Royal Navy. First and made famous for their operation in Norway and against the German battleship Tirpitz.

Starting with the 1/48 scale Special Hobby kit what I found in the box was what was expected from a limited run kit. Plastic on the thick side and soft detail overall. Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member Mike Grant (Migrant) posted these pictures of his excellent Tamiya P-51D Mustang in very colorful Swiss marking. Thanks for posting this Mike!

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Tamiya’s 1/48 P-51D with a few minor mods – Ultracast seat and exhausts, some added u/c detail and my own markings to depict a post-war Swiss aircraft purchased from the Americans for evaluation.  It was stripped down to bare metal before being painted with Swiss markings.

Scott (Yellowbird) recently joined the Agape forums, and posted a virtual tour de force of modeling, which will be featured over the next few weeks. I thought I’d post this great looking Mosquito to kick things off.

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This is the old Airfix 1/48 FB, done as one of the BOAC birds used on the Sweden runs. A lot of work went into this one:

Scratchbuilt details: Forward cockpit bulkhead, rudder trim and radiator control unit, compass and bracket, radio control boxes, pilot’s seat pan, pilot’s and navigator’s seat and shoulder harnesses, trailing aerial winch, assorted cockpit wiring and plumbing, radiator outlet ducts, engine oil tanks, wheel well roofs and rear bulkheads, main landing gear support struts, retraction jacks, and brake lines, slipper tank filler caps, tail wheel mud guard, nose and tail navigation lights, ventral ID lights.

Details added from Tamiya kit: Rudder pedals, trailing aerial mast, narrow-chord propellers and spinners, main landing gear wheels, slipper fuel tanks, elevators.

Aftermarket details: Squadron vacuform canopy, M. V. Products landing lights, Eduard carburetor intake screens, Detail Associates windshield wiper.

Other enhancements: Radio transmitter and receiver units detailed, fuselage and engine cowl panel lines rescribed, engine cowl fastener clips replaced, machine gun, cannon and gun camera ports filled, engine exhausts drilled out.

Finishing: Finished with Polly Scale acrylics, Aeromaster and Tamiya decals.

I may have goofed on the finish. The reference I had at build time were a bit uncertain on which camo pattern and colors were used. I made my choice, but later saw references that suggested that I was wrong on both.

My evil evil nemesis and arch-rival is Mr. Vacform canopy. Odd when you consider how much I like to build short-run kits. I guess I justify it by rationalizing that the trade-off is worth it… short-run kits open up avenues to the rare and esoteric, with the price being the vacform canopy.

However, when I saw MPM’s Spitfire Mk. XI on the shelf at Hayes Hobby House, the small label on the front that said “injection molded canopy” made me take a second look. I could have my cake and eat it too!

(Of course, I still retained some insanity…. I also picked up their Mk. XVIII with the aforementioned evil nemesis and arch-rival, Mr. Vacform canopy contained within the box…. it sits in the stash, waiting, watching. We will meet and settle it…. one day….)

So I grabbed it up and brought it home. It sat for a while in the stash, until I decided it was time to build a Spitfire, even if it was just a quick build. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob from Bob’s Buckles posted these wonderful images of his Eduard 1/48 Albatross D.Va, complete with- what else- some of Bob’s Buckles! Great work- thanks for sharing it!

Ltn. Hans Müller’s Alb.D.Va
After many months of love and attention I have finally completed my 1/48th Eduard Albatros DV of Jasta 18 fame.

The rigging was the fun bit for me. I love being tortured!

I anchored my wee buckles into pre drilled holes then rigged with 1LB fishing line. The sleeves were made out of stretched cotton bud handles.

The kit looks a lot cleaner than in reality. I have done some fading to the red on the upper wing. This was achieved with Tamiya Red base coat and Gunze Sangyo red over sprayed. Pre-shading of the rib tapes was done with white.

The white areas have a minimum of “smoke” sprayed on them. This cannot be seen in the pictures, believe me, its subtle.

Many thanks.
Bob Von Buckles

Back in the late 80’s, the CAF flew their B-29 (Fifi) and B-24 (Diamond ‘Lil) into the Tallahassee, FL, USA airport. I went out to see them.

When I was standing under the B-29, there was an old man in a wheel chair sitting under it, just looking up. An older woman, presumably his wife, was standing off to the side. A family was near him, and he started talking to them. His speech was slurred, which I guessed was from a stroke. The family seemed annoyed he was talking to them, and moved away. He hushed up.

I felt bad for the way they treated him. So I walked over, and standing under the open bomb bay, I said “Sure looks like they could hold a lot of ordnance in there.”

And in his slow, hard to understand speech, he started talking.

I listened as this man- this hero- told stories of being a bombardier on a B-29, of living in the South Pacific, of raids over Japan. He’d met “Tennessee” Ernie Ford, who he said was a -29 bombardier, too.

He recalled some of the people he knew, just first names, like Charlie and “ole Bud” and “some kid from San Diego”. Some of them brought tears, and others laughs. I honestly got teary eyed myself at times.

He even told about some odd group called the 509th Composite group, and he described to me watching a plane take off on the morning of August 6th- and he dramatically paused and said “That was the Enola Gay that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.”

We talked a little more, and I thanked him for the stories and for all he did.

That family who was to busy to listen to an old man slowly tell his tale never knew what they missed. They were in the presence of a hero, a real hero, and ignored it because of a little slurred speech and some liver spots.

They were free because of what that man- and others- did for them.

Memorial Day is about remembering…. the history, the heroes, the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our country. Remembering the history too. Why they gave it all. It may be a little too easy to just see a veteran, or their tombstone, and say “It’s great they fought for us.”

They left behind family, friends, innocence. brothers, sisters, children. A lot didn’t come back.

And it’s about honoring. Stopping and thinking about that the freedom we enjoyed came at a price. Too many times the younger generations forget this. Doing so, eventually, is at their own peril. Freedom has a price. It has a cost.

Our freedom in this country shows that. Look at the history. Our comfort came at a price.

Just as our freedom from the sting of death came at a price, through the blood of Jesus.

Today is Memorial Day. It’s for remembering the price paid for freedom. Someone had to lay down their life. Take some time to thank a veteran. And to thank the Lord for the ones who aren’t here.

Larry Thompson at Pegasus Hobbies sent this information to me, regarding upcoming releases:

We are planning on doing the P40, the Flying Tiger version (early).

At the moment we are doing much work on the movie stuff,  trying to get the Galaxy Quest stuff done.

So that’s 8 new-tool WWII aircraft for under $10 coming out over the next year from Pegasus, in addition to the 5 they already have. How cool!

I am especially excited about the P-40- Larry has confirmed it will be the “B’ model in AVG markings.

I really enjoyed their recently released P-51B and their Hawker Hurricane.  And my son built their Bf-109G and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Keep it up Larry and Pegasus!

Brian McClatchie (brain44) posted these pictures of his build of a nicely marked Canadian F-101, using the Monogram kit. Great stuff Brian!

I wanted to share this build with you all, as it is sort of a “fellowship” build of itself – the kit came from Will (Spaced) and the nose gear was donated by Mark (mhoupt) and the inspiration from brother Drew (DrewH)…..it came out rather well, I think, I’d love to hear your input as well!

When I re-entered the modeling hobby in early 2006, I saw there was a lot of buzz generated about a kit Airfix had issued, a 1/72 TSR-2. What really caught my attention, at first, was the fact that I’d never heard of this aircraft. I thought I was a pretty well-informed aviation history enthusiast, but this was new to me. It seemed every magazine, especially those from the UK, had pages and pages devoted to the aircraft. I suddenly found myself hooked.

Unfortunately it was about the time Airfix went into receivership, and the only place I could find a TSR-2 was on Ebay for a large sum of money.

When Hornby revived Airfix, I had the privilege of interviewing Martyn Weaver, Airfix’s manager. And he hinted that there may be a future for the TSR-2 again.

He didn’t mention it would be a re-tool in 1/48 scale! :-)

So when I saw it sitting on the counter at my local hobby shop, I snapped it up immediately. Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member Tom Winter (A330driver) sent me these photos of his awesome P-47M. You gotta love that camo!

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Well, she’s finally done. This has been one of my more problematic “children” but I’m glad to have it finished. I hope you like the way it turned out.

Forum member Bob (bobs_buckles) posted these wonderful photos of a 1/32 Roden Pfalz D.III he recently finished. As your checking out his photos, you may wonder where those great looking turnbuckles used in his rigging came from. Bob made them himself- and you can get some too! Just might be perfect for those Wingnut Wings kit that most of the modeling world is now working on. :-) Check them out at Bob’s Buckles website.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy Christian fellowship and modeling discussion, I invite you to join our forums!

The silber grau was a mixture of 1x Skull White to 2X Mithril Silver. Both  being from the superb Citadel range of acrylics. They need thinning more so than your usual Tamiya and Gunze. Talking of thinners, I used the Tamiya thinners, but I dare say IPA will do the same job.